Remember our goal of seeing all 50 states? Well, for us, that means you have to do something in that state. It doesn’t mean we have to spend the night, just at least do something. We had already spent a night in the other side of Maryland, in Frederick, but we really hadn’t done anything in the state. So, we decided to visit America’s coolest small town: Berlin. I know, you thought you had the coolest small town, but I’m sorry to disappoint you, that belongs to Berlin.
Driving to Berlin was unique countryside. We crossed long bridges from Annapolis over Chesapeake Bay then small islands with bay towns. The land from there was flat, and much to my surprise, full of farmland growing, mostly what appeared to be corn and wheat.
The town of Berlin is itty bitty, and I only knew it existed because a cousin had recently traveled there and posted pictures. The main strip is about three blocks long full of little shops for beach shoppers, small diners, ice cream shops, wine bars and even a tea shop. There was a children’s shop that had sidewalk chalk and a bucket with wands for bubble blowing outside their door. There was the kind welcome man with pamphlets and brochures to tell you more about the town, including the specific spots of Runaway Bride! That’s right, the adorable town where Julia Roberts and Richard Gere fall in love was actually Berlin, Maryland. My favorite shop in the film was a hair salon called “Curl Up and Dye” which is now the Runaway Tide General Store. We saw multiple store fronts from the film, and the brochure helped by including both the film name and actual name so we could see the bridal shop, Maggie’s shop, the hardware store, and we even walked by her house. All of this in a span of just a few blocks!
We had fish sandwiches and wraps while people watching at an outside table, and I had a major, life-changing kind of moment. How do you eat your hush puppies? Plain? Dipped in ketchup? Dipped in whatever soup you’ve got? Me too. I’m actually not one for a lot of fancy sauces. I typically eat my food with little to no “dressings.” So, when the waiter presented a dip on my plate that I was unsure of, I almost brushed it aside, but thankfully, first, I took a little sniff. When my olfactory senses approved, I gave it a little taste. My mouth was in heaven and the only thing that made it better was dipping the hush puppy into the thick, sweet concoction: honey-butter with a dash of cinnamon. I’m not sure hush puppies will ever be the same for me.
Betty is doing well, but we had encountered a minor problem when we left DC. I believe I accidentally hit the vent/rear window button at one point and it opened, but then it would not close. We read online seeking advice, which we tried such as switching windows on and off, turning the car on and off, and even messing with part of the fuse box. (If you just said, “I didn’t know fuse boxes were in cars, too,” don’t worry, I was right there with ya!) So, we decided to give in and went to Napa Auto. The man there could not have been nicer. After about ten minutes of pushing, pulling and pliers, Betty was once again ready for another adventure. And I put duct tape over the rear window buttons so that doesn’t happen again.
Not far from Berlin, we hit the coastal road. The beach road in Maryland reminded me so much of the coastal road in Gulf Shores or the Florida pan-handle, I believe I could have been transplanted without even knowing it. There were condo buildings on the beach side, with tacky t-shirt and beachwear shops across the street, and scattered among them were restaurants with funny, beach-themed names, but as we crossed the state border into Delaware, the setting changed. There were more state parks, small housing developments rather than large condo buildings, and huge, beautiful homes along the bay.
Our destination was Rehoboth Beach, a supposedly newer, up and coming sort of beach. There was a long boardwalk that separated the buildings and the beach. Along the boardwalk were ice cream, pizza, and popcorn stands, interspersed with arcade games, t-shirt shops, henna tattoo offerings, and beach collectibles. I’m so very spoiled by Gulf beaches, that while walking in the sand felt great, the tan sand and brown water was not nearly as magical as what I usually get to see in the Gulf. Crowds of people were there, enjoying the beach, though, and I’m so glad the beach is so close for so many people in the area.
The area is also known for their crab, so before leaving, we made it a point to get a crab cake sandwich, and it was quite delicious!
Aside from visiting the beach in Delaware, we decided that we should see something historical since it was the first state. The people here are certainly proud of this claim to fame, too. Dover, about in the center of the state was where the First State House was. We stopped at several places throughout the colonial feeling town, and everywhere we went, we were greeted with overwhelming kindness. We also began thinking that the people in these tourist spots must be a bit bored because they each talked to us for long stretches of time, eager to share with others about the history of their state. I learned more about Delaware than I believe I ever knew there was to learn. Did you know Delaware was the only state east of the Mason-Dixon Line? And although a slave-holding state, they fought alongside the Union. Delaware was at one time part of Pennsylvania, but became its own colony, still controlled by William Penn, so that he could have access to the Delaware River. Also, there is no sales tax in Delaware-a nice little shopping bonus!
One more quick stop in Delaware was New Castle, another old colonial town with an old town square surrounded by cobblestone and brick roads. This was one place William Penn came ashore. We ordered ice cream at the local pub where the waiters dressed in colonial clothing and our only choices were colonial flavors.
The towns we are encountering are seemingly becoming more and more quintessential small-town America, so I can’t wait to see what we encounter the further north we travel!
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