Delaware & Philly (2 Dance Recitals)

What could possibly be cuter than one little girl in a tutu prancing around the stage...


... 3 little girls in tutus!

Phil and I had the pleasure of seeing my little nieces perform on the big stage this weekend. It was the stage debut of Jaqueline (top) and Madeline (lion), and the second for Hayley (pink feathers).

After a night of bowling (no judgement please! my hospital recently started a bowling league, and who was I to say no?!) I drove in town to meet Phil at Helen's where he had just seen a performance by the very talented Jimmy James. He convinced me to stay for one drink with Shay and Jimmy... and well, 3 hours later we were still cozied up to the bar next to the piano. D'oh! We high-tailed it out of there, and made the mad dash back to the hills, finally crawling into bed around 3! This would not have been a terrible thing, except for the small fact that we had to be in Delaware by11! This meant we needed to be on the road by 8 in order to get down there in time for the first of the weekend's recitals. We woke up at 8!!!

I bolted upright out of bed in a major panic because apparently in a foggy sleep-deprived stupor I must have reached over and turned off the alarm and shut my eyes... shit shit shit... I shook Phil awake and managed to pull ourselves together in record time and run out the door!

We made it with a few minutes to spare and head over to the behind my sister Heather's house to see the show. It was so damn cute and actually a very well organized show! The younger girl's teachers were just off stage on either side, and it was so cute to watch the girls trying to focus on what they were doing while keeping them in eyesight!

After the big day, we all retired back to Heather's, conveniently located right behind the High School, and had ourselves a fun afternoon playing with the kids and enjoying some hearty BBQ offerings compliments of my brother-in-law Jerry.

That night, once the children were safely in bed, the adults had themselves a grand old time drinking, playing croquet, and laughing... a lot! I should mention that my family is extremely competitive (in a fun way!) when it comes to games, so invariably any sporting event becomes an extremely colorful experience!


We stayed up into the wee hours, taking the game very, very... very seriously!














And then when thought we couldn't laugh more, Phil and I thought it would be a good idea to take out the sparklers we had purchased the week before in the Poconos! Um, yeah, perhaps not the wisest thing to give a group of fashnickered adults sticks spewing sparks and fire! Thankfully, the lawn in the yard suffered the worst of the burning!

The following day was spent in the Philadelphia area at my Brother Eric's house where we had to change to repeat the fun and see little Miss Madeline dance her cares away.

After a fun afternoon, Phil and I hit the road... I guess I was only half paying attention to the directions Eric gave me, and soon realized that downtown Philly was getting closer and closer, when we should not actually have seen it at all!! oops! Thankfully I lived in the area for 4 years (which of course begs the question, shouldn't I have noticed we were going in the wrong direction sooner... well, we'll have none of that thank you very much!) and I managed to get us to the PENN campus where we decided it would be a good idea to defile our systems one last time that weekend with a tasty greasy Cheese steak from Abner's.

It was a great weekend indeed!

A Virginia Weekend

Earlier this summer... ( I know, I know... at this rate the last of our summer outings will get posted around the holidays! ) ... NYC Pride Weekend, in fact, Phil and I decided that given recent stresses on the home front, we wanted a little weekend of private time away from the grind. After some consideration, we decided on the Williamsburg area of Virginia. If you haven't been, I absolutely recommend it as a fun little weekend getaway. It is a beautiful area with a great balance of things to do: a little history, a little Busch Gardens, a little beach time, and maybe even a winery or two if you're into that sort of thing... what is more perfect than that?

The plan was to drive down after I finished work on Thursday, crash in Hampton, and then head off to Colonial Williamsburg the following morning. In theory it sounded great, as it would then allow us to get an early start on Friday and get the most out of the weekend, but let me tell you... it was a tough drive! Not so much because it is hard to navigate, oh no, it is pretty much a straight shot... provided, of course, you read the signs right... which I...um... didn't. I took a left in Do-vuh Delaware, where I should have taken a right ( a very Bugs Bunny moment) Of course, trying to stay focused at one o'clock in the morning after working a 12-hour day, is sometimes a hard thing to do. Thankfully, I managed to catch my mistake before we got to the Delaware beaches and turned a potential 2 hour detour into a 10 minute mistake! Whew!!!

If that wasn't bad enough, the sleep bug bit harder after that first guffaw, and the last 2 hours of the drive were pain-ful! At night on Route 13 there ain't a whole lot to see... farm fields, stripmalls, the Tyson and Purdue chicken plants (HOLY SMELL BATMAN!!) , and the random unopened gas station! By the time we reached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel we were downright delerious!! I had that window down, face-slapping, stuff-your-face to stay awake kind-a-tired going on, and we were desperate to reach Hampton to get our asses to bed!

Sleep came oh so easily that night!

Friday mid-morning we got up and decided to hit Buckroe Beach, a local beach near our hotel, before heading up to Williamsburg which was only about 30 minutes away. The beach was a little underwhelming, with a large pier that provided a view of the Bridge/Tunnel we had crossed the night before and the lower mouth of the Bay. It was nice to get some sea air, but we didn't stay around too long.

We decided to head off to Williamsburg instead and get some grub along the way. We were side-tracked by a giant "GUNS" sign we felt compelled to take a picture of, which lead us to stop at a local Beauty Salon so Phil could get his haircut. I went browsing for local wines in the Grocery Store next door, and met Phil about 15 minutes later sporting a very masculine military cut! Given the high military concentration in the area, I suspect they probably only had that one option for men, and just weren't prepared to handle the more fashion conscious New York City gay man! We hopped in the car and drove off... quickly!

The nice thing about Williamsburg is that everything that you want to see and do is within 5 miles or so of each other, so you can basically stay anywhere and have no problem getting around. As we entered the region, we saw signs for the Williamsburg Winery and decided that would be the perfect way for us to start our exploration. The Williamsburg Winery is apparently the largest of the Virginia wineries accouting for almost 25% of the entire states production. For any wine types out there, I defintely recommend stopping by. They have a great tour of the winery, a handsome shop, and a great restaurant/cafe on the grounds. We left smiling and 5 bottles of wine heavier than when we arrived! Yes, we have problems... but by now I suspect you all know that and I can stop saying it! =)

After loading up the car, we left the grounds and set off towards the center of the Historic City. Colonial Williamsburg is definitely something everyone should see at some point. For anyone who enjoys history, or enjoys the feeling of being somewhere otherworldly, or just enjoys colonial architecture, it is a must. As usual, we did something in the way of a whirlwind tour. The cool thing about Williamsburg, is that it was apparently reconstructed to what it would have looked like pre-1790. There are hundreds of buildings most rebuilt on their original foundations, with over 80 of them being originals. The whole thing was funded by John D. Rockefellar and what is kind of cool is that, allegedly, it was done at the prodding of his wife!

We parked the car and decided to walk around and enjoy the amazing weather, and settle into our second accommodation later that afternoon. The colonial city is very beautiful and charming. All of the employees are dressed in the clothing of the day. What is more, they are also in character, so it gives you a truer sense of what life would have been like in the day. We were more about looking at the architecture, the grounds, and some of the shops than getting some of the more detailed history tours. We spent a couple of hours walking around and then decided to buy a "sensitive" plant from one nice colonial farmer. The leaves are fern like, and what is cool about it is that when the leaves are disturbed, they close suddenly and the branch droops a little. I don't exactly know why it does this, because it is not carnivorous like a fly trap would be, but it is a fun novelty feature! Before taking it though, we did ask the woman about its management, and she assured us it was an easy plant to raise. Perfect. Phil is not exactly the a green thumb when it comes to plants, so we just wanted to make sure it would be managable. We chose a nice bushy one for ourselves and took it on our way excited to add a little living green to the Forest Hills apartment... I will have you know that that woman is a LIAR! Our plant lost virtually all of its leaves in the first week it was home! It is now a sad Charlie Brown Christmas tree looking thing on Phil's kitchen table. I think the prognosis is guarded at this point! =(

After getting our fix, we decided we should go check in to the new digs and unwind a little. We had reservations for a guided ghost tour later that night, so we were going to get another crack at the historic grounds anyway. Phil booked us into a place that turned out to be a fantastic find! It was called the Sunterra Powhatan Plantation . The resort sits amid 256 rolling woodland acres, with hiking trails, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, mini-golf, tennis courts, an outdoor pavilion with live entertainment, casual and upscale dining, among other things... In the spirit of Williamsburg, it also offers some American history of its own, with a beautiful restored Plantation Manor House (circa 1735) at the end of the long entrance road complete with its own British piper and drummer filling the air with the sounds of Colonial America. Full on CHEE - ZEE! We loved it! The other great thing is that the resort accommodations were not hotel rooms, but rather well appointed townhouses. It was great! We had a huge 2 bedroom place with jacuzzi tub, steam shower, deck, full kitchen, and living room with pull-out couch. It could be a very inexpensive weekend for up to 6 people if anyone is looking for a fun and different weekend adventure. hint hint...

We unloaded our gear and basically crashed! Power naps are your friend! We got up too late to do anything for dinner before the ghost tour, so we resorted to some chips and salsa to at least get our blood sugars up a little! We drove into town again as the sun fell below the horizon and got ourselves in the mood for the tour. It is kind of hokey, but it seemed like a fun different thing to do. We chose the Original Ghosts of Williamsburg Tour Candlelight tour, which is the longest running and most popular. It is based on the Ghosts of Williamsburg novel by L.B. Taylor Jr. It was fun to walk through the old city at night by candlelight and the stories varied from creepy, to downright scary, and from tragic to funny. It was a very colorful mix, and we were hosted by a small elderly British woman who really knew the Ghost history, as well as the history of the city, so we ended up getting a bit of history lesson anyway. If you do choose to do the tour, and I do recommend it, I would like to make a few suggestions: 1) Eat before you go... it is a long tour! By about an hour and a half and no sign of turning back to our starting point, Phil and I jumped ship casually slipping into the darkness! 2) If you go in the summer, apply bugspray before you head out! The mostquitoes were very hungry that night! At least for my blood, I think Phil did alright.

After the tour, we head back to the more modern town square only to find that the restaurants there were no longer serving food! D'oh! We hit the road and found the main drive through town and after looking long and hard, settled on... don't judge... Cracker Barrel! We stuffed ourselves far to late in the evening than we should have with piles of down home country cookin' I think the gays of New York would have been shocked and appalled! We had an adorable young waitress by the name of Ashley who we joked with all night, and managed to coax into a picture with us before we left. We were pleasanly surprised to find Miss Ashely was actually working that night with her twin sister Courtney, so we go ourselves a two-fer!

The following morning, I had arranged for us to take part in something called the Griffon Breakfast at BuschGardens. This is a special feature I saw online that allowed you to get into the park an hour before it opened to enjoy unlimited riding of the new Griffon Dive Coaster and then enjoy a breakfast buffet in the "New France" section of the park right next to the ride... Roller Coasters and all you can eat food... game on! For coaster enthusiasts, the Griffon is a pretty damn cool ride. It sits 10 people across in 3 rows. The seats are open air bucket seats with your feet dangling free! The outside 3 seats on either side extend beyond the track, so you are not sitting over anything but air!! The ride takes you up about 205 feet and then turns you around to get a beautiful panoramic of the park before edging you up to the first drop! It gets its name because it is truly a 90 degree dive STRAIGHT down! They totally screw with you too and just as you are about to get dropped, they allow you to fall forward about 45 degrees and stop you dead in your tracks so you are now looking at the impending drop!! It's pretty intense. The fall rockets you 71 mph straight down and throws you skyward in a twisting diving loop and up a hill to set you up for ths second dive! It is a quick ride, but a very cool experience, especially on the outside seats!!

We probably rode the coaster 5 or 6 times before deciding to have that breakfast. After we ate, we thought we might try one more time, but we weren't watching the clock, and the line had grown exponentially in that time, so we pressed on. The good news is that because people were so focused on the new ride, we managed to get on everything else in no time at all with multiple rides!! It is a charming park, very scenic and well desined, and very clean. After a few hours tooling around, we decided to call it a day, get some lunch and move on!

That afternoon we decided to drive along the Colonial Parkway which is a very scenic drive that takes you from York to Jamestown. We picked it up about halfway and too it towards Jamestown, England's first U.S. Permanent Settlement 400 years ago. It is a very scenic drive along the James River, and on our perfect cloud free day, one we enjoyed immensely. Jamestown is not unlike the historic city of Williamsburg in that it is a recreation of the original fort and Powhatan Indian village. In this case though it is right next to the original settlement, since the location still has ongoing archeological digs. The tourist site also includes a small theater for an introducotry history lesson, a large period museum and replicas of the ships the settlers arrived on in the discovery cove on the waterfront. It is all hands on and interactive, and they have people roaming around in the period roles. It is a fun way to revisit your childhood revolutionary history!

That night we ate at a nice seafood restaurant as a change of pace from the Cracker Barrel the night before and head off to the Giant Pirate's Cove Mini Golf course we had passed earlier in our trip. It is one of those mountain shaped courses, perfectly landscaped with waterfalls galore! We had a lot of fun laughing at ourselves in faux competition, and ultimately Phil came out on top... I mean he won. We had a nightcap of local wine watching the stars on the deck before calling it a night.

Sunday morning started with a drive out to Virginia Beach. Phil and I had both been there many moons ago, and wanted to see the ocean and take a trip down memory lane. The boardwalk is nice and the beaches are clean, but it has a very Atalantic City circa 1980s feel to it. After realizing it just wasn't what we remembered it to be, we had a quick lunch on a Pier over the water, and then hit the road for home..

Since it wasn't too late in the day by the time we hit the Bridge/Tunnel, we thought we might explore a little of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (that little sliver of the state that is cut off from the rest of it below Maryland/Delaware... Apparently there are a number of beautiful historic towns, beautiful beaches, and a slew of outdoor activities. We, however, didn't see any of them! It wasn't for lack of trying either. We attempted to drive through a few of the larger waterfront towns on the map, but their heyday must have been a century ago, as the main streets were weathered and tired with many-a-store front still boarded up. The main drive along Route 13 heading north, did nothing to help this image either, as there was a high W.T. feel to it with farms and trailers and stripmalls oh my... and the occasional little treasure like this one ...

touting a variety of meats and fireworks! You guys be the judge! =) We did learn that there were a handful of wineries along the way, and well, who were we to pass up on that opportunity. We were looking for anything to help The Eastern Shore's reputation!

We stopped for steamed clams at a self-proclaimed "famous" clam shack and treated ourselves to a little snack of steamers as we tried to see if they had any idea where these wineries were. We asked the staff for help, and learned that we had passed one for sure. They also knew there was one kinda sort of near by, but they didn't know where it was, but a 3rd one was up the road for sure, just a little ways away. It was late in the day, so we only had a chance to stop at this one, but it was very cute. Bloxom Vineyard has only 6 acres of grapes, but it has a cute tasting room and a friendly atmoshere. If you're driving down south on 13, it is a very easy stop right off the main road. The Bloxom Merlot was tasty and sports a sassy Marilyn Monroe Lips on the label, so for all you NY label queens, it's a fun conversation piece!

By about 5 o'clock, we were spent! We called my sister Heather several times to see if she and her family were going to be around as we passed through Delaware to try and catch them for dinner. Unfortunately they too were away, so Phil and I decided to splurge a little and enjoy one last quiet romantic meal to celebrate another successful weekend away!

The Poconos

Phil has been jonesing for some country time, so we decided to high tail it out of the city. We jumped in the car, and head due west towards San Francisco on route 80. Woo hoo... California here we... Okay, we didn't quite make it that far, and ended up stopping a little over an hour into the drive just over the border of Jersey in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania... 2850 miles short of the west coast. Maybe next time! Now for those of you who grew up in the NY Metro area, I'm sure you remember the very cheesy commercials in the late 70s and 80s for the beautiful Mt. Airy lodge, and other romantic gettaways in the fabulous Pocono region offering quiet nights out of the city basking in the warm glow of a fire place while soaking in Champagne glass tubs... oh yeah, good times!

Yeah, we weren't quite sure what time had done to bring the region into this millenium, but we decided to brave it nonetheless!

We had our trusty guide book in hand, but decided to wing it a little once we crossed over the Delaware River. There are signs everywhere for the various attractions, so it isn't too difficult to find something to do. Now the first thing we realized as we drove out that morning, was that we left our beloved camera at home in Queens! D'oh... Yes, Phil and I have major memory issues sometimes! It's a wonder we are able to dress ourselves sometimes. Thankfully though, we weren't completely at a loss. We had a box full of goodies in the trunk that our friend Jace wanted us to drop off at the Salvation Army. As fate would have it, I hadn't had a chance to donate it yet and we noticed there was a little camera bag in the mix of things. It was an old school simple Olympus 35mm camera. It was kind of poetic in some way... and in the spirit of the Poconos I grew up to know and love, we set out to capture the memories with technology that matched the day!

Parts of the Poconos are really quite charming, and there are some great little communities scattered throughout if you take the time to explore it. We started up route 402 / 209 N towards Milford. We stopped at a cute little drive up breakfast hut and treated ourselves to a breakfast sandwich, a coffee for Phil, and Diet Coke for me to give ourselves a little boost for the long day ahead. While eating, we decided the first thing we'd do is have an outdoor adventure, and followed the many many.... many Billboards (did I mention there were a lot of them? you can't miss this place!) to the Bushkill Falls... The Niagra of Pennsylvania! =) It turned out to be the Jellystone National Park with its own Yogi Bear-like character greeting folks in the parking lot! As cheesy as it sounds though, it was actually a very pleasant surprise and something we absolutely recommend doing. It is popular, so on the main trails you are apt to get a little crowding, but the longer hikes around to view the smaller falls are more private and a good work out. You start right at the top of the main 100 foot falls, and have some choices as you go. We decided to walk up the Bushkill Creek to head of an stunning ragged rock gorge. We were really thrilled to have stumbled on the place! The walkways over and around the main creek and falls are very rustic and impressive natural wood bridges that hug the rock walls and cross the creek in various places, and at several points carry you over the 2 largest falls! We decided to keep the main falls as the last site, so took a detour up the mountain to the Bridesmaid's and Bridal Veil Falls. The walk is moderate at first, but flattens out quickly and takes you through a quiet expanse of deciduous forest offering the occasional view of the Delaware Water Gap in the distance to the east. The trail loops around follows the Pond Run Creek past a the aforementioned falls. These are a couple of gorgeous horsetail type falls, worth the hike. The path is well appointed and takes you down a rather steep set of man-made stairs to each of the splash pools. The Bridesmaid's falls splash into a cool rocky cove that you can walk into and right up to the base of the falls!


After the Bridal Veil Falls, the trail follows the creek down a gradual grade past mountain laureal and assorted ferns. The nature enthusiast will love it. Little Pond Run Creek merges with the larger Bushkill Creek and the trail turns back towards the main falls following the same kind of boardwalk and bridge system that took us through the more tranquil laurel glen. This path courses through a rocky pass thate takes you literally over the top of lower gorge falls and onward to the large gorge where the 100 foot main falls can be seen in all their glory. There are trails that take you around either side of the gorge, offering great views along the way and in a few months, a new path looks set to open that will bring you a even closer.

After the falls, we set out on a loop through the center of the Poconos Region heaing up through the Delaware State Forest past Peck's Pond to Lake Wallenpaupuck, a large reservoir with private camps and residences along the shores. It is a beautiful lake, but there is little access for public viewing and enjoyment, so we moved on.

We drove back south through the small town of Tobyhanna to Mount Pocono. We stopped there to feed ourselves at a Steak House and enjoyed a private dinner on their outdoor deck in our very own Gazebo! I say private because we were basically the only people there! We were hoping it wasn't because the locals knew something that we didn't... the food was reasonable though and our bowels remained unscathed the following day, so I would give it the green light for any of you passing through...

After eating we decided to head back to Jersey, by way of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg. The pair of cities, for you non-NYC Metro folks is something in the way of a college town, as East Stroudsburg University is the center piece of the town that bears its name. It was a nice enough school and Stroudsburg had more to offer than I thought, with seemingly nice restaurants and shops nestled on quaint side streets off of Main. Apparently they've done a lot in the last decade or so to restore a lot of the old history buildings. I'm not saying I'd rush to settle here, but if the spirit moves you to head into Pocono land, on a sunny weekend day, it is worth a stroll around.

Our last stop on the way home was Lake Hopatcong. It is New Jersey's largest lake, and a place I have actually never visited, even though it is only an hour west of where I live! I should say though, for a lot of Bergen County folks this is actually the rule, and NW / SW New Jersey is an entirely different world! It is actually rural, (yes, we're not all smoke stacks and industry!) and well that just doesn't compute for a lot of my brethren!! Thankfully Mr. Zipkin has been channeling his inner country boy, and has been itching for a patch of green outside of the city, so he was more than happy to see what it was all about. I have to say, we were both pleasantly surprised. It is actually a pretty charming little lake community. Of course, I should qualify that statement a little, as one day does not a decision make! and our pit stop at Tiny's Tavern on the way out of town could be an indication of a more... um... how shall we say... WT element.

Yes, Tiny's was definitely something else. It was something in the way of a sports bar, with a handfull of locals cozying up to the bar. The bartender was a little taken aback by the two of us, and I'm not sure if that was because she was getting a gay vibe, or if the color of Phil's souvenier T-shirt from Bushkill falls was blinding her! (I love you baby!) The walls were covered in plain worn and warping wood paneling. The occasional neon beer sign and Nasacar poster scattered the otherwise plain walls. There were cafeteria style tables wrapping around the main bar, and a dart board on the back wall. The restrooms were at the back, and you could tell about 10 feet before you got to them that you might be in for bit of a treat.... and that is all I'm going to say about that!

After a pint, we hit the road and made our way back to the Enchanted Forest...