Our first annual Bus to the Brews trip!

I love it when a trip goes off without a hitch and the Bus to the Brews was one of those trips.  Donna Emel brought along the most fun group all decked out and ready to celebrate St. Patty's Day.  You gotta love a guy who will wear an over-sized plaid newsboy cap with a pom pom on top!  And the ladies definitely raised the fashion bar up a  couple of notches.

This was our first visit to Fordham Brewing Company in Dover, DE, and, as I've said before, I'm always a bit nervous going to a place for the first time.  But Marketing Coordinator Lauren Bigelow was ready and waiting for our group and we were warmly welcomed, given our first sample, and then gathered up to begin the tour.  I always try to remember to write down the names of the tour guides so that I can mention them  in my posts, but I completely failed on this trip.  So, my apologies to the gentleman that led our tour for not including your name, but I do extend my thanks and appreciation. 


And I'll also admit here that I rarely pay attention to what's being said during tours--I'm more concerned with making sure that everyone stays together and has a good time and I try to get some good photos while the tour is going on.  Every now and again, a bit of knowledge does actually sneak in, but I figure I'm better off not giving away too much information anyway because that way you can just join me on a future trip to learn everything for yourself.  

A nice touch at Fordham is that at the end of your tastings, you exchange your sample glass for a pint-size glass to take home as a souvenir.  LOVE getting free stuff!  Wishing now that I had bought a case of their handcrafted sodas.  Next trip there I will be bringing one back for sure.   

I've been to Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE, before but hadn't had the chance to take the tour, so this was another first.  I had contacted Janelle Miley of their marketing team to set up our groups and she was a pleasure to work with.  

We had two separate tour guides (again, their names never made it into my notebook, but they both did a great job).  Lots of big tanks and big pipes and like I said earlier, I'm not going to give you details about this tour because if I do the trip again, I want you to sign up and find out for yourself!  I will say that there's plenty of interesting stuff to learn.  There's a whole lot more to brewing beer than just throwing stuff into a tank and hoping for the best.


I do enjoy the Dogfish Head gift shop.  It's a fun place with the requisite tee shirts, baseball caps, and glassware, but you can actually purchase their beer at prices much cheaper than your local retail place.   And if you have a whole lot of extra cash that you don't know how to spend, there are a couple of collectible growlers for $125 each.   

Ended the day with a dinner stop in Rehoboth.  Paul and I went to Dogfish Brewpub and met up up with my friend Peggy and her kids Nathan and Lindsey and Lindsey's husband Jon.  Jon is a Pittsburgh native, so he and Paul have that "Burgh Bond."  Despite the fact that Lindsey slipped and told Paul the Penguins had won the game that afternoon, we had a fun time (just teasing Lindsey!)

Will definitely be doing more Brew Bus trips in the future, so keep an eye on the website.

Off to Florida tomorrow morning to visit the in-laws.  Looking forward to seeing them, as well as the sun.  Next trip:  Back Roads to Freedom Underground Railroad tour.  Another "first" for us and I'm really looking forward to it.

WASHINGTON IN THE WINTER IS...WONDERFUL!

 I wasn't planning to do another holiday trip to the White House for a while, but Beryl Almond talked me into it again this year and I admit that I'm glad she did.  It's the most labor-intensive day trip that I do, but it truly is worth the effort.  Especially since this year, we were allowed to take cell phone photos inside the White House!  In the past, photos were always strictly forbidden even though you were allowed to take your cell phone inside.  Of course, nothing comes close to seeing everything in person, but I'm posting some photos that I hope you'll enjoy here to get a sense of how beautiful the displays are.  

I start planning this trip in the middle of the summer by submitting my tour request and then promoting the trip to my customers.  The trip sells out literally in a matter of days, so I don't even bother to post it on the website.    (If only EVERY trip sold like this one...) 

Filling out the background spreadsheet is the part that I worry about the most.  I learned on the first trip that the Secret Service really does check the data that I provide them against the data on the photo IDs on the day of the tour so there is absolutely no room for error.  

I want to give a shout out to Laura Nolan in Congressman LoBiondo's office--she is very efficient and a pleasure to work with.  I can only imagine the number of tour requests that she fields throughout the year and I appreciate all of her help.  

While I wait for the Secret Service to do the background checks and the White House folks to decide what tour time to assign to my group (assuming, of course, that my request is even approved), I'm also setting up tours with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Washington National Cathedral as well as selecting a place for lunch that can accommodate a large group while offering a variety of options.  As enjoyable as the White House tour is, it's self-guided and it really doesn't take that long to go through even at a leisurely pace.  I figure that if we're going to ride all that way to DC, we should make the most of the day and add in some other activities.  

DC traffic is horrible and unpredictable.  Trying to figure out what time to leave in the morning is a real challenge.  I don't want to leave too early and have the group standing outside of the White House Visitor's Entrance too long in case of bad weather, but I also don't want to risk arriving so late that we miss our entrance time.  So invariably, there are some folks on the trip who are either unhappy about the time that we leave or unhappy about the time we arrive.  I have to admit that I still don't like it when I know that there are unhappy customers, but I also know that there's no way to please everybody all of the time.  I aim for providing the best possible experience at the best possible price and at the end of the [long] day, I hope that everyone leaves with some happy memories.

This time we were asked to line up alphabetically outside of the Visitor's Entrance which we didn't have to do on the first trip.  But we did get through much quicker than before, so the last-minute rearranging of folks out on the sidewalk at least made sense.

On the previous visit, some of us caught just a quick glimpse of the back end of Bo the dog as he was coming inside the White House.  This year, Bo was actually walking right in front of me just as we were coming up on the display that features him.  I tried  get a shot of him in front of his display, but Paul had the same idea and we were competing for camera space and I'm still not that great using my new phone, so I lost the Kodak moment.  

I opted out of participating in the guided tour of the Kennedy Center because I've taken it a couple of times already and I really just wanted to sit down and relax for a while.  It's a very interesting tour though and I do recommend that you take it if you ever have the opportunity.  I'm still trying to get some good photos inside the Center, but the lighting is pretty bad and the weather being on the gray side didn't help.  

The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center has a nice food court area.  Not a beer to be found though, so Paul and I trekked to the Aria Pizzeria & Bar for a bite and a beer.  Wanted to spend some time touring through the building, but decided to save that for another day when I have more time.

My favorite part of this holiday trip is The National Cathedral.  It is an amazing building and must be seen in person to appreciate.  The guided tours are great but I always wish I had more time there.  They have two gift shops that offer a wide variety of unique items.  It's always a challenge getting everyone out of the gift shops and back on the bus at the end of the day.  

I'll be putting more photos from this trip on the Davis Day Trips Facebook page if you'd like to check them out.  Every week I am getting more "Likes" on Facebook which is awesome--not sure how people are finding out about us, but it's so exciting every time I get a new "Like"!

Back to New York City on Wednesday for my LAST trip of 2012!

IT'S ALWAYS CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK CITY

Yesterday was our first of two holiday trips to New York City.  Weather was overcast and a little colder than I had expected which resulted in the purchase of a $9 scarf from a street vendor.  Asking price was $10, but I have a rule that I will walk away before paying full price.  Last year I got my Burberry knock-off scarf for $8, but this year I just wasn't in full negotiating mode.

Did the usual touristy stuff:  Went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, checked out the skaters, (surprisingly light holiday crowd), then off to Bryant Park.

Salvation Army bell ringers were out in full force, but it was very disappointing to see that not many folks were putting anything in the buckets.  Those bell ringers work very hard entertaining the tourists, so please remember to donate a buck or two.

Every year I try to get a really good picture of the tree, but with the gray skies this was the best I could do.  Maybe when we go back on the 12th, I can get a better shot.

On the way to Bryant Park to check out the Holiday Shops, I stopped at Cafe Metro for a slice.  Was craving spinach and ricotta and had to wait 10 minutes (which felt like 20 because I was hungry) for the pie to come out of the oven.  Unfortunately, the pizza was bland and pretty much tasteless and if there was ricotta in it, I sure couldn't find it.  Hate to waste food, but ended up tossing half of it out.  For $4.99 a [small] slice, I expected much better.  Getting ready to call Gus' Pizzeria in Pennsville to satisfy my craving.  Can't find better spinach and ricotta pizza anywhere!

Stopped in the New York Public Library to check out their tree which is always beautiful, but wasn't able to get a good photo.  This just wasn't my day for picture taking.  

Headed over to the free Lion King exhibit across from the park.  Very crowded and, as you would expect, LOTS of kids everywhere so it was challenging to see the different exhibits up close.  Kudos to the show for offering such a fantastic opportunity to the public.  

Coincidentally, I happen to have The Lion King on my trip schedule for next year at a great price of only $154 for the show AND transportation!  Sure would make the perfect holiday gift for someone special...

As always, there were plenty of unique shops at Bryant Park.  I always enjoy seeing the new and creative items that the artists have to offer.  The downside to the holiday shops is that the prices are on the high side.  I actually prefer my $9 scarf to the $25 ones that I saw.  

I stopped by Daisy's Grits to get some hot apple cider and watched the super-friendly owner create a "grits masterpiece" for the customer ahead of me.  Who knew there were so many flavors and add-on options?  

By far, the absolute best find of the day was Raaka Virgin Chocolate.  Trust me when I tell you, their 71% dark chocolate with sea salt will cure whatever ails you.  Wishing I had purchased the larger size bar (my $5 "nibbler" bar is already history) but happily they have a website and they do sell in some locations around NYC.  This is definitely "special occasion" chocolate and would be an amazing gift for the chocolate lover on your holiday list. On top of making fantastic chocolate, the company's mission statement is "...to make the most delicious chocolate possible while building and maintaining healthy and valuable relationships with our global community, our planet, and each other."  Doesn't get much better than that!

Was excited to be seeing Al Pacino on Broadway again, this time in Glengarry Glen Ross.  Wish I could say that I enjoyed the show, but...  To begin with, it was difficult to hear Mr. Pacino and I wasn't that far from the stage.  Of course, the two very VERY rude women behind me who insisted on loudly whispering during the entire performance didn't help matters (you know who you are, rude ladies in right orchestra Row L).  And while I'm no prude and I swear like a truck driver when I'm angry, the number of times that the F-bomb was dropped was way more than necessary to the story and actually became an annoying distraction.  

Ended the day by going to--you guessed it--Frankie & Johnnie's.  And obviously Mr. Pacino knew that I would be there because he walked in shortly after I did.  (I did not share my review of his performance though.)  Enjoyed seeing all my friends and relaxing in the bar with a glass of Prosecco.  Plan to go back on the 12th for some of their delicious salmon.  

Off to the White House on Wednesday for a holiday tour, followed by the Kennedy Center, and the National Cathedral.  Until then, I leave you with these words of wisdom that I saw in one of the Bryant Park shops:

WATCH THE [AERIAL] TRAM CAR PLEASE...

I have always said that I have the best customers, but I here’s photographic proof that I also have the best DRESSED customers!  Took another group to see Wicked in NYC yesterday and—no surprise—everyone had a great time.  Having seen the show a few times already, Paul and I headed off to explore Roosevelt Island.

Took the subway to the tram station for the three-minute aerial ride (I learned  last year that it’s super easy to navigate the subways using the MTA trip planner).  Unfortunately, it had rained a bit and the skies were gray and gloomy, so the video that I took was pretty poor.   

Just missed seeing a tram rescue drill which included hoisting a poor German shepherd up into the tram and back down again.  Hopefully he got plenty of dog treats after that experience.

Your first stop at Roosevelt Island should be the Visitors’ Center kiosk which is not far from where the tram lets you off.  The Visitor Guide & Map is very helpful (they ask for a reasonable $1 donation) and there are some swell souvenir items for sale (bring cash—they don’t take plastic). 

Our main purpose for visiting the island was to go to Four Freedoms Park which was open to the public for the first time on that day.  Sadly, there weren’t many other visitors at this beautiful site.   Not sure if that was because of the weather or the fact that it was a Wednesday. 

After visiting the park, we walked around the island, mostly via the river promenade.  

There are several interesting landmark buildings, including the Smallpox Hospital, Strecker Laboratory, and the Blackwell House.

Stopped for drinks and munchies at the Riverwalk Bar & Grill on Main Street.  Great place to relax and a nice variety of items on the menu.  

Chatted with the owner for a few minutes and learned that Cornell University will be opening a tech campus in the next few years...much to the dismay of some of the older island residents.  

While everything that I've read indicates that the university is doing its best to ensure that they are viewed as a welcome addition, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to visit the island before this major change took place.  Will have to visit again in a few years to see how things are going.

Trellis Restaurant is a small older establishment and appears to be the place where the locals go to dine on huge plates of comfort food served up by very friendly staff.  Grandpa Munster (Al Lewis) lived on Roosevelt Island before his death and I’ll bet he had a few meals there.

Best bargain around is the Red Bus Service.  It’s 25 cents per ride or 10 cents for seniors and free for students 18 and under.  But you do need to have your quarter (or dime) because they don’t make change.

There’s really not much else to do on the island, but if you're looking for something different to do for a few hours or you want to get away from the tourists in Manhattan for a while, it’s an excellent choice for an inexpensive side trip.

Manhattan? FUHGETTABOUDIT!

After spending the past six years taking tours in mid-town Manhattan, with an occasional side trip to lower Manhattan, I decided I needed to branch out.  I first learned about the Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tours, owned and operated by Tony Muia, in a travel magazine.  After doing some research, I decided it was time for Davis Day Trips to visit the place that all Brooklynites know is the “real” New York City.

Our tour started with guide Paula Berkenstadt bounding onto the bus, enthusiastically proclaiming that she was “stupid happy” to be with us.  I knew right then that she was going to show us a good time.  And she did.  In spades!  It takes a special type of person to command the attention of four dozen people (who had already ridden 2+ long hours on a bus, without a rest stop), making sure that her spiel and video clips matched up exactly to our specific locations, while simultaneously directing our driver (the extraordinary Don Sapp from Delaware Express who did an amazing job maneuvering some VERY tricky, tight twists and turns).

My only prior experience with Brooklyn had been walking over the bridge (you MUST do this at least once in your life), having an awesome spinach omelet at Celeste Diner, and then turning right around and walking back to Manhattan, simply because I didn’t know any better.  Boy, did I miss a lot!

Along the way to our first stop, Brooklyn Bridge Park (which has amazing views of the bridge), we learned how the area known as DUMBO got its name.  I’m not going to tell you what DUMBO stands for or give you the answer to how it got its name because you should take the tour yourself to find out. (And don’t cheat by searching the Internet.)   

The first pizza stop was Grimaldi’s, the last remaining coal-fired pizza joint in New York.  I love a good thin-crust basic cheese pizza and Grimaldi’s, with the addition of fresh basil on top, didn’t disappoint.  There are always long lines waiting to get in, but since we were with A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tours, we strolled right past the line and were immediately seated (another big plus to taking their tour!)   As much as I enjoyed Grimaldi’s (even with the super-tight seating arrangements), I’m still a huge fan of Gus’s Pizzeria in Pennsville which makes the absolute, hands-down best thin crust white pizza with spinach in all the world.  (Just had to throw that shout out to you Gus.)

Back on the bus, we drove past quite a few locations where famous movies scenes were filmed, including John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever strut down 86^th Street in Bensonhurst and the house where Joe Pesci drives into the garage right before he gets “whacked.”   Plenty of other interesting movie locations, but like I said, you should take the tour and find out for yourself.

Enjoyed the drive through Bay Ridge (think ultra-rich neighborhood) where, according to Paula, a lot of the residents make their living as car dealership owners.  I have to wonder who in the heck buys all the cars though since I thought that very few New Yorkers actually drove.  Should have asked that question while I was on the tour…

Our second pizza stop was L&B Spumoni Gardens for Sicilian-style pie.  I’m generally not a fan of thick crust, but Paula was absolutely right when she told us that even though the crust looks thick, it's actually very light…and VERY good! 

I felt that I had to try the spumoni while I was there and, once again, my South Jersey roots are coming out when I say that I prefer the custard from Hudock’s in Salem or the Pennsville Custard Stand.  But others on the tour loved their spumoni, so I say try it yourself to decide.

The final stop on the tour was Coney Island which is home to Nathan’s (and their famous hot dog eating contest), the historic Cyclone roller coaster, and so much more.  When I do this tour again, I definitely want to let folks spend a little more time on the boardwalk.  I did a Davis Day Trip to Coney Island several years ago (LOVED the Freak Show!!) and I think that a stop there deserves more time.  Granted, we have our fair share of beaches and boardwalks in Jersey, but there’s just something about Coney Island…

  

I was definitely impressed with A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tours and am hoping to be able to include their Christmas Lights and Cannoli Tour on next year’s trip schedule--if I can find a time slot before I leave for Hawaii.  (And no, Hawaii is NOT a Davis Day Trips—it’s just Paul and me on that one!)  Kudos to both Tony and Paula--thanks so much for showing us the REAL New York City!

Small group on the bus, but BIG fun at the festival!

We had plenty of open seats on the bus for the Havre de Grace Seafood Festival as a result of lots of last-minute cancellations, but it turned out to be a great trip.  The forecast had indicated scattered showers and even a possible afternoon thunderstorm and I’m happy to say that, once again, the weather folks were wrong.  (Although about five minutes after I got home, the skies in Pennsville broke lose—almost as if Mother Nature was letting me know that she had held off for me as long as she could all day and then finally just let loose!)    

Lots of interesting vendors at the festival.  Among my favorites were Gourmet Creations (no website, but you can contact them at 610-745-4269 to get a list of their products), Pretzelphoria (which by happy coincidence go very nicely with the dips sold by Gourmet Creations), Quillows by Fran, Sculptor Teresa Yost who sells very whimsical turtle and frog pieces, and unique baskets by The Wise Woman Weaves.  

There was also a very nice young man from Pittsburgh selling fabulous fudge, but he has no website yet and sells mainly at festivals right now.  I told him to call Paul to discuss website design—I’m hoping we can work out a deal where Paul creates his website and I get free fudge for life!  By the way, did you know that fudge doesn’t actually melt and that you should NOT put it in the refrigerator?  I learn something new every day…

I enjoyed walking the wooden promenade along the waterfront even though it was hot, hot, HOT (the trade off for no rain I think).   Took a quick walk through the Maritime Museum, thinking that it would be nice and cool inside.  It wasn’t. 

I had planned to walk around downtown Havre de Grace, but it was a much longer walk than I had anticipated and, to be honest, on the drive through town to Tydings Park (the festival site), I didn’t see anything that I felt was worth the long walk in the heat.   I’m sure there are some wonderful shops and restaurants there and one of these days I’ll visit specifically to check out downtown since it’s very easy to get there from Pennsville in just under an hour.

I found that the best place to be all day was the “entertainment tent” which was nice and cool...and conveniently located directly by the beer truck.  Whisky Train was fantastic and while straight-up country music is not my cup of tea I will admit that I enjoyed Runaway Train a lot.

Plenty of food available and plenty of places to sit and enjoy it.  I tried the “award-winning” crab cakes, but they didn't even come close to the orange-sized lumps of deliciousness at DiPaolo’s and “Bomba’s World Famous” at Salem City Café.  Salem County knows how to do crab cakes and could teach Maryland a thing or two!

On the topic of food, our next trip is a dual-event:  The annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Lancaster, PA, and discount shopping at Rockvale Outlets—do either or both events for the same price!  Check out the website for details and then book your seat before we sell out!

FRIDAY THE 13TH WAS GOOD LUCK FOR THE YANKEES!

I’m not a huge sports fan and, being married to a Pittsburgher, if I have any allegiance at all, it’s to teams that wear black and gold.  I did, however, almost feel like a real Yankees fan Friday night.  It’s easy to get caught up in the spirit of things when you’re there at the stadium and I ended up cheering as enthusiastically as everyone else watching the Yankees beat the Angels 6-5. 

Luckily, the weather cooperated too.  Temps cooled down to very comfortable low 70s and our seats were under cover, so the little bit of rain that fell for a few minutes didn’t do anything to “dampen” our spirits. 

Prior to the game, Paul an I went to Yankee Tavern.  I can sum it up in one word:  LOUD!  Couldn’t wait to get out of there.   Guess that means I’m really getting old when I can’t stand the noise level in a bar...

No matter how many times I see “Yankees Welcome Davis Day Trips” on the marquee, it still gives me a thrill!  Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to get a good pic of it, so you’ll have to take my word that that’s what it says in this photo.

Stopped in the Yankee Museum at the stadium.  Again, not being a real sports fan, I couldn’t fully appreciate it, but the “Wall of Balls” was kind of impressive.

Another highlight of the game:  Nathan’s French fries smothered in cheese sauce washed down with an ice cold beer.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

Our next trip is to the Seafood Festival in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on August 11.  This will be our first trip there, but I’ve heard lots of great feedback from those who have gone before.  Should be a fun and relaxing summer day, so join us if you can!