Annapolis

Annapolis

$$, Date and Group Friendly, Needs a Car

Oyster Shooters at Middleton's Tavern

A proper city needs a proper coast, be it East or West. CA Boy and DC Girl have found that proximity to the water just seems to relax people and connect them to their environment (despite the downsides: sky high insurance premiums, a fragile fishing industry, and the occasional risk of flooding).

In search of a better waterfront, DC Girl and CA Boy set out for Annapolis, Maryland on July 4^th weekend, the perfect time to escape D.C. for some boating, kayaking, and seafood.

They began their day with a Bay Lighthouse boat tour, which chugs along for a lazy three hours under the twin spans of the Bay Bridge to Sandy Point Shoal, Baltimore Harbor, and Thomas Point lighthouses.

The day was beautiful, the sky cloudless, and the harbor busy with all manner of boats out to enjoy the holiday weekend. DC girl and CA Boy were happily perched on the back of the top deck, when they noticed where the water had churned up a spot of brownish bubbles.

“Marine dead zone?” DC Girl hypothesized, pondering the Chesapeake’s fragile ecological balance.

“Whale fart,” CA Boy concluded breezily.

Before the great debate could be settled, the boat’s own “professional lighthouse keeper,” Art, arrived on the boat deck to answer questions about the history of the bay. Excited to meet their first real, live lighthouse keeper, DC Girl and CA Boy insisted on a photograph with Art. He chatted with them pleasantly, confessing that he was a recent retiree from Los Angeles who had only recently moved from West to East Coast. Crushed that Art was not, in fact, a real, live, lighthouse keeper, DC Girl and CA Boy pressed the poor man to confess which coast he preferred.

“I won’t say,” answered Art, diplomatically.

After the boat ride, DC Girl and CA Boy also checked out Annapolis Canoe and Kayak, where they rented a tandem, a.k.a. “divorce,” kayak for a short jaunt around the harbor. Many a fine relationship has been wrecked on the shoals after a mutual attempt to steer this vessel, but this pair was undeterred.

Things started so well. DC Girl took the front of the kayak, and had just found a rhythm to her paddling, when a loud voice broke the silence on the harbor

“HEY YOU IN FRONT!” yelled a woman from a passing sailboat, “YOU’RE DOING ALL THE WORK!”

DC Girl turned back to discover CA Boy fixing his glasses, his paddle dragging lazily in the water.

“SSSSHHHH,” responded CA Boy across the water, “DON’T TELL HER!”

DC Girl and CA Boy soon worked out a better – mutual – paddle strategy, and an hour of kayaking left them parched in the summer sun. Not to fear, the marina boat dock had a convenience store and gas station, marked by a large with a big “FOOD, BEER, ICE” sign. While meant for larger boats, strong and thirsty people like DC Girl and CA Boy can always find a way to maneuver their kayak into the water taxi landing area. If you have a lot of arm strength and a fair amount of balance, you can get a nice cold beer in hand without flipping the kayak.

Thoroughly exercised, DC Girl and CA Boy ended the day’s adventure with steamed shrimp and oyster shooters at Middletons. The class of the old pub is a great juxtaposition to the hundreds of plastic cups used for oyster shooters littering the tables. Granted, DC Girl has never been a huge fan of raw oysters. She recognizes this as a personal failing, and continues to try them lest she suddenly change her mind. Sure enough, stick the slimy devils in a plastic shot glass full of cocktail sauce, add a chaser of Middleton’s Oyster Ale, and DC Girl is an immediate fan.

The East Coast West Coast Verdict on Annapolis: two thumbs up.

Location

Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, Annapolis is 26 miles (42 km) south of Baltimore and about 29 miles (47 km) east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, home of the United States Naval Academy, and destination point for many local mariners.

Tips

• If you’re spending the night, you can stay at the Marriott Waterfront or, for half the price and twice the charm, try one of the small bed and breakfasts operated by the Historic Inns of America.
• July 4^th is a great weekend to explore the city. Check out the view of the fireworks at the Naval Academy, but be sure to get there early. You will have to go through security, bag check, and metal detectors (that means no alcohol that you can’t smuggle in covertly).

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

$

CA Boy and DC Girl may debate the merits of the Atlantic vs. Pacific, but they agree on one important point: seafood. This pair would gladly eat fish every day of the week - which would be great for their diet and terrible for their bank accounts. If you don’t want to spend $15.99 a pound on salmon, you have another option: tilapia. Or, as CA Boy affectionately calls it, “possum of the sea.” Like possum, this fish is short on meat and taste. But it can have a delicious texture, and will easily take on the flavor of any sauce.

While it may not have the taste or health benefits of other fish, tilapia (like possum) is a healthy source of protein. There was a time when DC Girl would sauté her tilapia, submerging it in a bath of tomato sauce until it became a kind of fish soup. But CA Boy soon taught her the error of her ways: give tilapia a nice crispy Parmesan crust, and that cheesy ectoskeleton will keep the fish from breaking apart while it cooks, and leaving you with a delectable filet.

Our favorite recipe is for Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, which CA Boy made for DC Girl and her roommate (who is, incidentally, a CA Girl) after a particularly busy day at work:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Shenandoah State Park

$, Group Friendly, Needs a Car

If they had their druthers (or a private jet) CA Boy and DC Girl would spend their weekends hiking around California's Sierras or New Hampshire's White Mountains. But they have 101 days for this challenge, and start with a few smaller peaks a short drive away from the nation's capital. For their inaugural outdoor adventure. CA Boy and DC Girl join a group of friends in Shenandoah River State Park. The park rests on 1,604 acres in Bentonville, along the south fork of the Shenandoah River. It includes a few leisurely hikes and 5.6 miles of river frontage … the perfect spot for a leisurely afternoon spent fishing and cooking. This is luxury car camping at its finest: bathrooms, showers, water spigots, and carts to wheel your stuff from the parking lot to the camping spot. This is the perfect destination for a group camping trip where you have mixed levels of interest in “roughing it.” Those more ambitious characters can use the park as a jumping off spot for nearby hikes, while others can hang out by the river and fish. A word of warning – be sure to reserve your spot far in advance, they book up fast!

Location and Directions

The park is located in Warren County, eight miles south of Front Royal and 15 miles north of Luray. It's off Rt. 340 in Bentonville. From D.C., take I-66 West to exit 13 (Linden). Turn left off the ramp. Go one block to a stoplight where you'll take a right onto Rt. 55 West. At the fifth stoplight, turn left onto 340 South. Drive eight miles; the park's entrance is on the right.

Tips

CA Boy takes car camping as a personal challenge to bring as much stuff as possible. Just think of all the stuff you CAN’T bring on a backpacking trip, and throw it in your car. Fishing poles, big tent, French press, queen size air mattress, Coleman stove, etc. If the kitchen sink could be transported, CA Boy would bring that too. But here are a few convenient tips for minimizing hassle on a group camping trip:

• Starbucks VIA coffee packets: terrible at work, fantastic outside. Forget the French press and bring a few of these for the group.
• Food: Divide the group into teams responsible for each meal. If you are the trip organizer, make clear that you (or an assignee) will bring standard cooking accessories and condiments.

Ranking System

The activities and destinations featured on this blog are ranked according to a few basic factors:

Cost	$ (cheap) $$ (moderate) $$$ (pricey) $$$$ (break the bank)
Group	Date Friendly Group Friendly Family Friendly
Convenience	Metro Accessible Bus Accessible Needs a Car

How It Started

“People have been trying to leave the East Coast since they found the East Coast,” said CA Boy to DC Girl one summer Saturday afternoon. He was cooking turkey burgers with homemade tzatziki sauce and a tomato cucumber side salad. She had a free moment between billable hours. DC Girl bit into a tomato and pondered.

“What is it you miss the most?” she asked.

CA Boy thought.

“Mountains, fresh vegetables, good food, hiking, camping, real beaches, short shorts, snowboarding, skiing, life that doesn’t revolve around work, good beer, good wine, good fishing, the 49ers, my friends and family …”

His list went on.

“You know,” DC Girl interrupted after a minute, “we have a fair share of those things on the East Coast.”

CA Boy raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“I mean … we have the fall colors, apple picking, home made fish chowder, good food, good wine, good beer, the Red Sox, the Atlantic, interesting work, interesting people, dynamic cities, my friends and family, the mountains…

“I wouldn’t call them mountains.”

“What about the Appalachians?”

“Those aren’t mountains. Those are hills. You can’t even get above the tree line.”

“Okay, hills,” DC Girl admitted, “… but nice hills.”

DC Girl knew that there was going to be trouble the moment she saw CA Boy's apartment, several nights after their first date. Accompanied by several friends on a warm spring night, DC Girl arrived at CA Boy’s Adams Morgan home for a barbecue … and found a crowd of friendly people gathered round a veritable feast. Grilled tuna, lamb sausage, hamburgers and steak for the carnivores; salad, and Israeli couscous tossed with feta and green beans for their vegetarian friends. In CA Boy’s dining room was a table … that he had made. In his kitchen … there was camping gear, fishing rods and real tools (just like the ones she saw on HGTV). In his backyard … she found tomatoes and herbs. Growing.

For his part, CA Boy knew there would be trouble when DC Girl postponed their first date ... for a conference call.

CA Boy and DC Girl’s tale is a familiar one: boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy misses California. But that’s where this story really begins. Faced with the worst economy in a century and numerous circumstances beyond their control … CA Boy has just a few short months to explore all that the East Coast has to offer and, ultimately, decide to return to the work that he knows and the friends that he loves in California or remain on the East Coast, in our nation’s swampy capitol, for unknown professional challenges and a girl he has only recently met. But when life gives you lemons … you make lemonade. Or, in this case, a blog so that your friends and family, near and far, East and West, can partake of the adventure…

Just remember, dear readers, that CA Boy and DC Girl must remain anonymous for the sake of their professional reputations. So post, write, and comment away … but our keep our real identities safe!