A Bruins win in game 7 the night before helped aid a good night’s sleep and I was ready the next morning for a trip Southeast to Milton, DE — home of the Dogfish Head Brewery.

This being my second trip in three months, not much was new for me at the Brewery.  A friend had me look into availability of their recently released Hellhound (they call them occasional rarities), but distribution (even there) is extremely limited).

I sampled some Hellhound as well as some Black and Blue (brewed with blueberries and blackberries).  Both were very good, and very different from each other.  Hellhound, flavor through its bitterness profile, while the Black and Blue barked out sweetness that stated “….bring me to a patio, on a warm day….and lament when my capsule is empty!”.

I picked up a couple of bottles and made my way out to Rehobeth Beach, DE — home of their brewpub, where most of their beers are available on tap, not something you can say for beer joints around Massachusetts.

At the Brew Pub, I bellied up and ordered a Hellhound on draft, while perusing their menu.  This menu is a little more straightforward than the exotic goodness I have seen at the Victory BrewPub in Downington, PA, but many pleasing choices, nonetheless.

I opted for the indulgence burger, which is described on the menu as “piled high with one of our beer battered onion rings, melted cheddar, and bacon crumbles”, and then they add “consider yourself challenged!”.  Ha!  Lay it on me!!

Burger was decent, my choice of rosemary focaccia bread may have contributed to a bit of a dry finish to the burger.

Onion rings were very good, for a non-hand-dipped variety.  They were very large and tasty.

Accompanying this nice burger was my current Dogfish favorite, Burton Baton.  A beer to savor, a beer to swish around your mouth so that no part of the mouth is left out of the fun.  This party in your mouth is always over too soon!

This lunch rates as a “very good”, but, let’s face it, PB & J, served with these beers may warrant mention in Bon Appetit magazine.

After a day of beer, food and driving, it felt good to relax with the O’Brien family in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore.  Their friend Terry joined us for a sampling of Clown Shoes beer I had shuttled down from Massachusetts.

First up was Brown Angel Double Brown Ale — a little lighter than I expected, but an easy drinking beer that all three tasters enjoyed!

We chased away the Brown Sugar with a taste of Eagle Claw Fist, an Imperial Amber Ale.  Given my affinity for Amber Ales, I was excited to finally try this.  It was very good, with all three tasters approving of it.  I can’t claim that I wanted a second, but if someone served this to me, I’d instantly think that person was a “good shit”…. 

Lastly, for this brief pregame tasting was the beer everyone WANTS to love, mostly because of the cool name — Tramp Stamp, which is a Belgian India Pale Ale.  While Terry and I enjoyed it, Brendan pooh-pooh’d this choice and could not even finish his beer.

Off to the “Yard” to see the Red Sox take on “Buck” Showalter’s Orioles.

Nice Sox win, which they all are, but avoiding a sweep to the O’s was an essential thing for this early season.

In fact, it called for some celebrating with the local birds…

And who knew there were so many Oriole Birds over the years??  On a mural on our way out, I had to snap a photo of all the local birds.  Somewhere in that list, are the Orioles of old, the ones who don’t finish near the bottom of the AL East.

Well, a good night comes to an end — the last night of age 42 — I know, I know…I don’t look a day over…..(insert a low prime number here)…

In this second beer sojourn in a couple of months, I decided to take more time at places that may have only been cameos the first time around.

One such place, was Victory Brewing in Downington, PA.

Last time around, I only imbibed with one of their beers, a Golden Monkey, and moved on to other places for chow.  This time, I promised myself, try the food, relax, try a couple more of their beers to see what else they had to offer.  I was well rewarded for this plan.

I was greeted warmly from the bartender and offered a beer menu and a food menu — can you say “yes, please” and “yes, please”?

I usually try to order a beer that I haven’t had before and I followed that plan and jumped on a Hop Wallop!

Wallop my taste buds, it did, as my mouth became overjoyed at the transition from Starbucks coffee to Hop Wallop.  I was pleased with my choice off of the  craft beer menu, one that had some wonderful options.  Check out their main beer menu here – what would you have ordered?

I narrowed the food choices down to two sandwiches (The Prime and the Dietrich) and an entree (I never saw a Reuben Meatloaf on a menu before, so it made it to the final cut…..my version of American Idol).

In the end, my weakness for a Reuben overwhelmed the other choices and I went with the Dietrich.  (much of my spare time is spent searching  the countryside for the best reuben….if life was a series of lobster rolls, reuben sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches….I could consider giving up steak…but I digress).

This reuben was top-notch!

A delicious home-made pastrami, served with fingerling potato fries, both of which made me long for having this place in my neighborhood.  The serving was more than enough!  In fact, I  couldn’t even finish the whole plate…. even if that meant, just leaving a few pickles.

Wanting to try one more beverage before I left, I tried the summer seasonal, a Whirlwind Witbier.  This beer was ok, but I think after a hop wallop, many of the lighter beers mind as well have been a bottle of poland springs water.

It was time to get back on the road, down to Baltimore, to settle in to watch the Bruins in game 7 against the Canadiens.  My Baltimore buddy Brendan O’Brien and I watched a the action from a couple of bars in Canton.

First up, was Loonies, but the small TV screen size challenged our eyesight, reminding us too much how much older we are (well, for Brendan anyways).  These old men needed large screens, damn it!!!  Luckily, a few spots up the street, we found great TV’s and good beer at an old dancing haunt of ours (I vaguely remember a dancing trance of Shakira music, which certainly convinced me that night that ~Hips Don’t Lie~), the Claddagh.  A Bruins win and a few Raging Bitches (the beer, not the locals) were a good way to end this day.

I recently decided to use one of my Groupons and headed to Davis Square Somerville to check in on Redbones.

Davis Square is chock full of great shopping and dining nuggets and Redbones is certainly one of the landmarks of this hip area.

Seated as we walked in, one can’t help but notice that this place is more about the substance and less on the style — don’t let the close tables and bare bones comfort fool you, the people here from the kitchen to the wait staff clearly love what they do and they do their best to make this foray into southern BBQ a truly enjoyable experience.

I had waffled all day between pork ribs and beef ribs….the last time I did this, I took the indecisive route and went with the BBQ Belt, which is  “A taste of the South, featuring Memphis, Texas & Arkansas Ribs & Sliced Brisket. Served w/ beans, cole slaw & sauce”.  Now…I KNOW I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I have been trying to make more definitive choices in life…and why not make one here?

Pork ribs…beef ribs…?  Pork ribs…Beef ribs…?  Fully leaning towards pork ribs…I had made my decision…and when the server asked what I was going to have…I told him proudly….”Brisket!”….Damn those delicious ribs!  Brisket!!!!

So — this poor guy says “small or large?”.

Do I look like someone who orders small things?  Coffee…beer…button down oxfords…I am a guy that usually takes the biggest size of anything.  So, large dinner plate of brisket.

My dining partner went with the Buffalo Shrimp…., so I was out of luck if I had hopes of trying some of their pork.

We had also decided to try some fried pickles and fried jalapenos, served with a side of ranch dressing/sauce.

These fried nuggets of love were good, with a nice batter coating the outside.  The jalapenos gave some spice to the palate, but were tame on the Scoville meter.

The micro brew list here has gained its own, separate, distinguished reputation.  It is well deserved!  They had quite a sampling of items not seen at most restaurants.  I went with a Pretty Things Jack d’Or, which was very tasty, lighter than expected.  I’d like to try another one sometime, perhaps with a few degrees chillier to make my full assessment.  In an effort not to overpower my food, I backed off the deeper, fuller varieties and went with a lighter standby, Allagash White for a second pint.  Nice, clean, consistent Maine brew.

I sampled the Buffalo Shrimp which was very tasty.  The coating had a light crunch to it, which was so welcomed!  Some buffalo shrimp have a coating that is like a wet fried paste, but this version seemed to give it a full, fried coat, and the buffalo sauce did not break down the crunchy batter!  These were very good — but on to the BBQ, I mean, this IS a BBQ joint after all!

My serving was huge — I guess I did order large — but this was one massive grouping of delicious, tender, love… This “sliced, slowly smoked, tender brisket” was as great as one would hope!  I also used their “hot” sauce on the side, which was very tasty, but again, not very hot — I think they could increase the heat on the sauce.

The brisket left no reservations about my choice to skip the ribs.  It was accompanies with plump, hot baked beans which were better than most.  The cole slaw was fresh and plentiful, but lacked a little mayo in my mind.  Yes — this could be my Hellman’s addiction talking -

I left full of food and full of appreciation for the food, beverages and service at Redbones –

I’ll be back — just don’t make me choose between the pork or the beef….

On a recent Sunday, I travelled into Boston over near the Boston University campus to scout out the Sunset Cantina.  I had been here briefly for a margarita a few years ago and I wanted to try this cantina, knowing how great their sister restaurant, the Sunset Grill and Tap is.  It also helps that I have a Groupon to use sometime in the next few months.

I was there in time for a brunch, but I thought I would just do a quicker hitter — a couple (few?) beers and a small bite was more what I needed on this day.

First up, I ordered a Racer 5 IPA and a menu (which meant a lunch menu, a beer menu and a specials/brunch menu).

At this point, there was a minute when I saw some Mahi Mahi tacos on the menu, and was tempted to switch it up, but when the bartender told me they were not available until dinner, it made my mind up for me….today was going to be a burger and beer place — will do some Mexican here the next time.

It took me some time to make up my mind, so it was time for a second beer — which was going to be a Stone Arrogant Bastard (approriately named, huh?….I can hear you…).  Beers were very cold and the service was prompt.  The bartender was very helpful in telling me what was good, what beer seems to be getting some buzz and what was “just tapped”.

I chose to go with the Sante Fe version of their regular beef burger.  This adds slices of fresh avacado, chipotle pepper sauce and pepperjack cheese, all served with pickles and a choice of fries, onion rings….and (white noise)…I mean it’s always going to be onion rings or fries, right?  (disclaimer — ok, maybe cole slaw with some summery fried fish)

The burger was tasty and firm.  Now, I say firm, because I thought it was unusually firm.  It was not overcooked, but I think the cook may have sat on the patties to make them so firm.  So, the nit-picker in me prefers a burger that isn’t so hockey-puck firm.  The burger had a nice beef taste.  And while we are talking firm….the avacado was a little firm as well.  The chipotle sauce was more of a pepper tasting sauce, rather than a smokey chipotle.  The pepperjack was semi mild with this burger.  The onion rings appeared to be those pre-cut variety which can be tasty (and these were!), but I sit here as a fan of obivously homemade onion rings.  If these were homemade, I was fooled.  As far as cookie cutter onion rings go — these were very good.

Third and final beer for the day was Anderson Valley Imperial Amber — which came from a “fresh” keg.  The beer tasted like it lacked a little bit of the CO2, which left me, and the beer, a little flat.

In summary, service was very good, menus are great and varied, food was decent and the beers were almost perfect.  This time around they get a 4.5 out of five “Bucks”.  But, I’ll be back….soon.

I recently convinced a six pack of friends to join me in celebrating over a dozen “delicious” brews from around the country.  By the time I had narrowed the choices for the night, we had a total of 16 craft brews “on tap” ranging from wheat beer to porter and lots of stinky, hoppy brews in between.

Some of these beers were picked up along the roadways of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware during my recent beer trip.

In devising a system that I thought would work well, I offered up the sweeter or less bitter beers first and moved up the hoppy bitterness scale before taking a step back with a delicious mellow porter.  I think this order was important with the huge hops content in the second two thirds of the samples.  Let’s face it, some of the tasters (me included) may have thought “hops” was what I exhibited playing high school back in the day.

The 16 beers that we sampled, from 8 different states, in order, were:

• Allagash White Ale (ME)
• Southampton Publick House Double White Ale (NY)
• Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat (MA)
• Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin’ Ale (CA)
• Heavy Seas Small Craft Advisory Uber Pils (MD)
• Founders Brewing Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale (MI)
• Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA (MD)
• Founders Brewing Centennial IPA (MI)
• New England Brewing Sea Hag IPA (CT)
• Victory Brewing Hop Devil Ale (PA)
• Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale (MI)
• Founders Brewing Red’s Rye PA (MI)
• Troegs HopBack Amber Ale (PA)
• Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale (CA)
• Troegs Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber Ale (PA)
• Founders Brewing Porter (MI)

The tasters for the night have had their names partially changed to protect them from getting a hard time from hops lovers throughout the greater Woburn region.  The tasters were:

• Buckbites (moderator and taster)
• P Dots
• S Dots
• S Cal
• D Cal
• T Fic
• E Fic

In their most sober state, E Fic and D Cal are shown gearing up for the first tastes of the evening.

Individuals were provided some information that was culled from the Internet, paired with scoring sheets I prepared.   Individual packets included:

• The Art of Tasting
• Descriptions of the Varieties of Beer to be Tasted
• Scoring sheets, which provided names of beer and free form text areas (no numerical ratings were used for this group).

Some, like S Cal, took time out of the excitement to study up on the pre-tasting information.

Beer types to be tasted were:

• Witbier (Wheat Beer)
• American Pale Ale
• American Double / Imperial Pilsner
• Scotch Ale
• Belgian Style IPA
• American IPA
• Rye Beer
• American Amber / Red Ale
• American Porter

Information on the types of beer was researched through Beer Advocate.

The chef for the night (S Dots), doubling as beer taster #3 (but chef #1), provided lots of tasty delights, with highlights being buffalo chicken dip with celery and nacho chips, roasted red potatoes with a delicious horseradish chive sour cream sauce, crab cakes with lemon dill sauce and these wonderful beef crostini with sage whipped cream.  All of these were top notch and I am not word-worthy enough to describe how delish they were!  Bravo chef!

Below are the tasting note summaries.  I have also included a subjective ranking of 1 through 5 beers – 5 being the best rating and 1 being the worst rating.

Beer #1 – Allagash White Ale -

Spicy
Lemon
Could use lemon
Not a fan of aftertaste
Fizzy
Unsure
Modest aroma
Spicy
Light & Refreshing
Dark Yellow Color
Cloudy
Summery

Beer #2 – Southampton Double White

Fruity
Not liking aftertaste
Bad smell
Light
Very clear
Light head
Slightly more bitter than Allagash
Lots of bubbles
Stinky
Fizzy

Beer #3 – Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat

Pleasing scent
Lightish
Sweet smell
Bananas
Caramel
Alcohol-y
Light, but nice body
Good color
Don’t like it
Bitter
Dig this!
Could drink a whole one

Beer #4 – Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin Ale

Lemony
Citrus
Berry
Tart
Lousy
Berryish
Fruity
Bitter
Dry
Cherry
Hops
Didn’t like finish

Beer #5 – Heavy Seas Small Craft Advisory – Uber Pils

Fizzy
Bitter
Clovey
Smells like beer
Good, bitter though
Don’t like after taste

Beer #6 – Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

Thick
Syrup-y
Can’t drink a whole one
G-nasty
Coffee
Strong
Malty
Peppery
Smoky

Beer #7 – Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA

Fruity Aroma
I comb my tongue with my teeth
Tastes like detergent
Like an IPA with a white ale finish
Hoppy
Fruity
Like It!

Beer #8 – Founders Brewing Centennial IPA

Smells fruity
Strong
Spicy
Alcohol taste
IPA Hoppy
Lemon/citrus
Fruity

Beer #9 – New England Brewing Sea Hag IPA

I Like the Lady!
Ouch!
Fruity
Less hoppy IPA
No smell
Unlike other IPA’s

Beer #10 – Victory Brewing Hop Devil Ale

Yummy
Hops
Nice label
Like it, actually
Heavy flavor
Very good
Good
Fruity
Bisquit-like

Beer #11 – Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale

Lemon
Very good
Didn’t like that one
Like a meadow
Flowery
Fruity

Beer #12 – Founders Brewing Red’s Rye PA

Hops
Grapefruit
Citrusy
No different than an IPA
Hoppy

Beer #13 – Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale

Very Good ***
Yummy
Good Color
Tasty
My favorite

Beer #14 – Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Not crazy about finish
I like this one a lot
Tasty
I like
More Hops
Complex

Beer #15 – Tröegs Nugget Nectar

Powerful aroma
Nasty
Like Feet
Lighter than the sister
Fizzy
Hops a lot
Smells Nasty!

And just a note, I had trouble with ‘da hops a couple months back, but I am now endorsing the stinky feet of the Nugget Nectar!!

Beer #16 – Founders Brewing Porter

Coffee
Chocolate Smell
Smokey
Syrup Appearance, but not as heavy tasting
Complex
Thinner than expected
Would try again

The crowd had their ups and downs, favorites and ones for which they were not wanting a second sip.

In general, the favorites of the night in no particular order were:

• Troegs HopBack Amber Ale
• Founders Porter
• Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat
• Heavy Seas Small Craft Advisory Uber Pils
• Bear Republic Red Rocket
• Victory Beer Hop Devil

Honorable mentions:  Which usually meant infatuation with the name and or label:

• Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale
• Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA

Pleasant surprise:

• New England Brewery Sea Hag IPA — surprise at decent flavored IPA in a can.  This was the only beer that came in a can.

The food was great — the beer was interesting and the company was long overdue —

Until the next time — Cheers!

Friday morning was uneventful after a good night’s sleep at the Downtown Marriott!

Maybe it is a reflection of quality beer, but surprisingly, a hangover has not barged into this trip as yet.

I started the meandering day (one with no real plan) by checking out the adjacent Reading Terminal Market — http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/ .  It’s a large place of food, produce and homemade goods!  And — to  my surprise, I did not eat anything there!  This was later diagnosed as being overwhelmed with choices.  The last place I passed before exiting was a cookie place…and I let the sweet lady talk the cookie lover in me to come over and grab some nourishment for the road.  Killer cookies — grabbed a white chocolate/macadamia nut, a chocolate chip/macadamia nut and a Almond Crunch (these were eaten later, first two killer — Almond Crunch was a dud).

What’s a few days without a couple errands?  I decided to beer shop in the Philly/King of Prussia area — stopped at 3 beer stores and collected some beer.  However, it was really a hunt for Pliny the Elder of Russian River (California), which is not available in many states.  I also looked for a Founders Stout for my friend Jim….and just like some of the baseball day, I was called out on three strikes.

Decided to hit the road and target a brewery I had mentally removed from the trip the day before — Troegs Brewery in Harrisburg PA.  They are renowned for their hoppy craft brew — especially their seasonal – Nugget Nectar!  I sprinted a Northwest a couple hours to get my does of the Nugget.

I stepped into this place — wonderful Tasting Room in this small brewery — decided to follow the route take by the women in front of me and get the “sampler” — which is 7 smaller snifters of each variety on tap – I figure they were about 5-6 ounces — not a bad deal for $7.

These brews ran the gamut from a JavaHead Stout to a Dreamweaver Wheat — My faves were the Nugget Nectar (they have a HUGE following for this beer) and the Hopback Red Ale –

It’s a nice presentation, with guides to tell you what you are drinking -

Don’t worry — took my time.  I even stopped for a 7th In ning stretch (see photo).

After grabbing a T shirt to pledge my allegiance to this hoppiness, it was back on the road — moving towards Baltimore and a small beer tasting at the home of lifelong friend, Brendan O’Brien.

Well, what is beer without a few snack?  Well, the answer is “Yummy” Beer…but, I am a sucker for snacks, so I stopped at the Utz Potato Chip Factory In Hanover, PA.  I stocked up for the beer tasting and I was on my way to battle traffic getting to Baltimore -

Got into the Marriott Hotel, near Camden Yards, about 7:00 and showered and packed the iced beverages to share.

Showed up around 8:00, good to see Brendan, who unfortunately had the flu this weekend.  Too bad his wife Judy was away this weekend.  Judy is always fun to share a Bloody Mary or other beverage with…..

We sampled some of what I brought from my favorite liquor store, Center Beverage in Stoneham and some of the ones Brendan and his friend Matt brought over.  Some of their beer, Brewer’s Art Resurrection, and Heavy Seas (multiple varieties) proved very nice.

With Brendan under the weather and me having a long day, it was time for us “old guys” to call it a night.  So, that capped a very nice beer tasting day -

Plan for the next day was to head to Delaware, to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton DE.

Will update when I likely get home — kind of mismanaging my time a bit….forgot that the blog takes time….

Well….I am dusting this blog off for the weekend — yes!, my weekend started on Thursday and will end Sunday or Monday….

The way I looked at it — I’ve been staring at all that snow….trudging to work and occasionally rewarding myself with some new brew to try (it’s a stage…..all us young folks go through them )

So — in typical last minute style that Clayton has become known for — I woke up Wednesday with no plans, by 8:30 AM, I considered driving for funky beer sometime this weekend….and before you know it, I had Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware on the docket —it always helps when Baltimore serves as a center of operations starting Friday night — My good friend Brendan (lifetime ERA in the 4.00 range?) will be hosting a beer tasting.  I have brought plenty of 12 ounce and 22 ounce samples for all of those who will be attending.

So…let’s just give you a rundown of yesterday –

I pulled out of Woburn just after 6:00 — and it was non-eventful ride.

The only things that come to mind is the number of dead deer by the side of the road in the small area of New York I drove through.  I mean, I was expecting some road kill in New York this year, but that roadkill wears pinstripes…  I did stop for coffee someone in New York and to my surprise, everyone working at the Panera Bread had all their own teeth and my truck went untouched in the parking lot.  This is always a good sign 

Funny billboard on the highway…. “Johnson College…97% of our graduates work in their field”…so, of course, I imagine they are a farmer’s college — who knew farmers went to college?? 

I did also get curious as I drove through PA, seeing a sign for Scranton-Wilkes Barre International Airport…. do you think this airport was a little rinky dinky thing before the success of Dunder Mifflin??? …what?  They aren’t a real company???  Let’s just say that from the highway, Scranton looked like a perfect place for The Office to take place.

Ok — so with a co-pilot on board, this trip was even easier than using just a GPS….my co-pilot can smell beer withing 375 miles (thankfully, Yeungling was just under that limit).

Thanks co-pilot!

So, Wally helped me locate the Yeungling Brewery, the oldest one in America -

And, before I even got outside, I could tell I wasn’t in Boston anymore…25 cents on a meter gets an hour!!!!  The old motel shaking beds didn’t even have that good a rate!  (Not to mention meter parking in Philly would be 25 cents for 8 minutes!).  Here’s the proof -

I had been introduced to Yeungling on one of my dozen Baltimore trips, maybe close to six or seven years ago and at the time I thought it was Baltimore’s local brew….not Pottsville, PA’s — but I have been set straight over the years — good beer!  I mean, s far as Lagers goes, this is top notch — It turns out I was in time for their 1:30 tour, so I was looking forward to it — Here is a taste (sorry, not of the beer) of the place:

You’ll find it in hard working city nestles in some of the Pennsylvania hills.  In a town called Pottsville.

Many of the workers have been here for life.  “Nobody leaves” the brewery was what we were told.  Which is kind of creepy….I mean, where are they buried???

Well, they are all local, and even some walk to work — which is kind of Laverne and Shirley like if you think about it.

We were able to examine where they brew the beer, even though brewing had finished for the day.  We then moved onto the bottling part of the operation, which was in full swing — I’d like to tell you more about it, but so much of that was a blur —

And, sadly, they are not taking applications.  In fact, they never post jobs.  The owner personally will go to some of his good employees and ask if they know a good person for a job….pretty cool, old-fashioned…

Near the end of the tour, they showed us part of the brewery that isn’t used anymore — The Cave.

They built this brewery into the side of a hill and used a cave, 50 feet under the brewery to store their beer.  Pretty cool place, stays at 50 degrees all year round — but, it no longer serves a purpose other than an interesting part of the tour.

We were then allowed two samples of our choice of the 7 varieties they had on tap that day – and I decided to try two I had never had — all about Options…. I tried the Lord Chesterfield Ale — decent, and the “Premium”, which was very good.  The tour guide said it was a local favorite and doesn’t ship far at all out of the area….maybe within an hour ride.

Beer is not sold at the brewery (to the public).  Employees can buy it and they often get beer the day it is bottled…and you thought I was fresh!!!! 

They pointed me 5 blocks away to my kind of beer store — just beer, just cases!  (ok, ok, they sell soda too, I mean people get hangovers I guess…)

Well, I was off with my beer, including some cases for friends and family.  Headed toward Downingtown, PA and the home of Victory Beer.

Nestled into a business park is this great brewery and brewpub, like an oasis really!  I went in and sampled the goods…Golden Monkey Tripel I guess it was….pretty y

ummy, and a high alcohol content.  The place was nice, but I limited myself to 30 minutes or so.

It was time to actually eat some real food — man cannot eat just beer.  Did I just type that??

I had Yelped for a place — and located the Station Taproom, right in Downingtown.  The beer menu looked impressive and reviews online were very good.  I had planned on getting a lamb burger, as it had great reviews online.  But — first — beer.

I ordered an Ommegang Witte (  All those past trips to Cooperstown and now, I find out that this brewery is there as well.  Roadtrip?

Maybe….

I got the rundown on the specials, reviewed the menu and changed my plan.  I would get the wine braised short rib with bacon braised collard green egg roll, served with horseradish cream sauce.

I also decided to get one of the specials — shrimp carbonara.

Egg roll —- Awesome!  I would rate they four and a half “bucks”, only missing buck perfection because the yummy horseradish sauce, also delicious, is perhaps mis-matched here, kind of overshadowing the great egg roll.

The carbonara — Umm, I just give them a half a buck, because I don’t want them to get shut out — I mean the shrimp were large, but the dish had no life.  I salted it twice and added pepper four times.  The person at the bar next to me smirked when I went back to the pepper well for the third time.

The pasta in this bowl was mealy, and fell apart with a good stir.  The parmesan that was supposed to dress the top was lifeless with no salty bite.  This was a true Clayton error — next time, lamb burger.

It was off for the hour ride to Philly — great hotel room Downtown Marriott.  Compliments of a good rate at Priceline (again).

Showered and out on the town, just for a splash of beer.

Two blocks away at a place called Fergie’s, they were featuring Allagash Beer — from Portland Maine.  The brewer/owner was in da house and it seemed like the right thing to do -
I am a big Allagash fan and I was not disappointed in the choices I made:

• Allagash Big Little
• Allagash Grand Cru, and
• Allagash White Ale (an old fave of mine)

Pretty easy to sleep after that day……I kind of wish I was still sleeping…but I had to dust off the blog — sorry this entry suffers from run-on’s, misspellings, lack of plan….Clayton is out of practice.

Headed to Baltimore at some point today — just don’t know the plan between now and then.

….Over and Out! 

I have hit serious leisure time — no events, no historical places, just enjoying the quiet, hot days of Scottsdale -

Drove to Old Town (third time if you are keeping track) — did some shopping and actually came close to pulling the trigger on a cowboy hat — they actually carried my size in a few styles — but, I chickened out -

Some nice western goods and Indian treasures and also LOADS of your typical tourist stuff from post cards, to magnets, to T shirts and PLENTY of cactus (of cacti??).

Back to the pool for an hour or two before heading to the funkiest of Guy Fieri’s Arizona stops — Chino Bandito — this is a combo (Foodie types may call that fusion….) of Chinese and Mexican — so think General Gau in a burrito —

I decided on their newer location, in Chandler. I walk in and the lady spots me as a newbie — she tells me she is going to have me sample about 6 of their items before choosing – this was GREAT! Unheard of, almost –

Well I settled on a combo, one burrito style, one quesadilla style (you can get a simple rice bowl with your main stuff on the top). I got Jade Red Chicken in a burrito — yummy, sweet with a small hint of spice – and a Pollo Diablo in a quesadilla — this was also very good and it is the spiciest item on the menu — they warn people from Iowa that it is likely too hot for them. Frankly, I think it could have been hotter, but was still very good. These items come with Black Beans, done Cuban style (whatever THAT means — and if you are keeping track, a third culture has now hit the plate). Then, just to hit the world culinary cycle, I ordered the Jerk Chicken Fried Rice — I mean ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I think the stomach feels like you are throwing it constant changeups — but all was very good — and to top it off, every order gets a freshly baked Snickerdoodle cookie — this made the ride back to the Resort a tasty one -

This gets a 4 and a half bucks out of five.

It almost got five, just for their logo alone — look it over — and click for a closer look -

Back to the room, just hung out and watched TV — yes, I am on slowdown mode -

In the evening, I decided to catch the Red Sox at the new Sports Bar I went to the other night — Blue 32 Sports Grill –

I ordered the Grilled Mahi Tacos — and these were top notch! perfectly grilled fish, velvety avocado slices with a chipotle tarter sauce — On the side came Cilantro Lime Rice which was perfect as well — and piping hit! This was a total Home Run!

This came recommended by my favorite Blue 32 bartender, Cassandra (pronounced, “Cassondra” — hey! get it right). Another bartender from Rhode Island chatted some Pats with me for a bit – they both seem like they will help this place to be a success.

I sampled a few beers — including a nice Kilt Lifter from the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe.

This place gets the elusive Five Bucks out of Five – (not sure what I rated it the other night, but this meal mandates the highest mark).

In fact, to celebrate the occasion — I ordered up a Blue 32 Martini — dirty martini, with blue cheese stuffed olives -

Thanks, Cassandra for taking the photo -

I left the place and decided on one more martini — do they call that a nightcap? They used to say that on Quincy — at the Village Tavern — seemed to be a good place — bartender was attentive and gave me lots of recommendations (I guess for the next trip to Scottsdale).

More restful sun and pool tomorrow -

Went back to Old Town in Scottsdale, this time to hit one of two breakfast places I found online -

I ended up choosing the place which seemed less busy (not always the best choice, I mean, places are busy for a reason…). I just felt like being able to flap my elbows at the table -

Turns out that the place I chose does breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner….and fancy drinks — The Daily Dose Bar & Grill – unfortunately for me, I was only here to do breakfast — I did coffee and the Chorizo Omelet, which is Locally made chorizo, jalapenos, red onion & aged cheddar finished with fresh guacamole at $9.95. It came with plenty of home fries, large slices of toast and a rosemary creme fraiche. I really didn’t know what to do with the creme fraiche and the guacamole, so I dipped everything in one or the other — everything was great!

The meats in the omelet were very tasty, not salty, as some of these chorizo cuts can be on occasion. Service was attentive, plenty of coffee…. but staring across at a bar advertising a yummy mai tai made me yearn for Happy Hour. I rated this Four Bucks -

I walked around Old Town (second time) and realized I need to come back to check out some stores — I mean, they just might have that cowboy hat in a 7 7/8?

Drove around the area — just killing an hour — nothing much but a wasted hour -

Back to the room, poolside to soak up some clouds….no sunshine on this day, or little of it.

Planned my later afternoon and decided on a Happy Hour at the closest restaurant that is not on the grounds here — the Chart House – which I gather is a small chain around the country.

I hit the Happy Hour menu — HARD –

I did the Chart House Margarita while I read over the menu — I took the suggestion of the bartender, and went off the Happy Hour menu for one item — a Beefsteak Tomato Salad — which has plump tomato slices, crumbled blue cheese, light, delicious onion rings, chucks of perfectly cooked bacon, on a bed of fresh spinach with a balsamic drizzle on the bottle – YUM! Four and a Half Bucks out of Five!

Mouth watering as I type this…

Ok – So, before hitting beer, I lean on the friendly bartender for another drink from the Happy Hour menu — “what do people like?”, “what do you make the best?”…..and she says even though she’s a beer and shot type of girl, her Cosmo is supposed to be very good — so I shaved my legs and order a Cosmo — it was, umm, underwhelming — not what I expected — and made me yearn for a Fat Tire – Below is the evidence of the transition -

I then jabber-jawwed with the bartender and a neighbor a few stools down, Denise, and we talked everything from accents, vacation, jobs, Arizona….yada yada yada —

I then dove into the Prime Rib sliders, which is carved prime rib, caramelized onions and a creamy horseradish sauce…. these were very tasty and the au jus was a very tasty compliment. Makes me realize (again) how bad the California Dip at Brandy’s in Flagstaff was….

(note: not served open face, but trying my hand at allowing you to see as much as possible)

I decided to try one of their casinos out here — their newest – Talking Stick — and when the “Stick” talked to me, it said “I’m no Vegas, I’m no Foxwoods, maybe you should leave….” — so I did, after 20 minutes and not a coin dropped in a slot — just didn’t seem to have any pool – here is the view from the parking lot, kind of a cross between a Elks Lodge, a high school campus and maybe a small dose of Foxwoods –

It seemed so-so on the busy side — but plenty of parking —

I almost parked in the spot below, because I of course didn’t see the van hidden in the parking space -

Well, I split like a banana and decided to check back at the hotel bar — it had seemed to pick up in population during the day and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any of the fun. But it was quiet, relatively — just Nina (bartender) and staff, me, and Bob from Acton, Massachusetts — this guy is a semi-regular on the business stay circuit — his route is Italy to Phoenix, and then when he told the bartender he lived in Boston, I bellowed, “I live in Boston” — so, the next hour or so was spent talking watching the Sox with Bob from Acton — and his son plays Lacrosse at Umass, so I chatted some Umass stuff as well. I told him I’d see him on Route 128 —

Rest of the days promise to be quiet –

Well — I have been slacking and frankly, the blog may suffer down the stretch of vacation. I just don’t have much planned for the final few days and it will be like watching bad re-runs for you folks —-

But – Wednesday AM — woke up at 4:30 AM local time to get on the road around 5(ish) on my way up to Sedona to view some breath-taking red Rock formations — I have been there a couple times previously, but only a cameo both times…

My feeling was get there early — take an early off-road tour and then decide the rest of my day (lounge in Sedona or shoot to Flagstaff for a couple hours) — well….I hear a lecture about calling ahead or planning ahead coming…I showed up at Pink Jeep Tours at about 7:30 after taking some pictures on my way into town. The earliest they could squeeze me in was 10:00 — unless I wanted to do combo tours, which would be more money and up to 4 hours….this is their version of “would you like fries with that?”, but instead it is “if you want to add the Ancient Ruins to your tour as a combo, we can get you out in 25 minutes…”. I declined, wanting my day to be flexible –

So, it was two hours of snapping a couple photos, putting my nose against the shop windows of the places not yet open and checking out the same 25 post cards that are on sale outside a few early risers who were open…..YAWN!

The only benefit is the change in weather as you head north to Sedona and later to Flagstaff — while Scottsdale hit 108 on Wednesday, Sedona peaked (not pun intended) at 90 and Flagstaff peaked at 80 degrees, cooler than beantown for the day —

Well…10:00 rolls around and me and a family of four from New York (I can’t ditch all the Yankee fans in the world if I tried) headed out on a 35 mile, 2 hour tour of “Diamondback Gulch”. Tour guide Bob was very knowledgeable and the tour was about an 8 — excellent learning experience, some good canned jokes from Bob, but I guess I wanted more formations out of my tour. I can whine pretty well when I try, huh? The off-road experience was something I recommend and I would do one again -

Before, during and after the Pink Jeep Tour, I was able to see many of the formations in the area. The camera doesn’t seem to catch ALL of the deep colors, but they still look decent — some snapshots are below:

These sights are pretty breathtaking — and they can make your heart skip a beat -

Obviously, the local city council does as well, as you can see these heart Defibrillators on the sidewalks every quarter mile or so -

As you can imagine, lots of artists have jumped in on these great views. There are artists who have rendered these in drawings, paintings and even in photography. I have jumped into this in my own abstract photo of the main road, showing the closeness of the formations to downtown life…..

I call this photo “Green Lights, Red Rocks”….I can have it silk-screened onto drink coasters if you like….I just need to contact Billy Mays for the infomercial…..WAIT! Oh, never mind.

Well, I was full of disgust for waking at 4:30 to set up all this available time, and the lack of planning ahead made the day reach a baptism under fire mode around 1:00 — Do I drive over the hills to Flagstaff for one of Guy Fieri’s restaurants or do I head back towards Phoenix/Scottsdale? I decided to do Flagstaff and drove the 28 miles to this bustling place -

I got out to pump gas and it was kind of, ahem….chilly — well, an 80 degree chilly, but I must stress that I haven’t seen a daytime temperature below 100 degrees since Logan Airport….

So, off to another one of Guy’s finds….and while they featured a great dinner item, I had to select from the lunch menu at Brandy’s Bakery and Restaurant. I even saw the chef bouncing around the restaurant who I remembered from the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives clips. Too bad I wasn’t here for dinner….

I ordered a California Dip sandwich, which was served au just (thus, a french dip)….and thank god there was au jus — I mean, this sandwich was listed as “juicy roast beef” with muenster cheese and green chilies…

There was ZERO juiciness to this roast beef! I was there at about 2:00 and I had a sad feeling that this beef MAY have been juicy during their breakfast rush…..7 HOURS AGO — I had thankfully ordered a pesto mayo for a side, which helped the sandwich along.

I get a lot of french dips — and the true test for me is….does this sandwich stand on it’s own as a roast beef sandwich? Is it already good, and just enhanced by the au jus (I feel so french!)? If not…thumbs down -

Even the chilies were a disappointment -

The fries were hot and fresh — and I learned a long time ago if you can’t say anything else nice…just stop moving your lips……but, seeing that this is a blog and it is my fingertips, I can say such great things as “unremarkable”, “hot filler”, “begging for salt and pepper”…..

This visit made me have a major realization about the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives…..nobody ever said the food at all these places was great! They are either in a funky building, have a funky personality, have some strange items on the menu, have an unusual cooking manner…..and occasionally, the food is “off the hook”. So, my expectations have been changed for the culinary tour of Triple D restaurants (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives = Triple D). They have been set to medium low and that way I can be pleasantly surprised.

Brandy’s gets a One Buck out of Five Bucks….my lowest rating yet in this “foodie” blog stuff….

So, off the the great roads of Arizona….weird driving down a highway and as far as you can see, no homes, no buildings….not even a Starbucks….

So, I decided I was gonna have enough time to get to Phoenix for the Diamondbacks game against the New York Mets (I can’t dodge New Yorkers, even the ones that hate the Yankees).

I parked behind Alice Cooper’s restaurant, aptly named Alice Cooperstown, which had frosty aluminum bud products for $4….again, FRIGID — like my third day in a row blessed with ice cold beer —- maybe it is a state law or something….but everyone from the Cask and Flagon to the Towanda Club can learn from these refrigerator experts!

Here is the outside patio of Alice’s place -

Funny thing about the servers inside is they all have to wear some of the Alice Cooper face paint — with the black tears down their face — I didn’t ask any to pose, but for a flavor of it, here’s a photo of Alice himself..

Imagine asking someone looking like that if I can get the ranch on the side?

I reviewed the menu and everything is pretty much named after a sports figure or a rock star…. they even have a two pound hot dog called the Big Unit (named after Randy Johnson who used to play for Arizona). One of the sides of the building makes sure you know where to get the Big Unit….

Just so you bring enough dough…..the Big Unit will set you back $18.99…..or the same price as a Fenway Frank in the bleachers at Fenway….

They actually hosted Adam Richman of Man vs. Food for the Big Unit! They actually added an Adam Richman version of the Big Unit, but I forget what it added and it isn’t on the website — here is a photo from the web of Adam and Alice….with two Big Units…

Never seen Man vs. Food — pretty entertaining — see more info here

The D’backs are a BAD team….think, Orioles without the passionate fan base…. It’s a nice place to watch a game, modern, been here a couple times before…and it is comfortable. Grabbed a cheap seat in the left field bleachers, $16. Lots of beer and food choices. I mean, when in Rome hit me in the first fifteen minutes as I decided to have a frozen strawberry margarita (hey! I was back to the 100+ temps, so I thought a foo foo drink at a game was ok). Skipped food, so no ballpark food report. For those of you counting my calories…today was a skip breakfast, skip dinner day — not the way you want to eat, but it happens from time to time….I’ll make up for it later.

One thing about what is called Chase Field that is pretty interesting is they have a swimming pool area just beyond the right field fence! You can rent out the space, but my guess is it comes pretty pricey! But, as you can see below: you could easily have a Home Run in the pool! (Note: those living in the gutter, keep your memories of a home run in the pool to yourself!).

I decided to keep dry, walked around a lot, talked to ushers about the team, the stadium, their matching outfits… my ticketed section is shown below, but I was here for only 20 minutes….long enough to be 30 feet from one of 3 Home Runs that were hit there last night -

Gassed up at Alice’s joint before heading home…some local Hefeweizen which was forgettable and a Fat Tire….after all, this is where Fat Tire and I had our first date, many years back -

Future posts will be shorter I imagine….no real plans ahead — and I will try not to bore the audience…

Ok, ok, so I have finally gotten around to a new blog entry — can I blame the lack of entries on the sun?

113 or so on Friday, 108 yesterday, and ….let me check the forecast……10 seconds…..20 seconds — I guess right now it is 97 degrees, and headed for 110 —looks like Pool Duty for the afternoon -

So here is the quick and dirty from the last couple days….

Flights were fine — flight one was an interesting one…..now, I am the first to say, I am a big guy….when you see me coming down the aisle, you say to yourself….”not next to me….please!”…..you know who YOU are! Well….me, aforementioned “big guy” sits in the aisle seat — and yup — a woman bigger than me gets the middle seat next to her husband — hey – GUY! thanks for giving her the middle seat! The guy had to help her fasten her seat belt! It wasn’t as bad as it could have been…..I mean, when I saw that her elbows had their own dimples, I thought I was in big trouble….. and for all I know, she may be blogging about the “big guy” to her left – -

So, after flight 1 to Atlanta — I decided to start the vacation culinary engine — and just to prove to those that have read the blog before and think all I eat is ice cream, biscuits and gravy or chocolate chip pancakes… I have proof that I can eat healthy (albeit, on the run)…

Flight two had ME in the middle seat — but, the little lady to my left was about 4 foot 5 inches and maybe 90 pounds — THANK YOU Airline Gods for making my middle seat a nice one!

Arrive in Phoenix, shuttle bus to the hotel and I checked in about 1:00 local time – Hotel seems pretty nice -

Room is plenty nice, 3rd floor, with a pool view -

Made the debut by the pool for an hour or so — and it seems like I did not scare any guests away!

Hit the Happy hour for a vacation beverage or three — and tried some “Panko Crusted Onion Rings” — well, if these were Panko Crusted, then I am wishing nothing but the best for the New York Yankees! — these things made me long for those awful “Onion Things” at Burger King…..On the Buck scale, they got a half a Buck. House margaritas were ok — local beer was very cold, but I retired to the room early ….

Up early on Saturday — went for a walk (don’t tell my physical therapist or podiatrist) around the area (no car until Monday) and hit a Jamba Juice for a sweet smoothie! I was dripping wet by the time I got there — so, the smoothie did the trick (I repeated this on Sunday AM as well).

I was poolside by Noon and killed the first book of the vacation — Plum Island by Nelson Demille – decent book – good summer type read — gets about 4 Bucks on the 5 Buck scale -

After a few hours of sun and swim — I bellied up to the poolside bar –after a drink or two — I met a great family from San Antonio — John and Sebrina (with an “e”), their son Justin and their nephew, Alonso. They were on a vacation out to the west coast and back — and this was perhaps their last stop before San Antonio.

Check out my helmet hair!!! I am about 6 foot 3 in that photo — that is what happens after I swoop it back after being in the pool all day –

We shared drinks during the afternoon and when the pool bar closed…we did what most people who have been out all day would do……we went to the local supermarket, got some beverages, got pizza from a place in the plaza (thanks John and Sebrina!). Pizza was from Crust, and it gets 4 and a half Bucks — very good sauce and it may potentially get repeat business during the week.

We stayed poolside until my tank read empty — it was really great meeting them and we exchanged info so that we can keep touch in the future — and I have promised to buy them dinner if I am in San Antonio….where they welcomed me to stay with them — what a stroke of luck meeting such great people….even if John is a Colts fan…..

lol — I wasn’t gonna let that slip -

Headed to the pool….no plans for the day — car tomorrow, so I may start doing stuff off-resort –

One hint of what theme might be developing……..has anyone seen Guy Fieri anywhere? I’ll take a peek at a few places….

Well, I had stayed in Cleveland one whole day and Lebron would let me advise him on his free agency, so I hit the road.

I was tipped off that the Home from A Christmas Story was fully restored and available for tours, etc. (thanks Barbara!)— while I would be too early for their opening, I did go by for a couple of photos — there was no leg lamp viewable at 8AM

This place is tucked into a quiet neighborhood a couple miles from downtown — I guess they get strangers hopping out with a camera to take photos before hitting the road to their next destination -

Well, for me – the potential next and final destination was going to be home – — but the suggested route by Google Maps was going to bring me through Buffalo — so I decided to go that route — When I got to Buffalo, I saw what everyone always talked about, it’s really beautiful!

Ok, ok, I admit…..it was nicer that that — low 70′s — not much to look at, but I am sure Buffalo, as a city, has a great personality (isn’t that what you are supposed to say when it don’t look so great?)

So, I have seen enough Food TV to know that I had to try the Anchor Bar — the place where the buffalo wing was born -

Got there shortly after they opened (surprised??) — and bellied up to the bar (commentary on verbiage not necessary) and decided on HOT as my wing choice — they had “suicide” which I would normally have tried, but I was nervous of 7-8 more hours of driving. The Hot were nice, but I’ve had hotter — gave me suicide wing envy….only made worse by this lady and her husband who came in and she ordered her “regular” – which was “double suicide”….what a Wing Wimp she made me feel like….anyways, here’s what they looked like -

The Good: Tasty, decent hotness, served piping hot, had a little crispness, which I like in my wings
The Not So Good (yes, picky!): Celery and Blue Cheese dressing on side were room temperature

So, they were good enough that I thought I’d take some for the long ride home – you can see if the leftovers if you look closely

Eating messy food with the facial hair leaves me saying one motto: “It ain’t messy, it’s called leftovers!”

I continued on my way, some 7-8 hours home and I made it in one piece –

I unloaded the truck instead of waiting — which would be my normal schedule — after all, I need to take care of some of my souvenirs:

Hope to post a “afterthoughts of the trip” entry sometime soon — thanks for all the views and comments!

It was a great trip — thanks for sharing it with me -

Buck

On Day 13, I have to concentrate to figure out where I was this morning…..Cincy — yes, Cincy —

Hit the road at a decent hour and headed north to Columbus….after all Columbus discovered the New World….

Turns out….THIS Columbus had lots to offer as well.

You know how some couples experience the 7 year itch (while some people apparently have a 4-5 year itch), well, I scratched an itch today, an itch I haven’t scratched in 7 years — hitting the BEST (sorry, In and Out burger a CLOSE second) Fast Food Place in the world — Culvers Betterburgers and Frozen Custard. I think this is as close to home as they get — the day they get close, I might get into the franchise business —

See what you are missing at Culvers –

This is what this particular one looks like — I did not bring the camera inside — I think I was shaking so much from the anticipation, that the camera was likely a bad idea. To boot — is it ever a good sign when you are the FIRST customer of the day for any fast food restaurant?

I then took a spin to a small Ohio Ice Cream chain that has great ice cream! I once had it sent to me and they have funky, great flavors! I knew I’d be close, so I decided to check out their original location in Columbus’ North Market (a great building of 30+ culinary specialty shoppes).

Check out these pages below:

Jeni’s Ice Cream Website

Jeni’s Ice Cream Blog

I grabbed myself a midday dessert — and I tried their new ice cream sandwiches — they are based with macaroon cookies hugging their awesome ice cream –

The one I chose was a pistachio type macaroon (not like Mike’s Pastries version, lighter in flavor, uniform shape) with Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream. After my first bite, I paused and reached for the camera — hey, I want to share — I am a sharer at heart….

After dripping a few spots on my shirt, I moved on and talked my GPS into getting me to Cleveland -

We stopped in mid-afternoon and were able to check in to the downtown hotel — great location — walking distance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then a longer walk, but still a walk to the Indians game later in the day -

Any guess where my hotel room is EXACTLY located? If you have been paying attention, there is no question (please note: this question is easy enough that NO bonus points will be added to your Buck Vacation Trivia score later)

So, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was up next —-I was due to hear better notes that me singing up and down Ohio highways — all and all, I have sung more in my truck than in the shower of late…..I’m just sayin’

It is right on the edge of Lake Erie —- with the Football stadium nearby, sandwiching a Science Museum — there’s that word again….sandwich — maybe I am hungry -

So, went to the Hall and I really enjoyed it — although I did the place a disservice — I was there for a few hours, and 1 and a half of that was an AWESOME U2 in 3D movie/concert — so, lots more to peruse on a next trip — but — U2 fans should definitely find this show on DVD or even better, find it in 3D somewhere –

Moved across town to the Indians game — time for one, little, two little, ten little indians — a classic childhood rhyme — a great song for the baseball team here — the “ten” Indians covers the 9 players in the field and adds the 10th Indian being the designated hitter….so, the song was obviously written by someone in favor of the DH in baseball….

Great park, but kind of sad — place used to sell out ALL the time — now, the crowds are small, they don’t publish a regular game program, some stands are shuttered closed….just sad — and for the baseball fans in the room (well, you ARE in some kind of room reading this, no?)….even the drummer in the bleachers takes some nights to do important stuff, like bowling leagues, watching Deadliest Catch or playing World of Warcraft….you can experience the same emptiness I felt below:

So, the place in general is very nice — you can see two photos below – one from the front and one inside — you can obviously tell that I have finally grown comfy with saying “do you mind taking a photo of me…?”.

Clayton is rockin’ the modified “Zoom” look, yes?? Rockin!

Before I got settled, I grew attached to the friendly bartenders at the park….my two social animals that served my Leinie’s (Summer Shandy and Sunset Wheat) who helped me understand the park and told me all my options around the park — I decided to hang out near them in the bleachers. I told them about Clayton — and they TOO agreed that I could consider a name change —

So….I left the game after 7 innings — HEY — it’s not the Sox….stopped for a beer at the Thirsty Parrot — and made my way back to the hotel — ….where….I was reminded of my “Prison Toilet” -

First — when is the last time a decent hotel had the same flusher knob as you find in the bowels of a Mass Pike Rest Stop? Check out the silver fixtures in the back. I had serious flashbacks to high school with that…

Check this bad boy out!!!

If that wasn’t bad enough, you may not be able to tell, buy if you have to sit on this throne, your knees will be so deep into the Cottonelle on the right unless you have the body frame of Don Rickles….I mean, SERIOUSLY — how would someone have a comfortable sitting??? I guess I’ll hold anything until the New York or the Mass Pike….

Sleep time now and off for day 14 tomorrow — not sure if I will pick a spot to stay tomorrow or if I want to drive all the way from Cleveland to Woburn —

The only thing I am SURE of tomorrow is that I am Wingin’ It!

Day started early (don’t they all on the second half of this trip)? — Headed to their top breakfast place here — Pancake Pantry – famous for…..well, I will give you 3 guesses………ok! Time’s Up — I REALLY thought you get the correct answer…..Pancakes (no parting gifts)…..What? You say, you said it….or said it to yourself…I’m sorry I didn’t hear you -

Well, I opted for this place over the Waffle House that has been on my list ( a chain that is EVERYWHERE in the South) and it was a guilty pleasure — I had scouted the menu online and I knew what I wanted about 10 hours before the waitress asked me. I got the Swiss Chocolate Chip pancakes! I got a side of country bacon just to make sure I wasn’t running low on calories….don’t want to get lightheaded on my way to Louisville and Cincinnati.

Check out a PDF of their menu — let me know if I should have opted for something else — Pancake Pantry menu

Before you decide, you might want to check out a picture of my breakfast (who is this strange guy who takes pictures of all his food?).

So….Batter Up to the first power is complete -

I then took the ride to Louisville….but I somehow decided on an impromptu pit stop at the Jim Beam Distillery. This was more of a meet and greet type place with a short movie…..but unlike the Jack Daniels place (dry county), this visit was punctuated with a tasting of two bourbons, two from their “small batch collection”. We had Basil Hayden’s (aged 8 years) and Knob Creek (aged 9 years) — both cleared my sinuses to be honest — they were also pushing a relatively new product for them – Red Stag — Bourbon with cherry taste infused (or something like that)….well, I needed a souvenir and cherry flavored bourbon sounded manly enough for me….so Clayton bought a bottle.

So, not only am I doing the Smokie and the Bandit thing with lots of beer in my back seat, but I have added Cherry flavored bourbon to the mix — what a man!

While I was winding around the roads of Kentucky, I noticed a sign that said Boston 2 miles this-a-way —-well, I miss Boston, the traffic, the kind drivers, all that stuff — so I drove the couple miles with the aid of my handy GPS, and found my way to and through Boston…..Kentucky.

So, off to Louisville, for real this time -

Stopped in downtown for a visit to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum — was a big hit! (ugh – puns galore today). They have a great looking entrance to the factory in my opinion.

Batter Up #2 – The tour took me through their working factory which was truly fascinating — watching mash bubble and have the person have you envision that being whiskey is one thing, but them taking blocks of wood and showing you live the way that becomes a major league bat is really great! Today, we were walking through the line while they were making bats for Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, both of the Florida Marlins. I didn’t want to be a smart ass, but someone should tell them there are too many strikeouts in Uggla’s bats, they might want to find the defect.

They showed a brief movie, had some old artifacts and you could even swing some famous player bats — I took a swing with David Ortiz’s bat from a few seasons ago….no word if there is any steroid residue found in the bat handle

The day started to get away from me at this point, so I rushed up to Cincinnati and to my hotel 15 miles north of the downtown. Nice place — the hotels in the last stretch of days have been very nice and a comfort when I needed it.

Batter Up #3 – I went to the Reds-Phillies game downtown. Lots of people wearing their home town color of Red! These people were much more into it than Atlanta, but still missing that hard edge of the Northeast fan. Phillie fans added some spice to the crowd. They had a huge walk up attendance and it almost looked like they had trouble handling it — $14 got me a seat on the upper level — but I never sat in it — walked to different spots in the park, an inning here and inning there here is one view out from near first base -

– if I did sit in my seat — this is generally what my view would have looked like -

After taking in 6 innings and a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, I was ready to make my way back to the hotel — where I updated this thing and did some work for the part time job.

Ok – well, glad the blog got updated — heading north through Ohio, but staying in Cleveland tonight — Home tomorrow night or Friday depending on how things go -

Sorry the blog has been getting stale — computer problems yesterday — I couldn’t get anything really done -

So — I hope I don’t forget details of yesterday, and I hope this condensed version doesn’t make for poor reading….my apologies in advance -

Woke up and hit the road early — but before leaving Chattanooga, I wanted a photo of the Chattanooga Choo Choo — after all, very rich history and all — so here we go:

Ok, ok — that is NOT the Chattanooga Choo Choo….but pending a DNA test, there could be some relation…

Here is the “real” train — at sleepy 7AM local time —

I hope I didn’t wake anyone on the train…..well….not THAT train….but the “Chattanooga Choo Choo” is now an historical hotel — and there are train cars set up as hotel rooms — and you can book them like any hotel — below is my photo of the “train yard”, but I didn’t want to get too close…you never know what is going on in those trains…

Here is interesting stuff from their website –

Well, I quickly hit the road — but it would have been nice if someone told me the time zone splits Tennessee! I thought a whole state was always in the same zone, except some weird Indiana stuff….

So — I knew a segment of my ride was going to take about an hour and a half — but my trusty GPS (we are still dating) told me it would only take 24 minutes — I had it RECALCULATE! — same thing — it finally struck me that there was something going on with the time zones — so that answered that “issue”.

Drove up to Nashville – — got settled on a quiet Monday afternoon in the Music City -

My friend Mike from Woburn now lives in Nashville — I went to junior high and high school with Mike — we played baseball together as well – -he recommended Rippy’s for some BBQ lunch and I found myself heading there -

Ribs! RIBS! Meat fell right off the bone — Was a 10!!! Too bad I only ordered half a rack —

Wondered around town and decided to try a couple well-known places Mike recommended — Robert’s and Layla’s(I think those are the names) — I enjoyed some bands and a couple individuals singing in these bars and Mike met up with me for a beer -

We then decided to circle back — as Mike took me back to Broadway — and we did Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and then a return trip to Robert’s

Robert’s at night – good music

Here’s me outside of Robert’s at night

In the in between stage, Mike went to play softball, but before that, he let me know where I could find some Fat Tire and I stocked up for the next few months —

There’s something about a many that has a backseat full of beer not sold north of North Carolina….

….I don’t have a problem…really

(blog is now about a day behind — will try and catch up to date tomorrow)

The days are now almost all going to have a major driving component, which means, I am going to feel like my ass has been kicked by the time I get settled in a place – I won’t be in any city or town for more than one night from here on out — this is the non-relaxation, sprint to Woburn -

Tentative plan is to leave Chattanooga in the AM — and stay in Nashville tomorrow night —- Cincinnati Tuesday night, Cleveland on Wednesday night….and perhaps home on Thursday night or Friday -

Today started in Savannah — waited for Starbucks to open — morning coffee got me on my way to Vidalia — a place where I hoped to get some onions and maybe dive into a yummy Vidalia breakfast — but the Vidalia was a disappointment — the town was a cross between Mayberry and Saugus — quiet side with no activity and then a major road with Burger King, Walmart, etc. — I checked Walmart for a deal on onions, but it seemed to be the ONLY thing Walmart had not had a price rollback on….

So, in parlance among friends, when we have nothing, or a zero, going on, we sometimes have an “onion”…even occasionally saying we have a “vidalia” — so, when I went to Vidalia, I came up with a big onion….

I quit Vidalia — but Vidalia owes me! I can taste it!

I did at least see where an old onion goes after it starts to go bad….you know those gnarly ones…they go here:

I moved on to travel to my cameo visit to Atlanta — nice morning ride — which was punctuated by a stop off an exit for Georgia Peaches — which I have NOT sampled yet — they look nice, kind of small….and the lady, while tempted, was not heard saying…”how do you like ‘dem peaches”?”….I would have had to say “kinda small”, and ruined her day…so I am glad we just did business and kept the chatter to a minimum.

Moved onto Atlanta — and parked for the Braves game -

I walked around the park and then walked up to the ticket window and the nice young lady said something to the effect of do you want the line for “right now” tickets (southern drawl may have been something else) or the “one dollar skyline seat line”? I thought I heard her correctly — but I asked her to repeat…she said yes, it is a $1 for the skyline tickets — and she started to say something else….but, the northerner interrupted her and said — I don’t need any more info — $1.00 is a good price for me -

So I paid my dollar, showed security what I was packing in my pockets and made my way in -

I mostly walked around, bought a Georgia Dog (Slaw, Vidalia Relish, Vidalia Onion) and a couple of cold ones…

Game wasn’t very interesting and I haven’t seen this empty a stadium in a while -

I left after 5-6 innings and took a quick ride to Buckhead (part of Atlanta) to check out some bars/restaurants, but there was road and building constructions, and the place did not look as great as advertised, so off I went — to Chattanooga — fun to say….

Nice quiant place, staying in a nice Marriott compliments of a priceline break —

Nice warm night here — took a spin down to the River front — walked amongst the major restaurants here — and selected a BBQ chain down here — Sticky Fingers — sampled their wings, with some Habanero BBQ sauce — pretty good — this was my Chatanooga Chew-Chew I guess — and the coldest beer in a week — a nice Sam Adams —

Don’t you know us northerners tend to be ice cold???

Off early in the AM to explore more of Tennessee before more of the homeward sprint later in the week…

(ten days in I should apologize for the typos….just typing out of my head)

Ok, ok — by now, if you have been reading along, you might know, the mornings are filled with trip to Food Lion for ice (hear me roar!) — so, after icing down the main cooler and the day cooler for the beach, I am ready for morning errand #2 — caffeine —

Today was an Ice Heath Bar Latte — pretty good for a bazillion calories — it is at a place at the end of the road – the Front Porch Cafe - place is very nice, people are very nice too — I actually hit here tonight as well, when I needed a little pick me up -

I then decided to take an hour ride out to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse/Seashore, to get to one of those beautiful beaches (not that ALL of them here seem to be that way) — I just like the ones where the wildlife are a little more involved…

So, I headed for Hatteras -

A nice hour’s jaunt out to the Lighthouse — which was MOBBED — I had contemplated climbing it — I guess it is what people do when they visit it — but too many people — so I just went to the next parking lot, a quarter mile away, and found myself on a practically empty beach — just great relaxation, within view of the Lighthouse…

Only wildlife today were pelicans — (I think they are pelicans)…

Before I left — I finally decided to see if I could have the self timer work for me — so I set it up on the back of the truck and this is how we did…

Boston Foodie, Clayton, gave into temptation and had a late lunch — the Philly Cheese steak at the Blue Moon — it was very good — about an 8 — but…..having fallen in love with the Mahi Mahi BLT, it was hard to match that! Still – a successful late lunch -

Did some driving around – to kill some of the afternoon — sun was hot today — low to mid 90′s — which is very hot for this coastal spot –

Before I came back, I decided to check something off the Outer Banks Bucket List — they have these Drive Thru Beer Stores….called Brew Thru — so, I had to fake like I needed a 6 pack and I pulled into this Beer Shack –

The young lady that helped me was very nice and handed me my 6 pack through the driver’s side window — as I was about to pull away — I saw THE BUCKET – which read “Tipping is Sexy” — so I reached for a buck — and rolled down the window and (kind of) yelled over….”Hey, I just saw that tipping is sexy” — she laughed and said thanks, taking the dollar into her hard working hands….and then, before I pulled away, she said “…You, Sir, are very sexy!” —

I laughed for about 4 blocks….

Clayton is bringing sexy back…..have you heard?