Delaware Shore

Excellent restaurants, great outlet mall shopping. Although there are a few, nice but old fashioned hotels, you're probably best renting a house or cottage.

Rehoboth has a quaint boardwalk that in the middle of town has some some retail stores and a small amusement park. Toward the north and south ends, the boardwalk gets pleasantly narrow and much, much quieter. Great for strolls at dusk or jogging in the morning.

To the south, you'll find Dewey Beach which is oriented to party-hearty 20-somethings hanging out at their summer shares. Further south is Ocean City, MD, home to lots of high rise hotels and condos. It has a boardwalk and a carnival-like atmosphere which a lot of families with young children love, but it's not my favorite.

Quick Tips:

Watch where you park. Rehoboth has a lot of regulations, and they're fond of enforcing them. Find out what permits are needed wherever you're staying, and get them quickly.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can walk just about everywhere. The less you move your car, the better.

La La Land serves excellent food with lots of local seafood options and the atmosphere is fun! To find La La Land, look for the purple-painted Victorian home (I'm serious) with the bubble blowing machine out front. It's whimsical, but the food is serious.

Inside, there's a great little bar for sipping cocktails while you wait for your table. Try a martini (but just one; have two you might forget all about food!).

For your meal, you will usually have the option of sitting inside in one of La La Land's elegant-but-still-fun dining rooms or outside in the courtyard. In general, my group prefers to sit outside where the vibe is distinctly more casual.

The food is inventive and the menu changes seasonally. Past favorites have included ricotta and corn ravioli, filet mignon in pinot noir reduction and mirin glazed salmon. Only one dish at La La Land has not impressed me: smoked mozzarella and grilled eggplant terrine. The mozzarella was incredibly dry with a bland taste. The taste of smoke was so overpowering.

Yet another exciting dining option in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware...

Celcius features an eclectic menu of dishes influenced by cuisines around the world. In addition to the regular dinner menu, don't miss the late night tapas selections featuring cold and hot small plates.

My group started with salads of two varieties. Half the table sampled field greens with a honey poppyseed dressing and dried cranberries; the others had Caesars. Both were fresh and abundant. You may want to share one although there is a plate sharing charge.

Most nights during the summer, Celcius offers a lobster special for $19.95. Consisting of four small tails plus corn fries, this entree was a favorite among the members of my party.

Another dish, the rack of lamb prepared Moroccan style with couscous and spices, was flavorful with savory, tender meat.

For dessert, wild berry tart was incredible. The tart berries were enveloped with an unobtrusively sweet pastry shell and topped with a small dollop of vanilla bean gelato. Delicious!

The decor, like the food, is mix. Influences from everywhere. We thought it was fun - colorful and fashionable, but cozy.

Service is friendly and, for the most part, knowledgable, but on the slow side. If you are on vacation and not in a rush to post-dinner plans, you may not notice. Otherwise, it can frustrate.

Given that this restaurant is NOT inexpensive (entrees in the $21-30 range), I have found myself wondering why Celcius continues to rely on students rather than a more professional staff. Still, these are minor complaints about what is, overall, a fine restaurant.

As I noted in the introduction, Rehoboth Beach is quite a culture clash, however it's one that works for the most part. On one hand you have signs advertising a beach Bible study. On the other, there are bars flying rainbow flags and "Poodle Beach", an area where gay men of all ages, shapes and sizes sun, socialize and swim.

Although I don't fall into either one of these two groups, I like Rehoboth Beach a lot. The beaches are clean and the waves are just the right height. The aforementioned restaurants and shopping are cool. And finally, it's just a 2 hour drive from my new home in DC. I can deal with that.

If nightlife is what you're after, Dewey Beach is the place to go. Dewey is where DC 20 and 30 somethings (and plenty of Philly and Baltimore folks too) get summer shares. The bars aren't exactly diverse - they tend to be filled with white frat boys 10 years removed - but it's something to do. Go with an open mind and you'll have a few cheap beers and you might even hear a decent band. Who knows...