Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
There’s just something about being a Jersey Girl that keeps me grounded. Perhaps everybody feels this way about their home state. Maybe being a Wyoming Girl is just as cool, just as delicious, just as fabulous. What I do know is this: living in Maryland during my early adult years, I quickly realized being a crab cake eating, Old Bay spicing, Natty Boh drinking girl ranks just as high as Jersey Girl greatness. Sure, they’re missing the pork roll and the beach badges, but they’ve got their own kind of loyalty they’d fight to the death to defend. This is why I consider myself mostly Jersey with a side of Old Bay. After all, I lived in Maryland for nine years and that’s a lot of time in Baltmore, hon.
Perhaps it’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve never been to Pimlico, even after all of those years of building up my Maryland pride. Horse racing just wasn’t something I was familiar with, despite adoring an uncle who, upon his death-bed, was still talking about his racing stripes, and despite living absurdly close to Monmouth Park, our very own Jersey racetrack. It wasn’t until I got married and Paul took me to the races that I realized there was a whole lot of fun going on at the Jersey Shore that I knew nothing about.
You can be assured, I knew nothing about it. Across the board? Exacta box what? First time Lasix? I had no idea what any of it meant, but I will tell you, I won a good hundred dollars on a horse named Richie from ShopRite, and that’s only because my Dad loves ShopRite and I thought it was a good omen to bet a few dollars on him to win. It’s safe to say, I bet purely on how much I can connect with the name, then I cross my fingers, and hope my $2 long shot comes in first. But even if that doesn’t happen, the experience is what makes going to the racetrack worth all the money we are somehow always bound to lose.
On a typical day at the track, we first pack the cooler up with ice and frosty beverages. We then make our way to our favorite sub shop and top off our cooler with some delicious Jersey sub sandwiches. We call them subs here, not hoagies. No way, no how is anyone from Monmouth County eating a hoagie, unless they are visiting from South Jersey or Philadelphia, or they somehow got confused celebrating the HoagieFest at the WaWa. Next, we make sure to get to the track at least a half hour before the track opens. I wear my best pair of wedges and when the gates open, I race, just like the horses, for a picnic table by the fence. Despite my competition (men with actual sneakers and sometimes running gear), I always seem to claim a table. This becomes our home base for the rest of the day. Friends and family join us and it becomes one of the best ways to spend a summer day at the Jersey Shore.
Then there are those not so typical days at Monmouth Park. These are the special event days when we skip the subs and opt for lunch at the track. One of our favorite special event days is the Food Truck Festival. While this year it was the most crowded we’ve ever seen it, we never miss a chance at visiting one of our favorite food trucks, Toum, a New York City truck serving up delicious Lebanese cuisine.
We love the falafel sandwich, a thick, toasty wrap filled with fava beans and chickpeas, lettuce, tomato, parsley, onions, turnip pickles, and tahini sauce. If there’s a line, wait in it. It is totally worth your time and money to eat this sandwich. The best part is, you can follow Toum on Twitter and always know where to find them. Oh how I wish they’d park their truck right outside our house. Unfortunately, we only get the occasional ice cream truck rolling by and, well, that’s just not as delectable as Toum.
Monmouth Park also hosts other special events like beer and wine festivals, crab cake cook-offs, and even a day completely devoted to all things Irish. It is also a great place to spend Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, serving as a comfortable way to get the whole family together for good food and fun.
So the next time you are visiting the Jersey Shore, skip the beach and race to the track! If you need to fill your cooler with good subs, we recommend a visit to Vintage Subs on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Order the #2 for a taste of true Jersey sub glory, but don’t hesitate to order any of their other delicious options, including their Vintage Specials, all named after famous Asbury Park landmarks.
And don’t forget to tune in to CNN tonight to watch Anthony Bourdain visit our little city by the sea. Our favorite traveler meets a Jersey Shore legendary town, rebuilding itself with the help of creative and ingenious entrepreneurs and restauranteurs who are hard at work making the city shine.
We are not your typical cruisers. We don’t own cruise wear, we cringe at the amount of food consumed at the buffet, we don’t quite get port shopping, and we will never be caught standing on or near a treadmill or running on “the track” while on vacation.
What we do love is lounge chairs, cocktails, unobstructed views, fancy dinners, and naps.
We cruise when we are tired, stressed, and completely drained from the long hours we put in at our jobs each day.
It is a relaxing escape and it’s easy. And while we love to completely immerse ourselves in other cultures and places, there are those times when we just want to be still and quiet.
There is only one cruise line we look to when we need a quick exit from our daily dose of reality:
Celebrity
Our most recent sailing, a spring break escape for a week in April, was on the Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Silhouette. Upon our arrival to the dock at Port Everglades, we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom, complete with a fruit platter and a bottle of bubbly on ice. Since we booked the most inexpensive rate available, the Guarantee Rate, we were beyond grateful for this generous gift. We will never even consider booking an inside room again. Private balconies are the only way to cruise and the best places for a much-needed afternoon nap.
Our ship sailed to several Caribbean ports: Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Labadee, Haiti. While all of these ports offered many excursions, we were perfectly content to stay on the ship with our feet in the pool, enjoying the calm left behind when the other passengers disembarked on their daily shopping and sightseeing extravaganzas. We did get a chance to swim in the beautiful turquoise waters of Labadee, a private island owned by the cruise line. We spent our day floating on beach mats and feasting at the beach barbecue.
Our evenings were spent at the back of the ship, watching the bright blue water churn as we sailed away to our next destination. We even enjoyed sinking our bare feet into the grass at the Lawn Club. Real grass on the top of a cruise ship? What will they think of next?
Our fancy dinners were spent at the Tuscan Grille, a specialty restaurant offering a variety of delicious Italian meals. Our table for two was set right up against the windows at the back of the ship, a perfect view to enjoy a romantic evening dining on incredible risottos, pastas, and a good bottle of red wine.
Of course we found time for dancing and mingling and meeting people from all over the world. We avoided the buffet as much as we could, except for the one evening we decided to bring dinner to our private balcony. We assembled a big, healthy salad, a pasta dish with sautéed fresh vegetables, and a few slices of pizza, and using our best juggling skills picked up a bottle of wine along the way. While this dinner wasn’t what we’d call fancy, it was just what we needed after a day of fun in the sun.
We’ve heard it all about cruising, everybody’s opinions and fears, from seasickness to the Norovirus. We can honestly say, we’ve never had any of these problems. Celebrity is beyond careful about germs and one of the cleanest cruise lines we’ve ever seen. The staff is always pleasant and accommodating and the food is always good. This is why we are happy to call ourselves Captain’s Club Members of Celebrity Cruise Lines. We’ve cruised on many other brands, but there is only one we come back to time and time again. From the Celebrity Century, now retired from the fleet, to the new Solstice Class of ships, we will remain loyal to the brand that makes us their celebrities, ever time.
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
“We’ve Got Cheese Shops”
In July of 2010, Paul and I spent our honeymoon in Sorrento, Italy. Our hotel sat high upon a cliff overlooking the magnificent Bay of Naples, and everyday after relaxing at the pool, we would walk to town down a long, dusty, quiet, lemon-tree lined path. Occasionally, a scooter would pass us by, motor off, using only the natural force of gravity to make its way down to the bustling streets of Sorrento. It was picturesque and perfect, everything you’d wish a honeymoon to be. But the most amazing part of the entire trip was the food. It was divine.
On this trip we followed a very strict schedule: sit by the pool, walk the path down to town, indulge in southern Italian cuisine, take the shuttle bus back up, repeat. Since walking back up the path wasn’t quite as enjoyable as walking down, we always opted to take the air-conditioned bus, a faster method of getting ourselves back to our lounge chairs as quickly as possible.
One particular day after enjoying what was quite possibly the most delicious pizza we’ve ever had, Paul and I made our way to our assigned street corner to meet a crowd of people impatiently waiting in the mid-day sweltering sun for the much-anticipated air-conditioned bus.
It is amazing the things you remember; the stories you bring back from traveling that make you laugh over and over again. For the past five years, this moment has been etched in our memories, a story to be told and retold for years to come…
Since it was taking an awful long time for the bus to arrive, we struck up a conversation with an older gentleman and his wife. Maybe it was because the bus was late and they spotted our newly wedded bliss, or maybe it was because it is not everyday you expect to be standing next to a man wearing a red hat with an iconic white P in a foreign country. But here we were, just a couple of newly married Met’s fans sweating on an Italian street corner in the company of two Philly fanatics.
Of course, I was going on and on about the food and how delectable everything was, when the female Philly fanatic just shrugged and said, “Oh this is nothing. I cook like this at home. We have cheese shops in Philadelphia.”
Excuse me? Come again? Did you just say you flew all the way to Italy to get something you claim you could have gotten in Pennsylvania? Did you just come here for the views?
As you can imagine, I missed the rest of the conversation, including the obligatory marriage advice, just trying to comprehend and make sense of it all. I couldn’t possibly fathom how this Mediterranean mecca of fresh food could be easily compared to a land oozing with Cheez Whiz. It didn’t make sense, but it made me wonder.
Is Philadelphia more than just cheese steaks?
Exploring Philadelphia
Getting my New York City guy to agree to roam the streets of Philadelphia was not an easy task, but in an effort to do something different this winter, we planned a weekend getaway to explore a city we knew little to nothing about. I mean, we’ve seen the bell, Independence Hall, and the Franklin Institute, but that was pretty much the extent of our Philly knowledge. Oh, and, of course, we’ve heard they have cheese shops.
So we packed our bags and drove down to Philly on one of the coldest weekends in February. It snowed, heavily, but we explored as much as we could. Did we find Italy? Not quite. But what we did find was a new appreciation for a city that seems to have shed its cheese steak and whiz image for a far healthier alternative: vegetables.
If anything can work up an appetite, it is walking the aisles of the Reading Terminal Market. On the morning of our arrival, Paul and I gawked at the plethora of food, including cheese, that was available for sale in this massive culinary warehouse. While we love to take in the smells and sights of these kinds of places, we’re not much for eating on the go. In our opinion, a meal should be savored slowly over good conversation. Therefore, we resisted the temptation to eat at the market and, after quite a bit of walking, found ourselves at Strangeloves for lunch.
We fell in love with this adorable little place after one bite. We started with an appetizer of beer boiled peanuts which were the best boiled peanuts we’ve ever had. That’s saying a lot when one of us consumed more than plenty of boiled peanuts in his college days at the University of South Carolina.
Next, we both inhaled the smoked tempeh muffuletta. This sandwich was phenomenal and would have immediately fooled any carnivore into thinking it couldn’t possibly be missing the meat. But yes, my friends, this sandwich was completely vegan and utterly delicious.
We enjoyed this cozy meal while watching the snow fall rapidly onto the streets and sidewalks of Philadelphia. We found this the perfect opportunity to try out Uber, and within a few minutes, a black car arrived to conveniently and carefully navigate us through the snow back to the warmth of our hotel.
Where We Stayed-Le Meridien Philadelphia
As Gold Starwood Preferred Guests, we are eager to explore all that the SPG Brand has to offer. We especially love when we find hotels with character, and Le Meridien Philadelphia is one of those places with a beauty all its own. A former YMCA transformed into SPG luxury, Le Meridien Philadelphia is warm and inviting and particularly charming. Situated just steps from city hall, the building is timeless, complete with roaring fireplaces in the lobby. It was the perfect base for our weekend getaway and we highly recommend staying here if you are looking for something more luxurious and unique than the typical modern hotel room. It can be inexpensive too. We nabbed a two night stay here using our AAA discount for a very low price. Do your research and you can find some amazing deals.
Dinner at V Street
Paul always laughs at me because, most of the time, if I’m looking at my phone, chances are I’m reading something about food. I like to know my options when I travel, and I’m well read when it comes to where to eat. One of the places I’ve read a lot about is a Philadelphia restaurant called Vedge. I’ve been stalking Vedge on Facebook for almost a year now, maybe longer. I never knew when I was ever going to get a chance to eat there, but it didn’t stop me from drooling over their Facebook photos here and there. Right before our trip to Philly, I was keeping tabs on Vedge’s new restaurant, a venue featuring vegan street food called V Street. After much hemming and hawing over whether we would eat at Vedge or V Street, Paul and I decided to give V Street a try and save Vedge for another time.
Paul and I landed two seats at the bar of this tiny, bustling yet totally charming restaurant. We watched the snowflakes fall while people trudged down the sidewalks under umbrellas. We shared well prepared small plates of Peruvian fries and a small pizza of smoked beets and sauerkraut remoulade. If ever there was a duo who could influence the world to eat their veggies, it is the husband and wife team responsible for Vedge and V Street. What they are doing with vegetables is beyond anything I’ve ever imagined and most likely, taste far better than any vegetables your parents made you eat.
We’ll Be Back…
One weekend in Philly is not nearly enough time to explore everything the city has to offer. It is even less time when your trip is hindered by a snowstorm. We made the most of it, and while we never quite found the Italy the Philly fanatic spoke of, we didn’t really care to find it nor were we looking. Our new-found fondness of Philadelphia has intrigued us to return during the warmer months. We look forward to checking out some of the parks and tasting some of the other amazing food that’s coming out of this city. We will keep you updated.
Until then, we urge you…no we plead with you… to look beyond the cheese steak and explore more than just Pat and Geno’s. You never know just what you’ll find…
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Yesterday, we began our day quietly sipping coffee at America’s Cup and ended the day with an order of pasta fagioli and a Dizzy Dame sandwich from The Speakeatery. In between, I got my locks pampered at Hot Mess Salon while Paul took his camera out in the cold morning air to grab a photo. Later, we enjoyed our favorite Firecracker Roll at Taka’s new and trendy Cookman location. There we met and talked to Taka himself, our first time ever having the pleasure to meet him and tell him how much we adore his food and his new, beautiful restaurant. Next, we made our way over to the grand opening of the Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarten, and somehow, managed to grab a Bavarian pretzel and a bar stool, despite the growing crowd of people rushing in to check the place out. Afterwards, we met the famous photographer Bob Gruen, watched a documentary on his amazing and noteworthy career, and attended a special reception at the Art629 gallery, all through a special invitation from Asbury Underground. Yes, we were on the guest list.
While we may enjoy Asbury Park much more when the air is warm and our toes are in the sand, our love for this beach town thrives in all seasons, even during the bitter cold days of winter. As you can see, it was just another beautiful day in our little city by the sea…
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
We’ve always been deeply curious about you.
Over the years we’ve let you linger in the shadow of Manhattan, never really giving you the full attention you deserve. We’ve admired the bridge that bears your name and we’ve strolled across it, yet we’ve never fully explored beyond your grand gates.
So recently, as we walked along your quiet brownstone lined streets on a cold and rainy January day, we couldn’t help but fall for you. You are so incredibly adorable, cozy, and delicious, with a side of grit we think gives you just the right amount of edge.
We especially loved your NU Hotel, a downtown boutique space nestled along Smith Street. Our room included hardwood floors, modern decor, and a chalkboard in the bathroom, just in case we wished to scroll our thoughts above the toilet. It is often, we find, that a spark of creativity strikes us in the most unusual locations. We found the NU Hotel lobby to be just the place to gather for an evening cocktail and a friendly chat with the bartenders, and in the morning, we made our way downstairs for a hot cup of coffee and complimentary breakfast.
But, Brooklyn, it wasn’t the hotel that really made us fall head over heels in love. No, we have to be honest. It was something else that sealed the deal.
You see Brooklyn, we may have fallen for you, but there is one city that stole our hearts long before you did. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but with its glittering tower, fancy museums, and perfect baguettes, it’s hard to compete with Paris. We’d do just about anything to pull up a chair at a Parisian cafe, order a glass of wine and a croque monsieur, and lazily wine and dine the day away. We imagined you’d know nothing about that, Brooklyn. But we were wrong…so, so wrong about you. You’ve brought Paris to 128 Smith Street. You’ve got Bar Tabac.
You gave us that “Midnight in Paris” feeling Bar Tabac. When we walked through your doors, we felt like we were transported back in time, to a beautiful and authentic Parisian cafe. We sat at your bar and watched the snow flutter to the ground as people dashed along the streets and rushed to cram inside your walls for brunch. We talked with your bartender as he carefully sliced lemon wedges, and we reminisced about Paris and how delightfully close we felt to truly being back there again.
It was fabulous, Brooklyn, the whole experience…the cafe, the conversation, the snowflakes. And then the food arrived. That’s when things became perfect.
The baked clams with Ricard, butter, and parsley sauce brought us back to a memorable evening in Provence when a most pleasant waiter at a Michelin star restaurant gave us our first taste of Ricard. We could taste that subtle and familiar licorice flavor in every bite of your clams, Bar Tabac.
Your croque monsieur took us to our favorite cafe in the Tuileries Gardens, where a simple ham and cheese sandwich is transformed into so much more. Perhaps its the béchamel sauce or the tender greens on the side. Whatever it is, you nailed it, Bar Tabac. You get Paris.
So where does this leave us Brooklyn? We will, of course, continue this love affair in the spring. You can reserve us a table outside at Bar Tabac and a room down the street at the NU Hotel. Until then, we’ll continue to think about you, and we’ll tell all of our friends.
Until we meet again…
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
With big French plans in our future, we took it easy this winter break and took a short trip to Baltimore, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia. In Baltimore, I got to wear my Raven’s purple and Paul got to see Connor Shaw make his rookie start for the Cleveland Browns. It was one of those things where the stars aligned with the moon and the Baltimore Ravens, and as a result, Paul was able to show his Gamecock’s pride and cheer on the Browns (quietly, of course) at Pickle’s Pub. We celebrated with a very casual dinner, a post-game salad and a Flag pizza at Joe Squared. In the morning, we hit up the Golden West in Hampden for our favorite vegan breakfast burritos (see Baltimore’s Best Breakfast), and then made our way to D.C.’s cutest little neighbor, Alexandria.
In Alexandria, we enjoyed our very first Kimpton hotel stay at the Lorien Hotel and Spa. We highly recommend this beautiful property, not only for the modern accommodations and excellent service, but also for their amazing fire pit, complimentary wine reception in the lobby, and the Brabo Tasting Room, their onsite restaurant (see my Bravo for Brabo post to read all about my love for Robert Wiedmaier). We also joined the Kimpton Karma Rewards Program, as we are very intrigued by their amenities and hope to book a few more stays at some of their properties.
Today we say hello to a new year of travel, photography, and writing. We also say goodbye to Paul’s Photography Blog. We decided it is time for us to consolidate to just one blog and focus on making Bringing Down the White Picket Fence the best it can be in 2015.
So where will we travel this year? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates. We’ve got another 365 days of amazing possibilities, and while it’s not likely we’ll get to dine with Anthony Bourdain or make a career out of this blog (although we’d love to), we do have some incredible plans in the works. We are more eager than ever to explore this fascinating planet and document each journey along the way. Join us as we wander around new cities, revisit some of our favorites, and fall more in love with Paris and Asbury Park.
Happy New Year!
-Paul and Michelle
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
For a Jersey girl, sometimes it’s hard to believe the ease of hopping onto a NJ Transit train bound for New York City. There is a whole other world above those crowded steps of Penn Station, a world so significantly different than suburbia. It screams my name. It begs me to explore. It keeps me coming back for more.
There is only one man I have to thank for this love.
His lens captures New York City from some of the most intriguing angles.
I remember sitting on the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon one early July morning, coffee in hand, while the sun made its way above the jagged rocks and ledges, falling in love with the colors, the deep reds and oranges, the beautiful glow of the American West. With the elk grazing nearby, I couldn’t imagine a more peaceful place on Earth. In a setting like this, it is easy to put aside all of your worries, your troubles, your fears. When you are here, you are thankful, for each breath, for each ray of sunshine that warms your face, for every minute you are able to just sit and escape from the dizzying rush of everyday life.
Today we give thanks for family, friends, food, and for all that we’ve achieved and accomplished each year. This Thanksgiving let’s give thanks for this beautiful country we call home. It’s time we focus on all that is good here because, believe it or not, good does exist. While disturbing media footage continues to stream across our television sets and our news feeds, it’s easy to forget what an amazing country we live in, a land painted in an array of gorgeous colors, an easily forgotten backdrop in our constant race through life.
Nature has sculpted an America we should be proud of. So take a moment to give thanks for all of this. “This land is our land…”
Celebrate it.
Cherish it.
Capture it.
Give thanks for it.
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Get out your garnet and black and head to the state capital of sweet tea, Columbia, South Carolina. Named one of Kiplinger’s Top 10 Best Places to Live in 2013, Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, where Gamecocks rule the roost, Steve Spurrier is king, and most Saturdays in the fall are spent eating fried chicken at the State Fairgrounds.
Just an hour and a half drive from Greenville and two hours from Charleston, Columbia, South Carolina is most likely not on your must-see list of places to travel. Unless you have reason to come here, either for a degree, a football game, or military training at Fort Jackson, this “famously hot” city could easily be overlooked. Yet, we love Columbia and make it a point to travel here at least once a year. Okay, so maybe we are a little partial since one of us is a former Gamecock, but we have reason to believe Columbia is transforming and you should keep your eye on it.
Paul, the former Gamecock, got to know Columbia from the years of 1981-1985. “Some of the best years of my life were spent here,” he proclaims as he walks around campus with his camera in hand. Of course, both the campus and the city have changed significantly since Paul’s college days, but certain academic buildings and residence halls are still hanging on some 30 years later.
Like most college kids, Paul’s memories of eating out consist mostly of fast food, with Long John Silvers, Dominos, and Bojangles being all he could afford at the time. Of course, there was the occasional trip to Yesterday’s for nachos, but even that was deemed a special occasion. Paul doesn’t remember Columbia as a big star on the culinary map. He looks around now and feels a tiny pang of jealousy when he sees what today’s college students have to choose from.
Where to Stay
The Inn at USC is one of our favorite places to stay. In the past few years it has added the Wyndham name to its title, but its southern charm and hospitality remains the same. Be sure to stay here at least once and get up early enough to enjoy their breakfast. It’s fantastic. If you don’t believe a hotel breakfast can be exceptional, be sure to read the post Biscuits and Gravy from my very first visit to the Inn at USC.
While staying on campus has its own kind of tranquility, downtown Columbia is growing, and its important to be within walking distance of all the action. While the Five Points area has historically attracted college students for years, visitors now flock to The Congaree Vista for a plethora of dining options. In addition to the Vista, we see some great things happening on Main Street, and because of its convenient location, always make it a point to stay at the Sheraton Columbia Downtown.
If it’s warm out, be sure to check out Columbia from the rooftop bar. If it’s cold out, take the opportunity to unwind downstairs in the Vault. Originally a bank vault, the lobby hotel bar gives guests a unique place to sip on a martini and relax before retiring to their room.
Where to Eat
DiPratos! DiPratos! DiPratos! Don’t miss DiPratos! New York deli meets the southern classics at this gem of a restaurant. We’ve only had the pleasure of eating at DiPratos for brunch, feasting on mouth-watering breakfast paninis composed of homemade onion sausage, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, and American cheese on a multigrain ciabatta roll. With a variety of sandwiches available for lunch, we’ll be sure to make this our first stop on our next trip to Columbia.
If you are looking for a great place for a drink and a bite to eat, we highly recommend Flying Saucer, a fun establishment with quality food located in the Congaree Vista. When sticking to our mostly vegetarian diet (which obviously we chose not to do at DiPratos), we come here for the Hippie Hollow and the Hippie Burger. Their homemade jalapeño vinaigrette is delicious. This is the kind of place you can go to and fill up on appetizers. Their soft pretzels are some of the best we’ve ever had and you just can’t miss the Rocket-tots.
For a fancy evening out, go straight to Bourbon. While this restaurant may be located in the shadow of the South Carolina State Capitol building, its DRINK sign will catch your eye and its Creole/Cajun menu will capture your appetite.
We were lucky to catch a special dish: mahi-mahi from North Carolina presented with local Tuscan kale and homemade sausage in a delicious and flavorful sauce. Looking back, I wish I wrote down all of the ingredients of this excellently prepared dish. The atmosphere is dark and romantic, the staff is welcoming and pleasant, and the whiskey flows regularly. It’s a lovely addition to the ever growing Columbia restaurant scene.
After a late night out, you’ll need to refuel the next morning at Le Peep. Le Peep, also located in the Vista, is a small breakfast and lunch cafe serving up crowds of Gamecocks before every home game. While you’ll probably find yourself waiting for a table on the weekends, you won’t be the only one here sporting your Carolina gear in preparation for game day. The hostess will greet you with a smile, the service will be great, and the biscuits and gravy are just what you need before heading to Williams Brice.
How We Get There
There’s something about Southwest that makes us so very happy to fly. Their service, their flight attendants, their constant concern for their passengers, I could go on and on. While Columbia does have an airport, very few airlines fly from New Jersey to Columbia, and those who do, don’t fly direct. For us to get to Columbia, we usually have to drive down to Baltimore-Washington International and hop a Southwest flight to Charlotte, North Carolina or Greenville, Spartanburg. From there, we pick up a rental car and drive the hour and a half distance to Columbia. When you have a Southwest love like ours, you do whatever it takes.
We cross our fingers for the day Southwest starts flying into Columbia. We don’t know if that’s even possible, but as each year passes, we see more and more Gamecock gear making its way up north. It goes without saying, it’s good to be a Gamecock, and it would be even better if Gamecocks’ bags could fly free on an airline with a whole lot of heart.
We’ll Keep You Updated
Even though we make it a point to travel to Columbia once a year, there are still so many restaurants we still need to try and so many things we still need to do. Will we ever get to tailgate in a Cock-a-boose? We can only hope. Will we see Main Street become a thriving downtown destination? We expect to. Will we meet Steve Spurrier someday? Not likely, but we’d love to.
So in between our journeys to Europe and our trips into New York, we’ll keep you updated on Columbia, South Carolina, one of our favorite little weekend getaways.
Raindrops are more beautiful in Paris.
On dreary, chilly days like today, I yearn for these images.
Paul captured some of my most vivid and gorgeous memories: the elegance that never escapes Paris, even beneath a dull gray sky.
© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 