Tuning in to Neptune

Last weekend a few friends and I headed down to Virginia Beach for the annual Neptune Festival for a girls get-a-way weekend. I decided that even after spending several weeks in Turkey with my kids and extended family this past August, this Momma needed a BREAK from EVERYONE right about now. So my latest Now What moment took a detour to Virginia Beach for some sun and fun while my husband and kids bonded back home. While this was my first time in VB, I am positive it will not be my last. Here's why.





One big never-ending beach
Virginia Beach is home to endless miles of clean, sandy beaches stretching along the Atlantic coast with a convenient paved boardwalk and bike path running parallel along the entire way. And let me emphasize the "clean" part. Not an ounce of seaweed, rock, shell, dead jellyfish or crustacean skeleton could be found along these sandy shores. Kudos go out to some gracious guys who, before the crack of dawn, drive big trucks up and down the beach picking up flotsam and groom the sand to perfection to make a splendid sandy carpet for all the tired and sore toes that inhabit it in the hours to come. Thanks for making the sand music to my feet.

Top Gun Revisited
Neighboring Virginia Beach is Norfolk, Virginia's second-largest city and home to the largest Navy base in the world, Naval Station Norfolk. My friend Carolyn warned me the night we arrived that we'll hear the aircraft fighter planes defying the sound barrier during the day. And she was right. I will admit, it was chilling to hear these planes roar through the sky and wonder what they were up to, given what's going on in the world today. Although I didn't see Maverick or Goose, there were plenty of service men roaming the area and it made me feel proud and humble. I also scored the perfect gift for my son which is now heralded as "Best Give Ever" in our home.

Neptune: God of the Sea
The appropriately named Neptune Festival takes place annually at the end of September in Virginia Beach. Hundreds of artists from around the US set up camp along the boardwalk to sell their handmade goods in media ranging from painting, sculpting, photography and glass work.

I'll admit I'm a little bit more artsy than craftsy, but it was refreshing to see so many artists commingled in one place sharing their handmade goods with half a million people. While some items screamed "Yankee Swap Candidate," others like these cute little tunic dresses were pleasant surprises. The cupcake ribbons had me hooked.

Other events throughout the weekend included a volleyball competition, local bands, an international sand sculpting contest and 5k/8k run. At the entrance to the arts and crafts exhibit stands a statue of Neptune, cautiously watching all who pass by. At the end of the day how can you resist a
scantily clad bearded dude holding a pitch fork and caressing a sea turtle.

Everything is better fried
When in Virginia, it only takes a simple Funnel Cake stand to remind you that yes indeed, you're in the South. On Friday, my friends and I began our culinary tour of Southern snacking by heading west along the boardwalk toward the fishing piers as the Neptune festival kicked off. Dotted among the arts and crafts tents were dozens of food vendors ready to fry it up for your heart clogging pleasure.

Did someone say fried Oreo? You bet. Take a classic American cookie, dip it in batter and fry to warm, moist perfection with a dusting of powdered sugar. Our order amounted to a tray of what looked like five little dough balls but after one bite, the star of the show appeared.

As we took revenge on our waists, I suggested that a fried Reese's Peanut Butter Cup would be the ultimate fried "thing" experience (obviously, mental clarity goes out the door when munching on Oreo dough balls). And a few minutes later back on the boardwalk, the fryolator gods answered my prayers -- no joke.

Other firsts included a chocolate truffle Dairy Queen Blizzard -- my first DQ. Growing up in Rhode Island, you went to Newport Creamery for ice cream and shakes (or cabinets). Ok, so thanks to my friends, I'm now aware of the DQ in Quincy, MA if I ever get a hankering for another Blizzard. Although, the McDonald's McFlurry comes in a close second. While we're on the topic of ice creams, we tried frozen custard from Kohr Bros. I tried the pumpkin and cinnamon swirl which was thick and rich, and surprising lower in calories and fat than regular ice cream. We did some googling later and found a Kohr Bros located in the South Shore Plaza in Braintree. Apparently, all good things South make their way up North.



Note: This is a "mini" blizzard

The South is littered with pancake houses and we really wanted to try the Pocahontas Pancake house located a few blocks from our hotel. It's rated by Food Network as the best pancake house in VB. Late Saturday afternoon we were feeling ambitious and made our way over only to discover they close daily at 1pm. Dang. That left us with little options except for the place across the street. "Dear cheaper, non-descript pancake house, do you seriously think including "chunks" on a window menu will entice me?"

Bring some of that Southern hospitality up North, will ya!
The folks down here are plain ole nice. When you get in the elevator at the hotel, the other guests riding with you start up a conversation and after a few minutes, you're all best friends. When they say, "Now y'all have a good day now" they really mean it. No fluff. No false pretenses. No bitchy, defensive Boston attitudes. People here are NICE. Ok, so maybe the "Ma'am" thing still creeps me out but I could get used to taking it down a notch.

Running in place 
I'm glad my friends like to eat, drink and exercise. When we found out there was a 5K run during the festival, we all signed up. Got to negate all those fried Oreo calories somehow. The race started at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday with an out and back flat course along Atlantic Avenue, one of the main drags. The highlight of the race was the strong tail wind for the first mile and the beer at the finish. The worst part was running in 20 mph head winds for the last half. Try running in place up against a brick wall for about 15 minutes and you will get my drift. Head winds stink. You get no traction, even when taking cover behind another runner. Needless to say, we all finished, and yours truly placed 2nd in the women's 40-45 age group, head wind and all. Let's call it a wind-wind situation.

So, Now What? Back home and back to the grind. But's it's Fall in New England. Stay tuned!