Showing our love for my homestate of Virginia

Before Scott and I could welcome in fall with last weekend’s clambake, we needed to say so long to summer. At the very end of August we packed our CRV and headed on the road for a bit of family, a bit of comics, and two weeks of vacation fun.

Things started off similar to our last vacation in May – with stops in Virginia to see my sister and parents. Although we’ve spent the last few Augusts in Culpeper where my sister lives, we still seem to discover new things every time we visit.

Admittedly, a lot of that has to do with my sister being an excellent tour guide and going out of her way to find fun things to do.

Candy shopping at downtown Culpeper’s My Secret Stash

Highlights of this stop in Culpeper included:

• A day of shopping in downtown Culpeper where I picked up: Blood Orange EVOO and Tangerine Balsamic from Taste Oil Vinegar Spice, Maple Bourbon Pickles from Culpeper Cheese Company, and candy from My Secret Stash.

• A tour of the Copper Fox Distillery, home of Wasmund’s Single Malt Whisky and Copper Fox Rye Whisky. Both were 2013 International Review of Spirits Gold Medal winners achieving 92 and 94 points, respectively.

• And visits to nearby Taste of the Mountains and Cedar Point’s sister park Kings Dominion. We splurged on a couple of Fast Passes for Kings Dominion, which were worth the $50 – allowing us to get in a very full day of rollercoasters. I was glad to make use of my CP Platinum Pass on vacation. After reading that Kings Dominion is celebrating their 40th anniversary next season, a return trip is in order for next spring!

Kings Dominion, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next season

I think my favorite part of our stay in Culpeper was getting afternoon tea at Culpeper’s Miss Minerva’s Tea Room. Voted the #2 tea house in Virginia, we enjoyed an hour of trying a variety of unusual loose-leaf teas in a quaintly beautiful setting. Even Scott and Gabbie, who aren’t huge tea drinkers, enjoyed the Ice Wine Tea, English Caramel, and rose-petal-infused Mademoiselle Grey. The very friendly service and a selection of delicious cranberry scones, small sandwiches and desserts complemented this calming afternoon activity.

Miss Minerva’s Tea Room in Culpeper – The #2 Tea Room in Virginia

This was one of the longest vacations we’ve taken so Scott and I had to seriously pace ourselves to avoid vacation burnout. After four busy days at Gabbie’s, it was nice to just unwind for a couple days at my parents’.

Scenic views overlooking the Cheseapeake Bay and Ingleside Vineyards

While we did take a tour of Ingleside Vineyards, the rest of the time in the Northern Neck was spent lounging by the Chesapeake and hanging out with my parents and their feline friends. Scott even squeezed in a driving lesson with my dad:

Left to Right: Visiting with Batgirl, one of my dad’s 6 cats; Scott takes dad’s antique Chevy Coupe for a drive

It was hard to say goodbye to my folks, but knowing that they plan to visit this winter helped. Plus, we were excited for the next leg of our trip – Baltimore Comic Con!

After four years of Chicago’s C2E2, Scott and I decided to mix up our comicbook convention-going by attending this year’s Baltimore Comic Con instead.

It also gave us an excuse to briefly see Scott’s sister Laura and her fiancee Max on our drive from Virginia to Maryland. Lunch in DC was followed by a visit to the International Spy Museum, where Laura works on their exhibitions and programs. I couldn’t have asked for a better first time at the museum as Laura gave us her personal tour through their current James Bond Villains exhibit. I really enjoyed hearing how they put the exhibit together.

Scott’s sister Laura (top-right) at the International Spy Museum

I even had time to introduce Scott to one of my favorite restaurants from when I was a kid – Il Porto in Old Town Alexandria. Their escargot and frutti di mare dishes were as good as I remembered. Afterwards, we walked around Old Town, visited the coolest vintage cocktailware store, and enjoyed glass harp and polynesian dance shows by the waterfront.

We couldn’t stay out late because we had to wake up early the next morning for two whole days of comic book goodness.

Clockwise from top: Gateway to Baltimore Comic Con; awesome Doctor Who ballon sculpture; Scott and I with Mark Buckingham, one of my favorite artists; an epic Hulkbuster costume

Presented by Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown, Maryland, the Baltimore Comic Con is dedicated only to comic books instead of other forms of entertainment like many other conventions.

This meant excellent panels dedicated to learning about the process behind our favorite (and new favorite) comic books from the writers and artists. The panels were less about selling books and more about sharing a love for them. On top of that, the convention floor boasted one of the larger Artists Alleys I’ve seen – dedicating much of its space to up and coming artists.

After Sunday’s show, we squeezed in a couple hours at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum. In addition to a mind-blowing collection of comic books (including Superman’s first appearance in Action Comics #1), the museum features toys and memorabilia spanning from the 1920s to today.

From left to right: Incredible Hulk Toilet Paper, Action Comics #1, Howdy Doody exhibit, Hulk #1, the Ms. Pac-Man Colorform I created at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore

Although I enjoyed reminiscing over many of my favorite childhood toys, I loved seeing things like the Howdy Doody display from when my parents were kids. If you are in Baltimore, Geppi’s and its floor-to-ceiling pop culture is a must-do.

After a whirlwind weekend in Baltimore, a stopover in New Jersey to say hi to Scott’s parents and grandmother was a nice break before driving back to Cleveland. Although my car may not be happy that we put so many miles on it, we had a fantastic time!

“Virginia is for Bowlers” and other lessons learned on our Eastcoast roadtrip

11 days, 900 miles, and too many guest beds/couches/air mattresses to count.

To celebrate the start of summer and a few family milestones, Scott and I packed up the car last week and began the Great DiGiandomenico-Hicken Roadtrip of 2013.

As much as I love the home we’ve built in Cleveland, it had been a while since we reconnected with family, friends, and the places we came from.

With Scott’s parents celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and my sister celebrating her birthday last week, we figured the timing was perfect for this kind of trip.

So off we went to our first stop – Culpeper, Virginia, where my sister lives.

Cedar Fair’s Kings Dominion, one of our stops while in Virginia

This historic town is a fun place to getaway. I love downtown Culpeper, where you can find a tea room, many antique, wine and olive oil shops, and a new performing arts space. Civil War buffs will also love the area’s driving and walking tours.

Cafes, a local farmers market, and laidback BBQ restaurants make for good eating.  Plus, Culpeper is home to Virginia’s only legal moonshine distillery – Stillhouse Distillery at Belmont Farms.

However, I think one of the nicest things about Culpeper is its proximity to a lot of other great attractions in the region. And for this year’s visit, we decided to take advantage of that with a daytrip to Kings Dominion.

The Eiffel Tower – a classic Kings Dominion attraction and Intimidator 305 – their newest coaster

Before my love affair with Cedar Point began, there was Kings Dominion. This was back when I was a kid and it was owned by Paramount featuring plenty of Hanna-Barbera goodness like Smurf Mountain and Yogi Bear’s Cave.

Now its owned by Cedar Fair so those Platinum Passes we have to Cedar Point come in very handy when we visit Virginia.

Although the park has changed a lot, it was great getting some ridetime on the very first rollercoasters I ever rode, as well as a new-to-me coaster – Intimidator 305.  This coaster-ode to Dale Earnhardt gave Millennium Force a definite run for its money. And it’s soft over-the-shoulder restraints could be put to good use on other rollicking rides like Maverick.

Nothing calms me as much as this view from my parents’ porch

After a busy day at the park, Scott and I were off to the Northern Neck to unwind with my parents for a few days.

There is nothing as calming as sitting on my parents’ porch and taking in their view of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. I love being able to just disconnect and recharge.

My parents know me well, though, and we weren’t sitting around for too long.

Glassblowing demonstration at the Jamestown Glasshouse in Virginia

Knowing my love of the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City, they took me to the historic Jamestown Glasshouse. In addition to preserving the remains of the original glasshouse, the National Park Service has created a replica and produce unique glass products there every day.

We watched them blow beautiful cobalt vases and bought a handblown double cruet for our dining room.

Celebrating Gabbie’s birthday with Iron Man 3 and bowling at Splitsville.

Of course, the real reason we were in Virginia was to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I can’t really call Gabbie my little sister, because for as long as I can remember she was one of those sisters who always looked out for you even though she’s younger. One of the most loyal, unselfish people I know.

I don’t get to Virginia often for her birthday. But after the fun we had during her movie-and-bowling-birthday-day, I think I’ll be back each year for it!

A quick breakfast the next morning and we were Philly and New Jersey bound.  A layover in Philly gave us a really wonderful day of catching up with college friends over dinner and wandering around the city.

A highlight of our trip was reconnecting with our theatre roots.

Before I got involved with PlayhouseSquare Partners, I honed my love for theatre in Philly – first at La Salle University’s Dan Rodden Theatre, then in the Marketing department at Walnut Street Theatre.

Clockwise: La Salle University Campus, Walnut Street Theatre, and Llanerch Diner filled with memories from our theatre days in Philly

I loved being able to visit La Salle’s campus and see my former colleagues at the Walnut where I was welcomed with my old nickname “A-Bomb”. Scott and I even grabbed lunch at the Llanerch Diner, which was our post-rehearsal, middle-of-the-night dinner spot in college – back before it was featured in Silver Linings Playbook.

A walk down South Street gave me a chance to pick up a couple comic books from Atomic City Comics where my love of comics was rekindled years ago and try out Brauhaus Schmitz – a fantastic German bierhall and restaurant.

Delicious smoked trout sandwich, spaetzle and Freigeist Gose at Philadelphia’s Brauhaus Schmitz

We ended our trip in New Jersey to celebrate Scott’s parents’ 40th anniversary. I’m very lucky to have Bob and Betty Hicken as my in-laws. Not just because they’ve always been fantastic to me, but also because they set such a great example of marriage for Scott.

In honor of their anniversary, Scott and his sister Laura surprised them with a dinner at The Red Lion Inn, where Scott’s parents and grandparents both dated.

As we sat at dinner, I thought about how excited I am for his parents and grandmother to move out to Cleveland soon. Because no matter how much fun we had at the different places we visited during our vacation, it’s the people – our parents, sisters, friends – that made this trip so great.

And we’d have fun with them wherever we are.

The DiGiandomenico and Hicken families