September 4, 2007
They have many, many mattress discounters
It is the funniest thing about this area called College Park/Silver Springs/White Oak. Every strip mall has 1-2 mattress discounters in it. Needless to say Ed picked one and got a bed. We were so busy getting everything settled we did not do anything fun except go to the pool and work out. PLUS, no internet. That really bothered me. The lack of TV was not a big deal. I will be taking John’s advice next time. My little dog is in a depression due to her family not living together.
We saw where the Washington Times and Post are printed. Separately, of course. Woo-Hoo! And I saw the Discovery Channel building. That’s it. We ate at Bombay Indian Restaurant twice. It is on the 100 Cheap Eats from the Washingtonian. Dinner is not cheap. The buffet is. And I gotta say, we were hoping to get away from the no booze on Sunday thing that Georgia does. Seems as though the lovely Montgomery County feels the same way. That sucks.
On to U of M. Saw the campus. All the buildings match. And frat row looks straight out of a movie.
Did get to eat a cheesesteak from South Street Steaks. So amazingly good. The cheesesteak really is the junk food of a foodie. Saw U.Cluck. Both of these referenced establishments have been featured on the Food Network.
We are hoping to get tickets either the Georgia Tech or Clemson games in October. And that is another thing. In Atlanta, you see every team represented. It is all SEC and ACC all the time. Up in MD it is only Terps. NOTHING ELSE. Odd.
And finally, a special congratulations to my lovely friend Connie. She got engaged to our rockstar friend. (He is manager of an Apple Store and every one is very impressed by that. It is like Tommy Lee walked in the room. Seriously.) It is going to be an amazing marriage and we are so happy for you.
I was a KD at Maryland, its on College Ave with the rest of the sorority houses at the end- its the brown one that looks like a Castle-
Eat at Bentleys in College Park- also EJ;s Landing in the Best Western- I am not kidding has great burgers and crabcakes.
Go to Annapolis if you can while its nice-
I am coming home for homecoming- counting the days!
Ed is up there full time. I am travelling back and forth. I will be up twice again this month. The crab cakes sound great.
I have only been to Annapolis once. After the big flood a few years ago. I went up after Thanksgiving to work on the April Cornell store that had been flooded out. That dock area was all I really saw of the place. But we will try to go soon.
Shoulda listened to John… haha. PLEASE don’t judge all of Maryland by College Park. It’s kinda ghastly. But they have a HUGE Ikea there. Bentleys has been around since God was an undergrad. We will get you and Ed fixed up with the good places. Remember, Baltimore’s only 30 minutes up the road… sometimes easier than going into DC with all the traffic.
I went to college fairly close to College Park and you are very observant! I agree with Fairfax though…there is plenty of GREAT stuff in the area…just ask us!
I agree with both of the other girls- I just meant if you are in CP and need a place to go b/c I assumed someone is going to school there?
Go to Annapolis for a day again - the fall is perfect, also Middleburg to horse country is great for overnight- Gold Cup is super fun, Downtown Bethesda is close to CP and has so much to do. place to eat- have fun there and email me if you ever want more specifics on anything.
Glad you made it back alright. College Park, I hate to say, is pretty darn ugly. I got a BA there. I never noticed how Terp-centric it all is (that is, nothing else exists; just the Terps). Very odd. Oh, and I was rolling on the floor reading about all the Mattress Discounters
Hope my suggestions help, especially Ed seeing as how he’s there full time for a while. One place I forgot in CP: there’s this bagel place across from the bookstore that sells a pretty decent Reuben bagel sandwich, but Carolina-style with slaw instead of kraut. Or at least it was decent when I went there.
About those blue laws: yep, Maryland is a dry-on-Sunday state (in the liquor stores not the bars and restaurants), at least where I’ve visited. But DC and Virginia are not. I drove into Falls Church, VA, and found a fave Cali store, the World Market, selling beer and wine on Sunday! And Virginia doesn’t mind selling groceries next to alcohol; you won’t find that in Maryland (some bizarre law about only one store in any franchise is allowed to sell alcohol, but again not on Sunday). Maryland is pretty weird like that.
Get some rest! And thank you for your comment on my blog - your blog is awesome.
Next time you are up you MUST try Ceviche in Silver Spring. I believe it is also on Washingtonian’s best cheap eats list. BUT this place does not feel like “cheap eats” and it has some of the best ethnic food in the area.
I grew up in Bethesda but live in the close-in suburbs of Baltimore (Towson) now. Baltimore is just a quick trip up the road, and I, frankly, believe that it is infinitely more interesting than the DC suburbs. After all we are the hometown of John Waters.
Annapolis is a great trip as well. I still swoon just a bit when I see all those midshipmen (love a man in uniform!). Reminds me of my days attending dances at the academy. Also should you be in the area for more than a few days consider a trip to the eastern shore. One of our favorites is the Hyatt Chesapeake in Cambridge, MD. http://chesapeakebay.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?src=tig_brand_chesa_msn
It is really lovely in the fall.
I promise that MD has much more to offer than College Park!
We need to start sending suggestions! C’mon up to baltimore and see….
1) great shopping at fun stores in Hampden
2) Housewerks Salvage down by the stadiums
3) Fells Point
4) Cross Street Market in Federal Hill.
5)… up to you all now!