Today was another bright, sunny day without a cloud in the sky! It was still a little windy, but somewhat warmer than yesterday. Full from our brunch, we walked the boardwalk. There were even more people on the boardwalk and beach today. There were walkers, bikers, and skateboarders out. There were parents with their kids, and even the warm coats and gloves couldn’t stop them from playing in the sand. We watched the container cargo ships and cruise ships on the ocean. Pay loaders and tractors were replenishing and rebuilding the beautiful beach sand. We looked up in awe as jets from the Naval Base soared over the beach. Right in front of our hotel a little corral is set up with eight horses for horseback riding on the beach. The horses were busy today, and it was fun to watch the riders on the beach. There were a large number of runners of all ages running to prep for the “Shamrock Marathon” which begins here tomorrow. On the boardwalk down a little way from our hotel workers had set up a HUGE, white dining tent for the “Shamrock Marathon”. Today they were setting up other smaller tents, water, beer, banners, and other supplies for the marathon. From our conversations it seems this is a big marathon with 3,500 runners registered! It was such fun walking on the boardwalk watching all the action that Ladd and I walked FIVE MILES! We felt good, but one five-mile walk does not a marathon runner make! We will be watching “The Shamrock Marathon” from our balcony in the morning!
Then Ladd settled in to work his “computer magic” researching restaurants for dinner. I headed out to do my “shopping magic” as I cruised the shops along Atlantic Avenue.
Ladd did it again and found us an AWESOME restaurant. In fact, throughout our four-week trip through eight states this is definitely one of the top three restaurants we’ve eaten in! It is named “RockafellerS Restaurant”, and is located right on the water at Rudee Inlet. They have a happy hour at their bar, so we decided to start there first. As someone left and Ladd and I sat down, it was then a full bar. At the bar we first started talking with a gentleman from Staten Island. His main house is still there, but he has a condo near the restaurant. When I told that gentleman I had just retired from teaching that led to a conversation across the bar with a couple, Bob and Maryanne. Bob was from Binghamton, and Maryanne is another long-time teacher now retired! New Yorkers and teachers…they’re everywhere; they’re everywhere! Maryanne told me she taught elementary school in Virginia Beach for forty-three years! I told her it was the first time I’d met a teacher who “beat” my forty years. Hmmm…I may just have to go back and try to make four more years…LOL! As Ladd was telling them about our trip blog the Bar Manager, Ben, then joined in the conversation since he will be starting a blog about his fantastic “On the Rocks” bar! (If you read this, Ben, we hope you have fun with your blog, and we would gratefully accept any “tips” for our trip blog you might wish to put in our comment section. Thanks for the great drinks and good luck with your blog!) We then moved to a table in the restaurant by the window overlooking the Rudee Inlet. This inlet was chock-full of big, expensive, gorgeous boats! We went in time to make their “Early-Bird Specials” menu. O.K., even if you are now laughing at us going for the “Early-Bird Specials”, it doesn’t bother us in the least because this was an incredible first-class meal! The other early-bird dinner we had in Williamsburg FELT like an early-bird dinner in quantity and quality…smaller portions and good. “RockafellerS” early-bird dinner did NOT feel like an early-bird dinner. It was awesome both in quantity and quality! We both “added on” a cup of She Crab Soup. This soup was hot, sweet, rich, and full of nice pieces of crab. Our waiter, Nathan, brought us Caesar salads and a basket of warm, moist corn bread, both included with our dinners. (Nathan was an excellent, attentive waiter, who also had a good sense of humor.) Ladd had the fried shrimp entrée, and I had the broiled salmon entrée. Both came with in-season mixed vegetables and roasted red potatoes. The portions were so generous, but more importantly they were prepared perfectly and absolutely delicious! Ladd was done then, and I SHOULD have been done then, however Nathan told me that dessert was also included with the meal. I ordered Chocolate Mousse and told myself that I would just have a spoonful or two with our coffee. Fellow-dessert lovers will understand that when I discovered this was just as great as the meal, one or two spoonsful would not suffice. It was so smooth it just slid down…<g>! We wish to thank everyone at “RockafellerS” for a great night and an awesome meal! If we lived around here you can be sure Ladd and I would be very regular customers.
After all we ate we should now walk another five miles on the boardwalk! But since I’m already in my nightgown and robe…. Oh well, there’s always the “Shamrock Marathon” tomorrow! (Please just call 911 for us now to prepare them…ha!)
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