So Zeke and I were on our Road Trip, heading from Maryland to Delaware. I put in the address of the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at in Wilmington- The Graystone Inn- into Waze. We arrived to a neighborhood, but couldn’t find our B & B.
“This looks like residences,” Zeke noted.
I agreed, but a B & B could be in a residential area, so I looked at my printed out info for the B & B.
“Oh,” I said looking at the directions. “It’s 3rd Street, not Avenue.”
“Okay,” said Zeke, as he started to pull out from where we’d parked.
“Oh no!” I said.
“What?” asked Zeke.
As I looked at the rest of the directions, I saw a NC after Wilmington, meaning I’d booked (and pre-paid) for a B & B for us in Wilmington, North Carolina, instead of Wilmington, Delaware.
“How could I have done this?” I asked Zeke, who of course, had no good (or at least good for him) answer.
As I called the Greystone Inn in Wilmington, North Carolina and started having a mini-meltdown, Zeke got on one of his travel apps and found a hotel for us in Wilmington, Delaware.
“My wife booked us a room thousands of miles away,” he joked with the guy at the front desk.
As he was laughing, I was crying, but we arrived at the Hotel du Pont in about ten minutes and the nice gentleman at the front desk upgraded us to a suite, which was amazing. The hotel itself was stunning and one of the nicest ones I’ve ever stayed at in my life. It was huge, with luxurious sheets, a phone in the bathroom and a view of downtown. I felt like I was living the life of a Rockefeller (or a DuPont!) during my stay.
We’d planned on eating at the newly reopened restaurant in the hotel one night, but it was closed the night we were free, so I was thrilled when I saw an article in the New York Times about a book of cocktails from across the US; one of the two recipes was for the Hotel du Pont Cocktail, from the hotel we stayed at.
I’m sure I would’ve ordered this had we gone to the bar, as I always try the house cocktail, wherever we travel. This has resulted in sipping a Batini in Austin Texas, a Huckleberry Martini in Yellowstone Park and a Lava Flow in Maui. Since I wasn’t going back to Wilmington anytime soon, I had to try the Hotel du Pont cocktail in my own home. I had VSOP cognac, but not the Angostura Bitters or the fino sherry. These were not cheap purchases (about $20 each) making my Hotel DuPont cocktail a $40 drink.
And the verdict?
Didn’t love it, truthfully. It was a strong, but not at all sweet drink. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste. Oh well, c’est la vie (as the French du Ponts might say). I’ll save the sherry for conch chowder and the bitters for cocktails that call for them. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed the other cocktail in the article- called a Hummer– better. With rum, Kahlua and vanilla ice cream, what’s not to like? Except the calories.
Moral of this story: Double-check which state you’ve made housing arrangements in. But, actually, it turned out really well (I even got my money back), so I can’t complain. Serendipity.
Up Next: To Pumpkin Pie or not?