Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 60

Great Sleeps: Inn at the Park, Cape May, New Jersey

Inn at the Park  1002 Washington St., (609) 884-8406.  6 rooms.  Some fireplaces.  Breakfast; afternoon wine & appetizers.  This small Victorian B&B abuts Madison Avenue Park (with a pond, barbecue facilities, and 14 tennis courts), is just a few doors down from the Emlen Physick Estate, and is a pleasant 4-block walk from the downtown mall.  It is a homey kind of place, where you can sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee and chat with other guests.  Claims to fame include owner Jay’s breakfast estrata and the fact that author Azar Nafisi finished writing Reading Lolita in Tehran on the front porch.  It can get warm here, so the choice of using either AC or a ceiling fan is nice, and when the weather cools some rooms have fireplaces.  A sit-down breakfast takes place in the formal dining room, where guests mingle and indulge in owner-chef Jay’s delicious offerings. 



Co-owner Mary Ann takes pride in displaying her grandmother’s wedding picture over the fireplace and in using her antique English china for the breakfast settings. 

More information about Cape May.

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More things to do in New Jersey. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

images c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Misc.: photograph collection--UNESCO sites, historic monuments, and architectural wonders

Travel bloggers share their favorite UNESCO, historical, and architectural sites.  You might want to add some of these to your own bucket list.  My contribution is Israel’s ancient port city of Akko, which was once the capital of St. Jean d’Acre, an ancient Crusader kingdom.  Though Napoleon tried, he was unable to conquer it in 1799.  Today, the old walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
Here is my blog post about Akko.

More photograph collections.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 

image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland

The Temple Bar District is party central, with hip boutiques, galleries, and clubs.  Many of the medieval cobbled streets are car-free. 
Comet Records
The Temple Bar Pub  47/48 Temple Bar, Dublin 2, +353 1 672 5286/7.  A local told me, “I love heading here on a Saturday afternoon to meet loads of travelers, have a beer, and listen to some lively traditional Irish music.”  Food service includes fresh oysters and sandwiches.  This pub has Ireland’s largest whiskey collection, and Irish Coffee is a specialty, plus you can get some fresh air in the back beer garden.


Webcams focused on this and another pub in Dublin.  

More things to do in Dublin.

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Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to see: buffalo, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

I was visiting Yellowstone a while back, enjoying snowmobiling through the snowy expanses when I found myself lagging behind. I decided to just stop and enjoy the scenery and silence while the gang speed off. I found myself hanging with some buffalo and noticed that some of the babies were nursing. They ignored me and went about their business and I was itching to get some photographs, but I was reluctant to rock the boat with the activity and noise that would involve. So I didn’t get any pictures, but I do have images in my brain that I treasure. This is a photo I took on old-fashioned film when the buffalo started moving.

More bloggers combine wild animal stories with photographs.

More things to do in Wyoming.

More animal attractions.  

Some travel articles to inspire and help you plan spectacular getaways.

image c2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Good Eats: Chomp Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, Solvang, California

Chomp Burgers, Fries, and Shakes  1693 Mission Dr., (805) 688-7733.  No reservations.  For a quick break from everything Danish, head to this all-American burger spot situated behind the Little Mermaid fountain.  (This is a half-size model of the Copenhagen Little Mermaid and was made by the same foundry.  The grandfather of Chomp owner Aaron Peterson shipped it here long ago and placed it here in 1975.)  Featuring a diner vibe with metallic tabletops, comfy booths, and a counter with swivel chairs, this spacious cheery spot serves up juicy burgers on exceptional buns plus crispy fries and onion rings.  The hula burger and tri-tip sandwich are popular, and shakes and floats and tiny little donuts are also available. 

More things to do in Solvang.

More information on Solvang. Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 
image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: shops, Solvang, California

●Edelweiss  1692 Copenhagen Dr., (805) 686-4671.  Though the brick exterior is charming, it does not prepare you for the amazing and exciting collections displayed throughout inside—elaborate hats perfect for a wedding, collectible dolls and children’s tea sets, adult tea pots and fine-china cups, silver charms, tiaras, and much, much more.


●Hanson’s Clock Shop  467 Alisal Rd., (800) 939-5426.  Cuckoos go cuckoo here on the hour.  The collection is vast and includes rhythm clocks and cat clocks, not to mention elaborate beer steins.  

●Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society  393 Alisal Road, (805) 686-9521.  W-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-3, M 10-2, closed Tu.  Purchases from this small shop help the area’s needy animals. 
    ●House of Treasures Thrift Shop  393 Alisal Rd., (805) 686-9521.  Also benefiting the humane society, this larger shop is just across the street.  I purchased a darling painted tin giraffe Christmas ornament marked down from $1 to 50 cents!

More things to do in Solvang.

More information on Solvang.Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 
image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Old Mission Santa Ines, Solvang, California

Santa Ines (#19)  1760 Mission Dr., in Solvang.  Founded in 1804 and located in a rustic setting about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara, this mission is referred to as the "hidden gem."  Fully restored, it has hand-painted murals and lovely gardens where you can rest for a while and enjoy the sounds of chirping birds.  It has a bell tower and a museum with a notable collection of vestments, church records, and missals.  You can activate a recording that explains the artifacts you are viewing in each exhibit room.  My favorite room is the Madonna Chapel, where depictions of the Black Madonna and the Virgin of Guadalupe are among the artworks.  The mission has always been an active Catholic Church and holds public Mass in the tiny church. 

More things to do in Solvang.

More information on Solvang. Article about all 21 California missions.  

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 
image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Irish Pub, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Irish Pub  St. James Place/Boardwalk, (609) 344-9063.  With low, ornate tin ceilings and a warm, cozy atmosphere, this Irish-style pub is open around the clock (police and fireman customers keep it safe).  You can get plenty of munchies—buffalo chicken wings, steak fries, onion rings—to go with your Guinness or black-and-tan, as well as more substantial Jersey crab cakes, fish & chips, and burgers.  Rooms are available upstairs, where you’ll find a long balcony featuring a line of rocking chairs . . . and where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe are said to have lodged long ago.



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image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: O’Neill’s Bar & Restaurant, Dublin, Ireland

O’Neill’s Bar & Restaurant  2 Suffolk St., Dublin 2, (01) 679-3656.  Food daily from 8am-10:30pm.  Located down a side street off Grafton Street and just around the corner from Trinity College, this pub has been here for more than 300 years!  It must be Dublin central, because I was always going by it.  It looks and feels like a pub should, with plenty of cozy alcoves and snugs to tuck away in, and there is no fee for the traditional Irish music scheduled here nightly.  A carvery dishes up sandwiches and dinner, and a proper Guinness comes in a choice of the old or new glass style.  Try the popular fresh oysters, corned beef and cabbage, Irish lamb stew, Guinness beef stew, fish & chips, and baked potatoes with a choice of fillings.  A Baileys Irish coffee or a hot whiskey makes the perfect ending.  All this and a heated roof-top beer garden, several smoking areas, and the largest selection of Irish craft beers in Dublin, too!  A full Irish breakfast is served each morning. 

More things to do in Dublin.

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Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

videos ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Grafton Street, Bewley’s Cafe & Restaurant, Statue of Molly Malone, Dublin, Ireland

Grafton Street  Dublin 2.  Dublin’s main shopping area runs right through the city center.  Now a pedestrian-only zone during business hours, this red brick-paved street stretches for several blocks and is home to international stores as well as local gems.  Though crowded with shoppers on Saturdays, it is always a fine place to stroll and be entertained by street performers or to peel off for a side-street restaurant. 



●Bewley’s Cafe & Restaurant  78-79 Grafton St.  Dublin’s oldest and biggest cafe, this place has been around since 1927 and is famous for its architecture and Harry Clarke windows.  Check out the bakery section in front as you enter so you know what you want to order when you sit down; then find a seat in the small cafe area in front or in the larger open room in back.  You can also go upstairs to the third floor and sit on an open-air balcony overlooking Grafton Street.  In addition to house-roasted coffee, huge scones, sticky sticky buns, and glittery frosted cupcakes are on the menu.  So is stew and shepherd’s pie, and take-out is an option. 
          Bewley’s Cafe Theatre presents afternoon shows and evening entertainment on the second floor. 




●Statue of Molly Malone  This 18th-century street vendor is nicknamed “the tart with the cart” and “the dish with the fish.”


More things to do in Dublin.

More things to do in Ireland. 

More information about Ireland.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

video and images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers