Eating in New Jersey

Bryan...

Here's a write-up I did a few years back for my flying
club mewsletter.....

John Price
CFII/AGI/IGI
http://home.att.net/~jm.price



Tangier is another world... By my count, there are four
restaurants (Chesapeake House, The Islander, Fisherman's
Corner and the Waterfront), three B&Bs (Shirley's,
The Sunset Inn and The Chesapeake House), two Ice Cream
Palors (forgot the names), five gift shops, two grocery
stores, two churches, one post office, about 50 Pepsi
machines and, oh yeah, one airport (very important). The
airport has a 2,950 ft. runway (02/20), and an office the
size of a small garage. There's a $4 landing fee and a $6
overnight parking fee (no fuel, or services... just one
of the ever present Pepsi machines).

The islanders (about 700 of 'em) still speak with a distinct
Elizabethen accent handed down from those who first settled
the island around 1650. There are only a handful of cars
on the island, but almost every family owns a golf cart, which
is the primary means of transportation. None of the roads
are much wider than a golf cart, and gridlock does occur.
The homes all have the most well kept yards and gardens
I've ever seen, and every one has a fence around it. We
asked one resident why everyone had a fence, and the woman
explained it was to keep the kids from wandering out into
the traffic (you really had to be there).

There are only a handful of family names on the island, the
more predominant being Crockett, Pruitt, Parks, Evans and
Dise. Most of the houses have a plaque somewhere telling
who lives there, and it's really funny, because you look
at one and note that it's occupied by the Parks family,
and across the street, the house is owned by the Parks
family and next door, you guessed it, the house belongs to
the Parks. The community is close knit and very religous.
Many of the shops are closed on Sundays, as everyone goes
to church and many attend an evening Bible service. There
is no alcohol available on the island, but I think it's
ok to bring your own. I was really looking forward to
devouring about a dozen crabs and having a few beers to
wash 'em down... that's the way we Marylanders do it.

Speaking of food... take a BIG appetite. The restaurants
are small and cheap, and the food is out of this world
(if you like seafood). Sunday night we had dinner at the
Chesapeake house, which is family style, all you can eat
(for only $11.50/person). Dinner includes homemade crab
cakes, oyster fritters, ham, pickled beets, cole slaw,
potato salad and corn pudding. Throw in some homemade bread
and pound cake, and trust me, you get real full, real fast.
For those of you not familiar with the traditions of the
bay area, this is a very typical summer Sunday dinner,
not unlike many I had when I lived in Baltimore as a kid.
I guess the only thing I had never had before was the corn
pudding, which is just that... a very rich (peg the
cholesteral meter) custard with corn mixed in... sounds
strange, but it's outta this world.

On Monday, we had lunch at the Islander. I went for a
crab sautee' with cole slaw and corn pudding (can't
get enough of it).

At random, I had chosen Shirley's Bayview Inn as a good
place to stay (it was the first one I called, and she had
rooms available). As it turns out, it's the best place
on the island, particularly if you're flying in. The house
is one of the oldest, and has been in the Pruitt family
for generations. For $60 for the night, we had a huge
room in the back of the house with a deck overlooking the
runway and the bay. Mr. Pruitt had just completed a two
story deck in the back yard where we sat with another
couple to watch the sunset. I can't remember their names,
but he had once been a pilot for Eastern Express before they
went under, and she was a former stewardess. Now he just
flies for fun.

Shirley makes a fantastic breakfast... Eggs, bacon, sausage
(I was suprised no scrapple [ask me sometime]) homemade
bread french toast with homemade jam, lots of coffee and
real fresh squeezed orange juice... Needless to say, before
leaving we had to completely re-do the weight and balance
calculations!

The homes all have the most well kept yards and gardens
I've ever seen, and every one has a fence around it.

(snip)

Speaking of food... take a BIG appetite. The restaurants
are small and cheap, and the food is out of this world
(if you like seafood).

I must've landed at the wrong Tangiers Island.

:-(




www.Rosspilot.com

ospam (Rosspilot) wrote in message ...
The homes all have the most well kept yards and gardens
I've ever seen, and every one has a fence around it.

(snip)

Speaking of food... take a BIG appetite. The restaurants
are small and cheap, and the food is out of this world
(if you like seafood).

I must've landed at the wrong Tangiers Island.

:-(




www.Rosspilot.com

Me, too. The one I landed at was in Virginia, not New Jersey.

Thank you John. Great write up! Hope to be making this trip soon
after I get my medical updated.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

bryan chaisone wrote:
Sort of related George. Have you flown to Tangier Island in the
Chesapeake? If so please do a write up. My wife and kids want me to
take them there.

http://www.avweb.com/news/places/183169-1.html

Thank you George and all for your replies.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

P.S. I haven't flown into College Park since 911. I have since driven
there often and 94th Aerosquadron is still a good place to eat.