LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Town |
by Marion McGrath |
For the past three years this column has been written by man-about-town Barry Becker. Barry has had a lot of fun doing this but as the date of the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival grows closer his time has become more and more scarce. He asked me if I'd like to take over the column. My only hesitancy was that Barry leaves a big pair of shoes to fill and to tramp around town in, but tramp I will! The most talked about topic at the beach this summer has to be the weather. No rain and sky high temperatures have made Rehoboth one of the hottest places on the eastern seaboard. We are "havin' a heat wave" for sure. So here are a few hot ideas on how to be cool at the beach. First of all, undoubtedly the coolest place to be (other than in a beach chair half submerged in the ocean) in Rehoboth is The CAMP Courtyard. Not only are Lambda Rising and CAMP Rehoboth offices there but there's that little pocket of priandial pleasures, Lori's Oy Vey Cafe (39 Baltimore Ave.). It goes without saying that the food is great but we aren't seeking chow, we need to cool down. The simple approach would be to choose one of the special blend house coffees and have it served iced. While the thought of an iced snickerdoodle coffee certainly has its appeal, we want cool and exotic. Frappuccino? Maybe. Iced tea? Appealing but sort of everyday. The idea of iced latte or cappuccino was beginning to sound fine when all of a sudden an apparition: iced fruit smoothies. There are a lot to choose from, just about any combination of fresh fruits you'd want. I picked a kiwi-banana and watched Lori shake it. When she added about a pound of whipped cream and topped it off with a cherry I knew bliss. Me and my smoothy retired to the courtyard and felt the temperature drop. While sitting, sipping and watching the passing parade, a waifish swan-necked gal drifted by and I immediately flashed on Audrey Hepburn. The image of Holly Golightly peering above those oversized Ray-Bans looking into that window at Tiffany's still makes my pulse pound faster. She was way cool before cool was invented. Ray-Bans. Surely a big symbol of Cool. Remember Peter Fonda sporting his Aviators in Easy Rider? Or how about Tom Cruise defining the chic of shades with his Wayfarers in Risky Business? Men in Black brought a lot of laughs and the unforgettable image of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith wearing the sun glasses they made famous, the Ray-Ban Predator 2. So with the image of Sigourny Weaver at the Ocsars sporting her Harry Winston diamond studded shades dancing in my head, I took a hop, skip and a jump over to E.C. Shades (62 Rehoboth Ave.) to see what our local celebrities could chill out with. It's dazzling to walk into the shop and be surrounded by walls and walls of sunglasses. AND scads of mirrors that will let you check your cool self out. Manager Jeff Housman tells me that the store's best sellers are Oakleys and, you guessed it, Ray-Bans. But with over 50 brands and 3500 pairs of shades you certainly don't have to limit yourself to one brand. Try on scads and see what gets the most applause. The prices are as affordable as $5.00 or if you breathe rarefied air you can plunk down a cool $350.00 and walk out with a pair of Revo's or Maui Jim's. But, before you leave, notice owner Edwin Curtis' nod to Margaritaville expressed in his parrot trimmings. Having burned at least 10,000 calories trying on sunglasses, a refuel stop was in order. Think cool. No sooner had I thought cool then I strolled by the Double Dippers (11 N. First St.). I knocked that exercise angel off my shoulder and strolled right in. We all know that ice-cream is the perfect food and Double D may be the perfect place to consume it. It's downright cute. Owners Joe Mack and Tom Gile have put a lot of effort into creating the look of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and they certainly have succeeded. But decor is not my mission today cool is. With over 24 flavors to choose from, dilemma sets in. Even I can't snarf down 24 scoops. While mulling over the different flavors, diversion is added as I consider the merits of a bazillion different sundaes, an ice-cream soda or an honest-to-goodness malted milkshake. Pacing in my quandary I stop in front of the "Good for You" counter. Good for me for deciding on ice cream instead of a salad? Well, not quite. Good for You translates to a large selection of low fat, fat free or sugar free goodies. Good for You maybe, but not for me today. Without the least twinge of guilt I order a double dip of chocolate eclair. Licking my lips as I leave the store I think the next trip here has to involve a Belgian Waffle with ice cream and fruit topping. One more stop to go. Smoothies, ice cream and shades are definitely cool. But what about shades for the optically challenged? Is it possible to look cool in the sun when you need prescription glasses? Sand and contact lenses don't mix. Are we fated to be a nation of weenies in clip ons? Fear not, your cool quotient doesn't have to slip an inch. Get in your car and drive away from the madding crowds of downtown out to the Food Lion Shopping center where you'll find the little oasis of Sterling Optical. The first thing you'll notice about the place is you can find a place to park AND there are no parking meters! As you step inside the heat melts away as you listen to soothing music and slip into an upholstered seat at a counter where owner Mike Donohoe will guide you through all it takes to get a pair of prescription sunglasses that will be just what your tired eyes need and keep your cool intact. Bring your prescription with you or you can have your eyes examined on premises by an opthamologist affiliated with Sterling. Presto, you then have the prescription for those coveted shades. Of course the sensible you can spend less but here you can find high-end designer frames made by Calvin Kline et al, and the cost will be between $275-$300 to let the world know you can afford to wear the very best. Pamper yourself with the ultimate in optical luxuryhave your lenses polarized, with a reflective coating, tinted, or a UV dip. The UltraViolet treatment is recommended as an almost must. Michael tells us that it has been found that those UV rays can lead to cataracts and the coating will discourage UV penetration. He also feels that everyone should also have their regular lenses treated for the same preventative measure. That's the practical. The jazzy comes in the tinting which is done on premises. The only limit to the color palate for your lenses is your imaginationpurple, yellow, puce? In fact we look to the rainbow for inspiration. Hurry in soonright now there is a 20% off sale on sunglasses that will help you see better and keep your cool. And yes, clip-ons are available. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 11, Aug. 13, 1999 |