lgbTravel: Bethany Beach & Rehoboth, DE

By Mark McNease

We just got back from what has become an annual 4th of July visit to friends in Delaware. The shoreline there is beautiful, and that part of the state is dotted with towns that host a swarm of vacationers every summer. Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Rehoboth, and of course Ocean City, just across the way in Maryland. Getting there from Manhattan takes some time, all told about eight hours of traveling. The last two years we broke it up with a stop for a night in Atlantic City. This year we saved AC for the ride back and drove straight through. The road trip is nicely balanced with a ride on the Cape May-Lewes ferry, that gets you from New Jersey to Delaware. It’s a favorite part of the trip for me, just driving onto the ferry and settling in for 90 minutes across the water. A lot of people find benches on the deck, but I’m not a sun guy so I end up inside, reading and eating ferry food (pretzels, coffee, microwaved sandwiches). Once you’re in Lewes, it’s just about 45 minutes to Bethany Beach. The boardwalk on Bethany Beach is modest, not like the more heavily trafficked, family-frenzied Ocean City. We’ve watched the fireworks on Bethany Beach the last two years, but this time they got rained out (we stayed at friend Kathi’s house and had the obligatory crabs, something no trip to Delaware or Maryland is complete without). Our first night included dinner at DiFebo’s Bistro at Bear Trap Dunes, a local golf club. The restaurant is a major dining attraction, for good reason. The menu’s not particularly unique, but the food is excellent, the environment’s inviting, and the staff are very friendly. They also have a bar area with live entertainment. That night there was a man singing and playing saxophones (he had three: alto, tenor and soprano). He was outstanding, and he spent some time at the table talking to us and taking requests.
In the morning we had breakfast at The Cafe on 26 in Ocean View. They specialize in gluten free food, although I can’t tell you what the difference was. I just know it’s a warm and friendly place and the food was excellent. I wanted to find some jewelry, the not-too expensive kind, so we went to Rehoboth for several hours. Rehoboth is larger and hipper than Bethany Beach. From the looks of things as I was taking pictures (and paying more attention) it’s also a gay magnet. There’s even a Rehoboth LGBT Center, which, along with the rainbow flags, helped explain all the gay men and lesbians I saw walking around. I finally found a bracelet at Out Sports, appropriately enough. Finally we ended the trip at Kathi’s house with crabs, crab cakes, hot corn in the husks, potato salad, and key lime pie. We can’t go to Delaware or Maryland and not have crabs. Not just because it’s something everybody there eats (even if like me they get crab cakes instead of the shelled ones you have to beat with a mallet), but also because Frank is a crab nut. He will eat a half dozen easy, sitting at a table for an hour pounding crabs and finding every last piece of crab meat. Yesterday we hugged, said our goodbyes, and headed to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. Every family has their traditions, even if it’s a family of two, with four cats waiting at home. Another good trip to the shore, good friends, good food, and back to the hot and steamy City.]]>