I’m still the Northeast Epicurean; however, I’m now residing in the mid-Atlantic. Not sure if I’ll capitalize upon the brand recognition of NEE (a shaking of the head and rolling of the eyes would be appropriate here) or come up with a new name; so, for now, I’m going with the Northeast Eplicurean in the Pseudo South (NEEPS. Side note, I would argue this is pretty darn south). 

It’s our 20th Anniversary. Our 15th was a bust. A pre-COVID booked cruise that got ‘lifted and shifted’ into oblivion turned out to be a non-event. Since then, over the years, we’ve had some fun trips to celebrate the nuptials, but this year, we’re under the gun to do something fantastic—it is the 20th anniversary, after all. 

We bantered about our options – a cruise, a trip to Puerto Rico, or even a road trip through the mid-Atlantic. Nothing piqued our interest; however, we knew there were a few excursions we’re  definitely doing: 

• Christmas in Colonial Williamsbug: an almost surreal holiday experience. 
• Dining on the James River – literally: we did a summer time sunset cruise; so excited for the ‘Farm to Batteau’ experience. 
• Colonial Williamsburg Grand Illumination: they do fireworks, does anything else need to be said? 
• Thanksgiving at Omar’s: the closest thing to Mom’s Thanksgiving I’ve found yet. 
• Anniversary dinner at the Bavarian Chef – German food done right, and the Sacher Torte is amazing (the surprise for the weekend for Tony is a chauffeured ride through Central VA wine country – a surprising delight for fans of the vino!) 
• A sojourn to NYC/NJ for a friend’s wedding: can you say “Bagels, Pizza; Pizza,Bagels?”
• Chesapeake Bay Star Gazing Cruise: because I fell victim to a FOMO ad; first time that’s happened. Since buying the tickets, I’ve refrained from looking at Google reviews for fear that I pissed away a bunch of money. 

While planning all these activities, it hit me like a dim lit light bulb crashing slowly to the floor, why not do 20 super fun things from now through the end of the year; each being dubbed an anniversary celebration.. 

And that was the birth of insanity. All activities above have been booked and will be done; the other experiences are still being planned. My goal: report on the original seven and plan out and report on the remaining 13 as they arise. I’m looking at an Airshow Circus, the Military Aviation Museum Symphonic Airshow, Edgar Allen Poe experience, and Segway tour of Richmond. Even with those, I’m only up to 11. I see the need to get creative with these as the year waxes on. 

I’ll be reporting on our sojourns over the coming weeks and will keep you updated on our celebrations. We recently did the first event happy hour at Norfolk Seafood Company – a wonderful experience any time of the day; later that weekend, we entertained Tony’s Cousin Tina, the original Blue Angel. This weekend, we’re off to the Northern Neck (not sure what/where that is, but that’s what the locals call it) for the Chesapeake Bay Star Gazing cruise. Posts/reviews to follow.  

Until my next missive, wishing you all the fun summer tidings you deserve while we’re still in the season.