Picks and Pans – Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

PICKS Camping at Slacks Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Unlike Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway allows overnight parking in a number of their pull off spots. We spent a delightful, if slightly cold, night at Slacks overlook where we at beans and hot dogs and hung out together in the van with conversation […]

Picks and Pans – Charlottesville, VA

PICKS: Marco and Luca’s Dumplings

Deliciously crispy dumplings, cold sesame noodles and steamed pork buns all for under $10….ummm, perfect.

Walking in Ragged Mountain

Cate and Ashton introduced us to Charlottesville in style by taking us straight to this nature preserve. The walk around the lake at sunset is highly recommended, especially if accompanied by […]

Picks and Pans – Shenandoah Valley/Skyline Drive

Shenandoah River State Park

This idyllic little spot was a perfect introduction to the Shenandoah Valley. On arrival, we went for a short hike and listened to the happily croaking frogs….that is, until they realized we were there, and, being the modest Southern frogs they were, stopped their little frog orgy and protected our virgin […]

Picks and Pans – Baltimore/D.C.

PICKS: Birches

Tuesday night special: 2 burgers with a choice of 2 scrumptious toppings (e.g. gorgonzola carmelized onions and avocado) for $12, and that’s with fries!

Bertha’s

The mussels lived up to the hype. We all agreed that the tomato anchovy butter was the sauce of choice.

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian […]

Picks and Pans – Philadelphia

PICKS: Mutter Museum

Wax models of syphilitic sores, conjoined twin skeletons, a section of human colon formerly filled with 40 pounds of feces and a whole lot more….basically all the medical oddities you might want to see in a day, or maybe in lifetime.

A Full Plate

Erica highly recommends the […]