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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Dreamer in Rehoboth Beach

Hey readers, I know it’s been a while since I posted. The month of June has been incredibly active for me and my family. In fact, everything from Memorial Day weekend to Fourth of July will go down as one of the busiest and most stressful times that we’ve had in a while. Every family reunion, every doctor’s appointment, every day-trip and wedding. And yes, every vacation too. We actually got one of those! This year we made the return to our old favorite beach from years past, Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

After a four-hour ride, the first thing I looked for was coffee. Rehoboth Beach, and the town of the same name, is a really beautiful place, despite the fact that there has been an intense amount of building within just the past decade. Comparing the area now with the way it was only ten years ago is impossible; the endless shopping plazas and tourist traps have migrated up north from nearby Ocean City sending home prices through the roof and creating some truly epic traffic conditions. Harder to find is tranquility, though with the sound and sight of the endless ocean just to the east, it’s impossible not to feel it. We were lucky to get mostly green lights down the main thoroughfare, though it still felt like it took forever. Maybe that’s just because I was eager for the beach.

I finally did find my coffee, right in the middle of the bustling Rehoboth town square. I had a feeling that there had to be somewhere interesting to go for coffee beyond the chain stores, and I was right. All of the little shops in the town square are obviously geared towards impressing tourists, but I was grateful to see that Rehoboth accomplished this through quality, not just quantity. Nothing felt fake here. I was afraid it would since, you know, tourists and their kids must be placated.

The Dreamer Coffee and Juice Bar is a part of that. As the name suggests, they don’t just do coffee, they do gourmet juices too. The fresh, citrus ingredients were tempting, but I had to go straight for the beans. Their signature coffee is called “Toby’s Estate.” It’s a roaster based out of Brooklyn, so it’s not too far away. I had no time to really sample, so I just asked for the house blend. The coffee itself had a slightly smoky, even burnt character (it must have been a dark roast that they gave me), but I’m into that. Better that the coffee have character than to be bland! Of course that can get overwhelming, but this coffee managed to stay on the right side of flavorful just fine. In fact, what I was getting was a rather complex and intricate flavor; something that I would love to explore more the next time I come here (or go to Brooklyn for that matter). I had no time to ask about local events here, being in far too much of a hurry to get onto the boardwalk before the rain inevitably hit.

The rest of the vacation was incredible. A hotel with a commanding view of the beach, foggy mornings and warm afternoons, and the smell of that salty air. It all took me as far away from polar vortices as possible. A good reminder that fun is always happening somewhere, if only you make the drive to meet it.