Peter Greenberg first experienced Delaware about 40 years ago as a Time correspondent covering news at Dover Air Force Base. His recollection of that first visit: “I had the worst fried clams I’d ever eaten in Rehoboth.”
When he told us, I chuckled at the thought of how much things have changed. The Delaware of four decades ago is not the Delaware of today. There are twice as many residents, far more subdivisions, more traffic. The air base is a much larger facility. Rehoboth Beach is bigger and busier. Fried clams have been replaced by steamers in garlicky white wine-lemon broth with chorizo.
I often wonder what outsiders—people who haven’t been here in years, drivers who whiz through on I-95, business travelers who don’t see much beyond their conference sites—think of Delaware. I was especially curious about Greenberg. Longtime travel editor for CBS News, he’s spent his career on the road or in the sky—400,000 miles a year—so he has a broad frame of reference.
He visited Delaware for perhaps his 50th time in May. Thanks to Sarah Willoughby of the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, I was invited to dine with Peter and his crew at Harry’s Seafood Grill. They had just finished the first of two days recording segments about the area.
His assessment: The Diamond State is a true gem. And anyone who watches Greenberg’s videos would have to agree.
It’s difficult to view his pieces without being amazed all over again by the beauty of our home. Through his eyes, New Castle and Odessa are more authentic than Colonial Williamsburg. An overview of Longwood could be the gardens of Louis XIV’s Saint-Germain. A view of the downtown Wilmington skyline over the Van Buren Street bridge in Brandywine Park refreshed my perspective on what would be an exceptionally stunning vista for any urban area. Yet, for all the change, some important things remain, thankfully, the same.
We Delawareans may have a longer view, but distilled to 180 seconds, Greenberg’s Delaware is a place we should all visit regularly.
See his segments on history, parks, and arts and artisans (including craft brewers) at petergreenberg.com. They’re a great reminder of why we’re here.
- It was most gracious of the Friends of Wilmington Parks to dedicate this year’s Rose Garden Party to the memory of Sally Rinard, who made a generous bequest to the group—and made a big impact as both a personal friend and as DT’s original Gabby. We miss her.
- Having listened to House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf address the Committee of 100 about reasons to expand the number of casinos in the state, we all have some thinking to do.
- It was a pleasure to catch up with Chris Weeks of Becker Morgan Group at Dover Newsstand. Talking local politics never gets dull.
- The food at the Kent General Hospital cafeteria is a cut above. Thanks to Michael Tu of Bayhealth for making time for lunch and conversation. (If you recognize his voice, it’s from his stint as a reporter for WILM in the early and mid-1990s.)
