The City Between Cities

Learn more about Wilmington, DE and a girls weekend idea for travelers looking for a budget city girls getaway.

For years I have passed it on countless trips up the Northeast corridor. It is the city that is home to some of the countries largest banks and a tax free shoppers dream. But I have never gotten off the train here. Never made plans to visit. Never specifically had a reason to stay. A half hour from Philly, Wilmington is like many children born too close to a shining star. You are outshined and forgotten.

But on this trip my friend and I wanted to pick a different place for a city weekend getaway. I live outside New York and she is in the MD/DC/VA area so we didn’t want to go to either of our hometowns and wanted to meet in the middle. Philly is typically the obvious choice but for a budget conscious shoppers weekend we decided to try Wilmington instead. Since Delaware is tax free, we could shop to our hearts desire.

Another benefit to Wilmington was the ability to see FlagBoy, a coming of age story told through a one - man performance that premiered at the Midtown International Festival this past summer and recently was nominated for Best Performance in a Solo Show. This comical, but at times very emotional tale, of personal acceptance through life’s biggest challenges is intricately woven between the autobiographical interactions of the star’s characters from childhood through his early 20’s. Unfortunately, I missed all the New York performances of the show this summer but it was going to be in Wilmington for one night only in September. I thought why not see the show in Wilmington and then continue our girls weekend in Philly. Until we thought more about what we really wanted to do. Shop. Talk. Save. Wilmington was actually the better choice since given the tax-free status, the lack of tons of nightlife and the fact that it is a cheaper city overall we should just stay put for the weekend and enjoy the sights of Wilmington right?

(For more information about FlagBoy which will be returning to New York in December go to www.Corneliusjonesjr.com)

So Wilmington, The city between cities. It is perfect for the group that has friends in the MD/DC/VA areas and friends in the Philadelphia/NYC/NJ/CT areas who want to come together in the middle but want to still have a city experience. Wilmington hotel prices are considerably lower than all of the other major cities along the Northeast corridor making it perfect for the budget conscious traveler. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites on Delaware Ave and the room is perfect for a girls weekend. With two double beds and a sleeper sofa the room could easily sleep six if you don’t mind sharing beds but with tons of floor space, extra mirrors and two tvs you never would feel cramped or that you are on top of each other. This is the perfect hotel and city for those weekends when you need to see your girls and spend the night laughing, gossiping, storytelling and catching up. Wilmington is not going to have the nightlife of the other major cities so if you just want to spend time connecting with each other than this is the perfect destination.

  

 

There are restaurants near the hotel though we didn’t try them. Instead we headed to the Riverfront and ate at the Iron Hill Brewery. We started with the seafood bisque which was excellent. The Buttermilk Fried Rhode Island Calamari was also very good and served with a red pepper cilantro aioli and lime zest. Another great choice was the Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. This large burger was served with a honey barbeque sauce, sauteed mushrooms and fries. 

   

Unfortunately the signature dishes seem to not be great choices and to leave something to be desired. The Salmon Spring Rolls for example feature spinach, red onion, pickled ginger and wasabi and sesame soy dipping sauces. The combination was overall pretty tasteless and not even very interesting. As a Salmon lover, I thought it would be a great take on my favorite fish but I was thoroughly disappointed. Our Suggestion: Stick with the tried and true items on the menu because they all were great and avoid the items marked as signature dishes.

 

But what about the shopping. From outlets to malls Wilmington has it all within 20 minutes. It is the perfect way to get the Coach bag you have been dying for or the shoes you can’t live without. Rent a car from the Amtrak station when you arrive if you take the train and you can easily get to most places you would like to in the city and the surrounding area.

We had a great time in Wilmington. The show was fabulous. The service at the hotel was great and it was the perfect opportunity to catch each other up on the things that had been going on in our lives, and I got a pair of shoes I have been looking for at a great price! All in all, who could ask for a better getaway.