Outer Banks 2018

Hello readers! It's been much longer than intended since my last post. My summer job has seen me traveling quite a bit over the past month. Locations include Saint Michaels, MD, Assateague Island, as well as Washington, DC. Now, you might be thinking that each of those trips should be getting its own post with all of the pictures I probably took. Unfortunately, my old phone got fried by torrential rain while I was in DC, resulting in me losing years worth of pictures and contacts. So alas, there will be no Saint Michaels or DC post as initially planned. However, I was able to replace my phone the very first day of our annual Outer Banks trip, so I am thankfully able to bring you yet another post from the great state of North Carolina.

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Our Outer Banks trip is a tradition, and like most traditions, it is seldom to change. So if you want info on where I ate, shopped, and lived, check out last year's OBX post. However, we received several surprises during this year's trip. The majority of the sand dune that separated the Blanchard from the beach had vanished, giving us more beach than dune in all.

Our new view from the "crow's nest" of the Blanchard. No longer adorned with sea oats.

Another change was the heavy rain that lasted the first two and a half days of our stay. While it usually rains at least one day during our trip, that day is typically the last or close to the last day of the week. Still paranoid from losing my phone in DC the day before leaving for Nags Head, I carried my new phone in a plastic bag whenever there was even the slightest chance of rain. However, we still got a few good beach days in, even on days it did rain.

Unflattering candids come with the territory.

Whale Hat (Vineyard Vines)
Wayfarer Sunglasses (Ray Ban)
Aloha Shirt (Pacific Legend Apparel) USA
* Baggies Shorts (Patagonia)

• Vineyard Vines Whale Hat- See other posts.
• Ray Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses- See other posts.
• Pacific Legend Aloha Shirt- There is no way around it. The Aloha/Camp/Floral shirt is a summer staple. While some might avoid them for being too loud, ugly, or dad-like, that's kinda the point. Its all about relaxation and having a little fun, so why not do it while dressed for the islands? But don't blow your money on one from Tommy Bahama or some other premium maker. Go with Pacific Legend, which actually makes its shirts in Hawaii. I got mine from Ben Franklin, a beach store in Nags Head, for under $30 about six years ago when tropic shirts were the only item in my summer wardrobe (PacSun unfortunately). While I have put most of my other aloha shirts out to pasture, I have kept this one due to its domestic manufacture. If you want one too, just google the brand and you'll likely find a shirt you like on Amazon for no more than $40. Just try to keep the shirt in beachy settings. Not everywhere can be Margaritaville.

*drapes sweat shirt over shoulders after he gets too hot --> almost immediately gets called "Brad" by waiter*

Crewneck Sweatshirt (J. Crew)
Whale Shirt (Vineyard Vines)
Crab Motif Belt (Leatherman Ltd.) USA
Chino Shorts (L.L. Bean)
Chronograph Watch (Fossil)

• J. Crew Crewneck Sweatshirt- With the breeze coming off the ocean accompanied by the already cooler temperatures, this sweatshirt came to use several times during the week. The caption is a true story, so be warned. #DontBeABrad
• Vineyard Vines Whale Shirt- See other posts.
• Leatherman Ltd. Crab Motif Belt- Freshly bought from The Cotton Gin boutique in Nags Head. As a Marylander, I am way overdue for this belt.
• L.L. Bean Chino Shorts- Photo was taken just before a wave kissed their tips. Another case for Chubbies. See other posts for more.
• Fossil Chronograph Watch- My main summer watch for everyday wear. The Bulova is only broken out with dress clothes or Ivy inspired outfits. For more, see other posts.

Aside from the beach, I also spent quite a bit of time in the town of Manteo. While I briefly touched a bit on Manteo in my previous OBX, I will be going into more depth today. Manteo is located on Roanoke Island, about ten miles from Nags Head via causeway and bridge. The island was home to the first English colony, which vanished without a trace during the late 16th century. Manteo is now a popular tourist town full of bed and breakfasts and shopping opportunities. It also was the home of the late entertainment legend and Chapel Hill grad Andy Griffith, who got his acting career started acting in Manteo's long running outdoor play The Lost Colony.

One of Manteo's many BnBs, the Roanoke Island Inn.

The Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe sits in the center of the downtown.

Manteo is also home to the Roanoke Maritime Museum, which hosts weekly Saturday regattas on the nearby Roanoke Sound.

One of the Maritime Museum's exhibits. While much smaller than the ones in Saint Michaels and Newport News, one can still appreciate what the Manteo museum has to offer.

The aftermath of this past Saturday's regatta.

Across from downtown Manteo is the Roanoke Island Festival Park, which features a reconstructed Indian village and Elizabethan era ship for ticket-holders to tour.

In addition to a marketplace in the park and regatta on the sound, Manteo hosts bluegrass performances on Saturdays at its bandstand.

One of the most famous sites in downtown Manteo is the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse.

Classic Polo (Ralph Lauren)
Chino Shorts (J. Crew)
Topsider Boat Shoes (Sperry)

• Ralph Lauren Classic Polo- See other posts.
• J. Crew Chino Shorts- Bought from Uptown Cheapskate. Probably my most frequently wore pair of shorts this summer. Yellow can be paired with more than one might think.
• Sperry Topsider Boat Shoes- Go-to shoe for the week. As I discovered in DC, Alden loafers don't hold up in the rain, but Sperrys do. See other posts for more.

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Outer Banks 2017

Hello readers. In my last post, I issued a PSA for frequent posting this week. Obviously, this was not the case. I was too busy for blogging this week, which is a good thing. The OBX have much to offer. Because of this, I have decided to create one mega-post for the trip that I hope you enjoy!

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The House

The Outer Banks of North Carolina have always held a place in the collective heart of my family. Having hosted the honeymoons of both my parents and grandparents, plus numerous vacations taken by them before my birth, it makes sense that I would take a love to them as well. I have been coming to the OBX since I was an infant. For the past twelve years, however, my family has been renting a house in the town of Nags Head for one week (being the last week of July). The house (The Blanchard) was built during the 1920s, and is only several buildings away from the house where FDR would stay during his visits to the Banks (The Buchanan). 

The Blanchard from the beach side.

Not originally a part of the house, The Blanchard features an extended overlook of its beach. Dubbed the "crow's nest" by my grandfather, the overlook now has an opening leading to the beach (due to the sand dune overtaking the other beach access).

The Blanchard's coveted beach as seen from the crow's nest. A sand dune has been built over time to protect the house from storm surges. During my last night, a storm brought the waves to the base of the dune.

The house came with a total of two master bedrooms, one triple bedroom, one double bedroom in the loft overlooking the family room, and one single bedroom. My bedroom however, was not located within the main house. The Blanchard also came with a guest cottage, containing two twin beds, a bathroom, and air conditioning. For the past two summers, I have used the cottage as a bachelor pad of sorts.

The Blanchard's guest cottage is located in between the road and the main house.

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The Shopping

Anyways, enough about the house. Each year, our party consists of eleven people: my paternal grandparents (who rent the house), maternal grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin, my immediate family (parents and two sisters), and myself. While we stayed in the house as a family and went to meals together, we all pretty much did our own thing for most of the time. For me, a portion of this time consisted of shopping when I wasn't on the beach or spending time with family. As noted in my other posts, a good bit of my wardrobe has been purchased in Nags Head. The town hosts a set of Tanger Outlets, as well as a variety of clothing stores. The most notorious clothing store in the OBX is The Cotton Gin. While offering a wide variety of preppy/resort brands, they mostly charge full price for their clothing, making it hard for me to shop there. Nevertheless, I have bought clothes from them before (but not this year). 

The men's department of The Cotton Gin, offering brands such as Vineyard Vines, Southern Tide, and Collared Greens. Sadly, Salt Life tends to sell the fastest of any brand offered there. While the Nags Head CG's men's department only takes up several racks, its store in Jarvisburg has an entire room.

My suspicion in an earlier post was confirmed when I saw this. Vineyard Vines no longer makes their belts exclusively in the US (yet they charge the same as when they did). Buyers beware! I think I'll stick to Leatherman from now on.

Another store I visited in Nags Head I felt worth mentioning was the Kitty Hawk Surf Company. While a surf shop in name, it caught my eye through its sale of Patagonia, Southern Tide, and Leatherman Ltd. belts, much like Quietstorm in Ocean City (see Senior Skip Day).

While I can't make an association between Patagonia and OBX culture, I must give KHSC a nod for offering it. One of their synchillas would have come in handy during the final nights of my stay.

Much more understandable than Patagucci.

I visited three other stores trying to cash in on the "Southern preppy" craze, being Kitty Hawk Kites, Farmer's Daughter, and Roanoke Marshes Trading Co. , but I failed to take any pictures of them. The latter two offered Southern Marsh, a better known Southern prep brand, but the kite store sold brands that were clearly less established and probably currently pursuing ambassadors via Instagram. In other words, their selection failed to impress me.

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The Food

I began my dining experience at lunch on Sunday, stopping at Southland, a restaurant/gift shop/smoke shop/gas station/slot parlor on the VA/NC border. 

A certain Wendy's commercial comes to mind.

NC Welcome: Minced Pork Barbecue Sandwich + Curly Fries

I then went out again for breakfast Monday morning at Darrell's, a restaurant in Manteo, a town across the Roanoke Sound about 10 miles from Nags Head. I would return here again for dinner Wednesday evening and breakfast again Saturday.

The interior of Darrell's. The restaurant has been open in Manteo since 1960 and survived hurricane upon hurricane. I personally recommend their hotcakes for breakfast and NC catfish for dinner.

For dinner Monday night, my immediate family went out with my grandparents to Sam and Omie's, a seafood restaurant in Nags Head.

Open since 1937 (maybe FDR ate here), Sam and Omie's operates as both a seafood restaurant and bar, and has a mascot I fear is the illegitimate child of the Vineyard Vines whale and Ivory Ella elephant.

Tuna steak sandwich with fries for dinner. 

Tuesday's meal out was for lunch at Big Al's diner in Manteo. I ordered a crab cake sandwich and vanilla malt for lunch that were both superb (even though I usually try to avoid crab outside of MD)! The restaurant is home to one of the largest Coca Cola memorabilia collections in the world, and has the atmosphere of a 1950s diner with its decor, soda counter, jukebox, and dance floor.

The soda counter at Big Al's. Half expected to see Richie Cunningham or the Fonz walk in.

"Did you just buy a five dollar shake?"

My final times eating out on the trip included Darrell's (two more times), a cheesesteak from the beach food stand Snowbird, the Nags Head Cafe for Friday breakfast, and Southland once more on the way home. I also got to have fresh OBX shrimp at The Blanchard, which my grandmother made for us all on Thursday. By today, my Outer Banks dining experience was complete with a full cycle.

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The Outfits

Up in the Crow's Nest
Baseball Cap (Vineyard Vines)
Wayfarer Sunglasses (Ray-Ban) Italy
University Stripe OCBD (Ralph Lauren)
Leather Belt (J. Crew) USA
Embroidered Shorts (J. Crew)
Topsiders (Sperry) 

• Vineyard Vines Baseball Cap- Bought from outlet store in Rehoboth Beach, DE. This hat has been through it all. Originally a dark navy blue, the sun and saltwater have brought my beloved hat to a gray. I typically try to avoid wearing it with other whale logos. You don't want to end up looking like a brand's billboard when it comes to logos. Try letting that whale make friends with a horse, sheep, or alligator rather than another whale. 
• Ralph Lauren University Stripe OCBD- See Senior Skip Day.
• J. Crew Leather Belt- See other posts.
• J. Crew Embroidered Shorts- Bought Monday from outlet. These shorts are embroidered with mermaids and sea shells, making them ideal for the coastal setting. I had considered buying these shorts while at the outlets with Nick about a month ago, but waited to see if their price would go down. Surely enough, it did!
• Sperry Topsiders- A good time and place for them to fill with sand! See other posts for more.

On Wednesday evening after dinner, I went with my family into Manteo to walk around for the evening. Many of the streets are named after characters in the play The Lost Colony (a drama about the English Roanoke colony that vanished without a trace from the area we know today as Manteo). It was only a matter of time before I found the street of the character I shared a name with: the drunk, Old Tom.

Finally found my street in Manteo.
Polo Shirt (Ralph Lauren)
Cotton V-Neck Sweater (Ralph Lauren)
Club Pants (Vineyard Vines)
Ascot Bit Loafers (Cole Haan)
Accutron Watch (Bulova) Switzerland

• Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt- Originally worn with khakis and bit loafers during the day a la Jordan Belfort, but the evening breeze had other ideas. For more, see Oxford, MD.
• Ralph Lauren Cotton V-Neck- Bought from outlet on Wednesday. As I didn't think to bring a sweater or even my Vineyard Vines shep shirt down for the week, I bought this sweater to stay warm during the nights. It came into great use inside Darrell's (which is feels like a refrigerator) and during chilly nights. Plus it's easy to tie around the neck when you don't need to wear it anymore.
• Vineyard Vines Club Pants- Wanted something less drab than my khaki chinos for vacation. For more, see other posts.
• Cole Haan Ascot Bit Loafers- One of three pairs of shoes brought with me (the other being flip flops for the beach and my topsiders). They send a better vacation vibe than my Aldens. For more, see other posts.
• Bulova Accutron Watch- Going with a 60s inspired look? Gotta have an actual 60s item. For more, see other posts.

Manteo's marina was also impressive. While most of the large yachts were docked at Pirate's Bay (a club), sailboats and smaller yachts made use of the downtown docks. While Oxford tries to imitate New England, Manteo sets itself aside as its own kind of maritime community.

On Manteo's Dock
Wayfarer Sunglasses (Ray-Ban) Italy

On Thursday, I toured the Elizabethan Gardens near The Lost Colony's outdoor theater. I had been years ago as a young child, and the place had clearly changed. However, I still enjoyed the walk and lookout onto the nearby sound.

Salisbury University Cap (Richardson)
Croakies (Vineyard Vines) USA
Wayfarer Sunglasses (Ray-Ban) Italy
Frocket Tee (Southern Tide)
Madras Shorts (J. Crew) India
Anchor Bracelet (KJP) USA
Grant Chronograph Watch (Fossil)
*Topsider Boat Shoes (Sperry)

• Richardson Salisbury University Cap- See Red Roost.
• Vineyard Vines Croakies- Same deal for croakies as for the hat. While I tend to favor my Southern Tide Croakies due to their length, I didn't want to be a walking billboard for them. One skipjack at a time, brah. For more, see other posts.
• Southern Tide Frocket Tee- Bought from R. Bryant Ltd. in Williamsburg, VA. The shirt has the store's name printed on the pocket, making it rare and probably not worn by your typical frat brother (unless he goes to William & Mary). 
• J. Crew Madras Shorts- Bought from outlet on Monday. A replacement for my Old Navy ones. These are shorter in inseam as well, and are still made in India. Plus, they only cost me $20. 
• Fossil Grant Chronograph Watch- For more, see other posts.
• KJP Anchor Bracelet- In a maritime town, gotta wear a maritime bracelet. Surprised Mr. Patrick hasn't visited Manteo yet. He would be impressed. For more, see other posts.

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