ChicksBeach.com

Editorial Adventures in Chicks Beach

By: Jon Hartz

12/11/2006 7:24AM

Half the Adventure is Getting There

I joined my friend Jennifer and her co-worker Karen. We were to meet at the Dockside Inn, have a few of our favorite beverages to loosen up and then head down Shore Drive.

If you have never been, the Dockside Inn's little bar is a perfect starting place. You can have a nice dinner, walk right over to the bar and order what suits your fancy.

Once we were settled at the bar, Jennifer lite her cigarette, flipped her hair back and ordered two drinks. The bartender returned with two of our favorite beverages. The early dinner crowd was leaving, and my first thought was I needed to pay a visit for dinner, but we were on a liquid diet. Karen and her two close friends were already comfortable at the bar and were a head of the game.

To be with Jennifer and Karen, the menu entails: laughing, dancing, smoking, drinking, and of coarse meeting new people. Right way, the night was off to a great start. I did not want to let the night become a blur because I was driving, so I took it slow consuming my favorite beverage. I treated my first cocktail like an appetizer. Rather than pounding one after another, I took each one very slowly enjoying it and remembering why it was my favorite beverage.

Karen was nice enough to introduce us to Allen and Christina and together the four of them did a couple of shots. As the designated driver, at first, I felt a little left out, but after watching my friends tilt them back, the feeling was gone. At the same time their small little glasses were lifted off the bar, each one of them paused mid-way up, and like any good friends would do, they toasted. The shot glasses clanged as they touched each other, smiles went across each one of their faces, and then the glasses hit each person's lips. The fire liquid was consumed, the glasses smaked the table, and we were all back to laughing and carrying on about much to do about nothing.

After sometime, we were preparing to leave the bar when I was reminded of the fact that Karen knows everyone. With a big smile, she introduced me to Curtis. He stood over 7 feet tall. Now being on the extreme opposite end of the height spectrum, a picture needed to be taken. Curtis turned out to be a very laid back and upstanding guy.

As we walked out the door, the time had come to make driving arrangements. Allen pulled up in his pimp mobile. After some introspection, Jennifer and I decided it would be best to drive ourselves.

We left, and for some reason, Jennifer and I were in the Smoke House long before Allen and his wife. In the back of my mind, I thought it might have had something to do with their transportation.

When they arrived, Allen seemed a little winded at first, but after a few of his favorite beverages, he was back in good form.

Christina was nice enough, and became the Chicksbeach.com photographer. Thanks Christina.

With in minutes she was an old pro, and made the Smoke House rounds.

We built our camp in the back right corner of the Smoke House where the large screen TVs are located. ESPN was on the television, but people watching became the spectator sport. Karen showed us some of her famous dance moves. Not having a dance floor did not stop anyone because right after Karen busted a move or two, a few of the ladies next to us joined in for a couple of songs.

As predicted, everyone was laughing, smoking, drinking and of course dancing the night way.

 

 

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11/27/2006 7:04AM

The Wave Catcher

During late October and early November there is a slight mist in the air. The wind that blows along the bay is not in full force yet, so bunding up with a wind breaker is all that is needed when you want to try your luck at fishing.

Die hard fishermen were out trying their skill and luck at bringing in the prize.

Some where standing along the shore, while others felt the need to wade out past the currents. On land, one fisherman was packing his one man kayak with fishing supplies. His fishing gear was lined along the sides of the little orange boat. As he sat down in the boat and prepared to launch, his body took up most, if not all of the space. He pushed off, paddled out past the sand bar, and headed in the direction of the larger water craft. Within seconds, he became a dot.

To our right where the mouth of the bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet sat a storm. The dark gray clouds made a left and turned up into the Chesapeake. Around my legs, I could feel the sand kicking up. The once beautiful stroll became a brisk walk back to the car. The glassy water was quickly replaced by white caps. A slight mist became a heavy rain, and the once bright sky became a black abyss. The rough seas would make bringing in the big fish a very hard and nearly impossible task.

From the shore line, I could see the boats having trouble navigating the waters along the bay bridge tunnel. One boat lost anchor and almost smashed in to the pillars holding the bridge above. The captain quickly regained control and pulled away. Where was the orange kayak? Was the one man boat, now a life boat? Did the men in the larger boats notice him, or where they facing mother nature's rath unaware of the smaller vessel. From where I was standing and the rain hitting me in the face, trying to spot the vessel became a blur.

The rain began to subside and the clouds lifted. The clouds lifted, and in the distance waves were crashing against the bow of our die hard fisherman's little life boat. With determination, he paddled harder into the next wave. Stride after stride, he pushed. Waves hit from all directions. Then he found his path. One after another, he began to ride the waves like a teenager on a surfboard. The kayak was gliding across the surface of the water. In minutes, he landed his craft, was out of the water, and on land. His day of fishing was lost. For him however, riding waves in the bay became the catch of the day.

 

 

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11/13/2006 5:44AM

A Light Dinner at Alexander's on the Bay

The View

Once again, it was time to head out and grab a bite to eat. My target, Alexander's on the Bay. I had chosen Alexanders because someone had told me how beautiful the view was from the bar.

For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Alexander's on the Bay was named appropriately. It is located right on the Chesapeake Bay. My intention was to arrive shortly after they opened. As I entered, I was greeted by the hostess. "If you don't mind, I would like to eat dinner at the bar tonight since I am alone?" I asked. "It's straight head and right past the fire place." She replied. "Enjoy." As I entered the bar, I thought, wow, my friend was right. Alexander's has an awesome view! The dining area of Alexander's is wall to wall with windows, and as I looked out the window across the bay, I could see the afternoon mist pass, leaving an arc of color in the sky over the bay.

For some reason, I was feeling a little fickle and could not put my finger on what I wanted for dinner. Shannon, the bartender, suggested the Mahi Mahi first. I replied with a shrug, " I am looking for something a little lighter." Looking down at the menu, she asked, "Would you like to try our Porta Bella Mushroom?" Like I said, I was in a fickle mood, and I started to wonder if I should even eat. After all, as soon as I sat down at the bar, Shannon was serving me my "Favorite Beverage". What more did I need? And with so much scenery to enjoy why bother eating? Shannon was very patient, and did not give up. She literally read through the menu until we found something. I ordered the Chicken Wrap.

While I was waiting for dinner to arrive, I figured I would do a little research. It turns out Shannon grew up in Virginia Beach. She graduated from Cox High School, and has been employeed by Alexander's on the Bay for close to 12 years. I was wondering why she was so easy going with my ordering dilemma. Experience was the answer.

As I sat there sipping on my "Favorite Beverage" and enjoying the view, I also found out that Shannon can give one hell of a movie review. More importantly, when I asked her what her specialty at the bar was, she reply, "I can make a really nice Ciclon Marti." Now, that's what I am talking about! I would have ordered the Marti, but tonight was about the food and the view. I figured I would wait until the famous "Chick's Beach Martini Classic".

Shannon disappeared from behind the bar, and returned with my dinner. I ate dinner slowly because the view from Alexander's on the Bay really is breath taking. I enjoyed the Chicken Wrap which had a nice zesty flavor.

With merchant vessel sitting in the bay as the back drop, I watched the sun set across the water from the bar at Alexanders on the Bay. All I could think was dinner was nice; the view turned out to be more than what I expected; and the service was outstanding.

 

 

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11/6/2006 7:24AM

Halloween Adventures along the Yellow Brick Road

Saturday night, I noticed two of my neighbors all dressed up. I had never met them, and thought, hey, I need to make some new friends. I introduced myself, and asked if I could run and grab the camera. It turned out, they were hosting a Halloween Party for the complex.

I had remembered the flyer, but forgot the damn date. I snapped the pictures, shook hands, and let them go on their way. Later in the week, I banged in to another neighbor who was able to attend, and she said there where a lot of kids and the party turned out to be a nice get together. I was unhappy I missed the party, but in the back of my mind, I had to remind myself that I don't have any kids. Maybe next year.

After my new friends drove off, I made a phone call to my buddy Chris. "Get your ass over here!" Chris got here when he got here. We grabbed a "Favorite Beverage", and agreed we should see what was going on down on Shore Drive. Like a bat out of hell, we jumped in the car and took off down the Yellow Brick road to the local hot spots.

Our first stop, The Smoke House.

The Smoke House was packed wall to wall with people. Some of the crowd was dressed up for the occasion, but for the most part, the patrons were out enjoying their "Favorite Beverage", the food, and friends. However, the staff dressed up and were decked out. I was glad to see they were getting in on the action.

Since Hometown Hero's is in walking distance from the Smoke House, we popped in and grabbed a "Favorite Beverage" or two. Chris and I ran into a large group of twenty hard core partiers.

The Tin-Man, a Pimp, and many others. This bunch was just getting started! The pitchers of thier"Favorite Beverage" were already poured and waiting.

These guys and gals turned out to be really nice and asked us to stay for a while, but we still had one more hot spot to hit, and it was getting late. Damn, time was flying.

Our final Shore Drive stop, Shore Break. Now I must say, it was here we had the most fun. Not because of the games, or the awesome wait staff, but because of the guys in the back shooting pool. These guys were dressed up like wrestlers. One of the guys took his roll a little too seriously.

Out of the blue, he would grab hold of the pool table, and shake his body like a damn piston. "What the fu...?" This guy was nuts. We hung with these guys for a bit, had some laughs, and hit the road.

Saturday night ended at the local Wawa. After I filled up, my buddy and I were standing in line to pay, I nabbed a hand full of candy bars and put them up on the counter. I figured what the hell, the kids were out trick-or-treating. Chris tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Doesn't that look like..." Here I am buying candy and there was a character from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Ain't that a bit weird?! I am in line buying candy and I run smack dab into an Oompa Loompa."

Sunday and Monday was recoup time, and I wanted to be ready for the much anticipated visit to the Green Parrot Tuesday night. When I rolled up into the Parrot, the first annual Halloween Party was just getting started. I settled in toward the back of the bar, and ordered my "Favorite Beverage". After unwinidng for a bit, I was able to focus on the job at hand. Wait a second, the job was drinking and having a good time. Back to work I went. I did run into one of the judges of the costume contest. I asked some questions regarding how he would judge the contest. His answer, "panache, creativity, and effort." I think all of the contestants looked great, and I am really glad I was not one of the judges. However, I am pleased Mr. and Mrs. Batman won.

To learn they were married on Halloween dressed in their costumes is awesome. Now that is what I call effort, creativity and flair.

When I made it home, I found four huge bags of candy on my bar. Did that damn Oompa Loompa...never mind. Halloween is weird enough.

This week's article is dedicated to the guys at Merchant's Tire and Auto Center, located on Independence Blvd in Virginia Beach. This week's adventure did have a small set back when the tires on my car blew out. Will and Matt made sure I was up and running as fast as possible. Thanks guys.

Jon Hartz  |   jon@ChicksBeach.com

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Tinkle Town 10/29/06

I didn't know how to start this article because my night did not start at the usual water holes. Instead, it started in the parking lot of a local apartment complex, and while I would like to say the name of this particular area, I believe that is best not too. Now remember, you clicked on the “Editorial Adventures”.

This night was an adventure to say the least, and this adventure started before I even got ready to go out. Wait one second, I am getting ahead of myself. Let me just tell you what happened. After dinner, I went home to prepare for my night. My plan was to sit down, have my “Favorite Beverage”, relax for a minute or two, then meet up with some of the locals here at Chick's Beach. Instead the phone rang, it was my buddy Frank. Anyway, whatever we were discussing took a minute or two, so I decided to sit in my car for a few minutes. As I was talking to my friend, the rain started to come down, and a group of people were walking by. Hmm... looked like everyone was going to have a great Friday night. When something strange happened! As they were walking by, one of the girls stepped right in front of my car and behind a truck. Now, I am sure she didn't see me because the next thing I know, I am getting a FULL MOON! I think her Friday night already started?! Oops.... There she was, taking a leak right in front of me. My friend is on the phone with me getting the blow by blow. I am thinking, what do I do? Do I duck? Do I sit perfectly still? Do I..., DO I..., DO I..., the list goes on and on, when I hear the voice in my head. "Duck and beep the horn!" Do what? I am thinking. "Okay, here goes." I say aloud. HOONK! I would like to say I saw what happened next. You will have to use your own imagination on this one because I was in the car laying on the floor board laughing so hard I almost peed my pants! Then I heard the voice in my head again. WAIT A MINUTE! That was no voice in my head that was my BUDDY! Laughing at me for listening to him.
 There is a lesson in this one, and while I would like to say it out- right, I figure I will let all of you figure it out on your own the next time you are walking home from your local water holes.

Jon Hartz  |   jon@ChicksBeach.com

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Lunch at the Green Parrot, October 20,2007

Because of the weather being so nice, I decided to take a much needed stroll through Chick’s beach. The main destination, The Green Parrot. As I entered the front door, I was greeted with a warm friendly smile. “What can I get you?” As a new comer to the Parrot, I felt right at home. My reply was simple, “My Favorite Beverage.” With a smile on her face and my "Favorite Beverage" in her hand, Tracy told me about today’s special. Instead, I ordered the French Dip which turned out to be excellent.
  As I sat taking in the relaxed atmosphere, I watched Tracy and Ali decorate.

They were gearing the place up for Halloween. Lights were being hung, and the “spooky web” was being placed in the window to the dinning room. They were excited about decorating the Green Parrot. Guys at the bar gave their input, and we were all having fun.
  Lunch at the Green Parrot made the day a great one. Overall, I was glad I stopped in to the Green Parrot for lunch. I can’t wait to see what they are planning for Halloween.
Jon Hartz  |   jon@ChicksBeach.com

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