You know how I tried laughing off the shortcomings of the Outer Banks earlier this month? That’s a hoot! Let’s just chalk that up to post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of Irene, ok? I mean, who wants to see their vacation destination wiped off the map just as it’s time to kick back and relax?
Let’s get right down to it, shall we? The food: still terrible. If it weren’t for the Harris Teeter conveniently located in Corolla, we’d be at a total loss. The best meals we eat in the Outer Banks are those we make ourselves. There are I think now three places that I will give money for food and they are: Corolla Village BBQ, which we finally found after venturing into the island’s historic district; Lighthouse Bagels and Deli, though the bagels were much doughier than I remembered them being; and Bad Bean Burrito, located in TimBuckII stripmall.
Everything else? Forget it.
You can spend an awful lot of money trying to find something good to eat in the Outer Banks and it’s my belief that you shouldn’t even bother trying. There’s not a good seafood restaurant to be found. If anyone knows where to get a decent pizza, please let me know because our old standby, Cosmo’s, has fallen off since we discovered it in 2009.
Lodging is another matter altogether. We lived in three different houses in the five years we’ve gone to Corolla. Last year was our first week in a palatial house (pictured above) and we couldn’t have been happier after being holed up with our two month old in a rundown rental during back-to-back Nor’easters in ’09. This year the cracks have started to show. I guess familiarity does breed contempt! The couches are threadbare, the fridge won’t close, the beds are atrociously uncomfortable and, yes, the cable package isn’t exactly optimal. No interactive guide? No wi-fi? We may as well camp on the beach!
I kid, but you’d think rental companies would consider making upgrades regularly since the rental market is so soft.
Overall though, things went pretty well, considering we dodged two hurricanes and a tropical storm. Katia wrecked the beach for us, which meant spending more time in the pool (not a bad thing) and Lee just brought stifling humidity to the area. It’s still a great place to spend a week doing absolutely nothing and that’s what vacation is all about at this point in my life. Relaxing as much as possible while chasing Charlie up and down a beach and playing in the ocean. Wish I didn’t have to wait a year to do it all again.