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Delaware

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For other places with the same name, see Delaware (disambiguation).

Delaware, while not the smallest of the United States of America, was the first state to ratify the US Constitution. Delaware is bordered by the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

[edit] Understand

[edit] Talk

[edit] Get in

Commercial airline service into the state of Delaware is limited, but areas of the state are reasonably close to major international airports in either Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, or the District of Columbia. The Wilmington area is served by a limited number of Delta flights into the New Castle County Airport (ILG), located less than 10 minutes from downtown Wilmington. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is 20 miles or about a half hour to the northeast of downtown Wilmington and serves as the main commercial aviation gateway for most visitors to Delaware. Other airports used by Delaware visitors include Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), less than 90 minutes from Wilmington, and Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY) which serves many visitors to southern Delaware's beaches and is located about an hour south and west of Rehoboth Beach, DE.

The Amtrak station in Wilmington is a major stop on the system's Northeast Corridor, with frequent high-speed connections throughout the day to NYC, Boston, and D.C. The station is located on Front Street between French and Walnut Streets in downtown Wilmington. It has one inside level which has stores, a cafe, Amtrak and SEPTA ticket offices, a car rental office, and a post office; passengers board their trains on the second story train platforms. It is served by Amtrak trains along the Northeast Corridor going south to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and going north to Philadelphia and New York. It is also served by SEPTA's R2 Regional Rail Line with service to Philadelphia and Newark, Delaware. Like all stations in Delaware, SEPTA service is provided under contract and funded through DART First State, which also provides extensive local bus service.

Greyhound has a limited number of bus terminals throughout the state.

[edit] Get around

Cars are the main mode of transportation, except in the city of Wilmington, where ample mass transit is available. DART First State is the primary public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware. Although most of its routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART also serves Dover (in Kent County), and Georgetown in Sussex County, and has one route running into New Jersey, which connects with New Jersey Transit buses, and one route into Elkton with connection to the dial-a-ride service of Cecil County.

DART provides connecting service with the R2 Newark line of SEPTA Regional Rail, which travels between Philadelphia and Wilmington, with a few trains continuing on to Newark. The Delaware Department of Transportation subsidizes Regional Rail operations into Delaware.

[edit] Do

Delaware has beautiful beaches. The more popular ones are:

The Blue Rocks baseball team [1].

Delaware is well known for having no sales tax. Most Delawareans shop at malls or strip malls with big box stores. Notable malls include:

  • Christiana Mall [2]
  • Concord Mall
  • Dover Mall [3]
  • Rehoboth Outlets [4]

[edit] Eat

Delaware has many excellent restaurants and a surprising number of brewpubs for a small state, including Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach and Iron Hill (in Newark and along the Riverfront in Wilmington).

As the location of the University of Delaware, Newark is the home of a number of bars and restaurants popular with college students and locals. One such restaurant is Klondike Kate's (on Main Street). Ask for a tour of the jail cells in the basement, dating from the late 1700s. The Deer Park (also on Main Street) is a long standing Newark institution with a rich history. Although the current building dates from 1847, there has been a tavern on the site since colonial times. Edgar Allen Poe once stayed at the St. Patrick's Inn, which formerly stood on the same site. Legend has it that he put a curse on the building and the city after falling in the mud outside the hotel. Due to the site's association with Poe, the symbol of the Deer Park is a raven, and there is a wooden raven on display in the main dining room.

In the city of Wilmington, Trolley Square, about one mile from downtown along Delaware Avenue, is widely popular with locals in their 20s-30s. Among the bars in Trolley Square, The Logan House is arguably the most popular drinking location. Just outside of the city on Route 52 in Greenville is Cromwell's, which has quality pub style food and a comfortable ambience.

[edit] Drink

Some brewpubs include:

  • Iron Hill Brewery [5]
  • Dogfishead Brewing [6]
  • Stewart's Brewpub [7]

[edit] Stay safe

Staying safe in Delaware is a matter of staying smart. In Wilmington, city oficials and downtown merchants have formed (armed with two-way radios but not guns)private security patrols that wander the restaurant and entertainment districts in the downtown area--but "patrols" are few and far between. Most restaurants will summon a security person to escort you to your car, if requested. Neighborhoods turn sketchy fast in Wilmington. Sometimes it's a mater of crossing the street. Listen to your inner voice. If it's telling you that you've wandered into a "bad" area, you probably have. In general, it's best to avoid walking alone after dark in the downtown area. Interestingly enough, Wilmington has one of the highest concentrations of remote security cameras of any city its size. Of course, these cameras are best at identifying criminals AFTER the fact, so don't take much comfort in their presence.

Despite the above advice, Delaware has less crime than most other states due to its small population. A visit anywhere in the state is safe. Like everywhere else, common sense needs to be used.

[edit] Get out

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