Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. If you’re wondering why a beach town needed to be founded by a church, congratulations. You are already asking better questions than most history books. The original idea was simple: create a seaside retreat where people could escape the distractions and temptations of everyday life. Because apparently in the 1870s, people looked at a gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beach and thought, “This would be an excellent place for prayer.” Not swimming. Not sunbathing. Not drinking a frozen cocktail large enough to qualify as a flotation device. Prayer. The settlement
Author: Kristen Grace
Beauty junkie, food obsessed, and constant wanderer.
Book Review – The Red-Headed League: Sherlock Holmes Solves a Mystery While I Scream at a Pawnbroker
I would like to begin by acknowledging that Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant detective. I would also like to acknowledge that if I lived in Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes would never have needed to solve The Red-Headed League because I would have taken one look at the premise and said, “Absolutely the fuck not.” Friends. FRIENDS. **Warning: Spoilers Ahead!** The World’s Most Suspicious Job Posting We start with a newbie assistant (who has agreed to work for half-pay!) approaching his middle-aged pawnbroker boss and says: “Good news! There’s an ad in the newspaper saying a dead millionaire created a secret organization exclusively
Onions: The Vegetable That Has Made Humanity Cry for Thousands of Years
There are few foods more universally accepted than the onion. You can cross cultures, religions, centuries, wars, continents, and socioeconomic classes and somehow everyone eventually lands on: “You know what this dish needs? An onion.” Not a truffle. Not saffron. Not edible gold flakes served by a man named Sebastian. An onion. The onion is the supporting actor that quietly wins the Oscar while the flashy ingredients get all the attention. Nobody walks into a restaurant screaming, “OH MY GOD, THE ONIONS!!!” but remove them from civilization and society collapses into bland despair within approximately four business days. And yet
Mitrovica, Kosovo: The Trip I’m Probably Never Taking (But Mentally Romanticizing Anyway)
There are two types of travel people: Welcome to category two. Population: me. Today’s destination is Mitrovica, a place that sits squarely in the “fascinating, complicated, and logistically…maybe not” section of my brain. First, What Even Is Mitrovica? Mitrovica is a city in Kosovo that is, for lack of a better phrase, doing the absolute most historically and politically. It’s divided by the Ibar River, with ethnic Albanians primarily living in the south and ethnic Serbs in the north. And when I say “divided,” I don’t mean in a cute, “this neighborhood has better brunch” kind of way. I mean in a “this bridge has
The Arabian Nights: Weaponized Storytelling vs. One Very Fragile Man
If you’ve ever casually said, “Oh yeah, I’ve read The Arabian Nights,” I regret to inform you that what you probably meant was: “I have a vague cultural awareness of three stories Disney got its hands on and absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the chaos of the actual text.” Because what even is this book? Let’s start with the premise, which feels less like a literary setup and more like the origin story of a man who desperately needed therapy and instead chose… homicide. A king, Shahryar, discovers his wife cheated on him and responds in the most reasonable way possible: by deciding
Maleic Acid: The Workhorse of Your Hair Products (and Why It Sounds Scarier Than It Is)
There are two types of cosmetic ingredients: Maleic acid is firmly in Category #2. It sounds like it should come with a hazmat suit and a warning label, yet it’s quietly hanging out in some of the most popular hair products on the market, doing the cosmetic equivalent of unpaid overtime. So let’s talk about maleic acid. Where it came from, what it does, why your hair might secretly love it, and whether you should panic when you see it on an ingredient list (spoiler: probably not). What Is Maleic Acid? Maleic acid is an organic acid used primarily in hair care products, especially
An Open Letter to Washington D.C.
Dear Washington, D.C., We need to talk. Not in a “we should see other people” way, but in a “I have some feelings and they are wearing sensible walking shoes” way. First of all, you are a lot. You are monuments, memorials, marble and power suits and school field trips and men in khakis explaining the Constitution like they personally drafted it over brunch. You are the physical embodiment of “group project where one kid does everything and the rest show up with a sense of unearned pride.” And yet… I kind of love you. I love how you make me
Review: Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run — Proof That Greatness Is Mostly Sweat, Stubbornness, and a Little Bit of Jersey Magic 🎸
There are music documentaries that feel like homework, and then there are music documentaries that make you want to stand on your couch, point dramatically into the distance, and scream-sing about highways and destiny. Wings for Wheels falls squarely into the second category. This documentary follows Bruce Springsteen during the chaotic, obsessive, borderline-unhinged creation of Born to Run. And I mean obsessive in the way that makes you feel deeply reassured about your own questionable habits. You stress-bought lip balm at midnight. Bruce rebuilt a drum sound for six months. We all cope differently. The Vibe: Creative Chaos But Make It Inspirational Watching this documentary
Chicken Thigh Fillets: The Underrated Main Character of Your Dinner Plate
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who choose chicken breast, and those who understand that chicken thigh fillets are the superior life form. If chicken were a high school movie, breasts would be the popular cheerleaders: lean, bland, conventionally attractive, and slightly boring. Thigh fillets would be the brooding indie girl who writes poetry, drinks oat milk before it was trendy, and quietly steals every scene. You didn’t notice her at first, but now you can’t shut up about her. Let’s unpack why chicken thigh fillets deserve a standing ovation. What Exactly Is a Chicken Thigh Fillet?
The Madera, a Kimpton Hotel, Washington D.C.: A Series of Unfortunate Personal Choices
I don’t know what it is about Kimpton hotels, but I appear to be on a personal vendetta tour with them. The last time I stayed at the Palladian Kimpton in Seattle, I was deeply, spiritually offended by the bathroom setup. This time, at The Madera Kimpton in Washington D.C., I somehow managed to turn myself into a full-blown slapstick routine. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been such a chaotic disaster before, and that is truly saying something. Let’s begin in the bathroom. The layout is… creative. The sink and mirror are outside the bathroom, which is excellent if you