I just woke up so this post will ramble a little bit. One of the reasons I've never used drugs is that if I want to impair my left brain to empower my creativity, I always have weekend mornings. I live in PA right across the border from Delaware. The original Dupont factories were all in Delaware and since they lived onsite, many of the estates are located there.
I recommend the Hagley Museum, which is the site of the Dupont gunpowder mill and one of the estates. It is located 5 minutes from 202 and I-95. There are admission coupons in the Entertainment books and from the Brandywine tourist commision.
Of course, I also highly recommend Longwood Gardens, which is in PA. Nothing beats the winter blues like walking though the flowers in the convservatory. The food in the (4 or 5 star) restaurant is also very good, and not too pricey, although they are out of season for their weekly brunch buffets.
If you visit Fort McHenry and look in the recreation of one of the powder magazines, you will see a box with "Dupont" stamped on it.
I have been told that an out-of-state fishing license in Delaware is cheaper than and resident license in PA. While I realize that there is a larger volume of water in PA, there is also a larger population, so you would think that it would even out per capita.
Delaware is very middle class and blue collar. Parts of the state do have a redneck feel to them, although you also have the arts community of Arden. It might be the legacy of the Duponts, who did have a reputation for taking care of their workers, but it seems to me there is a big concentration of public amenities near here like swim clubs and theatres. It's sort of the capitalist equivalent of the 'workers paradise' where a lot of attention was paid not to acquiring wealth, but improving lifestyle. That being said, there is certainly a 'redneck' element to Delaware. They probably sell more hunting licenses in the K-Marts here than in all of SouthEastern PA.
I like going into Delaware for the same reason that I 'should' like going into Philadelphia. It is a state in miniature the way that Philadelphia is a city in miniature. In PA you would have to drive an hour or two to get from the city and suburbs to the rural PA, the "Alabama" that James Carville talked about. In Delaware its a 15 minute drive.
If you ever want to spend some serious money, treat yourself and go to the Green Room in the Dupont Hotel. It and the Opera House are proof that accessible culture is alive in Delaware.
Got to go now. I'm starting to wake up and am tempted to go back and proofread and edit the message, which sounds too much like work for a Saturday morning. Must...resist....
