Wilmington, Delaware

I was in Wilmington, Delaware last week, accompanying my husband on a business trip.  I love traveling to differently parts of the country and now I can tick Wilmington off the list.  Wilmington is DuPont country - it is where the DuPont company (the creators of nylon, Kevlar, Corian, Teflon, mylar, Nomex, Tyvek, Sorona, and Lycra) is located.  We stayed at the Hotel Dupont, a big, stone, blocky hotel in downtown Wilmington.

The DuPont Theater is part of this building, a very ornate and luxurious venue to see plays.  Unfortunately, they just finished a run.  

I had 3 full days in which to explore Wilmington.

It seemed like one of those cities, that during it's glory days, (whenever that was) was a beautiful and vibrant place.  But now, the downtown seemed tired and sad.  Any area that has check cashing, bail bonds, and cheap acrylic wigs businesses is not going to be a charming place for strolling and hanging out.  But strolling and hanging out was what I did along North Market Street.

A quiet square...

across the street from the Delaware Historical Society

For a moment, it felt like I was in Amsterdam.

I would have enjoyed a historical walking tour but couldn't find anything.  I went to the Visitor Center and they didn't have anything to offer.  In fact, I got the sense they thought it was a crazy thing to suggest.  With all these beautiful buildings and Delaware being the first state to ratify the Constitution, a historical walking tour is what this area deserves.

I spent over an hour in the Ninth Street Book Shop and some $$$.

But because Wilmington has a rich history and in the past, seemed wealthy based on the magnificient homes near the art museum, I knew that the art collection in the Delaware Art Museum would be good.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Details in the next post.