As the Biden presidency begins and he’s moved to Washington, I want to say a word about his hometown, Wilmington. More than a word, actually, a thread...
Once mostly that quick train stop on our way north or south for many in the press corps on the infamous Acela corridor, Wilmington became a new home base for many over the past 10 months. And it’s a very friendly town...
The pride and appreciation for Biden and his family is legit. Introduce yourself to a local at a restaurant or store and they’re universally pleased to have you visit.
It is a city in the midst of a massive redevelopment, led especially by developer Rob Buccini, a close friend of the late Beau Biden who grew up knowing the new president as just another dad in the neighborhood. His firm is working on new riverfront and downtown buildings.
Biden’s home base to the outside world became The Queen, a downtown live music venue that wasn’t slated to have much business in 2020 after the pandemic. Instead it became the TV home of a president-elect. https://thequeenwilmington.com
Looking for eats in Wilmington? Buckley’s Tavern is a Biden family favorite: https://www.buckleystavern.com
Many covering the transition enjoyed Bardea Food & Drink: http://bardeawilmington.com
My favorite find? DECO Wilmington, a food hall adjacent to the Hotel DuPont: https://decowilmington.com
(My favorite @decowilmington establishment? @EatPhubs.)
Around the corner in the @Hotel_Dupont is Le Cavalier at The Green Room, now run by Chef Tyler Akin, who we profiled for “The Dish” on @CBSThisMorning Saturday: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-dish-chef-tyler-akin-on-returning-to-delaware-opening-restaurant-amid-pandemic/
A meeting out of the way breakfast spot that @RebeccaRKaplan came to love: I.M. Coffee, tucked away in the I.M. Pei Building: http://imcoffee1105.com (she went so often the workers knew her by name).
The Biden press corps may also have singlehandedly kept The Juice Joint http://thejuicejoint.de in business...
Ditto for and The Riverfront Bakery. The cinnamon roles, the quiche, the Americano. All just grand. https://www.riverfrontbakery.com
Finally, the @CBSNews team is indebted to @AAAMidAtlantic, which welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to use their building as our home for live reports for @CBSThisMorning and @CBSEveningNews. They understood that our presence was good for business and good for Delaware.
So, thank you again to the good folks of @cityofwilmde for hosting us during the transition. Thanks to Biden, it’s likely we’ll be back often.