Goin' Up to Haddonfield

It was a pretty typical day for late April in New Jersey, sunny but windy, with big, fat clouds in the sky indicating that more storms are on their way this weekend. I took advantage of my only day off this week to make a few trips that I've been putting off. April is usually pretty busy for me, and I don't often get the chance to do a lot of day trips besides my birthday.

Started at the Haddon Township Library. There weren't as many DVDs to shelve this time. I organized the children's DVD shelves, pulled kids and foreign titles from the adult bins, and shelved children's books. Perhaps due to the nice day, it wasn't really that busy. I didn't take anything else out again. I have no idea when I'll have the chance to watch anything, and I have plenty to read.

I wanted to ride to Haddonfield last week, but I got out too late because of the weather. Haddonfield is the only local small town whose coffee shops I hadn't hit. Alas, I couldn't find the small coffee shop I had a bagel in last fall and Starbucks was too busy for questions, but I did check out other stores. I browsed in two toy stores (including the Happy Hippo), a stationary store, a tea shop, and Jamaican Me Crazy, a gift shop specializing in eclectic merchandise ranging from classic rock memorabilia to authentic Birkenstocks to computer pads emblazoned with pop icons to WebKinz.

My only purchase came from the last named. I found a book called Defining Moments In Music, which is pretty much what the cover says - great moments in all types of music, from the beginnings of the recording industry in the late 1890s through the book's publishing in 2006. It's so facinating, I've been reading it off and on for the rest of the day. The book comes from England, which means that a great deal of space is devoted to British, European, and World acts whose music may not have crossed over to the states but have had impact elsewhere. Not to mention, it's a fabulous read if you want to know more about how music changed in the 20th century, from George M. Cohan to Radiohead and Nirvana.

I had lunch at an odd little store about two blocks from Happy Hippo. Animo is probably the first restaurant I've ever seen that specializes in two seemingly dissimilar items - burritos and fresh-squeezed juice. (They also have salads.) The store had a modern sensibility, with plastic white space-age furniture and a long dark counter nestled into the back of an older building. I had a Fast and Furious "Petito," a smaller burrito with blue tortilla chips on a simple black plate. (They get major points for the chips. I love blue corn chips, but I don't often see them anymore.) That "petito" was slightly smaller than your average wrap and even tastier, a lovely melding of hummus, chicken, vinaigrette, and shredded romaine lettuce. My juice was Ginger Snap, a sweet n' spicy combination of lime, apple, and fresh ginger.

I braved rush hour traffic to try a new ice cream parlor on Haddon Avenue in Westmont, across from (what's left of) the Westmont Theater. The Yogo Factory took over part of what used to be the mom-and-pop video rental store. You'd never know it was the same place. The racks of videos and DVDs and whitewashed walls festooned with new release posters had been replaced by colorful walls, a row of soft-serve frozen yogurt machines in the back, a wide toppings bar, brightly upholstered booths, and a cute bar with low, pull-out neon seats and computer touch-screens embedded in the walls for older kids to play with.

The gimmick is they're self-serve. You grab one of the bowls and fill your own with your choice of the flavors in the back, for 49 cents an ounce, then add the toppings at the bar. The kids behind the counter weigh your creation when you're done. I really overdid it. I couldn't resist trying two flavors, Irish Mint and Fancy French Vanilla. That, along with rainbow sprinkles, fudge, and crushed cookies, brought my order up to over five dollars! I'll be more careful if I'm ever there again.

I got caught up in reading my new book at both places and didn't get home until quarter after 5. I spent the rest of the evening reading my book and playing some influential albums from some favorite groups of mine (except the Monkees, whom have gotten more than their fair share of hearings lately). I ran the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour (yes, I know the movie isn't popular - the album has great music), and the Who's Who's Next. When I finally dragged myself from the book, I made Chicken Legs Poached in Lemon-Wine Sauce and Creamed Spinach (made with skim milk and thickened with whole-wheat flour) over brown rice for dinner.