Judy Colbert, ASJA, SPJ, AFTRA, SAG

An Irritated Pearl

11/18/10

Just as you're thinking about driving through Cambridge as fast as you can, on your way to or from the beach, stop for a few minutes to enjoy a town that has ever so many ways to entertain you. The town, established by English settlers in 1684, has something for you whether you love the culture, shopping, a factory tour or fine dining.

What you don't see as Route 50, fast-food restaurants, and the Holiday Inn Express go by in a blur is a community filled with residents who like the town because people will wave to you and say hello, because they think they know you or they think they might want to. They enjoy church bells tolling the passing time, the tranquility of a peaceful sunset over the water that signals the day's end and the gentle breeze off the Choptank River.

Turn west on Maryland Avenue and head toward the downtown area, where the Dorchester County offices are located. Many of the store fronts are empty, as in many small old towns. The Cambridge Creek drawbridge closing from Aug. 1 through Oct. 31 for repairs and painting didn't help. Suddenly, the expedient way 11,000 cars drive to and from downtown on a daily basis was closed.

Technically, the bridge was open so boats could navigate the creek. The bridge opens on demand except from noon to 1 p.m., or about 15 times a day.

Locals are well aware that a vibrant, revitalized downtown is critical to the future of the city and county. They were awarded the 2010 Smart, Green & Growing Award for their activism. And the stores that do operate downtown are well worth your detour. One of my favorites is Crabcatcher's Scavenger Shop (443-225-5689, 533 Poplar St.), run by Bruce and Bonnie Reed. She has some handmade decorative items, jewelry, yarn, second-hand goods and collectibles. If you're shopping for something you won't find everywhere else, this is the place to visit.

Three other businesses have a temporary appearance due to the work of Cambridge Main Street (www.cambridgemainstre et.com) a nonprofit organization working to restore the area. They sponsored a Holiday Pop-Up Project (H-PUP) that awarded rent-free Poplar Street store fronts to would-be entrepreneurs for November and December. Colin Edgell opened Whitecap Outdoor Consignments (410-775-6697, 510 Poplar St.) and offers gently used hunting gear, team sports equipment, boating supplies and other outdoors paraphernalia. This gear wasn't just picked up willy-nilly. It was brought to the store earlier this month when Edgell had a consignment drop-off party, complete with snacks and drinks.

Dennis Napolitan opened Malina: Custom Leather (518 Poplar St.), where you'll find custom-made belts, bags, briefcases, and other hand-stitched leather goods. Reportedly, he made instrument cases for Frank Zappa and Paul Butterfield, back in the day, as they say. Bill Harrington, the owner of the buildings, donated the space and the city created a streamlined process for occupancy permits.

A third holiday store, Kate Huntington's Pear Tree South (501 Poplar St.), opened inside AvC3A9 Salon. She carries decorative items, bath and beauty products, jewelry, greeting cards and other holiday essentials.

On the second Saturday of the month, shops stay open late, galleries and museums provide music and food, and sometimes children's activities.

While you're enjoying the free parking, both curbside and in convenient lots, stop by the Harriet Tubman Museum and Learning Center (410-228-0401, 424 Race St.), to learn about this remarkable woman, who was born a slave in Dorchester County and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. See exhibits and information about her life and learn about the upcoming Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and the Underground Railroad Initiative. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

Situated in an old bank -- yes, the vault is still there -- is the Richardson Maritime Museum (410-221-1871, 401 High St., www.richardsonmuseum.org) where Herm Kramer and other volunteers will help you understand the history of shipbuilding and watermen as they created the history of Cambridge and Dorchester. Richardson was an extraordinary boat builder and storyteller. You can buy his heavily illustrated book of boats, "The Jim Richardson Boat Book," at the museum. The museum is open Wednesday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment.

Surely you've worked up an appetite by now, so stop by Canvasback (410-221-7888, 420 Race St.) where the classically trained chef Frank Skalitza (a fairly new addition to the restaurant) prepares a wonderful crab soufflC3A9 and other tasty seafood specialties. One joy is the open kitchen, which lets watch as your meal is being prepared.

Jimmie & Sook's Raw Bar and Grill (jimmies are male crabs and sooks are female crabs) is open for lunch and dinner (443-521-3228, 421 Race St., www.jimmieandsooks.com) so you can savor house-made soups, stuffed oysters and other delicacies while surrounded by the display of watermen's tools and Aubrey Bodine photos. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed Monday). Live entertainment is scheduled nightly Wednesday through Saturday.

Out on Route 50, Ocean Odyssey (316 Sunburst Highway, www.toddseafood.com/) almost looks like one of those places you might not take your mother to, but let the aromas and tastes tell you otherwise. Travis Todd, third generation, cooks up some interesting concoctions, including his take on oysters Bubba-fella that includes a creamy, garlicky, bacon-y, semi-spicy sauce and crab meat on top of Choptank River oysters. The dish won first place at the 2010 Taste of Cambridge competition.

Ocean Odyssey started life as a blue crab processing plant in 1947 and moved to Route 50 in 1986. It has evolved or morphed over the years into a carry-out and now a sit-down restaurant. You know your crabs are fresh when they're processed in the back room of the restaurant. In the fall, the restaurant is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Note, the Ocean Odyssey closes on November 20 this year until some time in April.

For those who watch Mike Rowe do his TV show, "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel, you may have seen him visit J.M. Clayton Co. Seafood (108 Commerce St., 410-228-1661, www.jmclayton.com/) to see how crabs are cleaned and the meat packed for your year-round enjoyment. Jack Brooks says Mike returned for a second taping that shows Mike's family enjoying the Clayton family operation. They've been in business since 1890. Tours are available for groups of 15, for a fee.

Oh, and with any luck, the traffic has eased and you'll have a much happier drive.