Cursing Ben's Chili Bowl in Virginia

Oh…damn you Ben’s Chili Bowl. You’re evil is what you are. My taste buds were thrilled and my waistline was terrified when I discovered that there would be a branch of the famous D.C. diner opening in Arlington, on my side of the Potomac. How would I resist the thick, spicy half-smokes smothered in Ben's chili when I no longer had close-to-impossible parking or a two-train Metro ride separating me from them?

When I visited the restaurant at 1725 Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon a few weeks ago, it was even worse than I feared:

• The store is bright and clean and welcoming, a spruced up version of its U Street forefather.
• They take credit cards. No more squinting at the ancient ATM machine at the original, cash-only Ben's OR forgoing the chili cheese fries because I don't have enough cash. 
• The Arlington branch has lots of indoor and outdoor seating and you can sit wherever you'd like, unlike the bizarre hierarchy of seating that will get you charmingly yelled at if you sit at the wrong place at the original spot.
• No one yells at you in Arlington.
• The parking lot of the Colonial Village Shopping Center with its many popular restaurants can get a little crowded during prime dining hours, but there is a lot of accessible on-street parking nearby.

Worst of all, I discovered that the one-of-a-kind half smokes and the spicy, condiment-like chili were just as delectable on this side of the river. The shakes were just as spoon-standing thick and the chili-cheese fries were just as deliciously gluttonous. What have you done to me, Ben's Chili Bowl? My waistline may never forgive you.

Ben's Chili Bowl in Arlington

Ben's Wall of Fame

All the Charm of the Original Ben's

The Famous Half-Smoke

Coney Dog and Chili-Cheese Fries

Welcome to Ben's

Real Women Box at Title Boxing Club

I joined the Title Boxing Club in late August to work off the summer cocktails; I’m so sick of the gym and I wanted to work my body in way that felt useful and functional.

But news of NFL players using their warrior strength to abuse the women and children around them has made me think about women feeling vulnerable and defenseless. Has made me think about how much stronger my thighs and upper body and core have gotten in the three weeks I’ve been going to the boxing gym. Has made me think that if, god forbid, I’m in a position where I have to defend myself, I might now have a better idea of what I’m doing.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it’s a woman’s responsibility to prevent herself from being hit. It’s a man’s responsibility to not hit. But the jab, cross, hook, uppercuts that I’ve been giving the 100-pound bag at the Title Boxing Club might give me an advantage I hadn't had against an attacker I hope I'll never have to face.

Heidi Dallman, trainer at the Title Boxing Club in Falls Church, said that while the club isn’t inherently teaching self defense, the moves learned can give someone the confidence they need to discourage a would-be attacker. “You have muscle memory, and that memory might hold someone off.”

The newly opened Title Boxing Club in Falls Church is not what you imagine when you think of a “boxing gym.” It’s clean and gleaming and light-filled, without the gross 40-year-old couch and the guys yelling, “Adrian,” that Heidi remembers from her first boxing gym. The trainers are friendly and encouraging, pushing you to give a little bit more with enthusiasm and without the drill sargeant. The membership is a cross-section of fit Millenials, suburban moms and dads, and teens and tweens coming in with their parents. And while the hour-long boxing and kickboxing classes are intense, a person of average fitness ability (me!) can complete them and feel like a badass when she’s done.

“Ninety-eight percent of the people who join have no aspiration to get into the boxing ring,” Heidi said. What they want are those incredible boxer bodies, so Title Boxing Club emulates boxing workouts in order to give members those. “There are so many cardio kickboxing classes out there, but you have to be hitting that 100-pound bag to really see changes.”

Smashing elbow into bag = awesome bruise

A typical boxing or kickboxing class is broken up into three parts: a 15-minute warm up session that involves lots of high-energy cardio; a 30-minute session of working the bag, broken up into intervals with quick 30-second breaks; and 15-minutes of core work and cool down. Heidi recommends that people attend classes at least three times a week in order to see results.

She tells the story of a young woman who saw results in less time: The woman had recently joined that old, grubby gym Heidi used to go to. The woman had only been to the gym once or twice, couldn't fight a lick, when, crossing a dark parking lot, a guy ran at her with his skateboard raised over his head to hit her. The woman jumped into her fighting stance, raised her fists, and said, "Bring it on." The guy ran off.

That attack wasn't victimless; the woman cried as she told the story the next day. But when you hear the stat that three women are killed by their intimate partners every day in the United States, you understand how much worse it could have been. Whether it's a stranger or a partner, no real man hits. Real women have options. One of them is to fight back.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. 

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Title Boxing Club

Falls Church-area residents can check out the new gym at 450 N. Washington St. Falls Church; others can click here to find a gym near you.

In-Between Tip: On Saturday, Sept. 27, from 2:30-4 p.m. Title Boxing Club Falls Church will host Safety Blueprint, a women's personal safety workshop. Shawn Rafferty, with 20 years of experience in the public and private security sector, will teach women ways to avoid being a victim. Contact the Falls Church club at 703-992-6888 to reserve a spot. The workshop cost is $50 per person.

Chili Cookoff at Clarendon Day

Next Saturday, Sept. 27, Clarendon Day will descend on Arlington, Virginia with eight stuffed blocks of fun. A 10K, bands, beer, a Kids Zone, arts-and-crafts vendors and a ton of food will all be a part of making 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. fun.

But I would like to direct your attention to the new Lagunitas Chili Cookoff Stage where -- under the new 100-seat tent -- beer will flow from the Lagunitas beer garden, bands will rock, and our dear friend Thad Halcli will once again go toe-to-toe with other chili greats at the DC Chili Cookoff.

Last year was the first year the former DC Chili Cookoff -- once a rowdy, beer-soaked festival in the District -- was held at Clarendon Day. That beer-and-band free-for-all was what first got Thad hooked on the idea of cooking chili for competition. A digital marketer and filmmaker who always had a flair for cooking, Thad began entering area chili cookoffs in 2000 with a schtick: His young daughter and a friend would dress as cowgirls and do a little dance for the crowd. They called their booth, "Two-Step Chili."

Joe and Thad, Rage Against the Cuisine.

Now that young daughter is a college student. Thad and longtime friend Joe Duffus now produce red and green chills under the name "Rage Against the Cuisine."  

Do you have any idea how much work goes into producing chili for these competitions? I didn't. First of all, competitors are under a strict set of rules about what can and CANNOT go into a chili. "It's a very specific Texas-style chili," Thad said. "There can be no beans, no pasta. At some point, when the generations change, I hope the idea of chili will be a little bit broader than it is now."

Secondly, competitors have to provide all of their own equipment to cook at the competition and their setup has to be up to health code standards. That means providing stoves, burners, pans, coolers, water, ways to sanitize, ways to keep your meats and veggies separate, ways to serve it, tents, and trailers to haul the whole set up there and away. "It's like you're bringing your own mini-food truck," Thad said.

Lastly, all that chili served to the judges and all those little cups of chili that you, the eager taste-tester, can try -- that's all at the expense of the participants. Thad said competitions used to offer a small stipend to help cover participants' costs for the chili they would serve eventgoers. No longer. 

"It can be exhilarating if you win," Thad said. "But if you fail, you come back dragging dogeared."

Thad knows that exhilaration. Rage Against the Cuisine has placed second through fifth all around the region. Once, at a Maryland chili cook off, they tied for first. But a toss of a coin determined that the other team would move on to the World Championship competition.

He's hoping to have another shot at it this year. "I'm a relentless competitor, no matter what I'm doing," Thad said. "But these competitions, they're also a way to be outdoors on a nice day, hanging out with your buddy and drinking a beer."

He likes the DC Chili Cookoff's transition from a beer-laden spectacle -- public nudity and booths manned by strippers were a common sight -- to a more family-friendly event. He and his daughter always attended Clarendon Day, even before the cookoff moved there. 

"Clarendon Day is a classic street fair," he said. "There are a lot of family activities and stages for music. It is always on my list as a fun thing to do."

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Clarendon Day

Saturday, September 27, 2014; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Clarendon Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard between Washington and Highland, Arlington, VA

He Won!!!

Last month, I asked for your help to raise votes and assist my son in winning a video contest. The contest, put together by the Intellectual Property Owners Educational Foundation, asked young filmmakers to create short films about getting a patent. Well, thanks to your help, he won! My son, Simon Lundquist, was one of two winner in his age group with Natalie DiMundo from Santa Monica, Calif.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, these two young winners, along with two winners in the 16-18 age group, will each receive a $5,000 award at a recognition dinner at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in D.C. Simon is most nervous about getting a tux and giving a speech. 

With his winnings, he plans on updating his video equipment and putting a bulk of the proceeds aside for college. His young eyes are already set on the great (expensive!) film schools of NYU, UCLA or USC. So we, the parents, are hoping he enters many more money-making film contests!!

We are very proud of him. Kind of in awe. And very grateful for the it-takes-a-village support of family, friends, neighbors and wonderful strangers.

All of the 2014 IP Video Contest Winners

Off Season Tubing in Harpers Ferry

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Floating down the Potomac River with my butt in a tube and the 85-degree day warming my arms and legs, I had one thing to yell at my husband, who was bumping easily on some light rapids a few yards away with a peaceful smile on his face: "How do you like this for a Monday?"

He'd taken a long weekend to celebrate his birthday, and on this particular beautiful Monday just before Labor Day, my family of four had the whole stretch of the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, WV to ourselves. For the entire 6-mile, 3-hourish white water tubing ride, the only people we saw were the ones waving at us from atop the pedestrian bridge that crossed the river.

They looked like ants. Little envious ants.

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As summer draws to a close, it would seem wise to put aside such warm-weather activities. But what I learned from that gorgeous Monday white water tubing with the help of the Harpers Ferry Adventure Center is that there is no better time to go than when no one else is going.

"Our motto is, 'If you can think of it, we can make it happen,'" said Chase Gregson, an employee at Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, in reference to the many out-of-the-box adventures they put together for customers. "We've had people go white water rafting or tubing when there was snow on the ground."

Now, for me, that would be pushing it. But Gregson says temperatures at their location -- just west of Loudon County in northeast West Virginia, about an hour drive from the Beltway -- can stay warm until mid-October. Can you imagine bumping along in a tube, the wide expanse of the river all around you, and gazing at all the trees brilliant with oranges and reds and yellows? That's a way to see the fall leaves without the traffic!

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Imagine floating down this river with the hills decked in fall colors.

White water tubing is a way to add a little spark to a tube ride. The tube acts like a bumper to the rock-causing rapids in the Potomac and you generally bounce off the rocks and spin away. The Adventure Center promises Category I-III rapids; on the day we went, we enjoyed bumps and some shoots, but nothing that felt dangerous. The Adventure Center appropriately requires everyone to be 12 and over; between the rapids and still water that requires paddling with your hands, it's easy for large expanses of water to separate various members of your group.

Chase with the Adventure Center offered these additional tips to guarantee a fun, off-season tube ride:

• Bring a wetsuit or rent one from the Adventure Center if you are concerned about the temperature of the water. They also rent splash tops, which are windbreakers that resist water and are not as constrictive as wetsuits.
• Wear close-toed shoes. This area of the Potomac River is actively fished and you wouldn't want your tubing day ruined by a cut foot.
• Call before you come if you're wondering about the conditions. The Adventure Center will not let you out on the river if there is ice flowing or lightening and thunder in the area. If you're already on the water when a storm hits, employees trained in swift water rescue will raft to you and get you out of the water. 
• Come on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and early Friday if you're looking for a less-crowded experience. The Harpers Ferry Adventure Center is closed on Tuesday.
• The Adventure Center offers many deals after Labor Day. Check online before you go.

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Yay to off-season tubing!!

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Harpers Ferry Adventure Center

37410 Adventure Center Lane Purcellville, VA 20132

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In-Between Tip: Harpers Ferry Adventure Center offers tubing, white water rafting, kayaking, zip lining, horseback riding, Segway tours, hiking expeditions and, come three scary nights in October, a Haunted Hayride and Zipline Tour. What better way to wig you and yours out than by zipping through a West Virginia forest in the dark? 

Restaurant Review: G by Mike Isabella

My life is crammed with decision-making situations so when other people want to make decisions for me, I am happy to let them. I was thrilled last week when our friend Eric asked if we wanted to go to dinner with him and his amazing wife, Colleen (yes!). We could begin the night with a drink at their place? Of course! He'd made reservations at G by Mike Isabella.

Excellent!!

The sandwich shop on upper 14th St., NW transforms into a comfy-casual trattoria on Wednesday through Sunday nights that serves a weekly-changing, four-course Italian tasting menu that does all the work for you. With few options but all of them outstanding, dinner at G was the lazy cherry on my takin'-it-easy cake.

I haven't gotten to enjoy Mr. Top Chef's food since he was executive chef at Zaytinya, so I was looking forward to G, which has been open since the summer of 2013. There's a laid-back sense when you walk into the small dining room: low lights, wooden booths and a food mural reminiscent of the parading snack-bar food advertisement they used to show at drive-ins. There was nothing laid back about the staff -- only two guys seemed to be working the full room on a busy Saturday night and they were personable, knowledgable and there when we needed them.

The only decision we had to make that had a myriad of options came at the beginning of the meal -- we were handed the drink book. We flipped through wines, beers, cocktails as well as cocktails from Kapnos next door, Mike Isabella's upscale Greek restaurant. As often happens with a practiced decision maker like myself, my choice won. The rum-and-green-tea Wandering Gypsy looked like a Christmas ornament, heaped with glittering ice in a gleaming mint julep cup.

Our exhaustion over our drink choices was balanced by the complete lack of choices we had to make for the antipasti platter. Pre-selected for us was an incredible platter of veggies and meats and fried morsels -- cauliflower balls that tasted reminiscent of Fruit Loops in a romesco sauce, proscuitto, buffalo mozzarella, frittata, pea bruschetta. 

If only all the decisions we were forced into were this delicious.

The primi and secondi courses offered two selections for each. For the primi, we chose between the zucchini-and-mint pasta or the lamb ragu. Both were rich and interesting. The secondi course offered a roasted striped bass with grilled grapes or pork crepinette, which were like sausage chunks without the casing. I really wish I could name a favorite, but each dish had its own distinct flavor and sensibility. The only way you wouldn't like it is if you inherently disliked one of the primary ingredients.

(Left) Roasted striped bass; (right) Pork crépinette

Dessert offered three options -- gasp! -- but the real treat was the cost. The tasting menu is always $40, excluding drinks, taxes and gratuity. Don't go for broke with the cocktails like we did, and two of you could get out of there for right around $100.

Take it easy and place yourself in Mike Isabella's competent hands. You won't be disappointed. 

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G by Mike Isabella

2201 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

The four-course Italian tasting menu changes weekly. Check online for that week's options.

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Dogwood Tavern: Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Whoever wrote that Cheers song was a sociological genius: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” And it’s true. Sometimes you want to get out of the house and go to a place where you know you will be greeted warmly. But in the D.C.- area, with high-end prices and even higher-end attitudes from serving staff and bartenders, it’s not always easy to find.

That’s why we were struck when the first time we went to Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church, the bartender asked our names. Gave us his as he leaned over the long wooden bar to shake our hands. And then remembered our names for subsequent visits! One female bartender almost got me in trouble. I went in with my husband and she smiled genuinely at me and said, “We haven’t seen you in awhile.” My husband raised an eyebrow and wondered how often was I frequenting the local tavern without him.

Once a month for lunch! I’d order tea!

Photo from Dogwood Tavern website

That’s the thing about Dogwood, aptly named a tavern with its brick walls, large fireplace and beautiful wood-beam ceiling. Regardless whether you’re there for a Saturday night free-for-all or a Tuesday salad and tea, they make you feel welcome. They make you feel at home.

“We live in the community; our customers are part of us,” said Paul Taylor, beverage director for Vintage Restaurant Group, which owns Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church, Rhodeside Grill in Clarendon and two other Arlington neighborhood bars. “We want to give good meals, good drinks and make people happy. That’s something we can really excel at where sometimes other people fail.”

I called Paul to ask him what his organization emphasized in making a great neighborhood bar. Getting to know their customers is one thing. So bartenders will always ask your name; go in, you can test it.

Click to see menu

They also work hard to provide something that will appeal to all of their potential customers. Falls Church is a land of working singles, families and higher-end wage earners; Dogwood offers bands on the weekend and sports viewing on big screen TVs for the young, large and comfy indoor and outdoor dining spaces for families, and a great selection of craft beers, cocktails made with small batch ingredients, and interesting daily meal specials to appeal to those looking for a higher-end experience.

“We’ve definitely strived to create a place where we want to go eat and drink,” Paul said. “We love that our employees will stick around after a shift and have a beverage; they’ve worked really hard to create a welcoming environment so why not stick around to enjoy it. At the end of the day, the customers become family.”

For a long time, we were just once-every-two-to-three-weeks customers. But we were made to feel like family. We’re rabid University of Kansas basketball fans, and the bartenders would always chat us up about that season’s potential. We were even bigger fans of an appetizer called Potatoskinadilla (Potato. Skin. Adilla. All the deliciousness of a potato skin – the bacon, chives, sour cream, soft bits of potato – stuck in a cheesy quesadilla and grilled to a crisp char on the outside. Yum). We bemoaned its demise when they took it off the menu, but whenever it’s a special, the bartenders bring it to our attention.

With the opening of a rooftop outdoor bar this spring, we became once-a-week regulars, grabbing a drink on a happy hour Friday or a lazy Sunday afternoon. That’s when we got to know the bartenders: Rachel, Drew, Mike, Cassandra. If anything speaks to the embrace Dogwood provides, it’s the fact the many of these bartenders have been here since its opening in 2008. Restaurants have an incredibly high turnover rate of 62 percent, but Dogwood has created a place where both staff and customers want to stay.

"There are a lot of places around that you can go to for a meal or a drink," Paul said. "When there’s that many choices, you need to have a level of service that goes above and beyond. That’s sort of our mission."

Mission accomplished. Thanks for giving us a place where everyone knows our names.

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Dogwood Tavern

132 West Broad St., Falls Church, VA 22046

In-Between Tip: On Monday, Sept. 8, Dogwood is inviting its customers to enjoy a whiskey event with Catoctin Creek Distillery, a Virginia whiskey-maker from Loudon County's Purcellville. Paul said he was particularly excited about the Peanut Old Fashioned they will have available. "What's more Virginia than Virginia peanuts and Virginia honey?"

To check out some beautiful drinks I've enjoyed at Dogwood Tavern, check out my Instagram feed or my Pinterest page.

Discover a Charlottesville Swimming Hole

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Blue Hole swimming hole at Sugar Hollow, outside of Charlottesville

"Swimming hole."

Did you feel that zing at those words? That promise of sunshine and frayed jean shorts and hidden trails through the woods? 

Okay, maybe not everyone gets as excited at labyrinthian adventures through the trees as I do, but when I stumbled upon info about the Blue Hole swimming hole at Sugar Hollow while researching a recent trip to Charlottesville, I got jazzed! We were going to celebrate the Big Kid's birthday, a kid who loves rock climbing and bug watching and forest exploring, and I couldn't imagine any way better to do it than by hiking to this pool in the woods.

The Drive

The drive getting there is its own little adventure. You can set your GPS for Sugar Hollow Road, but it won't get you all the way to the parking lot for the swimming hole.

1. Take Barracks Road northwest out of Charlottesville, driving on a two-lane road that rolls and weaves over beautiful horse country past stately black fences and tiny country stores with tons of character. Grab water and snacks for the hike at one of these charming stores.
2. Barracks Road turns into Garth Road.
3. Then here's the tricky part: At the Piedmont Store (exactly 11.0 miles from the intersection of 250 and Barracks Road, according to Google Maps), continue straight onto the lesser road of Sugar Hollow Road, and DO NOT take the swinging right turn onto Browns Gap Turnpike. This comes up fast and would be easy to miss. Look for the Piedmont Store, which you should drive past on your right.
4. Now you're good to go. You'll spend awhile time on a gravel road, passing country homes and camp retreats, until you get to the Sugar Hollow Dam and the Charlottesville Reservoir. Continue uphill on the narrow pitted road, past the tranquil reservoir with trout the size of my forearm (I'm not kidding; get out of the car and take a look), until you reach the sizable parking lot.

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View of the Charlottesville Reservoir from the Sugar Hollow Dam

The Hike

A swimming hole wouldn't be a swimming hole if there were pointed arrows and easy pathways to get to it. Apparently there is a well-maintained trail to a larger swimming hole known as Snake Hole. But that's not where we adventurers are heading.

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1. Stand in the middle of the lot with your back to the dam and reservoir behind you. Bramble and a small creek will be on your left. 
2. Cross through that bramble. You will see small pathways through it. Cross the creek. On the day we were there, the water was low enough that we could skip over on the rocks. 
3. Clamber up the embankment on the other side. At one spot of the embankment, there are stair-like rocks to make the clamber a little easier. 
4. An obvious pathway leading up the hill is on the other side. We had to climb over a downed tree to get to it on the day we were there. If you don't see the path at the top of the embankment, walk to the left for a bit. You'll run into it. 
5. Fortunately, once you're on the path, it's a straight 1.5-mile hike to Blue Hole. There's some uphill and stream crossing, but no turnoffs that could lead you to hiking around in circles.
6. You have to climb down from the path to reach Blue Hole, but there are several obvious paths down to it and the sounds of the small falls are unmistakable. You won't miss it.

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The Swimming Hole

That bracing water coming down from the Blue Ridge Mountains and roaring into Blue Hole is cold and clear, even near the end of July. Bring towels! And a friendly spirit. Looking for our own private adventure, we were disappointed when we climbed down to the swimming hole to see other people there. But soon, we were all joined in the renegade, swimming-hole spirit. There are a couple of large boulders perched on the side of Blue Hole that provide a 12-foot leap into the pool, and strangers shouted encouragement to reluctant leapers and cheered the ones courageous enough to go. (Note from a Mom: That pool is less than 10-feet deep. DO NOT DIVE!!!) There are pools and smaller falls above Blue Hole perfect for quieter moments away from the crowd. Or to indulge your explorer day dreams.

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Strangers quickly become compatriots at the swimming hole

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The big jump and the finish

Thank you to Adventures in Parenting, Healthy in Cville, and Hiking Upward for helping me figure out how to get to Blue Hole in the first place.

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In-Between Tip: A great place to fuel up before your hiking-and-swimming adventure is Ace Biscuit & Barbecue in Charlottesville, a tiny, brick hut that serves meat -- pulled pork, spare ribs, fried chicken, brisket -- over biscuits with lots of delicious sauces, fixings and sides to choose from. 

 

Want more fun outdoor ideas?

Help An Aspiring Filmmaker

Go to the IP Video Contest site to vote for Simon Lundquist 

As a parent, there is nothing more rewarding than when your children find their passion. It's wonderful to see this little person you have put all this time and energy into find the thing he wants to put all of his time and energy into. It also feels like an assurance that they will one day have a job. Bonus!

My son, Simon Lundquist, found his passion several years ago when he used an inexpensive digital camera to make a stop-action movie of a Playdough ball rolling around on his bed. The Playdough had googley-eyes, which he had to carefully move for every shot.

Since then, his movies have become more action-adventure-sci fi: lots of punching and crazed robots and magic typewriters and dystopian futures. But he's also a practical kid interested in becoming a working filmmaker, so recently he entered a video contest for the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation and became a finalist.

Here's where you come in: He needs votes to win. So I'm taking today's blog post to ask you to please go to the following site - http://www.ipvideocontest.com/?page_id=345 - and vote for him in the 13-15 category. If you're interested in voting in the 16-18 category as well, Simon recommends voting for Christian Surtz.

Thanks for your help with this. And please let me know when your child needs some online support. I'd love to return the favor.

Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners

The summer before my senior year in high school, a disreputable boy with long hair asked if he could put in a cassette tape as we drove God only knows where in my grey Chevy Cavalier. Out of my speakers came The Rolling Stones, who I associated with the music of my parents and therefore didn’t like. But these songs weren’t the mid-80s, feathered and puffy-shirted “Dancing in the Streets” version of Rolling Stones I thought I knew (You’re right, that was Mick’s fault.) These songs were interesting, lyrical, as dirty and soulful as they were heartbreaking and orchestral. I asked him if I could borrow this tape.

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That stifling hot summer, driving around the long, flat streets of Tulsa, Okla., flittering away time with my lovely, disreputable friends when I wasn’t working a 40-hour-a-week temp job, became defined by that tape. “Play With Fire,” “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Wild Horses,” all became the soundtrack for my last childhood summer, the summer before I turned 18. “Hot Rocks” the guy had written on the cassette label, further proving that this was the perfect summer tape. “Wow,” I thought, “He’s put together the best Rolling Stones mix ever.”

"Hot Rocks: 1964-1971" was the actual name of the album, a compilation and The Rolling Stone’s biggest selling album. I didn’t know this until years later. If you can’t laugh at your 18-year-old self, then you’re doing it wrong.

As we squeeze out the last bits of fun of this last month of summer, I figured it would be a good time to put together a Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners to help us all remember that time in our lives when we stayed out late, slept in long and never wore sunscreen. Songs don’t hit me as powerfully as they once did, but they can still transport. A great song can make the sun shine a little bit brighter, can make me smile a little wider and can remind me of that kid in that car that heard that mind-blowing album for the first time.

Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners

Click cassette below to play

WARNING: There is an inherent lustiness to summer, with all the heat and exposed skin, and an inherent heat to summer songs. Songs with a (*) may not be kid appropriate.

1. The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
2. *Kings of Leon - Four Kicks (Heirs to The Rolling Stones, this entire album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, their second, is a a fantastic summer listen, an ode to young boys hanging out of trucks with their hormones flapping around them.)
3. TLC - No Scrubs (A great Nineties ode to the girls who refused to respond to the boys hanging out of trucks with their hormones hanging around them.)

4. Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something (Favorite line: “There’s a time for every star.”)

5. Liz Phair - Polyester Bride (Song about sitting at a bar jawing with the bartender. What could be more summery than that?)

6. Rufus & Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good

7. Jarabe De Palo - Bonito (And what’s the good thing you want to be told? That everything is beautiful, bonito.)

8. Justin Timberlake - Senorita (The next grouping of songs sound like they're performed at some sweaty club or house party.)

9. Beastie Boys - Live at P.J.'s

10. *Pink - God is a DJ (Favorite line: “God wants you to shake your ass.” I believe that.)

11. *Prince - Housequake (This album, Sign of the Times, is Prince’s masterpiece and another one that I have on rotation all summer.)

12. Sly & the Family Stone - Dance to the Music ("Get on up, and dance to the music.")

13. The Goat Rodeo Sessions - Here and Heaven (Haunting, yet rousing song from awesome collaboration of Yo-Yo Ma and some great bluegrass musicians.)

14. Sam Cooke - Summertime (I know, this one just seems too obvious. But, you see, I was introduced to it in the summertime. By this boy. He would do push ups on concrete blocks. Ahh…summertime.)

15. Sam Sparro - Black and Gold

16. Morphine - Super Sex (I don’t know if it was summertime when a cute guy - who's now my husband - gave me this song on a mixtape. But I know it was hot.)

17. Stevie Wonder - I Was Made to Love Her (Stevie personifies summer to me.)

18. Elton John - Amoreena

19. Everclear - Santa Monica

20. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire ("We used to dream now we worry about dying. I don’t want to worry about dying. I just want to worry about those sunshine girls.”)

21. The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper (I couldn't resist. Let's all sing it together: "What a drag it is getting old.")

What do you like to listen to in the summer? What song or album brings youthful summer memories rushing back? Please tell me about your favorite songs in the comment section below or on my Facebook page.