Pennsylvania (PA)
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Fall 2022
This trip we stayed 2 nights in Philly and walked over to the Wells Fargo Center for the My Chemical Romance concert. It has been rescheduled TWICE due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-21. We last saw them 15 years ago in Maryland and at this concert they performed songs from all their albums.
We went a day earlier to visit the Valley Forge National Historical Park, there is a driving tour (10-mile) to visit 9 stops around the encampment area, including George Washington’s headquarters and other monuments.
I also discovered Raising Cane’s on the map by accident and didn’t realize it has migrated to the east coast, so we swung through Temple University to grab some tenders and fries to go – I first had them in Texas and was excited to see they are nearby because their tenders are so delicious!
We quickly grabbed three Famous 4th cookies and Spataro’s cheesesteak with whiz and onions at the Reading Terminal. Remember to ask for a sticker validation if you spend more than $10 at a vendor and then you only have to pay $4 for the first 2 hrs in the Hilton garage. It was pretty hectic for Sunday lunch time so we ate in the car since there weren’t any seats to eat inside!
We stopped by the Mutter Museum (1-1.5 hr visit). We also stumbled across a Carlo’s Bakery leaving the city so we decided to grab a lobster tail and spinach/feta croissant before checking into the hotel. Lobster tail was just as crispy and delicious as we remembered (back in Hoboken, NJ when we first had it). We stayed in the Navy Yard area and ordered carryout from Cafe Nhan (pho and lemongrass chicken dish) for dinner.
The next morning, we went by The Bagel Place for breakfast and walked around the area (although there was construction and dust by the big ships). Our friends picked us up for lunch at Dim Sum Garden in Chinatown, it wasn’t as expected but the soup dumplings were decent. It was a bummer they do not take cards and actually pricey for their food! We swung by an Asian bakery for some egg tarts and buns (cash only), along with some cake slices from A La Mousse (oddly their credit machine was down, so we had to pay cash or use Venmo).
I had made a reservation and made sure they took credit card. It was such a nicer experience than lunch place. The food at Sang Kee Peking Duck House were delicious AND the price was reasonable. I would come back if I’m in the area.
We picked up 2 boxes of Raising Cane’s for munching after the concert. It was a 20 min walk from hotel to the center, luckily no rain! We got to our seats just in time for MCR to come on stage. They played 19 songs, including encore and then gladly walked back to the hotel instead of getting stuck in the car/parking lot.
The next morning, we checked out and swung by the Independence Hall VC to pick up stamps and I quickly ran through the Liberty Bell‘s building for pictures. I didn’t recall gong through security check to enter the building.
We met with our friends for brunch at Reading Terminal where we tried half dozen of Amish Beiler’s donuts, hand dipped corndog and garlic cheese curds, and split a brisket sub with a friend.
Just before we left the area, we got 2 egg tarts at Mayflower Bakery (cash only) and stopped by Paris Baguette but we didn’t buy anything. We already ate a lot of carbs this trip and ached to go home for homecooked meals.
Summer 2019
This trip we had just traveled from Canada > NY and made our way through Pittsburgh, PA. We drove through the city, spotting old steel buildings, hence the “Steelers” football team got their name.
We drove by Heinz stadium, right across from Mr. Rogers statue by the waters. There was a game going on at the baseball stadium, people were pre-gaming on their boats.
We skipped the Duquesne incline ride up to the Observation Deck and drove straight there.
Dinner was at Primanti Bros. restaurant & bar downtown, the street was empty for a Saturday night, perhaps they were all at the game! We split a pastrami & cheese sandwich, stuffed with fries and coleslaw inside it.
One last stop before checking in the hotel, we drove up the famous 37° steep cobblestone road (Canton Ave) and felt the car was going to fall apart!
We stayed the night in Mt. Lebanon and was able to get away with free parking at night (instead of risking street parking overnight and getting a ticket).
In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then swung by a french bakery (La gourmandine) for snacks to eat on our last hiking destination before going home. There was a little line but everything smelled so heavenly, we got some croissants and bacon baguette to go!
Tips:
- May have mentioned in another page, use hotel reward points if you have enough and know the reward policies (earn or use points by certain time frame)
- Use Yelp app and forums to help locate unique food from that region
- Be flexible, you may not get to all itinerary items but know what are your must do’s (as you may not return to the region ever). You also need to gauge how your body feels, don’t overdo it!
Spring 2019
This trip I took the Amtrak train into Philly with my co-workers, the ride was tolerable and I was surprised how lax they were about it versus the security for flights. We attended and presented at a UPenn conference, with the support of my leadership. It was a back-to-back day of attending different sessions throughout the day with breakfast and lunch served. We enjoyed a “real” cheesesteak and cheesy fries at Steve’s Prince of Steaks restaurant nearby.
Since we booked a later train, we grabbed a drink at a bar around the corner and then walked 15 minutes to the train station. The ride was actually terribly hot. It could be the open and closing of the doors at each station, drinking earlier and perhaps just not a strong AC system. I was miserable and couldn’t wait to get off.
Tips:
- Pick the times that work best for you, compare the prices (some are more expensive because it is an express train but make sure it makes a stop where you need to get off).
- Always pack an emergency bill (cash on hand) when traveling. For example, the cheesesteak place was cash only. Although they had an ATM machine inside, most banks charge a fee to withdraw money elsewhere.
- Pack layers and water when you are out so you can save money and also be comfortable to add/strip layers to be comfortable.
Spring 2019
This trip we took a mini-break after my master’s graduation to explore the Poconos area in PA. A long drive and we checked in the hotel before going out for drinks at the Social Still (paid street parking). An old bank converted into a distillery, it was unique and chill. We tried some of the specialty cocktails first, then tried a flight of their white witch, smooch, gin, and bourbon. I would not recommend drinking on an empty stomach!
We stayed a night in Allentown/Bethlehem with our Marriott rewards and got fresh cookies, water and popcorn! Bethlehem was once the second-largest steel producer in the US, so you can see the old building structures of factories and furnaces.
It seemed odd to have a giant Sands casino/hotel right next to the steel factory and a wrestling show that night (so a lot of people were filing into the hotel). We stopped by several stores attached to Sands, e.g. Beef jerky outlet (french onion flavored jerky) and a lobster tail from Carlos’ bakery.
We called in a dinner order of gyro platter (with fries and salad) from nostos restaurant nearby to eat back at the hotel. The restaurant was pretty quiet for a Thur night, the staff was just eating in plain sight when I was picking up. We rested up for the night as it was a very long day with graduation that very morning.
The next morning, I read that one of my researched trails to hike (Glen Onoko falls) was closed permanently a few days before due to safety concerns. We were bummed but drove to the next trail instead (Delaware Water Gap NRA) on our itinerary. The staff confirmed what I already knew and stated there might be a possible rain storm later. We started on our hike at the base of Mt Tammany (3.5 miles) – see hiking directions and it was uphills with rocks!! There were many overlooks to stop at, we let others pass us who were faster and others would let us pass them if they were slower.
The infamous Delaware water gap view 🙂 as showcased on top of this page!
We had just made it to the top when it started to “rain” big drops and clothes got cold/damp as we hiked down the mountain. Luckily, the trees blocked some of the rain as we descended and crossed a bridge to return to the car from another trail. I believe there was a storm recently, hence the trees were all over the place and fallen over the waters.
We did encounter a giant snake on a log and some caterpillars in a tent (I just looked it up, Eastern Tent Caterpillar are actually a pest!) Yikes!
We drove north of the gap to check out two more falls since our first falls trail was closed.
1) Dingmans Falls: 2nd highest waterfall in state, 130ft. It was a super green and moist attraction with free parking. We passed by Silverthread falls before we saw a roaring falls at the end of the boardwalk trail.
A short clip of the falls (water can be powerful)…
2) Raymondskill Falls: Tallest waterfall in PA, it is a series of 3 cascading waterfalls. Another lush and green scenery on the boardwalk trail to different platforms to view this waterfall.
We checked in the next hotel and got bumped to a suite room as the wedding parties were also checking in that evening so they didn’t have our original room available. We ate dinner at Pocono Pub & Grill down the street, where we enjoyed dinner and drinks on their patio with the sunshine.
The next day we went to NYC so you can follow our adventures on my NYC page!
Tips:
- Weigh out the pro/cons for paying with your hotel reward points or pay the rate
- Be prepared for weather changes when you are out (e.g. rain storm during a hike)
- Ask visitor center staff and read forums before you start your hikes if there are any closures and/or changes that you should be aware of
Fall 2017
This trip we went to the PA Renn Faire in Manheim, PA, for the first time. We have been to the Maryland Renaissance Festival a bunch of times and wanted to see what other states’ fairs were like. Here are some of the pros and cons, as compared to the MD renn fest.
Pros
- Booking tickets online (save a little money), similar prices but it does go one more weekend more than MD
- Better shows and games
- Different drinks, ample locations, shorter lines
- Bigger fairground, less crowded
- Awesome fall decors (it may be because of the Halloween themed weekend)
Cons
- 1hr 45 min drive
- Horrible quality of food!
They opened at 11a, we didn’t get there till 130p. The first thing was to obtain a map and drinks while we watched the different shows. Their drink menu was a little different, lots of flavored cider (frosted cranberry, pumpkin, blueberry, salted caramel).
The food choice and quality were terrible but we had to eat something: shepard pie, mac cheese, chicken tender/chips, loaded fries with bacon and some fresh strudels (that at least were warm out of the oven). Hehe – we spotted Queen Cersei and King Joffrey in line…
We did see an interesting game “Battle your friends” where you put on protective gear and try to spar the other person with a wooden “sword”.
We enjoyed the wenches show, the usual fire/knife show (the whip part was different – see video above) and didn’t stay long enough for the jousting show (they did sword show but saved the jousting for the end of the day).
It was getting late/dark so we headed home, stopping by a pho restaurant to fill and warm ourselves up. Unfortunately, the drive is too long and boring to return in the future, since the MD festival is closer. I hate that it is way more packed and smaller. You can read more about it on the Maryland page.
Tips:
- Book tickets online once ensuring weather forecast is decent
- Bring cash just in case to avoid ATM fees
- Wear comfortable but not too nice shoes as it is typically dirt and gravel paths around the grounds
Summer 2010
This was a day trip where I wanted to try a cheesesteak, so we went to Philly for the infamous Philly Cheesesteaks at Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks. We ordered at Geno’s first, I didn’t know to add the cheese whiz so it was just plain sub with meat in it!! I should have at least gotten Provolone, but I didn’t know any better and there was a line behind me so I was getting anxious when he asked if I wanted whiz!! I was like what is whiz!? (no need to even show you the picture of the actual cheesesteak.. haha). We walked across the street to compare the cheesesteaks at Pat’s – it was underwhelming. The fries were decent though.
We also swung by to see the Liberty Bell and other buildings. We drove by the Rocky Balboa training steps, Chinatown, and the Philadelphia Eagles stadium.
But, that was the extent of this trip. I was not entirely dazzled by what Philly had to offer. Maybe I should have planned the itinerary a bit better.
1990s
This trip I went to PA with my family to visit the touristy sites. For example, the Liberty Bell and maybe a museum. I really don’t remember much else as a kid. Too bad, I’ll have to look for pictures at my parents’ house.