After nearly a week at home with a nasty sinus infection, I was feeling better and ready to get out of the house on Sunday, so I went to lunch at the Chicken Lounge in Allentown.
It’s been at least five years since I’ve been to the Chicken Lounge. Two things I noticed right off the bat was 1) [...]

It’s hard to tell from the outside of the spaceship inspired structure what Playthings, etc on Route 8 just north of Butler sells. Spaceships? Proton Packs? Alien abduction protection kits?

Once you get your courage up to get through the “blast doors” leading inside, you find that this independently owned store might just live up to [...]

So the Lehigh Valley is covered in snow, which reminds me of the first time I tried skiing. I was in 7th grade when I signed up to go on a ski trip with my church youth group to Bear Creek Mountain Resort (although back then it was called Doe Mountain). As we pulled up to the base [...]

Last night I braved a snowstorm to have dinner at Mimi’s in Huntingdon (To be honest, I was just chauffeured by someone else who was more confident in driving in the snow.) Huntingdon is a little bit out of the way from my home base of Hollidaysburg, but for a special night out at [...]

One of our favorite winter family outings is to Chambersburg’s Ice Fest in late January. It’s a four-day event, but we usually just spend Saturday evening there because we have toddlers. I’m looking forward to our kids being older, so we can enjoy the other events (live carving, chili cook-off, performances at the Capitol Theatre).
This [...]

I’m not sure who said we were gonna get this snow and what was going on with winter this year, whether it was our winter guru from his underground lair or his new buddy strutin’ around the farm yard — if you’re not hanging in Punxsutawney you’re missing out — but, sa-wweeeet!
Actually, your and my [...]

In the last week, a good portion of Pennsylvania has seen a significant amount of snowfall. While the snow can be pretty, it can also mean that you become stuck in your own home for days at a time while waiting to be plowed out. And, while the first couple of hours can be fun, [...]

Just off I-78 on Hamilton Boulevard is Hunan Springs, the fanciest Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been to and home to what I consider to be the best Asian food in Lehigh Valley.
Aside from the variety, quality and presentation of the food, what really sets Hunan Springs apart is the atmosphere. The building is a huge old farmhouse [...]

Enjoying winter weather can be challenging, especially if you’re stuck inside because of the temperatures. Not to worry. In Northeastern Pennsylvania, there’s one event that’s cooler than cool – and I’m not just talking about the temperature.
The Clarks Summit Festival of Ice will take place February 11-15, 2010, encompassing both President’s Day Weekend and Valentine’s [...]

I’m always a pushover for a great used book store, and Downtown Lancaster certainly has one in DogStar Books on West Chestnut Street. They offer a wide selection of titles, the overall condition of which is very good and quite affordable (most books range from $5 to $25 in price). At the same time, they [...]