Lehigh Valley InSite

Lego train display

I had the opportunity over the Christmas holiday to take my wife and son, Noah, to America On Wheels. We have been there in the past, but to experience the museum during the holiday season was special. Noah couldn’t wait to get to the museum to see the train displays. He was amazed, especially with the Lego train display.

It’s a special moment to see the joy and excitement in a child’s eye particularly when it’s yours. Children sure are fascinated with trains, and in actuality my wife and I were equally captivated with the Lego train display as well.

Dragon and Phoenix

Contrary to Kyle Broflofski (from South Park), it’s not that hard to be a Jew on Christmas. In my family, we have one simple tradition and over the years I’ve come to find out that it’s may not just be our family tradition, it may be a Jewish tradition. It’s simple enough, whether or not Hanukkah or Channukah falls on Christmas, we’ll be eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant. This year was the same as last year, which was the same as the year before, we ate at Hunan Springs.

We three Jews of Allentown are, eating Chinese on Christmas. (That rhyme not working so much). So the three of us usually get two entrees to split as well as appetizers and soup. This year went according to script. Sweet and Sour soups all around and Egg Rolls for two of us … nothing too fancy.

Christkindlmarkt 2011

I was having a little trouble getting into the holiday spirit this year so I was glad when Don’s sister Joan and her husband George decided to come up for a December weekend in Lehigh Valley. I’ve been talking about doing most of my Christmas shopping at Christkindlmarkt for years, so of course that would be on our agenda.

We planned on a leisurely dinner at home Friday night since it is a two hour drive from their home in New Jersey. Saturday we left our house relaxed and ready for a full day of activities. Christkindlmarkt was packed, but I have to say everyone was in good spirits, politely yielding to parents with strollers heading to have their children’s pictures taken with St. Nick. Joan was really impressed with the quality of the vendor’s crafts and left with quite a few bags of gifts.

Happy New Year!

From all of us here at Discover Lehigh Valley, we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanza, Happy New Year, Happy Festivus and whatever holiday it is that your family may be celebrating this season.

We have an exciting year coming up in 2012, with Lehigh County celebrating its 200th Anniversary and the city of Allentown celebrating its 250th Anniversary. Stay tuned for all the exciting events that will be taking place, starting this New Year’s Eve with the 250th Anniversary Kick Off Party at the Holiday Inn on 9th & Hamilton. There will also be a free outdoor event featuring fire dancers, ice carving and the bell drop at midnight.

Prime Steak House

This past week, the staff here at Discover Lehigh Valley went out for our annual holiday party. The location chosen was Prime Steak House in Bethlehem, a steakhouse with a very inviting atmosphere and some delicious cuts of meat. Since we were dining at Prime, I had to go with the prime rib … medium rare, of course. It broke my heart to see a few of my coworkers ordering their steaks well and medium well, but apparently they prefer to have the flavor cooked out of their steaks!

We were able to enjoy a delicious meal with plenty of laughs and stories to be told. It’s truly special to work somewhere where my coworkers and I can have a great time and enjoy each other’s company, especially out of the office and after hours.

The Muppets

The best gift of all is time. Obviously, you’re not going to give someone a gift of three hours. But then again, maybe you can. For the holidays this year I treated my mother to a trip to the movies in Lehigh Valley. I didn’t give her a gift card to the movies, but instead I picked her up and took her to the movies. We saw The Muppets at the Tilghman 8.

It was better than good, great even. But I’ve promised myself not to give out spoilers, so I’ll leave it at this. Jason Segel wrote a very good script and I’m happy that he was the one chosen to resurrect The Muppets. And there was a buzz about an upcoming movie when they did Bohemian Rhapsody and Beaker’s Ballad.

the wives

This past weekend I had the opportunity to experience the Christmas City first hand during the holiday season. My wife and I decide to run the Christmas City Classic with a bunch of friends. It always amazes me to see the spirit in runners. From the beginners to the most advanced, the amount of pride is enormous when one finishes their run.

After the run was over the real fun was about to commence (why do that entire run if you can’t celebrate a little). We chose the Bethlehem Brew Works for lunch where we became like old fishermen. We began telling stories of the run, and how if we did this and that we could have saved a minute here or there. As the libations grew so did the tales.

Ugly Sweater

It’s that time of year folks, the time of cheer, the hustle and bustle of shopping, exchanging presents with friends and family….and looking at some folks only to smile and say “what the heck are they wearing?!” Yes, it’s time for ugly holiday sweaters! To help celebrate the holiday season and give people a night off from shopping and the hysteria, I host an Annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Bar Crawl.

This year was my second time hosting the annual ugly holiday sweater bar crawl (I know it’s a mouth full). This amazing event takes place on SouthSide Bethlehem where several of us frolic through the streets in what are sure to be the most hideous tops you’ve seen in a while.

Penn's Peak

Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight baby! That’s what I did at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, just north of Lehigh Valley.

It was Elektrik Company’s Boogie to the Disco Show, a first time at the Peak and hopefully not their last. The band had nine members in all and each one was dressed to play the part of getting their disco groove on.

Molinari's

I, for one, could never understand why people order a pasta dish at a restaurant. As a side dish … maybe, but as an entrée? Can’t you buy a box of pasta for around a buck? Slap on some sauce and you can feed a family for under $10.

I recently had a change of heart. I ate lunch at one of Lehigh Valley’s newest restaurants, Molinari’s, which just opened on E. Third Street in Bethlehem. I stopped in when they were still renovating the former Steel Mill Grill & Bar and had the privilege of meeting Chef Marco Carrozza, who is also the General Manager. Fran Molinari, the restaurant’s owner, was lucky to find a chef with such great experience.