Lehigh Valley InSite

4:15am is no time to be awake. Even the birds don’t start chirping until around 5:00am. But yesterday I found myself reaching for my alarm at that ungodly hour for a really fun reason. Philadelphia’s Fox 29’s Good Day morning show was broadcasting its “Jenny On Your Block” segment in Lehigh Valley, specifically Allentown.

When you get a phone call from a news reporter wanting to feature your area you could just recommend places they should visit, or you can coordinate a mini street fair to welcome them. Kim Lilly, our Executive VP contacted Mike Drabenstott of Allentown’s West End Alliance and together they coordinated a very early morning celebration featuring Allentown’s West End Theatre District.

Point Phillips Hotel

Finally! After waiting for years the Point Phillips Hotel is once again open. I was there for dinner during its first week and can honestly say it was well worth the wait.

When I moved to Point Phillips, a small Lehigh Valley village just five miles north of Bath back in 1994 the hotel was nothing but an old, extremely run down local watering hole. The years since then were not kind as the former owner never put a dime into the building. When word got out that Dan Tanczos sold his beer distributor business to buy the hotel our friends and neighbors couldn’t wait to see what he’d to with the place.

When asked what we do here at Discover Lehigh Valley I often answer, “We sell fun”. That’s over simplification, but you get the idea. We want everyone to know all the cool things there are to see and do in our great region.

Others who are charged with sharing their knowledge of the area are the fine folks at our PennDot Keystone Welcome Centers. Last Thursday I had the pleasure of escorting Kathy and Abeda on a “mini-familiarization” tour and duplicated the tour on Friday for Anne, April, Johnnie and Chris.

list

My colleagues here at Discover Lehigh Valley love to post their “Top 5” or “Top 10” lists of favorite foods. Let’s see there’s Kaitie with her mac & cheese and Ryan’s pizza post. That one’s been done a couple times. Apparently there are some strong opinions on pizza around here. Burgers, wings, beers…you name it, we’ve listed it.

March Madness Picnic Tote

March Madness Picnic Tote

I remember when March was the stepchild of the calendar. It didn’t have gift-giving holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day or picnics and parties like Independence Day or Halloween.

Fabulous Flappers

Did you ever think about what era you’d like to live in if not the present? For me I think it’s the Roaring Twenties. I love Jazz music as well as the Art Deco designs found in buildings, lamps and accessories of the time. If I were in my twenties back then I definitely would have been considered a “Flapper”.

That’s why I was excited to attend the opening party of “Fabulous Flappers” at the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley earlier this month. I was never exactly sure where the term “Flapper” came from but figured it had to do with the dresses they wore. I was close. According to information I picked up at the exhibit, the article of clothing that flapped was unbuckled galoshes the non-conforming free spirits of the day sported. It was a way to defy convention, like when kids wore overalls with one strap unhooked in the 90s. (You know who you are)

Ocean Spray is here

Last week I had the opportunity to do one of the most enjoyable parts of my job, telling people who will be moving here all the fun things there are to do in Lehigh Valley. I was asked to participate in the Ocean Spray Relocation Fair since their aging distribution plant in Bordentown, NJ will be relocating to a brand new facility in Macungie, PA.

The George Wolf Historical Society in Bath

We all know Lehigh Valley is steeped in history, what with the Moravians in Bethlehem and Nazareth (in no particular order) the Liberty Bell being stored in Allentown, and the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Easton but there is a lot more history all throughout the valley. Lucky for us dedicated volunteers spend countless hours to preserve the stories and buildings for future generations.

Case in point: The George Wolf Historical Society in Bath. I was aware they existed but hadn’t actually gone to any of their events until recently. As is often the case it was our friend, Al Rauber, who moved to the valley that suggested we attend a talk he was giving there on his investigations of the Lizzie Borden home.

Keystone Welcome Center

Back on November 27th I received this e-mail from April at the Keystone Welcome Center at Lehigh Valley:

Hi Nancy, Can you please do us a BIG favor, and see if you can locate a local business to come in the Welcome Center and decorate for Christmas? I don’t know where to start and you always have a way of getting things done. Thanks April

patti bags notepad

I have to admit…I envy people who shop for Christmas presents all year long, especially those boasting about having everything wrapped as they sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. (You know who you are!) Do they even remember what they bought or are they as surprised as the person getting the gift when it comes time for opening?

This year I did get an early start, December 1st to be exact. My friend Donna (new to Lehigh Valley) and I made it a girl’s day out and headed to the indimade craft market held at the Starlite Ballroom in Allentown. This was my first time attending but they’ve been holding this event for five years. I’ll definitely make sure to go again. This isn’t your “old people sitting in a nursing home knitting sweaters with three arms” kind of craft fair. The vendors all had really cool merchandise, funky re-purposed gift items and, of course, displays of very clever works of art where all you can do is say “why didn’t I think of that?”