Lehigh Valley InSite

One Tough Chick!

With Mother’s Day this Sunday, I felt it was appropriate to give my top five reasons (because 100 you wouldn’t read) why I love my mother.

A Lehigh Valley transplant by way of Scranton, PA, I was lucky enough to marry a great Lehigh Valley (actually a Hokendauqua) girl. And with that marriage came a beautiful mother-in-law. So let’s make this two top 5 lists, one for Mom and one for MIL (mother-in-law).

Carnegie Deli Pastrami

As lunch draws near, I decided to enlighten Lehigh Valley on one of America’s lunch time staples. No not pizza, burgers or fried chicken, but the deli sandwich. Yes, I’m here to tell you on my top five deli’s Lehigh Valley has to offer you.

Heritage Mural in Bangor, Pennsylvania

In the wake of yesterday tragedy in Boston, I’d like to share with you a list of five beautiful Lehigh Valley streetscapes. All of which have been created by individuals and groups who put their talents and time to a much more positive use.

It’s a shame that these senseless events continue to haunt our world and cause such harm to innocent men, women and children. Please continue to stay positive Lehigh Valley. I hope these masterpieces bring a smile to your face today. So without further ado, and in no particular order of importance . . .

Lehigh Valley Pet Peeves

All too often I hear way more negative things about Lehigh Valley then I’d like, especially for a guy who has a career in tourism. Sure, we have our fair share of issues, not unlike many regions and cities our size, but we have a lot of great attractions, restaurants, arts, and cultural events that make our geographic location, in my opinion, second to none.

So here are my top five pet peeves and my discouragement of them.

Mural in Downtown Bangor

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to tour the boroughs of the Slate Belt consisting of Pen Argyl, Portland, Wind Gap, Roseto, East Bangor and Bangor. I know . . . I know . . . if you have lived in Lehigh Valley for any period of time I’m sure you have a joke to tell. And, I would be no different as I probably have told the same joke and had the same response to the area. But I’m here to happily say perception isn’t reality.

Fratzola's Pizzeria

With lent kicking off this past Friday, the time has come to strike up the conversation that people seem to get so passionate about. Who has the best pizza in Lehigh Valley? Well folks I’m here to tell you.

What makes me an expert you may ask? Being a native of the Scranton area (Blakely exactly) I have had the privilege of some of the greatest pizza in the world.  For anyone who disagrees, even the nationally known Parade Magazine did a feature on the best pizza being found in Old Forge, Pa last year.

Abigail Greenplate (age 10), guest blogger extraordinaire

This past Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday to be exact), I had the opportunity to pass the hours leading up to the big game by taking my sister-in-law’s family and ours to Bear Creek Mountain Resort & Conference Center for a fun morning of snow tubing. It’s not often I find myself on a mountain in frigid temperatures at 8:30 a.m., but the things you do for your child, niece and nephew.

Thanks to Megan, Bear Creek’s Marketing Coordinator, we were afforded the luxury of this great day. The conditions were great, the crowd was pleasant, and the laughs we shared made the day perfect. So perfect in fact, that my niece felt compelled to tell the tale of the day’s events in her own words. So without further ado, here is Abigail Greenplate (age 10), guest blogger extraordinaire . . .

Easton's Peace Candle

As we get back into the swing of a new year, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the things that made and make the holiday season great in Lehigh Valley.

5. Christkindlmarkt. Where else can you find such one-of-kind items that are so carefully crafted?

Tilted Kilt

As we enter 2013, I decided to compile yet another list of things that are often overlooked in Lehigh Valley. Sure we have the Sands® Casino Resort Bethlehem, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom along with The Crayola Experience™ and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but this blog is giving the proverbial “shout out” to the smaller players that make our area so unique. So without further ado here are 10 places that I’m making a point to visit over the course of the year.

10. Dutch Springs Aqua Park – A real treat for those warm summer days.

Peace Be With You!

A little over a week ago the annual Bethlehem Christmas City Classic and Candy Cane road race was held. This race is always a special day, not so much for the layout of the course but the festive feel that the race emanates. From the runners dressed in Christmas attire– to the spectators offering hot chocolate and some adult libations –this is a fun run.

After the race was over I had the opportunity to gather with a few friends to celebrate the race and welcome in the holidays. We chose Sette Luna in Easton. If you haven’t been to center city Easton in a while I’d recommend checking it out. Offering some exciting restaurants like the aforementioned Sette Luna, Ocean and the all new Maxim’s 22 along with unique shops like Forgotten Treasure Chest, Ingridable Design, and the famous Crayola Store the city is seeing resurgence.