Lehigh Valley InSite

happy mother's day

Ok, I admit it. I’m the mother of an 18 year old. I find that hard to believe because I really don’t feel that old. I still remember putting him on the kindergarten bus and yet next month he will be graduating from high school. It brings both tears of sadness and joy to my eyes. For those of you who think it’s over once your kid turns 18, ummm, let me tell you, it’s far from over. It may be a new chapter, but their need for their parents is probably just beginning, especially the way the world is today.

So, with Mother’s Day coming up this weekend and my son taking on a new chapter of his life, I’m thinking my time is coming for some awesome “payback” gifts to come. Not that his handmade cards and gifts weren’t the best. I’ve loved each and every one of them and still have plenty of them around the house. I would love even more just spending some quality time with him. I’m lucky if I get a, “hi mom” out of him anymore. It’s usually, “I need money.” Oh the joys of motherhood!

Cask Beer Festival

This past Saturday, I attended the Great Allentown Brew Works Cask Beer Festival with my brother / fellow beer aficionado, Bill. There were about 30 limited edition cask varieties available, many of which were brewed especially for this event. I’d estimate that there were a few hundred people enjoying the samples, and we had some great conversations with other beer lovers and home brewers from Lehigh Valley.

Allentown Brew Works did a great job involving local Pennsylvania breweries, including Weyerbacher, Victory, Yards, Prism and SlyFox, among other notable breweries from across the country. If I had to decide my favorite cask conditioned ale, I’d have to say it was definitely the Scotch Ale from Bethlehem Brew Works. I think…

Sushi at Ichiban

My old college roommates and I couldn’t wait to get together for a girls only weekend, so I immediately jumped into planning mode. Being close to nightlife, shopping, and food were a must, and since I’m getting familiar with Lehigh Valley, why not bring it to Bethlehem?

The Comfort Suites Bethlehem seemed like the best option, and thanks to their help, we had a great suite with two queen beds, a sitting area, and a fridge and microwave (thank goodness, because I am the queen of leftovers). It was spacious, our beds were comfortable, and the front desk attendants were more than welcoming. Just a little tip: the hotel has hot breakfast, allows furry friends, and has a free shuttle to Sands Casino.

Sitting Area

I’m always looking for creative ways to show my valentine how much I love him (and how awesome I am), so this year, I decided to take him on a weekend long getaway in Lehigh Valley. There’s nothing more romantic than a bed and breakfast, and the Lafayette Inn in Easton seemed like just the place. I spent a few weeks planning, so naturally something had to go wrong. It turned out we wouldn’t be able to check in until after 1 am, but after a frantic phone call, someone calmly assured me that it was no trouble.

She gave me the front door code, left our key and a lovely note on the table, and we were set. Everything was gorgeous of course, from the parlor to the grand staircase. Our room, Room 10, even had its own fireplace, perfect for a chilly weekend. The huge bathroom and soaking tub in that room is described as “every girl’s dream”, and that is 100% correct, as I dreamed about it for probably a week before arriving.  Even better, there was hot breakfast every morning and a wine and cheese reception every afternoon.

View from the top of Bear Creek

This past weekend in Lehigh Valley was perfect; mainly because of the weather, but also because my wife and I didn’t have any plans. This gave us the opportunity to plan a getaway in our own backyard at the Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie.

Over the past several years we have visited Bear Creek many times to take advantage of their hiking trails, outdoor recreation and restaurants. However, this time we were going to combine all three of them with a stay at their gorgeous hotel and an Oktoberfest.

Stay & Investigate Ghost Hunting Guide Book

The children have ventured back to school throughout Lehigh Valley and the air has become brisk. October is upon us and that means the month of ghouls and goblins and Halloween. Discover Lehigh Valley has just launched a brand new Stay & Investigate program that highlights haunted and “true life” horror stories throughout Lehigh Valley.

Check out LehighValleyHaunt.com for a list of the areas creepy locations including Museum of Indian Culture, Wydnor Hall and Buckeye Tavern to name a few. If you are traveling to the area to take in this experience you are going to need more than a day so we have you covered. From the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Breingsville to the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Easton, you will find a convenient place to stay throughout Lehigh Valley.

No. 9 Coal Mine Hospital

This past Wednesday I took a driving tour of locations in and around Lehigh Valley that are to be featured in our newest Stay & Save deal for visitors called “Stay & Investigate”. With the long history of inhabitants in Lehigh Valley, there’s bound to be a few accounts of paranormal / haunted activity in some of these buildings (many of which date back to the 17th century).

A few locations in particular caught my attention; the Old Jail Museum in Jim Thorpe and the No. 9 Mine & Museum in Lansford. Unfortunately, the Old Jail Museum is closed on Wednesdays but I still got a few nice photos of the exterior and got to visit the beautiful town of Jim Thorpe. Upon leaving, I headed west to the No. 9 Mine to get there in time for the last tour.

IMG_6028

Nowadays it seems that every channel you turn on the TV has some sort of ghost show being featured, doesn’t it? Some of them feature human experiences and others may be animals that have had these types of paranormal experiences. Overall, some of those programs just really fascinate me. I have seen a few that had Lehigh Valley venues featured which really got me thinking, so I decided to take a step back and really dig into what there is here. I found that there are over 80 locations that have either documented proof of a spirit, or a horrific story behind the location, such as an Indian massacre.

This piqued my curiosity that there were so many stories so I decided to check one of them out for myself. The Sun Inn in Historic Downtown Bethlehem was featured on one of the shows I had watched so I thought this would be a great location to start my own investigation.

Winter at lafayette

Don and I celebrated Valentine’s Day a little early this year with an overnight stay at The Lafayette Inn on College Hill in Easton.

For years I’ve been promoting Lehigh Valley Inns and Bed & Breakfasts at trade shows, pointing out how you can enjoy a getaway without having to travel far. Seeing how relaxed Debbie was after her recent  ”stay-cation” I decided it was our turn.

Glasbern

Within each of you is a power, a Cosmic Force, everything bears a relationship to every other thing and to the Infinite Spirit. We are all part of the one great Universal Whole.

Wow, I sound like Shirley Maclaine! Ok, let me begin … last year we attended the SnowBlast Winter Festival in Emmaus, we had a great time and we purchased a couple of raffle tickets. My husband picked the numbers based on his favorite football team, and the last numbers were jersey numbers of two of his favorite players.