Lehigh Valley InSite

ResturantMadness

As winter comes to a close and we anticipate spring, one thing comes to mind – March Madness! We are all guilty of filling out our brackets, looking for that upset that no one else predicts, and waiting for Cinderella to find her slipper.

Summer's Not Over

It may appear to most, that summer is over. There are no more Friday nights under the lights at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, there will be no more baseball at Coca-Cola Park, school has started, Musikfest and the Great Allentown Fair are in the rear view mirror and the weather for the week is rather wet.

Don’t fret, Lehigh Valley. There is still a little summer left to salvage. Summer’s official end is September 21st and I now submit to you the top 5 things to do in the waning days of summer.

the Farmhouse

There are so many great restaurants in Lehigh Valley that it is difficult to discover them all. That is why the Dream Come True 2012 Restaurant of the Month Calendar has been so helpful in introducing me to some unique dining options. The calendar includes great restaurants like Edge, Cosmopolitan and Shula’s Steak House. I was really excited to visit June’s featured restaurant; the Farmhouse in Emmaus.

Since the Farmhouse specializes in farm-to-table cuisine, I looked into their menu and beer list well before my reservation. With over two pages of beers, I couldn’t wait to see which beer would complement my dinner.

1999 Anchor Steam

I’ve been meaning to visit the Farmhouse for quite some time, pretty much since I started working at Discover Lehigh Valley. Since the Farmhouse recently made the 100 Best Beer Bars in America list, it was high time I go.

Out of curiosity, I scoped out the beer list for the highest priced bottle they had. It was a 4L bottle of Dock Street, which would set someone back a cool $500. Mind you, this is a bottle of beer.

Bowling

The forecast was not pleasant for Lehigh Valley last night, with thunderstorms and tornado warnings flashing on tv screens…but we still wanted to do something fun. So why not bowling? Why not.

So down to the Emmaus Bowling Center we went, not knowing what would happen. I mean, the last time we went bowling was in our living room, or at least someone’s living room on the Wii.

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“Remember you can’t eat meat on Friday.”  Growing up these words were often overheard throughout my house during Lent. Being a native of the Scranton area (Blakely exactly), I had the privilege of some of the greatest pizza in the world. For anyone who disagrees, next time in the Scranton, PA area take a trip down Main St. in Old Forge and grab yourself a tray (yes, “Scrantonites” call it a tray). Let me know what you think.

A Lehigh Valley resident for the past 15 years, I long for the pizza from the Northeast. I’ve tried a bunch of pizza shops over the years.  

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.

2008 Emmaus SnowBlast Winter Festival - ice carving

Let’s face it, this winter in Lehigh Valley has been perfect for Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Blue Mountain Ski Area and for those with plow attachments on their pickup trucks. Unfortunately, I don’t ski, and my little convertible can barely make it out of my ice covered driveway. I officially have cabin fever.

Luckily there are plenty of local indoor attractions to keep even the most active families busy. Lehigh Valley Grand Prix and Lehigh Valley Laser Tag are perfect examples. I wish they were around when my son was a “tween”.

Blog Picture - dream come true

If you have been paying attention to my blog posts, you can tell that my wife and I love experiencing restaurants in Lehigh Valley.  I recently came across a fantastic offer that I couldn’t pass up.

The Dream Come True charity is selling a Restaurant of the Month Calendar for $50. Each month the calendar offers a Buy One Entrée, Get One Free offer at a selected Lehigh Valley restaurant.  Participating restaurants include:

Bear Creek Pics 002a

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 of the mountain, which was brightly lit in the night sky, I was in awe  – although now, with all the terrain parks, halfpipe and massive slope-side resort, it’s even more impressive.

After figuring out how to get those rental boots on, I walked out to the man-made-snow-covered mountain holding my rental skis and polls pointing in all directions. I was wearing jeans, my winter coat, some gloves and an ear-warmer. Looking back, I realize I must’ve looked completely clueless. But, wait, it gets better!