September 27th is the big day!!!

For more than 10 years I've been paying to go on guided tours and making mental notes, saying to myself...."I can probably do this, if I had an area I knew inside out."

Earlier this year, a friend invited me to go on one of her NYC tours and I finally said, "If she gives me her contacts and a little guidance, I can DO THE SAME THING (that's an ELF song)."

It took me a day to make up this flyer and reserve the bus. If this my 1st trip is a success, I have a Brooklyn & Staten Island one I would like to do as well.

The point of these trips is to take people to places they would not normally go to, but might enjoy if somebody took them. 

A lesson I still haven't learned

My favorite American food!

Ceviche Mixto

Thai is my favorite Asian food, Italian is my favorite European food and Peruvian is my favorite American food. When I visited Santiago de Chile in November 2008, there were a lot of new Peruvian restaurants opening up. If I go to South America again, it will likely be to visit Peru. Fortunately, there are now 4 Peruvian restaurants in eastern PA. Here is the Facebook page for the one I visit most frequently.

#1 Best in U.S.

I live in eastern Pennsylvania, so it takes at least 90 minutes to get to the Newport PATH station in Jersey City. Add time for parking, waiting for the PATH & getting into Manhattan, and it's at least 2 hours to get into the city. Getting to Queens can take another 30 minutes or more. Is it worth it? I've been told no, but I disagree. Astoria, Jackson Heights, Corona & Flushing are must see neighborhoods. Parking is much easier in these areas as well.

On my most recent trip to Queens, I took the 7 train from Grand Central Station to 103rd St-Corona Plaza and walked to The Lemon Ice King of Corona. They do not mix flavors, so I got 4 different small cups at $1.50 each. 

From there, I wanted to check out Flushing. The Q58 bus stops almost right in front of The Lemon Ice King of Corona and gets you to the heart of Flushing in less than 20 minutes. I walked around for a bit and wanted to get a snack before heading back to Manhattan. I settled on Taipei Hong and then took the Long Island Railroad back to Penn Station. Although I'd been to dozens of Mets games before they got a new stadium, I'd only walked around Flushing once a few years ago. If you are not coming from Long Island, it may seem far out, but between the 7 train and the LIRR, it's very easy to get a train back to Manhattan. Unlike other trains, the 7 rarely gets crowded on weekends.

My 1st visit to any kind of amusement park in over 10 years

My last trip to an amusement park was a few hours at Hersheypark prior to a Van Hagar concert at Heysheypark Stadium in the summer of 2004. I had no plans to go to one again, until a friend invited me to Camelback Mountain Adventures. 

Although I didn't care if I went on any rides, I did manage to go on the Mountain Coaster. It's interesting how so many people from New York City come to PA to escape the chaos of the big city, while I go to New York to escape the boredom of small town life.

Trying to do Philadelphia like I do New York

Since last summer, I've been wanting to travel into Philadelphia like I travel into Manhattan.....leave my car at the train station and take the train in. Well today I finally did. I parked at the Conshohocken station and took the Manayunk/Norristown line into Jefferson Station. Since I don't know Philadelphia nearly as well as I know New York, I found myself playing with my phone trying to figure out what I would do in what order. I wanted to take at least one subway ride, so for $12, I bought the One-Day Independence Pass. The ride went quick, but I must add that like NJ Transit into Manhattan, the trains run on the hour. 

From Jefferson Station, I walked into Reading Terminal Market. I get excited like a child, when I go into places like this, BUT I didn't have a car and was limited to what I wanted to carry. I bought some marzipan and since it was 12:30 I headed for lunch at Zavino, which I never heard of until finding them on Yelp during my 32 minute train ride. I wanted Neapolitan style pizza and Zavino was closer than Pizzeria Vetri. I ordered the Margherita and then headed to get some French macarons at Miel Patisserie, which I also found on Yelp.

I was determined not to leave before taking a subway ride, so I picked up the Broad Street (orange) Line at Walnut-Locust and took it 2 stops north to Race-Vine. From there I walked West to the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. I walked around there for a half hour, spending most of my time looking at the No Home To Go To: Diaspora of the Baltic Nations Exhibition.

on the way to Free Library of Philadelphia

From there, I walked through Logan Square, admiring all of the different flags along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. For years, I've driven past there and always wished I could stop to take pictures. From there, I entered JFK Plaza and admired the Love Statue. There were people everywhere and the heat was getting to me. I wanted to check out a few museums, but that will have to wait for my next visit, which I also hope to do without my car. It was 3:30 and most museums close at 5, so I picked up the train back to Conshohocken at Suburban station. I know that on my next visit, Reading Terminal Market will be my last stop and not my 1st.

Former Mayor Frank Rizzo

Missing Seattle!

3 trips to Seattle and I still haven't used public transportation there. I miss Seattle and hope to visit with no car the next time.