TRAVEL: Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley

The Trip: A weekend road trip to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley
Adapted from a "Vacation in Lights" submission to The Washington Post by Ron Palmer)

• Who Went? One transplanted Texan intent on exploring the East Coast – one weekend at a time.
• Where? Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA (the ‘Tri-Cities of the Poconos’)
• When? Early November 2005
• Why? Why not? It has history, fall foliage, two fine universities (Lafayette & Lehigh--host of the Patriot League women’s soccer tourney that weekend) and . . . did I mention the leaves?
• Getting There Was . . . Easy, if you bypass Philadelphia (which I didn’t since I missed my exit and ended up seeing more of Philly than I wanted or needed.)
• I Gritted My Teeth Hardest When . . . I had to back up on the PA Turnpike to avoid a $2500 fine for going through the EasyPass Lane without an EasyPass.
• It Made It All Worth It When . . . I got to see 1 college football game, 2 concerts, 2 and-a-half soccer matches, the inside of 2 bars (okay, 3), and enough dead leaves to last me at least a year.
• I Can't Believe I . . . saw all of that from Friday to Monday.
• Things I Could Have Done Without. . . The strip malls, strip clubs, and OTB parlors that line busy Route 22 (connecting the three towns).
• Coolest Attraction: downtown Bethlehem’s historic old town: original and reconstructed buildings from the town’s 18th-century Moravian community, all within walking distance from my charming B&B, the Bethlehem Inn.
• To not look like a tourist, I . . . bought a Lafayette College t-shirt prior to their home football game against Colgate. That led to my . . .
• Most Embarrassing Moment: when two separate Colgate fans asked me for directions to the stadium (my cover was blown).
• Cheapest Thrill: That same Lafayette game: an alum handed me an extra ticket while I was standing in line (must have been the t-shirt!)
• Favorite Undiscovered Gem: The Cosmic Cup near the Lafayette campus, a student-friendly coffee bar that hosts live jazz on Saturday afternoons.
• Second-Favorite Undiscovered Gem: the ‘Tap Room’ bar at the Hotel Bethlehem; specifically, their Martini Menu. (I had a ‘Moulin Rouge’ –imagine an upscale Cosmo).
• Biggest Splurge: a front row seat to a concert by New York’s 20 year-old chanteuse Nellie McKay (who spent her teen years in the Valley) at Lehigh’s Zoellner Arts Center.
• Biggest Culture Shock: The Allentown Symphony Orchestra (the shock being that Allentown had culture). Seriously, they gave a fine performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with guest artists the Claremont Trio, also from NY.
• Second Biggest Culture Shock: Spending one evening at the historic and college-friendly Tally Ho Tavern on Bethlehem’s bustling South Side; then spending the following night at the decidedly downscale (and proud of it) J.P. MacGrady’s Pub, with the blue-collared and multi-tattooed ‘townies.’ We had one thing in common, though: we were all rooting for the T.O.-less Eagles to beat the Redskins on Sunday night football (and we all left disappointed).
• Favorite Meal: Saturday night dinner at the Montague restaurant in downtown Easton, a converted department store turned upscale eatery and bar that converts to a club late nights. (The gregarious maitre-d, a CA transplant and father of the owner, gave me the scoop).
• Next Time I’ll . . . order the “Bourbon and Banana French Toast” at the Blue Sky Café next to the Lehigh campus: they come topped with bananas sautéed in bourbon. (The chef had taken them off the menu that morning because ‘the bananas weren’t ripe.’)
• Thing I Wish I'd Brought With Me . . . my own bananas.
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