Lehigh Valley InSite

Golf is a true treasure trove in Lehigh Valley, Pa.

Sunday was an absolute perfect weather day and lucky for me I got to spend some time outside with my son, father and stepmother playing in a golf tournament. I haven't played nearly as much as I did last year, but being out there gave me the itch. Luckily, there's a great fall golf season in Lehigh Valley, so I can get out and hack up the links a couple more times yet this year. 

This area not only has plenty of great golf courses to choose from, it also has the Lehigh Valley Amateur at Green Pond Country Club in Bethlehem. This year will be the 73rd year the Lehigh Valley Amateur has taken place. The events start on September 19th and run all week with final rounds on Sunday, September 27th. Hundreds of players, from juniors to seniors, will take to the greens for some of the best-of-the-best Lehigh Valley golf.

I must say that Green Pond Country Club really puts on an awesome show. While I haven’t competed in the actual Lehigh Valley Amateur tournament, I have played on the sponsor’s day. The course is always in immaculate condition with lightning-quick greens, perfectly manicured fairways and some of the thickest rough I’ve ever seen.

My favorite part of the Lehigh Valley Amateur isn’t playing on sponsor’s day though. It's a lot more fun being a spectator and taking in the excitement by following around your favorite golfers. Even though these men and women aren’t professionals, they sure know what they’re doing out there. I learn so much just from watching.

Will you be heading out to watch the Lehigh Valley Amateur or are you taking a chance and playing in it this year?   

Authentic Mexican dining abound in Allentown

With the Mexican chain On The Border about to open in Allentown's new Airport Square Center, I thought it would be an ideal time to review existing options for Mexican food in the city.

La Mexicana Grill, 7th & Gordon Streets
Plain but non-cliche decor, outstanding food. During a recent visit I had a torta, the traditional Mexican sandwich with lettuce, pico de gallo and avocado slices. Half featured marinated sirloin steak (surprisingly tender) and on the other half, chorizo (just enough kick.) At $4.50, it's probably one of the best sandwich deals in town.

La Placita Mexico, 12th & Turner Streets
My favorite place for tacos, chicken, beef or chorizo. They'll heat it up on a griddle, sprinkle it with fresh cilantro and quesa fresca and put it between a double layer of corn tortillas. They also have a selection of soups and other small plate items ideal for lunch or sharing. A friend who grew up in Mexico says it's his favorite place in Lehigh Valley. How can you go wrong with that recommendation?

Amigo Mio, 545 Cleveland Street
The original Mexican in the city, and to many, still the reigning champ. It's a small place, a reconfigured row home, but I've had exceptional bean burritos and some of the best refried beans anywhere there. Fare is standard Mexican - if you're eating more authentic Mexican food, you're probably south of the Rio Grande. Note: They don't accept credit cards, and they're only open Wednesday and Friday evenings.

In the end, it depends on your risk-reward tolerance. Service in the smaller restaurants can be spotty. Menus have misspellings. The decor didn't start on the drawing board of an interior designer. Parking for all three is on-street. But for a real experience, they're tough to beat. For me, it's all part of the experience.

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Michael Drabenstott, who also writes the Beyond Scrapple blog.

The Great Allentown Fair

Last year The Great Allentown Fair’s midway got a face lift. Powers Great American Midways came in with a brand new midway. I am a big fan of rides, and they were awesome - the rides now rival Dorney Park and Hershey Park. The straight rows of games, food stands and rides is now a zig-zagging path making sure you won’t miss a thing.

Must-hit spots for the Allentown Fair's midway:

Ride: Vortex - I can’t really explain it, but there is definitely a free fall sensation. You can’t miss this thing - you can probably see it from Bethlehem because it towers over the grandstand.

Food: Willow Street Pub’s lobster rolls. That’s right, you can get lobster at the Allentown Fair. Find a place that has a blooming onion and get one of those too. Vince’s cheesesteaks are outstanding; same goes for a wedgie from John the Greek. I don’t even know where to begin for a desert - I would go with an elephant ear or funnel cake.

Games: I have 3 words for you. I GOT IT!

Next week, I'll have part 2 of The Great Allentown Fair covering the heart of the fair: agriculture,the Agri-Plex, and the legendary grandstand.

Welcome Back to Lehigh Valley!

For the past three years I have participated in Lehigh University's Annual Community/Club EXPO which, presumably, is held on the hottest day in August outdoors. Actually, they schedule it to coincide with the return of students to campus. But this year's event, on Monday the 24th, was a hot one - the temperature on my car's dash read 91 degrees!

Basically, this event is a great opportunity for Lehigh's various clubs, organizations, and local merchants to greet incoming freshmen and welcome back returning students. College kids love freebies, so lots of t-shirts, pens and assorted "chotskies" were available at over 240 participants' tables. The food vendor's booths were quite popular too.

Lehigh Valley, a.k.a. "Pennsylvania's college valley" swells by more than 20,000 students every fall. Lehigh University alone is home-away-from-home for 1,200 young adults representing 20 countries and 41 states. From behind my table at the EXPO, I watch as these friends reconnect after a summer apart and the excitement generated is contagious.

College campuses are hotbeds of education, so here's what I've learned from my experience doing this event:

1) Wear comfortable shoes on Lehigh's campus...everything is uphill!

2) Light colored, sleeveless, preferably cotton clothing is a must...it's always hot at this event.

3) Bring more Lehigh Valley Dining & Discount Guides next year. Apparently, college kids like to scope out the best place to go out to eat, and they like coupons too.

4) Incoming freshmen seem younger every year...or maybe I'm just getting older!

For those who didn't get a Dining & Discount Guide (since I ran out) just click here to request your free copy. Welcome back to Lehigh Valley, study hard and have fun!

The Allentown Fair has it all

In one week, The Great Allentown Fair begins. Hoo-ray!

I've been going to the Allentown Fair since I was a little kid growing up in Lehigh Valley, so I have lots of memories of this annual end-of-summer event.

• I've eaten lots of food there - Take A Taco is still my favorite.
• I've lost lots of money playing games there - my guilty pleasures are Skee-Ball and ... shhh, don't tell anyone ... Bingo.
• I've wandered through the livestock pens - even though they can be stinky, there's something about pigs that I simply adore.
• I've enjoyed witnessing the carnage of the J&J Demolition Derby 
• I've seen lots of concerts there - including, but not limited to, Reba McEntire, Destiny's Child, Blink-182, The Flaming Lips and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

A huge part of the Allentown Fair that I think is often forgotten is the Blue Ribbon competitions, most of which you'll find in Ag Hall (although I think it's official name is the Agri-Plex). Sure, it's always fun to gawk at the mammoth pumpkins and drool over the baked goods, but my favorite Blue Ribbon contest is the photography.

This year, I'm excited to say, I have entered two photos into the Arts & Photography category, which I have to take over to the Allentown Fairgrounds later this week for judging. I'm far from a being professional photographer, so I chose these photos more for being a) pretty and b) unique subject matter rather than good composition and perfect lighting. We'll see how I do!

What's your favorite part of The Great Allentown Fair?

Dinner at Damascus with a Syrian flair

Last week I had dinner at Damascus, a restaurant I had never been to before. It's not a new restaurant - in fact it's been around for 12 years - but it is tucked away in Allentown on the corner of North Second & Liberty streets.

Damascus offers homemade American and Middle Eastern cuisine. My friend Anne and I got a laugh out of the back of our waitress' t-shirt, which read, "Food so good you'll think we stole your mother." Well, they couldn't have said it any better! The food, and boy did we have plenty of it, was divine.

We started with Babghannouj and pita bread and an order of vegetarian grape leaves. I chose a house salad that had a special dressing that was to die for.

For my entree, I chose the vegetable mix with rice. Sounds pretty boring, but before the plate was set on the table, my mouth was watering from the smell. Anne ordered the sleaque, which I had never heard of; it's a combination of steamed endive and bulgur wheat mixed with sauteed onions and black eye beans, fried with a splash of oil. The dish was served with a homemade yogurt to drizzle on top. It was very tasty. 

With all we had, the bill with tip came to just over $42, which didn't include drinks because Damascus is BYOB. Dinner entrees range from $8 to $20, while lunch is $4.50 to $6.50. You can't beat that for fresh, homemade food.

As for the atmosphere, it's nothing to write home about. Very simple and well-kept would describe it best.

I love trying new places and different cuisines. Our next stop is going to be right down the street from Damascus at a Turkish restaurant. Not sure of the name, but it is supposed to be fabulous.

Have you been to Damascus yet? How about the Turkish place? Are there any others I should try?

Green Harvest Food Emporium

During lunch at Green Harvest Food Emporium in Easton, I realized there was fresh, locally grown lettuce on my ham-and-cheese-on-pretzel bread sandwich!I could taste it. It was multi-colored, tender and sweet.

 

Green Harvest Food Emporium is in the same building as the Grand Eastonian Suites. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week except Sunday. I love the term "Food Emporium" - which means they are a market that sells a variety of food items, even though the cafe is not a big place.

 

Besides tasty sandwiches and salads, Green Harvest Food Emporium's owner, Doreen Repsher, makes freshly baked goodies, including a bunch of vegan and gluten-free products, which is really thoughtful. There were plenty of dairy options too; I saw Purple Cow Creamery treats in the freezer!

 

The store's interior is spacious and bright, and features quite a bit of recycled materials. I learned that July 2 marked two years since the business opened, and the owners recently acquired the Easton Coffee Exchange.

 

While I was walking back to the parking garage, a cute little family with Crayola stickers on their shirts asked me where to go for lunch. Since the only dining option that is evident when you're stepping out of Two Rivers Landing is the scariest McDonald's I have ever seen, I don't blame them for crossing Third Street to see what else was out there. I gave them a couple of options, which included the Exchange, Mex Tex Trio, Phenom, Sette Luna.

 

As Mom, Dad and the two girls headed in the direction of the Exchange, the wife said to the husband, "Wow, Easton is really great. There's all kinds of good things down here for us to do."

 

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Megan Santucci, who also writes the Lehigh Valley Transplant blog.

Paddling & peddling the Lehigh Gap

If you enjoy canoeing and biking, I highly recommend you check out one of Bike & Boat trips offered by Wildlands Conservancy. It’s a great way to see the natural side of Lehigh Valley. My husband and I did the Lehigh Gap trip on July 11th and LOVED it!

 

A small group of us, about eight people plus the river guides, launched our canoes in Bowmanstown, PA shortly after 10 a.m. We paddled about five miles down the Lehigh River to Walnutport where we stopped to visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and grab a bite to eat.

 

The paddle took a little over two hours and, thanks to the water level, the current kept us moving and we didn't get stuck on any rocks. The guides skillfully taught everyone how to steer their boats and in no time we were maneuvering through the rapids and rocks like pros.

 

We arrived in Walnutport a little after noon, hoisted our canoes out of the water and climbed on mountain bikes for the ride back to Bowmanstown.

 

The trail back is part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which is converting old rail lines into a nationwide network of biking trails. The path was flat and graded, making for a leisurely ride along the river.

 

Halfway through the pedal, we divided up. Some people followed the flat path while the rest of us hiked our bikes up the mountainside and rode along a scenic ledge. The trail up top had some obstacles but was a fairly easy ride with dramatic views of the mountains and river.

 

I've always wanted to do something like this and the Wildlands group made it so easy, providing the boats, the bikes, safety guides and anything else we needed along the way. There’s no way we would’ve been able to pull of such an enjoyable trip on our own, so it was completely worth the $35/person. I hope you'll check it out!

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Erika Liodice, who also writes the Journeys and Beyond the Gray blogs.

Home & Planet for all your "quirky" shopping needs

I like quirky things. On my desk at work I have a silver cat with a slinky for a body and a clock in its chest. Next to it is a cat made out of nuts and bolts and copper wire. Usually, I buy said quirky things when I'm traveling, but I've found just the place to get them right here in the Valley - Home & Planet.

Home & Planet has been nestled in South Side Bethlehem for nearly 10 years now, yet I only discovered it last year when it was mentioned in a blog postright here on Lehigh Valley InSite. (Once again, even as a lifelong resident of Lehigh Valley, I'm finding new places to go in the area.)

Anyway, Home & Planet is all about funky yet stylish earth-friendly home decor and gifts. I'm not talking about an old cable spool being used as a coffee table - I'm talking about truly classy art, like a pop art portrait of James Dean made out of recycled license plates.

So far I have only purchased one thing from Home & Planet - a pendulum clock made from recycled bicycle parts. My problem is, the things I like the most always seem the most expensive (although the folks at Home & Planet try their best to keep a variety of priced merchandise in stock). Therefore, I consider Home & Planet truly to be my guilty pleasure shopping spot.

Here are some of my favorite Home & Planet items ...

Columcille: Timeless Stones Above the Valley

My mother was a great lover of the outdoors and of the British Isles. As it became harder for her to get around, long hikes were out and it was a challenge to find activities that would please her. Of course we went to lunch at Granny McCarthy’s Tea Room and took wildflower walks at the Graver Arboretum, but of all the spots in Lehigh Valley, I think her favorite was Columcille Megalith Park.

Tucked away on the side of the mountain at the north of the Valley near Bangor, Columcille is a peaceful retreat, a gentle piece of landscape set with standing stones, trails and woodland circles. If you want a campfire, a picnic or a place for the dog to run free, it’s best to go elsewhere. Save Columcille for quiet walks, peaceful companionship and meditation.

The park does hold events like retreats and celebrations on certain days of the year and contributions of time and/or money are always welcome, but Columcille was inspired by a pilgrimage site on an island off Scotland and it has the air of a sacred place. We visited with our son and my mother, looking for some contemplative time by ourselves.

For those who admire the many stone circles, monoliths, dolmens and long barrows of the British Isles and Europe, a visit to Columcille can be stirring. My son, still a teenager on that visit, wandered alone with scenes from fantasy stories coming to life in his head. Even my husband and I felt as if we’d crossed the sea to some ancient and fabled land.

And my mother? I’ll always remember her walking quietly off by herself, touching stones and recapturing for those moments, perhaps, the magical dreams of youth.

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Nancy Wisser, who also writes the Clonehenge blog and contributes to the Weird Nazareth blog.