From the Observation Deck

I wanted to write a bit about Pennsylvania as part of the travel portion of this show (blog). I’ll mainly cover the southeastern part of the state since that is where I grew up and really the only part of the state I care about. It’s also the prettiest and host to the best town around—the city of brotherly love—Philly.

Pennsylvania is home to peoples that descended from the Scots Irish, Germans, and Dutch (for the most part). Nowadays we just call everyone hard working, loyal, down-to-earth good people. That is except when their sport’s team is losing in which case you should just quickly leave the stadium. The Amish live in nearby Lancaster County and I’m not sure if they are Eagles fans or not.

Chester County is where I grew up and it borders Delaware County. The town I grew up in is called Chadds Ford (surrounded by Kennett Square, Unionville, and West Chester). The best part about Chadds Ford is a local eating establishment called Hanks Place. It’s a small diner where local artist, Andrew Wyeth, used to hang out. I actually saw him in there once. We got excited one year when it looked like Hank was expanding. It turned out he just added a covered walkway to the front door so you wouldn’t get wet while waiting for a table.

The countryside is beautiful and full of back roads that would make any teenager’s parent think twice about handing over the keys—although for some reason mine didn’t have a problem with it. We were surrounded by farms—the dairy and horse variety. There were also a lot of mushroom houses. Yup, Kennett Square is the mushroom capital of the world folks.

Along with the winding roads and one lane bridges, you had to get used to the smells. On my way home last weekend I knew I was getting close when that ol’ familiar smell—what was it again…oh yeah, manure—hit me. In high school when the wind was blowing west, the dairy farm down road made running sprints during lacrosse practice a challenge.

And I can’t do a post about Pennsylvania without mentioning the animals. Deer, fox, dogs, you name it will jump out at you. Although it’s happening a lot here in Virginia as well. My neighbor told me yesterday a deer almost ran her over as she was walking—yes walking—back from the metro station.

Don’t let the smells or animals scare you. There are lots of great things to do in the area and here are a few.

• Longwood Gardens—these famous botanical gardens are a must-see. Beautiful flowers, plants, and trees (especially with the lights at Christmas) dot the landscape.
• Brandywine Battle Field—this is an historical battlefield where the British kicked our butts before the boys headed on over to Valley Forge. We may have lost the battle, but…
• Brandywine River Museum—see the wonderful works of art from painters such as Andrew Wyeth.
• Chadds Ford Winery—I can’t vouch for the wine but hey, we used to have a ski area in Chadds Ford so who knows what these crazy Pennsylvanians are capable of?
• QVC Studio tour—tell my friend Mike I sent you.

Here are some photos I took near my parent’s house.

I love to travel and won’t be getting overseas this summer, so I’m going to do a series (not in any kind of order) about various states. Since I’ve been driving back and forth to the beach I thought I’d start with the first state. Delaware is a mighty little stamp lodged smack in the middle of a megalopolis. In the north there’s the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple. In the south there’s the ego busting, political maneuverings of the DC Beltway. (All the Bostonians are upset with me right now for leaving them out but don’t fret; we’ll talk about the People’s Republic of Massachusetts another time.)

Ahhhhhh Delaware. Companies love to incorporate in Delaware because of the tax laws. Most of us in the area just love it because of the beaches and the no sales tax shopping. It can be traversed in about two hours by car and I swear that everyone in Delaware knows everyone else in Delaware. Forget the six degrees of separation; it’s more like two degrees. Northern Delaware is home to the University of Delaware’s fighting blue hens. It’s also home to the person of focus of the “what’s he going to say next fan club,” our current Vice President, Joe Biden.

Living in the fast-paced society of northern Virginia, I really have to adjust my mind-set when in lower, slower Delaware. Not that they are slow witted, it’s just that things tend to move slower there. It’s kind of funny that in Northern VA our cars are stuck in traffic and not moving but our minds are racing with our things to do list. And then when we drive in Delaware, we get mad at the cars that are moving 45 miles per hour in a 60-limit area.

 If you’ve never been to Delaware, give it a try. Here are some highlights.

• Winterthur
• Hagley Museum
• Dover Air Force Base—if you time it just right you can see those massive cargo planes come in for a landing right as you pass by underneath. Those planes can fit six school busses inside them.
• Bridgeville—this is a cute little town off 113. It has signs that say, “If you lived in Bridgeville, you’d be home now.” The Bridgeville Fire Department is home to some of the funniest guys I’ve never met. They always have a witty saying on their marquee. And don’t miss the 2009 Apple-Scrapple Festival.
• The Outlets in Rehoboth
• Historic Lewes—check out the several museums located in the area.
• Cape Henlopen
• Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and Fenwick beaches and towns
• Lots of fun people
• Really slow drivers

 If you’ve been to Delaware or live there, what’s your favorite place to visit or thing to do?