East Coast (2011)

Day 1: September 15th, 2011

We woke up at 5:30 am and after breakfast headed to LAX.  Our flight was scheduled for 10:20 am.

We landed at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, one of the busiest airports in the world.  There we connected to United Airlines’ flight to Philadelphia – not before tasting a delicious Deep Dish Pizza - Chicago Style.We arrived at Philadelphia International Airport at 7:30 pm and took the shuttle to Hertz for our awaiting car.  We entered the address of our destination in the GPS and drove for about 2.5 hours towards the Pocono’s area.We located the reception area of the Fernwood Resort, located in a town by the name of Bushkill, on Route 209. 

When we entered our villa at the Tree Tops, the time was already 10:30 pm.  We were impressed for the accommodations as the villa included 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, living room, a large dining room and 2 bathrooms, one with a full size Jacuzzi.  The villa was alongside a lake.

We unpacked and went to sleep at around midnight. 

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Day 2: September 16th, 2011

We woke up at 10:00 am (!) and walked around the complex where our villa was.  Many ducks and swans were taking their morning swim at the man-made lake.

Our first attraction of the trip was Bushkill Falls.  We drove alongside of the Delaware River and stopped few times to breathe in the beautiful views.  Corn fields were everywhere and delighted us with their beauty.  After a short drive on Route 209 we arrived at the park, also known as The "Niagara of Pennsylvania".

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Bushkill Falls is among the Keystone State's most famous scenic attractions. This unique series of eight waterfalls, nestled deep in the wooded Pocono Mountains, is accessible through an excellent network of hiking trails and bridges, which provide fabulous views of the falls and the surrounding forest. We opted to take the long trail and for the next 3 hours we hiked and explored the magnificent park.

Hurricane Eileen hit this region on August 20^th and had filled the Delaware River, the main source of water flowing into the park. As the waters begin their descent toward the Delaware River far below, they move ever faster toward Bushkill Falls, rushing over Pennell Falls, then between rocky walls through the Upper Canyon and Laurel Glen.

Suddenly the stream drops over the edge of a 100-foot cliff, the majestic Main Falls.

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From the deep pool at the bottom, banked by ferns, mosses, and wild flowers, the creek now drops another 70 feet through a long and spectacular gorge strewn with gigantic boulders. Trails and bridges lace the area, affording splendid views.

 

We were enthusiastic about the hike to the Bridal Veil Falls. Here we followed a nice trail by the Pond Run Stream. The stream soon flows into the Little Bushkill where the mountain path leads deep into the forest. Spring-fed waters tumble down the mountain side in a series of three lovely falls, so misty in their appearance they are named for brides of love.

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We left the park at around 3:00, heading south on  Route 209 and arrived to East Stroudsburg, the neighboring town where we entered a local market to buy necessary items, including food, as we decided to prepare breakfasts in the villa, instead of spending time (and money) at the local restaurants.

Our next stop was the Pocono Cheesecake Factory, located in a town called Swiftwater, off Route 611.  The place is famous in this part of the country and we bought half of a sugar free cheesecake topped with blackberries. 

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We returned to the villa at around 6:30 and after storing the food and the cake in the refrigerator we drove up to a local restaurant for dinner.  The name of the place was The Big A Steakhouse. We ordered a steak and salad.  The steak was delicious accompanied with the most amazing baked potato with all the trimming. Yummy!!

We went to sleep at around 10:00

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Day 3: September 17th, 2011

We woke up at 7:00 and headed to Lancaster County, the home of the Amish People.

We drove for about 2.5 hours and arrived to a town called Ronks.  We climbed a carriage with two healthy horses and took a short trip around the area.  Our guide’s name was Brian and he told us a bit about the Amish people:

The Amish sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.

The history of the Amish church began with a split in Switzerlandwithin a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Amman. Those who followed Amman became known as Amish. These followers were originally from three main places: the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, Alsace (now part of France), and the Palatinate of Germany. 

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In the early 18th century, many Amish and Mennonites immigrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Today, the most traditional descendants of the Amish continue to speak Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch. However, a dialect of Swiss German predominates in some Old Order Amish communities. Over 250,000 Amish people live in the USA.

We rode along some fields and passed through a farm.  We returned to our car and started to travel in the country roads around Ronks.

We arrived to a fair and saw many cars trying to get into a center where a Whoopie Pie Festival took place. We found a parking spot next to the Hershey Farm restaurant & Inn and went to discover what a Whoopie pie is all about..  A sign at the entrance revealed that today is “The Most Delicious day In Lancaster County!”

There were hundreds of people in the fair.  We entered the main tent and saw many pies for sale.  We found out that the whoopie pie (alternatively called a gob, black-and-white, bob, or "BFO" for Big Fat Oreo) is an American baked good that may be considered either a cookie, pie, or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin or gingerbread cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.  The reason it is called “Whoopie” is because that when the wife would make them and serve to the table the family will say “Whoo-pee!”  The whoopie pie originated from the Amish and Pennsylvania German culture.

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The next tent had a sign, which declares that the pie in front of us was the World Largest Whoopie Pie.

We bought a couple of the pies and headed to an Amish restaurant nearby.  We sat at Katie’s Kitchen.  Right away we noticed that all waitresses are dressed in the traditional cloths of the Amish.  The sign promised “Authentic Amish Food” and we decided to order an authentic dish:  The waitress by the name of Amy recommended a Cheeseburger Soup.  Let me tell you: this dish was delicious!!


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We talked to the waitress and found out that her name was Aida and she told us few details about herself and her family.  She told us that she got married and moved out of her parents’ home a year ago.  There is no electricity in her house and the only modern utility that they have is Propane Gas.  She lives about 10 miles away from the restaurant and her (non Amish) neighbor drives her back and forth to work, as it would have taken over an hour to travel with a horse and carriage.  Her father is a carpenter and her uncle is a farmer.

I told her how much we would like to visit a farm and she picked up the phone, in the office, and called her uncle (They do use cellular Phones!)  She told us that her uncle would be honored if we visit the farm.  She gave us the address and luckily we had our GPS with us.  We drove in the country roads and arrived at the farm, in a city called Gap.

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Three children came out of the main house and showed us around.  This was a Dairy Farm and also had some other animals including few horses, a donkey, some chickens, a rabbit and a guinea pig and of course a vegetable garden.

Nathan, the oldest of the three kids, led the way.  We visited the barn and the surrounding.  Nathan and the two girls were polite and very hospitable. Nathan told us that we were the first and only non Amish visitors they had in the farm.

On our way home we stopped at a couple of Amish stands along the country roads and bought a delicious raisins and nuts cake and blackberry jelly.

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Two hours later we stopped at Stroudsburg’s Main Street and located our favorite café. We entered Starbucks and while Tova was surfing the net, I strolled down the street and found many bistros, cafes, pubs, restaurants and other shops.  Looking at the young crowd on the street I realized that Stroudsburg is a students’ town.  A college is located nearby.

We were back at the villa an hour later and decided to skip dinner and instead nibble on the raisin and nuts cake and of course a slice of a delicious cheesecake accompanied with a warm cup of tea.

We were asleep at 9:00 pm.

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Day 4: September 18th, 2011

Today we woke up at 5:00 am. 

We had a light breakfast and at 6:00 we were on our way to a big day in Manhattan.

Our original plan was to drive to New Jersey and take the train to Penn Station in NYC, but as we were driving we realized that the light traffic of Sunday morning should allow us to get to the city in just about 90 minutes and decided to use our car instead.

We entered the Holland Tunnel at around 7:15 and found parking on 42^nd street, in a parking structure.  The rate promised an early bird rate of $15 for the first 12 hours and $8.50 every half hour thereafter.

We found the subway station nearby and hopped on the ‘E’ train toward Lower Manhattan.

We arrived to Chamber Street few minutes later and when we were back in the street we located Starbucks Café where we spent the next 30 minutes having a bagel with cream cheese and a hot tasteful latte.

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We walked down the street towards Ground Zero.  We entered the 9/11 Memorial Exhibition nearby and spent the next half hour looking around the displays and the amazing pictures. Since we had reservations for 10:00 to enter Ground Zero, we entered the site without standing in the long lines, assembled at the entrance.

To describe what went through my mind will be difficult. Anger and disbelief were the first thoughts and as we got closer to the grounds, the anger was put aside and pride replaced it.  I was so proud to be part of this nation and to realize how strong we are as a nation.

The National September 11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.

The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. Architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker created the Memorial design selected from a global design competition that included more than 5,200 entries from 63 nations. 

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The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history.

As we walked in, we looked at the 105-story supertall skyscraper Freedom Tower, which is still under construction.  A huge flag covered the middle of the tower from one side to the other.  When it will be completed, on September 11, 2012, it will be known as One World Trade Center, or 1 WTC for short. 

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We first visited the South Pool and were mesmerized bu its size and how meaningful it was.  When I looked at the huge waterfalls and realized that the water flows into a huge hole in the middle of the pool and then return to the top of the pool, I felt as if the architect is trying to tell us that though we lost those lives, they will always be with us and will fill our life forever.

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We then walked to the North Pool and using a booklet we had received at the entrance we were bale to locate the names of two Israelis, who died that terrible day: Shai Levinhar and Hagai Shefi.  When we found Shai’s name, Tova used the paper and pencil we had received at the entrance to imprint Shai’s name on the paper.

 


On our wayout we stopped at the Survivor Tree: a callery pear that survived the devastion and was preserved for re-planting. Though the tree was half scorched, it survived and is here to remind us that we all will survive. The first time I have heard about the tree was when President Obama laid a wreath there on the 10^th year anniversary, just a week ago.

We exited the memorial site and walked on a bridge over 12^th Avenue when I saw a picture on the wall, which had both pools taken from above. The picture was awesome and I decided to find out where this picture was taken from.  I started asking around all officials I had met where this place is.  The answers I got varied and no one actually had told me where it was.  We walked around the entire park passing through the Financial Center and still no answer.  We returned to the Memorial Site and then I noticed a terrace at one of the building and when I zoomed my camera, I actually saw people on the terrace taking pictures.  I asked one of the officials about the building and she answered that this is the “W” Hotel and only guests are allowed to be on that terrace.

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I thanked the officials and we decided to try our luck there.  We entered the hotel, located on Washington Street and walked (as we are guests of the hotel) straight in to the elevator.  The only problem we had to overcome is to have the elevator go to the 20^th floor, where the terrace is located.  The elevator did not allow us to press the any floor as we needed to have a hotel key (in a form of a card) in order to so.  Luckily for us, a couple entered the elevator.  The man asked: “Which floor?” and I answered “20^th” and   we were on our way.  We entered a restaurant, again behaving as guests, headed to the terrace and there we were.

 

 

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We were standing on top of “Ground Zero” and the view was spectacular!  We viewed the entire site and much more.

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We spend about 20 minutes on the terrace and then found our way back to the street.  We returned to the Financial Center and toured the buildings.  In one of them, we found a Mini Cooper, which was hanging from the ceiling.

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We exited the building and walked the Esplanade, enjoying the beautiful views, the many people who used the sunny Sunday to jog along, the lovers on the benches, the playful kids, and the elderly.  We spotted The Statue of Liberty with all its glory, standing tall on New York Harbor.

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We continued out day and as we turned into Broadway, we saw hundreds of demonstrators on Wall Street.  I asked one of the demonstrators for the reason they are there and he told me that he belongs to The Occupy Wall Street Movement, and he along with the other members have vowed to stay through the winter, and are protesting issues including the 2008 bank bailouts, foreclosures and high unemployment.  Many police units were surrounding the area where the demonstration was and I was hoping that it will pass quietly.

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Our next stop was at a gallery dedicated to the 9/11 events.  The name was A Democracy of Photographs.  In response to the World Trade Center tragedy, and to the unprecedented flood of images that have resulted from it, a unique exhibition and sale of photographs was displayed in a store front in SOHO.. The exhibition is subtitled "A Democracy of Photographs" because anyone and everyone who has taken pictures relating to the tragedy was invited to submit their images to the gallery, where they were digitally scanned, printed and displayed on the walls alongside the work of top photo journalists and other professional photographers.

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We walked along Broadway, windows shopping and just absorbing the smells of the Big Apple.

Our next destination was to find Katz Deli.  A month before the trip I watched a show on the Travel Channel: “101 Best Chow Down in the America”.  Katz, established in the late 19^th century, won number five (!) and as I watched the show I was making a list of all those places I would love to visit during the trip.  We found Houston Street and then walked towards Lower East Side until we found the restaurant in the corner of Ludlow.  We entered the place at around 12:00 and it looked like Disneyland. No, not the rides but the lines!
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Tova found a table while I was standing 45 minutes in line to order a corn beef + pastrami sandwich.  What can I say: it was the BEST such sandwich I have ever eaten.  The price was $17 for one sandwich and the pile of beef was about half of the one we usually get at Carnegie Deli.  However, the taste… oh my God!

We continued our day and found along Houston Street a park where we joined many people in an event called “Better Chinatown – Chinese American Culture”.  We watched many dancers and Karate kids.  We spent few minutes there and found our way back to Broadway to continue our journey.

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We stopped in Union Square to watch the many artists’ displays, full with beautiful pictures.  One of them was by artist named Gerardo, who named his display “Live Art on the Street”.  His display was the best.

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We arrived to Time Square a couple of hours later and the place was crowded with thousands of people and as usual with many “crazy” men and women, showing off their “talents”.  At one point we noticed that a new Café opened on Broadway with a familiar name: “Oren’s”

 

It was now around 6:00 and as our tummies announced that it is time for dinner, we decided to walk to the Stage Deli on 7^th Avenue to have the exact kind of sandwich we had had earlier at Katz so we could compare.  We arrived to the restaurant and were seated immediately.  No lines were there, which is kind of unusual. We ordered the combination of pastrami and corn beef.  The sandwich arrived few minutes later.  It was the same price as Katz, twice the size, but the beef was a bit tougher and not as tasty.

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We walked on 42^nd Street looking at the electric signs, the theaters and the many shops and finally found the parking structure where we had left our car.  The time was 7:45 pm.  We were shocked when the attendant rang us up: The cost was a whopping $42.  We explained to him that we came early enough for the “Early Bird Special” but he told us he could not anything as it is all computerized and that if anyone is late even 1 minute, they suppose to pay the cost as they have parked for 24 hours.  We paid the amount asked. We had no choice.

Note: When we returned home I called the headquarters and spoke to Claudia Taborga, a manager with the parking company and she had promised she will refund me the difference.  I emailed her the receipt and details. As of today I have not received anything back from them.

We were back at our villa at 10:00 pm, as traffic back was heavier, especially around the Holland Tunnel.

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Day 5: September 19th, 2011

We woke up at 9:30 and after a hearty breakfast that I had prepared we drove down to Starbucks, as Tova had many open issues she had to resolve, using the Internet.

I walked along Main Street and not far from the café, I found McMichaels Creek, which drops off the Pocono Plateau and joins Pocono Creek in Stroudsburg.  It creates at one point a beautiful waterfall, right under the bridge.  Tova entered a beauty salon right next to the bridge and I asked to go upstairs for a better view.  The sight of the dam and waterfall was wonderful!

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We decided to drive to the Wild Animal Zoo, called Paws and Claws, on Route 590, about an hour drive from Strousburg and next to a town called Lake Ariel. We drove the country roads od Pennsylvania and enjoyed the sights of the huge farms and beautiful homes along the road.

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When we entered the zoo we found among the many animals on display a White Tiger, Black Panther, Giraffe, Lynx, African Lion, Siberian Tiger, Cougar, Alligator, Black Bear, Buffalo (Bison), Prairie Dog many kinds of monkeys, and a Giraffe.

We spent two-and-a-half hours in the park and then had dinner in an Italian restaurant nearby named Trios, where the food was delicious and the service was great.

We drove back to our villa and arrived around 9:00.

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Day 6: September 20, 2011

 

We woke up at 5:30.  I prepared breakfast and we left at 6:30 towards The City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia. We arrived at 9:15 after “fighting” the morning traffic and parked downtown, on 4^th and Market.  As we exited the parking structure, light rain was welcoming us.


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We headed towards the Visitor Center and after receiving information on “What to See”, we entered the Liberty Bell Center, located on Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets.. The Liberty Bell Center offers a video presentation and exhibits about the Liberty Bell, focusing on its origins and its modern day role as an international icon of freedom. Taped presentations about the history of the Liberty Bell are offered in a dozen languages for the convenience of foreign visitors. The Liberty Bell itself is displayed in a magnificent glass chamber with Independence Hall in the background.

As it turned out a bell for the Pennsylvania State House was cast in London, England, however, it cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. By 1846 a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. No one knows why the bell cracked either time.

We spent about 45 minutes viewing the larger-than-life historic documents and graphic images exploring the facts and the myths surrounding the Bell.

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Our next stop was at The Independence Hall, Located on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets.  We went through a security tent at the entrance and waited for our tour to begin.  A guide showed up right on time and we all (about 45 of us) entered a small room for an interlocutory session.  The guide was superb and I noticed how excited he gets when he talked about the events that took place over 235 years ago:

The building was constructed between 1732 and 1756 and served as the State House of the Province of Pennsylvania. From 1775 to 1783 (except for the winter of 1777 - 1778 when Philadelphia was occupied by the British Army) this was the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress. It was in the Assembly Room of this building that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. In the same room the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787.

The building, inside and out, has been restored whenever possible to its original late-18th century appearance.. The "rising sun" chair used by George Washington as he presided over the Constitutional Convention is original.

We followed our guide and visited most of the rooms and tried to absorb the history as we found the historical items in each room.

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We spent about 45 minutes and then headed to the exits and into Washington Square, which was one of Philadelphia's five original squares as laid out in 1682. It was then called Southeast Square. The square was being used as a potter's field and a burial yard for strangers in the city.  Beginning in 1776, fallen troops from Washington's Army were buried in the Square.  At the center of the square we stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, erected in 1954. Today the 6.5 acres square has over 60 varieties of trees and is a place to relax and enjoy.  It was renamed Washington Square in 1825 to honor the great general and first President.

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We walked on Walnut Street as the rain has stopped. We located Todd House.  Here we learned that instead of leaving the city with his wife and children to escape the yellow fever epidemic, the famous lawyer stayed in Philadelphia to help his clients, and to care for his mother, father, and his young law apprentice, who all died from yellow fever. John Todd eventually caught yellow fever himself and died of the disease in October 1793.  His wife Dolley remains a beloved historical figure and is the reason why this home is so famous: Dolley, by most accounts, was a fabulous and spirited hostess.  She married a few years later to James Madison, America’s 4^th president.

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Located across the street is the Bishop White House.  The Rev. Dr. William White, rector of Christ Church and St. Peter's Church and the First Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania, lived in this house from the time it was built in 1787 until his death in 1836. White chose its location because it lay midway between the two churches he served.

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We made a left on 3^rd street and on the right was the Philadelphia Merchant House, the rectangular main structure mirrors the 1830s American's fascination with Greek architecture. It is the oldest Stock Exchange building in America (1831).

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To the left we looked at the First Bank of the United States - originally called the Bank of the United States, which operated from 1797-1811. The bank is a three-story brick structure with a marble front and trim.

We made another left on Chesnut Street and to our left, at an end of an alley stood Carpenters Hall, built in 1770.  The First Continental Congress met there in 1774.

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We continued on Chestnut and to our left we saw The Second Bank, which was incorporated in 1816 and was one of the most influential financial institutions in the world until 1832, when it became the center of bitter controversy between bank president and President Andrew Jackson. The bank ceased to exist in 1836.

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We passed The Signer Park and the famous statue and learned that the larger-than-life, bronze statue honors the Philadelphia physician, medical educator and the signer of the Declaration of Independence.

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It was time to have lunch.  We asked a passerby where we can find a great Philly Cheese Steak around and he pointed at Sonny’s Famous Steak, just a couple of blocks away. We had a delicious sandwich and continued our trip.




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We used Market Street, originally known as High Street and found The Declaration House (Graff House), where Thomas Jefferson drafted, in just three weeks, the Declaration of Independence.

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We passed through City Hall, one of the most unique and a distinctive building in Philadelphia, City Hall was constructed from 1871 to 1901. This square was in William Penn's original design of the city, but it took many years for the city to expand west from the Delaware River. City Hall is designed as a huge square with a 548 foot tower. At the top of City Hall's tower is the famous and highly visible statue of Pennsylvania's founder, William Penn.

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Not far from City Hall we located Love Park (official name: JFK Plaza). The park is nicknamed Love Park for Robert Indiana's Love sculpture which overlooks the plaza.  The main features of the plaza are curved granite steps and a single spout fountain (Love Fountain).

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A Monument for The 
Holocaust  was not far, Located prominently at the corner of the Ben Franklin Parkway and 16th Street.

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The Franklin Institute was our next stop.  All we had time to see was Benjamin Franklin Seated Statue.  The 20-foot high memorial, sculpted by James Earle Fraser between 1906 and 1911, honors the writer, inventor and American statesman.  The statue weighs 30 tons and sits on a 92-ton pedestal of white marble.

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We continued on Ben Franklin Parkway and in our imagination we saw Rocky Balboa (yes! The one from the movies) running from City Hall and up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, located at the end of the Parkway and we both started to sing the theme “Gonna Fly Now” from the movie “Rocky”, the 1976 Academy Award-winning film.  The museum is one of the largest in the USA and was established in 1876.  Outside the musuem the Washington Monument stands tall and portrays the nation's first president, George Washington, in his role as commander in chief during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).

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We climbed the 76 steps to the top of the museum and as we reached the top, we raised our hands exactly the way Rocky did in the movie.  The view from the top of the stairs was unbelievable as we could see Eakins Oval, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and Philadelphia City Hall. We did not have time to tour the museum, though we wanted to.  “We need to leave something for next time”, Tova suggested.



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Once back at the bottom of the stairs, we located the Rocky Statue. With arms raised in triumph, the Rocky statue has long held a place in the hearts of Philadelphia residents and visitors eager to re-enact the boxing underdog's proud and jubilant training sessions.  We posed next to the statue and raised our hands again…

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We climbed a trolley and headed back to Market and 5^th. We then located the Haym Salomon Mark, a tribute to one of the prominent figures of the Revolutionary War.  Haym Salomon was a Spanish and Portuguese Jew who immigrated to New York from Poland during the period of the American Revolution, and who became a prime financier of the Continental Army during the war against Great Britain.

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To the right of the statue we found Congregation Mikveh Israel, founded in the 1740. It is one of the Oldest synagogues in the United States.  Outside we saw a another monument.  This one was dedicated to Yoni Netanyahu, who was the only Israeli soldier to die in the raid he lead at Entebbe Airport in Uganda that freed 103 Jewish hostages. (1976). we toured the Synagogue and then walked back to Market Street and 4^th to get our car.

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The time was 6:30 and my stomach was yelling for food.  I programmed my GPS to find the world famous Pat’s King of Steaks and few minutes later we stood in line at one of the most famous eateries in America. Pat’s claim to fame is that its founder, Pat Olivieri, invented the steak sandwich in 1930. Since then, Pat’s has grown from a little stand at the southern end of South Philly’s Italian Market to one of the most famous cheesesteak shops in the world.  Countless celebrities, politicians, musicians and athletes flock to Pat’s anytime they’re in Philadelphia.  There are hundreds of pictures portraying those famouse people nibling on the huge sandwich, and I wanted to be one of them, especially after watching the Best 101 Chowdown in America on the Travel Channel, where it won one of the top ten best eateries, (number 6) along with Gino’s Steaks.

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I ordered the steak exactly as they ask you to do.  A plaque is displayed on the window, telling you how to order and while waiting in line, people rehearse how they are going to place their order.  When it was my turn, I said: “2 cheez whiz wit”, which translates to: “Please let me have 2 orders of cheese steaks with house cheese and with grilled onions”. The flavor of this remarkable sandwich was unbelievable and even today when I write these lines, my mouth feels watery as I fantasize biting on the sandwich.

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Across the street from Pat’s there was Gino’s Steaks.  When we sat at one of the tables, chewing the famous sandwich, we talked to some patrons and asked which place has the best sandwich.  They all had one answer: Pat’s!  Still we wanted to try out Gino’s and believe it or not, we headed across the street to have some of Gino’s steaks.  The lines were shorter and though the meat was leaner I must admit that Pat’s was the best of them all!!

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We returned to the car and drove for the next two-and-a-half hours back to our villa in the Pocono’s and after checking our emails and surfing the net we went to sleep.

The time was 9:30 pm.

 

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Day 7: September 21st, 2011

We woke up at 9:30 and after having a hearty breakfast, that I had prepared, we drove North on Route 209 to visit Dingmans Falls but found out that the park was closed due to damage on the road caused by Hurricane Eileen.



We took Route 739 and headed towards the Historic Dingmans Ferry Bridge, about a mile away from the park.  The bridge is the last privately owned toll bridge on the Delaware River and one of the last few in the United States.  It provides an important link for commuters to reach destinations in New Jersey, New York City and Pennsylvania.  Today's tolls are not much higher than in previous years. Automobiles pay $1.00. Books of forty coupons can be purchased from the toll collector for $20.00. This effectively lowers the toll to 50 cents if the entire book of coupons is used. Bicyclists may cross for free, but pedestrians are not allowed due to the narrow lanes.  Right next to the bridge we saw a historical house: The Stone House and the sign informed us that it was built in 1804 by Daniel W. Dingman.

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Our next stop was Raymondskill Falls.  We could hear the rushing water from the parking lot, and as we walked the wooded trail towards the falls the sound grew louder and louder. Finally we reached the upper viewing platform and were struck in all our senses. Ahead of us was a large pool with 2 small falls above it.  Below the pool was a large fall pounding into a mist below us. Further down the trail was another platform situated near the lower falls, with a great view of the upper falls. We found a large waterfall broken into two parts. This is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania, and only 4 feet shorter than Niagara!  Raymondskill Falls were by far the nicest falls I have seen here in the Pocono’s.  


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Our next stop was Milford, a sleepy village that was incorporated in 1874. Prior to that, Milford was part of Milford Township.  Back then, settlers and Native Americans who lived here enjoyed the blessings of rich forests, beautiful lakes, and the fresh waters of the Delaware River and the streams that feed into it.  We walked around, viewed the historical buildings and spent about an hour walking the main street.