YEAR VISITED: 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013, & 2020

FAVORITE CITIES AND EXPERIENCES: In the summer of 2020 we stayed in eastern Pennsylvania at a World Mark Resort, Shawnee Village. Specifically, it was located in the Poconos on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border. We stayed a week and the resort acted as our home base as we branched out to explore various sites in the tri-state area. We had our own two story condo which was equipped with a rustic screened in porch. A highlight was sitting on the porch in the evenings to watch the fireflies. One of Jill’s and my favorite memories was watching both girls run around outside attempting to capture the unique bugs.

Both girls ended up being successful in their endeavor and caught a handful of fireflies inside a glass with a kleenex over the top. We kept them just long enough to see them light up in the glass and then let them go. From Shawnee we headed to Pittsburgh where we stayed downtown at a Holiday Inn. The hotel shared a parking lot with PNC Park, the home of MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates. This was our first experience with Pittsburgh and we really didn’t have any preconceived ideas as to what to expect. Our first morning in the city, we explored the walking path’s on both sides of the Allegheny River.

One of the first attractions we stumbled upon was the Mr. Rogers Statue.

The statue, known as the “Tribute to Children”, was completed in 2009 and pays homage to Mr. Rogers who filmed his famed children’s TV show in Pittsburgh for over thirty years. The statue has a hidden sound system and over twenty songs and recorded messages read by Mr. Rogers, which made the attraction feel as if it was alive.

Following the statue, I walked across the Roberto Clemente Bridge and then continued exploring walking paths on the opposite side of the river.

It was the summer of 2020 and Black Lives Matter protests were occurring in cities all over the country.

In Pittsburgh, I ran into remembrance murals painted of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. With everything going on at the time I thought this was a simple and non violent way to acknowledge them.

While we didn’t know what to expect of Pittsburgh when we first arrived, we greatly enjoyed our time and look forward to returning. It was one of the most scenic cities to explore that I have ever walked.

For nearly fifteen years I was a history teacher, and a subject I looked forward to every year was the American Civil War. While I enjoy studying up and reading about the various battles, one of my favorite things to do is to visit the actual battlefields. In my opinion, that is when history most feels as if it comes to life. The battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863 was the largest Civil War battle and naturally is the most well preserved battlefield of the Civil War. I have been lucky enough to visit Gettysburg and tour the Gettysburg Military Park on three separate occasions. The first came in the summer of 2003 as I was accepted to a week long Gilder Lehrman conference. I stayed in the dorms, met history teachers from all over the country, and attended daily lectures and toured various battlefields within the park.

It was here that I was able to walk the 3rd days battlefield, which has become known as “Pickett’s Charge”.

My second stay came that winter as Jill and I celebrated New Years 2004 in the town of Gettysburg. We stayed on the actual battlefield in the Doubleday Inn Bed & Breakfast.

We had an amazing time exploring the downtown area in the winter, rang in the new year outside in the towns main square, and had dinner at historic Dobbins Tavern.

The Tavern opened it’s doors in 1776, is the oldest structure in the city, and served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. On a side note, order the French Onion soup – you will not be disappointed!

Jill and I also toured President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s House. We found it interesting that this was the only home the President ever owned, and that he decided to put a golf putting green in his backyard (which is actually on the battlefield itself).

My third and final visit came in 2013 which was again a part of a conference. This time the highlights were attending a ghost tour at the Battlefield Farmhouse as well as taking a site visit to the actual location of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The town is said to be one of the most haunted in America and whether you are a believer or not this is a great way to learn history in a fun and entertaining way.

The American Civil War has definitely evolved into a personal hobby of mine and Gettysburg has become one of my favorite historical destinations to visit any time I am on the east coast.

STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: While I have not seen a game in Pittsburgh, I have walked around the outside of both Heinz Field (Home of the Steelers) and PNC Park (Home of the Pirates). Bailey and I took pictures in front of Heinz Field as well as with the Art Rooney statue.

We then headed a couple of blocks east to PNC Park. The MLB stadium is located on the shores of the Alleghany River and within view of three distinct bridges.

This is one of the most iconic looking stadiums in all of baseball and seeing a game here is high on my list of to do’s. I walked around the outside of the stadium and took pictures with four Pirate greats immortalized by a statue; Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Stargell.

In 2008 I was teaching and coaching in Longview, Washington. That summer I had an opportunity to participate in a history conference on the east coast. Following a week at the conference, I met up with my high school friend in Philadelphia and attended a Phillies game. The stadium, Citizens Bank Ballpark, was less than five years old. I walked around the outside of the stadium and explored multiple concourses within the stadium.

While Phillies fans are always on the intense side, the game was enjoyable. Following a rain delay it was an awesome experience to see Eaton enter the game and toe the rubber for the eventual World Series Champions.

ADVENTURE(S): One of the day trips we made from Shawnee Village was to Philadelphia. We made the hour and forty-five minute drive and then spent the day exploring the city. Unfortunately it was the summer of 2020, the height of the COVID scare, and many historical locations were closed. Therefore, on a handful of stops our only exploring option was to walk the grounds. In no way did this dampen our Philadelphia experience, in fact we probably enjoyed it even more as the normal crowds were no more than a handful of people. Our first stop was the Betsy Ross House. She is credited with sewing the first American flag in Philadelphia in 1777.

From there we bounced over to the Declaration House, located just on the outskirts of the Independence National Historical Park. It was in this building that Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the Declaration of Independence.

After that, we crossed the street into the Historical Park. Normally, you can visit the Liberty Bell Center free of charge and wait in line to take a picture up close and personal. My dad and I did just that in the year 2000 on our East Coast trip. Unfortunately in 2020 the entire complex was closed. However, we still managed to peer through the glass and take a few pictures with the famed Liberty Bell.

Adjacent to the Liberty Bell Center is Independence Hall. This is the building where our founding fathers debated and eventually signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Just over a decade later, it is also the building where the United States Constitution was debated and signed into existence.

While I felt satisfied with seeing pretty much all the other Philadelphia monuments from the outside, this is the one destination I was disappointed not to be able to enter. Someday I look forward to returning and taking the free National Park tour. Other sites we walked to and explored around Independence National Historical Park was the Christ Church Burial Ground and The Bourse Building.

The cemetery is the final resting place of five signers of the declaration and the Bourse building is located across the street from Independence Hall and was originally the nation’s first commodities exchange market. Today it is a food hall and fun meeting place.

We love this area of Philadelphia as you can’t help but feel like you have been transported back to the birthplace of our country. We especially loved stumbling upon cobblestone roads on a few of the side streets.

Following our tour of historic Philadelphia, we had lunch at Sonny’s. It is famous for it’s authentic cheesesteak and claims to serve the, “best cheesesteak in Philly.” After eating there, we certainly can’t disagree as we gobbled up lunch in record time.

After lunch we returned to the car and crossed town to the Philadelphia Art Museum.

While it was also closed, we were able to visit the Rocky statue and the steps made famous from the Sylvester Stallone movies.

Watching the girls take turns running up the stairs as if they were Rocky was definitely a highlight of our entire trip. Once we all summitted the 72-steps, it was surreal standing where Stallone stood looking out over the city. It is amazing how an entire city has come to embrace the grit and perseverance shown in the fictional Rocky movies. When in Philadelphia this is an absolute must!

NOTABLE DESTINATIONS & STOPS: Pittsburgh is one of the prettiest big cities we have experienced. The “City of Bridges” is perfectly named as the city sits on the confluence of the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio River. The best place to view this picturesque city is from the Duquesne Incline. It has been in operation since 1877 and is therefore one of the oldest inclines in the country.

We rode the incline in the late afternoon and enjoyed the one of a kind views at dusk. By far, this was one of our favorite Pittsburgh attractions.

Another site in the area that was a highlight destination for the girls, was the Abby Lee Dance Company. Both girls got into (what Dad would call) “a soap opera reality TV show” that’s set in Pittsburgh. The show highlights the behind the scenes stories of what it takes to be successful at the highest levels of Dance.

Needless to say the girls were extremely excited to see where one of their favorite shows took place.

On our cross country road trip of 2020, we stumbled upon the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Sadly, this memorial is dedicated to one of the three airplanes that was hijacked on September 11th, 2001. The passengers story is humbling, heroic, and sad. While the hijackers took control of the airplane with the intent of using it as a weapon, the passengers were able to heroically fight back. Even though they knew it would end their own life, they re-took control of the plane and crashed it into a field in Pennsylvania rather than the intended target of the United State Capital building. As you can imagine, this site is filled with as much sorrow as any we have ever visited. The first stop in the national park is the Tower of Voices.

It is a 93 foot tall wind chime equipped with forty wind chimes designed to commemorate the passengers and crew members that lost their lives that fateful day. The second stop in the park is the Visitors Center, which tells the story of the passengers. It also showcases a handful of artifacts that should be guaranteed to tug on your heart strings.

The third and final stop is where the crashed airplane came to it’s final resting spot, which is marked by a boulder. Adjacent to the boulder is a walled monument with the names of the passengers and crew inscribed. Without a doubt this is one of the most humbling sites we have ever visited.

Our family has enjoyed the humor of the TV show The Office for at least the past decade. While the show was filmed on a Los Angeles studio, the setting of the show is Scranton. The show highlights many of the locations around town.

We enjoyed taking pictures in front of the “Welcome to Scranton” sign used in the opening of the show.

We also visited the iconic Penn Paper Tower, had lunch at Alfredo’s Pizza, and visited the Steamtown Mall.

Not to be confused with “Pizza by Alfredo” – we can confirm this is definitely the good pizza. Pennsylvania has something for everyone and we enjoyed exploring the Keystone State.

• OUR LIST TO VISIT OR RETURN TO:
• Hershey Park
• Valley Forge Historical Park
• Intercourse
• Andy Warhol Museum
• Elfreth’s Alley
• Franklin Institute
• Eastern State Penitentiary