Philadelphia, PA area

The Windsor Suites
1700 Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103

• cheapest
• walking distance
• charge for parking
• breakfast
• fridge & microwave
  

Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel
17th & Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103


Crowne Plaza Hotel PHILADELPHIA-CENTER CITY
1800 MARKET ST., Philadelphia, PA 19103


City Pass and Philadelphia pass available through orbitz
http://www.philadelphiapass.com/
http://www.citypass.com/city/philadelphia.html?id=Eq6sA22B

Hershey - http://www.hersheypa.com/ *museum closing 9/2
Kitchen Kettle Village http://www.kitchenkettle.com/kitchenkettle/iehome07.php
Good N Plenty Restaurant http://www.goodnplenty.com/
Willow Valley Resort http://www.willowvalley.com/
Red Caboose Motel http://www.redcaboosemotel.com/
Strasburg Railroad http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
Corn Maze and others http://www.amishnews.com/featurearticles/crazycorn.htm
Hershey's chocolate world http://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/
Shady Maple Smorgasbord http://www.shady-maple.com/home

Philadelphia http://www.gophila.com/
Lights of Liberty
Independence Hall http://www.nps.gov/inde/
Congress Hall
Liberty Bell
Christ Church (Ben Franklin's Grave)
Betsy Ross House
US Mint
Old City Hall
First Bank of US
Ben Franklin National Memorial
Franklin Institute Science Museum
City Hall
Big Bus Tour

Potential Trips 2008

Where should we go in 2008? Can we fly or drive?

1. Philadelphia, PA is a good possibility. Lots to see...
2. Amish Country in Indiana is also good. They have theater!
3. Missouri has some possibilities but would need to put more of an agenda together to decide where in the state
4. There's always the possibility of visiting family in San Francisco.
5. Return to Tennessee and actually have time to enjoy the visit.
6. Canada - need passports :-(
7. Wait until fall and look at areas further south (ie Georgia, Mississippi, Carolinas)

Las Vegas, Nevada

I know it's been forever since I said I would start this blog. But I admit it dropped to the bottom of the priority list for awhile. So in an effort to get the ball rolling I thought I'd try and give this a start. Pictures and details to come later...
So why specify Nevada, I mean EVERYONE knows where Vegas is. Well there's actually another Las Vegas in our beautiful country. It's in New Mexico, for the record. :-)
My husband and I went to Vegas last October, which turned out to be a great time to visit. Neither of us are gamblers and we had been to Vegas before so we were at a loss when our original reason for the trip fell through and we had non refundable tickets. We made an effort to try and find some off the strip activities to entertain ourselves. First off, accomodations. We stayed at the Grandview. It's a bit up the ways on Las Vegas Boulevard so it's not nearly as busy. Since we were there a few years ago, the new hotel/casino opened next door. While the Grandview has it's "issues" (specifically no free wireless in the rooms) it's not a bad place to stay. We had a place to heat and eat leftovers! And if we needed the internet they did have a business center with a few computers that could be used by guests.
The most memorable place we ate was Cafe Heidelberg (604 E. Sahara). It's a German cafe with food that made us both think our grandmas were alive and cooking! It's off the strip so it's quiet. I've seen some mentions of it lately in travel guides so that may change in the future. And not all that easy to find in it's strip mall type location. We went for lunch so we were seated right away. Dinner is usually busier (but the only have a handful of booths) but they take reservations.
The other wonderful dinner was Lotus of Siam. Very traditional Thai food. Also hidden and off the strip. (953 E. Sahara) http://www.saipinchutima.com/ We had reservations and were seated pretty quickly after walking in the door. The waiter was very helpful at suggesting food that would suit us. My husband has some food allergies and they were very accomodating of this.