Surprising Contrasts Among Five Recent Hotel ExperiencesThese last few weeks of travel have taken me to York, Pennsylvania, to suburban Pittsburgh, to Nashville (twice), to downtown Cleveland, and to the heart of the CBD on the riverfront back in Pittsburgh.  I was in and out of five very different hotels.  Some of the properties were my choices (the cheapest ones), and some hotels were .. more ..

Joanne from Direct Abundance sent me the following email, with an update of Direct Abundance work in Jamaica and  she is looking for help to get some school supplies to mainland Belize. If anyone is coming here from Pennsylvania and has some spare room or if anyone has a good suggestion on hoe to help her get the school supplies here please make contact. Hi Laurie. Hope things are well down there in Belize. As you know Direct Abundance has been doing loads of work in .. more ..

Driving around gives you a lot of time to think, and sometimes the thinking leads to interesting conversations in the cab of our Winnebago. One such confab took place last week as we were motoring from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island, kicking off our summer tour of New England. Envisioning our surroun .. more ..

We were last in Pennsylvania in March 2008 as part of a media tour for the inaugural Philly Beer Week. On that visit, Merideth and I experienced a whirlwind tour of the greater Philadelphia beer scene. On our own this time, we planned another crazy four days, including not only Pennsylvania but also journeying into Delaware for the first time.

Pennsylvania beyond the Poconos and Amish Country Last weekend my family and I discovered a whole new region in Pennsylvania that is perfect for family travel.  Tucked away in the heart of the state near the Poconos Mountains and several ski resorts, lies several towns filled with museums, restaurants, antique shops and family-esque things to [...]

National Park Week Quiz #5 required you to identify the national park revealed by these clues: If you have a full head, you are ready. If you have something to keep to yourself, you don’t want it all over it. The Office. The answer is Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. Abstract:  .. more ..

It’s strange to me that many New Yorkers have not been to the top of the Empire State Building or taken a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. But, then again, during the time I spent outside of Philadelphia attending college, I never bothered to visit Pennsylvania Dutch Country — a mere 30 minutes away by car. Now 25 years after graduating, I find myself driving out to Lancaster County, PA to see why the area is so popular wi .. more ..