Recently work has taken me to the ever fun place of Altoona, PA! Fun Fun! (SIKE!) As I was driving four hours to get to this place in Western PA I never realized how different Western PA and Eastern PA can be. Eastern PA is populated with houses, buildings, schools, shopping malls, you get the point. However Western PA is surrounded by mountains (Alleghany Mountains I believe), trees, houses between trees, a main strip that has the essential Wal Mart, Target, and a couple fast food chains, (Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell) but thats about it! Oh yeah they have a bowling alley too. So I wonder what do people do around there for fun? Hunting? Okay I apologize for offending anyone that lived or has lived there at some period of time. Its not to say Delaware is fun with abundance but atleast you can drive an hour to go to Philly, two hours to NYC, two hours to Baltimore, two and half hours to DC if you want to get out of Delaware. Okay so I take that back I did enjoy driving to visit Penn State University. State College seemed like a lot of fun where hopefully these pictures came out okay. Whether you are a Penn State fan or not it was fun to be on a college campus again.
On another note yesterday @9:30am, Zachary Joseph Salzano came into the world! In case you didn't know, thats my new nephew! Now I decided to upload an updated picture of current nephew Ethan Christopher (almost 2 1/2). He's now a big brother! Now tell me he doesn't look cute? Once I get a picture of Zachary Joseph I'll post it. If Ethan is cute as can be, I can only imagine what Zachary Joseph looks like! So yes I am a proud Uncle. I can't believe that my sister is a mom for the 2nd time! I am excited for her and can't wait to meet the little guy.
3 comments:
Congratulations, Uncle!
Re: the question of "What is there to do" in Western PA. Surprisingly little difference in deciding what to do and where to go from my point of view.
Are you into live bands, karaoke, dance, concert-going, fine dining, amusement parks, comedy clubs, golf, sports competitions, hiking and fishing? Just slow down on the road. We have it here. Our choice is to simply not pay substantial mortgages on cookie-cutter homes, $10/hr sitting fees, nor parking lot fees equal to the national debt for a night at the cineplex. In family-owned restaurants, a fine seafood, Italian, Mediterranean dinner with wine costs $65.00 (lots of local wineries)
Next time you drive through Western PA, include driving during evening hours. We'll keep the lights on. That's where the action is.
But, like you, if the venue isn't there, we get in a car, bus, train or plane to get to it. 40 minutes to PSU, (BJC Arena, or Eisenhower and Schwab Auditorium for theatre), 1 hour to Johnstown(hockey and history), 2 hours to Pittsburgh(food, arts, commerce) 1/2 hr to Altoona to shop at multi-box stores and malls, go to a convention at the center, or drive to a nearby state park and recreational facilities.
Those millions of trees you see along the roadway? They are natural barriers during storms, inprove the exchange of carbon in the air quality index, beautify the country, help promote winter sports in the mountains, protect natural wildlife and promote overall good health to humans. You don't feel as sluggish in a woodland.
Delaware IS compact, and much closer to any large body of water than Western PA has to offer, excepting Lake Erie, so you have us there. There are miles of lakeshore, water sports, restaurants and historical influences anywhere around the Lake's southeastern coast.
We fly from any number of regional airports, we live in friendly neighborhoods where we take notice of each others' habits and still keep the adage, "Fences make good neighors!"
Small communities really are the majority of America. They are not the celebrity magnets of the big city, but we can always get there for a great visit!
Congrats, Uncle Eugene. Glad you enjoyed your visit to State College, though you must return on a football weekend -- when it becomes the third-largest city in Pennsylvania -- for the full effect. Alison
Livelaughalot,
I'm sorry if I offended you in anyway. I was just contrasting what I saw with my eyes. I'm taking it that you are from Western PA. I was by myself on my business trip and well exploring by yourself is never any fun. However next time I am out in Western PA I will take up the suggestions you made and keep a more open mind.
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