General Impressions

I had actually never considered going to Pennsylvania before Tom moved there. Despite the area’s rich history, the state really never held much attraction to me. Most of that apathy stemmed from my impression that, because of changing economic conditions, Pennsylvania was a run-down mess. Did my trip change my impressions? Yes and no.

I have to start my observations by stating that the highway system in Pennsylvania is easily the worst of any state in which I’ve been. Most of the highways are relics of a time when they were stagecoach trails. This means that they run through the center of towns. I’m not sure if there are historical reasons why many of them are no wider than the two lane path that they originally were. However, I’m sure they were adequate when there wasn’t as much traffic in the state. Unfortunately, the population is now too large for the current road system. Put together too many cars and very narrow roads located through the center of cities and you get frequent traffic jams. It seems to take forever to get anywhere in the state. I don’t want to give the impression that Pennsylvania’s roads are entirely inadequate. There are some good four lane highways (like Highway 15 from Harrisburg to Gettysburg). But, they are the exception. If one is exploring Southeast Pennsylvania by car, expect some delays in getting to different destinations.

The truly depressing part of the trip was finding that my preconception of the cities was correct. Reading, Lancaster, and Philadelphia are sadly decaying. That’s not to say that there aren’t good parts to these cities. But, the vast majority of cityscape is made up of turn of the century brick tenements that have peeling paint, trash in front of the doors, and graffiti covering the exterior walls.

We got a first hand experience at the decay in Reading when Tom decided to go house shopping. He found a house for sale with a dramatic exterior. He called Lucent’s in house relocation specialist to arrange a tour. I didn’t go on that tour, but Tom described the house to me afterward. It was a three bedroom, three bathroom place on a quarter-acre lot. Tom said that it was as nice on the interior as it was on the exterior. Better yet, it was in one of Reading’s better neighborhoods. To really seal the deal, the house was only a five minute drive from the Lucent plant. Still, the specialist told him to pass on the place. The reason she gave was that it was located inside the Reading city limits. She said that if he bought the place, he would have a very difficult time selling it, despite all its attractions. She mentioned that the house had been on the market for a year and a half, with no serious offers coming forward. That gives a pretty good indication of how bad the economy is in Reading.

I think a lot of the decay that I saw stemmed from the shell-shocked attitude of many of the residents of these towns. I’m definitely speculating here, but it seemed that the disappearance of the traditional industries, like steel production, had left people feeling lost and unsure of the future. As a result, they seemed unmotivated to maintain houses and buildings that might have to be abandoned in the future. At first, I thought I was imagining these impressions. Then, I saw an editorial in the Reading Eagle exhorting the town’s leadership to do something to change the direction-less quality of the town. That editorial convinced me that my impression was not inaccurate.

Unfortunately, the suburbs of these towns seem to have the same feeling that their urban centers have. They are much cleaner than the inner cities. However, there is no character beneath their strip malls and chain hotels. The really sad counterpoint to this lack of character is that no one seems to know how to (or want to) change it.

The lack of direction that permeates Reading and Lancaster is magnified in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, this feeling seems to have morphed into a sense of menace. There were several parts of Philadelphia that seemed like war zones to me, like the area just north of University City. It even permeates the “safer areas.” We went walking through South Street, which is the hippest part of Philadelphia. While I enjoyed the shops, I got very nervous seeing a police officer on every corner, along with police cruisers patrolling the area. None of these officers were responding to any crime, they were just watching the crowds for trouble. If there is the need for that much police presence in an area, it can’t be all that safe.

It might seem that I really didn’t enjoy Pennsylvania. I’ll be honest, it’s not England (or even Vermont). But, I did find reasons to visit Southeast Pennsylvania. The strongest reasons are the pockets of aching beauty amidst all of the blight. The Signal Hill area of Philadelphia is spectacular. Parts of Lancaster have a stately quality to them. The Amish countryside can only be described as charming. Even Reading and its suburbs (which I refer to as the Fresno of the East Coast) have their magical spots. Two come to mind immediately. The first was a small park built along the banks of Tulpehocken Creek in the suburb of Wyomissing. This park was only a couple of miles from Wyomissing’s shopping centers, yet it felt like it was in the middle of the countryside. The leaves were slowly falling into the briskly moving creek. The ones that still were on the trees were the full spectrum of fall colors. A red covered bridge only added to the rural setting. The whole park created a feeling that one associates with the Mid-Atlantic/New England states during the fall. There is no charge to visit the park.

The other distinctive spot in the Reading area is the pagoda on Mt. Penn overlooking the town. It might seem strange to have a six-story pagoda in Pennsylvania, but it doesn’t seem so strange once the story of its construction is heard. The pagoda was built by a local businessman who had made a couple of trips to China and had fallen in love with the country’s architecture. He had hopes of making the pagoda into a luxury hotel. However, a key component for the proposed hotel’s financial stability was the alcohol sales in the hotel’s restaurant. Prohibition put an end to those plans. So, the businessman turned it over to the City as part of a park on Mt. Penn. That arrangement remains in place today.

I thought at first that a pagoda would be very out of place on a Pennsylvania mountainside. But, it actually fits in very well with the natural scenery. The trees seem to grow right up to the sides of the building, giving it a very organic quality. What really makes the pagoda integral to the landscape of the area are the wonderful views that one gets from its upper floors. The vista of Reading and the rolling hillsides is simply spectacular. It is very clear from this observation point that Reading is built around in the classic neighborhood pattern of the East Coast (church in the center, houses extending for several blocks around the church). One also doesn’t see the blight that plagues Reading. Instead, Reading looks like a thriving metropolitan center. Any place that can cause that transformation is worth visiting. There is no charge to enter the park or tour the pagoda’s interior.

Tom Marihart At Pagoda in Reading, PA

Tom Marihart in front of the Pagoda. Reading, Pennsylvania

Places to Stay

We spent most of our trip at the Reading Sheraton, which is actually located just west of Reading in the suburb of Wyomissing. It is the typical big box chain hotel that many have come to know and loathe. The best thing about it is that it’s close to many of Wyomissing’s malls. The cost for a room with 2 beds is $142/night.

We also stayed at the Airport Comfort Inn in Edgington, Pennsylvania. The only thing to recommend about this place is that it’s three miles from the Philadelphia International Airport. It was an absolute dump. In fairness to the establishment, it was undergoing some renovation. However, the cleanliness of the rooms was abysmal. The clientele allowed in the hotel also left something to be desired. While nothing happened, it is the only hotel in which I’ve stayed where I felt unsafe. I’d recommend avoiding this place like the plague. If you have to stay here, a room with two beds will cost you $78/night.

Places to Eat

We ate most of our meals at the chain restaurants around the Reading Sheraton (Denny’s, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, McDonald’s, Chi Chi’s). We also had coffee (or hot chocolate) and a muffin every morning at Border’s Bookstore in Reading. Occasionally though, we did manage to wander out and try something a little more unique to the area. These are a couple of the restaurants that stood out in our minds.

The Pub in Gettysburg has a great ambience to it. Part of that ambience stems from its location on Lincoln Square in the center of town. Another part of that ambience comes from the interior, which is decorated in what best can be described as “American Patriot.” The tablecloths are blue; there is red, white, and blue bunting on the windows; and the menu is generously graced with the American flag. I have to say that the ambience is the pub’s most attractive part. I had a hamburger with fries for $6.95 that was really nothing special. I'd give a small recommendation to The Pub. I’m sure there are better places to eat in Gettysburg.

Since we were in Philadelphia, it seemed appropriate to have a cheesesteak sandwich. Tom had found out from his uncle (a Philadelphia native) that Jim’s Steaks is the place to get the best cheesesteak sandwich in Philadelphia. So, we went there. Obviously, its fame is widespread, because the line inside and outside the building was pretty long. I have to say that the food is worth the wait. Jim’s has a great cheesesteak sandwich. It’s not at all greasy, yet there’s plenty of meat in it. It’s also quite large as well. For $5.35, it’s a great bargain. A word of caution though…the staff is quite surly. A customer orders at the grill so that the sandwich is made when ordered. If one isn’t sure what one wants, the cook calls out for the next person. In other words, know what you want BEFORE you get to the cook. But, the gruff staff shouldn’t discourage one from going to Jim’s. It’s as good as advertised.

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