Mjneenan

Hello! This last summer, I had the chance to finally explore the state of Pennsylvania for eleven days, after only quickly driving through many times before. My wife was with me for five days early on and then I was solo after that. I just finished a 200 photo web album - each photo has a paragraph explanatory caption. You will have to click on the photo to read the full caption. You can then navigate by clicking on the arrows - or using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

My trip report is more or less a journal for my own memory, but I enjoy sharing my photos and especially aiding trip planners who are fine-tuning their own journeys. Since it is admittedly quite long and you may want to cherry pick what you are interested in, here is a breakdown of what photos line up with what corner of the state:

#1-102 ... Philadelphia area for six days, including Princeton and several
attractions just north of Wilmington, Delaware, like Longwood Gardens.
#103-127 ... Gettysburg for two days
#128-149 ... South Central PA, including Laurel Highlands for one day
#150-200 ... Pittsburgh for two and a half days

Please make any corrections if you can spot an error in anything I labeled or commented on. I welcome such feedback and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have within a day or two. What an interesting state to explore - so much history and beauty!

https://picasaweb.google.com/1003399...vaniaJuly2014#

Happy travels!

Mike

Mjneenan

Sorry - the original link may not work ... because I carelessly forgot to make the album public before copying the link. Try this one instead:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1003399...lvaniaJuly2014

Mike

Nelson

Thanks for sharing, a nice album!

My wife and I are planning to cover some of this territory in early June including Longwood and Winterthur (which it doesn't look like you made it to).

We are considering spending two nights at Gettysburg; I gather you think that will be worthwhile.

From Somerset we need to head south into WV, it looks like 281 will be the way to go. The covered bridges are very photogenic. I guess you headed north from there, but I fond some online to the south.

Thanks again.

emalloy

Very nice album, you did the state justice. Thanks for posting.

Kal

Great pix of my hometown, The Pitt. I'll DEF have to put the Pitt Campus and Cathedral of Learning on the next "to do" list.

Loved the Ohiopyle/Fallingwater pix, too. We took a bicycle ride "from the confluence to Confluence" last Sept....Rode from The Point to Confluence PA. Spent the night in Ohiopyle.
Pedaled over that same bridge in your pix...We could live in the Ohiopyle area in a heartbeat.....kicking ourselves for not taking the time to visit Fallingwater.

Thx for the memories!

Kal

@ Nelson. Gettsyburg is well-worth it, IMHO.

Mjneenan

@ Nelson ... Yes, Gettysburg for two nights is not at all too much, unless you have only a passing interest in Civil War history. If you are really into it, you might even wish for three nights. ... Yeah, we passed on Winterthur, only because we had chosen the Nemours mansion instead, only allowing time for one huge historic home in the area. Longwood was phenomenal - you'll love it!

@Kal ... Ohiopyle State Park is one of a very small number of state parks anywhere that I would plan a visit back to, to specifically spend a couple days in, with at least one overnight. It's awesome ... and I saw it when it was sort of cool and rainy. And yes, you DO need to get to Fallingwater!

Amy

Beautiful! That's a lot of writing to go with the gorgeous pictures.

You certainly did a grand job with my beloved Philadelphia, and I see that you've hit some areas of the state that I've not been to yet. (Always happens, it seems, when it's relatively close by: an "I'll get to that later" syndrome.)

The U of PA Museum is one of my favorites! It is pretty old school, but they've been working on the heat/humidity issues gradually; as you can imagine, it's pretty costly.

Kal

MJ....we are planning to do the whole route from Pittsgurgh PA to Wash DC in 2016.
Great Allegheny Passageway to the C&O Canal to DC.

We will DEF take more than 2 days and "stop, smell and take pix of the roses" along the way.

Great bar/restaurant in O'pyle too....Falls City Pub. Good people, good food and col-l-l-ld beer. Hydrate!

You do need to spend more time on the BETTER side of the Commonwealth

Mjneenan

@ Amy ... Yes, I know what you mean, certainly, about not always getting to nearby sights that tourists see before you do, even when you've lived in the area for ages. There are quite a few attractions in Chicago we haven't seen yet. ... Thanks for the info on UPenn's archeology museum. Yeah, I can imagine it's not cheap to add A/C to an older building.

@ Kal ... Have fun in DC - my wife and I have been there many times (she's from VA). So ... Is there a bit of a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philly, that goes far beyond sports teams affiliations?

Nelson

Kal & Mjneenan, thanks. We will do two nights at Gettysburg then, instead of just one, the most we can afford on this trip. Our next stop is only Chambersburg so we'll have plenty of time for another half-day visit if we need it.

PaulRabe

Just want to say: your photos covering Philly are EXCELLENT.

Birdie

Great photos and wonderful commentary. I have a few minor quibbles with your take on the Barnes controversy and your photos of the Amish women (if they are indeed Amish) but overall it's a fantastic overview of a beautiful and interesting city.

aussie_10

Fantastic photos thanks for sharing

Mjneenan

Thanks, PaulRabe, Birdie, and Aussie_10, for your kind words.

@ Birdie ... Well, you have certainly made me curious about your quibbles. About the Barnes Foundation, are you talking about my interpretation of the history presented in "The Art of the Steal" - or the documentary's presentation of Dr. Barnes? If I've misstated some of it, do please let me know and I will change what I wrote. ... About the Amish stand in Reading Terminal Market, not sure what you mean there - Are they not from the PA Dutch Country? Or are they not Amish at all ... and I made an incorrect assumption, perhaps?

Birdie

"About the Barnes Foundation, are you talking about my interpretation of the history presented in "The Art of the Steal" - or the documentary's presentation of Dr. Barnes? "

Both but we will never settle the controversy here. I will admit to never having seen "the Art of the Steal" but I am aware that it is notorious for it's biased presentation of the Barnes controversy.

http://articles.philly.com/2010-02-2...ation-bad-guys

In my very humble opinion, the collection is exactly where it should be. The only statement you may want to change is the one describing the collection as now owned by the city of Philadelphia. It's still owned by the foundation and was moved into the city.

Yes, the vendors are probably from PA Dutch country but there are other plain dressers besides the Amish. I think we all assume the vendors are Amish and they probably are but I spend enough time in Dutch country to know that you can't make any assumptions because there are so many groups and sub-groups with different traditions. My original "quibble" was with your photo. Many people don't realize that the Amish object to having photos taken in which they can be identified. As much as I'm charmed by their traditional dress and appearance, I never take photos of them.

They are just small quibbles but only because you asked. It really is a great collection of Philly photos.

The UPenn building is College Hall.

http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/maps...s/college-hall

jayne1973

Wow-- love the way you presented it alongside the photos. We are planning a PA trip in June, so I am going to take a serious look at all of this and might have some questions as planning progresses.

Thank you so much for posting, Mike.

Mjneenan

@ Birdie ... Thanks for your thoughts. I will make that one change about who owns the Barnes Foundation paintings. Yes, I can see why people would think that the documentary is very biased. I am, just for the record, in agreement with you about where it "belongs," accessible to much larger numbers of people, on more days per week, and easy to get to. And it's now in a truly beautiful building. ... And thanks, also, for the UPenn building ID - I'll alter that caption, as well. I really appreciate you reading through my comments and making suggestions!

@ Jayne1973 ... I am glad my photos and captions are helping you plan. Shoot me any questions as you get more detailed with your itinerary.

tuscanlifeedit

Mike: I just spent the last hour with your photos. They are wonderful.

I have lived in Pittsburgh all of my life and you visited most of the places where I take visitors. Your shots are great.

I had classes in many of the Nationality Rooms, which was always an interesting experience. I also lived very near to your Squirrel Hill rental, basically around the corner, for about 5 years. Did you have pizza? It's the best neighborhood for pizza.

Mjneenan

@ Tuscanlifeedit ... Ahhh, that would have been so cool to be a student, taking classes in the Nationality Rooms. ... I did have pizza in one of the Squirrel Hill pizzerias, just a couple blocks from where I stayed. Pretty good! But certainly not Chicago style pizza, ha, ha!