I hope all of you had a warm and festive Thanksgiving. I know, it's unlikely that 100% of you did, but it's a nice thought. In case any of you are planning a holiday trip to South Jersey or Central Pennsylvania this year, I thought I'd offer you the benefit of my hard-earned experience:
- Avoid the New Jersey Turnpike at all costs, unless you're driving at 3am or left home several days before you plan to arrive.
- In New Jersey gas prices are up to $.30 cheaper than in New York. And, by law, you can't pump it yourself.
- The Wyndham Hotel in Mount Laurel, NJ is a dump and should be avoided (there are many alternatives in the immediate area.) The rooms were filthy, the elevators didn't serve our floor, there were no towels at the pool, and our room keys didn't work. You can do better for $125 a night.
- Drive defensively -- the deer bolting across the highway are even more unpredictable than the guy in the mini-van.
- There's a really good family restaurant called Kreider's outside Lancaster (in the town of Mountville, I think) that serves the most delicious tuna melt I've ever tasted.
- Despite the tourist traps and tour buses, there are still many Amish working the land on well maintained farms in Lancaster and Berks counties. At any given time you can see teams of horses plowing the fields, horse and buggies holding up traffic on two-lane roads, and two-tone laundry hanging out to dry in the breeze.
- There's simply nothing better than a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal -- even if the gravy is from a can.
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