Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).
As I get older, I find I’m looking back with nostalgia at things I used to do when I was a kid. Places I used to go, things I used to see and do – buildings and landmarks I remember from childhood. If I had a time machine, I would love to travel back to the 40’s and 50’s – a time when it seems as if Hagerstown and the surrounding areas were in their heyday and “golden” years. Sadly,…
Before I moved back to Maryland from Florida (many moons ago), when traveling back to this area to see friends and family, my wife was often baffled by the conversations that took place between locals. She grew up in both Massachusetts and Florida, where the accents you hear coming from people’s mouths are far different from what she was being subjected to in the four-state area. She’d listen to an exchange and then literally ask for me to interpret, like…
As I am out and about in my dining and travel adventures, I’m constantly amazed at the deterioration of one of the simplest and easiest forms of respect and kindness that can be shown towards another human being. Basic manners. Welcome to the “rude era”. In today’s world of excessive social media and instant, faceless communication, people are not shy about giving their unfiltered opinion. A careless word or hateful phrase can enrage and inflame emotions. We are no longer…
What’s going on with this winter’s weather? Here locally we’ve only seen a few dustings of snow and the temperatures have been averaging 20 degrees above normal for the past week. 20 degrees. It was 71 last Saturday (28 degrees above normal). The forecast is for 73 on Thursday and 75 for Friday (you do the math). Hello? It’s February. I took a walk today and snapped some pictures of blooming wild crocuses, which are already out all over the…
There are 4,664 Walmarts in the United States[1]. It’s the number one retailer in America. I’m sure there are very nice locations around this great land (the one in Spring Mills comes to mind), where the shelves are fully stocked, the store is impeccably clean, and the employees seem helpful and happy to work there. That being said, if getting your shopping done is of secondary concern and for sheer entertainment value, I’d rank the Hagerstown Walmart Supercenter on Garland…
I’m generally not one for New Year’s Resolutions, as they are broken more easily than a dozen eggs tossed down a basement stairwell, but for the sake of argument, here’s a short list of things I’d LIKE to see happen in the four-state world of travel and food in the coming year: Widen Interstate 81 in Maryland Come on, State and Federal governments – haven’t we waited long enough? Now is the time to take care of this mess. I…
While out and about driving recently, the constant barrage of Christmas songs on the radio yielded a version of “My Favorite Things”, made popular from the musical “The Sound of Music”. My youngest chimed in. “How is this a Christmas song?” “Well,” I said, trying to sound knowledgeable and Dad-like, “ – I guess it could remind you of the things you like for the holidays, or an inspiration to think about things you’d want for Christmas.” “Rain drops on…
Ever since I was little, I’ve loved model trains (and that ladies and gentlemen – is a long time). I love to watch them wind around the track, chugging through tiny worlds that are lovingly created in exact detail. There are tiny shops, tiny trees, and tiny people. It fascinates me, and I could stare at model railroad displays for hours. I can fondly remember traveling out to the Hagerstown Fairgrounds when I was a wee lad to view the…
Taking advantage of the wonders of nature doesn’t always involve travel. In the four-state area, we are blessed with many breathtaking vistas right outside our own windows – beautiful mountains, sleepy creeks, and farmland dotted in squares of color. Next week, you’ll only need to walk outside and look up to see an astonishing show. The “Supermoon”. The full moon on the night of November 14th will appear larger and brighter than normal, due to the fact that its elliptical…
Well, it took long enough, but beautiful fall foliage finally arrived to the four-state area. I think this past weekend was probably our autumn peak for color. The leaves are now falling from the trees in earnest, the time change back to “Standard Time” has occurred (meaning shorter evenings and longer nights – by the clock at least), and colder temps and frost are in the forecasts. So what do the prognosticators and weather warlords predict for winter this year? …