Going to Allentown and Philadelphia this summer, advice on both cities? (Bethlehem: 2015, credit)

[MaricopaCountyResident]

I'm going to Allentown and Philadelphia this summer. Any advice on entertainment, driving, and what COVID-19 measures are in place in both cities? I'm coming from Phoenix, AZ, a city where mask wearing is becoming non-existant and where the mask below the nose is common. Enforcement is rare over here, except in a few places. What are the COVID restrictions like in Allentown and Philadelphia? Is enforcement more strict?

Are the drivers aggressive in both cities?

Are the people nice and friendly with door holding and smiling in both cities?

Entertainment in both cities?

Thanks for the advice. I'm using airline credit to go on a very nice vacation. I will also be going to Washington DC as well with the Acela Express.

[Wells5]

Philadelphia Magazine has guides to restaurants, events, entertainment, etc.


https://www.phillymag.com/


Lehigh Valley Style has events and things to do, etc.


https://lehighvalleystyle.com/


Why did you pick Allentown to visit? Downtown Bethlehem is much more interesting.


If you are interested in the train ride to Washington, DC, you can experience the same thing in the videos linked below.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiCS2wdnAFw



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvgVhIz4fgs

[MaricopaCountyResident]

Originally Posted by Wells5

Philadelphia Magazine has guides to restaurants, events, entertainment, etc.


https://www.phillymag.com/


Lehigh Valley Style has events and things to do, etc.


https://lehighvalleystyle.com/


Why did you pick Allentown to visit? Downtown Bethlehem is much more interesting.


If you are interested in the train ride to Washington, DC, you can experience the same thing in the videos linked below.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiCS2wdnAFw



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvgVhIz4fgs

I want to see what the Lehigh Valley is like overall.

[MaricopaCountyResident]

I figured the northeast was socialist. I haven't been there since 2015. I connected at JFK in early 2019. Haven't really been back on the grass in the northeast since 2015. My parents went to Boston in Fall 2020, and they said it's all mask nazis telling people to wear their mask properly. They would get told many times in each day to pull their masks above their noses. People say California is socialist, but I was never told those things in California. If anything, nobody there cared how you wore your mask.

Well, I'm still going to have fun. I wonder if there are mask enforcers on the subways and trains in the northeast. In Phoenix, there aren't, and security here rarely cares if you even wear a mask.

Well, good luck to me. But it won't be too bad. As long as I have those black surgical masks, I should be fine.

[rowhomecity]

I would suggest you visit Lancaster over Allentown. It is a far more interesting area and its downtown is very scenic. It also has direct Amtrak service to Philadelphia.

I think you could easily spend one night and two days in Lancaster... followed with two or three nights in Philadelphia and then descend to DC...

If you do go to Allentown there is only probably one days worth of things to see in the city itself and neighboring Bethlehem and the rest would be followed by exploring the nearby Pocono Mountains which is just 40 minutes north of that area...


New CDC guidelines by President Biden were announced today and you no longer have to wear a mask outdoors. You do need to wear a mask inside and it is strictly enforced in Pennsylvania and if you do not comply you will be asked to leave.

I have respect for it and follow the rules.

Thanks.

[MaricopaCountyResident]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

I would suggest you visit Lancaster over Allentown. It is a far more interesting area and its downtown is very scenic. It also has direct Amtrak service to Philadelphia.

I think you could easily spend one night and two days in Lancaster... followed with two or three nights in Philadelphia and then descend to DC...

If you do go to Allentown there is only probably one days worth of things to see in the city itself and neighboring Bethlehem and the rest would be followed by exploring the nearby Pocono Mountains which is just 40 minutes north of that area...


New CDC guidelines by President Biden were announced today and you no longer have to wear a mask outdoors. You do need to wear a mask inside and it is strictly enforced in Pennsylvania and if you do not comply you will be asked to leave.

I have respect for it and follow the rules.

Thanks.

I knew it would be enforced because it's the northeast. In Arizona, specifically Phoenix, in some businesses, it's enforced, but people wear it, then take it off once in the middle of the store. Now in Tucson, the masks are more enforced because Pima County still has the mandate, but it's not like super strictly enforced like in the northeast. If I wore the black surgical masks, I'll be fine. And who knows, maybe by July, the mask mandate in Pennsylvania will be lifted.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by MaricopaCountyResident

I knew it would be enforced because it's the northeast. In Arizona, specifically Phoenix, in some businesses, it's enforced, but people wear it, then take it off once in the middle of the store. Now in Tucson, the masks are more enforced because Pima County still has the mandate, but it's not like super strictly enforced like in the northeast. If I wore the black surgical masks, I'll be fine. And who knows, maybe by July, the mask mandate in Pennsylvania will be lifted.

Yes, I see things improving by mid summer to lift restrictions further....

I think you would enjoy Lancaster more than Allentown.. that is just me..

If you do go to Allentown though you should venture to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It is a really quaint town in the Mountains.

If you go to Lancaster it has lots of very interesting and quaint towns and beautiful scenery. The city of Lancaster itself is incredibly beautiful and places like Litiz are gorgeous.

[loose cannon]

Actually Allentown is not that bad. The center city is phony, but even so the Brewworks and Hamilton are good spots. Hanging out in the West end is the ideal thing to do. The West end is kind of like Tempe/Scottsdale . There are bars like The Shanty where you will see me on weekends particularly Sunday, Ringers, Gregs (which is kind of hoodish with some cronies from town visiting at night. But it's manageable) Stooges which is very high class, and The Liberty Tavern which has a great micro brew selection although it is frequented by Muhlenberg *******s.

Bethlehem as people have mentioned is also great. Take a walk down Main St. Go to Joe's Tavern. Head over the bridge to the Southside. Go to teh Funhouse, Mollys, and Seven Sirens.

[MaricopaCountyResident]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

Actually Allentown is not that bad. The center city is phony, but even so the Brewworks and Hamilton are good spots. Hanging out in the West end is the ideal thing to do. The West end is kind of like Tempe/Scottsdale . There are bars like The Shanty where you will see me on weekends particularly Sunday, Ringers, Gregs (which is kind of hoodish with some cronies from town visiting at night. But it's manageable) Stooges which is very high class, and The Liberty Tavern which has a great micro brew selection although it is frequented by Muhlenberg *******s.

Bethlehem as people have mentioned is also great. Take a walk down Main St. Go to Joe's Tavern. Head over the bridge to the Southside. Go to teh Funhouse, Mollys, and Seven Sirens.

I will definitely check out those areas. I'm flying into Allentown and staying in Bethlehem.

How are the drivers in Allentown? Are they crazy and aggressive or nice and kind? I'm kind of scared driving in the northeast. How is driving in Philadelphia like?

[SDWNC]

Originally Posted by MaricopaCountyResident

I'm going to Allentown and Philadelphia this summer. Any advice on entertainment, driving, and what COVID-19 measures are in place in both cities? I'm coming from Phoenix, AZ, a city where mask wearing is becoming non-existant and where the mask below the nose is common. Enforcement is rare over here, except in a few places. What are the COVID restrictions like in Allentown and Philadelphia? Is enforcement more strict?

Are the drivers aggressive in both cities?

Are the people nice and friendly with door holding and smiling in both cities?

Entertainment in both cities?

Thanks for the advice. I'm using airline credit to go on a very nice vacation. I will also be going to Washington DC as well with the Acela Express.

Allentown is getting violent like the rest of the country. Near Allentown, a fellow was murdered for ostensibly "sneering" at a neighbor (happened last week - watch "The Morning Call" the local-conservative paper for more gqp events happening). Few weeks prior in Macungie (@10 miles from here), a guy shot a bunch of people. There's only speculation as to why. god knows I've probably missed a few events.



Locally, and a few months ago, we were walking in our decent neighborhood and some very sick idiot driver waved us across the road and proceeded to speed up to hit or scare us. Then, yesterday, my spouse took our dog out for a walk and a guy tried to hit him a block from home and no, the driver wasn't provoked by him. Spouse ducked into an alleyway and the driver went around the block and tracked him down (husband was backed up against a fence door) and drove like a maniac to either hit him or scare him.


I'd suggest not coming here. I'm also not exaggerating. I carried my phone on today's walk with the camera ready and will call a cop on Monday to find out if wearing a bodycam would help get these brainwashed people away from us. My last option is to use the pepper-like spray we purchased last year prior to the election.


This isn't what you want to see happening anywhere but it is getting worse. One can't rationalize this is normal. It isn't.



We just returned from a trip to Jersey where people were calmer. Store clerks in a couple of places weren't abiding by the mask law and I reported them to NJ gov. Goooood luck! Pre-gqp, I would've recommended coming here - it's lovely with plenty of parks - but now, we're wondering if we should move.