Things to do in York, Pennsylvania

So a few days ago, the monkey and I returned from a one-week trip to York, Pennsylvania. I had looked online for some ideas on things to do, but only found some pretty generic ideas. After a week of spending time with family and checking things out, here are a few ideas for things to do on a visit.


Explore Amish Country

Lancaster County, just a few miles from York, is a great place to explore.  The countryside is peaceful and green, with lots of cool, albeit touristy shops.

The monkey sure liked this old wagon though.

But the shops have lots of cool crafts, like the world famous Amish quilts...

and some pretty good food. Anyone up for some homemade sauerkraut?

These pretty bottles of extracts would make nice gifts too, don't you think?

Go to 'Market'
Every Friday, my family in York visits the Eastern Market. Housed in an old warehouse, this place is only open on Fridays and is a meeting place, cafeteria, craft store, farmer's market and tourist destination all rolled into one.

We flew back home on Friday, but we made sure to stop by 'the market' to pick up all of the York foods we had to bring back, like soft pretzels.

These are nothing like the ones in the mall, believe me. They are chewy and soft and filling, and they freeze very well (hence the dozen I brought back in my suitcase.)

And then there are the sugar cakes which crumbled into a mess in my bag, so no pictures. But these are soooo good, great with coffee in the morning.
A real York dish is this Chicken Pot Pie, which I don't eat (being vegetarian,) but my family said this stuff was awesome.

Still, there were more than enough things to tempt me here...

Are these hamburger buns or something else called Hamburg rolls? Who knows.
And to top it all off, I found this awesome pin for $2!

And two jars of buttons for $3!

Relax and unwind in a quiet neighborhood

I was lucky enough to have my grandmother's house from which to go out and explore. But I wasn't prepared for how much I would love her neighborhood. The maple-lined streets, the symphonies of birds, the fireflies, the neighbors who brought over food and smiles...Pennsylvania was such a warm and welcoming place to be.  Jack and I went for lots of walks.

I always forget how different the architecture is out East. All the red brick is so pretty.

And now that we're back in California, all I do is dream about being back there. I guess that means it was a good vacation.  And next month--Hawaii. I love vacation season!