Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Pittsburgh

On our recent summer road trip, I had to search for some indie bookstores!  When we stopped in Pittsburgh, I was able to visit two of them: White Whale Bookstore and Posman Books.

White Whale Bookstore

This store opened in 2016 after the owners purchased an existing used bookstore and relaunched to sell new books.  The store has been so successful as a host to many literary events and as a community hub that they recently expanded their footprint and added an in-store cafe where they serve coffee and beer!

 

 

Posman Books

I'm not sure if Posman Books is a true indie bookstore (they have several locations across multiple states), but it sure was fun to visit!  In addition to books, stationary, and games, you're greeted by an ice cream bar as soon as you walk in!

 

Trexler Nature Preserve

Tom and I hadn't done any any traveling or hiking this year, for obvious reasons, but to celebrate our anniversary, we decided to do a little weekend getaway in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Honestly, I felt a little selfish and guilty about it, because now is not the best time to travel, but we had a good time.  I wanted to spend time outdoors, and I came across Trexler Nature Preserve, not far from Bethlehem in Schnecksville.

 

The Trexler Nature Preserve was established as a game preserve and today offers 18 miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, and wildlife observation.  Extra bonus, the Lehigh Valley Zoo is also within the borders of the Preserve!

We parked at an area called "the Ford," which we used as a jumping off point for two trails.  We started with the Elk Viewing Trail, a 1.7 mile loop.  The first section of the trail was pretty steep, but the view at the top was so worth it!

One of the points of interest on this trail is Schlicher's Covered Bridge, which we saw on the way down from the top.

 

 

The last part of the trail is flat and at least partially paved in some areas, close to the shore of Jordan Creek.  This made for a lovely walk and views of the fall foliage.

We then made our way down the Covered Bridge Trail, a 1.2 mile loop that, yes, features another covered bridge, Geiger's, built in 1860!  I really liked this trail; it was an easy walk along the creek, one side more woodsy and the other more open.

 

 

We wore masks when other hikers and walkers were close by, and pretty much everyone else was also respectful with mask use.  I'm glad we were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and changing leaves!

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

My sister and her family are members of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania; their membership comes with free guest passes, so one Saturday she treated all of us!


For more information, visit their website here.

This place was so much fun, and so beautiful!  And it wasn't so big that it felt overwhelming.  There's a paved path that basically goes around the whole arboretum, with smaller specialized gardens and other sights off the main path.

The first place we went to was the Rose Garden; roses are my favorite flower, and they had so many different types, in all different colors.

Then we went over to the Garden Railway, which my niece loved.  They have a huge model train set, with small replicas of historic Philadelphia buildings.

Next we walked over to the Pennock Flower walk, which had these lovely arches and fences, as well as a fountain that my niece couldn't keep her hands out of!

We meandered a bit and made our way over to the Swan Pond (the swans were chilling out on the grass, but I loved this little structure).

I really loved this place; there was something to see around every turn, from sculptures to fountains to all different kinds of flowers and trees.

 

If you're ever in this area of Philadelphia, I would highly recommend stopping by for a visit!

A Longwood Christmas

Earlier in the year, we went to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.  It was so beautiful, and we knew we wanted to come back for their holiday light show.  Christmas at Longwood Gardens is a super-popular time, so it was a good thing we got our tickets early.  We went the day after Thanksgiving, and it was the perfect kick-off to the holiday season!

Since it was still light out when we got there, we went to the Conservatory first.  Each room was decked out with lights and Christmas trees.  There were so many people that you couldn't just wander around; we had to follow a marked path through the rooms.

Floating display made of apples and cranberries

Succulent Christmas Tree

Then we made our way outside.  In addition to all the lights, there were also carolers, a model train set, fire pits, and spiked hot chocolate at various locations around the grounds.

Some of the trees were just wrapped with lights around the trunks, but others were wrapped all the way to the tip-tops of the branches.

Floating "trees" dotted a couple of the lakes.

My pictures really don't do this place justice.  It's just something you have to see for yourself.  A Longwood Christmas is perfect for kids and adults; it'll put everyone in the holiday spirit!

Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is a 1,000+-acre botanical garden located in Kennett Square, PA.  We originally tried going in January for their Christmas light show, but of course, there was a snowstorm that weekend.  We finally made our way down there a couple weeks ago, and it was so beautiful!


For more information about Longwood Gardens, visit their website here.  On non-peak days, there is a $23 charge to enter the gardens, and the tickets are for timed entry. 

The Main Fountain Garden has reopened after renovations, so we made our way there first; like the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Longwood Gardens puts on a show with their fountains, set to music (and lights at night).  We caught the show a couple times that day - for a good view, definitely get there early; people start lining up well in advance!

Next, we went through the Conservatory, a massive building with so many different themed rooms filled with plants and flowers.  I probably could have spent hours just in there!

One of my favorite parts was actually just outside the Conservatory, where they had several pools of lily pads - it was so pretty!

Then we did some exploring outside - we walked past the Meadow and made our way down to the Italian Water Garden.

There are several fun structures located around the grounds, including two treehouses and this beautiful gazebo:

The last place we walked through was the Flower Garden Walk - it had so many different types of flowers, arranged by color - such a cool rainbow effect!

We spent a few hours walking around here and probably could have stayed for longer, there was just so much to see.  It was a really great place for kids - our niece had a blast running around and looking at everything.  We can't wait to go back in the winter to see the holiday decorations!

Rocky Ridge Park

In May, we went out to York, Pennsylvania, for my cousin's wedding and we took advantage of some free time in the morning to get in a hike before the ceremony!


For some more information about the park and to get a trail map, click here.

Rocky Ridge Park is a 750-acre park with over 12 miles of trails.  We stayed on the eastern half of the park.  The park is bisected by these enormous power lines; it was a little weird to hear the loud buzzing of the electrical lines in the parking lot, but once we got on the trails, we didn't even notice them anymore.  I was really struck by how quiet and peaceful this park was.

We walked down to the south observation tower, which has a nice view of the York Valley.

From there, we took part of a perimeter trail and then went onto some interior trails.  Some of the paths were wide, but at some points the trails got very narrow.  There were some areas of stone-laden paths, so we had to watch our footing. 

I can't speak for all the trails, but the ones we went on were fairly level, with some small areas of decent inclines and descents.

We finished our hike by heading to the north observation tower, which has views of the Susquehanna Valley (and the power lines).  I really liked these observation points; it's nice to be in the forest, but I loved these wide open spaces that let you see for miles and miles.