Gimme shelter
August 26, 2011 4:14 PM Subscribe
Where in central PA/NY might be unboring to wait out a hurricane?
We're getting out of Dodge, having been told to evacuate. It would be nice to go to Pittsburgh or Buffalo for Saturday and Sunday night, and not be stuck in a motel room with nothing to do, but those are seven-hour drives for us, and it looks like a three- or four-hour drive should be enough to keep us out of the cone of destruction/devastation/excessive, uncomfortable moisture and breeziness.
So that seems like the areas around Harrisburg, York, maybe Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, or somewhere near Binghamton, NY. Does anyone know any of these areas who can offer advice on what two parents and a 6-year-old boy might do all day? We'll have a dog, too, so if one of these is the kind of city that might have outdoor cafes where we could have the dog at our feet and not have to eat in shifts, that would be great to know too. And if you know a hotel that allows dogs, well, that would be spectacular. Thanks very much for any advice.
We're getting out of Dodge, having been told to evacuate. It would be nice to go to Pittsburgh or Buffalo for Saturday and Sunday night, and not be stuck in a motel room with nothing to do, but those are seven-hour drives for us, and it looks like a three- or four-hour drive should be enough to keep us out of the cone of destruction/devastation/excessive, uncomfortable moisture and breeziness.
So that seems like the areas around Harrisburg, York, maybe Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, or somewhere near Binghamton, NY. Does anyone know any of these areas who can offer advice on what two parents and a 6-year-old boy might do all day? We'll have a dog, too, so if one of these is the kind of city that might have outdoor cafes where we could have the dog at our feet and not have to eat in shifts, that would be great to know too. And if you know a hotel that allows dogs, well, that would be spectacular. Thanks very much for any advice.
Hershey, PA might be worth considering. You could entertain a 6-year-old relatively easily between the park, the semi-free-of-admission Chocolate World area, and town tours. Hersheypark has an onsite kennel for $10/day. Info and phone number are near the bottom of the page.
I don't really know what there is in the way of dog-friendly dining. I can't speak to the the reputation of either site, but bringofido.com and dogfriendly.com have many suggestions for pet friendly hotels in the area. Most seem to charge an extra $15-20/night.
posted by popculture at 4:47 PM on August 26, 2011
I don't really know what there is in the way of dog-friendly dining. I can't speak to the the reputation of either site, but bringofido.com and dogfriendly.com have many suggestions for pet friendly hotels in the area. Most seem to charge an extra $15-20/night.
posted by popculture at 4:47 PM on August 26, 2011
Seconding Ithaca. And it looks like Cornell's move in day was actually last weekend, so hotels shouldn't be that hard to come by. If you search for "dog friendly hotel Ithaca", you'll get a few of the chains represented locally.
As for what to do, visit the Ithaca dog park on the edge of Cayuga Lake. Hike in Taughannock Falls State Park or any of the many wonderful parks and trails in the area. Walk all the gorges in the city proper, like Cascadilla, and visit Ithaca Falls. Walk and shop on the Commons.
It's been a while since I lived there so I don't know the best restaurants anymore. Thai Cuisine was consistently rated among the best Thai in New York, "including New York City." Maxie's Supper Club was another favorite of mine. For a family/divey burger joint, go to Glenwood Pines. Dining with the dog: Call and ask Simeon's, which is on the Commons. If they say no, try other restaurants located on the Commons, which is a pedestrianized street.
Ithaca is a very, very dog friendly town. Have fun!
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 5:14 PM on August 26, 2011
As for what to do, visit the Ithaca dog park on the edge of Cayuga Lake. Hike in Taughannock Falls State Park or any of the many wonderful parks and trails in the area. Walk all the gorges in the city proper, like Cascadilla, and visit Ithaca Falls. Walk and shop on the Commons.
It's been a while since I lived there so I don't know the best restaurants anymore. Thai Cuisine was consistently rated among the best Thai in New York, "including New York City." Maxie's Supper Club was another favorite of mine. For a family/divey burger joint, go to Glenwood Pines. Dining with the dog: Call and ask Simeon's, which is on the Commons. If they say no, try other restaurants located on the Commons, which is a pedestrianized street.
Ithaca is a very, very dog friendly town. Have fun!
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 5:14 PM on August 26, 2011
If you're willing to go as far as Harrisburg, then take the extra hour or so and drive to Lancaster.
Threads that are chock full o'ideas are here and here.
For kids:
The North Museum of Natural Science and History
The Science Factory
For pup:
Dog day care
(not a personal recommendation, just noting its presence)
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:32 PM on August 26, 2011
Threads that are chock full o'ideas are here and here.
For kids:
The North Museum of Natural Science and History
The Science Factory
For pup:
Dog day care
(not a personal recommendation, just noting its presence)
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:32 PM on August 26, 2011
Possibly only awesome thing about La Quinta is that they almost always take pets.
Well, they usually have (a crappy) breakfast and free wifi, so there's that too.
posted by mmmcmmm at 5:48 PM on August 26, 2011
Well, they usually have (a crappy) breakfast and free wifi, so there's that too.
posted by mmmcmmm at 5:48 PM on August 26, 2011
I don't know about the dog, but a 6 year old boy (and boys of ALL ages) would probably love Steamtown in Scranton, PA. Tons of train things to do and see. It's located close to hotels, and some sort of shopping mall, if I remember correctly.
posted by molasses at 6:14 PM on August 26, 2011
posted by molasses at 6:14 PM on August 26, 2011
I second the Hershey area. It will be a fun family place to go. You can check out the park as well as Indian Echo Caverns or Amish Country if you're interested. If starting from Hershey, Lancaster is only about 30 minutes or so depending on the traffic. (don't go to Harrisburg, it's not worth visiting, Hershey's much nicer).
Dog friendly restaurants in Hershey area... hmm. I think you can eat outside at Houlihan's. You can also pick up some delicious Italian from Palermo's in Hummelstown and eat that outside. I'm sure there are a bunch of other places too.
Hershey is also probably (not knowing where you're coming from) a significantly less lengthy drive than Ithaca, although Ithaca is more naturally beautiful.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:40 PM on August 26, 2011
Dog friendly restaurants in Hershey area... hmm. I think you can eat outside at Houlihan's. You can also pick up some delicious Italian from Palermo's in Hummelstown and eat that outside. I'm sure there are a bunch of other places too.
Hershey is also probably (not knowing where you're coming from) a significantly less lengthy drive than Ithaca, although Ithaca is more naturally beautiful.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:40 PM on August 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
I was in Binghamton, if I remember right, the last weekend of August a few years ago. It was move-in weekend at SUNY Binghamton which meant that it was probably somewhat harder than usual to get a hotel room because there were parents there dropping off their kids and staying a night or two.
(Ithaca comes to mind; in that case you should check when Cornell and Ithaca College start, for the same reason. Generally college towns seem like The Answer here but many will suffer from this problem this time of year.)
posted by madcaptenor at 4:35 PM on August 26, 2011