Exploring Lancaster PA

Penn Square at night

Several years ago, I was traveling with a friend in Europe. During the trip we spent each weekend away from the program. When we reconvene on Monday I have asked my friend, “How was your weekend?” His response was, “Ah! The charms of (the named town) are somewhat limited.” For years this somewhat pretentious phrase reverberated in my mind as a place where there is little to do or see. I suppose, in many ways, it is how I (mistakenly) viewed Lancaster, Pennsylvania as well.

To my surprise Lancaster is much more than simply kitschy tourist destination that capitalizes on it Amish heritage. Beyond the notable and interesting events that took place in the city, today there are number of destinations that belie my initial impressions. Our twenty-four hours in Lancaster was a good reminder of the relationship between food and culture. Chief among our destinations was the Lancaster Central Market, a farmers market in downtown. Dating from 1780, and housed in the same building for 125 years, the farmers market in Lancaster is a great destination for locally-grown and organic food. 

Lancaster Central Market

In addition to the farmers market we were able to sample few of Lancaster's fantastic restaurant and café. Chief among our discoveries was La Dolce Vita Courthouse Bakery, a fine Italian bakery and coffee shop. After having a cinnamon almond twist and a coffee, I decided that it was the bakery and coffee shop of our desires; beautiful, yet low-key.

La Dolce Vita

Despite our gastronomic adventures, a demonstration at Penn Square reminded us of the importance of food not only to those enjoy it in abundance, but to those who are less fortunate. On display was an entire blanket of perfectly good food rescued from dumpsters. It reminded me of a powerful book from a few years ago, Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, and the amount of food that fails to make it from plough to plate.

Newspapers: Now and Then

One of my friends told me that he purchased a home-delivery subscription to the Washington Post. Noting how reasonable it was, he said that he wanted his daughters to see him reading a newspaper. While he could read the Post on his phone or a tablet, they might not know what he was reading. He knew quite well that his daughters might never hold or read an actual newspaper. More than likely, they would read some electronic version of the news and it will look vastly different from what we would call a newspaper. Nonetheless, he wanted his daughters to see that reading the newspaper was something he valued and, whatever form it took, they would do the same.

Steinman Park, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 

It was something of a coincidence that the following weekend I would find myself in Steinman Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where a bronze statue of a man reading a copy of the Lancaster Sunday News, sits near the offices of the local newspaper. The man has a pipe in his suit jacket as he reads a copy of the 16 September 1925 edition of the paper, turned to a page with the headline, “Workmen Leave Permanent Record of Liquor Strike in 1815.” Since the article appeared during prohibition, it makes the story all the more intriguing. Laying beside the man on a bench sits two more editions pf the local newspaper waiting to be read, with men walking on the moon (1969) and the accident at Three Mile Island (1979).

I like newspapers as well. One of my great pleasures is sitting in a library thumbing through old newspapers or skimming microfilm copies. Some of the stories are incredible. It is not that I disparage new technology; in fact, it offers wider access to many of these great stories for those who look. But the format of how news is delivered does make me wonder what will become of these great archives and the treasures they hold.

Neon Signs

Ever since I heard an interview, on Thinking Allowed, with Christoph Ribbat, neon signs and lights have caught my attention more often. I have been attracted by their beauty and mysterious glow, but had not really thought about their social significance. Subsequently, I bought and read his book and have thought more about the place of these lights in our cultures. My visit to the Museum of Vancouver, with multiple restored neon lights, was a great introduction to the use, construction and preservation of neon. A segment in the recent Ric Sebak film, A History of Pittsburgh in 17 Objects focuses on the importance of neon as a dying art form.

Rather than creating multiple blog entries for newly discovered neon sign, I have created a page dedicated to some of my photographs of neon signs and the stories behind them. I will update as I find more signs, new places and interesting stories.

My collection of neon signs can be found at: http://curioussojourner.blogspot.com/p/neon-signs.html