A Tourist in My Home Town & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #24

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the family and I headed to Pennsylvania for the long holiday weekend. The weekend was booked solid with plans and events. Friday was spent mostly traveling. Then on Saturday, my mother-in-law kept the children for us and we headed off to my hometown of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the night. For those of you who may not be familiar with my little hometown of Bethlehem, it isn’t really that little and it is host to many tourists, drawing crowds for a huge annual music festival. It also boasts many museums, a casino, and local venues for all sorts of artistic and musical aficionados. In addition to being a culturally fascinating town, Bethlehem is also wrought with deep historical traditions. Basically, my hometown is a huge tourist town. And growing up in a tourist town, you tend to stay away from the tourist attractions. But over the holiday, the husband and I decided to just be tourists.

First stop was for lunch at Corked Bar, Grille, and Nightclub. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of the restaurant (except the one below of me standing with it in the background) or of the amazing food. But I must say this…the food was freaking amazing. For an appetizer, my husband and I shared a smoked gouda mac and cheese with pancetta. Then for my entree, I had a truffle cheeseburger with truffle fries. Everything was drizzled with truffle oil and my taste buds were in complete heaven! This is going to be a long post, so I am not going to give many more details. Just this…if you visit downtown Bethlehem, you must stop at Corked for some amazing food, a gorgeous atmosphere, and if you ask for Kara, you will received world-class service and the most fabulous dining experience ever.

With our bellies full but wanting some truffle oil for home, we headed directly across the street to Seasons Olive Oil and Vinegar Tap Room. This place is a foodie’s dream! (Again, I didn’t take photos because I wasn’t planning a blog post.) The walls are lined with casks of the most unique and flavorful oils and vinegar…all which can be tasted before purchasing. They also have a deli area that is stocked with the most aromatic cheeses ever.  And the sales staff is so friendly and super knowledgeable.  We only purchased a jar of black truffle salt this time, but we will be buying some oils soon. Again, if you are in the Bethlehem area, it is definitely worth stopping into Seasons.

Then we really got all touristy and started exploring the Moravian area of Bethlehem. In 1741, a small group of Moravians founded the mission community of Bethlehem. And this particular area of the town is filled with the most beautiful architecture and the most interesting stories run through it. Here is a little visual tour…

*This is not a sponsored post, but there are lots of plugs for small businesses that we had visited. This post also gets really photo heavy from here on out. If you are only here to add a link, just scroll right down to the bottom where you will find the link up!

As we walked past the old Moravian Cemetery, we were intrigued by the flags that had been placed on the graves for Memorial Day. As the sign indicates, no one had been buried in this cemetery since 1910. So we had to go inside and read the memorials. In this cemetery, there are buried soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War and one who fought in the Civil War. It was so fascinating to walk on this sacred ground.

As we strolled through my hometown, we did stop here and there for some photo opportunities. I am a fashion blogger, after all!

*Dress is Victoria Beckham for Target.

Feeling a bit fatigued after eating a huge lunch and then walking the very hilly terrain on those wedges, we headed back to our hotel for a little nap. When evening came around, we went to visit a dear friend of ours for a few hours and then we headed out to dinner for the “real” date night! Of course, I got all dressed up in my fabulous new outfit from Torrid Salmon Run Mall. I need to write a separate post on this sassy outfit. But here is a peak…

After a wonderful night’s sleep in a hotel with no kids, we leisurely started our Sunday morning with coffee and bagels. Then we worked on the husband’s speech for the following day before heading to my brother-in-law’s house for a barbecue. On Monday, my husband was the keynote speaker in his hometown’s Memorial Day parade and he delivered a heart-warming and tear-jerking speech which earned a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a very proud Army wife moment for me!

Now that I very well may have bored you all to death…here are your favorite links from last week.

Rena of Fine Whatever shared a post filled with lots of updates and a very pretty dress in A Little Of This, A Little Of That: In Real Life. Please send some positive and healing thoughts out to Rena as she has surgery coming up next month. You will be in my prayers all through this, my dear friend.

Sheela of Sheela Writes shared a post hinting at some major changes for her in the blogging realm and on a personal level in Recharge, Reboot, Reset. I don’t know what she has in the works, but whatever direction this brilliant and gorgeous woman takes, I know she will be just as amazing and as fabulous as she has always been. Sending so many well wishes your way, my dear friend.


Keeping it lengthy on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

I am a 40 something Army wife and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats named Dave and Frankie. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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Shelbee on the Edge