Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania [1] is a state in the eastern United States. It is known for its revolutionary war era historical sites (mainly in Philadelphia) and its steel industry. Pennsylvania is bordered by the states of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] Understand

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a geographically diverse state with a Great Lake on one shore and a major seaport on the other. The climate of Pennsylvania is pleasant, with cold, often snowy winters, mild to hot, humid summers, and gorgeous green springtimes, and most notably, spectacular displays of colorful autumn foliage.

Pennsylvania hosts a number of vital cities, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia houses the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, two major national historical landmarks. The interior of the state has a number of subcultures worth exploring, including the famous Amish countryside, a religious community based in Christian Anabaptist dogma.

Pennsylvania is also home to a diverse group of people, with ethnic enclaves of black, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian populations in its major cities.

[edit] Talk

Most Pennsylvanians speak American English, although many subtle regional accents and 'dialects' do exist. There are large Latino, Spanish-speaking populations in Reading, Allentown, and Philadelphia, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have their share of Asian, European, and other languages. There will be no problem communicating with people who live in Pennsylvania, except, of course, if they resort to the famous Pennsylvania Dutch "Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch" dialect of German. Although widescale non-Amish use of the language faded circa 1950, there are pockets of young people who are learning the language as a way to preserve their heratige.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By car

Interstate highways lead most traffic into the state. Clockwise from east:

  • from Boston: I-84 W.
  • from New York City to Scranton, Allentown, Philadelphia: I-80 W, I-78 W, I-95 S.
  • from Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia, Harrisburg: I-95 N, I-83 N.
  • from the Appalachian Mountains to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh: I-81 N, I-79 N.
  • from St. Louis and Indianapolis: I-70 E.
  • from Chicago: I-80 E.
  • from Cleveland to Erie: I-90 E.
  • from Toronto: I-90 W.
  • from Montreal: I-81 S.

Also, U.S. Routes 219, 15, and 220 (soon to be I-99) all enter the state at alternative points from both the north and south.

State-operated Welcome Centers and Comfort Facilities are located just inside the borders at all major crossings into Pennsylvania.

[edit] By train

Amtrak serves Pennsylvania with major stops at Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia is a stop on the Northeast Corridor.

[edit] By air

The two major airports in Pennsylvania are Philadelphia International (booking code PHL) and Pittsburgh International (booking code PIT). Philadelphia is a major hub for US Airways and Pittsburgh is an large focus city for the same carrier. Both are served by all major carriers and have low fare service by Southwest and AirTran Airways. Philadelphia is also one of the Northeast's major international termini.

Regional airports in Pennsylvania include Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. All of these airports are served by US Airways, US Airways Express, Delta, Northwest and Continental. Erie is slightly bigger. Lehigh Valley has low-fare service by Lehigh Valley Air and TMA, and Harrisburg has service by TMA as well(TMA suspended flights in 2005).

[edit] Get around

[edit] By car

In addition to the Interstate highways that enter Pennsylvania and travel throughout:

  • The Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) is a toll freeway that is the main east-west route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with state capital Harrisburg along the way. Take note of the four tunnels through Appalachian ridges.
  • The Turnpike's "Northeast Extension" (I-476, also toll) reaches north from Philadelphia to Allentown and Scranton. Another tunnel is found along it.
  • U.S. Route 322 travels diagonally from the Philadelphia area to just below Erie. Many portions have been converted to freeway, but numerous small towns still lie directly on the way.
  • U.S. Route 22 is an alternative, more mountainous path west through Altoona and Johnstown to Pittsburgh.
  • U.S. Route 6 is a long, rural, scenic drive across Pennsylvania's "Northern Tier". Go west from the northern Poconos through the valley of Scranton and its suburbs, follow the Susquehanna River through the "Endless Mountains", spend three hours through state and national forest land, and end near Lake Erie.
  • U.S Route 30, also named the Lincoln Highway, is a section of the first coast-to-coast paved road in the United States. The highway is especially nice in the central part of Pennsylvania where it passes agricultural areas and is the main street of many small historic towns. Many of these towns have attempted to capitalize on their location on the Lincoln Highway by preserving original structures and opening them as visitors' centers.

There also exists a wide network of state highways and municipal roads that reach into the mostly forested and farmed rural areas. The more mountainous of these areas should be traversed with caution by visitors as they can be drastically winding, narrow, or steep (or all three!) in parts.

Speed limit signs are almost exclusively posted in miles per hour, "mph". Seatbelts use is mandatory, and a second ticket and fine will be issued to those who are pulled over for speeding, etc. if not worn. Pennsylvania has not yet enacted a ban on hand-held cell phone usage while driving, as some neighboring states have.

As conditions go, Pennsylvania has two seasons according to an old joke: winter and construction. In the rural majority of the state, large snowfalls render the most minor of roads impassable, but the major thoroughfares like Interstates are comparatively well plowed and salted. Still, car travel anywhere should be done with extreme care in the winter, especially by those unfamiliar with the visited area.

Likewise, the jest rings true in the remainder of the year. Look out for occasional paving, line painting, or road widening projects on freeways that restrict travel to a single lane. Bridge repair or any major redesign may force detours that are typically marked clearly. Speed limits in work zones are always reduced and State Police will impose double fines for breaking them. Proceed carefully around PennDOT (state transportation department) crews, who are easily visible in fluorescent yellow attire.

These online Pennsylvania Maps include a detailed road map which can be viewed and printed in sections.

[edit][add listing] Eat

A cheesesteak, this well-known American food found its roots in Philadelphia and is prepared differently there than in any other part of the country.

A weber (like a cheesesteak, but may be made with ground chicken, and is topped with hoagie fixins).

Any sandwich (topped with fries and cole slaw) from Primanti's (around Pittsburgh).

PA Dutch Whoopie Pies or apple butter

Teaberry icecream

Birch beer or sasparilla soda

[edit][add listing] Drink

  • Yuengling The oldest brewery in the United States still produces this eponymous, locally-cherished beer. Yuengling is available in almost every bar and beer distributor in the state, but is seldom found outside of the Mid-Atlantic region. Tours are available at the brewery in Pottsville. The locals traditionally order a Yuengling Lager with the term, "Lager." It is one of the best domestic beers you can get in the US.

However, Pennsylvania is home to many other beers. It is birth place of Rolling Rock - "#33". Serious beer drinkers probably know Pennsylvania for its wide selection craft breweries. Hundreds of fine ales are produced each year. Some great labels that every visitor should try include Yards, Sly Fox, Victory, Lancaster, Troegs, and Stoudts.

[edit] Stay safe

Outside of Greater Philadelphia, crime is not a major problem in Pennsylvania.

As with most locations in the United States, a major cause of injury and death in Pennsylvania comes from automobile accidents. Drivers can be down-right hostile on some of the more notorious urban freeways, such as the Schuykill Expressway in Philadelphia, the 376 in Pittsburgh and on the Interstate 95 corridor in the southeast section of the state. The roads in Pennsylvania are notoriously bad, so be careful.

Road rage can be a problem during rush hour, so if you aren't familiar with the highway system, stay out of the left hand lane. The key to safe driving is to stay defensive, you are in unfamiliar areas and while you may feel wronged, it may be the norm.

During periods of hunting season, persons entering the woods are advised by the PA Game Commission to wear "blaze orange".

[edit] Get out

  • Pymatuning State Park, Ashtabula County on the north part of the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. 6260 Pymatuning Lake Rd., Andover. Twenty-six family cottages, thirty-two standard cottages, beach, 331 camping sites have electric hookups, 21 sites are non-electric, nature center, basketball, volleyball courts, playgrounds, 14,000 acre lake, five boat-launch ramps, fishing, hunting, two miles of well marked trails, ice skating, ice boating, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.

Pennsylvania has many great rivers and streams that are perfect for fly fishing. From large western style rivers such as the Lehigh River to challenging spring creeks like the Letort, the visting angler can find a variety of fishing opportunities depending on the season. Great Lakes tributaries provide awesome steelheading in the fall, and the famed Delaware river compares to any famous western river in the spring.

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