Pennsylvania
The Keystone state -- key to America's independence. Check out the history and culture of Pennsylvania, where many German-speaking immigrants settled, with Christopher Hoh. #50states #PA
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Hello, my name is Christopher Hoh. I work in the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, and I was born and brought up in the the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 colonies. It was called the Keystone State in the 18th century because of its central location and role in U.S. history. The first capital of the United States was in Philadelphia.
Before it was colonized, the area was home to Native American tribes, including the Lenape and the Susquehannok.
The name Pennsylvania means, Penn's Woods. In 1681, England's King Charles II gave the land to William Penn as payment for a debt of 16,000 pounds. This was one of the largest land grants to an individual in history.
William Penn was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, who were persecuted in England. So Penn established the colony for any people persecuted for their faith.
Many religious exiles from Europe settled in Pennsylvania, including the Amish, an Anabaptist sect. Today, the Amish live much as they did in the 17th century, without modern conveniences such as electricity and cars.
In the 18th and 19th centuries Germans migrated to Pennsylvania in large numbers. English‐speakers mispronounced the German word, Deutsch, as Dutch, and these immigrants became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
In many Pennsylvania communities, German was spoken as the language of everyday life into the early 1900's. You can still hear German dialects in the farmers' markets of Lancaster and Reading, my home town.
The language is similar to Germany's Palatinate dialect. For example, the man's dog -- der Hund des Mannes -- is this in PA Dutch -- em Mann sei Hund.
Today, 12.7 million people live in Pennsylvania, the sixth most populous state in the U.S. It covers over 46,000 square miles (more than 119,000 km2 ).
Pennsylvania has several large cities. Philadelphia was known in the 1700's as the Athens of America because of its rich cultural life.
Part of that is attributed to Pennsylvania's most famous citizen, Benjamin Franklin -- author, inventor, philosopher, businessman, diplomat and revolutionary leader.
Philadelphia is also home to the Liberty Bell, the icon of American freedom. It remains on view, cracked, on Independence Mall, where the Continental Congress met and in 1776 declared independence from Britain.
Here are some other firsts from Pennsylvania:
The first medical school, hospital, library and insurance company were established in there.
The first commercially drilled oil well near Titusville produced the first U.S. oil boom in 1859.
The first U.S. Envoy to Austria in 1838 was Henry A.P. Muhlenberg, from Lancaster.
And the Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest zoo in America.
My hometown, Reading, is located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Formerly a textile and manufacturing center, Reading became known as The Factory Outlet Capital of the World.
The surrounding area has been called the Snack Food Capital of the World, leading all other states in the production of pretzels, chips and candy.
The state has some other interesting food facts.
The Yuengling Brewery, in Pottsville, is the oldest operating brewery in America, established in 1829.
A little further west is Hershey, the birthplace of Hershey chocolate bars. The town smells of chocolate and the street lights are shaped like Hershey kisses.
And don't forget Philly cheese steaks.
Pennsylvania gave birth to one US President -- James Buchanan in the 1800s.
Vice President Joe Biden was born in Scranton.
Many actors also come from Pennsylvania including Kevin Bacon, Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Sharon Stone, to name a few.
Pennsylvania has always had a creative music scene. Each religious sect that settled in Pennsylvania brought with it a unique style of music. The Moravians, in Bethlehem, introduced organs and trombones into their worship. The Mennonites and Lutherans sang heartily, from German hymnbooks. And the Ephrata Cloister was known for beautiful harmony.
Popular singers today include Taylor Swift, from Wyomissing, and Christina Aguilera and George Benson, from Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia is also the birthplace of the famous TV program, American Bandstand, which introduced singers and bands to teenagers for more than 20 years.
I travel the world but I still have a strong connection to my home state: I'm a career diplomat -- like Benjamin Franklin, our country's first envoy. I'm also a composer who benefited from my home state's musical milieu.
I'm proud to come from Pennsylvania, the land of the Liberty Bell, which helped inspire the cause of freedom for all humanity.
Driving by Reading,Pennsylvania
Reading is the county seat of Berks County and with a population of 87,812 is the fifth-largest city in Pennsylvania.According to the 2010 census, Reading has the highest share of citizens living in poverty in the nation. Located in southeastern Pennsylvania, it is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area.
September 2015 Driving in Wyomissing and West Reading, Pennsylvania
Driving in a pretty sunny day around the streets of Reading, West Reading and Wyomissing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania: Hershey, Gettysburg, Lancaster PA
Traveling for a film festival, we took a trip to central Pennsylvania! WE WENT EVERYWHERE!!!! We made our own chocolate bars at the Hershey factory, ate chips fresh off the line at Utz, visited Gettysburg, learned how to make pretzels, walked all over downtown Lancaster, duck pin bowled, drank gin THAT WE LOVED at Thistle Finch, won an award at the Lancaster International Short Film Festival, and ate and ate and ate.
HISTORY FACTS: During the American Revolution, Lancaster was the capital of the United States for one day, on September 27, 1777, after the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia, which had been captured by the British. The revolutionary government then moved still farther away to York, Pennsylvania.
Thistle Finch Distillery:
Lancaster International Short Film Festival:
Hershey:
Our Amish Adventure:
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Driving Around Reading, Pennsylvania
Driving Around Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading PA Hotels - Homewood Suites Reading Pennsylvania Hotel
Homewood Suites Reading PA Hotel (
The Homewood Suites by Hilton® Reading/Wyomissing Hotel offers the largest guest suites and most value added amenities to Reading area travelers.
Located just off Route 222 in the quiet Reading suburb of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, the Homewood Suites Reading hotel is ideally located for your next visit to the area. The Reading Hospital for Post-Acute Rehabilitation is right across the street and VF Factory Outlet and Sovereign Performing Arts Center are both less than 4 miles from the hotel. If you are traveling during the holidays, you won't want to miss nearby Koziars Christmas Village in Bernville, PA.
Our pet friendly, all-suite hotel accommodations welcome you home whether you are in the Greater Reading area for business or leisure. All of our Homewood Suites Reading hotel spacious suites have separate living and sleeping areas as well as fully equipped kitchens, complimentary high-speed Internet access, Serta Suite Dreams® Bedding and dressing and vanity areas with ironing facilities and hairdryer.
Homewood Suites Reading
2801 Papermill Road
Reading, Pennsylvania
Phone: (610) 736-3100
Fax: (610) 736-3120
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Homewood Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh-Southpointe - Canonsburg Hotels, Pennsylvania
Homewood Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh-Southpointe 3 Stars Hotel in Canonsburg,Pennsylvania Within US Travel Directory This all-suite hotel in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania is in the Southpointe II Business Park, moments from Interstate 79.
The hotel offers a free hot breakfast buffet and free Wi-Fi.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh-Southpointe features suites with fully equipped kitchen.
Flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations are also included.
Guests can use the indoor pool or the modern fitness center at the Pittsburgh Homewood Suites.
A 24-hour business center and basketball court are also on-site.
A free manager's reception and light dinner is offered Monday through Thursday evenings.
Guests can purchase meal items in the 24-hour convenience store or cook on the barbecue grills.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh-Southpointe - Canonsburg Hotels, Pennsylvania
Location in : 3000 Horizon Vue Drive, PA 15317, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
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Ringing Rocks Park Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Park in Pottstown where rocks ring like bells when struck with a hammer. More info.
Heidel House Resort & Spa in Green Lake WI
Reserve: . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. Heidel House Resort & Spa 643 Illinois Avenue Green Lake WI 54941 This beachfront resort on Green Lake features both an indoor and outdoor pool. Golf at the Tuscumbia Country Club, founded in 1896, is steps from the resort. Free Wi-Fi is available. The guest rooms feature modern amenities such as a satellite flat-screen TV at Heidel House Resort & Spa. A coffee machine, hairdryer, and iron are also provided for guests’ convenience. The Green Lake Heidel House Resort has a private beach, fitness center, and 2 hot bathtubs. A variety of outdoor activities are available including tennis, hiking, fishing, and watercraft rentals. Guests can relax in the resort’s Evensong Spa. The resort features 2 full service restaurants, a pub, and ice cream and dessert parlor. There is also a poolside bar for snacks and refreshments. Deacon Mills Park is perfect for the entire family, a 4-minute drive away. Thrasher Opera House is just over 1 mile from the resort.
THE FARM: A Tribute To The Old Red Barn Restaurants of the 1970's.
I had heard the rumors about an old Red Barn Restaurant that was still open in Racine, WI, so I had to check it out. The salad bar was missing, but that was my only disappointment. The food was GREAT and tasted as I remembered it from 33 years ago. I would recommend that anyone passing through or near the Milwaukee-Racine, WI area, to stop in at The Farm and relive some nostalgic food, tastes, and atmosphere. Check out their web site for more details: