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Top Comments: Summer Trips Edition [1]

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Date: 2025-07-22

It’s time for my annual summer trips diary. This year I only have two trips planned and both are to the same state though on opposite ends which is first for me.

The first will be this weekend when I head to Philadelphia for a bridge tournament with my bridge partner. Granted we have actually played live bridge in a number of years, so it will be interesting. The last time I went to the national tournament, the person with whom I was partnering (not the same person as my friend) and I won one of the sessions. Exciting, right? When he agreed to go, it set up a dilemma for me. Since I do not drive, I was unsure whether we would go together or if I would have to go by train on my own. If we went together, I would either have to find a way to him in upstate NY or he would have to make his way to Long Island or pick me up in the City. Thankfully, my mother decided to make her monthly trip to Atlantic City this weekend. I asked her if she would be willing to leave Thursday instead of Friday which would allow me to take NJ Transit from Atlantic City to Philadelphia. She said, “Yes.” so whoohoo for me. I figured she would stay in Atlantic City until Monday allowing me to take the train back Sunday evening, but she wants to get back home to open the store on Monday, so she and my sister will drive into Philadelphia to pick me up and go home from there.

We will probably stop at the two places which were inspirations for our original candy shoppe/soda fountain: The Franklin Fountain and Shane’s Confectionery. Both of them are off Market St close to the Delaware River and the Ben Franklin Bridge, so it will be very easy to get onto the highway back home. If you have not been to either of those places, I highly recommend them both if you are ever in Philadelphia. Shane’s is 19th century style candy shoppe, and they weigh all their candies on balance scales using weights. The Franklin Fountain is a 19th c styled soda fountain. All the sodas are made on site with actual syrup mixed with seltzer which is something we did at our store. I am not sure if it is still on the menu, but my favorite thing there is an specialty soda that includes absinthe.

The first week of August is the annual Booster Club convention in Pittsburgh this time. None of us have been there before, so it will be interesting to experience it for the first time. Like last year, we will drive and have another Islanders Booster Club member in the car with us. He will likely share the driving duties with my mom and sister. I am 100% certain we will be stopping at both Cracker Barrell and Buc-Ees. Seems like that has become a road trip must when we go on multi hour road trips. I am sort of getting sick of it myself.

Some of the plans we have in Pittsburgh will be a three rivers cruise, a Pirates game, and a tour of the Heinz Museum. My mom and sister will be going to the Flight 93 memorial and stopping at the Coal Miner’s Diner which is famous for gob cakes. I think they are a larger version of a whoopie pie. I will be asking them to bring one back for me. Like previous years, I will be handling the speech talking about what the Islanders Booster Club did during the previous season. As usual, I will be giving a speech by the president and will add my own flair to it since it seems people really like my speeches. Additionally, this year I will serve as one of our delegates for the delegates meeting. I didn’t say anything last time and am unsure if I will this time. I do have quite a few opinions about things but the group is very cliquey and I am not a member of the clique. Of course, my sister and I will be doing as many jigsaw puzzles we can complete in our limited down time. It always a good time.

Those of you going to NN, I envy you all. I have yet to go to one in person though I did go to two of them virtually. One day I hope. Have a great week.

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