PA trip 2019 - Adventures

Chocolate World - Maggie wanted to take us there, so Kim and I took her and her neighbor Kevin on Sunday. Chocolate World is mostly a shopping center where you can buy lots and lots and lots of Hershey chocolate and all sorts of touristy things like pens, pins, shirts, and coffee cups. There is also a free ride through the "factory," where you learn all about how Hershey makes its chocolate. We did that first.

While we stood in line, I announced that there would be a test afterward. For the rest of our adventure, poor Kevin kept asking me about the test. Jeez, no wonder kids are stressed these days. I felt bad for saying it because the kid just kept eyeballing everything I did in hopes of getting an advantage for the test. Maggie, however, never blinked an eye.

Maggie: "Who cares?"

Me: "How many roasted almonds are in every Hershey bar?"

Maggie: "Eight. Duh. It's on the sign."

Hershey tour - We hopped the trolley and toured the town of Hershey, which was started by Milton Hershey. He not only started the company but built the city around his factory, not in the style of row houses but a comfy, cozy town with well-manicured lawns and brick homes. Then, after building a school for underprivileged children since he and his wife were unable to have children, Hershey left his entire fortune to the school's trustee board, which controls pretty much the whole town.

They are very adamant about keeping the community the way Milton Hershey envisioned it. I love it. It's so beautiful and clean and has that small-town feel that I miss about the midwest.

On the trolley ride, riders are given samples of chocolate, including Hershey kisses and Reese's peanut butter cups, because the man who began Reese's, now owned by Hershey's, also was from this area. At the end of the ride, we all received an entire Hershey bar. Lois devoured hers and then bought us all milkshakes from Chocolate World because...well, that's a must.

Hershey Parade - They have three neighborhood parades in Hershey. We got to see the Halloween parade, which was full of music, dancing, costumes, and, of course, Hershey chocolate. Although only for the kids who lined the sidewalks because Kim and I did not receive any candy. Maybe because we weren't dressed up, nor did we have buckets. Nor did we rush out into the street to bend over to pick up the chocolate. Instead, I ate Maggie's haul.

Maggie and Steph had to march in the parade with the Girl Scout Troup. Maggie was dressed up as a box of Thin Mints. She pinched children's cheeks and kissed babies as she marched, passing out candy and making tons of children happy. She'll be Mayor of Hershey one day, mark my words.

It was the first time on my trip where I felt cold and had to put on long pants. We lasted for most of the parade before we gave up during a lull and headed back to Stephanie's house.

Lehigh University - It was Fall break in PA when I was there, and so Steph's son Nate was home from college. We took him back on Wednesday before I flew home. The drive to Bethlehem, PA, took about an hour and a half from Hershey, and we were shown the way by Maggie's voice via Waze, an app I had to get as soon as I got home.

Maggie's voice: "In .02 miles turn right."

The university buildings and the surrounding area were beautiful. It was quite hilly and spread out, so walking is a chore. No freshman thirty for these kids. Fall was more prevalent here, but it began raining once we arrived, so the tour had to be done via car. No getting in my steps. Nate had to read seven chapters of a book he hadn't read...

Nate: "I didn't get the assignment until yesterday."

...so from the back seat on our drive, I read from a website I found with a tongue in cheek synopsis cliff-note version for the first seven chapters. I'm sure it helped him immensely. 

We unloaded Nate and then drove home in time to pick up Maggie from school. It rained the entire way, and so we made hot chocolate rum toddies at home before the sun came out in time for me to head back to Florida.