The Coolest Place in Allentown, Pennsylvania . . .

When we travel to shows, I like to look for something special to do during the "down" time (which usually amounts to three or four hours during the four days we're on the road). For me, that often involves ballparks -- I have always been a baseball guy. Last year, I went to the new ballpark in Allentown and watched the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (seriously -- when the fans want a rally, instead of clapping they shout "oink, oink, oink").

But the coolest place in Allentown has to be the Farmers' Market -- and I'm not even a foodie. It's right across the parking lot from the fairgrounds building where our show is this weekend.



Doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside there are two aisles that stretch for at least 100 yards, with meat markets, produce markets, bakeries, and food stands on both sides.



You have to walk through the whole market first to get the lay of the land, and then walk back through and pick out a little bit of this and a little bit of that.



This was my "find" this year -- Bada Bingg. All of the sandwiches sound like they should come with a tommy gun on the side. I had a "Capone" (pulled pork sandwich) and corn fritters -- really good stuff. Wish the picture at right had turned out -- this is Casey, and he was a real character. Great salesman -- he let me try it before I bought it.