Easton, Pennsylvania

One unexpected thing about our trip was that shortly after its completion, two of the attractions we visited added other locations where we have been. There is now a Hershey World in Las Vegas and a Crayola Experience in the Mall of America.

It is most likely that the original locations will have more, because they will be starting with more space and the advantage of time (though Disneyworld did end up being bigger than Disneyland). Regardless, this seem like a good time to consider Easton on its own, and what else is here besides the Crayola Experience.

We have already covered that the town is not pedestrian-friendly at all. This is also true of Bloomington, Minnesota where the Mall of America is, but that is largely mitigated by the availability of shuttles.

I did not mention that the restaurant selection by our hotel was really limited and so we ordered in and it wasn't very good, but that was a thing that happened.

On the plus side, we know they have an exciting Canal Museum.

We know that the Easton McDonald's did not toast the English muffins for the Mcmuffins, but they did have a Dunkin Donuts.

Okay, fine, that's not really a novelty in that region, but of my pictures from Easton this doughnut celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles is the only photo I have that is not either of the Crayola Experience or the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

A monument you say? Yes, in addition to Easton's location at the confluence of two rivers making it a transportation hub (hence the canals), it was also an important military center during the Revolutionary War. This is celebrated in different ways.

The center of town - Center Square - is dominated by this monument. For the Christmas season they convert it into a giant peace candle, thus handling the conflict between a war monument and a peaceful season. This is how it looks:

http://www.kaplanawning.com/tula5/uploads/2013/12/peace-candle-final-light.jpg

The municipal web site mentions historic tours that can be taken on foot, via horse-drawn carriage, or on the canals. That could be interesting and our stay was too short to take advantage of it.

At the bus station we even saw signs for a play commemorating historic events, but it looks like the tickets were $50 each and that seemed overpriced. Perhaps Easton is a prosperous place where everyone can afford that amount for local plays. That would be a plus for living there.

Easton had its ups and downs for our time there. I don't know that we would make it back there, but if we were at the Mall of the Americas again I am sure we would check out their version of the Crayola Experience, because it was a good time and it would be interesting to compare.

Still, it would  be nice on a city-wide level if they would look into walkability and toasting their muffins.

http://www.easton-pa.com/