Wednesday, September 19, 2007

King George Inn in Allentown

I found a great pub in Allentown last Friday. It's called the King George Inn. It's been located at an important local crossroads since 1756. Lots of beautiful wood inside, particularly the bar itself. I had a pint of Guinness and oysters on the half shell. Really good.

They had the Yankees/Red Sox game on the TV, and nobody in the whole joint was smoking.

They have fine dining as well, inside or outside. Apparently their head chef has been named Chef of the Year in Allentown.

Definitely my kind of place.

DDDDD

6 comments:

Ralph said...

Nice. From what is says on the menu, sounds like the oysters are pretty fresh too...So geography nonwithstanding, do you live in the "East side" section of Allentown, or the "West Side" section?

Cheers.

Ralph

Dr. Downing said...

Yes, the oysters were delicious.

East Side vs. West Side: Good question. The Lehigh Valley is unique in its geography. It actually consists of three separate cities. From west to east, those are: Allentown, Bethelem, and Easton.

At Easton, the Lehigh River dumps into the Delaware River and once you cross the Delaware River, you're in Jersey.

But, back to your original question. Our apartment is located in Whitehall Township which has pretty much exactly the same relationship to Allentown as Millcreek does to Erie.

Whitehall Township is located in Allentown's West End; however, the way the streets run, there is no East Side. Instead, the street numbers in Allentown begin at the Lehigh River (Front Street) and increase westward. We live at 20th Street.

If you cross the Lehigh River eastward, you're no longer in Allentown. Instead, you're in Bethlehem, so, technically, there is no East Side of Allentown, as far as I can tell.

I couldn't live there if I wanted to. However, when I lived in Pittsurgh, I lived in the East End.

DDDDD

Ralph said...

Actually, I was referring the the metaphysical, not the geographical "East (with a capital "E" side. I think by comparing Whitehall to Millcreek, well, I'll leave it at that.

Cheers.

X

Dr. Downing said...

We still live in Millcreek, but there is no lake on the horizon.

You know, I hear people complain about Erie, but I wouldn't trade Erie for Allentown. Erie is much more beautiful, and the heat down here in the summer is unbearable.

August was mostly 95 degrees and September is mostly 85 degrees. There is no lake breeze, so it's like living in Alabama.

I'm actually rooting for summer to end so that I can stop sweating for a few minutes.

DDDD

Julia said...

Hey all

Yes... the weather here in the summer is no fun- Hot hot days and thunderstorm nights. It's even cooler back home (Carbondale.. near Scranton). But you won't be sad or sweaty during the few weeks of fall weather- It's what I live for.

Have a good weekend! It's going to be hot!!

Ralph said...

Yes, fall has already crept into the air up here and it's very nice. We've had beautifully cool clear nights with a wonderful breeze coming off the lake. Days have been mid-70s and almost perfect as well. But, I've always said we have about three great months, end of June 'til the end of the Sept., give or take a few weeks on either side. Let's compare notes in March.

Cheers.

Ralph