Coda: Worth Doing and Seeing in Harrisburg, PA

Above, The Midtown Scholar, huge, wonderful dealer of more than one million discounted, used, rare, academic and general interest books.  It may well be the largest bookstore in Pennsylvania. Also the site of literary readings, music and theater events, and other community activities, the Midtown Scholar is a nexus for cultural activities in the Midtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. It features a great coffee bar and chairs and  sofas for browsing throughout. A sort of alternative Barnes and Noble, laid back with a strong literary focus, this is the kind of place that New Yorkers visit and think, "Wow, it must be cool to live here and have this as a local spot." (Although, in fairness, Harrisburg folks probably think -- "I wonder what it must be like to live in Brooklyn." In any event, an interesting roadside attraction that we encountered on our trip through PA to Pittsburgh. More on the Midtown Scholar, Harrisburg,  here.

Just across the street in the Midtown Harrisburg area, the Broad Street Market is a fun destination for casual eating and shopping at great prices. I had a great Lebanese mez platter for lunch, but there was West Indian, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Viet Namese, BBQ, burgers, tons of choices. Folks were friendly and prices good. Next door was an equally large building with local merchants and farmers (including Amish and Mennonite families) selling organic meats, seafood, fruits and veges, flowers, dairy products, candies, bread and baked goods, etc. Vendor list here

More details on the Broad Street Market here.

The Chestnut Street Bridge over the Susquehannah to City Island in Harrisburg, PA.

All photos by Brooklyn Beat/TN

We had a great roadtrip through Pennsylvania !