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Lauren Rubinstein
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By Bob & Tanya Waite
It’s about a 100-mile drive from Langhorne to Lancaster City. For us, a short jaunt, but we decide to take two days for us to go to the city of Lancaster. “Two days to take a two-hour drive?” Tanya asks. I say, “Because of you.” And of course our reserved seats at Sights & Sounds Theatre. We could leave from home and go directly to the theatre for the 11 o’clock show, but that would mean we would have to leave by about 8:30. And Tanya rarely can leave the house by that time. That’s when she wakes up and if I get her up early, it has to be a couple of hours earlier for her to be ready. We experience this every Sunday as we get ready to go to church. After I explain my logic, she says, “Sure, sure, sure!” We both laugh.
We get to our destination, about six miles from the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. We have time before we check in and take a drive past the small towns, farms and many shops and restaurants that are found in the area. Lancaster County, easily identified by the Amish farms and buggies that slow down traffic creating a delightful break from the rush-rush driving we experience in the large megapolis that stretches from Boston to Washington, DC. It is good to see the families working together, going places together and enjoying each other. It is also good to sample all the Pennsylvania treats from chicken and waffles to farm fresh ribs and homemade ice cream.
This is a pleasant experience and we always enjoy this countryside. We look forward to staying at the Lancaster Marriott. The last time we visited, we were shut in by Covid restrictions and neglected to visit the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. This has to be rectified. Although the City of Lancaster has so much to offer, we want a twofer. Why not stay in Lancaster and visit the Pennsylvania Dutch towns and countryside that surround the city?
We arrive at Sight & Sounds Theatre in the nick of time. Cutting it close is my fault. I think that we can go there at 11:30 but the doors to the theatre close at 11:30. We have five minutes from the parking lot to showtime or miss it altogether. Tanya has a field day with this. After all I cannot even attempt to blame her us getting there late. However, when we get into the building, they are still taking tickets and the show hasn’t begun. Almost the minute we sit down the doors close and the show begins.
We have a coveted end seat and in no time we are are transported into the days of Noah through multi-media, side stages and people and animals walking down the aisles. There are also videos that appear on curtains and the side walls of the theatre. The whole theatre is the stage. Sight & Sounds breaks all the rules of traditional theatre. We see birds flying, horsemen coming alongside us up the aisles. There is the front of a huge ark that has geese running into it, and cattle, horses, goats that are taken into it by members of Noah’s family. There is an attempt to burn the ark by the evil, totalitarian king of the city of Nod (something not in the Biblical account but it adds drama to the story). The inside of the ark when it takes center stage is three stories high and full of animals and automated manmade animals that look like the real thing. And there is one beautifully performed song after another. Noah sings, his wife sings, his three sons sing and their wives sing. There is dancing—lots of it.
But, in spite of all the animals and singing, there is a solemn message that God is just and must punish unrepentant sin. The Old Testament ark is a picture of Jesus Christ, who is our ark and all that will keep us from judgment. Sinners need to flee to that ark to escape the floods of judgment. Although there is more in the play Noahthan in the Biblical narrative, it gets to the point—loud and clear. God promises that he will never flood the earth again, but at some time it will be judged by fire. So we, like the sinners of Noah’s time, need to flee to Jesus just as Noah and his family had to flee to the ark for refuge. Tanya can’t help herself—she screams, “Hallelujah!” I teary eyed simply say Amen as we leave the theatre.
We leave the Amish Country taking the six-mile journey to Lancaster. We park and bring in our suitcases. At the checkout desk we meet a manager trainee, Andrea Velez and her front desk trainer and the person who checks us in, Roman Parham. Both Andrea and Roman are friendly and helpful. Since no one else is checking in this early in the afternoon, we talk with Andrea and Roman for a few minutes and notice the lobby is filling up with people.
The lobby is remarkable. Unlike most hotel lobbies, it is not built around the front desk. It is spacious with many sitting areas, potted trees, tables, and even work areas with access to electricity for laptops and USB ports to charge phones. At the far end of the lobby you can see the Lancaster County Convention Center, which is housed in the same building as the hotel. On our way to the 18th floor we see servers carrying trays scurrying back and forth to the kitchen of Plough—one of the restaurants at the Lancaster Marriott. One of the servers offers us some hors d'oeuvres, and without blinking an eye, we each take one.
We get off the elevator and cannot believe the beautiful view we have in our room. The large renovation project that Lancaster Marriott had done several years ago is evident in the sleek design of the room. Entering the room through a hallway over the shiny hardwood floors, we pass the bathroom. Tanya practically pushes me out of the way in her enthusiasm to take of photo of the sliding bathroom door with translucent glass and two vertical and two horizontal black iron strips that cross each other about two feet from the bottom and two feet from the top. Inside is a rain forest shower, a granite countertop with the sink set seamlessly inside.
Once inside the room we can’t help noticing the three large windows that overlook Lancaster giving us a surround view of the city. Right next to us is the top of the Griest Building, which is the second tallest building in Lancaster—the Lancaster Marriot is the first. Below, not too far from us is the Lancaster Central Market—the oldest continually operating market in the United States. We long to revisit Queen Street with its shops, boutiques, food stores, and restaurants making it look a little like our downtown Doylestown, Newtown or New Hope.
We love the large mahogany king size bed and the desk. There is a very comfortable chair that I claim. Tanya looking out the window watches a marching band practicing in a little square across the street from the hotel.
At 6 p.m. we have reservations for The Exchange. The Exchange on the rooftop of the Lancaster Marriott’s East Tower is ensconced by glass, and also gives us a wonderful view of the city. The refined rooftop features an extensive beverage-driven menu spotlighting creative twists on the classics and quirky, creative cocktails, alongside thoughtful wine and beer selections showcasing seasonal and local flavors.
Sitting on what feels like the top of the world, we see more than we can from our suite. The Exchange has both outdoor and indoor seating and both are available with a beautiful view. As we are are sitting in cushioned chairs at a round table waiting for our server, we see to the right, the kitchen behind glass and directly in front of us is the chandelier that looks like stars suspended in midair.
Our server comes with our menus and she offers us drinks. We ask for water. The menu is divided into The Exchange Board, which gives us the choice of cheeses and meats to build our own cheeseboard. The next section is Starters, some of which sound scrumptious, such as Pea and Strawberry Salad made with Spring Mix, mint, sunflower seeds, lemon buttermilk vinaigrette and feta. Others that catch my eye are Marinated Olives, Calabrian Chili Chicken Wings, and the Seafood Tower (oysters, shrimp, smoked salmon dip, Old Bay Crab Dip, chips and crackers, Mignonette, and Tomatillo Cocktail Sauce). There is a Wood Fried Pizzas section, then the Large Plates.
We take our order from the Large Plates. Tanya orders Spicy Crab Bucatini with Salumeria Biellese pepperoni, garlic, San Marzano tomato, cream, breadcrumb and basil. I order the Steak Frites which is an 8 oz Coulotte Steak, parmesan and arugula pommes frites, black garlic aioli, and green garlic pesto. We both enjoy the food, although Tanya cannot finish all hers and brings a box to the room. The experience is superb. However, it cannot be over until we try a dessert. So we share the Lavender and Almond Polenta Cake a devilish combination of raspberry sorbet, toasted almonds, whipped mascarpone, and lemon zest. We leave impressed by the décor, the server and especially the meal. Tired from eating and travelling, we return to our room, review our day and turn on the smart tv to watch several episodes of a Turkish series with English subtitles. I fall asleep before Tanya.
Morning awakens us with a craving for coffee. There is a Starbucks in the lobby, so I get the coffee and a couple of Starbucks treats and bring them back to the room. Tanya is sleeping again, so I quietly sit on the comfortable cushioned chair, drinking coffee and reading a book on my Kindle. Tanya wakes, stretches and joins me in our morning snack.
After Tanya literally takes an hour to shower and dress, we leave the hotel and take a walk. We head down Queen Street and are enamored by the little shops, art galleries and one particular store called The Snack Stand, which sells snacks from all over the world. I am especially interested in the Dove Chocolate Wafer Rolls from China and the Lays cucumber flavored potato chips made in Canada and sold in China. Tanya says, “To each their own,” while looking at all the international gummies.
We walk to Gallery Row on Prince Street. We enter the Lancaster Museum of Art, housed in a staid Federal era brick building, we peruse the local art, and realize that the local artists of this area are talented and worth viewing. Sometimes we Bucks Countians imagine that we are the only ones in Pennsylvania that have great artistic traditions—not so.
Time is slipping through our fingers when I realize that we have a reservation at Plough, the restaurant in the lobby of Lancaster Marriott. I know from another trip that we are in for quite an experience. The restaurant, which has a large bar and itself is quite large, was our favorite on our last trip to Lancaster. The comfortable seating and friendly staff make it feel like a home away from home. The same noted chef, Ryan McQuillan, whose menu we enjoyed at The Exchange is the captain of this kitchen too. Open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends but closes at 12 a.m. on weekdays, Plough offers a “modern American menu with ingredients sourced from the region’s lush farmlands.”
Our server visits our table with menus and takes our drink order. I order an Our Town Proper Pils, a local craft beer, and Tanya orders a Margarita. And we look at the menu that changes seasonally. The fact that it is not yet fall means that we do not see the menu that Chef McQuillan will have created for this issue of Bucks County Magazine. However, there are some things that are on the menu year-round.
We are in time to order from the lunch menu, which has Small Plates, Salads, Bowls and Handhelds. Tanya orders the Shaved Ribeye Cheesesteak that has Caramelized Onions, Cooper Sharp Cheese, Roasted garlic mayo on a seeded roll and a Caesar salad as a side. I order the Plough Burger, which is a 6 oz dry aged burger patty, smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, steak sauce, baby arugula, all on a seeded bun. I had a side order of the soup of the day, which was a crab bisque. We are in culinary heaven. Afterwards we share a Decadent Chocolate Cake and by then we are ready for a late afternoon nap.
We awake from our nap at 7 p.m. I tell Tanya and she says, “You’re kidding.” We both slept soundly. We have snacks, so our dinner consists of chips, candy and treats that the hotel graciously left for us on our arrival. We again watch the Turkish series, but the episodes stop having English subtitles, so I use my iPad to watch some American tv shows. Tanya keeps watching the series in Turkish and can actually know what’s going on by the facial expressions and actions of the actors.
We wake up early. I have an appointment with Hans Schrieber, the director of sales and marketing for the Lancaster Marriot at Penn Square. He is an affable tour guide, whose love for this hotel is evident in everything he shows me. We being with a walk outside. He points to other buildings, such as the Lancaster Central Market. He gives me a history of the building which houses much of the Lancaster Marriott Penns Square that began as a department store and had many lives before it became the hotel it is today. The façade is on the national register. The department store dates back to 1898. The combination hotel convention center and new wing has 2.9 acres under its roof. And within its walls is a archeological dig uncovering an Underground Railroad stop.
Enclosed in the hotel is the Montgomery House, which Hans explains, is a Federal Period house. It was once the home of William Montgomery, an affluent Revolutionary War veteran, who entered the war as a teenager and rose from rank of private to being a colonel. Since then the house was home to several families, a YMCA, hardware store and became part of the department store. This Federal-style house is now restored and can be used for smaller conferences. He shows me the Charter Board Room with its long hardwood, polished to-the-max table and surrounded by soft black leather cushioned chairs. The candelabra chandelier adds to the dignity and gravity of the room. The Montgomery House has four stories of rooms for meetings, social events and weddings. As we go up the elevator to the top floor, we see a bride and her entourage getting ready for the big event tomorrow.
Hans shows me the Convention Center and I see the 10,000 square-foot ballroom that is already set up for a wedding. I am impressed. After that we visit the pool and the spa. The pool is magnificent with lots of space around it and many places to sit comfortably in between dips. The spa has everything a spa could have. The tour is extensive and I enjoy it and Hans very much.
After the tour Tanya I return to the room. Tanya has packed her bag. I pack mine. We sadly leave Lancaster City. We drive home through the Pennsylvania Dutch area of Lancaster County one more time. Then we get on the turnpike and go home. My advice to our readers is to go to the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square as a springboard to visiting both the Amish farmlands and the city of Lancaster.
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and the co-writer of this department.