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Turnpike dining - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Turnpike dining
The United Plates of New Jersey - The Times A look at some places to eat near the Turnpike that offer a Jersey experience more satisfying than Vince Lombardi Service Area. I would not have been surprised if all the places selected were diners (Jersey has got to have more diners per capita than anywhere), but a few other kinds of places are featured.  New Jersey, NJ, NJ Turnpike, road foodLabels: Food and Drink, New Jersey, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:02 PM |
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Restuarant Review: Moore's Barbecue - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Monday, March 03, 2008
Restuarant Review: Moore's Barbecue
 KENLY, N.C. -- We were not feeling as adventurous on the way back north as we had been on the way down, so we didn't stray far from I-95 for our final meal of the drive. Moore's barbecue, located next to the exit 107, gave us the convince we wanted, but would it deliver on food? The answer -- sorta. Moore's has a pleasant dining area that you set yourself in after ordering food cafeteria-style. I went ahead and got a plate of pork, potatoes and hushpuppies. Pork rinds were thrown on top of the plate, but "being-gastronomically-honest-to-the-local-cuisine" be damned, I'm not eating pork rinds! The pork was tasty, though not as tender as Parker's, the place we ate at on the way down. Moore's uses more peppers, so it has a bit more zing. I enjoyed it as it came and with the pepper sauce. The potatoes were pretty good, though a few were overdone, and the hushpuppies were fine. Erica had another pork sandwich this time and enjoyed it. I was enjoyed Moore's and would go there again, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it like I did with Parker's. Moore's convenience from I-95 meant good barbecue was good enough. I'd be quite happy to have barbecue of this caliber in my neighborhood.  Moore's Barbecue, Kenly, N.C., NCLabels: Food and Drink, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:18 PM |
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Fast Food review: Bojangles - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, February 29, 2008
Fast Food review: Bojangles
 CONWAY, N.C. -- Not long after visiting Coast Carolina University, we needed to make a pit-stop. Since I was a little hungry and certainly curious, we stopped at a Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n' Biscuits, known for . Not needing a full meal, I ordered a two-piece and biscuit combination, ($2.18), for us to split. Now, I've eaten at a few fried chicken places over the years; KFC, Popeyes' and even El Pollo Campero and I have to say that even with this limited sample size Bojangles emerges as superior. The piece I had was hot, juicy (not just greasy) with spices that were complimentary and not overpowering. Seriously, that was some good chicken. The biscuit was also quite tasty and not too greasy like a lot of places. I will try and go back to one the next time I am down South.  By the way, there is a chain called Maryland Fried Chicken down there. Bojangles, fast food, fried chicken, Conway, South CarolinaLabels: Food and Drink, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:01 PM |
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# posted by Brad Stratton :
Wednesday, March 05, 2008 3:05:00 PM
Fast Food review: SONIC - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Fast Food review: SONIC
 MYRTLE BEACH, N.C. -- Since we only had a few hours to explore Myrtle Beach, we wound up choosing fast food for lunch. Having never been to a SONIC, we figured we would give yet another regional fast food chain a try. I hadn't planned on making visiting fast food places a theme, but after trips to White Castle and In-And-Out Burger, I have to admit it is fun, if not good for me. We pulled into the SONIC lot and I ordered directly from the car. Despite never having car service before, we elected to sit at one of the picnic tables. Yes, we realized this could be controversial, but after spending 1/3 of the previous day in the car, dining al fresco was a welcome option. Just a few minutes after sitting down, a server arrived with a tray of food. I ordered the SuperSONICŪ Cheeseburger with ketchup, fries and a Sprite, and Erica ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger TOASTERŪ Sandwich with fries and a Coke. I was pleased, that was a tasty burger. Erica enjoyed her sandwich too. The fries were okay.  Despite being satisfied, I also ordered a Coney, a foot long hot dog, with chili (hey, today's National Chili Day), cheese, mustard and onions. That was okay, but nothing special, I only ate about half of it. If/when I go again, I'll skip it and get a SuperSONICŪ.  I'll put SONIC behind In-And-Out Burger, but well ahead of White Castle. SONIC, drive-in, fastfood, Myrtle BeachLabels: Food and Drink, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:03 PM |
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Scouting Coastal Carolina University - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Scouting Coastal Carolina University
 CONWAY, S.C. -- Penn State's first opponent of the 2008 football season is the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. It just so happened that our drive down to see Aunt Janet took us right past Brooks Stadium, home of CCU football. After our visit this past weekend, we stopped by the campus to take photos. The campus itself is spread out with pleasant looking brick buildings. The athletic complex on the edge of campus is suitable for a school of its size. There was a baseball tournament going on with Pitt beating Virginia Tech, 9-3 in the fourth inning before dozens of spectators. Brooks Stadium is a small, but attractive football stadium. According CCU Athletics, it seats over 6,000. It also doesn't have locked gates, so I walked around and even onto the field. I was a bit surprised, but pleased to see that CCU plays on grass and not a rug. Good for them, it almost makes up for the teal and black colors. [ flickr : my photos tagged with ccu/ slideshow] Coastal Carolina, Chanticleers, Conway, S.C.Labels: Sports, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:26 PM |
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Restaurant Review: Parker's barbecue - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Restaurant Review: Parker's barbecue
 WILSON, N.C. -- I took the advice of commenter Sean and John T. (who emailed me) and visited Parker's Barbecue last Friday. I enjoy Carolina-style barbecued pork and was eager to try some from an authentic Carolina restaurant. Parker's is on the side of US 301 in an unassuming building. Upon entering the restaurant, diners may seat themselves. A server offers menus (smaller than a sheet of paper) with barbecue and fried chicken as the highlights. I ordered the barbecue plate with seasoned boiled potatoes and was quite pleased. The pork was moist and tender shoulder meat with a little bit of the browned meat from the outside mixed in. I enjoyed with by itself and with a little of the pepper sauce (similar to Tabasco, but not as strong) from the table. Since we were in the eastern part of the state, the pork doesn't have a tomato-based sauce like western North Carolina barbecue. It was also nice and lean with no chunks of fat mixed in, a welcome sign. The orange-colored, spicced boiled potatoes were also quite good, I'm going to have to start making them on occasion once I get a recipe. Erica enjoyed her barbecue sandwich and fries as well. We also ordered a hush puppies and corn stick plate; the hushpuppies were fine, but the oil overpowered the tasted of the fried corn sticks. Overall, I was quite pleased with Parker's and would not hesitate to make the slight detour from I-95 again. Also, it is worth noting that Parker's does not accept credit cards, but does accept checks from Virginia. Our total came to less than $12, but we rounded up to $15 with tip. Directions: From I-95, take exit 119B to US 117 SOUTH/US 264 EAST (and nominally, I-795 SOUTH). Stay on US 264 past US 117/I-795 split and take exit 43B, US 301 NORTH/Wilson. Parker's is on the left a couple of miles up US 301.  Photo taken from roadfood.com without permission because I forgot to get one of the building. Visit their review of Parker's too.Labels: Best of WWN, Food and Drink, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:32 PM |
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Down south - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Down south
PAWLEY'S ISLAND, S.C. -- After 450 miles of driving, we arrived in Pawley's Island after 7 p.m. yesterday. If I ever see a scrub pine along I-95 again, it will be too soon. In reality, it'll be tomorrow. After we get back, I'll be posting about Parker's Barbecue, where we had lunch yesterday. In the meantime, some observations from along the road: Wth the completion of the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico there are now four landmarks along the drive . The other three things are Kings Dominion and its "Eiffel Tower," the cable-stayed bridge (or the city of Richmond if you stick to mainline I-95) and the kitchy-est place on earth, South of the Border.
Speaking of South of the Border, the signs for it don't begin until entering North Carolina -- they are showing restraint now.
For the 7th consecutive time I passed it, I did not go to South of the Border.
The billboards along US 501 seem indicate that Myrtle Beach fancies itself as Branson-by-the-Sea. We'll try to drive through it on our way out tomorrow to check it out.
The Grand Strand that I have seen is very pleasant. We're going to walk on the beach in just a little while.Labels: Travel
posted by WFY @ 10:19 AM |
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Southern swing - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Southern swing
 On Friday, Erica and I are headed to South Carolina (south of Myrtle Beach) to visit some family. We've got an eight hour drive (or more if this winter storm gets bad), mostly down I-95 and then US 501 in South Carolina, ahead of us. Any suggestions on places to grab a bite to eat? I'm partial to North Carolina style barbecue. Labels: Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:02 PM |
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# posted by WFY :
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 6:35:00 PM
# posted by :
Thursday, February 21, 2008 7:29:00 AM
# posted by WFY :
Thursday, February 21, 2008 8:13:00 AM
Pocono Skiing 2008: Camelback - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pocono Skiing 2008: Camelback
 TANNERSVILLE, Penna. -- Family and friends can breathe a sigh of relief -- I finally went to Camelback Ski Area in the Poconos for my annual ski trip. I won't be complaining I haven't hit the slopes yet or asking them to come with me anymore! Saturday morning, I woke up at regular time and left for Camelback, widely regarded as the best ski area in the Poconos. I arrived a little later than I had planned, but still had a full day ahead of me. Camelback was packed and I had to park along side the unpaved road far from the main lodge. This proved to be advantageous for me since I was near the Glen Lodge, a smaller lodge located on the east side of the mountain. I had to wait almost 90 seconds in line for my lift ticket. Since I had rented my skis from off-site, I was ready for the slopes. I started off on the beginner run, Sun Bowl and then proceeded to longer slopes like Upper Moore's Ramble and Mark Anthony, all enjoyable runs. I probably took a run down Lower Cleopatra as well. After getting nice and loose, I headed for the Sullivan Express lift to take me up the eastern side of the mountain to reach my favorite slope, the Nile Mile . I believe that Nile Mile is the longest slope in the Poconos. I like it for that reason and also the comfortable degrees of steepness that allow for lots of speed when I want it and not too much when I do not. Additionally, the snow is always quite plentiful on the slope, so ice doesn't tend to be a big deal. After taking Nile Mile a few times, I figured I ought to get some lunch. I stopped at the Glen Lodge and ordered the ribs combo ($12.76 with tax) from the cafeteria. This was a major departure from the typical fare offered at most resorts and actually a decent deal, all things considered. The ribs, while quite fatty, were pretty good as were the seasoned waffle fries. It was actually more food than I probably needed. After filing up, I headed back up the mountain and took another Nile Mile run. I followed that up with The Pharaoh  which fed into The Bactrian . Skiing down The Pharaoh proved quite tricky because it was quite icy and I am not in as good a shape as last year when I still went to a gym. After some more fun on the east side of mountain, I moved over to the Cleopatra triple lift and headed down Mark Anthony again but took Home Again down to the Sullivan Express quad lift. The lines were pretty heavy here and the frequent need for the lift to stop didn't help matters. Once I did get to the top, I enjoyed heading The Birches, the western-most slope, several times. It is a lot like the Nile Mile, only shorter. It feeds The Meadows and John Bailey. After buying a Pepsi from the main lodge, I returned to slopes with a trip down Near East (via the Mark Anthony lift) which fed me into Upper Moore's Ramble and Turkey Trot, each a pretty good run, though Near East starts kind of flat. Seeing that I didn't have much energy left, I headed to the Nile Mile for the rest of the afternoon and took a few final runs. It worked out that I once I finished my last run of the day< i had about a tree minute walk to my car. That was convenient, but there was a minor drawback to parking on the side of the unpaved road. I spent almost all of my time on green circles this year, a major departure from last year's trip, but in fairness many of Camelback's double greens are more challenging than Jack Frost and Big Boulder's blue squares. Also, without an enabler around, I was less motivated to really push myself too much. Weather-wise it was warmer than forecast with temperatures well into the 30s. With the beautiful, cloudless blue sky and ample sun, the snow was a little mushy. I got a little warm wearing seven layers too. Using the ski conditions scale, I give it a . Had it been a little colder, I think it would have been double blue, but that is just the way this winter has worked out. skiing, Poconos, CamelbackLabels: Pennsylvania, Skiing, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:11 PM |
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Star Wars exhibit reaches Philly this weekend - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, February 08, 2008
Star Wars exhibit reaches Philly this weekend
 Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, a traveling exhibit, is setting up shop in Franklin Institute in Philadelphia this weekend. Two years ago, during our Jaunary 2006 trip to Boston, we saw it at the Museum of Science. My brief review of the exhibit: ...has lots of models and costumes from the entire saga. The "science" of Star Wars galaxy is explained and compared with contemporary science from this galaxy. In some ways, we are not far off from things in the Star Wars universe, but sadly lightsaber technology remains elusive. Also, the Millennium Falcon is worth doing too. Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the Falcon. The Inky preview is critical of the "science" part of the exhibit which is a reasonable assessment, but not many people are there for the science anyway. Both Erica and I really enjoyed the exhibit, more so than the one the Smithsonian had in the late 1990s. Since Philly is less than three hours up I-95 from D.C. so you can make a day-trip out of the visit. If you want to make a weekend out of it gophila.com has a package. I recommend buying tickets in advance though to avoid the lines, particularly for the Falcon simulator which is a separate admission. The exhibit runs until May 2009. [ flickr : my photos tagged with starwars/ slideshow] Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, Frankin Institute, PhiladelphiaLabels: Arts and Culture, Movies, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvania, Photography, Star Wars, Travel
posted by WFY @ 6:00 AM |
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Farewell, San Francisco - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, January 04, 2008
Farewell, San Francisco
 Nearly three weeks after the fact, over 600 photographs and a couple dozen blog posts later, I'm going to "say goodbye" to the city by the bay. We had a great trip out there and thank David for hosting us. Be sure to check out Erica's [ flickr : set from San Francisco/ slideshow] My entire San Francisco flickr collectionLabels: Best of WWN, Photography, San Francisco, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:05 PM |
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Muir Woods and the Bohemian Grove - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Muir Woods and the Bohemian Grove
 MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- On day 3 of our San Francisco trip, David drove us out to Muir Woods National Monument. We went for a short hike through the redwoods and comprehended their enormous size. They are big and the woods were dark and damp. I think going there on a sunny day would be a waste of good weather, because I don't think much sunlight can penetrate those tree canopies. We also joked around with each other and got asked by two separate people if we were going to game, meaning the women's volleyball national championship featuring Penn State. We weren't and even turned down a ticket. Yes, I was wearing my Penn State hockey jersey. Of interest to me was the plaque about the Bohemian Grove. I wasn't surprised to learn that it started there and even less surprised that it was moved to private land elsewhere. In case you are not familiar with the Bohemian Grove, it is a gathering of some of the most powerful men in the country. They get together to drink, dress in drag and perform creepy ancient rituals. In essence, the Bohemian Grove is the world's most powerful sausage party. These are the types of things one learns in political economy courses.  Best viewed large[ flickr : my photos tagged with muirwoods/ slideshow] Muir Woods, Bohemian GroveLabels: Photography, San Francisco, Travel
posted by WFY @ 12:10 PM |
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