With a couple of restaurant reviews from this recent trip already up, I wanted to tackle Lancaster City. As I have said, I’ve spent my entire life visiting Lancaster (since I was in the womb). When I went with my parents, we always stayed in the country and hardly ever ventured into the city. I remember eating at Lancaster Brewing Company once shortly after I turned 21, and one visit to Central Market when I was a child which I barely remember. The food and beer were both good at L.B.C., but the experience was very cookie-cutter compared with other brew-pubs I’ve eaten at. It took until 2019 for me to actually go out and explore what Lancaster really has to offer.
Justin and I headed in and easily found a parking spot on Valentine’s Day. Street parking was fairly priced, but the limit was only two hours. You can pay for parking at kiosks located on every street, registering your car by license plate. No ticket is needed to display, and you can check/update your time at any kiosk in the city. This is highly convenient because you do not have to worry about getting back to your car.
Following a delicious lunch at Himalayan Curry and Grill, we walked around. After stopping in a couple of shops, we got coffee at the Prince Street Cafe (review coming later). Prior to that, Justin spotted a flower shop and bought me a bouquet for Valentine’s Day. It was a special day in a special place. The City of Lancaster is large enough that you know you are indeed walking around a city, but small enough that you feel safe and never overwhelmed. I thought it was beautiful. The people were friendly. As someone who always stays in the country on my visits, I never quite realized how much culture there was here. There were a plethora of Asian restaurants (Indian and Nepalese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese) as well as Spanish. The culture and variety of flavors the countryside sometimes lacks is made up for here. There is a whole world of restaurants to explore. TripAdvisor currently lists 463 dining established in the City and its surrounding area alone. Himalayan is ranked at #3.
I wanted this trip to be a Greatest Hits for Justin so he could see places I’ve been going my whole life, along with some things that were brand new. We managed to accomplish that with a trip to this city, but still this was only the tip of the iceberg. I cannot wait to go back and try even more restaurants and check out some of the museums.
Click here for more in my Travel PA 2019 series.
The Hungry Historian 