Sushi Bars

Hi

Are there any rotating Sushi bars in Phili? My son loves Sushi but he has never been to one. I relalise the quality might not be as good, but fun for a change.

Cheers

Jim UK

Sushi Bars

There are many Sushi restaurants in Philadelphia, but I don%26#39;t know of any with a rotating sushi bar. Maybe someone else will know of one.

Sushi Bars

I understand that POD has a sushi conveyer belt. I am actually headed to POD tonite for dinner so I%26#39;ll post an update tomorrow. http://www.podrestaurant.com/

POD does have a conveyor belt.

Pod looks nice, what is the minimum dress code? As I am coming with my 15 year old son across the pond I would not want to bring a jacket just for the one night. What is the minimum dress code we could get away with? Smart shoes, shirt and jeans? or are jeans out of the question.

Many thanks

Jim

There are very few restaurants that require jackets anymore. Dressy casual will be fine including nice jeans. It%26#39;s quite a fun place.

So, I just returned from dinner at POD. You will definitely not be out of place there in jeans -- the servers wear jeans and t-shirts. This is a very youthful place, most of the patrons were under 30. The decor is very modern, somewhat spaceship like. If you sit at the sushi bar you can help yourself to items from the conveyor belt which are color coded to indicate the price. You can also order items from the sushi menu if you prefer.

The sushi we had was very good quality. I%26#39;d also recommend the various appetizers we had...crab spring rolls, crispy calamari, chicken lettuce wraps...the main courses were excellent as well, especially the lamb chops which were outstanding. Entree of chilean sea bass with mashed japanese sweet potatoes on the side was also excellent.

Expect to pay $50 pp for dinner including appetizers, drinks, main course, tax and tip.

Only negative comment is the loud noise level, which will probably not be an issue for you and your son.

Thanks for your up-date. Too many nights of rock and roll have taken their toll on my hearing. So I too prefer slighly quiter places. But it looks really different so we will give it a go. Would we need to book mid week?

Cheers

Jim UK

If you want to sit at the sushi bar I don%26#39;t think you would need to book. Although the restaurant seemed really busy for a Monday, there were plenty of seats available at the sushi bar.

Many thanks for your info. Will definetly give it a go.

Cheers

Jim

Priceline during Convention Week

I am planning a trip for Aug 16 - 19. I%26#39;ve just found out there is a huge convention happening that week. I have a backup B%26amp;B reservation, but was hoping to Priceline a hotel. I am now wondering if it%26#39;ll be worth it to even try with the convention going on. Although I know there are no guarantees with Priceline, I am afraid that the hotel will make zero accomodations (eg. non-smoking, high floor, etc) for Priceline guests when they have such large crowds. What%26#39;s your advice? I checked the convention%26#39;s website and they have a hotel reservation deadline of July 25.

Priceline during Convention Week

This can go many ways. if the convention undersells, there will be many good rooms on Priceline. If its packed, well..

It will also depend on the hotel itself, how close it is to the convention center. Non-smoking I would not worry about, most of the hotels in Philly have gone non-smoking anyway, the concerns would be the overall crowds/service levels and the lack of a possible preferred room..

If you like the B+B and the location is good, I would keep it, if not maybe try priceline.

BTW, another option, if the price is right, is to book the convention rate. Unless the room blocks are full, conventions are usually happy to see hangers on, as it increases their room revenue and helps with other hotel costs!

Priceline during Convention Week

That%26#39;s the American Chemical Society convention. That one is usually pretty big, but you may want to try some of the hotels further from the center. Check out the Society Hill Sheraton- a nice hotel in a great location, and the farthest from the Convention Center.

Community in Poconos for month rental in August

Need advice on a safe clean community for a family rental.The kids are 10,12,and 15 with 2 adults. A pool, lake with swimming, and any other activites would be great. Please help us find a good vacation spot. Thanks so much.

Community in Poconos for month rental in August

I would recommend either Towamensing Trails or Arrowhead Lakes. You could check vrbo for rentals, or possibly some of the local realtors who have available homes.

Enjoy your vacation.

makeup reviews

Pittsburgh Area - Cranberry - interesting shopping?

We will be spending several days in the Pittsburgh area, staying in Cranberry Township. We have a couple of days planned in %26#39;the City%26#39; but haven%26#39;t been able to find much info on neat shopping areas, antique stores, craft areas, cool small towns to see, etc in the Cranberry Twp and surrounding areas.

Would anyone have any suggestions? We%26#39;re not very interested in the basic mall/outlet shopping - looking for more local crafts/foods, etc.

Thank you in advance for all and any advice!

Nan C , Michigan

Pittsburgh Area - Cranberry - interesting shopping?

Cranberry is a very big area that I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll be able to find what you%26#39;re looking for. I%26#39;m personally not into crafts so I have no idea if there are any shops or not in the area, but there are so many little shops and such there that I would assume there has to be craft stores (I know there are a few hobby shops).

As for food, there is anything from the local little places to the chains.

Here is a website I just came across for you. This should help you out in your searches (what hotel will you be staying at?).

http://www.butlerwebs.com/cranberry/gifts.htm

A couple good restaurants that aren%26#39;t big name that I love (that you can find from that link) are Climo%26#39;s chicken and pizza (the name has changed but still the same location), Domenico%26#39;s, North Park Lounge Deckhouse, Springfield Grille, and of course Primanti%26#39;s (pittsburgh tradition). There is also a place called Siba Cucina which looks great, but I%26#39;ve never been too. There are many other different restaurants but those are just some of my favorites that aren%26#39;t really chains.

If you have any other questions, I%26#39;d be glad to try to help you out.

Pittsburgh Area - Cranberry - interesting shopping?

Zelienople and Harmony are 2 small towns approx 10-15 minutes north of Cranberry. There are some nice local restaurants, ';mainstreet'; shopping, gift shops etc.

Bellevue is about 17 miles south off I79/279. Nice community with shops, restaurants, parks, library etc

Sewickley also off south I79 upscale compared to the the others mentioned but same small town appeal

Saxonburg is a little northeast of Cranberry and also a small town with shops, restaurants etc.

Mars and Evans City 2 towns a little northeast of Cranberry but not as far as Saxonburg

Enjoy

I would check into vinceygirl%26#39;s reco%26#39;s. Cranberry IMHO is the ';hub'; for commercialism and standard suburbia and you can find any store there.

If you stick to the small towns listed, I think you will find some specialty shops and what you%26#39;re looking for. You may also want to do a google search on ';flea markets';?

Harmony would be the place for crafty stuff.

For a great meal at a good price, look at the Log Cabin Inn on Rte 19 just north of the town of Zelienople.

Thank you all for the great suggestions - we%26#39;re hitting the road today to explore!

My husband and I have been to Siba Cusina about 6 times. It has a nice atmosphere; but the food and service is hit or miss. About half the time it was great and the other half it was just okay.

While I live in Saxonburg and absolutely love it here, I would not take the 1/2 hour to drive over for shopping. While about ten years ago there were several cute little shops here, those are pretty much gone. There is an antique shop; but I can never figure out when it%26#39;s actually open. C. Matus has some nice wooden pieces - they%26#39;re closed on Sundays. My favorite place in Saxonburg is the Cafe Contrary - absolutely love their breakfasts and very reasonably priced. Only open till 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. If you%26#39;re interested in history, there%26#39;s a nice local museum here - John Roebling (who designed the Brooklyn Bridge) is represented there as well as KDKA (the first radio station).

Hope you enjoy yourself. My husband and I just went to Cranberry Township for a get away weekend this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It%26#39;s a yearly getaway for us.

What are your favorite dishes at Siba Cucina? The menu looks great. Even though it%26#39;s hit or miss, would you still recommend it or not?

You might want to look at Volant, which is not too far north from Cranberry.

http://www.volantshops.com/

Also Sharon, while not exactly the garden spot of the state, does have some interesting shopping, including Reyer%26#39;s Shoes.

discoverourtown.com/PA/鈥hopping-967.html

I second the suggestion on Sewickley also, great little town. Cranberry is chain store city. Good luck!

My husband%26#39;s favorite at Siba%26#39;s is the lobster bisque. Mine is the Steak Salad. They just recently changed their menu but these two made the transition. What did not, was our favorite dessert. We would order and share their pineapple upside cake. It was an individual cake and since they brought it to your table warm, it tasted like it wss just baked. I guess they considered it a winter dessert. They replaced it with a peach cobbler which was okay but not as tasteful.

The hit and miss comment is not so much as their ability to provide a good meal, but seems to depend more on how busy they are at the time. The less busy they appear to be, the more goofing around the employees seem to do. Our worst meal was when there was only one other table being waited on in the place and you felt like you were watching recess.

I would recommend reservations on weekend evenings. They had entertainment the weekend evening we went.

Thanks for the info! I%26#39;ll have tgo try it. Working in a restaurant I can tell you, never go to a restaurant when there is only a few customers. That means the employees are just bsing because there is really nothing else to do. Believe it or not, you%26#39;ll get much better service when it%26#39;s busy (not overwhelmingly, but quite steady).

Campsites near Ikea area

We are coming up this Saturday from Ohio to do some shopping at Ikea. Can anyone tell me if there are any full service (electric hookup-water etc) campsites for RV%26#39;s in the area?? We would like to camp out that evening and come back that Sunday.

Thanks!

Campsites near Ikea area

The closest might be Raccoon Creek State Park, about 15 miles away.

Wal-Mart is very close. They allow RV%26#39;s overnight, but don%26#39;t have hookups.

Campsites near Ikea area

Allnicksgone is correct, Raccoon Creek State Park is the closest that definately allows camping, but there are no hookups.

I don%26#39;t know if Settlers Cabin Park allows overnighting of any kind, but it is much closer than Raccoon Creek.

networking

Primanti Brothers?

Is the one right by the baseball stadium a good place to eat before the game???

Thanks

Primanti Brothers?

There isn%26#39;t one by the stadium, it%26#39;s actually inside of it (although there are a couple across the Clemente Bridge that are with in 1-4 miles). And yes, they are good. Seems like people either love them or hate them. I recommend everyone give them a try though while in Pittsburgh.

Primanti Brothers?

hmmm in the stadium, does that mean higher prices than outside??? Looking at the online menu , prices dont look too bad. Would love to try and and being in the stadium could be a plus for us since we are getting there 2 hours early for autograghs and we always end up in our seats before the game starts.

In Heinz Field the price for a sandwich is only about $1-2 more than in the stores. (I%26#39;m think they are $6). I%26#39;m sure PNC park isn%26#39;t any different. (I haven%26#39;t been to PNC in a couple years so forgive the memory) They do not carry the whole menu but have the Cheesesteak and the Capicola (maybe one more). Regardless I don%26#39;t bother with anything but the capicola. IMO, the cheesetake isn%26#39;t all that good. You probably should buy both and decide.

Make sure you cover the sandwich in hot sauce. They will have it at the counter. If they don%26#39;t, throw the sandwich at them and start yelling obscenities. :)

What kind of sandwhich is capicola? Never heard of it. My oldest puts hot sauce on EVERYTHING!!! WE cant wait to eat there

Lorin, capicola is an Italian ham. It comes in either hot or sweet. I like them both, but especially like the hot.

hmm sweet sounds good to me.

Thanks for the info!!

July 4th get-away FROM philly-- with dogs. Any suggestions?

For a change this year, I%26#39;d like to enjoy the 4th in a different place outside Philly, but not too far away (2-3 hrs max). However, I%26#39;m planning this trip with another friend and our 2 dogs-- 65 %26amp; 85 lbs.

We%26#39;ve done day trips with the dogs before and even an over-nighter. They%26#39;re well behaved, but it%26#39;s a challenge-- lodgings, meals, activities, potty breaks, etc. I know we can%26#39;t do everything everywhere, but I%26#39;m open for any suggestions-- esp. from dog lovers.

btw: I%26#39;m also checking a few dog-friendly websites, too, but I really like tripadvisor feedbacks.

July 4th get-away FROM philly-- with dogs. Any suggestions?

A couple of thoughts:

Gettysburg area, Hershey area, Lancaster.. I know Hershey has a fireworks show usually sometime around then, there must be at least one pet-friendly hotel or B+B in those areas.

July 4th get-away FROM philly-- with dogs. Any suggestions?

I have done a fair amount of travel with a large (85 pounds and tall), but well-mannered female chocolate Lab. Some hotels want large deposits and others charge hefty fees for dogs, but a surprisingly number of Holiday Inns permit dogs in the rooms without charge (which is good, because my Lab didn%26#39;t have her own credit card or income).

Recently stumbled across www.petswelcome.com, a useful website that lists hotel chains that generally are pet-friendly. One caveat: hotels in specific locations are operated by individual franchise owners and may deviate from chain policy, so it is important to verify if they accept pets and under which conditions.

The Delaware beaches are a possibility. The is a thread on the Delawre forum about this now...Read dogmom';s post.

I took my 50lb dog to the Eastern Shore of Maryland a few years ago, stayed in Easton, walked her around there and St. Michael%26#39;s, drove down to Tilghman. Beautiful landscape, old towns. Very Colonial, reminded me of Society Hill.

We stayed at a Comfort Inn on the highway. It was nice, clean, has a scrub woods out back where a dog can %26#39;unwind%26#39; a bit without being next to the traffic, and is close to all the usual fast food places (handy, since one drawback of travelling with dogs is having to do takeout) One place I walked by in Easton%26#39;s downtown was the Tidewater Inn; website says pet-friendly.

http://www.comfortinneaston.com/index.htm

www.tidewaterinn.com/amenities_and_services/

Easton%26#39;s holiday celebration:

eastonmainstreet.com/event_independence_day.…

They seem to have fireworks, which some dogs don%26#39;t endure well.

I don%26#39;t have dogs myself, but know that many dog lovers enjoy going camping with their dogs. Most campsites have sections that allow pets.