Wildwood New Jersey
Getting There
July 2012
All great vacations start somewhere.
The Wildwood 2012 vacation started at the Melbourne, Florida 'International' Airport.
The Plan
Getting to the the Jersey Shore for vacation was a little involved.
First we would fly to Pennsylvania from Florida, with a connecting flight through Charlotte.
While in Pennsylvania, we would enjoy some NEPA pizza.
Finally, we would drive to Wildwood, New Jersey from Pennsylvania.
Both US Air and Delta Airlines fly small regional jets out of Melbourne.
US Airways will connect you through their Charlotte hub. Delta Airlines will fly you through their Atlanta hub.
And we're off.
That's I-95 below.
Charlotte Airport
As usual, we bypass national fast food chain restaurants in favor of local flavors.
Carolina Pit BBQ is one such local eatery at the Charlotte Airport.
The Carolina Pit BBQ turkey sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes
and a fried pickle.
This was a very tasty meal and, we feel, so much better than a Big Mac.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
I often talk about Northeastern Pennsylvania having the best pizza on the planet.
Here is Grotto Pizza at the Wyoming Valley mall.
It was rainy and cool that day in Wilkes-Barre and a great time to enjoy a hot, fresh-baked Grotto pizza.
Behold the Grotto Pizza.
Fresh from the oven, it needed a minute or two to cool down before we could devour it.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Pizza
What makes the Northeastern Pennsylvania pizza so unique and delicious are several things.
The crust is a thin NY style crust.
The cheese, however, is not mozzarella. I don't want to give away the recipe, but I will say that it is a creamier cheese than mozzarella.
The sauce is really the standout element in an "NEPA" pie. It's made from much sweeter tomatoes than found in a New York style slice. Furthermore, the sauce is spiraled onto the pie after the cheese is put down.
Altogether, these elements make the NEPA pizza worth traveling many miles in order to enjoy; which we did.
On the Road Again
After a brief stay in Pennsylvania, we continued on.
Here we are driving along the back roads of rural Pennsylvania.
A view of the rolling mountains of Pennsylvania.
On the Pennsylvania Turnpike approaching the Lehigh Tunnel near Allentown.
This tunnel is cut right through a mountain.
Duh, I guess most tunnels are.
The thrilling view inside the Lehigh Tunnel.
Rest stop time.
The Allentown rest stop on the Pennsylvania turn pike.
The exterior wall advertises the various vendors available inside.
The inside of the rest stop is a bright and busy food court.
And it has a Roys!!
Suddenly, we were in Philadelphia traffic.
Just a glimpse of historic Boathouse Row in Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River.
The Philadelphia skyline.
Welcome to New Jersey.
After hours in traffic, we finally made it to Wildwood!
