Lauren Krady Lancaster PA Realtor

If you live in Lancaster you are already familiar with Isaac's Restaurant & Deli,but did you know that Tuesday nights they serve tacos for 75 cents? This special is at the Isaac's downtwon location at 25 North Queen Street from 5-7 pm. Tuesday night tacos are cheap but tasty. You can choose beef, bean, or a combination of the two. They also serve fresh salsa on the side.

Isaac's has over 20 restaurants in the area. Serving tasty sandwiches named after birds, soups, flat-bread pizza's, salads, and even sandwiches served on soft pretzels. The food is fresh and delicious. Many options on the menu are healthy choices. Isaac's downtown added a bar and a great outdoor seating area. In the summer, we love to sit outside on the warm nights and enjoy the flowers and downtown atmosphere.

Isaac's is a great place to take kids. As soon as you are seated the kids not only get a coloring paper and crayons, but also pretzel Goldfish. There is also a bowl of pickles for you to snack on while waiting. This is great since my kids are always starving by the time we get there! The restaurants are all colorful and have fish tanks for the kids to gawk at. The kids menu is especially creativewith make your own PB&J, rainbow colored bread for the sandwiches, and healthy sides (the applesauce here is the best!).

One of my favorite sandwhiches is the Gooney Bird: Turkey breast, plump mushrooms, fresh cucumbers, sprouts and melted Muenster cheese with mayo, served on pumpernickel.

And don't forget to try their desserts! Ice cream, cakes, and cookies, oh my! On a nice day you can walk around downtown after eating and enjoy nearby central market, or browse some clothing shops. Enjoy!

Lauren Kradyis a real estate professional with Coldwell Banker. She is a member of the Jeff Geoghan Realty Group and serves all of the Lancaster City PA homes market with superior customer service and dedication. Contact Lauren to start your home search in Lancaster City and beyond by calling her at (717) 824-7236.

I came accross something to do in Lancaster, PA that I hadn't heard about before... You can take a hot air balloon ride over Lancaster County. The tours are run by the US Hot Air Balloon Team. You can board the hot air balloon in Bird in Hand and it goes over Intercourse, New Holland, Strasburg, Ephrata, and Reading. There are views to the west and south of Susquehanna River, Harrisburg, York, and the start of the Chesapeake Bay.

You can book online or purchase gift certificates, wouldn't that be a great gift ?! Prices are $199 per person for an actual flight time of about one hour. They also offer rides through Chester, Bucks, Berks and Montgomery counties. You can also do national and even international trips (can you imagine ballooning over the French or Italian countryside ??!!). Check out their website at www.balloonridesdaily.com

Here is an excerpt from their website:

"Come aboard your hot air balloon to begin your day as the sun rises over the beautiful quilt patterned farmland. View the morning awakening of this unique community as they prepare their horses to work the fields and each family member attends to their chores. With horses racing beneath your hot air balloon and children chasing you barefoot in the fields you can’t help but smell the sweet aroma of Lancaster county’s fresh air. As your balloon ride comes to an end, prepare to meet many of the farmers as they run to help with the landing of your hot air balloon. Enjoy this timeless wonder from a divine view of a hot air balloon. Amish country is spectacular from a hot air balloon in every season."

Lauren Krady is a real estate professional with Coldwell Banker, and a member of the Jeff Geoghan Realty Group. She serves all of the Lancaster City PA homes market with superior customer service and dedication. Contact Lauren to start your home search in Lancaster City and beyond by calling her at (717) 824-7236.

Today was the annual Christmas Eve food distribution, held by the Lancaster County Project for the Needy. This year marked the 22nd dinner distribution for the Project for the Needy, a nonprofit organization that relies on donations. People started lining up last night, some waiting 9 hours in the freezing rain!

For the second year in a row the event took place at the Clipper Magazine Stadium on North Prince Street. 1,200 boxes of turkey dinners were handed out and a record 500+ vounteers helped. In addition to turkeys, the grocery boxes include potatoes, cranberry sauce, frozen vegetables, milk, bread and eggs.

Photos taken by Richard Hertzler / New Era

Celebrate the new year downtown in Lancaster. From 7:15 until midnight there are different performances in 25 warm locations around town. There are also kids events starting at 5:15. You can walk around and enjoy the evening or take the trolley from site to site. It's a fun time, make sure to dress warm for the countdown in Binns park and the fireworks to top it off! The website says this:

"Countdown Lancaster is a family-oriented, non-alcoholic night of visual and performing entertainment. Over 25 warm, indoor sites host performers that entertain throughout the night. One admission button will let you attend all performances and join the Center Stage activities for a Countdown to the new year, the ascension of the red rose and a fireworks display."

Here are just a few of the performances and venues:

Jim Rule - singer / songwriter

David Rojahn - Magician

Chuck Cahoe & the Fun Junkies

Ice Skating - Clipper Stadium

Various Comedians at the Ad Lib Cafe

Battle of the Bands, Teen Idol - Ric's Place

NAYO - African drumming and dance

Tickets are $15 Adults$5 for kids at the gate. If you buy on-line before 12/24 at midnight you can get a discount! Or volunteer at one of the sites for 2.25 hours and your ticket is free.

For a complete list of performers, a schedule, map, ticket info and anything else you may need to know about countdown Lancaster, visit the website here.

While we were painting pottery at The Pottery Works yesterday, my daughter and I wanted a snack. We went next door to Muffin Street, (18 West Orange St). We each picked a delicious home made muffin; I got pineapple coconut and she got blueberry.

I spoke with the new owner of Muffin Street, Eric Morales. He took over the quaint shop about 5 months ago. It's cozy inside with plenty of tables and chairs, and two picture windows overlooking Orange St. A great place to sit and have coffee with a friend or take a lunch break during your downtown shopping.

They now have breakfast and lunch options, rice and beans, coffee, cappuccino, smoothies, juices, and home made soups. I know I will be stopping by for some lunch soon!

Hours are Monday - Wednesday 7-4, Thursday and Friday 7-7, Saturday 8-2, Closed Sundays. They stay open later on First Fridays to cater to the downtown crowd.