Paoli, PA

I love to sit Open Houses especially this time of year when people are getting out and about to see homes that are on the market. I chose to sit this home at 160 Sheldrake Drive in Paoli, PA 19301 this Sunday from 2-4 PM. It was the model home for the development when it was first built 49 years ago, and this is the first time it has been on the market since then. Situated on a nice lot of 0.64 acres it has a nice presence in the neighborhood.

It is a solid stone colonial, and I wrote about what is a colonial a few weeks ago, and this one is in excellent condition according to the listing agent, with deep window sills, hardwood floors, wood burning fireplace, built in book shelves and much more. I am looking forward to seeing the home. Taxes at $6483 last year are reasonable for this area for the size of the lot and the home. Whilst it is close to downtown Paoli, with its shops and train station, this neighborhood is not a high traffic area and the homes are set amid mature trees giving pleasant shade during hot summer days.

So stop on by and visit for a while at this home filled with character priced at $599,000, it will be open Sunday February 12th from 2-4 PM, this may just be your Valentine!

Looking for somewhere to eat in Paoli, Ashy's Burger and Fries is the place, owned by the same owners of the Kabab Cafe in Gateway Shopping Center this is a welcome addition and a step away from the chain burger and fries places. Burgers are made to order so leave some time for yourself as you will be waiting for your order, not long, but long enough for it to cook, and the fries - don't miss those, they are delicious.

I actually steppped away from the traditional burger and went with a falaffel sandwich, well don't think this is a light option...

I was struggling to finish and the fries are very generous portions. Enjoy next time you are in Paoli, right in the shops there close to the hardware store, you cannot miss it.

Paoli, PA yes we have the Starbucks, right by Paoli station, not sure what they will do when the station moves and becomes a transportation center, maybe they will move with it, but the biggest problem with Starbucks is lack of parking. However, a little way away, there is Saxby's, with plenty of parking and a nice atmosphere as well.

The coffee shop is cozy with a fireplace, some arm chairs, wireless wi-fi, some tables and chairs in the front and back, you can also sit outside weather permitting. Located right on Lancaster Ave next to Bryn Mawr Trust and Jakes location is good for meeting people coming by car or train as it is a short walk from the station.

Stop by sometime and have a cup of coffee or tea and take a few minutes to decompress from your day. Yes we have the new big Dunkin Donuts, mainly Drive thru

Which would you prefer? Sure Dunkin has nice coffee but if you want something cozy Dunkin does not provide it.

For many years we have had a store front Dunkin Donuts in Paoli, just across from the station. Today I was driving through and saw this brand new Drive Thru store, right next door to a well known real estate brand. These two Dunkin Donut stores are only a quarter of a mile apart and I hope that the owner of this one is the same as the owner of the old store, have not had a chance to check on that before writing this. We seem to be having a proliferation of Dunkin Donuts along the Main Line, like banks they seem to be on every corner or in every gas station.

Whilst America struggles with obesity there is a chance every few miles to break your good habit and have something sweet and high calorie be it Dunkin Donuts or another fast food chain always in a mega-size.

Paoli, site of the Paoli massacre during the revolutionary war, and a growing center for transportation. According to Septa Paoli station is the 5th busiest regional transportation center in the system. When you look at the station it is hard to believe and you realize why for the past several years there has been a plan to move the station to a new site further west and create a brand new Transportation Center. The current station looks like something out of a third world country rather than a station in the suburbs of one of America's larger cities.

The parking lot here is tiny, in the morning, there are between five and eight jitneys lined up transporting commuters to local business centers and companies. You can see the station needs a little love and attention.

You can catch Septa and Amtrak trains here, and buy tickets for both in the station building. you can catch a train right through to New York without having to change in Philadelphia. There are two coffee shops close by as well as a Dunkin Donuts just across the road but the station building is a basic brick building with few amenities.

If you go west you can catch a train out to Harrisburg or even further. The Main Line has spread ever further west, Paoli used to be considered the end of the Main Line, today, Dowingtown and Exton might be considered by some to be on the Main Line. If you look carefully you can see one of the original signal boxes, this is going to be moved and updated when they build the new transportation center which wiull be located west of this position. See the photo below.

It is a big ambitious plan requiring cooperation between three townships and lots of officials, but way out west in the distance the transportation center would be located. it requires new roads, bridges to be widened, etc, etc. and lots of money. But can you imagine this is the 5th busiest Septa regional rail station in the Philadelphia area. Whilst the station has languished, the village/town has grown and there are some good restaurants and interesting shops to visit.