Adventures in Traveling: Indiana, Ohio, and Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks.  I had intended of scheduling a week's worth of blogs to post during my trip, but then things got crazy!

My partner and I had a wonderful trip last week, where we spent nine days road tripping out east.  I love a great road trip.  The man and I tend to be relaxed travelers, often deciding our direction as we are traveling. 

While we had a basic idea of our travel plans, only a trip to Philadelphia was set in stone. 

On Day 1, we began our journey out east, stopping only minimally to log a lot of highway miles.  

Jacket:  Forenza by The Limited
Top: Forever 21+
Necklace:  Target (old)

Our first stop was Montgomery Steakhouse in Spiceland, Indiana.  As a vegetarian in love with a carnivore, restaurant choices are often compromised.  This steakhouse thankfully had a great selection of non-meat items.  I chose the spaghetti marinara and salad.

We got back on the road, and before I knew it, we were in Ohio.  We pulled over on the interstate, and I got a pic in front of the state sign.  Yep, I'm silly like that!  :-)

Coated denim jeans:  Target
Shoes:  Target

 We stopped for the night right over the Pennsylvania border.

The next morning, we got back on the road, heading towards New York City.  We noticed the signs for Hershey, PA and decided to make a minor detour to the Land of Chocolate.

Dress:  Forever 21+
Purse:  Target

The first thing you notice is the lovely aroma of chocolate overtaking your senses when you walk in.  Unfortunately, that was one of the better aspects of our short stay at Chocolate World.

Hershey's had a makeshift factory where you could make your own chocolate bar and packaging.  They offer a museum, a trolley tour, lots of [overpriced] food options, and of course, a huge chocolate-centered gift shop.  There is also an amusement park and a hotel, where I've heard you can get chocolate baths, which does sound enticing!

The experience was fun for a quick detour, but overall, it seems more like a tourist trap than an authentic experience.

Of course, we couldn't leave Hershey without trying some of the wares.  We each had a cupcake, which proved to be too much for both of us. 

Can't remember the names of the cupcakes, but mine was Caramello-flavored and my sweetie's sweet was chocolate raspberry

The cupcakes were good, but definitely no where near the best I've ever had.  I actually found them a little disappointing as the outer perimeter and icing were dried out.  That said, the chocolate flavor was tasty, and the inside of the cupcakes quite moist.

Bracelet:  The Limited

My favorite part of Hershey's was the old advertising posters.  I love the artwork on a lot of older advertising.  I find that advertising gives us a lot of cues into the cultural mindset of a particular time period, which I find fascinating.  The images chosen to advertise products tell us a tremendous amount about the norms and values of a particular culture at a particular place in history.  I leave you to your own interpretations of these...

More trip pics coming tomorrow!!