Date Night in My Hometown
A Penny Darling Blog
Happy Monday, Penny Darlings!
Wednesday is my birthday!
So let me tell you something absolutely ADORABLE that Preston and I did this past weekend! We wanted to do something special during the birthday week activities and I also wanted to have a chance to visit my family! So, we had a date night ‘day’ in my hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania! Yes, Reading, like the Reading Railroad on the Monopoly board. And it’s pronounced Red-ding, not Reed-ing. So if all of your life you were convinced that it was the ‘Reeding Railroad’ – I am happy to blow your mind! Ha!
Preston and I got to team up with Pennsylvania's Americana Region to take a trip up to one of Berks County’s most famous stops at The Pagoda, went to ride the carousel, had an AMAZING dinner at Judy’s on Cherry, and finished off with a sweet treat on Penn Avenue in West Reading!
FIRST STOP: THE PAGODA
I am 100% serious about this. My hometown has a SEVEN STORY Japanese pagoda built on top of a mountain overlooking the city. From the Berks County Historical Society, “Completed in 1908 at a cost of $50,000, this pagoda was intended to be the hotel/restaurant centerpiece of a luxury resort. When plans for the rest of the resort were abandoned, the 7-story wooden building on 10 acres of land was donated to Reading in 1911.”
It’s such a cool spot! It was a little foggy the day we were there – but we’ve gone up to see the skyline at twilight, on the weekends to check out their little cafe and climb to the top to see the amazing view, and there are some AMAZING photo ops. This was our first stop on our date night! We had such a fun time walking around the intricate building and grounds, sipping on some tea, and climbing to the tippy top!
This gorgeous, retro, amazingly picturesque carousel is located very close by to Reading, up near Pottstown! It was the CUTEST little place. The carousel is indoor (so it’s a great day trip for a rainy day or a PRIME photo location!). The Carousel is totally Mary Poppins, so obviously I rocked a tutu and Preston is wearing the heck out of that bowtie. This place also has some arcade games, a small cafe, and it’s so freaking delightful.
DINNER AT JUDY’S ON CHERRY
We went for an early dinner at Judy’s on Cherry in the heart of downtown Reading! It’s painted in cool blues, decorated with twinkly lights, interesting and local art, and has bread and oil on the table when you get there! Also, a special shout out to our server, Steve, who was an absolute delight and we had a great time chatting and joking around with! Thanks, Steve!
We started with some amazing soup. I went for the Butternut Squash Curry & Crab soup which is rich and creamy and delightful. Preston started with their Tomato Gorgonzola Soup, which tasted like someone made a lasagna into a soup and it was MOUTHWATERING.
This was unbelievably amazing and I didn’t think I could actually MISS a meal…but I had a medium rare filet mignon topped with gorgonzola butter, whipped potatoes, & asparagus! It was so tender and amazing that it felt like the steak was melting in my mouth!
Preston ordered Poached Caribbean Lobster Vodka Rosa which was a four cheese ravioli topped with fresh and juicy lobster, a vodka sauce, and filled out by shrimp and lump crab. We traded a bite and were equally jealous, but also equally unwilling to share any more! It was just too tasty! Thank you, Judy’s on Cherry!
Continue reading this Penny Darling blog by Abby Hoy: Date Night in My Hometown. You don't want to miss all the wonderful pictures of the places Abby and Preston visited on their date night.