[MD] politics and food

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

Ian,

Wanderlust... aye. I love travel, and consider both ZMM and Blue Highways to be
foundational tomes in my love of road, land and people (Investment Biker and
Ghost Rider as well). The more off the beaten-path, the better. Allentown and
the Lehigh region, along with Eerie and most of Wilkes-Barre, were (like most
"rust-belt" dependent areas) hit and never really recovered. Pottsville, too,
used to be a vibrant center of commerce and banking (read John O'Hara's
Appointment in Samara and others for his insight into this town in its heyday
(he calls it Gibbsville)). In these larger areas, however, you can feel what
Pirsig calls a psychic-isolation that set in with the decline of industry.
Because the populations in the "Bama-portions of PA" are so low, perhaps this
was never necessary. In any event, when I cement my plans I'll be in touch,
it'll be fun to drink a few ales in person after years of text exchanges.
Years?! Holy cow! BTW, I never was in Oslo, but I was in Kristiansand and along
the coast a bit west of there. Norway is truly a geographic beauty. I keep
hoping to go back (my daughter is considering a year abroad in Finland.. those
commies who think they got education all figured out), so I may make it back to
the area there for some extensive travel in the next year. 

Arlo