Travel in state Pennsylvania

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour made headlines even before it began — by overwhelming booking platform Ticketmaster and drawing attention even from the U.S. Senate. 

My trip to Jim Thorpe, a small Pennsylvania town often called the "Little Switzerland of America," was an afterthought, a brief stop on the way back to New York City the Sunday after a girls' weekend in nearby Long Pond. About two hours from the city, Jim Thorpe is an easily accessible day trip from Manhattan. 

Philadelphia’s grand history and bustling urban atmosphere make it a fantastic location to explore for any style getaway. From its impressive lineup of awe-inspiring museums, lush parks, inspiring national historic sites, and vibrant dining scene, there’s something to do in the city for everyone. Here’s where to spend the night while exploring the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia is the sixth-largest city in the US (and the biggest in Pennsylvania), home to the Phillies and Eagles sports teams, delicious Philly cheesesteaks, museums, music venues and tons of American history. So what's the best way to get around and experience it all?

A new survey from leading storage marketplace Neighbor.com has revealed the ‘most neighborly’ cities in America for 2023. This is the fourth year Neighbor.com has set out to name the top twenty five friendliest cities across the country.

The Danish chef Mads Refslund first began working on Ilis, his new restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 2016. After years of high-profile jobs at places like Manhattan’s Acme and Shou Sugi Ban House in the Hamptons, Refslund, a co-founder of Noma, wanted a permanent space where he could create an immersive culinary experience. The open kitchen, and its live fire grill, is at the center of the 4,800-square foot room on Green Street. The space has 17-foot ceilings with wooden beams and exposed brick walls; custom rosewood tables and leather banquettes frame the perimeter (though a few counter seats provide the best vantage of a meal coming together). “This is about transparency,” Refslund says. The name Ilis is a portmanteau of sorts, with meaning “fire” in Danish and meaning “ice.” It’s a nod to the dichotomous spirit of the restaurant — serious cooking with laid-back dinner party vibes. The menu allows guests to choose from a selection of primary ingredients, say New England scallops or Pennsylvania wild duck, and, in some cases, style of preparation (raw or grilled, for example). The seasonal cuisine is informed by Refslund’s Scandinavian upbringing, as well as his travels to Japan and Mexico City. But, the chef says, “hopefully, it will just become a New York restaurant,” a reflection of the city he now calls home.

Global Entry is currently the fastest way to return to the United States after a trip abroad. This program, available through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, prescreens travelers and allows them to skip the often lengthy customs lines at airports and other border crossings. The reentry process has gotten even faster for Global Entry members, thanks to the launch of a new mobile app.

As the home of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and signed by the country’s forefathers, Philadelphia is a top destination for history buffs.

Are you happy?

An unusual nigiri will soon be on offer at Bar Miller, a new omakase restaurant in New York City’s East Village: the humble bluefish, sourced from the New York-New Jersey coast, served raw. “Bluefish has this reputation as being a lesser tier, like a poor man’s fish. But if you treat it with care, it’s incredible,” says Jeff Miller, the executive chef. “When it’s in season, it’s rich, fatty and buttery, with a little bit of subtle tuna iron quality.” Featuring bluefish on a sushi menu is surprising when the city is awash with omakase that, like those in Tokyo, offer prestigious (but unsustainable, according to Seafood Watch) fish like bluefin tuna, Japanese yellowtail and Japanese eel. “Sometimes I think my life would be so much easier If I’d gone that route,” Miller says in reference to the classic omakase menu for which there are standard suppliers. Instead, through trial and error, he built a menu entirely from domestic fish. Bar Miller, which is set to open on Sept. 27, serves San Franciscan anchovies, Hudson Valley eel head trout, and Long Island porgy. (The latter, Miller says, tastes sweet and “super subtle [with] a deep oceanic flavor.”) Miller’s attention to local delicacies extends beyond marine life: The restaurant’s sushi rice is farmed in the Hudson Valley; its sushi vinegar is fermented in Pennsylvania; its soy sauce comes from Connecticut. Even its sake is hyperlocal, fermented in Sunset Park and Bushwick. For Miller, sourcing locally is about expanding on his lifelong appreciation of Japanese cuisine; sustainability is an attendant benefit.

From the shores of Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands on the Canadian border, down through the Finger Lakes and the Catskills, and out to the tip of Long Island, New York State has something to suit every kind of traveler.

Low-cost airline Breeze Airways is adding two new routes to Florida this fall, adding to its robust service to the Sunshine State.

Twenty-two years ago, 19 terrorists commandeered four U.S. airliners. They crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an empty field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 Americans were killed.

A retired flight attendant is on an inspiring journey to honor the flight crews who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.   Paul Veneto, who worked at United Airlines starting in 1997 and retired in 2013, began “Paulie’s Push” in 2021 to celebrate the spirit of the airline crews. The push consists of Veneto pushing an airline cart between two cities as a tribute to the airline crews lost during the tragic events.  “The outpouring of support from my airline crew family has been heartwarming, to say the least. I’ve been met out on the road by a number of flight crews, both current and retired.” Veneto shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure while currently on his latest route, from Newark Liberty International Airport to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania. “A friend I went to United training school with came out to see me for the third straight Push.” The first «Paulie's Push» took place when Veneto pushed the beverage cart from Boston Logan International Airport to the 9/11 National Memorial in New York City in 2021, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.  The second push took place from Boston Logan International Airport to the Pentagon National Memorial in 2022.

Pittsburgh International Airport, considered one of the nicest facilities in the country, will pay $10.5 million to settle a lawsuit with an air mall that it evicted last year.

Breeze Airways is celebrating the start of fall with half-off flights across its network, marking the low-cost airline’s biggest-ever sale.

Last month I went on a weekend-long, women-only summer camp with 200 strangers in their 20s and 30s in rural Pennsylvania. I was hoping to meet a few cool people and get out of New York City, but I ended up re-experiencing some of the joys of childhood and realizing that you are never too old to make new friends. 

When it comes to planning a trip as a solo female traveler, safety is almost always number one. Of course, things like activities, museums, and sight-seeing also come into play but making sure the destination will be accommodating and comfortable is vital to ensuring a positive trip experience.

The tides are quickly turning when it comes to hotel companies better disclosing resort fees in their nightly rates.

When I lived in Washington, D.C., from 1998 to 2005, I didn’t pay much attention to the Old Post Office Building. The Romanesque Revival-style structure taking up over an entire Pennsylvania Avenue block certainly had a commanding presence with its imposing clock tower, which offered incredible views of the city. But mostly, it was a tourist stop.

Hyatt, Marriott, and MGM Resorts have been hit with lawsuits since 2019 over how they disclose mandatory resort fees. The companies have since changed how they disclose resort fees on their websites and apps.