Pocono Talk

How many times have you heard location, location, location in reference to real estate?  I believe that location in relation to the Poconos not only impacts your style of living, but your longevity of staying in the area you’ve chosen.

When my husband and I were looking at buying a home our initial thoughts were to get a place close to Stroudsburg so we could still be close to everything.  Some things we were looking for were a decent size yard, 3 bedrooms, a quiet neighborhood, and a location near town.  We went a few times with our realtor to look at places that were located 20-30 minutes away and everytime we thought to ourselves ‘wow that’s a hike’.  After unsuccessful house hunting we took a break, then started again, then took another break.  When we finally purchased our home we sacrificed the ‘close to town’ feature we wanted but were extremely happy that we were able to find a home that fulfilled everything else we were looking for.

Moving further out to get the home you want is not the right option for everyone.  Giving up a larger yard, getting a little smaller of a house or waiting a few more months is definitely a better option for some.

If you do decide to move further out (if you live near a larger town), or you are looking at purchasing a home in the Poconos be sure to do your homework!  Drive to your potential home and neighborhood for a week straight – does the extra time commuting bother you?  Think about your daily activities, do you like to go get coffee every morning, where is your kids school located at, how much driving do you want to do a day?  continue reading »

Seeing the enthusiasm of children trick-or-treating, definitely brings out my inner child and adds to the excitement of the fall season.  I love decorating for Halloween, handing out candy, and yes even dressing up.    I’m not ashamed to admit my husband and I dressed to the nine’s last year to hand out candy and to take our son out trick-or-treating.  Our outfits might have been a tad much for our quiet community but we definitely fit in when we went to Stroudsburg.

Let’s get straight to the point – you can go trick or treating multiple places on different days!  Coming from the suburbs of Philly this was an amazing surprise for me when I moved to the Poconos.  Now I’m not trying to advocate the biggest candy heist in history or having sugar poisioning well into next year…nor taking advantage of the generosity of neighborhoods that you don’t belong to, but it gives options.

Option 1 - Take advantage of being able to visit friends and family.

You will need to schedule accordingly but its very possible that you can not only trick or treat in your own neighborhood but spend a different day visiting friends and relatives as well.

With multiple days of Halloween we went with Grandma “trick or treating” (aka showing off the baby to neighbors) one day, we visited aunts, uncles and friends another day and were still able to hand out candy at our own house on yet another day.   continue reading »

The grand opening of Mount Airy Casino Resort is scheduled for today October 22nd, 2007 and is bound to impact the Poconos significantly one way or another.  It will make history as the first freestanding casino in Pennsylvania bringing additional attention and traffic to the area which is likely to help local businesses. 

The Controversy

There is controversy over the fact that the money made will not be going back to the local area but instead is being used to cut Philadelphia’s wage tax and assist with horse racing.  As a local myself I was hoping for a bit of a property tax cut as I’m sure many other people were.  I think that at least something should be given back to the locals directly as they will be dealing with the increased traffic and other possible downfalls associated with the casino.  

The Potential

There is the potential for the casino to impact the Poconos in a very positive way and set an example for the state – its my hopes that we see that happen.  Some of the positives I forsee are additional jobs, new restaurants and the potential for local businesses to see increased sales. 

It does start off on the wrong foot though when the owner is currently under investigation for possibly lying about his connections, or lack there of, with organized crime.  Yikes!  This issue is just dripping with controversy on all sides, I just hope people can be civil and work towards making this a positive for the community.  continue reading »

Living in the Poconos the seasons the season that I think catches most ‘new guys’ offguard is definitely Winter.  The other seasons do not vary too much from city living or other parts of the country but Winter is definitely unique.  Now is the time to get a start on getting your home prepared for winter so come the snowy months you can sit back and relax confidently. 

I moved to the Poconos a little over 5 years ago and the concept of a well, septic system,  fireplace and needing to get someone to plow your driveway were totally new concepts to me.  So hopefully mistakes I’ve made and have learned from that have turned into the tips below will prepare you better.

Prepare your yard and the outside of your home

First and foremost be sure to prepare your yard for the upcoming months by winterizing it as much as possible.  Right now its not too cold yet and it will save you a lot of time and aggrevation to get it done now.

- Winterize your plants.  Cover them, trim them, whatever is necessary, our winters our quite cold and you definitely don’t want to lose the time and money you spent on your yard.

- Clear the yard and cover objects.  Bring in toys & empty plant containers and tarp what you can – lawnmowers, swingsets, large toys.  If you have tables and/or chairs with covers bring them in or tarp them as well.

- Rake and mow one last time.  Especially if you live in an extremely wooded area, the cold and snow can come on pretty quick so be sure to keep up on raking as trying to get up all those wet leaves in the spring is not fun.

continue reading »

This past month the Pocono Chamber of Commerce officially became the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce and along with the name change came the new logo displayed above.  The updates were made to reflect on the future as the chamber will celebrate its centennial in 2010.

Eric and I joined the chamber last year with our website company WebLeaps and have found it to be very advantageous.   The opportunities are widespread and the dues are relatively inexpensive, what we have spent on yearly dues we have made back and more by obtaining new clients through the chamber.

If you are not a chamber member and are interested in finding out what they offer check out their website at PoconoChamber.net where you can find information on upcoming events.   Events are open to both chamber members and non-members(although there is a $5-$10 additional fee) and are a great opportunity to network and learn more about businesses in the area.   The monthly events include a business card exchange that is held in the evening, a monthly breakfast and the women in business luncheon.

With the new look and feel proclaimed by the eye-catching logo, the indian airlines are there to help in planning the travel along with the hotel package deals. Many of the travel agents can work out the super cheap flights to any corner of the world. The travel consultants specifically renowned for offering the cheap flights to canada can plan your trip from the start to finish. The cheap flights to rome with the short stays at three or four mid-destinations attract the tourists traveling on hawaiian airlines. The same carrier is chosen for the fabulous summer vacation family packages on the cheap flights to new york.

At Pocono Talk our main goal is to encourage discussion about the Poconos, its that simple!  One way we hope to achieve this is to not only talk about the Poconos but to actually show you the Poconos as well through photographs and video.

Our first video to show you is a collaboration with Ken English of PoconoPreview.com that provides a general introduction to the Poconos and some comments from our very own Eric Kimes of Pocono Talk.  They recently visited Alpine Mountain Ski and Ride Center to get a preview of what it looks like before the snow starts to fall.  The video is available at PoconoPreview.com and is currently located on the front page. continue reading »

If you’re looking for fall fun in the Poconos look no further then Klingel’s Farm and Mazezilla – it is a must for all ages.  My husband and I attended our sons field trip there this past Monday and everyone had tons of fun.  When you arrive the Farm stand is directly next to the parking lot with all kinds of fresh produce and wide variety of affordable fall products.  I will have to take better notes next time but off the top of my head I believe the hay bales were $5 each and mums were 3 for $10.  Great prices and EXCELLENT quality! 

Shortly after we arrived we boarded a tractor that took us over to the Mazezilla section, it took a loop around the pumpkin fields showing off the large amount of available pumpkins and really getting the kids excited.  When we arrived the kids set loose and had a ton of fun doing activities that they don’t get the chance to do on a daily basis.  A few favorites of my son were they hay bales to jump on, a mini corral with bikes, pipe slides, and a sandbox filled with corn.  My personal favorite was seeing the mini horse, they are just too cute!

continue reading »