My husband and i will be coming lancaster the 1st weekend in November. We are a couple in our late 20%26#39;s who work in and live near NYC. We are coming to lancaster to ';get away'; and just have a romantic weekend without cell phones. We just want to eat, go to a spa, walk around etc.
We are staying in the lancaster arts hotel,it really seems like the perfect fit for us. HOwever I have had some concerns after reading some of your reviews on here. Is downtown Lancaster really that unsafe? Is it ok to walk around during the day? DO I have to worry about getting held up in my room..like I read somewhere on here? Ive read nothing but great reviews about this hotel..but im not going to lie and say im not concerned now about the area.
Also can anyone advise of some things to do that we might be interested in. Any good PA dutch restaurants? (No buffets please) Also which spa is the best one? and any good places to get a quilt..without paying an arm and a leg?
lancaster arts hotel/ downtown safe
Your choice for a place to stay is excellent. I do not consider Lancaster that unsafe. Every town no matter where has some areas that are better than others. I would suggest that if you wanted to walk toward Price St. on Harrisburg Pike a few blocks would be the Brickyard restaurant and another block would be The Bellvedere restaurant I do not think that is a ';bad'; area. From the Lancaster Arts Hotel, I would not go toward Mulberry and James Streets area.
The Bellvedere is not a ';dutch'; place, but i think that you would like it and check out the website: http://www.belvedereinn.biz If you want to do the dutch thing, I would suggest a drive to the Bird in Hand Family Restaurant. It is in the small town or knoll of Bird-In-Hand. Get the chicken corn soup. It will be a drive, But a plesant one if you do some of the not so main roads. That area would be good for some quilt shopping, but remember NO SUNDAY sales in most of Lancaster county, for sure not some of the back areas that would be selling quilts. These would be the places, where you would be buying direct from the farm. If you want more info, email me.
lancaster arts hotel/ downtown safe
As someone in their late 20%26#39;s who lives and works downtown, let me put your mind at ease. I actually live only a few blocks from the Arts Hotel, and it is a perfectly safe location! I definitely would not be worried about being held up in your room.
Lancaster is perfectly safe to walk around during the daytime, and most of the ';bad'; areas (every city%26#39;s got em) are not in the area around your hotel.
I don%26#39;t really go to any PA Dutch restaurants (a lot of them are the dreaded buffets), but I%26#39;ve heard the place in Bird-In-Hand that the other reviewer mentioned is good. Right beside the Arts Hotel is an Italian place, Rosa Rosa, which is decent. Just down the road is a Mediterranean place called Gibraltar- very good, especially if you like seafood. The Belvedere (corner of Lemon and Queen Streets) is a great bar and restaurant too. There is a newish BYOB on Prince St called Effie Ophelia that looks wonderful, but I haven%26#39;t been there yet. I think they have a website.
As far as quilts, anywhere on Route 30 around the shopping outlets will rip you off. Your best bet will probably be to go right to a farm, but again, not on a Sunday! A fun place to go on a Sunday is Adamstown, ';the antiques capital of the world.'; It%26#39;ll take about 25 minutes or so from where you%26#39;re staying. Tons of vendors selling just about anything you want- it%26#39;s fun just to look. While you%26#39;re there, hit up Stoudt%26#39;s for lunch or just a drink. They brew their own beer; I recommend the American Pale Ale.
Hope you have a great time! Feel free to email me with any questions.
I would have no qualms whatsoever walking around that area day or night. It is only a block from F%26amp;M so the biggest danger you may encounter is an obnoxious college student. Good places to eat? Lancaster city is full of them. Rachels, the Belvedere, the Pressroom to name a few. I will say I was not thrilled at all about the Arts Hotel restaurant. What we had was good food but I thought the prices were ridiculously high for ridiculously small portions.
I live and work in downtown too and I%26#39;ve gotta tell you, I don%26#39;t know where you heard it was so unsafe! Sure, it%26#39;s got some shady areas...what city doesn%26#39;t? I lived in NYC for 2 1/2 years as well and I%26#39;ve always felt safer here than in NYC. Please don%26#39;t worry! :)
As for the area of Mulberry and James...I%26#39;ve gotta disagree with it being bad. There%26#39;s a GREAT restaurant on the corner there called Checker%26#39;s Bistro. www.checkersbistro.com IMO, it%26#39;s one of the best restaurants in town. I go there often and have never felt unsafe walking around that neighborhood. There are always people out on their porches and walking around.
The Arts Hotel restaurant (John J Jeffries) is indeed over priced for the portions you get, but it%26#39;s right in line with many NYC restaurants, so I bet you won%26#39;t be as shocked as most Lancastrians are when they dine there.
Definitely check out the 300 block of N. Queen St. It%26#39;s a great block with cute shops and a Parisian-style creperie (Rachel%26#39;s), that%26#39;s great for lunch or dessert (the strawberry cheesecake crepe is out of this world!!) And of course, Central Market for a little local flavor. There are some great shops right around market too.
For PA Dutch restaurants (there aren%26#39;t any in downtown as far as I know) people here seem to love Lapp%26#39;s and Diener%26#39;s, both of which have a menu to order from.
Have a great time and don%26#39;t worry!!!
thank you all so much for your review. I didnt think the area was as bad as what i was reading..when I went back and looked at some reviews they were from tourists from the midwest or very suburban cities in jersey/CT....i think one person described that there were alot of ';hispanics';, and downtown is where alot of the crime happens.
Obviously every city has some places you dont want to walk around at night...lol hell the hospital i work in..you wouldnt catch my a$$ in that neighborhood after 7pm, during the day not a problem. It was funny when I told my husband who was born and raised in Newark,NJ that I heard downtown Lancaster wasn%26#39;t that safe..he chuckled and said ';i think we%26#39;ll be able to handle ourselves';, it takes alot to ruffle him. But then again ask any New Yorker and the majority would tell you that they%26#39;d rather be in harlem at 1:00 AM without cab fair..than get lost on some back country road.
Thanks again...
Derner
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