Downtown Harrisburg at Your Fingertips

Yummy in my Tummy

2012-02-17T08:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the DID staff strolled over to Locust Street to McGrath's Pub for lunch. We arrived around 11:45 because they get pretty packed at lunch, which is definitely a good thing, but we wanted to be sure we got a table rather than sitting at the bar so it was easier to converse. We all got salads... I got the 'Mahoney's Steak Salad' which was great. It was quite big so I ate about half and took the rest to go. McGrath's has a great atmosphere anytime of the day, but lunch was definitely enjoyable. I was able to watch a little hoop and catch up on some of the Whitney Houston scoop while talking shop with Todd and Gayle. Our meal came rather quick too considering it was pretty crowded. Definitely left with my tummy full and a smile on my face...

Check out McGrath's Pub at 202 Locust Street.
http://www.mcgrathspub.net/

NYE in the City

2011-12-12T09:37:00.005-05:00

Celebrate your New Year's Eve in Downtown Harrisburg. The City of Harrisburg in partnership with the Hilton Harrisburg, Crowne Plaza, Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, Harrisburg Young Professionals, abc27 and the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District invite you to spend December 31st downtown.

Enjoy the countdown to noon presented by the Popcorn Hat Players at Whitaker Center. Children of all ages can enjoy a unique show designed to help them ring-in the new year! Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the show begins at 11:00 a.m. Tickets are only available at the theatre or by calling 238-4111! Tickets are $12 each. Your ticket includes admission to the show, noisemakers, party hats, and a Hawaiian lei! Autographed photos of the Popcorn Hat Players themselves also available at the event!

The Crowne Plaza will host a Teen Party for ages 13 to 18. The Dance entitled "Teen Flash Mob" will jump start the New Year's Eve celebration. The first 150 registrants, teens ages 13 to 18, will be "A-listed" into a party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 6pm on New Year's Eve. The Teen Party begins with Flash Mob Dance choreography at 6:30pm while enjoying complimentary food & drink. At 8:30pm, the party moves to Market Square for a spectacular Flash Mob performance at 9pm. Come on out and DANCE this New Year's Eve!

At 9 pm the Urban Guerrilla Orchestra from Philadelphia will begin performing in front of the Hilton at Market Square. Arts and Crafts for children will also be available during this time in the Atrium of the MLK City Government Center right across the street from the Hilton. UGO will conclude around midnight as the Strawberry Drops.

Don't miss out on a great day full of activities and fun for all ages.

Happy New Year!

From the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement Distict: Todd, Gayle & Leigh Ann

It's Almost Parade Day...

2011-11-16T10:31:00.002-05:00

Each year thousands of people bundle up and head downtown for the Annual City of Harrisburg Holiday Parade. This year's parade will take place on Saturday, November 19th, kicking off at a new time... Noon. 2011 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Holiday Parade. The theme of the parade is Unwrap the Joy. Local marching bands, military vehicles, giant helium balloons and lots of floats will fill the streets and entertain the community. Don't miss out on this great tradition!

Harrisburg Holiday Parade presented by Direct Energy - 11.19.11 - 12 pm

Downtown Harrisburg

For students the sad end to summer vacation is near

2011-08-16T09:59:00.005-04:00

Why does the American school year start in September (for many in late August) and end in June? Educators in the late 1840's believed that packing children in hot classrooms during the summer months spread diseases much easier. Those same "educators" also believed that overloading children with to much information for extended periods of time made them susceptible to hysteria and other mental episodes.

In rural schools in the 1800's farming communities; children went to school from December to March and from mid-May to August. The remaining spring and fall months were dedicated for spring planting and fall harvesting, where both adults and children were expected to pitch in and help, even the younger children were given chores to complete during those times. In large cities and in other urban areas, children of parents who worked in factories, shops, or mills learned English and other subjects during an 11-month school year, with only a short break in between quarters.

Short school years with long vacations are not the norm in Europe, Asia or South America either. Children in most industrialized countries go to school more days and more per day hours than in America. While just sitting in a classroom longer does not necessarily ensure that children will learn more; however, many American teachers say they spend weeks every fall reminding students of what they forgot over the summer.

A happy medium has yet to be struck between educators, parents, students or the employers.

Spend some awe inspiring hours looking UP at that early morning sky!

2011-08-09T13:39:00.007-04:00

A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are seen raditating the night sky. Most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, and almost all of them disintegrate and never hit Earth's surface.

The "Perseids Meteor Shower" will peak this week - with the best viewing starting tonight, August 9th. The Perseid meteor shower, is an annual display of shooting stars in the Northern Hemisphere; this shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle and has been observed for over 2000 years. This meteor shower is one of the best, especially in the absence of moonlight; where it has been recorded as having over 100 or more meteors per hour.

Just before the dawn very late tonight or early Wednesday morning, the Perseids could give the best view. If we are blessed with clear skies, the predawn hour will be that very rare window of opportunity to view the showers with the naked eye because of the dark, moonless skies. August 10th and 11th predawn hour will also be a good opportunity to watch the spectacle of lights!

The Perseids are typically fast, bright and occasionally leave lingering trains. A Perseids fireball would sporadically blaze up brightly to add to the light show in the predawn hour.

Source information and picture obtained from and compliments of EarthSky.com and NASA.com

DID Dining Adventure

2011-07-11T11:01:00.003-04:00

Every once and a while, the staff likes to get out for a nice lunch together. During the most recent outing, we stopped at Blue Heaven located right on Restaurant Row (210 N. 2nd St). Blue Heaven is such a great addition as there is no other place quite like it right in downtown. Located in an old school diner, with modern upgrades and amenities, Blue Heaven offers flavorful burgers, fries, salads and shakes. Gayle had the traditional Blue Heaven Burger, Todd had the sundried tomato burger, while I tried the burger with the crumbled blue cheese, yum!! We also tried the fry trio, which came with 3 amazing dipping sauces. It's definitely a great spot! Be sure to check it out!

2011-06-08T13:58:00.008-04:00

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in Downtown Harrisburg. It's about 91 degrees outside and a cool 68 degrees in my office. I took a stroll throughout the district this morning to snap some photos and check on the flower pots and hanging baskets. The flowers are looking great and starting to overflow the pots and baskets. Make sure you get out over you lunch hour and enjoy the weather along with the beautiful flowers and artistic banners hung throughout the district.

Downtown Businesses are paying it forward once again!

2011-03-15T13:48:00.008-04:00

It's tree planting time at the Capital Area Greenbelt Association (CAGA) www.caga.org. The Greenbelt is approximately a 20-mile loop of greenways around the city of Harrisburg. lt is made up of volunteers dedicated to supporting, maintaining and improving the Capital Area Greenbelt, a Millenium Trail in south-central PA. One of those volunteers is Mr. Norm Lacasse; we call him the "green guru". For the past 4 years the business owners within the HDID territory have donated the 12 to 16 potted Douglas Fir, Norway Spruce or White Pine Christmas Trees that many of you have seen at various downtown businesses over the past several months. Norm heads this project up every year, he picks the location in the greenbelt, organizes and co-ordinates with various youth organizations who assist in and take "ownership" for planting the trees within the designated area. I have to say, this year THE YOUNG LADIES definitely out shined the young men! Way to go girls and THANKS to all of you for making a positive difference!

Green, Green Everywhere!

2011-03-02T13:01:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again... St. Patrick's Day is almost here... and in downtown Harrisburg those words mean so much more. Year round the Harrisburg St. Patrick's Day Parade Association works to not only put on a phenomenal parade recruiting participants and bands, but to also raise money for scholarships for students. This year's parade will take place on March 19th. The parade will kick off at the corner of Walnut Street and Commonwealth Ave and head west down Walnut, turn right and head north on 2nd and end by turning right on North Street. The 19th will be a great day in the city, full of fun and laughter and entertainment for the whole family. Several downtown bars and restaurants will extend their hours and open early in honor of the holiday. We, too, will be open, welcoming visitors and residents alike to stop in for hot chocolate and enjoy some cookies while the parade takes place. Learn more about the HSPDPA at http://www.harrisburgirishparade.com/.

It's PA Farm Show weather time!

2011-01-13T12:53:00.004-05:00

In almost 50 years of recorded weather history during the PA FARM SHOW; believe it or not a snow total of only 110 inches has fallen, most of which has been in very small amounts. The EXCEPTION to this of course was the blizzard of 1996 where it snowed 24.4 inches! Now that was quite a snowstorm and accounts for almost 1/4 of the 50 year snowfall recorded total.

IS the PA Farm Show "synonymous" with snow, sleet and/or freezing rain? We'll leave that for you to ponder on and decide. What we can offer as evidence is that February is typically our WORST snow, sleet and freezing rain weather month here in Central Pennsylvania; so with that being said, we are more likely to get a snowstorm or ice storm during the Eastern Sports & Outdoors Show which is held in February than we are to encounter a freak storm such as the blizzard of 96' in January.

Early Christmas treat: 2010 total lunar eclipse

2010-12-20T13:05:00.008-05:00

'Twill be nights before Christmas and high overhead, the moon will turn orange or maybe even bright red! The earth and the sun with celestial scripts will conspire to make a lunar eclipse in the wee hours of Tuesday, December 21st at 2:41 a.m. on the east coast. The early morning performance will last over 3 hours. Lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye.

As a little background info: the moon is normally illuminated by the sun. However, during a total lunar eclipse, the full moon passes through the shadow created by the Earth blocking the sun's light. SOME indirect sunlight will still manage to pierce through giving the moon an odd smoky or some may say a "heavenly" appearance.

Ever heard of the "Autumnial Equinox".. well it is here

2010-10-04T13:03:00.018-04:00

An "equinox" occurs twice in a year, once in the spring (known as the vernal equinox) and now in the fall. The term, is of course a loose form of latin meaning "equal". What that really means is that 2 times per year both daytime and nightime hours are approximately equal in length with one another.

WHAT WAS A real treat (September 22nd) to those star gazers out there was a night of "celestial concidences", which has not occurred for almost 2 decades.

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and were looking up at the nightime sky you may have noticed what seemed like an unusually bright star right near the moon. Well actually it was NOT a star at all; it was the planet Jupiter at "opposition," coming closer to the earth than at any time since 1963. Additionally, for the first time in 19 years the "autuminal equinox" comes on the same night as a full moon, the one known as the Harvest Moon. It is said that the farmer's "harvested" their final crops under this very bright and large moon; hence the name "Harvest Moon." Autumn is one of the most colorful of our 4 season's here in the east. It is a virtual spectrum of golds, yellows, oranges, reds and purples. Get out and take that Sunday drive!

Live, Work, Shop, Dine, Play

2010-10-04T12:31:00.002-04:00

Harrisburg is such a unique city... we're not as big as Pittsburgh or Philly, but we've got lots of character. From the Capitol Building to Whitaker Center to the Harrisburg Senators and City Islanders, we truly have something for everyone. We recently designed brand new banners to showcase downtown as a great place to LIVE WORK SHOP DINE and PLAY. The banners are hung on various lightpoles throughout downtown. We're so pleased as we decided to go with an "off the wall" idea and do a collage of downtown (according to our banner company, no other city has done banners of this nature yet, Gotta love being the first!!)... the collage features Strawberry Square, the flower pots that are hung on the lightpoles throughout the summer, one of the Hydrant Hysteria fire hydrants, a pianist, a piece of cake, riverfront, and the Capitol dome. This project was sponsored by M&T Bank. We are grateful for M&T's continued support of our downtown endeavours.

The "Dog Days of Summer" are here!

2010-07-08T13:03:00.011-04:00

Ever wonder where the saying the "dog days of summer" came from? The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog constellation) is "Sirius", also referred to as the "dog star". Ancient Romans believed that the dog star produced additional heat because it rose and set in conjunction with the hot summer sun. These ancient Romans referred to this stretch of hot and sultry weather as the "dog days". Today, the "dog days of summer" occur during the period between July 3rd and August 11th.

Although it is "hot and steamy" outside, there are lots of air-conditioned venues in Harrisburg. Are you a "Twilight" saga fan? Catch the last installment of this series "Eclipse" at IMAX in the Whitaker Center. Up for a little shopping while you are getting cool, visit Strawberry Square's many shops.

Or maybe you are a lover of the very warm weather and would like to take in some of Harrisburg's historic sites, take a tour of the State Capitol building, go for a walk along the Susquehanna River; how about a nice riverboat cruise on the Pride of the Susquehanna? Top the day off by enjoying a fabulous meal at one of our many restaurants, pubs or fine dining establishments.

Whether your pleasure is indoors or outdoors during the "dog days of summer", Harrisburg has plenty for you to see and experience.

TeMpT YoUr TaStEbUdS...

2010-06-22T09:42:00.006-04:00

Summer is here! Oh how I love summer... sunshine, cookouts and happy hours. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Summer time in our office means we are gearing up for Restaurant Week. We love RW... in Harrisburg we call it Pamper Your Palate and it will kick off this year on September 12th. It's a great way to enjoy amazing food at a great price...3 course meals for $30. Since Pamper Your Palate is still a few months away, you should satisfy your tastebuds this coming Friday at the Hilton. In honor of the Hilton's 20th Anniversary, they will host a 20 Hour Charity Grilling Party! The grills will sizzle on Friday, June 25th from 6 am until 2 am Saturday morning. All proceeds from the event will go to Easter Seals of South Central PA. Check out hiltondining.com for more info.

Be sure to spend your summer in the city... and satisfy your tastebuds while your at it!

Hydrant Hysteria

2010-06-11T15:37:00.004-04:00

A great program that we had last summer was Hydrant Hysteria. We had local artists submit designs to paint 58 fire hydrants in the downtown area. We just had a couple from Philadelphia stop by our Visitors Information Center looking for something to do in the area. They grabbed a Hydrant Hysteria map and went searching for their favorite fire hydrant. Just a reminder, if you are looking for an activity, be sure and stop by to check out our fire hydrants!!

Downtown Lunch Spot

2010-06-02T14:12:00.008-04:00

One of the great advantages of working Downtown is all of the lunch selections at our many fine restaurants. Often, people stop by our office to ask where they can find a great place to eat lunch or dinner. During the course of the summer, we will give you some ideas along with some of our favorite selections on the menus. Today for lunch, Leigh Ann and I decided to go to Neato Burrito (on 2nd Street). Have you tried the Cowboy Burrito? Both of us get the Cowboy Burrito on a flour tortilla with everything and of course, get it grilled. This meal is absolutely delicious and sure to fill you up until dinner time. Enjoy!!

Social Media Mania

2010-05-26T09:59:00.003-04:00

Wow! I'm so excited. We just recently launched our redesigned website. It's great! I now have the ability to update the site in-house. It's a learning process, but one that I am very excited about. We, "the DID", are now on Twitter as well and of course, on Blogger blogging. Isn't technology wonderful?!?!

So be sure to check out our site www.HarrisburgHello.com and if you have questions or comments or even suggestions be sure to shoot me an email (leighann@harrisburghello.com). I always look forward to hearing from people in the community.

LA

Signs of Summer in the City

2010-05-21T10:33:00.009-04:00

Hard to believe that it is almost Memorial Day.. the "official" start to summer! Hey speaking of summer and warmer weather, I am sure you have all noticed the hanging flower baskets and planters spread throughout the city. They are beautiful this year, Dick Chamberlain of Ledgehill Greenhouse has outdone himself! Our sun pots and baskets have mixtures of red and white petunia's, shades of purple and pink wave petunia's and shades of pink to red ivy geranium's. Our shade baskets consist of salmon colored dragonwing begonia's.

Hard at work ensuring that our flower pots and baskets stay healthy and watered is Justin, one of the watering crew in charge of taking care of the plants.

Beautiful Day Downtown

2010-05-20T13:29:00.003-04:00

Thursday, May 20th - What a beautiful day in Downtown Harrisburg! This morning, I decided it was a great day to go to the Downtown Cafe over on 3rd Street for a cup of coffee. I talked Leigh Ann into tagging along to check the new hanging flower baskets along the way. After leaving the office, we walked down 2nd Street to Pine Street and found the District to be very clean. It was just starting to warm up, and the flowers looked great! From Pine Street, we went to 3rd Street and into the Downtown Cafe. After the always friendly greeting at the Cafe, I ended up getting a small cup of Seattle's Best Coffee at the Cafe. Instead of heading straight back to the office, Leigh Ann and I walked along 3rd to Market and saw our clean-up guys already starting to clean the sidewalks by the Hilton. Another great day to see all of our friends downtown!!