LIFE AS IT IS

The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been serving gastronomes for 127 years. The historic market has survived the Great Depression and two World Wars! On a September Saturday, we decided to explore this public market, which attracts more than 100,000 people every week during 'normal' times. The Daily Star link The moment you step through its doors, the clatter, the bright ceiling lights and most importantly, the aroma in the air will make you hungry. Although you would want to buy or taste a little something from every stall, that is quite impossible, because there are more than 80 merchants busy at work in this indoor marketplace. The vendors at Reading Terminal Market sell a wide array of items, chiefly food; from fresh produce, seafood, meats and poultry, dairy and cheese, baked goods, ice cream, chocolate, spices and condiments, beverages, and ready-to-eat foods, which you could enjoy in its food courts before the pandemic hit us all. Its Center Cou...

Reading Terminal Market. First opened its doors in 1893, this is one of America’s largest and oldest public markets. More than 80 vendors and an immensely wide selection of foods, drinks & confectionaries - a gastronomer’s heaven. Location: Philadelphia, PA.  Note: The corned beef and pastrami Kosher sandwiches are from Hershel’s East Side Deli.   

City Hall, Philadelphia, PA. The tallest building in the world from 1894 to 1908. Photographs were taken on a Saturday trip to Philly in September, 2020. 

I first came across the word, Amish, in one of the volumes of Nancy Drew mystery stories series some 20-25 years ago. At that time, I knew nothing about the Amish and who they are. As I became older I read about them on the Internet at various times; I even watched several episodes of a reality TV show called “Breaking Amish” a couple of years ago. In short, the Amish and their lifestyle had intrigued me and I always wanted to see first-hand what the life of these simple people is like. I finally made it last Saturday - we visited The Amish Village in Lancaster county of Pennsylvania. In the Amish Village, one gets to see an authentic Amish farmhouse, a barn with animals, an Amish schoolhouse, Amish buggy, plow, etc. Pennsylvania is the first and oldest Amish settlement in the U.S. It was a fun+educational trip.   Mr. Ed, the horse, in The Amish Village barn. He was so friendly!  The Amish Village.  Buggies and automobiles share narrow country roads. ...

My husband, daughter and I returned home yesterday after a 2-day trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I was visiting the Poconos after 9 years...!! The mountains cover a 2,400 square miles area. The views from the Poconos are breathtaking, the air is fresh and you feel close to the heaven once your are on the top. Here are a few clicks from the short trip.

One usually realises the magic of his own land when he goes far away from it. I've been away from Bangladesh for one and a half months. I've just visited a country whose foreign policies are a matter of limitless discussion and debate all over the world. I think my readers have already guessed the name of the country I have just been to. No matter what U.S.A. did, does or will do in the upcoming years, it still remains and will most probably remain as the dreamland of millions of people. I was there with nineteen other students from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to take part in the South Asian Undergraduate Student Leadership Institute 2005. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, this program is an effort to build better mutual understanding between the U.S.A and the South Asian region. Even though the whole program had been a very intensive one, we had our moments of fun and hours of entertainment. But amidst the picturesque rolling hills of Pennsylvania, the lively ...