Travel’s With Allen
It’s pool time and if you have a pool to be serviced, or are thinking of installing one, let me recommend Anton & Sons Pools. They have been “between our covers” for several years now and the feedback has been very good. We have never received a negative comment and several people have sent us very positive emails about the two brothers who own, operate and work the business.
I visited with them about three years ago in the building they constructed behind their homes in the Doylestown area. Their dad, who also has a home in the same location, started the business many years ago and his two sons joined him when they graduated from college. Dad is retired but the boys do him proud. So, if you are thinking “pools” anywhere in the greater Delaware Valley area I am very comfortable in recommending them. Good guys, good work, good prices. Tell them I sent you!
Father’s Day will be here very soon. If you are looking for something different, something Dad may treasure and enjoy for a long time, you may want to visit Artisan Marketplace. They offer more than the obligatory tie. I have mentioned this “ought-to-be-in Greenwich Village” spot on several occasions. They are worth another mention. Great stuff, unusual items and a real fun store to visit. Before I forget, they have grown. They now have a great store in Doylestown and a smaller spot in Warminster as well as the original store in Southampton that they share with Graziano’s Flowers. Definitely worth a visit.
Let me mention Rococo The Store for Men in Southampton in the Redwood Shopping Center. Rich Toll, the owner who I know since high school, and Jennifer, his faithful assistant, really have a terrific store. They have unbeatable deals on Tuxes (great items this time of year for under a hundred bucks) and a fabulous selection of fine clothing. (As an aside they actually got me dressed in a tux in three hours during an emergency. Prevented a divorce!) Most important, they carry ALL sizes and you never feel like a freak because you can’t find anything that fits you.
My older son … the Doctor … and my younger son … the Lawyer … have closets full of wonderful clothing from Richie. Even my daughter’s … the Seattle governmental employees’s children, when they are here for a visit, request we visit Rococo. Three generations finding what they want in one store is quite a feat.
Another firm I can recommend VERY highly is
Allstar Lifts. Sad to say, many people as they grow older find a flight of steps as difficult as climbing Mt. Everest. Homes that were purchased years ago no longer fit their needs. Many are forced to move to one floor accommodations. But this involves giving up local friends, shopping and entertainment. This “down sizing” can be physically exhausting and emotionally devastating. Did I mention expensive?
Allstar Lifts has been a very desirable alternative for years. In many cases they can install electric chair lifts on regular steps that allow people to easily go from floor to floor effortlessly. I have not only heard of their work but Linda and I know of two very satisfied customers who view the firm as “godsends.” These devices not only helped the people in question but their children as well. They were able to avoid the disruption and aggravation of such moves and the large tasks involved with aging parents.
If you have a pet and plan a vacation, you may require a boarding service. Stay & Play Pet Resort in Huntingdon Valley is the best. Steve and is wife really love their little … and bigger … four legged guests. They are located in a very strange spot, but well worth the effort to find. Staff is on premises … not monitoring on TV from some far way location … twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. If you want to know how pleased their customers’ owners are, jump on facebook. These guys are great. I always have fun when I visit them. I can’t explain it – it’s like a Monty Python of the animal world.
Hutchinson’s U Take the Cake is a new advertiser for both The Uptight Suburbanite and the Carrier Pigeon. The bakery has been in Southampton on Second Street Pike next to Angelo’s for awhile. One of our friends, Susan, called to tell me that she had just purchased some really tasty stuff and learned that the store was interested in some advertising. Bill Hutchinson’s name may sound familiar because he and his son own and run Hutchinson’s Classic Bakery on Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia. Both locations carry Kosher Seals for those who are observant.
I stopped in at U Take the Cake at Susan’s suggestion, and am happy to report they’ve joined our “family of advertisers.” I hope you will support them. With graduations, Father’s Day, July Fourth and so many weddings rapidly approaching I wanted to remind you that they are artisans of decorative cakes.
Just opened is House of Kosher, a strictly “glatt kosher” supermarket on Bustleton Avenue just south of Haldeman Avenue in nearby Northeast Philadelphia. It is a large open area with a huge number of kosher items. AND they have a TREMENDOUS sushi department… made fresh before your eyes. YUM!
They also have a great selection of prepared foods to take home. Another great feature is that they deliver. Linda and I shopped there recently and were impressed with both the selection and prices. One of our friends, while not kosher, went wild claiming he purchased tons of goodies that he hadn’t seen since his grandmother was alive.
Do you need some legal advice, counsel? Terry Goldberg from HGSK is a good lawyer and an excellent baseball coach. He is very active in the court and on the field. If you have an injury or other reason to visit with an attorney you should remember his firm. In today’s world it appears we all need help in dealing with insurance companies. He’s helped some of our readers… but more of that in another issue.
Finally, if you’re using the summer to spruce up your home and complete much-needed jobs…. And if one of them is correcting some water issues in your basement – give BQ Basement a holler. They’ll fix any foundation problems you might have, nasty crawl spaces and help level off your concrete slabs and patios. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy your outdoor spaces. Just call Brian Quinn at BQ Basement… remember to tell him you heard about him here.
I think that’s it for now. My editor is sweating out my tardiness with this column. Look for some more good stuff next month. I’ll be traveling again, a bit further out into our greater reading area. See you then!
