urbanretreatist: The Poconos, PA

I somehow made it to my 30's without ever setting foot in the Poconos. Thinking you either had to own an RV or wear those mandles with the Velcro straps, the Poconos were... not on my radar. Dragged by my beau in 2008 to a well organized birthday retreat/long weekend in Lake Harmony PA, i realized how wrong i was! For a fraction of the cost of staying in Fire Island or The Hamptons, with a fraction of the travel time, we have been back twice. Here is what we did in spring 2010....

Renting a house in the Poconos is easy, sites like vrbo.com let you search by town or region but you are dealing directly with the owners and many don't provide phone numbers. For a quick and easy last minute jaunt, i used a re max agent i stumbled upon whilst googling. He found us the right house and dealt with the owners, negotiating a bit on our behalf. We ended up renting a 4 bedroom 2 bath lake front house in Gouldsboro PA, 2 hours from the city, for $150/night. Gouldsboro is primarily residential, but nearby East Strousburg had a supermarket, liquor store and a Perkins (holla!). There's also a modest outlet mall in Tannersville. We brought plenty of food and beer, barbecued and played on the lake (the house comes with a row boat, kayak and canoe). After two days of loafing and playing spit, we were ready for the grand outdoors.

Bushkill Falls... About an hour's drive through several state parks, aim to reach the falls midday'ish. The self professed "Niagara Falls of PA" it is quite the natural wonder!! It takes about an hour to walk through and photograph the shit out of the falls. Welcome to middle earth.

HOTEL FAUCHERE

Milford PA... A hamlet of Victorian Houses and Antique Stores, its about a 20 minute drive (from Bushkill) along the Delaware Water Gap. The Waterwheel Cafe and Bakery is an old watermill turned restaurant/tavern, with a fun menu and outdoor seating for those dining with dogs. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area is great for mountain biking, hiking, swimming, skipping, whatever tickles your fancy. If you want to stay the night, the Hotel Fauchère at $300/night is supposed to be glam.

**The house -134 North Shore Drive, Gouldsboro PA 18424 The agent - John Ohler Jr.Re/Max Achievers Inc. Office: (610) 489-5900