With the recession in full swing (forget all those joyful tidings that unemployment is on the wane), more and more individuals and families are loading up the truck and moving AWAY from Beverly...Hills, that is. Also leaving behind swimming pools and movie stars are ex-denizens of Chicago, Manhattan, San Francisco and every other big city in this country experiencing mass walk-outs.
Me, I left the spend-til-you-drop charms of Los Angeles for the beat-up outskirts of Philadelphia. A place where the word "water" is pronounced "wooder," and people can be as wonderful as your favorite aunt, or as scary as that mean old man down the street who always yells, "YOU DAMN KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!" He, and his entire ilk, apparently, live right here. Namely, Media, Pennsylvania.
Although you really can't get the best Thai food here, there are quite a number of good little restaurants and shops - many helmed by folks who are savvy, pleasant and funny. And, it must be noted in all fairness, there are also establishments run by rude rubes; in other words, people who have no business being in business.
Zagat's has been the go-to guide for those who, gastronomically speaking, can't get enough of the good stuff. But most of the entries and reviews in that revered little red book are for culinary and cosmopolitan bastions. What about the places out here in the boonies?
While "I just adore a penthouse view!" has been my catchphrase for 30 years, I think I probably have a lot of company in the metro-exodus. A friend of mine left L.A. the year before I did for upstate New York and he's never looked back. I have friends in New York who've moved to Bucks County Pennsylvania. There's actually a lot to appreciate outside the metropolis. And that's where SchmalltownUSA comes in.
We'll start right here in Media. Once we plow through the establishments within its borders (and it will take some time - there are probably no fewer than two dozen restaurants and shops), perhaps we shall move on to other schmalltowns.
So enjoy the ride. And if you have comments, please feel free to leave them here. SchmalltownUSA isn't YELP! but it will feature feedback. Nothing like a little controversy to stir the pot and create some tinytown drama...
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