Happy Valley 10km or 6.3 mile

Here is a scenic walk/run/trot route from near Graham's exxon on Allen Street covering some places like Walnut Spring's park, Milbrook Marsh, Region near Slab Cabin's run etc.

Great for exercising and exploring nature in Spring, summer and early fall.

if you use a bicycle... then remember that not all routes listed may have bicycle path provisions, some route involve use of a trail bike or even lifting your bike across obstacles/steps etc.

Here is a short url if you want to copy this map: https://goo.gl/maps/j6EPu

Have fun!


The bicycle route version that is close by this one is

PSU Coach O'brien says the F-word (maybe) (video)

Penn State Football Bill O'brien says a word that sounds really similar to a word not commonly uttered on TV. It could be fighters.. or could be ...
You be the judge, but a lot of students find this really cool how he casually said it.

What do you think about this? Add your comment below!

Nature Hotspots near Penn State & State College, PA

Featured above: a composite shot of the Arboretum at Penn State. [Courtesy Andy Colwell] Screenshot link

Here I will list some of the outdoor spots that caught my attention over the last few years. I have really enjoyed visiting these places and spending time there, either walking, running or just seeing nature at its best. The places listed are all given with driving times from downtown State College (time in minutes). Directions are provided or available at the associated hyperlink. [Note: Clicking on the links will take you to other third party websites.]

A very good book with a vast collection of hikes in Centre county is The Short Hiker, by Jean Aron. [link to Amazon]. If you are a local you may also find the book at Websters Cafe (or ask me if you know me!)

WINTER SPECIAL (Frozen Lakes!) - walk at your own risk only after considering all safety aspects.
COLYER LAKE (10 mins)

This lake is located on South Atherton/ East 322 as you leave State College towards Lewistown. Once you cross Tait Farm and then drive for a mile or so, look out for the Harley Davidson motorcycle dealership (this will come on your left). Immediately after the Harley dealership, on your right you should see a green sign saying COLYER LAKE ACCESS (PA Fish and Boat Commission). Turn right into that winding road and follow the signs and drive for about 5 mins (slow drive) and you will reach the lake parking lot.

Boating at Colyer Lake is limited to boats powered by electric motors and un-powered boats. Two surfaced launch ramps are available along with associated parking facilities. [Colyer Lake Official Site]

There are NO FACILITIES at this location so be prepared by taking water etc to drink and also doing the necessary at home or a gas station ahead of time.
As of Dec 8 the lake is frozen but easily cracks and you can see several visible cracks. Also me and my friend both jumped on the ice to make more cracks. Hehe, have fun!

FALL SPECIAL
(5-10 mins) Awesome Drives in Fall

The other day I was driving in Lemont (see embedded image below that opens in google maps) and got "lost" and discovered a beautiful winding road lined with trees on both sides, some of which were already changing colors!! So if you go there by Sep 30-Oct 10 I am guessing you will be in for a visual treat, not to mention the exhilaration of driving on near empty roads (caution advised- speed limit posted is 25 mph) with brand new paved surfaces! (Click Here to View Larger Map )

Click Here to View Larger Map

(2-5 mins) Penn State Arboretum
Walking, Jogging, Pet walking, biking. Special: Trees

(5 mins) Milbrook Marsh http://www.crpr.org/Millbrook/MMNC-Menu.html
Walking, birdwatching, pet walking, Special: Flowing water

(5 mins) Walnut Springs Park
Walking, Trail running, trail Biking, Special: bubbling brook.

(5-10 mins) Parks in SC Borough
Walking, assorted options for kids (slides etc.) Special: None (imo).

(10-15 mins) Fisherman's Paradise . Click here for directions. near Bellefonte, PA off Rt 220) [This week's featured item]
Walking, flyfishing (catch and release), Running, Photography, Fishery. Special: Beautiful stream, catchment ponds, fish!
Picture here.

(15 mins) Colyer Lake

(30 mins) Shavers Creek/Stone Valley Recreational Area

[Stone valley directions]
Boating (canoes and kayaks on still water), walking, trail running, easy trails, cabins for overnight stay, Shavers creek has educational programs about nature, wild animals etc.

Special: Beautiful Lake Perez! Cabins!

(30 mins) Whipple Dam Area
[Directions to Whipple dam: from State College, proceed west of college ave/PA 26]

12 miles from the town of State College, sitting right on PA 26, Whipple dam area offers "beach volleyball" opportunities, barbeque pit and a little swimming area in the dam reservoir. One can also rent small boats and do a little bit of pedal boating or canoeing . There are also different hiking and running trails near the dam area. Overall it is a great place near town to get away from the town and hang out in the woods and see some open water. [Official DCNR Information]

(40 mins) Greenwood Furnace

It is a nice place with a 6 acre lake and lots of hiking trails. please see the official DCNR link for more info.


If you have any suggestions, email me at naridon at yahoo dot com.

Another website (Statecollegecentral) that offers information on outdoor activities in Central PA.

10K run as part of Nike Human Race

I ran 10km today as part of Nike Human Race with several other runners at Penn State and many many more around the world. My timing was roughly an hour for the 10K. But myself and this girl called Kristen (somebody I met today while running at the same pace) ran a little extra because we went off the course. So we did 6.49 miles instead of 6.2 for the 10K.


If you click on the square box next to slide 1/1 you should be able to see a larger image of the running pattern (in a new window). The pattern was generated by the help of a new running accessory, Nikeplus promoted by Nike (Ticker: NKE)

Although I say 'run', it was a combination of run/walk for me. Kristen ran at a steady pace throughout except when she had to wait for me to catch up so that she could get directions. I had a good time running the first mile, then breathlessness set in and I struggled till mile 3, then I somehow ran fast for the next half mile till we hit some really large puddles blocking the entire bike path - at which point, I splashed my way through, but afterward I walked and ran in cycles. The final mile was done at the decent pace and we finished with a flourish. Thanks Kristen for running behind, ahead and alongside. I suck at running solo so it was a big help.

State College / Penn State : Top Ten Restaurants

ITALIAN
Mario and Luigi's (fine dining, full service bar)
North Atherton St. near Blockbuster

Faccia Luna (large wood fired oven, wine)
South Atherton Street (near intersection with Allen St.)

THAI and VIET

Cozy Thai Bistro (bring your own beer/wine)
Allen Street
Galaga Thai cafe - on East College Avenue

My Thai
Westerly Parkway

Pho 11  (*new*)
North Atherton (near Greyhound bus terminal)


Lemongrass Cafe (*new*)

TEX-MEX FOOD (my friends would kill me if I use the word Mexican as they feel none are authentic enough)

Qdoba: http://www.qdoba.com/
State College #211
206 West College Avenue
State College, PA 16801
814-861-3288

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Heister Street (opening Sep 11th)
Chipotle - Penn State University
116 Heister St.
State College, PA 16801
814-231-0442 (phone)
Open 11am - 10pm

Baja Fresh
Downtown (on Garner Street and Calder way) open till 10pm usually

Rey's Azteca  (*new*) By the Nittany Mall on Benner Pike (next to Office Depot) open till 11pm weekends

Jalisco (coming soon)  (*new*) - on North Atherton


AMERICAN CUISINE
The Deli on Heister Street
Great beers, wide menu, great desserts; They are also connected to Inferno - restaurant and bar

The Tavern Restaurant on College Avenue

INDIAN

Kaarma (on Beaver Avenue close to x-tion with Allen St)

India Pavilion (on Calder Way) close to Pugh Street - between Beaver and College Avenues.


Spicetruck Indian Cooking  (*new*) -  Cooking demonstrations and customized dinners at site of your convenience (where possible)- Please contact Nari at psusaver@gmail.com or call 814 753 4459 for more information. Both South and North Indian cooking available.

MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE & CREPES

Pita Cabana Grill 
Next to Chipotle on Calder Way

Joie De Crepe
East College Avenue - next to Penn Stae McLannahans Room-
 in Basement next to Big Bowl Noodle House

ALTOONA
El Campesino (Altoona, PA) http://elcampesino.net/


and more will be added as time goes on!

Netbook or Small laptop

Recently my HP DV2415 NR died. (HP suxx in general.. had to get that out). So now I am on the market for a new laptop (thanks to my starwood Amex's automatic extended buyer's assurance, otherwise I cannot afford a new machine now).

Anyhow I was infatuated with the new and cool looking (and XP loaded) 10 inch netbooks. Samsung NC10-14GB 10.2-Inch Blue Netbook - 6 Cell Battery
, ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life
and Lenovo IdeaPad S10 10.2-Inch Red Netbook - 3 Cell Battery
first caught my eye. Then I went to the PSU comp store and checked out the HP mini to get a feel for the size. I felt that the 10 in machine was too small.

I have also begun looking at the Ideapad S12 (12") and Inspiron 13 and 14" machines. Will soon decide what to get and then also write up the cost reduction strategy which I will use. Including EPP, miles gaining, credit card etc etc..

My budget is a tad under 500 so lenovo S12 comes into that range, but I am waiting for the Nvidia ION equipped version.

Decided the wait was too much and bought the ASUS 10" netbook from Bestbuy. It is ok in terms of specs, is quite light and has a decent battery life as now.

Check out netbookchoice.com for reviews etc..
I will hyperlink things soon..

Lenovo discounts:
Go to www.lenovo.com/cpp

password is familyandfriends
Then you can shop as a contractor for lenovo and get a additional discount of around 5% on top of things.

For comparison see this screen shot (click to load full size):

State College Summer 2009 June/July

This post contains (mostly free) things to do in State college penn state area in july and rest of summer 2009.
[older cached version of page in June with info about 4th fest]

• If you are looking for hikes/nature hotspots etc, browse the archives here or check pahikes.com.
• If you are a graduate student at Penn State, for more events check here and here .
• If you are interested in (free) stress busting workshops email to me directly at nari at psu.edu

DES MARAIS ARCHITECTURE EXHIBIT
SATURDAY JULY 25 2009 RECEPTION

CCHS presents a new exhibit, the 4th installment in a series of contemporary homes conceived and designed by Robert Malcom: "Des Marais: A Preservation Enthusiast,” a photo retrospective of the architectural legacy of M. Robert Des Marais.

The exhibit will be shown in the exhibit space at the Schlow Centre Region Library during the library's regular hours throughout the month of July.

A closing reception for the exhibit will be held on Saturday, July 25 from 3:00-5:00 p.m., in the library's community room. The architect’s widow, Sally, and exhibit curator Robert Malcom will be available for questions. More information will be available on the CCHS website shortly.

Centre County Historical Society
Centre Furnace Mansion
1001 East College Avenue
State College, PA 16801
814.234.4779

JULY 9-12, 2009 Arts Fest [CENTRE PENNSYLVANIA ARTS FESTIVAL]
[Children's Day is July 8, 2009] [parking info]

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will bring over 125,000 people to downtown State College and the University Park campus of Penn State to celebrate the arts with its nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, gallery exhibition, sand sculpture and music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of traditional and non-traditional venues.
[Artsfest official website]
The image to your left is the 2009 Arts fest poster (link). Clicking on the image will take you to the press release.

** new ** Artsfest Webcam - Live Coverage ** new **

FOOD OPTIONS
Apart from the arts, you can also find lot of street level food stalls set up by Indian/Thai/American/Italian/Meditteranean/Italian vendors and some amazing apple strudel sellers on Allen Street. Also at night, the bars are great for those who come to town only for the bacchanalian fest. Please be responsible though. Tip: If you are hungry late at night, Canyon Pizza on Beaver/McAllister and Bell's Greek Pizza (see map below) are options open till 3-4am usually. The McDonalds at E College and Dunkin Donuts at Fraser & West College are open 24/7.

CORN ON THE COB (very good)
The (now) famous and amazingly tasty cuban "corn-on-the-cob"* would be available from a street vendor on Calder Way (behind the Got Used book store and across from Bell's Greek Pizza. If you go to the cuban corn stall, please do tell them you heard about it here, on the Nari Blog (I get no incentive for promoting it here, I do know the guys who run it from my yoga class though).



View Larger Map

[* cuban denotes the preparation style, the corn is US grown corn]

--------------------------------------
JULY 9-12, 2009 People's Choice Arts Festival
(one where you can afford to buy stuff)
Location: BOALSBURG (from State College take South Atherton / Business 322)

When
July 9–12, 2009

Hours
Thursday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
Sunday: Noon–5 p.m.

Where
Pennsylvania Military Museum Grounds
Business Route 322
Boalsburg, PA

A special attraction: The Little Smilin’ Choo Choo will take riders throughout the festival. The charge to ride is $1.00 per rider. The train station is located at the center of the festival in the kids area. (image courtesy PCAF)

$1CinemaTix

Just read on the "Collegian" (Penn State's College Newspaper) that Carmike Six Cinemas (Nittany Mall) is offering weekend deals of $1 movie tickets to "second run movies". That includes movies that are past 3-4 months after their release, new enough, but not brand new. [Link]

This weekend (Jan 16, 09) the movies that will be screened at Carmike 6 are Quantum of SolaceJames Bond movie], and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa [Family movie/animation].

The news report did not mention if the promotion was only [for college students or if anybody going to Cinema 6 on weekends would get the $1 tix. I will be calling the Carmike Cinema 6 office [Ph: (814) 237-1998] on Friday to clarify this issue. Once I have the full information, I will update this post. Note, from the Carmike 6 Cinema website it appears that all movies tickets are down to $1,(+ appl. taxes, so carry change, and oh..they accept only cash). Who would whip out plastic for $1 and change anyways?

By the way, my personal opinion is that Carmike 6 (at the Mall) does not compare very well to the newer Premiere 12 (near the Nittany Mall) and the College 9 ($6 to $6.75 w/Student ID, near Lowes on N Atherton). I personally did not like the sound system at Carmike 6, so I have not been there in the past 7-8 months. Also all these three cinemas are far away from campus, so they may not suit many students at Penn State (those who don't have a car).

Tip: However, for students who rely more on walking and the bus to get anywhere (the M bus by CATA takes you to the Mall), the movie options close to campus are at: State Theatre ($6 w/ Student ID downtown on College Ave) and the HUB Auditorium on most weekends when Late Night Penn State is active.

How to get to Cinema 6
1. Take the M bus (schedules)
2. Convince friends who have a car to join
3. Bike in summer, fall.
Till then, enjoy cheap movies.
Carmike 6 Local Wiki
Madagascar on IMDB
Trailer:

Open Letter to Big Ten and Penn State Haters

Tom Dienhart,
Are you a masochist or a desperate attention seeking individual? Because you sure are going to get a lot of (angry) emails and lot of attention in the process. Because other than that there is no reason to diss an unbeaten team. Admit first that the BCS system itself fairly screwed enough that several unbeaten teams from different divisions in the country (the non Big Six) don't even get a shot at the title game.

Isn't the saying: Don't hate the player, hate the game?

So I hope you are just hating the game (the BCS method) the way it is played. It is funny to see you bashing Big Ten just like that, when this only leads more credence to a play off system, where there will only be true contenders who work their way to the top.

Also while OhioSt. might have a sloppy record against SEC/USC etc , you have to understand that football teams are dynamic year to year and change. They don't stay the same team even if the coach stays the same over years. There are always talented athletes coming in and going out.

Coming to your choices, USC's performance record is so confusing that it makes me wonder why they lose to an Oregon state team that got handily defeated by Penn State. Then again, I think the Trojan's offense is sputtering enough (17-10 vs Arizona?).

Alabama & Texas Tech are the teams that I will be playing closest attention to this season, apart from the Nittany Lions of course. American football is finally looking like fun.

- Just a fan

PENN STATE BEATS OHIO STATE 2008

Just adding two videos of students celebrating wildly on the streets back home in State College, after the PSU Nittany Lions defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 13-6 to remain 9-0 in season and 5-0 in conference (big ten). A recap is available here.

Youtube video of crazy crowds. (cellphone video,dont expect high quality)

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200810250033




and one more..

College Football Opinion SEC Big Ten Big 12

To all you whiners from the SEC who keep talking about offensive lineups etc., if you really want to see high scoring games, go watch basketball. American football is a strategy game and you play it in the best manner to win against a given opponent, not just to make numerous drives and put points on the board.

There, that's all I am going to say.

State College Things to do: Outdoors, Nature

There is an abundance of outdoor activities to do at State College, PA, home of the Nittany Lions, the sacred land of JoePa and seat of the Penn State University. When people are not doing homework, or researching complex subjects like Fuel Science, Mechanical Engineering, Materials, Early Childhood education, Meteorology or Mushroom Science - they head out rock climbing or hiking or trail biking in the county. This piece is going to talk more about Stone Valley, with some mentions of other trips to nearby states or counties.

See news about adventure recreation here and blogs on Rock climbing and Hiking and pics of Canoeing under the links.

The Stoney valley area offers unique programs for groups too: vertical adventures - an elaborate venture - for groups of 8 or more people (cap at 20?). They have lot of things to do at Stone Valley (even though the lake itself is closed right now).

More things to do. (external site)

Snakes on a trail

I went on a small hike this weekend (Aug 20) on the Mid State Trail system in the Shingletown gap area. For those who are new to the area, Shingletown gap is one of the easy/moderate hikes with a nice stream flowing by the trail. The hike is part of the Midstate trail system and is within a 10 minutes from State College by car. This is actually a trail that could reach on your bike itself and then bike on the trail - if you have a mountain bike. We (myself and my friend Jessica) drove to the trailhead, and reached there around 4pm after taking an unplanned stop for yummy ice cream at the Harner farm stop on PA-26. Apart from selling fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers, they also serve a gigantic collection of Hershey's ice cream. I tried the Denali Bear Cub Tracks ice cream (fudge+ brownie pieces in vanilla) and Jessica had a peanut butter ice cream. But I digress. Once we reached the trailhead, we parked and started off at a reasonable pace, enjoying the beauty of the flowing water (Roaring run) and looking at different lichens on the trees, joking along our way. After sometime, we saw a little frog across our way and a few people that passed by saying hello, exchanging pleasantries, etc. Soon, we were talking about snacks and snakes, when suddenly Jess lets out a yelp. The reason for her scream was this (snake)

The poor snake itself seemed quite scared by the approaching 5 ft plus humans (he/she was only 2ft long). It quickly ran and hid itself underneath a nearby rock, but once it started peeking its head out from the other side, I had my camera out and was ready to grab some pics (the ones above). It gave several poses and overall we had a good time seeing some wildlife on an otherwise simple hike. The hike itself took about 2 hrs but we stopped at several places and never actually did any climbing, we stayed along the stream for the most part. At around 7pm, when it started getting a little darker under the shade, we walked back to the trailhead, had some yummy pita-hummus-veggie sandwiches (thanks J) and drank some gatorade (thanks me) and drove back home.

Joepa

Joe Pa is a great coach of American Football. He is the "winningest coach" ever with _ _ _ victories in Division 1 college football.