Here is how I experienced this York Meet, for anyone that cares.
Still recovering from my York Meet hangover. Sundays after the York Meet is like the first day back to work after being off for the Christmas holidays! Lynley and I had so much fun being around all the trains, buying some wonderful treasures and visiting with friends and meeting new ones. This event is always one of the best highlights of the year for me. I can't stop smiling the whole time I'm there.
We started off on Wednesday:
Visiting Craig's (Forum member Craignor) marvelous layout, then joining Craig and Bill and Paula Webb for a great dinner.
After dinner we headed up I-83 to York to check into our hotel. We only live about 75 minutes from the Fairgrounds but enjoy staying in York during the festivities.
After checking in we headed over to see the last part of the DCS meeting to meet up with friends and get a copy of the new MTH catalog. Once we arrived at the DCS meeting, I received a surprise from my wife, who along with Dotty Perry handed me one of Dotty's custom made railroad shirts. I was surprised and thrilled, and of course, it has diesels on it!
After the DCS meeting concluded we headed over the the Round the Clock Diner for a dessert nightcap with some attendees, which has been a custom for several years now. Back to the hotel then, already tired, to browse through the MTH catalog.
Thursday:
Got to the fairgrounds early to mingle in the Orange Hall lobby before the opening. It's so much fun to see friends from all over and catching up with them.
Once the Orange Hall opened we walked the aisles in search of goodies to get for the layout. We made a couple quick purchases, but since my wife no longer requires a scooter to get around, we had to lug our goodies back to the car which cut short some of our shopping time. Time was short as we had to leave at 3:30pm to drive to Philadelphia to attend the Philadelphia Flyers home opener. It was train and hockey day for us!
After leaving the Meet at 3:30 traffic was getting heavier as we got close to Philly during rush hour traffic. We arrived at the Wells Fargo Center 30 minutes before face-off and in enough time to see the Flyers 50th Anniversary video before the game. After the game we headed back to York, arriving at around 12:30am.
Friday:
Back to the Orange Hall to walk through the aisles we missed on Thursday.
We met up with my cousins for a tailgate lunch way out by the Carlisle Ave. entrance gate. It was great to catch up with them, chat about our families and of course our trains and layouts. Just as we were finishing up with lunch, as the clouds were looming above, they set up the canopy tent and finished just seconds before the skies opened up. With the wind blowing the rain around we all huddled near the center of the canopy to prevent getting wet. Luckily, the storm subsided after a half hour and we all headed out to various buildings.
Entered the Purple Hall and visited with my friends at Just Trains and bought a few goodies there. Then over to the Black Hall to view the National Capital Trackers huge layout. It was a site to behold, a very interesting track plan going around over and under, sometimes twice, around the room. And that monstrous bridge.... there's just something magical about a train crossing a long bridge.
After the Halls closed for the day we headed over to Cheddar's Restaurant for a great dinner. The ribeye was sensational!
Saturday:
By Saturday morning, the feet and knees and legs were aching, but when heading back to the Meet, there was no pain! This is the day I go back through the dealer halls to view the manufacturer's displays, look for items I missed and to pick up some final items I usually wait until Saturday to buy. Traditionally for me, Saturday is the day I seem to do most of my buying. I've always gotten great deals on Saturday and this time did not disappoint. I LOVE SATURDAYS AT THE YORK MEET!!
We also visited all of the member halls to maybe find something I may have missed out on when new. Unfortunately, on our way from the Blue Hall to the Red Hall, an ambulance and rescue vehicle were parked at the Orange Hall with sirens blaring. As we later found out, a gentleman suffered a heart attack and was whisked to the hospital. I pray that he will recover.
One last visit to the Orange Hall scored me a MTH SD60E "Honoring Our Veterans" locomotive at a great price! Did I say I love Saturdays at York?!
We met up with the son of one of our Northern Central Hi-Railers group members, who was driving to York by himself for the first time. He was so excited to be there, even for a few hours. At the end of the Meet we took him with us and treated him to lunch at Latucca's, as is our tradition when the York Meet is over. The best cheesesteaks outside of Philly, maybe even better says this cheesesteak connoisseur.
Driving home is sad. We always have so much fun at the York Meet, visiting with friends every day, some great meals and all those trains and just being around so many people with a common interest. Heading east on Rt. 30, as we cross over the Susquehanna River, I physically feel myself being extracted from "The Vortex of Fantasy" that is the York Meet. But when I get home, after unloading all the goodies, it's time to sit back with a cold ice tea, rest my feet and take a nap.
Sunday:
Nothing. I'm still tired, so I just watched football all day, and thought about all the items I left on the tables at York. I wish they held the Meet four times a year!!