Ballyhoo!

Have you ever come across an amazingly unique, cafe or restaurant while on vacation and enjoyed the place so much you wished you lived nearby just to enjoy it? That's how I feel about Ballyhoo , an old fashioned ice cream parlor in West Pittston, PA. Except I do live nearby! The atmosphere inside is so wonderful that it does feel like a vacation spot. The decor reminds me, well not actually since I'm only 29, of a 1940's or perhaps even earlier ice cream parlor. It even has a vintage display case stocked with unusual candies, like licorice pipes, wax mustaches, and candy sticks, formally known as candy cigarettes. They also sell soda in glass bottles!
The lady who runs the place is extremely friendly and even gave me a bit of history on the building. While the ice cream parlor is quite small, it's part of larger building that was a  functioning store dating fairly far back. There's a picture of the building on the wall, dating back to I'd guess 1930.
Maybe it was the decor, but the last time I was there, I had the feel of being in a simpler, safer time. A group of teen boys walked in from basketball  game and ordered ice cream. Then a teen girl came in just to get $3.00 worth of candy. Cutest of all was a young boy coming in twice each time with a fistful of change for candy.
The prices are very reasonable; my two scoops in a dish was about $3.00, but I like to go for the whole experience. If you're in the area, check it out, talk to the owner, and get some amazing ice cream!

It's a good place to sit and write too!
Blueberry ice cream, yum!

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