Wind Creek Event Center

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.
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Bookstore Speakeasy Brings Memorable Style and Flavor to Bethlehem’s Bar Scene

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.

As the name suggests, Bookstore Speakeasy brings us back to the Prohibition era speakeasy times.  The owners and staff work hard to recreate the look and style of the area and deliver incredible tastes.

According to their website, reservations are suggestions.  They’re being modest. 

Reservations are pretty much mandatory unless you want to wait over an hour.  So, make a reservation.  It’s worth it.

Also, since this is a “specialty” restaurant, please check out my tips at the bottom of the article.

You enter through a non-descript door on a plain-looking street.  At first, I didn’t think I was at the right place.  And, of course, this is all planned on-purpose to match the business’s theme.

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.

Bookstore Speakeasy’s lobby

You walk down the steps into a different world. 

The world of a prohibition-style speakeasy.  The owners have done a thorough and detailed job on design and it pays off.

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.

Bookstore Speakeasy’s specialty drink list

In the lobby you wait with other guests until you’re called by the hostess, and then your full party enters yet another world: the bar / seating area.  It’s even more dense with speakeasy design.

 

Cuisine

 

The drinks are excellent.  The food is excellent.

They have a full bar, but also offer custom drink specials.

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.

Bookstore Speakeasy’s bar

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Their drinks aren’t traditionally straight forward.  Rather, they’re almond infused, maple-infused, etc.  Everything I tasted was “a little bit different” than what I expected.

I could see some people loving that detail.  I could see others being very frustrated. The barstaff doesn’t want you to be frustrated, so ask questions.

Once I started asking more and more questions, the bartender (Ry) was very helpful and friendly.  He ended up pouring me several small samples until I could figure out what I’d like.  

The food was plentiful and outstanding.  If you’re a foodie, it’s worth a visit for the food alone.

Ambiance

 

You’re there for the vibe and it pays off immediately and consistently.

The scene is locally award-winning and very well-crafted.

Bookstore Speakeasy brings memorable style and flavor to Bethlehem’s bar scene.

A mostly-finished Old-Fashioned with 2 samples

I would’ve expected dates, seduction and romance.  To me, the vibe was swanky, lounge-y romantic. (maybe that says more about me).

Inside, there was a college-aged date at the bar, a Moms Night Out at one table and older couples (55+) at two other tables. A private group party cozied off in a secluded corner.

Made it hard to figure out the bar’s demographic as tonight’s crowd was very mixed.  However it felt like a local hang, as “Lehigh” and “Moravian Academy” were both overhead several times.

For me, I’d travel from well outside the area to have this experience.

There is a corner of the room for a live band and supposedly there’s live music most nights.  The overall area seemed too small for that, like the sound would dominate everything.

If you’re a live music lover, maybe that’s great news.  Out for dinner, drinks and conversation, maybe that’s not great news.

 

Service

 

So here’s where I messed up.  It’s not really a “walk-in and grab a quick drink” bar.  You really want to make reservations ahead of time.  This is “suggested” on their website, but it should be required.

The bar seems to be maintained at a quarter full.  The restaurant is steady at ⅔ full.

So, I received rushed service.  The hostess worked to squeeze me into their packed schedule.  Once seated, the bartender was very helpful.  I had a quick drink and a bite and moved on quickly enough to fit their next scheduled seating after me. 

 

Hospitality

 

All in all, it reminds me of a mini-version Los Angeles’ Magic Castle.  At the Castle their rules are very straightforward, respected, must be followed, and the venue is a better place as a result.  If anyone asked my opinion, I’d suggest the Bookstore lean more into “rules”.

Bookstore Speakeasy can easily be a special night worthy of driving from anywhere in Eastern PA (roughly 30-45 mins).  I’d go back again, but this time I know the rules.

Tips:

  1. Make a reservation
  2. Walk in with an adventurous palette
  3. Sit down expecting to spend some money.  It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.
  4. Know there’s an automatic 25% gratuity added to your bill. Order accordingly.
  5. Ask the bartenders and waiters questions.  Have fun with the experience.

Bookstore Speakeasy is delicious, memorable and helpful.

For more info and to make a reservation: https://www.bookstorespeakeasy.com/

Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats
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East Coast Entertainment Food & Drink

Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats heads to Bethlehem’s Wind Creek on Nov 26

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Television personality, author, Food Network and Netflix star Alton Brown heads to heading Bethlehem PA’s Wind Creek Casino on November 26

Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats – The Holiday Variant tour this holiday season. 

 

He is the host of Top 10 new Netflix Iron Chef reboot “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.”  Brown says fans can expect “more cooking, more comedy, more music, and more potentially dangerous science stuff with a sprinkle of seasonal spices. Plus, you’ll see things I’ve never been allowed to do on TV.” Critics and fans have raved about the interactive components of Brown’s shows.

He warns, “Prepare for an evening unlike any other and if I call for volunteers…think twice.” 

How can I volunteer to be on stage?
Volunteers will be selected at random from the audience.

What does the VIP Experience ticket include?

VIP Experience tickets include a prime seat location and an exclusive intimate Q&A before the show.  VIP ticket holders will be given first access to purchase tour merchandise without a line and will receive a VIP laminate when they enter the theatre. The VIP experience will last 15-20 minutes.

Is the show family friendly?
Beyond The Eats will be a culinary event for food fans of all ages.

For more information and tickets: Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats

The Illusionists Magic of the Holidays at Wind Creek in Bethlehem
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The Illusionists – Magic of the Holidays at Wind Creek on Nov 10

By Daisy Schneider — 2 years ago

Celebrate the holidays with the entire family at The Illusionists – Magic of the Holidays, a mind-blowing showcase featuring jaw dropping talents of the most incredible illusionists on earth.

The Illusionists has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

The Illusionists Magic of the Holidays at Wind Creek in Bethlehem

The Illusionists Magic of the Holidays at Wind Creek in Bethlehem

For tix and more info: The Illusionists at Wind Creek

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Exclusive Sneak Preview: Cardi B at Wind Creek Event Center

By Daisy Schneider — 2 years ago

Cardi B Sneak Previews at Wind Creek Event Center to prep her European tour

International sassy sensation Cardi B is heading out on her new European tour.  But before she does, she’s giving the Lehigh Valley a sneak peek of her show.

Wanna see?

On Monday night, July 3 the Wind Creek Event Center will host the rapper at their venue for a dress rehearsal performance ahead of her European tour dates.

Related:

Post Malone announces Twelve Carat Tour 33-city including Philly’s Wells Fargo Center with special guest Roddy Ricch.

Cardi B will take the Wind Creek stage at 9:30 p.m. on July 3.

Best known for songs like “I Like It,” “Money” and “WAP,” Cardi B burst onto the scene in 2018 with her first commercial single, “Bodak Yellow,” after a couple of successful mixtapes landed her some recognition from the BET Awards.

Since then, she’s become one of the most prominent new figures in recent rap history, making her sudden Wind Creek show a can’t-miss.

The concert will be a phone-free experience, a tactic more and more performers are experimenting with.

At Cardi B’s show, your phone will be secured and released at the end of the show.

Related:

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and can be found at windcreekeventcenter.com. Standing room only general admission tickets are listed for $74.50 and seats in the wing sections are $104.50, according to the website.

Jimmie Allen at Wind Creek Event Center
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Cat Country Presents: Grammy Award nominee Jimmie Allen at Wind Creek Event Center on June 3

By Daisy Schneider — 3 years ago

Cat Country Presents: Grammy Award nominee Jimmie Allen at Wind Creek Event Center on June 3

For multi-platinum selling, trailblazing Country star and current GRAMMY Award nominee Jimmie Allen , a simple phrase sums up his view on life and music: Never give up.

A native of Southern Delaware – the “slower, lower” part of the state, he explains – Allen has carried that mantra with him through good times and bad

whether than meant living in his car or receiving his first ACM nomination for New Male Artist of the Year in 2019, a CMA Awards nomination for New Artist of the Year in 2020, subsequently winning the ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year

the first Black artist to win that category since its inception, and a win with which he hopes “open[s] some doors for more Black artists to have success in country and more Black artists to feel comfortable enough to do country if that’s what they want to do” – as well as the CMA New Artist of the Year Award in 2021.

GRAMMY.com has hailed Allen as one of “5 Black Artists Rewriting Country Music” and he has amassed 1 billion career on-demand streams. Allen’s current nomination for Best New Artist at the 64 th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2022 is his first ever GRAMMY nomination; he is also the only Country nominee in an all-genre category.

He is also a Male Artist of the Year nominee at the 57th ACM Awards – which he will co-host alongside Dolly Parton & Gabby Barrett – and was nominated for Outstanding New Artist nominee for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.

With the 2018 release of his debut album Mercury Lane – named in tribute to the street he grew up on and the origin of his incredible journey – on BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records, a lifetime of never giving up brought him full circle.

“I didn’t quit, I never will,” he says. “Stuff ain’t easy, and you shouldn’t quit either.

There’s a big difference between busting your ass and sitting on it.”

For Allen, musical dreams and a love of true-to-themselves artists like Alan Jackson, Aaron Tippin, Montgomery Gentry, and Jason Aldean brought him all the way to Nashville and beyond, -from traveling around the world to places like Japan, Germany and the UK; to performing a tribute at the Kennedy Center Honors for Garth Brooks, the national anthem at the Indy 500, appearing on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, returning to American Idol as a mentor after being cut from the same competition a decade ago, and other once-in-a-lifetime moments.

But it was actually a nightmare which turned this promising singer into the artist he is today. After a series of bad breaks Allen was forced to live in his car, too proud to ask for a bail out.

For months he worked multiple jobs and finally saved enough for an apartment, but hit then another snag – country music wasn’t ready for him. “People were just trying to help,” he says now.

“But they wanted me to change my sound and told me I had to lose my boots.

The turning point came when I stopped listening, and finally let my music be a natural reflection of who I am.”

Since then Allen has been following his own compass, and it’s leading somewhere special. In 2017, he caught his big break and signed a record deal with BBR Music Group/Stoney Creek Records and a team who embraced his individuality.

“I don’t regret the hard times,” he explains about his trials. “I think each thing you do adds a layer, whether it’s a layer of toughness, perseverance, motivation, or just a layer of wisdom. At the end of the day you come back to what you know, and what’s embedded in you.” What’s embedded in Allen is a powerful, soulful sense of groove –

“If my body don’t move in the first four seconds, it ain’t for me,” he says – a love of deep messages and a knack for razor-sharp hooks.

Those driving forces formed the bedrock of Mercury Lane – a cutting-edge mix of country, rock, R&B, and pop, produced by Ash Bowers and Eric Torres, that received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone raving that it “challenges the narrowly defined model of what constitutes a next big thing in country music” and The New York Times hailing it one of 2018’s strongest, calling it a “conventional country album, filled with songs about the small details.”

With Mercury Lane , Allen made history as the first Black artist to launch a career with two consecutive No. 1 hits on country radio, with “Best Shot” claiming the No. 1 spot for three weeks and his second single “Make Me Want To” hitting the top spot in March 2020.Allen’s hard-earned dreams are finally becoming reality, but he shows no signs of limiting himself. He followed up the success of Mercury Lane with his July 2020 collaboration project, Bettie James , which further established Allen as Country’s next superstar.

The star-studded seven-track project combined his deep love of family and genre-spanning taste in music.

Named in honor of Allen’s late grandmother, Bettie Snead, who passed away in 2014 and his late father, James Allen, who passed away in 2019, Allen hand selected artist that touched the life of Allen, his grandmother and father in some way, allowing their legacies to weave seamlessly throughout Bettie James .

The wide array of hitmakers include Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Nelly, Noah Cyrus, The Oak Ridge Boys, Rita Wilson, Tauren Wells and Tim McGraw. “My dad and grandmom were two completely different people, but both played a huge part in my life,” Allen says of the motivation for the project. “Since they died, I have been wanting to leave trails of their legacies throughout my music.” The result is a musical composition of love, heartbreak, perseverance, hope and faith.

His single “Freedom Was A Highway” pairs Allen with his friend and Country music superstar Paisley for a breezy, windows down track that joins Allen’s distinctively breezy grooves with a Paisley signature guitar solo. The song went No. 1 in February 2022, marking Allen’s third career chart-topping hit. Bettie James received a slew of critical acclaim for not only the music, but the historic nature of various collaborations, and the project’s subsequent place in country music history.

NPR calls the project an “announcement of [Allen’s] arrival” and a “huge step for country” while Billboard hails it “a powerful statement from a developing voice.” The EP appeared on several “Best of 2020” lists including Billboard , Rolling Stone and Sounds Like Nashville .

Rolling Stone describes “Why Things Happen” – which brings together three generations of Black country artists in Allen, Darius Rucker and Charley Pride – as “part polemic, part proclamation, and part prayer… opening up space for the artists to bear witness.” Reflecting on Allen’s wide-ranging musical sensibilities, Music Row notes of the project: “While some artists still in the early sunrise of their careers, with a handful of hits to their credit, would be focused solely on extending their chart successes, it’s clear that Allen’s goals for his music are loftier than mere chart hits and No. 1 parties-he’s striving for music that testifies to his full spectrum of creative abilities.”

Allen, who has an incredible knack for connecting with people of all backgrounds and interests, enjoyed collaborating with other artists so much while making his monumentally successful predecessor that he didn’t want to stop – so instead, in trademark Allen fashion, he kept going. The result: Bettie James Gold Edition .

Released June 25, 2021, the 16-track album doubles down on Allen’s expansive love for music across genres, with nine brand new collaborations with Babyface, Breland, Keith Urban, LANCO, Lathan Warlick, Lindsay Ell, Little Big Town, LOCASH, Monica, Neon Union, Pitbull, teamwork. and Vikina. As Hits Daily Double notes, for Allen, “it’s about being grounded in the genre’s traditions and protecting the roots as much as it’s about creating a future for country music that’s more expansive and inclusive.”

“When it comes to music I love, I don’t really get wrapped up in boundaries or genres. After we finished Bettie James , I was like man, there’s

 

 

Allentown / Fogelsville Sleep Inn
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Pet-friendly hotel just minutes from Dorney Park, Allentown / Fogelsville Sleep Inn is the Stylish Choice

By admin — 3 years ago

Pet-friendly hotel just minutes from Dorney Park, Allentown / Fogelsville Sleep Inn is the Stylish Choice

Simply stylish accommodations for every traveler

When you travel, a convenient location and helpful amenities can take your trip from good to great.

That’s exactly what you’ll get at Sleep Inn Allentown.

Families, tourists and business travelers alike will appreciate the location, just minutes from the area’s most popular attractions.

Less than 10 minutes from Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, an amusement park with thrills for the whole family.

Related:

Lehigh Valley’s own Dorney Park announced this year’s family celebrations

Pet-friendly hotel is also located a short drive from Muhlenberg College and Kutztown University.

With other nearby attractions like the Wind Creek Casino and the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, there’s no shortage of activities in Allentown.

Traveling for business?

This hotel is a great hub to help you get ahead on work. You’ll appreciate access to their business center featuring a print station. They also offer free WiFi and a guest laundry facility to help you maintain your routine while traveling.

Additional amenities include free Grab & Go breakfast and free coffee each morning.

No matter what brings you to Allentown, their entire Designed to Dream® experience will put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Their modern accommodations are the perfect home base for business travelers and tourists alike.

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