One Tank Getaway:
A Not-So-Obvious
Saturday in the City

by Mitchell L. Hillman, Jr.

DETAILS:

Most of the locations in this article are within a small area of Harrisburg. We recommend that you park in the vicinity of the Capitol and walk the town.

Following is a list of the places we chose to visit on this One Tank Getaway. Watch for more adventures in Midtown and Downtown in future OTG columns.

Fire Museum of Greater Harrisburg
1820 N. Fourth Street, 232-8915
Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays

Broad Street Market
3rd & Verbeke Street,
Open 7 a.m.- 4p.m. (on Saturdays)

Fissel & Co.
1302 North Third Street, 238-3207

The Bare Wall Gift Shop
712 Green Street, 236-8504

Fitch’s Trading Post
230 N. Third Street, 233-6832
Open 9:30-5:00 on Saturdays

The Plum
210 Walnut Street, 232-9251

Tangerine Fine Art Gallery
320 Market St., 236-8180

North Street Cafe
231 North Street, 233-7194

I’d like to preface this article by saying that we thought we could see all that downtown Harrisburg had to offer on a Saturday in a few hours. Even from the comments of shop keepers we had every indication that this would be an easy day with only a few stops because few places are open Saturdays in the city, right? Wrong, very wrong. I was astounded by the wealth of things to do in Harrisburg on a Saturday—there are enough things to see and places to visit to easily take up three or four Saturdays. We finally decided that in our scattered tour of downtown we would avoid the obvious attractions such as the State Museum or the Capitol complex, because these locations were day-trips in themselves. We wanted to explore the unique boutiques and out of the way cafes of the beautiful downtown area. We were overwhelmed by what we found and impressed that, despite popular opinion, there is plenty to do in the Capitol city on a Saturday.

One of the nicest aspects about spending a Saturday in downtown Harrisburg is that parking is free and plentiful throughout the city. This isn’t widely known and none of the meters are marked to indicate this, but many of the shop keepers noted this as a help to their weekend business. We recommend a start at around 10:00 a.m. because most of the shops and attractions are open by then.

We suggest you begin your tour at the Fire Museum of Greater Harrisburg on Fourth Street. This fully restored firehouse from 1890 now houses an impressive collection of firefighting related equipment from Pennsylvania throughout the last two centuries. The collection includes many fascinating items from a hand pumping fire wagon from 1792 that could pump 1,000 gallons of water per minute to a completely reconstructed Johnston Gamewell alarm system. There is even a 1959 Mack "B" Model fire truck that was used up until 1986. For $2.50 you can take a complete tour of this museum that is not only captivating, but also a glorious tribute to the brave individuals who have voluntarily risked their lives to save others throughout the ages. When you go there say hello to George Harvey, known to friends and firefighters as "Smokey", a delightful old man who has a true passion for the history and pride of firefighting in Pennsylvania.

A 10 minute walk away is the newly renovated Broad Street Market; a perfect diversion for lunch on a Saturday. Within the two 19th century buildings are found infinite choices for pleasing any appetite. The Broad Street Market is one of the oldest urban farmers market in the country and if you have never been there you are sure to be impressed with the variety of offerings from local vendors. You can get everything from fresh seafood, meats and vegetables to deli sandwiches and Asian cuisine. You can get fresh ground coffee and bagels at Bradfords, ethnic fare at International Foods & Deli, desert at Linda’s Specialty Cheesecakes, Chicken at J.J. Cluckers, or satisfy you sweet tooth at MCE Candy & Gifts. You can even find health food and herbal supplies at Miller Springs Natural Things, or buy fresh flowers at Missy Monroe’s Flower Boutique. And the list goes on, needless to say, this is a fantastic location for nearly any taste or temptation. There is ample parking available for the Broad Street Market in surrounding lots and on the street.

After lunch we recommend wandering across the street to Fissel & Company, a unique antique shop, a place to easily lose hours of free time. Don’t forget to stop in at the Harrisburg Historical Resource Center, where you can find additional information about many attractions in midtown and downtown Harrisburg. After these stops, take a leisurely stroll down Third Street toward the State Museum & the Capitol.

Don’t expect giant fancy stores in downtown Harrisburg. This is the land of the small prosperous boutique and corner cafe. On Third street, across from the Capitol, is one of the more unusual and historical shops in downtown, Fitch’s Trading Post. This is the oldest Native American trading post east of Oklahoma. They have been selling reservation made Indian handicraft for the last 57 years in Harrisburg. They have a beautiful selection of gold and silver jewelry, antiques, clothing, moccasins, artwork and even items like authentic Native American dream catchers. They are a gallery of Native American works as well as being a shop. Be sure to check out their American Indian Antique Only Sale the weekend of April 19th. Another gallery to check out is Tangerine, located on Market Street, featuring wonderful prints and striking original paintings and sculptures. This is truly a unique gallery that keeps original art in mind.

There are many unusual clothiers throughout this area of downtown. If you continue down Third and take a right onto Walnut you will come to the Plum. The front part of the store is a beautiful modern clothing store which features all the necessities of women’s high fashion, the real surprise of the store is its back section. With its Victorian detailing, the back room contrasts sharply to the stark modernity of the front—this is the sale section. To give you an idea of what the Plum means by a sale, the owner showed us a $280 skirt that was on sale for $20. For men looking for fashions downtown return to Third walk to Market Street and turn left. On the left side of the street is Vincent Clothier, featuring fine suits and beautiful ties (again check out the sales, especially on the ties). For those men who want their clothes to be more daring you will have to walk across the street to Eddie’s, which, we were told, is a downtown institution.

There are many side street attractions throughout this area. One of the neatest shops we found was a little crafts gallery and video rental location on Green Street. The Bare Wall was started 25 years ago by Ron Fink, who still owns it to this day. The shop was originally started as a location to sell macrame and needlepoint, these wall hangings are how the stores name originated. Nowadays, long past the popularity of macrame, the Bare Wall sells crafts, cards, unique gifts and rents movies. The video collection was started when the owner noticed that foreign films and art films were difficult to find for rental in the local area. It is quite a selection of the greatest films throughout cinematic history, from the artistically supreme such as "La Dolce Vita" to the culturally obscure "Edie Ciao Manhattan." This is a cinema lovers dream. The cards that are offered at the Bare Wall range "from the ridiculous to the sublime" Ron said. In the warmer months be sure to check out the courtyard or ask for detail about upcoming garden tours.

There are also many cafes and small eateries throughout the downtown. On North Street, just down the block from the Bare Wall is the North Street Cafe "with the unique touch." This little coffeeshop offers a fine selection of coffees, cappuccinos, lates and teas. There are also delicious luncheon entrees, sandwiches and snacks served daily. As soon as the weather warms up they put table out on the sidewalk and North Street is the ideal location for a sidewalk cafe, with little traffic that might otherwise ruin a relaxing cafe experience. It is a beautiful location with friendly help and local artwork displayed throughout.

Throughout the day you will have a spectacular view of the capitol and if you have the time you can take a free tour of what is considered by Smithsonian to be the most beautiful capitol in the country and was considered by Theodore Roosevelt to be the "handsomest building" he had ever seen. It is recognized to be, per square foot, one of the most ornate and artistically significant buildings in the world. Walking up the Capitol steps be sure to notice the recently refurbished George Gray Bernhard Sculptures, which are world famous. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of the architecture and sculpture found throughout Harrisburg, including Strawberry Square, the Doshi Gallery of Modern Art (found within the Train Station), the Gothic cathedrals on State Street, and the continuous stream of artworks found on Front Street. Also, be sure to check out the turn of the century tree collection at Riverfront near the beautiful and historic Harris-Cameron Mansion.

If you start at the Capitol complex you can take a beautiful stroll down Third Street, across Market and back up Front Street to North and back to Third. A leisurely walk like this could be the perfect relaxing end to a great day in a surprisingly busy Saturday in the City.