‘Roadside Attraction’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Tallest and Largest Buddha Statue {Princeton, New Jersey}

July 1, 2013 · Narrative

So now that we have this awesome “find quirky roadside attractions” app in our back pocket, literally and figuratively, it stands to reason that if we are out and about, we will routinely check it to see if there is anything of interest in the area. A few weeks ago, we headed down to Princeton for a Firefly Festival at a beautiful farm (more on that coming soon), and found out that the tallest and largest Buddha statue (one of the main objects of worship for Buddhists) in the entire United States was actually in Princeton too … well, how could we not stop?

I mean, really.

Although the address was pretty straightforward, it almost looked like we weren’t going to find it. In fact, the GPS thought we had already reached our destination and passed it, in that annoying way she does, when, well, the Buddha wasn’t there. And, you know, being the largest and tallest Buddha statue, it’d be pretty hard to miss. So if you go searching for it, and are just about to give up hope, drive a little further down Route 27 and there it is.

The Buddha statue was originally in someone’s private backyard, and even though the property (all 10 acres of it) is actually now an official Buddhist meditation center, it definitely felt like we were in someone’s backyard. But anything for a meditative moment and a photo opp.

But don’t worry, it is public property.

We pulled into the gravel driveway and parked our cars. Once you get out and approach the statue, which is carved of stone, there is a small sign directing you to take off your shoes to walk on the tile, which we did. There is also a small area where you can leave a donation (for the upkeep and the meditative center presumably), and an area where visitors have left flowers.

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Visit: Historical Society of Delaware & the World’s Largest Frying Pan {New Castle, DE}

June 18, 2013 · Narrative

So when I was going through the list of quirky roadside attractions that we could build into our road trip to Baltimore, and spied a mention for the world’s largest frying pan, I added it straight to our list.

I mean, how could I not?

A giant piece of straight-up Americana right there on the walls of a museum in downtown New Castle, Delaware.

And since it was really just a few miles from the giant statue of Mary and we seemed to be on an unplanned trip of visiting giant things, it was really a given that we would stop.

The museum where the world’s largest frying pan is housed is easy to find in a quaint historical downtown area of New Castle. On-street parking, even on a Saturday, was plentiful.

As soon as we walked in, I spied the penny smushing machine and made a mental note to get one on the way out (one side has the name of the museum, and the other side celebrates the anniversary of DuPont). A perfect addition to our growing collection.

Besides having the world’s largest frying pan, the museum is also home to all historical things pertaining to Delaware. We paid our admission fee (I believe it was $14 for the three of us, no AAA discounts), and started on our self-guided tour.

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Visit: 34 Foot Tall Stainless Steel Mary {New Castle, Delaware} – Road Trip

June 17, 2013 · Narrative

When the kids and I road tripped to Washington DC nearly two years ago, as we were crossing into Delaware on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I spied a giant statue of Mary on the side of the road. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, and we snapped the best picture we could from where we were.

When we were on our way to Baltimore two weeks ago, and I was going through the Roadside America app, the statue of Mary popped up as one of their roadside attractions along our route.

And this is when it came full circle.

And quickly got added to our list.

One, because it was pretty cool to check out, given how super-sized it is.

And two, because I knew our littlest road tripper would love it.

Case in point. When I told her last week that I had signed her up for a week of Bible Camp this summer, her response was “Oh that’s awesome! You know how I’m all about God!!”

And so it is.

Whether you’re religious or not, this statue of Mary is a pretty awesome sight. All around the statue are plaques with the stations of the cross.

Tucked in by Mary’s feet were some rosary beads that visitors had left, and a few notes asking for prayers. Although Catholics traditionally don’t offer up prayers directly to Mary, she is often seen as a go-between to her son.

The statue is made by sculptor Charles Parks, a Delaware native, who had made several others, including one that is just two feet smaller and currently in Santa Clara, California. While it looks like it might be solid stainless steel from a distance, it’s actually constructed from strips of stainless steel that are shaped and welded together, giving it an unusual but awesome textured appearance. It cost $500,000 to build and Parks and his assistant worked on it in various stages as the money was raised.

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