Once and a while, a man’s thoughts turn to home cooked meals. You know, the kind that you prepare yourself. My family generally prefers the “hunt and gather” meals versus the “nuke and thaw," so trips must be made out of our cushy area to…the grocery store. With multiple children and multiple jobs, my wife and I never get time to ourselves, so when it’s time to grocery shop, we occasionally make it a date. And Wegman’s is our date location of choice. Almost everyone in the valley knows about Wegman’s even if you don’t live close to one. It’s not our regular grocery store (too expensive), but …

After a few weeks of hot dogs and fast (but tasty bakery eats), this week, we went a little upscale. Just because you have kids doesn’t mean you have to give up your desire to eat at a place with tablecloths, right? Waving my “parents are grownups too” flag high, I bundled up the entire posse and headed to the Buckeye Tavern in Lower Macungie Township for a taste. Parking: It was a dark and stormy night … so DD missed the parking lot the first time around. But once we got to the right place (thanks to my co-pilot/wife) the parking is good. Loads of it, and right next to the door. Family Perks…

This week, we were off to the other side of the valley to check out Vassi’s Drive-In. The family has been one or twice (or four times) before, but we’ve always gone in the front. This time we headed to the back and tried the full dining experience on for size. Parking Ample parking for a weekday (we came for lunch), but I could see this parking filling up in the summer. But it’s there, and in the valley, you don’t complain if off street’s available. Note: The parking lot is about three times the size of the dining room. Be ready to enjoy the great outdoors if it's full. Parent Perks #1 The …