Pines Of Rome

I wasn't impressed with the supposedly phenomenal white pizza - it was merely salty, not cheesy or tangy at all. The fried zucchini, however, was pretty good. My entree, mussels in red sauce, tasted like it had been thawed from frozen with an entire shaker of salt added for "flavor". While I love home-style restaurants, this one was just dingy, dirty and depressing; it looked like my Italian grandmother's dining room - about 9 months after she passed away and wasn't around to clean again. Go here if you're looking for something inexpensive and okay but stay away if you want something great

Good Dog Boarding Grmng-Trng

Good Dog in Greencastle has some of the best staff that I have ever worked with in my time as a dog owner. After taking our dogs to PetSmart and dropping a bunch of money on training that didn't work, we decided to give it another go at Good Dog. Unlike at PS, the trainer (who was actually certified) worked one on one with us to help us learn how to communicate with our dogs in a way that they could understand. We took the basic class and our border collies liked it so much that they've gone through agility training and K9 good citizen classes as well.

I can't say enough good things about the grooming shack either. Our dogs love going for their appointments and the groomers actually come out and discuss any unusual situations with you when you pick up your dog.

Finally, the doggie day care and boarding are awesome if you have to be away from your dog or if you'd just like to give them a treat of playing with other pups. The "sitters" keep a close eye on the dogs and let them run around, swim in the pool and take long walks on the nature paths. Your pooch could not be in better hands!

Act II

This is a great place to take your teenagers if they are clamoring for American Eagle, A&F, Hollister brands and the like. There are plenty of shirts and designer jeans and they are all far below standard retail price. They've also got quite the selection of baby clothes, lots of like-new stuff from Carters and Baby Gap. I have even purchased Burberry and Vera Wang bags there. It's great for a bargain hunter.

The only con I can see is that they don't have many men's clothes, or at least not ones that my husband likes.

Soma Home Fashions Inc

I bought an amazingly beautiful tapestry from Soma that brings many compliments from visitors because of it's uniqueness and obviously hand-made nature. I've also found many small trinkety items here for gifts and for my own home as well.

However, these items do come at a price. They're a bit more expensive than, say, Pier One, but the items are one of a kind so you won't see them in your neighbors' houses as well. The owner is also willing to haggle a bit if you're making large purchases. The other issue is that they, like many other downtown business in Hagerstown, have strange hours which can make it difficult for someone to swing in on a weekday or an off time to check the place out.

Pros: unique, hand-made gorgeous items
Cons: weird hours, a bit pricy

Buffalo Wings & Beer

Craving wings and went to BWB on advice of a friend and because I used to love the one in Gaithersburg. This location, however, lacked something. Maybe it was the deadly quiet in the bar area, maybe it was the overwhelming smell of stale beer, maybe it was that the wings were okay, but not very good. The service, however, was nice and the owner very friendly

Pros: convenient, quick service
Cons: wings weren't that great. Go to Stadium Tavern instead

Gourmet Goat

While I have never tried the Gourment Goat proper, the attached martini bar and restaurant, GGs, is wonderful. The food is tasty, the service exquisite and oh yeah, they know how to mix a martini.

Pros: yummy food, lots of vegetarian entrees
Cons: Parking can be a bit difficult. Remember to use the municipal lot and you'll be okay.

Always Ron's Restaurants

The first time that my husband and I visited this place we were quite surprised. The food was fairly good, the price more than reasonable and the service quick and friendly.

However, after the big owner switch, we were highly disappointed. Our food took forever to come out and when it did it was (unsurprisingly) cold. Our water glasses had fuzz of some kind floating in them and our waitress seemed to be on another planet. It was quite embarrassing as I had my parents with me at the time. Speaking with the owner/manager did not seem to help matters either, as he shrugged off our complaints with a better luck next time attitude.

Will not go back

Fell's Point Ghost Tours

If you are looking for something to do after a long day in the Inner Harbor or before a long night partying in Fell's Point, I highly recommend Baltimore Ghost Tours.

As the sun sets, you will follow your "spirited" guide through the streets and alleys of the Historic Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore. Along the way, you'll be treated to moderately creepy but highly entertaining ghost stories about the past denziens of the quarter, including Edgar Allen Poe!

If you're in the mood to start the party early, I recommend the Haunted Pub Tour. If you've got folks in your party under 21, go for the Original Fells Point Ghost Walk or Mount Vernon Ghost Walk. Either way, you won't be disappointed!

Rake's Greencastle Coffee

Greencastle Coffee Roasters in Greencastle, PA has over 250 kinds of fresh coffee, 150 loose leaf and bagged teas and many interesting and exotic Asian cooking supplies. The main draw, however, is the delicious coffee. All of it is roasted in house and you can have it either ground or in bean form.

The staff is extremely helpful in making recommendations based on what you normally like to drink and will gladly grind a pound of this while measuring out two pounds of those beans. The smell of this place is incredible too.

Dream Dinners of Hagerstown

if you've never been to a Dream Dinners or other assembly style meal making shop, you are missing out. Not only are these meals easy to put together, they are fairly nutritious as well and hold up well in the freezer.

Here is how it works: You pre-order your meals on the Dream Dinners website. Then you go in and follow the easy menus. After completing assembly of each meal, place it in the provided freezer space. When you've got all of them done, you're set for however many dinners you decided to purchase. Just thaw from the freezer, follow simple instructions and you're done. Even my husband can do this!

The shop in Hagerstown is especially nice because of the friendly owner and helpful staff. Being extremely pregnant, they helped me out tremendously by being my lovely assistants when I went to make my meals. The owner, Marci, is also quite flexible and willing to work with you if you need to make any changes.

I highly recommend this place to other busy people who may not have time to put together complete meals each night of the week