But here’s something you might not know. It’s kind of one of Bethlehem’s best kept secrets: The Underground Lair. It’s only steps from my studio and it’s run by two of the coolest people: Dan and Khrys. It’s a vintage toy and gaming collectibles store. And it’s fantastic! Dan has over 40 years of collectibles knowledge, specializes in childhood toys, comics, science fiction, and games, and is a superb conversationalist.

The Underground Lair is within walking distance of the Hotel. It’s between Guetter and Main Streets in the tunnel breezeway that connects the Sun Inn Courtyard with Guetter Street. They’re open Wednesday through Friday 6:30 to 9:30 in the evening. This Saturday, the store will be open in the afternoon from noon until 5.

Give them a call if you can’t find them. Tell Dan that Geo and Donna sent you.

Phone 610-419-4147
Email undrgrndlair@yahoo.com

Starfish  610-332-8888
Apollo Grill  610-865-9600
Tapas on Main  610-868-8903

All are within easy walking distance of the Hotel Bethlehem. Tapas is right across the street from the hotel. Starfish and Apollo are a city block away. All will probably be busy the weekend of the show. Please bear in mind that people might be celebrating Valentine’s Day that weekend and it’s also Presidents’ Day on Monday. Therefore, you might want to call for reservations, possibly before you’re in Bethlehem.

Downtown Bethlehem is one of the favorite restaurant spots in the Lehigh Valley. Bethlehem’s SouthSide is also creating a great dining reputation as well. These resources might be very helpful during your stay.

Laini’s Little Pocket Guide
Our friend Lain runs this award-winning site. You might be interested in reading her thoughts and recommendations on Bethlehem for your stay. But you might also be interested because she provides a great resource and a wonderful perspective on our fair city.

Explore Bethlehem PA
The City’s site is full of great information. However, the Dining and Nightlife page which gives you the Dining page is not the most up-to-date. And I noticed that a few bits of information are incorrect. I mention this in case you had already found this site before reading this.

The El Vee
This is the Lehigh Valley’s most widely read and respected food-and-beverage critic. I don’t always agree with El Vee on some minor points, but I respect this critic’s views and sophisticated and fair approach. Good eats, good drinks, honest reviews.

My gift to you: a list of restaurants
I used the City’s dining page as a base and I deleted everything that was irrelevant or incorrect. Then, I added many places that weren’t on the list, many of them are favorites. Further, I made notes on some of the restaurants, many of which I know quite well. I also included their websites if they have one, and an idea of distance: walking or brief car ride. I included everything from the top-shelf to the take-out. Here is the downloadable 2-page PDF.

Mangia, bella!

Thanks to Alisa B. for shooting a few minutes of footage for us. And thanks to Ross for use of his digs for the full-band rehearsal.

Thanks also to our friends at Christmas City Printing. {Geologic Universe Trivia: Christmas City Printing did all the offset litho for the award-winning Interrobang.}

We can’t show you the whole thing, obviously, but it’s pretty damn cool.
And slightly trippy.

Thanks again to Matt Rogers for his generosity and his excellent work.

We’re delighted to announce that the Historic Hotel Bethlehem is the official hotel for the 21812 IceHouse concert!

We have blocked out rooms for:
Friday, February 17th and
Saturday, February 18th.

Reservations:
800-607-BETH (2384)
Historic Hotel Bethlehem
437 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Telephone: (610) 625-5000
Fax: (610) 625-2218
Email: info@hotelbethlehem.com
Website: www.hotelbethlehem.com

Rooms:
When calling the Hotel, ask for the Reservations Department and ask to book from the Geologic Orchestra room block. You can reserve from what the Hotel calls Run of House. That means you can choose:
• Single King
• Single Queen
• Two Full-Size Beds
The options for room type will be based on availability at the time of the reservation.
Tip: If you can, request the mountain-side or street-side views. Both views are beautiful. The street views is Main Street. The mountain view means you can see the star on South Mountain.

Discount Code:
Geologic

Cut-off Date for Reservations:
January 18th.
Please note: we have to release the room block remainders on january 18th and make them available for the Hotel’s use. All reservations made after the cut-off date are subject to availability and best available rate at the time of booking. If there are Geologic rooms available after cut-off, the Hotel will honor our discount. Because they’re awesome.

Geologic Rate:
$119.00 plus tax
The total price will come to $130.90.

Amenities:
• Gourmet single-cup coffee makers
• i-Home alarm clocks with docking stations
• Complimentary Fiber Optic Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel
• Complimentary Lehigh Valley International Airport shuttle service
• 24-hour room service
• Contemporary American farm-to-table dining in 1741 on the Terrace, and casual dining open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Tap Room
• Fitness Center
• Even though the IceHouse is within walking distance, we have made arrangements for a special shuttle to and from the IceHouse for our guests

Hotel Parking:
Parking for all Hotel overnight guests is $5.00 per night.  Additional parking is available in the Colonial Industrial Quarter when available at no charge and at the Walnut Street and North Street parking garages at your expense.

Please do visit the Hotel’s website for more information, their fascinating history, and a few of their famous former guests.  They’re even pet-friendly with their own pet concierge!

We’re proud of our City, and the Historic District, in particular, is dear to our hearts and has been home to Geologic Headquarters for two decades. The Hotel Bethlehem is a special part of the Downtown Bethlehem experience and we couldn’t be happier that they have worked with us to make this room block possible. They have been voted Best Hotel in the Lehigh Valley in 2010 and 2011. We can see why. Their people could not have been more accommodating when working with us on these details.

You can buy your ticket to the IceHouse concert at EventBrite at our 21812 page.

You’ll find a list of package options, show details, and, what should be a very hassle-free way to secure your tickets.

Thanks to Evo Terra and Jeff Moriarty for the assistance in setting this up.
And thanks to Matt Rogers for the screen grab art.

In which Geo inspires complete loyalty and affection from his orchestra.

From left: Nick Roberti, bass; Stephen Primatic, drums; Bob Noyales, percussion; John Francis, guitar; the Maestro, vocals and guitar; Neil Wetzel, sax; Lisa Sparks Silvius, french horn; Hugh Williamson, trumpet; Philip Gottshall, piano; Erin O’Donnell Lee, soprano sax.

This photo is from the Geologic archives and was taken after the first Geologic concert, Moravian College, November 1994. That was followed by a Geologic concert in 1995, also at Moravian College. The next concert didn’t occur until 2002 at the IceHouse, followed by performances in 2003, 2004, 2005, and the last in 2006.

The 2012 IceHouse concert will then be much like a tenth anniversary of IceHouse concerts. We hope to see you there!