Sssssteam Heat

A fence that once divided a front yard and the sidewalk in Centralia, PA.

Yesterday I took a nice road trip with my folks to what had been the town of Centralia, PA. For 50 years this poor ghost town has had a mine fire burning underground. It still had a population of about 1,000 in the early 1980′s but is less than a dozen today. I saw one house left standing on the eastern end of Wood St. I only knew it was Wood Street because of a hand-made sign tacked to a tree, all street signs have been taken down. All properties in the borough were claimed under eminent domain by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1992 (and all buildings therein were condemned), and Centralia’s ZIP code was revoked by the Post Office in 2002. The one house was that of but a few residents that continue to reside there in spite of the failure of a lawsuit to reverse the eminent domain claim.

Old highway.

It’s a sad story but the idea of an underground fire that has burned for half a century is just fascinating. There is a long section of highway (PA 61 and 54) that had to be rerouted in 1999. The abandoned section accessible on foot but there are warning signs throughout the town because sinkholes have been known to open suddenly.

The destroyed stretch of highway is less than a mile in length but is a buckled, warped and undulating mass of asphalt. It has been distorted by the heat of the underground fires to the point the pavement has cracked and broken into wide fissure that emit a spooky steam. Sometimes the ground can get quite warm and you can feel the bottoms of your shoes effected.

Less a fascination but still a curiosity is how is has become a mile long canvas for graffiti. This is literally street art, mostly spray painted and poorly crafted by coal region pubescent angst. Occasionally there is a rare gem of creativity to be taken in. Once we saw a small war of plastic cowboys and Indians being waged across a steaming cavern. The miniature scene was gone, washed and worn away as most of what I had remembered from May 2010.

Spray Dude!

If anyone ever plans to visit Centralia for photographic reasons, consider that the steam is much more pronounced during different weather conditions. I thought the cold would have made it stand out so we chose to return in the winter. Unfortunately, the breezy day and less humidity made it much harder to notice in any area. The ground didn’t warm our shoes as it had in May 2010 and all that we could get photos of were some interesting graffiti. I won’t say which ones I added but I left two.

Not sure the bandaid is helping.

It was really breezy and made spraying paint a challenge as the morning went on. We retraced our steps, check out the cemeteries, had a snack in the car and drove back by way of Danville. The town always has me hungry for soup. The hospital always has great veggie soups but today I wanted to take my parents to Brews n Bytes.

They are coming along with their repairs and had a couple of hot and spicy soups on the menu. My parents got the Potato Jalapeño and I chose a big bowl of the vegan Tomato Thai. I overheard the waitress sharing other soups they feature daily including Saturday being the chef’s choice. Tuesday is Black Bean, Wednesday was the Tomato Thai that I really enjoyed, Thursday is Indian Split Pea and Friday is Chili. It is going to be hard to ever travel though Danville without stopping for soup.

I got home in time to run a very nice 7 miles before 5 PM; it was my first sub 9.5 minute mile in quite a while. That blistering pace (for me) helped work up and appetite for a steamy dish that had been tempting me since it was announced on Monday, Aarvark Kafé was up and running again and I was determined to make time to get a bowl of vegan Chili. Jim picked me up at the end of my trail run and we drove straight to the restaurant.

Aarvark Kafé Vegan Chili (spicy on top, medium on bottom).

I was chilled upon reaching the restaurant (not from carrying Carrot Cake Cupcakes there this time) because of not stopping to changed out of my sweaty running clothes. Hot chili was just what I needed. Jim ordered the spicy and I got the medium but we share some of each. We both preferred the seasoning and added heat of the spicy version and told the chef since he is planning on adding it to the permanent menu. I hadn’t run with my camera so my only photo was taken with my phone. Trust me, the flavors and heartiness of this vegan Chili is much better than my photo can show.

From Centralia’s underground smoldering, Danville’s soup that was too hot for Mom, my burning lungs as I kicked it up around mile 4 of my run and a bowl of spiced vegan chili that was just right – the heat was welcome on this late February day.

Brews n Bytes Café & Eatery

Brews n Bytes Café & Eatery has not had an easy time of it over the past few years. The little sign from the outside announces that it is a “bastion of music, arts & free speech.” They might want to add a parenthetical title of “when the flooding waters of the nearby Susquehanna cut us a break.” Danville frequently floods and Brews n Bytes is doing its best to, yet again, rise phoenix-like out of what had been a sopping mess on Lower Mulberry Street.

The co-owner, Jason Leonardo Rafael Perez-Dieppa, is gregarious and enthusiastic about his business. Although I could not tell you what the place was like before the multiple times it had been flooded, he is applying a lot of love and elbow grease into what is shaping up to be a lovely little café. From what I can derive from their FaceBook history, it was a favorite (and seems to be again) drawing performers and a regular coffeehouse kind of crowd.

From a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses serve largely as centers of social interaction, Brews n Bytes seems to be just that kind of place. I do ask why I, as an introvert, find myself popping into places where many congregate to commune and chat. It is clear that the vegetarian food options had been calling me for some months and for those who like catching up on the local scene, my telling of the social aspect will be an added enhancement.

Chef Lisa, co-owner, has crafted yet another exciting menu with many vegetarian and vegan options. Between Jim and myself, we ordered the Veggie Chili and the Putini Panini (vegan). Above and beyond that, when we visited in the very last days of 2011, the menu then included a lot of vegan wraps like a Veggie Burger in strips or the Portobella Lagosi. Next time I think I will order a Humana Humana Hummus.

They had just re-opened and were still pulling together a few things like the espresso area but that wasn’t stopping local performers from already booking gigs. It was a bit drafty because of some final repairs that were being made but we had a good time knowing that when we next visited it would be even more attractive than it already was. The brightly colored walls, cozy furniture and temporarily quiet musical equipment all radiated a place that was filled with joy.

Jim said his coffee was “really good” as we sat enjoying a jazzy Pandora Radio station at one of the dozen little tables in the back dining area. We were glad to sit and enjoy our surroundings at leisure; parking is cheap on the one-way Mulberry Street at >10 for 30 minutes. Families and veggie folks of all ages will feel comfortable and welcome and I have been eager to write this glowing review since December 2011.

The Vegan Putini Panini was served halved on a super-fresh, thyme seasoned 6″ panini. It was pleasantly warm and crammed with hummus and oodles of soft grilled vegetables. Not just a variety of flavors and textures had been paid attention to, Chef Lisa obviously considered color and chose carrots, zucchini, red onions, mushrooms and red peppers to fill our sandwich. A festive little portion of creamy corn and black bean salad dressed up the plate and added a gentle south-western flavor to the meal.

The Veggie Chili was served with sour cream and cheese on the side and was wisely spiced mild/medium for the Pennsyltucky palette. It was thick with TVP, black and kidney beans, onions, red and green peppers. Very hearty on such a chilling day, I appreciated that it came out piping hot.

Not far off Interstate 80′s Danville exit, this is a spot all Pennsyltucky veggie travelers should know about. They are open Tues-Sat 10:30 AM to 9 PM and you might want to check the Webpage or FaceBook to see if there is a band playing. Brews n Bytes boasts the most extensive and unique fusion/eclectic vegetarian (seafood too) menu within 100 miles and it’s true. You can enjoy a vegan meal, great coffee and take advantage of the Wifi in a warm and hospitable atmosphere. Something tells me with Brews n Bytes, the best is yet to come.