Preferable State: Pennsylvania or Massachusetts

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I don't know the Jersey shore so I'm not going to weigh into that debate, but do want to clarify that the summer ocean temperature is pretty consistent from the Outer Banks of NC all the way to Chatham, MA on Cape Cod (around the bend it turns dramatically colder due to the currents). An abundance of nice sandy beaches from Westerly, RI to the Cape/Islands, as well as on the N Shore of Boston, Hampton, NH, York/Wells/Ogunquit/Old Orchard, ME. Massachusetts is absolutely not all "cold and rocky", not sure where that idea came from.

You're not missing much. Jersey Shore is fun in your 20s (My age group and I do like it with clubs/livlliness) but the beaches, in general, are less impressive. The whitest sand Ive ever seen was on Mayflower Beach in Dennis and the three most impressive beaches were Racetrac, Wellfleet and Sunset Nantucket. Also, topography and glacial deposits on Cae Cod (Forming the white white sand) help it out a ton.

Quaintness? Cape Cod/Islands
Liveliness/Fun? Jersey Shore
Overall Quality? Cape Cod/Islands

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

And because Pennsylvania has such high purchasing power on liquor, I find its prices to be very competitive and lower on average than liquor stores in neighboring states like DE, NJ, NY, MD and DC.

You bring up a very salient point here, namely: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is the largest single wholesale purchaser of wines and spirits in the country.

But it seems to me that many Pennsylvanians don't find the prices in the Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores az competitive as you have, judging from what one sees in the parking lot of the Total Wine & More ztore off the Naamans Road exit on I-95, just inside Delaware. I haven't checked lately, and maybe I should compare Total Wine advertised specials against the prices published in the PLCB's magazines, Taste and Savor (both produced for the PLCB by Metrocorp Custom Publishing, the job-printing arm of our parent company).

One thing that may put prices in Pennsylvania at a disadvantage is this: Bundled into the shelf price are some special taxes the legislature has levied on package liquor and wine over the decades, the most infamous one being a never-repealed tax to raise funds for cleanup of the borough of Johnstown after it was devastated by a flood in 1938. (The revenue from this tax. needless to say, goes into the general fund now.)

And it may be that Total Wine draws customers from Pennsylvania more on selection than on price: that chain's stores are the size of warehouses and carry far more varieties of wine and spirits than even the biggest Premium Collection stores in Pennsylvania. I suspect you are right that, if you buy all your booze on one visit to TW, your total bill will be about the same as it would be if you.bought the same items at FW&GS, for the cheaper specials at the former are offset by higher prices on the non-sale items. Wine, however, may be an exception, even after accounting for the great bargains represented by Pennsylvania's "Chairman's Selection" program. (That program is the legacy of an oenophile PLCB Chairman who knew how to drive hard bargains with wine merchants.)

[GeoffD]

^^^^^^^

We have the New Hampshire State Liquor Store with huge buildings on dedicated Interstate highway rest areas just over the line. LOL. I think every bottle in my well stocked liquor cabinet came from those NHSLS stores.

Metro Boston is also affluent enough that there are a jillion high end wine shops. It’s not quite at the level of the Bay Area or NYC but you’ll have no problem finding most of the highly rated Robert Parker Wine Advocate wines.

My fiancée mostly drinks southern France rose at the moment. A summer sipper. With the case discount, it’s cheaper than I can buy the same wine in New Hampshire. I tend to buy good California wine by the case from the vineyard and have it shipped. I’m looking at a case of Melville assorted single vineyard Pinot Noirs that just showed up. You can’t ship wine in the summer.

For beer, microbreweries are everywhere these days. I had a stretch where I was working a lot in Downingtown PA. Victory Brewing Company there was as good as anything around me. And of course, Sam Adams was always mostly contract brewed in Pennsylvania with one little brewery in Boston to save face. That kind of kicked off the premium beer thing 40 years ago and got people away from watery mass market lagers & pilsners. Not that Sam Adams is a particularly remarkable beer.