RIP Pocono Palace (1976-2024)

A goodbye to one of my favorite places in America.

On May 2nd 2024, Pocono Palace permanently closed its doors after 48 years of operation. While Cove Haven still runs two other properties nearby, neither one looks nor feels as grand as Pocono Palace. There isn’t another couples-only motel or resort in America that measures up to its towering champagne glass-shaped jacuzzis and blue-tinted skylights. Its co-founder, Morris Wilkins, invented the heart shaped bathtub.

I visited Pocono Palace a handful of times over the last several years. The first time was in 2017, then in 2018, 2022, and 2023. In late April, less than one week before its closure, I paid the iconic resort one final visit to say goodbye. My friend Thanh Bui and I took a train from Grand Central up to New Haven to borrow Thanh’s sibling’s car, and drove to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where we spent the tail end of our weekend.

These are the pictures that we took together on my digicam while we were there.