The BEST episodes directed by Rick Sebak
#1 - A Hot Dog Program
PBS Specials - Season 1999 - Episode 2
Rick Sebak travels the country, seeking out the various styles of hot dogs that people enjoy. He also discusses the history of the hot dog, and visits the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
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#2 - An Ice Cream Show
PBS Specials - Season 1996 - Episode 1
Rick Sebak explores the process of making ice cream, and many of the small ice cream shops across the country.
Watch Now:Amazon#3 - A Flea Market Documentary
PBS Specials - Season 2001 - Episode 3
A Flea Market Documentary is an all-American celebration of open-air shopping across the country. On any weekend, there may be no better place to find out what makes America great than at a flea market. A Flea Market Documentary is an unabashed celebration of the unusual people and the enticing things that can be found in parking lots, fairgrounds, drive-ins, sidewalks, and wherever else someone has posted a sign saying "Flea Market." It's capitalism mixed with craziness. It's amazing old stuff, great salespeople, the ancient tradition of the open-air market, and the possibility of finding a bargain, all uniting shoppers across the nation. Produced by WQED Pittsburgh, A Flea Market Documentary travels from the gigantic Rose Bowl Market in Pasadena, California, to the busy but modest- sized Eastern Market in Washington, DC, talking with organizers, vendors, food merchants and shoppers.
#4 - A Ride Along The Lincoln Highway
PBS Specials - Season 2008 - Episode 8
A history and celebration of the Lincoln Highway, dedicated in 1913 as the first automobile route to span the United States coast-to-coast from New York City to San Francisco. Rick Sebak travels across America's first transcontinental highway, checking out the changing landscape along the route from Times Square to San Francisco. This road show incorporates American culture, history, food, family, traditions and the changing way of the automobile.
#5 - Great Old Amusement Parks
PBS Specials - Season 1999 - Episode 4
On a Hot Summer day, there may be no better place on earth than a traditional amusement park. A place where you can hop on a classic wooden coaster, reach for the ring as you whirl by on the merry-go-round, or cool down on the Caterpillar. In this documentary, you get to visit some of America’s most charming parks from Lake Compounce in Connecticut to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California. You get to gallop on the Derby Racer at Playland, go with the flow on the Boat Chute at Lake Winnepesaukah, and rock on Deno’s Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. And of course there are coasters, including the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, the Cyclone at Astroland, the Raven at Holiday World, and San Diego’s Giant Dipper!
#6 - Pennsylvania Diners and Other Roadside Restaurants
PBS Specials - Season 1993 - Episode 1
In this age when every fast food place seems the same, diners are still distinctive, fun places to stop, often full of local flavor with quirky characters on both sides of the counter. This WQED classic program from 1993 takes a look at some of the most interesting diners in Pennsylvania along with a few other roadside restaurants (like the Midway Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike) that have salty histories and spicy reputations for good, simple, all-American food.
#7 - Breakfast Special 2: Revenge of the Omelets
PBS Specials - Season 2012 - Episode 28
Mmm, smell the bacon! Order the grits with red-eye gravy! Get the lobster hash! Try the veggie omelet! It’s time for Breakfast Special 2: Revenge of the Omelets, another celebration of getting up and going out for a memorable morning meal. There’s a diner in Connecticut, homemade biscuits in North Carolina, breakfast burritos and big pancakes in Pittsburgh. We find seaside specialties in New Hampshire, duck breast in Philadelphia, and salmon cakes in Detroit. On the Big Island of Hawaii, we sample loco moco, Portuguese donuts and scrumptious variations on all of the above! Cooks, servers, coffee drinkers and regulars at the counter all share their love and loyalty for our most important meal.