Suprising Scranton & Wilkes-Barre PA

[donybrx]

Try this: not sure I can copy/paste.... if not, go to this website, then click on "Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Wilkes-Barre...there's over forty marvelous structures, including the International Style former Wilkes-Barre Publishing Co. Bldg., now Blue Cross I think, a super example---9 story. there are descriptions of each structure plus architect's names....check out the Irem Temple moorish fantasy. Cheers

http://wilkes-barre.org/pages/livinghere/index1.html#

[donybrx]

Heres'a a very important part of Scranton's industrial past. In combination with anthracite coal of both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, railroad track production, plus first railroad (Honesdale), these cities were at the vanguard of the nation's industrial revolution. The iron furnaces still exist in part and are huge. If you go, visit Steamtown National Park in Scranton..be sure to take one of the old electric trolleys (turn of the century, 19th-20th) and the trollley will make a stop at the iron furnaces before continuing into an old 1+ mile long tunnel under a mountain. Way cool. There are also wonderful views of Scranton to be had. Ride the old trains from Steamtown. Really worth it. All downtown. ALso a coal mine tour not far away. Descend into the mine for a taste of the good old days????????

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/captclint/ironfurn.jpg

[LJinPA]

Oh God I've never been to half these places and I lived here almost all 27 yrs of my life!

I only go to Steamtown since they have the only Abercrombie in the area and a few other stores to shop. (Although Scranton is probably one of the few small cities to have such stores in their downtown)

[Evergrey]

thanks donybrx... looks like I have a Scranton-Wilkes-Barre vacation to plan in the near future.

[LJinPA]

Well this weekend (Labor Day is LA FESTA ITALIANA in downtown Scranton............

[donybrx]

EVERGREY: you're very welcome. Thanks for your interest. I felt that these cities warranted some attention in these pages. Hope you'll get over/up that way. Check out the new air terminal U/C at Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Interrnational Airport ( Yeah, I know, "International" seems a stretch, but they have a customs set-up) It's located just off I-81 between Scranton and W-B;
I'll be headed over there late in September for the Bloomsburg Fair... a biggie in its 150th year.
LJ inPA: I've been to one Festa Italiana in Scranton. it was fun and very tasty. I've also had pizza in Old forge which lays claim to being some sort of Pizza capital, tho many claim that Victory Pig in Forty Fort has the best pizza.
I've been in San Diego all of last week; nice trip. Flat skyline.

[donybrx]

Good news re: the rehab of the venerable HOTEL STERLING(Pictured previously in various locations within this forum):

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/theti...er/9547446.htm

[wrightchr]

cool...WB seems to be taking a turn for the better. very good news!

[donybrx]

Wait! There's some more in store for Wilkes-Barre: A museum of the Susquehanna, concert venue along the river and an inflatable dam project. The museum website is under construction, but this link contains an interesting rendering from above.......

http://wilkes-barre.org/pages/latestnews/projects.html

Plus Ed Rendell came with big checks for Scranton and some very flattering/optimistic words for the region known as NEPA

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...=416046&rfi=6h

[wrightchr]

Originally Posted by donybrx

Wait! There's some more in store for Wilkes-Barre: A museum of the Susquehanna, concert venue along the river and an inflatable dam project. The museum website is under construction, but this link contains an interesting rendering from above.......

http://wilkes-barre.org/pages/latestnews/projects.html

Plus Ed Rendell came with big checks for Scranton and some very flattering/optimistic words for the region known as NEPA

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...=416046&rfi=6h

what's up with the Wyoming Valley Inflatable Dam Project? after taking a look at the website, the final planning and engineering for the dam was supposed to be completed back in 2000...has that scheduled been changed? or is the dam scrapped? i know a previous study for an inflatable dam over the Susqehanna at Harrisburg that began in the late 70's was scrapped recently due to environmental concerns.

also, the Susqehanna River Landing Project's website is a blank page.

[donybrx]

Wrightchr: As noted in my previous message, the river museum website is "Under Construction" hopefully not for long, but....
As to the inflatable dam project, I claim zero expertise. Propaosals remain proposals until the shovel, or in this case, the balloon materializes. I suspect that anything to do with waterways will be more contentious than typical land projects.
I suppose this harkens back to the days when the Susquehanna was dammed somewhere south of Wilkes-Barre.

I believe there'a dam in the river near Sunbury still. Do you know?

[wrightchr]

^ i read that there is an inflatable dam near Sunbury, but i've never seen it on my travels. it sounds like a really good project though and could have numerous benefits.

[donybrx]

I dug up some information and great pictures from Scranton's "Electric City Trolley Museum" including an explanation why Scranton is referred to as "Electric City"; I can say that it is well worth a visit and a trip on one of these old trolleys right down to the intense smell of electricity (yep) while on the trip.

http://www.ectma.org/museum.html

Wow to think I almost moved to Scranton from Long Island back in the early 90s. The bank I worked for in NY, NatWest Bank moved its offices (and my job) from Long Island to Scranton. I drove all the way there for an interview...an interview!! just to transfer to the same job in a different city. Once I saw the city, the boarded up houses, etc. I drove right back home and never looked back. There's a lot of quaintness in that area of Pennsylvania...which is great if you like that 24/7! To think that was a decade ago. Looks like things have changed some.

[donybrx]

SIMCITY: I drive from eastern Long Island to (west of!) Wilkes-Barre 6 or 7 times per year. My late mother continued to live there until her death. I still go. I enjoy the drive except for the Long Island Expressway and NYC traffic, of course, not to forget the bad (and aggressive) driving habits of so many NYer's. I enjoy returning to Northeastern Pennsylvania to check out signs of progress and there have been many but not at a rate that would quickly overwhelm and destroy the character of the place (unlike the collapse of the "Hamptons" area where we've suffered a transformation from idyllic rural place to nasty, McMansionville full of insta-bucks types. I still love the physical place, but ohhh the peeps!!!! )

Looks like Scranton's loss is Long Island's gain in your case. Good for you.

[donybrx]

In conjunction with the above info about the Scranton Trolleys, here's an unusual link (below) to the now defunct Rocky Glen Park site; Rocky Glen was a so called "Trolley Park" an amusement park created for the purpose of creating summertime ridership for trolley companies since they lost riders during the summer months. In this case, trolleys from downtown Scranton would head to Avoca /Moosic thru the tunnel pictured in the Scranton Trolley Museum link ( pictured with n my previous post).
Next, if you connect to the link below and scroll (quite far) down, you'll see a B&W aerial photo with water and tracks. Look carefully to see both trolley tracks and a large roller coaster ( The "Million Dollar Coaster") running thru the middle of lake Rocky Glen. It's way cool. How i wish it still existed! Today's restored trolley museum ride will eventually make its way back to the Glen and a new visitor's Center. Moosic is the location of Lackwanna County stadium ( AAA Phiiles Red Barons) where Dubya spoke first after the Republican Convention in NYC.


http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/PA.../rockyglen.htm

[donybrx]

RE" WRIGHTCHR QUESTION:

what's up with the Wyoming Valley Inflatable Dam Project? after taking a look at the website, the final planning and engineering for the dam was supposed to be completed back in 2000...has that scheduled been changed? or is the dam scrapped? i know a previous study for an inflatable dam over the Susqehanna at Harrisburg that began in the late 70's was scrapped recently due to environmental concerns............................



I received the following response from the WB Chamber/Commerce

(DONYBRX),

..."Good observation on the dam timeline. Here's the scoop. Due to
bureaucracies at various levels of government the project is still
moving forward but at a more realistic timeframe. The 2000 timeframe was
a best case scenario. As it turns out it takes quite a bit longer to
fund and conduct the various levels of environmental and engineering
studies needed for such a project. Currently the project is under an EIS
review which should take the rest of the year. It's the final report
needed before permitting can begin on the project. Permitting will take
another year and engineering 6 months more until construction could
begin on the dam. So realistically construction could begin in 2007.

With regards to the riverfront improvements, they are fully funded to 30
million dollars and construction will begin next spring and last for two
years.

Thanks for keeping an eye on us and we hope to give you a reason to
visit more often."........................

Tom Ruskey
Director of Community Development
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry

[wrightchr]

^ thanks donybrx i'm glad to see the dam project and the riverfront improvements are taking place. i think it will dramatically change wilkes-barre.

[donybrx]

Nature had a big surprise for Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne Co.) and Scranton (Lackawanna Co.) in the form of terrible floods from IVAN after the storm's trek to the north. Below is a link to channel 16 WNEP where you'll find lots of flood picture slideshows and some videos too from news chopper 16's travels around all of Northeastern Pennsylvania. he vids take some patience). The Bloomsburg Fair in Columbia county is to begin its 150th anniversary starting Saturday (BIG fair, attended by 1,000,000 more or less over 8 days. Although part of the fairgrounds were flooded, the fair will go on. I'll be there for sure the last Saturday.
(www.bloomsburgfair.com)
And here's the link to the flood pics:
http://www.wnep.com/

[donybrx]

Bush's speech in Wilkes-Barre this morning prompted me to see if I could locate pics of the Kirby Center, an historic theater that began life as the COMERFORD and became the PARAMOUNT when I was a kid. I'm sorry the media didn't showcase the theater inside and out for a moment..it's a beauty..art deco...five lobbies. It certainly would have made the speech worth tuning into for such as me........ Damned if I can find interior shots, but i did find this link to exterior pic and history:

http://martinmc.home.mindspring.com/...comerford.html

Wilkes-Barre has another fantastic auditorium: The Irem Temple, a masonic/moorish extravaganza. Here's a link to a picture:

http://www.heritagecorridor.org/county-luzerne.html