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I'm relocating to Wilkes-Barre from NYC for a few months while I build a house in Norwalk, CT. If anyone could give me a heads up on activities in the area I'd appreciate it. I love outdoor activities and expect to be doing a lot of sightseeing. How's the Susquehanna for canoeing/kayaking? Any health food stores in the area? Any gay related groups/activities? Thanks.
Hey there Geos! I live just ten minutes north of Wilkes-Barre, and I go to school downtown at King's College and work nearby at the Wilkes-Barre Lowe's store, so I'm very familiar with the ins-and-outs of the Wilkes-Barre area.
Let me tackle your questions one at a time. Northeastern Pennsylvania is an outdoors-enhusiasts' paradise on all levels. Currently, the Fall foliage in the region is about 60% of its peak color, and it looks phenomenal! If you want a truly breathtaking drive over the next week or two (if you're in town), head on up to Honesdale via the Casey Highway (U.S. Route 6) and gaze in amazement at the colorful mountains that rise up from the tidy older communities on the floor of the Mid-Valley area.
As a fellow gay resident and outdoors lover, I'll let you in on a few "not-to-be-missed" spots that most tourists don't bother with due to their locations "too far from I-81." My first recommendation for unbelievable hiking is to head to Ricketts Glen State Park, about a half-hour away from Wilkes-Barre via Route 309 North to Route 118 West. Please note that the main park trail runs beside various waterfalls, and a good pair of hiking boots are a must! I know the park was damaged pretty extensively by the massive Flood of 2006 back in June, but I'm fairly certain that the trails are back to their pre-flood status. Another one of my favorite areas is to head on out to the Pinchot Trail near Thornhurst, about 35 minutes from Wilkes-Barre via Route 115 South to a left onto Meadow Run Road to a right onto Suscon Road. It's not well marked from rural Suscon Road, but if I can recall correctly, the trailhead begins just before the entrance to Thornhurst Country Club Estates. This network of trails is vastly unspoiled and not very well-utilized; it's the perfect spot to commune with nature. Be advised though that bears roam the area; come prepared to potentially be face-to-face with some hungry local wildlife! (And I don't mean the residents of Pittston banging on the doors of the pizzerias in Old Forge on Friday nights either!)
The Lehigh River offers, in my opinion, the best white-water rafting opportunities in Eastern Pennsylvania. The best spot to launch from is in and around the White Haven area, about 25 minutes south of Wilkes-Barre via Route 115 south to the next exit on I-476 south. If you're into mountain biking, then definitely scope out the trails in Carbon County, especially those surrounding the lovely historic town of Jim Thorpe, about 45 minutes south of Wilkes-Barre via Route 115 south to the Mahoning Valley exit of I-476. If skiing is your thing, then my top recommendation for a ski resort would have to be Elk Mountain in Susquehanna County, just under an hour north of Wilkes-Barre via I-81. Montage Mountain in the city of Scranton (Yes IN the city!), is under brand new ownership, so this season may be the dawn of a new era for that struggling resort as well. In general, our area's skiing isn't the greatest, as our winters are relatively-tame, dry, and mild as compared to Northern New England and the Inter-Mountain West. Finally, nobody should leave Pennsylvania without visiting the "PA Grand Canyon", which is located just outside of the charming village of Wellsboro along U.S. Route 6 in Tioga County, about 90 minutes to two hours northwest of Wilkes-Barre. Bald eagle sighting are common here, and the Fall foliage is breathtaking!
Finally, there is no "gay scene" here in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Most residents here want us all to just run back into our closets and hang ourselves from coat hangers so that their "children won't be corrupted", which has lead to a HUGE closeted GLBT population in the metro (more than you'd think!) There are several local organizations trying to push for positive change in the region (I'm the secretary of our campus GSA), but overall we remain stuck in the 1940s mindset of "thou art unclean ye heathens!" Wilkes-Barre's only gay-oriented night club is "Twist", located on Highway 315, but I don't care much for the rowdy, unruly crowd here. The last time I was there, I had more hands down my pants than a cheerleader in the boys' locker room on prom night, and I felt more like a piece of fresh meat that had to be claimed as compared to someone who just felt like a bit of dancing and possibly finding a date. Barnes & Noble is my favorite gay pick-up spot; I recently had a young owner of a natural supplements company hit on me while reading up on personal finance, but he lived in Jersey! (As does seemingly most of our area's gay tourists!) The local population is very uneducated, intolerant, and hostile towards Liberal ideas, which I find to be the one killer drawback to potential new relocation to the region. You won't be tarred and feathered for being gay in Wilkes-Barre, but DO expect people to talk about you behind your back so much that your ears will never stop burning!
Finally, my favorite natural foods store is called "Everything Natural", and it is located along State Street in Downtown Clarks Summit, about 40 minutes north of Wilkes-Barre via I-81 or I-476. There is also a health foods store in the town of Luzerne, about ten minutes from Wilkes-Barre, but I have yet to scope it out! (I'm nearly midway between Clarks Summit and Luzerne, so it makes no difference to me!)
I hope you enjoy your brief stay in our region; if you ever want me to show you around a bit, then I'd be more than happy to do so (That is if the locals didn't assume we were a couple and chase us around with pitchforks and torches! )
SWB, thanks so much for your help. You're a gold mine of info. You should open your own tourist bureau. Glad to hear winters aren't terrible. Not a big fan of cold & snow. The region sounds fantastic; the people sound like Neanderthals (not to insult Neanderthals). We'll just have to get our own pitchforks and torches. Fight fire with fire! Barnes & Noble? They actually have books???
I spent all my childhood summers in Hancock, NY not too far north of SWB. I'll want to make that trip at least once. Also I want to visit Amish country. Very photogenic. I went there once years ago with my ex. If everyone was like the Amish what a wonderful world it would be.
SWB, thanks so much for your help. You're a gold mine of info. You should open your own tourist bureau. Glad to hear winters aren't terrible. Not a big fan of cold & snow. The region sounds fantastic; the people sound like Neanderthals (not to insult Neanderthals). We'll just have to get our own pitchforks and torches. Fight fire with fire! Barnes & Noble? They actually have books???
I spent all my childhood summers in Hancock, NY not too far north of SWB. I'll want to make that trip at least once. Also I want to visit Amish country. Very photogenic. I went there once years ago with my ex. If everyone was like the Amish what a wonderful world it would be.
Well, winters here can still be trying. We don't have many long stretches of sub-freezing weather, and major snowfalls occur only about once per season (the past few have given us very little snowfall!), but by the time you hit Valentine's Day or so, you're just going to be a bit depressed by not seeing anything GREEN for so long!
Also, I didn't mean to make the locals out to sound like total rednecks. I'd consider them to be well-meaning, but too many are die-hard right-wingers. I myself am Conservative on a few issues, but I have that "live and let live" philosophy while many other locals feel as if it is their God-given responsibility to try to "save our souls." I don't like smoking, but I'm friends with smokers and don't hold their habit against them. Likewise, if you don't like the idea of same-sex couples among you, then that's no valid reason to ostracize them as human beings! If "God wouldn't want it that way", then let God do his job and condemn us to hell for what ills we committed during our lives on OUR Judgment Day! It's none of your business to try to legislate the way we live our lives! (Sorry about the political ranting! LOL! ) I've met many nice, heartwarming, caring people in our region; once they found "out" about me, many resorted to talking about me behind my back and excluding me from social functions. We're not anything at all like the rural South; people here will make faces at you and try to shield their childrens' eyes if the see a same-sex couple holding hands, and a few may even make some rude comments about small, winged fictional characters and chocolate factory workers, but I've never felt physically threatened by anyone here. Granted, I've been single now for two years, so I don't know if the locals have lightened up a bit towards cultural acceptance or not, but I can only hope that people everywhere in America will WAKE UP and realize that God is the only one who should be able to pass judgment!
I'm surprised/saddened to hear of your experiences in the area. I've been gone for many years, but I guess I was lucky to grow up amongst open-minded, good-hearted folks while living my 1st 14-yrs in W-B & attending grade/highschool in the 60's/70's. (Went to Meyer's for the 7th grade (know of it?), then sadly, off to Boston's bussing woes.)
Sure, times/things were different then, but many of my friends/neighbors were of Arabic descent, Jewish & African American. Many of us had foreign-born parents, my brothers' friends (avid sports players, both) were a motley crew of colors, sizes, backgrounds, nationalities, religions. I do remember that our family was one of the few Catholics in the area, at that time & as I'm from a varied, mixed-race family, I don't remember feeling my relatives were shunned by anyone. Maybe I'm naive or remembering from the eyes/memories of a child, but I'm glad to say that my W-B childhood was quite kind, thinking back on it. I'd like not to believe that the area's changed that much, but I suppose 1 street over in this direction rather than that, can make a huge difference, no?
My sister's kids (one still in highschool in W-B & the other now beginning college in Scranton) are happily very accepting, have an extraordinarily diverse array of male/female friends & I'm impressed that they & their friends don't seem quick to judge anyone, no matter the situation - young/old, conservative/liberal, gay/straight, ethnic/religious beliefs/background, married/living together. They are very polite, kind young girls & your comments about your experiences make me a bit prouder of them & their loving/adult/progressive attitudes.
I guess what changes any area is the influx of others whom are not that particular area's "norm". I've lived all over the country & have found unaccepting people everywhere. Heck, I think if you step out of the door anywhere, you'll find a group who will dislike something about you. I've also found wonderful people everywhere & friends from all walks of life. I even make lunch for my 74-yr old mom & her 91-yr old friend once/month. You may not believe it, but those 2 ol' dolls have quite the senses of humor.
Anyway, keep your chin up, keep plugging away & in time, all things change. The more people see of any "type", the more they get used to it & accept it. I've always found that by standing my ground, firmly yet softly, I've eventually found my bearings. You seem to be someone who's very comfortable in your own skin, so I think no matter where you are, you'll be allright. Time changes all things, some for the better, some for the worse, but the world needs all of us, I believe.
Once again, Baltic, I'm blown away by you! Your message totally uplifted my spirits, and I'm feeling much better now after reading that! For me it's just a bit more difficult than most to be gay in NEPA because my family is well-respected in the Conservative community (My parents are both on church council), and I'm constantly made out to be the "black sheep" of the flock, even though I try my hardest to fit in and to make our area a better place to live for everyone! I'm also deeply religious myself; the struggles between accepting myself for who I am vs. what I thought God might want me to be have been ongoing for years, and I don't think I'll ever fully find peace of mind with God as long as people around here keep telling me that "God hates gays."
You speak very true words about the younger generation; I've come across mostly a very diverse, accepting, friendly cross-section of sorts in the current "Generation X." I'm talking moreso about the Baby Boomers, those who seem to think they know it all and that their offspring in Generation X have it all wrong (even though we think the same about them!)
When I was outted in my senior year of high school, I thought the world was going to come to an end. Surprisingly enough, I rose very highly on the ladder of popularity, as people seemed to be oddly intrigued by the only openly-gay male out of a school with 1,200 students. (I even won a flattering class poll!)
Once again, I'm moreso a bit resentful towards the hypocritical local middle-aged crowd---The ones who drink themselves silly after church on Sundays at the corner bars while watching the NFL games and then coming home to talk about how "evil" many minorities are in a drunken stupor. (I've seen this happen firsthand). All I ask is for a chance to be someone's friend; I get that opportunity wililngly from the 18-24 crowd, but the 40-60 crowd seems to be overbearingly narrow-minded in our region. Also, where you seem to have hailed right from the inner-city of Wilkes-Barre, I've grown up out here on Wisteria Lane, where people have fled to in order to separate themselves from the "undesirables." I think a lot of this bigotry has to do with a fear of the unknown---People assume that all gay people do is sodomize each other all day, so they try to shield their families from that "perverted lifestyle." Then you have those like me, virgins by choice, who want nothing more than to be wonderful neighbors! I think we can all conclude that stereotypes do nothing but cause us to write people off too quickly when they can truly bring so much into our lives...
SWB-- I am sorry to hear you've had some troubles with feelings other people have towards you for being gay.
I may be straight (these terms sound so ridiculous..."straight"? does that mean you are somehow "crooked'?) but I am very much an advocate, having a couple of gay family members and many gay friends over the years.
I mean, first and foremost, before we are black or white or male or female of straight or gay, etc., we are HUMAN BEINGS, right? I think the only division that matters is between the good people and the *****holes in the world.
It surprises me that the area you live in is still stuck in oldentimes as far as being openminded. I thought most of that nonsense was confined to the Midwest and South anymore. It's sad.
Look, nobody asked for my commentary...I'm an agnostic and I have no use for organized religion. I know some people get comfort from it, and that's a good thing, but overall it seems to have done more harm than good on a larger historical scale. At any rate, I don't believe in a personal, interactive god. But I could be as wrong as a person can be. Nobody knows.
But what I do think is that, if there is a god who cares for and has a relationship with humans, it seems like what that god would hate would be hatred and bigotry...not diversity. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to hide or keep quiet such a big part of your being.
It's tragic that there is still a kind of ignorance that prevails which classifies some people as "damned" or equates being gay with being a drooling pedophile or some other BS. Sadly, though, I do hear this kind of crap now and then. Some people have nothing better to do than build themselves up by tearing down and judging others.
Hopefully you are able to be proud of what and who you are regardless of what small minded people may think. I've read so many of your posts...you are a bright, caring, interesting, talented guy. The kind of person who makes me proud to be a member of the same human race as you. Be yourself and you can never go wrong.
Happy to offer some support! Keep your chin up, lad, you will be fine, no question.
I've met many ill-at-ease people, for all sorts of reasons & I can still offer nothing but kindness, as that is my nature. I've heard all kinds of sexist, prejudiced comments throughout my lifetime & I can still offer nothing but kindness, as that is my nature. You impress me as possessing a similar philosophy. Your nature is to be kind, to accept, to enlighten, to uplift - so the good news is that you will predominately attract those folks to you during your lifetime.
I do not mean to make light of anyone's challenges, yet only to say, that we all experience them. We never reach a perfect plateau where life is nirvana on earth. Comments can be hurtful, no doubt, but you will not change those who've already made up their minds, nor should you try. Leave them to their beliefs, if you want them to leave you to yours. I know you do this, I'm not attempting preaching, but just to say that you have no need to worry about what others think of you. I want to be liked by everyone who passes me too, but, it doesn't always happen. I would like not to overhear any unpleasant comments, but it doesn't always happen. It's okay. People express their own pain. It can come out as hurtful comments. Leave them to their pain, don't take it on. You will not change them by saying anything. But, maybe, just maybe, your kindness anyway will be seen over time as good & clear & loving, by even one of those who's offered only dissidence. By kindness, by the way, I mainly mean treating yourself with kindness. You deserve it. We all do. If someone chooses not to give it, fine, you have an unlimited supply for yourself, your loved ones, your friends & even those hurt souls who need a soft Blessing, as well.
I remember a wonderful quote from Ghandi which was "The only true sin is letting another's opinion become more important than your own." Your opinion matters most to you. My opinion matters most to me. A sad soul who walks passed either of us who has unpleasant comments has opinions that matter most to him/her. Remember that. Leave their comments as their opinions, & as what matters to them & don't take it on.
Will there always be folks who don't like mixing with gays? Yes. Will there always be gays who don't like mixing with straights? Yes. Will there always be xxx who don't like mixing with yyy? Yes. Live your life anyway. Have fun anyway. Remember that old saying that the best revenge is a good life. You deserve it. You are worth it. I see you, as Griffis said, as a well-informed, kind, loving soul. People love you on this site & I can't imagine that anyone that actually knows you wouldn't enjoy your company. Some won't. Why? They don't enjoy, period. No matter. Their opinions have no bearing on you as a complete, whole, good-hearted soul. Many of us see you as that here & although we don't "know" you, we truly know you very well from your kind words, many of them, often... Keep offering your kindness. It's a Blessing & a gift that you possess in abundance, my dear lad, Paul!
One last thing, our struggles with religion & any other issues, are human nature. We're all just trying to figure out what makes sense for us & our opinions of what's important at different phases in life can change, can evolve, can remain the same & that too, is just human nature. What was important or valuable for me in my teens differed from my 20's & then 30's & now 40's. That's what's supposed to happen. There's nothing wrong with your questions on what's best, what's "correct", what makes sense. It only means you think, you feel, you care & you're trying. You sound very well adjusted & right on track. You're just fine...
Cheers, then... Baltic_Celt
Last edited by Baltic_Celt; 10-10-2006 at 08:07 AM..
Reason: Typos
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Welcome to NEPA! (Part One)
I know the park was damaged pretty extensively by the massive Flood of 2006 back in June, but I'm fairly certain that the trails are back to their pre-flood status. Another one of my favorite areas is to head on out to the Pinchot Trail near Thornhurst, about 35 minutes from Wilkes-Barre via Route 115 South to a left onto Meadow Run Road to a right onto Suscon Road. It's not well marked from rural Suscon Road, but if I can recall correctly, the trailhead begins just before the entrance to Thornhurst Country Club Estates. This network of trails is vastly unspoiled and not very well-utilized; it's the perfect spot to commune with nature. Be advised though that bears roam the area; come prepared to potentially be face-to-face with some hungry local wildlife! (And I don't mean the residents of Pittston banging on the doors of the pizzerias in Old Forge on Friday nights either!) 
Barnes & Noble is my favorite gay pick-up spot; I recently had a young owner of a natural supplements company hit on me while reading up on personal finance, but he lived in Jersey! (As does seemingly most of our area's gay tourists!) 
)
) I've met many nice, heartwarming, caring people in our region; once they found "out" about me, many resorted to talking about me behind my back and excluding me from social functions. 
