'Tis The Season... (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore: buy, high school, tax)

[SteelCityRising]

I'm just back from several hours of shopping in the Dickson City/Viewmont area, and I must say that I'll never again shop on "Super Saturday!" I've shopped many Black Fridays in my life, yet the insanity today seems to have easily trumped that.

I got off the Main Avenue exit of I-81 Northbound and headed up the hill onto Viewmont Drive. The first "choke point" came when the left lane abruptly ended on a bend in the hill, forcing drivers to suddenly merge into the right lane. I personally think there should have been overhead signs at the end of the I-81 Northbound offramp to warn drivers that thru-traffic should go to the right lane and that traffic going to Wendy's and Lowe's should be in the left lane to avoid this merging crisis before it even begins. People were forced to take turns to let one another in. I then noticed that traffic was backed up from Lowe's northward all the way to Border's. Folks looked as if they had been waiting to turn left out of unsignalized parking lots for hours as they rested their heads in their hands.

I found a spot in the Viewmont Mall parking lot at the very end of an aisle near Sears and didn't hesitate to flip the blinker and pull right in. I specifically wanted to purchase a glass lighthouse figurine for my mother and a Penn State tiffany lamp for my friend Meg from two separate kiosks inside the mall. Inside the mall folks were struggling to maneuver around one another due to the overcrowding. I felt a bit uncomfortable when I realized I was walking directly behind an ex-crush of mine from high school who I didn't realize was straight at the time (I was humiliated, to say the least). Thankfully he and his friend headed towards Macy's while I veered towards a kiosk that caught my eye. I sadly observed that the campus kiosk near Express no longer had those pretty PSU tiffany lamps, but I was pleased to see that the other kiosk still had a beautiful glass lighthouse figure for my mother. The rudeness of folks in Metro Scranton was evident when people who candidly saw me standing directly behind a couple at the register would go right up to other sides of the kiosks and divert the attention of the workers instead of waiting patiently as I had been doing. Thanks to this two other folks who arrived after I did were waited on before me while another associate talked on her cell phone. I was tempted to just leave out of disgust, but I knew my mother would love that lighthouse.

From here I headed to Best Buy to purchase a few gift cards for friends. I was in and out of the store in about ten minutes, but it took me a half-hour to get out of the Best Buy parking lot because there is no traffic light there to permit those wishing to turn left onto Viewmont Drive to do so, nor was there a Dickson City police officer there to direct traffic (heaven forbid that horrid town occasionally provides a service to those who stimulate its economy). When only a couple of vehicles want to turn left onto Viewmont Drive from here, all vehicles behind them are held up, including those turning right, due to short lanes resulting from poor urban planning.

For what it's worth, Greater Scranton appears to be on the verge of a bigger growth spurt than I ever before envisioned. Seemingly 20% of the vehicles in Dickson City tonight were from out-of-state---undoubtedly either tourists or newcomers to the area. Hopefully the revitalization of the city proper will come more quickly in the coming years.

All in all I've vowed to stick to Wilkes-Barre Township's big-boxes from now on because its shopping centers are planned more efficiently so people don't end up trapped in parking lots for a half-hour or longer. For example, folks shopping at the Arena Hub Plaza have a signal. So do folks shopping at the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, Wilkes-Barre Township Marketplace, and Wilkes-Barre Township Crossings. Many of these shopping centers are inter-connected with other roadways. The Wyoming Valley Mall has multiple signalized entrances. On the other hand Dickson City has a lot more in the way of free-standing big-box centers that aren't interconnected and aren't signalized onto Viewmont Drive or Commerce Boulevard. The result? Even though both Dickson City and Wilkes-Barre Township receive roughly the same levels of traffic, it flows much better in the latter due to the signalization and alternate routes available. Dickson City, on the other hand, seems as if it was just slapped up to make a quick buck without any long-range planning or foresight. Wilkes-Barre Township's police officers direct traffic when necessary; Dickson City's apparently don't. I most certainly hope retail workers in Dickson City don't pay a $52 EMS tax to Dickson City; I'd demand a refund for their police department's refusal to direct traffic. It appears as if Dickson City had no trouble at all rubber-stamping all of these projects (many of which are the fault of Mr. Siniawa), yet when the time came to maintain them with adequate levels of services, they became totally blind.

With the exception of Gander Mountain and Borders I can't really think of anything the Scranton area has that the Wilkes-Barre area doesn't have anyways. In those cases we have Dick's Sporting Goods and Barnes & Noble respectively to account for their absence. I don't like shopping at chain stores, but sometimes there are no viable alternatives. From now on though I'm boycotting Dickson City whenever possible and patronizing Wilkes-Barre Township instead.

[rockky]

Ain't it fun!!??!!! Arrraaaaghhhhhhh!!!!

I wanted to try to find some mistletoe to finish the last bit of decorating. I don't think I'm gonna fight the thundering herds in order to get it. Besides, I don't know where to look for it. Duh! Guess I'll just have to run around and smooch anyone who stands still for two seconds.

Merry Christmas, SWB!!!

[ff18wife]

Originally Posted by rockky

Ain't it fun!!??!!! Arrraaaaghhhhhhh!!!!

I wanted to try to find some mistletoe to finish the last bit of decorating. I don't think I'm gonna fight the thundering herds in order to get it. Besides, I don't know where to look for it. Duh! Guess I'll just have to run around and smooch anyone who stands still for two seconds.

Merry Christmas, SWB!!!

WalMart in Honesdale had Mistletoe in their holiday area. I was there yesterday. I would imagine any Walmart would have some in their holiday section.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by rockky

Ain't it fun!!??!!! Arrraaaaghhhhhhh!!!!

I wanted to try to find some mistletoe to finish the last bit of decorating. I don't think I'm gonna fight the thundering herds in order to get it. Besides, I don't know where to look for it. Duh! Guess I'll just have to run around and smooch anyone who stands still for two seconds.

Merry Christmas, SWB!!!

There's mistletoe above my head right now! My breath is minty fresh.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by ff18wife

WalMart in Honesdale had Mistletoe in their holiday area. I was there yesterday. I would imagine any Walmart would have some in their holiday section.

Yes. I believe the Wal-Mart in Pittston has mistletoe as well.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by rockky

Ain't it fun!!??!!! Arrraaaaghhhhhhh!!!!

I wanted to try to find some mistletoe to finish the last bit of decorating. I don't think I'm gonna fight the thundering herds in order to get it. Besides, I don't know where to look for it. Duh! Guess I'll just have to run around and smooch anyone who stands still for two seconds.

Merry Christmas, SWB!!!

Hey I just saw a little bag of that Mistletoe someplace, now where was it?
One of the twins asked me about it, and I told him .....and I think I heard him exclaim " we can forget about ttttthat!"
Put a swig of Rhoderdendrum up in the archway, and pretend.......

[rockky]

LOL! Well, smoocheroonies!!!!!!! Poor, SWB. I'm the typical Granny/Auntie type.

Thanks for the direction to find the mistletoe. I avoid WalMart whenever I can. The thought of going there in the next two days gives me the shivers...not the good kind!! Ha! I'll havta think about it.

Summering, I thought about using spring onions and kale.

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by SWB

.... I got off the Main Avenue exit of I-81 Northbound and headed up the hill onto Viewmont Drive. The first "choke point" came when the left lane abruptly ended on a bend in the hill, forcing drivers to suddenly merge into the right lane. ........

So the traffic mess was all your fault! For a moment, I thought I was on I-77 going into Charlotte!!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by mm_mary73

So the traffic mess was all your fault! For a moment, I thought I was on I-77 going into Charlotte!!

Actually, I was in the right-hand lane and was in the "choke point" because so many others didn't know of the left lane ending abruptly on that blind uphill curve.

If you're referencing the major back-up around noon today on I-81 in Dunmore, that was due to yet ANOTHER accident (they happen daily on I-81 due to NEPA having such a high proportion of clueless drivers).

Merry Christmas!

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by SWB

... If you're referencing the major back-up around noon today on I-81 in Dunmore, that was due to yet ANOTHER accident (they happen daily on I-81 due to NEPA having such a high proportion of clueless drivers).

Merry Christmas!

Yep, that's why I thought I was in Charlotte!! Just a few more days here in the FRIGID northeast, so in case I don't get back before I leave, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kuwanza, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings to you as well.