One Thing to Change About Scranton (Old Forge, Pittston: house, middle school, college)

[ScranBarre]

...or better yet, why on Earth was the Mall at Steamtown erected in an era when indoor shopping malls were becoming white elephants? Imagine historic brick buildings in several blocks of Lackawanna Avenue restored and housing the very same outlets that now litter Montage Mountain (or better yet even indepedent stores and restaurants). Here's some photos of a very popular downtown pedestrian plaza in Ithaca, NY, which isn't very different from Scranton in many ways:









This is what Scranton COULD have been. Sigh...decades of short-sightedness...

[loveinbloom]

This may sound petty, but fix all the goshdarn roads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After three children my kidneys aren't what they use to be!

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by SWB

...or better yet, why on Earth was the Mall at Steamtown erected in an era when indoor shopping malls were becoming white elephants?

I've always said the same thing. Why couldn't they have built something similar to the Shoppes at Montage in downtown Scranton, rather than an indoor 1970's suburban-style mall? That would have revitalized the downtown and encouraged people to walk around downtown rather than people just driving into the mall parking garage, going into the mall, then driving back out and ignoring the rest of downtown.

[NYRangers 2008]

Originally Posted by loveinbloom

This may sound petty, but fix all the goshdarn roads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After three children my kidneys aren't what they use to be!

Not petty at all. For a city that claims it's up and coming, you sure wouldn't know it by the horrible state of the roads. Every section of the city, including the downtown, for the most part has bad roads. It goes back to the government argument. If this mayor didn't spend like it was going out of style, maybe there would be more money left over for repairs to the city's infrastructure. I would rather have money invested in the streets of the city, than some bridge to nowhere and treehouse in Nay Aug Park. But that's just me. I don't feel like getting my car aligned every month because of the potholed streets.

[CHS89]

I'm sick of the term Bridge to Nowhere.

Where would you like the bridge to go? Should it have been built to connect to 81S?

Honestly. It's a bridge over a gorge, from one side to the other. An actual bridge to nowhere wouuld have been like this, over the Grand Canyon:



or it would have just been a plank.


And you are NOT getting your car aligned every month. I'm calling bull sh*t on that obvious lie.

[NEPA-x-pat]

I would love to see the Lackawanna River Corridor complete its visionary proposal to establish the trails along the Scranton Canyon, an iconic bridge across Lackawanna Ave, complete with outdoor theater area that was shown during the Riverfest a few years ago. I know money is tight and there are pressing problems with the infrastructure, but hey I can dream right

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by NEPA-x-pat

I would love to see the Lackawanna River Corridor complete its visionary proposal to establish the trails along the Scranton Canyon, a iconic bridge across Lackawanna Ave, complete with outdoor theater area that was shown during the Riverfest a few years ago. I know money is tight and there are pressing problems with the infrastructure, but hey I can dream right

I agree...I wonder what ever happened to the plan to establish a trail along the river stretching from Carbondale to Old Forge? I know there's section in Archbald and Peckville and a section in Scranton...but I've heard nothing else of plans for expansion. When I lived "up da line" I used to walk that trail from Archbald to Peckville, then over the bridge to the park in Olyphant all the time.

[NEPA-x-pat]

Yeah up da line from da mid valley..hehe. I grew up there. I am so happy when I come back for a visit and see dozens of people using the trails all the time. I see families, seniors and others walking, speed walking, jogging and biking along that same area. What a joy to see this. And a wonderful trail system that. I have seen most of it from the river in my kayak where I have seen mallards, wood ducks, blue herron, egrets, kingfishers, beaver and thought I saw an otter once. I have had the chance to cross country ski the trail from Simpson towards Forest City. It was awesome. A gem! For those who have not walked the trails, or not paddled the Lackawanna, what are you waiting for

Mellow Park in Blakely is a great place to take out your kayak after putting in somewhere "up da line" maybe in Archbald. There is a nice restroom to change, great parking and an easy climb out from the river bank.

Now, to the point, as Mr. Krabs has said I wonder what happened to that plan? That would be a selling point for moving back to the city. I guess that there are many of them that would in total create a critical mass to bring people back to live in the confines of the downtown area. If the river canyon below Olive St could be cleaned up, maybe a whitewater park put in, and had apartments or condominiums with a nice view of the river were put in they would sell quite well I am sure.

[NYRangers 2008]

Originally Posted by CHS89

I'm sick of the term Bridge to Nowhere.

Where would you like the bridge to go? Should it have been built to connect to 81S?

Honestly. It's a bridge over a gorge, from one side to the other. An actual bridge to nowhere wouuld have been like this, over the Grand Canyon:



or it would have just been a plank.


And you are NOT getting your car aligned every month. I'm calling bull sh*t on that obvious lie.

I wish they didn't spend the money to build the bridge at all. I don't care what you call it. It's not really needed and the city doesn't have the money to do it.

I didn't say I was getting my car aligned every month. I was exaggerating a little. I meant, if they don't start fixing the roads, people will be repairing their cars a lot more than not.

[weluvpa]

It hasn't been to warm and the river is just over 3ft. They are calling for 1inch of rain tonight. I hope that the current weather pattern will stay in place and just start to warm up so that the river will stay up. I think we'll be pulling out the boats and do some cleaning and repairs and hit it in the next week or so if I have the time.

The water is still chilly so I'll be in a wetsuit I'm sure.