Vacation in Scranton -- advice? (Allentown: hotel, shop, bars)

[weluvpa]

HARBOR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keyser ave.

[mathjak107]

we did a scranton vacation last year dedicated to taking pictures. wow what a great unexpected time we had. we stayed at the lackawanna train station and the food there was awesome. we stayed 2 days and even that wasnt enough time.. we are going to do it again. heres a few pics

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - SCRANTON JPEGS

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - scranton trol...

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - nay aug chris...

[FightinPhils]

You have to do breakfast at the Glider. Order the Obama special.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by FightinPhils

You have to do breakfast at the Glider. Order the Obama special.

It's funny you should mention Sen. Obama. My friends and I parked on Public Square this evening in order to dine at Thai Thai, and my friend's boyfriend from Ohio parked his sedan behind a Mazda Miata from Illinois with an "Obama '08" bumper sticker adorning it. It was like a sign from above!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

HARBOR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keyser ave.

Yes. I really, really, REALLY need to give this place a try sometime. I've heard rave reviews from a couple of people besides you as well.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

we did a scranton vacation last year dedicated to taking pictures. wow what a great unexpected time we had. we stayed at the lackawanna train station and the food there was awesome. we stayed 2 days and even that wasnt enough time.. we are going to do it again. heres a few pics

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - SCRANTON JPEGS

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - scranton trol...

Picasa Web Albums - MATTY - nay aug chris...

I remember these beautiful pictures. Great job! People who live here take the beauty in our city for granted.

[scrantonluna]

I would spend a few extra dollars and stay at either the Hilton or the Radisson, as these are directly in the downtown and near the 'night life.' The Hilton is only a few years old, while the Radisson is probably nearing 100 years of service, depends on what you are looking for. I spent a night at the Radisson back in December and was very pleased, the rooms all have sleep number beds and were very clean. They also have a dedicated wine bar which might be of interest to you. The Hilton has a fantastic lunch buffet for around $10 that I highly recommend.

Both of these hotels are within walking distance of some of the bigger attractions, including Steamtown, the Trolley Museum, and Nay Aug Park. I know that Steamtown and the Trolley excursion do not operate before wednesday during the week, so plan accordingly. The Trolley ride takes about one hour to complete; it's an 11 mile route that will take you to the restoration barn at PNC field and back. I am not sure when Steamtown will be running 'real' excursions this year, most of the time they run within the confines of the train yard, as the rails are still actively used for freight and they do not have the right-of-way during the week. Nay Aug is about a 15 minute walk from the downtown, and features a swim complex and concession stand, a walking trail, the (in?)famous Nay Aug gorge, the newly constructed Mayor Wenzel tree house, a small wildlife center, and the Everhart museum. The park has free concerts from time to time, check the city webpage.

Last year, COLTS was using their 'trolley busses' for a tourist route, which would allow you to hop from spot to spot and see much more without having to rent a car, but I haven't noticed if they are running the same schedule this year. What I HAVE noticed is that they are now running busses to Mohegan Sun, one of two local casinos.

Whether you take a trolley bus or a cab, I recommend that you get to McDade park and the coal mine tour. It's really a unique experience and most people enjoy it. You may also want to take in a AAA baseball game at PNC Field, or visit Sno Mountain's water park, which may or may not be open in the near future (call ahead I suppose).

You may or may not want to plan your trip around an annual event, such as 'La Festa,' a massive Italian festival set on Courthouse Square in early Sept.

There are quite a few small boutiques shops in and around the square that could probably fill the better part of a long afternoon if you wanted to poke around. One thing to consider though, a good portion of the downtown area closes after 4 or 5 pm, and the nearest convenience store open after that is a good handful of blocks away. The city is undergoing a revamp of the square and surrounding blocks, and there just is not enough of a population in the downtown itself to justify keeping a drug or convenience store open past the quitting time.

If you like to eat or drink, we've got a bunch of places for you try, including, but not limited to: Irish inspired places, such as the Bog, the Banshee, and Molly Branigans, snooty bars like the Martini Grill, Sambuca, and Farleys, and salt-of-the-earth bars, such as Judge & Jury and a few others. I highly recommend Blues Street, but it's only open Fri/Sat nights. Brixx is a crowd favorite, one of my favorite places to go where everyone is happy with the service, the menu, and the price. You have Coney Island Lunch on Lackawanna, a downtown institution, as well a Buona Pizza a few doors up. For late night life, you have a NY inspired dance club called the Colusseum, and the square staple, Tinks, which is about to undergo an upgrade. If you like things a little less intoxicating, Northern Light is a unique coffee shop that is hard to not enjoy. Don't forget other favorite eateries, such as Scanlon's, La Trottoria, or Billy's Downtown, and more after hours places like Whistles or Vida Tappas, all within walking distance.

[Hu Flung Pu]

A Scranton vacation....you could hop on da Colts bus and go up de Eynon for a cuppa cahfee and a sangwich....

[ff18wife]

Anything good going on in/near Scranton next week? Hubby's on vaca and I'm hoping to find some local inexpensive stuff to do. Might want to hit the malls as well since were in the market for new cell phones...have to find a nice AT&T store to scope out the goods.

Thanks guys!!!

[blip]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

I would spend a few extra dollars and stay at either the Hilton or the Radisson, as these are directly in the downtown and near the 'night life.' The Hilton is only a few years old, while the Radisson is probably nearing 100 years of service, depends on what you are looking for. I spent a night at the Radisson back in December and was very pleased, the rooms all have sleep number beds and were very clean. They also have a dedicated wine bar which might be of interest to you. The Hilton has a fantastic lunch buffet for around $10 that I highly recommend.

The Radisson was the old train station-- while the building is a hundred years old, I think it's only recently been a hotel. (10-20 years?) Very neat building, though the room I once stayed in was nothing special.

Surprised with all these giant old Victorian houses that there are no B&B's or small hotels in town..