New Scranton Photo Tour---West Side (Hyde Park/Providence) (Wilkes-Barre, Hanover: appointed, for sale)

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Good afternoon everyone! It's another sunny, happy day in NEPA! The birds are chirping, there's a gentle breeze, and although my allergies have my eyes watering like a faucet, I still managed to swallow an Alavert and head on up to what has now become one of my favorite parts of Scranton---"The West Side."

I'll admit that before today I was only familiar with North Main Avenue, which is the "downtown" area of West Side. I had never ventured up and down the many side streets to get a true "feel" for the residential neighborhoods of the area, and I just based my assumptions of West Side on what I had been told by others. Now, I can see that West Side is actually a much, much nicer area, overall, than what I had been lead to believe, and I hope you all grow to love it just as much as well! Prior to the tour I envisioned West Side to be nothing but a bunch of ugly little white aluminum-sided, run-down homes cramped on top of each other, as is commonplace in Scranton's "Upper South Side," Pittston, and "The Heights" area of Wilkes-Barre. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a wide variety of different architectural styles and eras represented, with most of the homes being generously-sized for an inner-city neighborhood, and 90% of them being very well-kept (even though I did run into a seedy, run-down area along Theodore Street near some high-voltage power lines and a noisy freeway underpass that turned my stomach sour).

If ConorsDad is happy to call this neighborhood home, then I can see that he and I both get along so well on here because we have such similar tastes. In fact, West Side is still within walking distance to Downtown Scranton, and I'd be more than happy to consider purchasing my first starter home in Hyde Park instead of the Lower Hill if one became available. I saw throngs of homes for sale all over West Side, which worried me a bit; perhaps "WeLuvPA" is right in that most Scrantonians are fleeing due to their hatred of the city. Even the home of a guy I went on a few dates with---a charming little Cape Cod-style home with great city views directly across the street from the Howard Gardner School---is on the market!

This is by far my largest photo tour yet (over 130 images), so please allow me to post all of them before interjecting with replies. I have barely scratched the surface of this wonderful part of the city, but after spending more than three hours walking non-stop in flip-flops, I began to get sore feet. I wanted to also snap a photo of West Scranton High School, but that didn't happen, so I'll instead insert an aerial image of it from the internet that was taken by WNEP-TV's "Skycam 16" helicopter.

Enjoy!


Welcome back to Scranton---The Electric City!

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Located at the intersection of North Main Avenue & Market Street is the recently-revitalized area known as "Providence Square" in North Scranton's "Providence" neighborhood. For as much as many people fault Mayor Doherty's leadership, you can't deny that this major city intersection looks fabulous now with its brick crosswalks, benches, clock tower, sidewalks, etc. For as much as WeLuvPA claims that Doherty has "only" focused on downtown, I saw evidence of the city's renaissance in both Providence and Hyde Park as well.






The recently-opened Ipanema Grille & Brazilian Steakhouse at 1911 North Main Avenue, just past Providence Square. My best friend Meg and her family ate her just before she relocated to Cincinatti, and they raved over it! My parents also ate there with my rather carnivorous uncle, and they likewise enjoyed their meals. I hope to take someone there someday soon as well for a wonderful dinner (If I could ever find a date...sniffle, sniffle).


The Howard Gardner School of Discovery, School Street, just up the hill from Providence Square.
Howard Gardner School | Home

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I didn't focus so much on Providence as I did Hyde Park, so here are the rest of the photos I snapped of North Scranton:



The Tripp House, built in 1771, was home to Scranton's first settler, Isaac Tripp. It sits perched along North Main Avenue right near the North Scranton Freeway's onramps/offramps.


National Bakery, 1303 North Main Avenue.


Harry Houdini Museum, 1433 North Main Avenue.
Houdini Harry Houdini Museum Scranton Poconos Pocono mountains magic show seance biography School Assembly Programs shows Children's Museum Halloween Houdini bullet catch


An attractively-landscaped home along North Main Avenue. At some point in the future if I should happen to settle in this neighborhood, I hope to establish a free weekly newspaper, perhaps called the "WestSide Weekly," and one of the features would be to highlight a unique home that just stands out for one reason or another. You can't fully appreciate it from this photo, but the landscaping in the front and side lawns of this home is gorgeous. I can't wait to interview the homeowners in a few years for an article! Something that Scrantonians deserve credit for is that they all seem to have pride in their properties, something you don't see here in
white-trashy Pittston.



The old abandoned North Scranton High School at the prominent intersection of North Main Avenue & Green Ridge Street. If my memory serves me correctly, this building is supposed to be undergoing renovations soon to house some sort of business. (ConorsDad or WeLuvPA can correct me on this one).

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Here we have the newer subdivision of Tripps Park, at the end of Euclid Avenue, along the North Scranton Freeway (the traffic noise is mitigated by trees). Homes here enjoy tax-free status through 2011 through the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program, which is aimed at offering an incentive to redeveloping brownfield sites for commercial or residential interests. The homes were mostly modulars built by Hanover Homes and were fairly close to one another, but I believe prices are quite reasonable (I think one home recently sold for around $245,000, which is on the lower end for a local newer subdivision).







Scenes from the subdivision.


One of several building lots still for sale in Tripps Park.

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Scranton is unique in that most of its neighborhoods each have their own business district, as opposed to just the city's main downtown area, about a mile away from Hyde Park. North Main Avenue in "West Side" is home to a slew of mom-and-pop stores, all of which are well-supported by the community. I thoroughly enjoyed strolling up and down North Main Avenue, as it reminded me of what my own downtown of Pittston could have been like if urban sprawl hadn't destroyed it.


As you can see on that billboard, West Siders are quite proud of their homegrown athletes, the most recent of whom is Evan Prall, a West Scranton High School graduate who will now be playing for the Arizona Cardinals. The same "pride" was evident here when Gerry McNamara, of the Syracuse Orangemen, was on the basketball court and dominated the local news media.


Gary DiBileo Insurance Agency. This man ran against incumbent mayor Chris Doherty in the most recent election, and while he carried his native West Side in the polls, the rest of the city voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Mayor Doherty to continue to "Restore the Pride" in the Electric City. I was even surprised that he won re-election; I assumed Doherty would carry his home turf area of well-to-do Green Ridge, but to carry the Hill Section as well was a shocker to me!
Gary Dibileo for Mayor: About Gary


The West Side Hotel, home to Kilcoyne's Pub and Colarusso's Pizzeria (I'm not sure if it's a relation to the Colarusso's Pizzeria in Avoca).



Yes, Virginia, there is a Walgreen's in West Side...


...along with a Rite-Aid!


A former Wendy's franchise is seeing new life as the brand new "Victoria's Gourmet Cafe & Catering." It is mentioned in a consumer reports story done by WNEP-TV:
Action 16 Tests Chop Keeper


St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which hosts a very popular annual festival.


The Scranton skyline, as seen from the intersection of North Main Avenue & West Lackawanna Avenue. (Sorry about the smog overshadowing the buildings; it was a hot, stagnant, hazy day).


The Taco Bandito Mexican Restaurant joins...


...the Catalano Market as being two shining new beacons of Scranton's surging Hispanic population.


Mars Furniture


"The Lighting Corner"


Carmella's Italian Deli & Pastries, The Corner Market.


Donny's Hardware, Main Street Music, Legends Bar & Grill


Keystone Diner, a dental office, Ridgway's Copy Shop


Rita Hubshman Floral, James Thomas Barber Shop


Nasser Real Estate, West Side Deli
Scranton Pennsylvania PA Homes for Sale & Real Estate by Nasser Real Estate, Inc.


Church of Christ



Two More Churches Along North Main Avenue


Scranton Fish Company


Another Church Along North Main Avenue (West Side is saturated with houses of worship!)


Crazy Pineapple Gift Shop and Alternative Eating.
Alternative Eating


Another view of Main Avenue.


The Faccia Luna, voted the "Best New Restaurant" by readers of Electric City magazine. This former bank was abandoned until an entrepreneur breathed new life into the place as a trendy chain restaurant. I ate lunch here and was quite satisfied. I chowed down today on the five-cheese ravioli platter, which came with a salad and bread and was reasonably priced at
$11. I hate dining alone because I feel like everyone is just staring at me like "Look at that loser who couldn't find a date," but the atmosphere of this hip eatery certainly perked me up. I highly-recommend it, and I was pleased to be treated so nicely by my waitress, Judi. This eatery joins the dozens of other new businesses that have come to Scranton since Mayor Doherty took office just a few years ago and planted the seeds of optimism in many minds with his "Restoring the Pride" slogan.
Faccia Luna


Brunetti's Shur-Save Supermarket

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Not only is Main Avenue in West Side a great place to shop and dine, it's also a great place to sit on the front porch and watch the traffic sail on by.



































Some homes along Main Avenue


Mini Cooper! Ohhhhh yeahhhh!!!


Truer words have never been spoken!

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After wandering up and down Main Avenue like a lost puppy, I decided to meander up and down the grid-shaped network of alternating one-way side streets in the surrounding Hyde Park neighborhood.












































The Willow Tree Shop



Hyde Park Presbyterian Church




Charles Sumner Elementary School, one of two neighborhood schools here (the other being John Marshall Elementary). I couldn't snap many photos of the schools because it was apparently their "End of Year Fun Day" or something of that nature, and the children were around the school playing games, seeing a clown, throwing balls at dunk-tanks, etc., and I didn't want nearby parents to think I was some sort of pedophile who wanted to snap photos of their children.

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"Return," you say? It would be my absolute pleasure. I might even come back this evening to take in "First Fridays: Scranton." I can't wait to snap more of the city I can't wait to call home in a few years!

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If this area seems like an area of Scranton you might like to ponder for relocation, here are some listings to get you started:

HYDE PARK


Address: 620 North Main Avenue
Price: $229,900
Rooms: 9
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 1 Full, 1 Half
Square Footage: 2,732
Lot Size: 44' x 150' (0.15 Acre)
Year Built: 1910
Garage: None
Taxes: $2,324


Address: 611 North Main Avenue
Price: $189,900
Rooms: 10
Bedrooms: 7
Bathrooms: 3 Full
Square Footage: 3,005
Lot Size: 41' x 147' (0.25 Acre)
Year Built: 1920
Garage: 2-Car Detached
Taxes: $2,332



Address: 1902 Washburn Street
Price: $184,000
Rooms: 8
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 Full
Square Footage: 1,755
Lot Size: 96' x 140' (0.15 Acre)
Year Built: 1900
Garage: 2-Car Detached
Taxes: $1,900


Address: 1600 Farr Street
Price: $179,500
Rooms: 4
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1 Full
Square Footage: 2,880
Lot Size: 80' x 136' (0.25 Acre)
Year Built: 1925
Garage: 3-Car Detached
Taxes: $2,880

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Paul, I am a former resident of West Side, and stumbled over the great pic's...boy, does THAT bring back memories....*sigh*
However, I am not sure, if I am misunderstanding you....but, Catalano's is an Italian deli, home of the BEST italian hoogies (yes, it's a hoogie and NOT a sub!!!) you will ever find in the entire area, as well as a vast veriety of italian specialties!!!!
Pop in and try it...it is so worth it, and you will not be disappointed (if you appreciate and like italian food, that is)
They have been there for many, many years......and I had been going there since 1991, but from what I am told, have they been there way longer then that.
Anybody can add some info on that???