Which is the best of the Eastern PA small cities?

[SPSGuy]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I'll be visiting Reading for the first time later this month.

A very beautiful city architecturally. But impoverished and hostile. You will not find your gay bars & boutiques there. I will be interested to hear your opinions. I went to the city while interviewing for two different weekends thinking it looked so spectacular from an architectural standpoint, but a different opinion when I moved there.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by eschaton

As I said, I was including all of eastern PA barring the Wyoming Valley, as the cities up there don't have the built style I am interested in. They're more New England style wood-clad detached housing, not mid-Atlantic brick rowhouses.

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Like you, Eschaton, I'm in love with the small row-house cities in Eastern and South Central PA. I haven't been able to visit all of them yet. I'll be visiting Reading for the first time later this month, and I'm excited to see Pottsville, Lancaster, Allentown and Bethlehem.

I visited York, Gettysburg, and Harrisburg back in April and I fell in love with all three cities. York is definitely my favorite, though. The city apparently has crime issues, but it's completely intact, beautifully preserved, and has all off the city amenities I like (coffee houses, gay bars, symphonies, boutiques, etc.).

Eschaton, A Angel, when you find this town let me know too!

I have no desire to mow a lawn. Give me a backyard with a brick patio and a few trees and flower beds and I'm good to go. And it should be a brick row house, not wood. With brick, you don't have to worry about noise from your neighbors. Maybe add on a front porch which I may or may not sit on, and a street lined with trees, and I'm good. With luck, the interiors of the houses will have their original detailing.

I've visited Easton, PA and architecturally, the city is beautiful. The downtown was filled with neo-gothic Victorian era brick buildings. There were whole neighborhoods filled with brick rowhouses. However, I've been told that the city has issues with crime and Section 8 housing.

In neighborhoods like that, I was a bit concerned about lack of parking for a car. It's no fun having to dig a car out from the snow.

There's a designated historic district in Bethlehem which was nice. It was detached housing. However, the bulk of the A-town Bhem area was more a suburban auto dystopia.

[pman]

although easton is no shangri la (er camp david), it's crime rate isn't outrageous.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by SPSGuy

A very beautiful city architecturally. But impoverished and hostile. You will not find your gay bars & boutiques there. I will be interested to hear your opinions. I went to the city while interviewing for two different weekends thinking it looked so spectacular from an architectural standpoint, but a different opinion when I moved there.

That's why Reading intrigues me so much. I want to see how my impression of the city will compare to other opinions I've read. I plan to take my camera and get some pictures.

Reading really has no boutiques or gay bars? Even Youngstown has those.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Easton, PA

[SPSGuy]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

That's why Reading intrigues me so much. I want to see how my impression of the city will compare to other opinions I've read. I plan to take my camera and get some pictures.

Reading really has no boutiques or gay bars? Even Youngstown has those.

I am not gay so never searched out gay bars. I would suggest maybe Wyomissing or West Reading for that. But I lived on the border of Reading and West Reading and could count the bars there, and I would say none were gay bars. West Reading has the boutiques. Downtown Reading itself not so much.

Do make a point to see West Reading. It is urban as well, historic and nice. Even Wyomissing (being a suburb) is a 1920 style suburb with housing that is all different and architecturally pleasing.