Good afternoon my Northern neighbors!
Some time ago another forum member recommended that I scope out the Route 97 corridor as it parallels the Delaware River across from Wayne County, PA. Since I had to pick up a birthday present for my ex-boyfriend in Honesdale, PA today, I decided to take the extra 25-minute drive or so to check out Narrowsburg and Callicoon, both of which I was told were becoming "artists' colonies." After visiting both, I was
very disappointed. I had expected each of these communities to mimic Honesdale, Jim Thorpe, Saratoga Springs, Ithaca, and other well-known, culturally-vibrant, medium-sized communities. Instead, due to my own lack of research, I ended up in two towns that perhaps had a dozen businesses each.
I had expected to see two towns littered with Mini Coopers, Honda Elements, PT Cruisers, Scion xBs, hippies, hemp, liberal activists, and art galleries, while I found perhaps one of each all day on my journey.
Instead, I came across mostly pick-up trucks and people who would slow down and
stare at me as I walked down side streets, as if they were somehow alarmed or confused by the presence of a tourist.
For what it's worth though, every person I came across returned my greeting of "Good morning," which is what I use as a "friendliness" gauge when visiting a town for the first time.
While I was greatly-disappointed with my visits to each overhyped town, I must admit that I would
love to live in either community. Narrowsburg had a neat mill tower that dominated the skyline, and Callicoon had some awesome run-down buildings in its downtown that
intrigued my curiosity rather than discouraged it.
Route 97 between the two towns was smooth and freshly-paved, and it was listed as a "Scenic Byway" for a reason---the drive was absolutely
gorgeous!
On the way home I treated myself to exploring the beautiful agricultural backroads of Northern Wayne County, PA, which I also photographed. Enjoy!
(PHOTOS TO BE CONTINUED BELOW)