What do you wish Scranton had to offer? (Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore: legally, safe)

[GM1258]

A nurse assisted sperm bank.

[SteelCityRising]

Some things I wish Downtown Scranton had to offer:

1.) Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Dean & DeLuca, or some other specialty grocer: One of these places Downtown would give Wegman's some stiff competition (i.e. price wars) and lure in suburbanites who otherwise would have had no reason to come to the city. However, these places look to establish themselves near large concentrations of affluence, so Clarks Summit would be the first place, if any, to land one. A grocer like this Downtown would also lead to more demand for housing in the city's core.

2.) Dave & Buster's: As others have said this place is a great way for families and adults alike to unwind and enjoy themselves at a reasonable price. Something like this would work Downtown. The Providence Place Mall in Downtown Providence, RI has one of these, so there's no reason why Steamtown couldn't be retrofitted somehow to house one.

3.) As someone who has recently gotten into kayaking I'll third (fifth? eighth?) Dan's idea for the Lackawanna Riverfront. I've been to the new park in Wilkes-Barre, and it's a great place. I wish it had been finished when I was still at King's so friends and I could have bummed around the farmers' market on Thursdays, picked up lunch, and then sat overlooking the river to chat, eat, and study.

I'll think of more as they come to mind.

[frank754]

I think that in this entire area (we live in W-B), we need some "whole food stores", vegetarian restaurants, maybe a few hippie clubs ("Grateful Dead/Phish venues"), a few microbrew companies (& pubs), more bicycle paths, maybe a few clubs that organize hikes in the woods and walking/touring/recreation for middle-age folks and singles (though I'm married and my wife hates the outdoors, I'd go), maybe a few New Age spiritual groups like the Unity Centers, Unitarians or Zen/Sufi/Yoga centers (but openminded and not cultish), even Pagan for that matter too, and stores that sell alternative stuff & imports, like Japanese art, Tibetan/Buddhist/Hindu art. For example there are a lot of small businesses dealing in all the above in Asheville NC where we moved from, even though the southern baptists are still in the majority it has a lively alternative movement. Eugene, Oregon, where I also lived a couple of years has all of that too, but those type of folks there are more in the majority, and they have a spring-November weekend event every weekend like the Farmers' Market here also on just 2 about blocks or so of space downtown, but vastly more varietal with all kinds of funky crafts booths, live music, food, and produce as well. There, cycling is more the norm on a much larger scale, and many prefer to bike than own cars. There, and in other parts of the U.S. in the summer, there are different Renaissance Fairs, like the one near Fulton, NY. They also have one near Charlotte, NC, near Clearwater, FL, in San Rafael, CA (near San Francisco), and in Eugene, OR (which is called the "country fair" of all names), but is the most colorful of all I've seen, and I've been to all of these venues at least once. If my wife saw this post she would say "get on with your life, you're not a kid anymore" (I'm 56), but I see all these elements as creating a warm and varied "mature spiritual cultural density" that any town/county/region could be proud of, and it also would make the area a lot more appealing for the folks of like mind. I'm sure there a lot of them here in our ranks, much more so than in NC, for example, but if they can do it there (which surprised the heck out of me, being a yankee), I'm sure that it could only enhance the culture here, to see more of this sort of thing.

[Magritte25]

They have a great children's museum in the mall, but it's only opened on weekends! They should expand the hours there. My kids love it!

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Penn State Worthington is the best hill for sledding.

We are lucky if we even get our streets plowed never mind blocking some off for sledding...The city was a different place 10 yrs ago never mind 20+.

The riverfront park in Wilkes-Barre is great. I am pretty involved with their river-fest every year and the new park is just a great place to have music and events.

Its a shame we have a resource like the Lackawanna River right here in our city and so far the LVHA is only group that sees it. The LRCA is a joke and Bernie McGurl is an idiot, its a shame actually because that group could be doing so much more.

The link I placed above was done in a river that is very similar to the Lackawanna in size and flow, elevation change and so on. I have put a presentation together on this and was planning on approaching some groups over the winter about it, we'll see. It might just be a little too progressive for our leaders.

You should try it. You never know.

[blip]

Originally Posted by The-Electric-City

So, I was just kind of bored and was thinking... A lot of people think that Scranton is boring and there is nothing to do. So, what do you wish there was to do in the area? If it was up to you, what would you bring to the area? Please, please, please do not bring politics or anger about the city into this thread, it is supposed to be FUN.

Here are my top 3:

1) I'd love to see the city be more friendly to walking and biking. I'd enjoy it a lot more here.

2) Another vote for a riverfront park & playground, with convenient access from the streets & bridges. Kayaking sounds like a great, unique amenity for it.

Redner's is up for sale-- that'd be a fine spot for a park. And then when Mount Peasant is deemed a lost cause, the park could even expand across 7th Avenue.

3) A good healthy grocery store in town, so I wouldn't have to head out to Wegmans or Everything Natural. But not a national chain..

My #1 is probably the least likely, but any one of these would be great.. All 3 and I might want to stay for a long time..

[memoriesbre]

Is there any good restaurants that offer dancing too? Like club music style dancing? Other than the Coloseum and Hardware bar and Woodlands?

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by blip

Redner's is up for sale-- that'd be a fine spot for a park. And then when Mount Peasant is deemed a lost cause, the park could even expand across 7th Avenue.

Redner's is for sale? Does that mean that Redner's will close, or just that they will lease the building from someone else?

[sp2007]

Not trying to be snarky or anything, but I just wish they had better paying jobs in the area. That's all, everything else is fine by me.

EDIT: Thats not to say that all the suggestions here aren't good, they are. But me personally, jobs is all I need to see an improvement in the area.

[blip]

Originally Posted by go phillies

Redner's is for sale? Does that mean that Redner's will close, or just that they will lease the building from someone else?

Yeah, the plaza is up for sale, but looks like their lease goes until 2030.. Wonder if they'll make it that long.

Some of you will get a kick out of the price tag:
Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate - The Shops at Linden Place, Strip Center, 550 N. Seventh Avenue, Scranton, PA