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^^^Gosh where are you staying? I find the Hilton Garden Inn to be the freshest, just off I-81 at the Highland Park Blvd exit; the Best Western East Mountain Inn is pretty good, too ----very nice hillside location & grounds...both a few minutes from Central City W-B. Downtown Wilkes-Barre is long overdue for a first class hotel to replace the once elegant Sterling (now under conversion to condos); the two hotels there are fair, but dated.......I predict a new hostelry within five years.......safe trip! Let us know how it turns out!
On the West Side (Kngston, etc.), take a drive along the entirety (4 miles or so) of Wyoming Avenue east through historic Forty Fort (named for a Fort), Wyoming, West Wyoming . Forty Fort was once home to film studio p/o a NYC studio that produced silent films....westerns were made there.....until it was concluded that winters in NePA didn't compare to california weather and Hollywood won the toss...the rest, of course, is history........
I wouldn't label all of Wilkes-Barre as being untouchable by any means. The north end of town (Parsons and Miners Mills) is still a fairly-safe, tranquil area, and if you're looking for more of a suburban feel, there's a brand new subdivision called Pine Ridge Estates in this end of town that features newer-construction two-story detached homes with two-car garages (in the $250,000 range) as well as some townhomes. Parsons and Miners Mills are ugly (in my humble opinion they need more tree lawns and less on-street parking), but they are home to mostly stable, long-term residents, which makes it a fairly tranquil part of town. Parsons has a tiny downtown area along George Avenue that is home to conveniences (Schiel's Family Market, bars, barber shops, beauty parlors, florists, etc.), and both neighborhoods are about a five-minute drive to Downtown Wilkes-Barre via Wilkes-Barre Boulevard or a five-minute drive to the mall area via the North Cross-Valley Freeway. Another good area of Wilkes-Barre to scout out is the historic district near to Wilkes University, which is a tree-lined area filled with densely-packed and well-kept brick rowhomes and single-family homes within a 5-10-minute walk to downtown. Member "Karnak" lives in this neighborhood and could probably be of better service than I could. Other safe areas in the city include Barney Farms (an upscale early-90s-era neighborhood where the mayor lives), and Riverside Park (a 1970s-1980s-era neighborhood near Barney Farms). The city's three high schools are all a bit "rough," so I'd side with the others and recommend you send your children to Holy Redeemer High School, Wyoming Seminary, or the Bear Creek Community Charter School. I attend college downtown, and my father works downtown, so I feel comfortable enough with the city to advise you on what areas fare better than others. Parts of South Wilkes-Barre and "The Heights" are sketchy areas for crime, as well as the neighborhood just to the north and east of King's College, where I've had to run to my car at night on occasion due to the high crime.
Overall though I'd probably be inclined to agree with "Go Phillies." He was 100% right on the money when he said that the downtown is rebounding very nicely but that many of the city's neighborhoods are impoverished and depressed. I project that as the downtown continues its rebirth the positive effects will begin to expand into nearby walkable neighborhoods, but that might be another 5-10 years away. Scranton's crime rate is MUCH lower, and it has many more liveable neighborhoods (in my humble opinion), as well as more to offer in terms of public schools, parks, and festivals.
Whoever told you that Kingston is a bad area is probably off his medications (no offense). The only "sketchy" part of Kingston I've ever been through is west of Wyoming Avenue (Route 11) in the area around Schuyler Avenue near the old warehouses and railroad tracks, but even that area seems to be rebounding. I did a photo tour of Kingston, which you can find here:
Kingston has a very high concentration of college-educated professionals (many of my professors from King's College live here, along with many teachers, engineers, attorneys, doctors, nurses, etc.). If the town can attract such a literate population, then it certainly isn't a "dump." The one downside I see to Kingston is that if the levee ever fails, that town will be "Hurricane Katrina: Part II."
Nearby Edwardsville is a sewer (there's no polite way to say it). The town's main drag is lined with dive bars and vacant storefronts, and many of the town's homes look like they haven't had any exterior maintenace since 1940! It's a scary place to even drive through at night---I can recall dating a guy there and seeing drunks staring at my car when I was stopped at red lights on Main Street. If you're looking purely for "cheap", then Edwardsville is probably the place to invest in. However, I'm skeptical that the new Lowe's Home Improvement store that opened in Edwardsville in January will herald a "revival" for this town in the way everyone thought it would (it still looks like a pit to me about nine months later).
Plymouth, which is just south of Edwardsville, isn't much better, but I won't bash it in the same manner as I did to Edwardsville as I think there is a growing group of people in the town (such as Plymouth Alive) who want to see the town get its act together and improve. The town is likewise very impoverished and people don't seem to care about maintaining their properties (hence why every other listing from this town is a "handy man's special"), but I can see it bouncing back at some point---probably much sooner than Edwardsville will.
Forty Fort is like a miniature version of Kingston. It is home to a lot of tree-lined streets, narrow lots, sidewalks, professionals, and historic homes. The flip-side is that housing prices here are inarguably the most expensive overall in the entire Wyoming Valley West School District (which encompasses Forty Fort, Kingston, Edwardsville, Larksville, Plymouth, Swoyersville, Pringle, Luzerne, and Courtdale).
I'll likewise echo Go Phillies' comments about urban sprawl. The Back Mountain may seem nice, but in my humble opinion it's growing much too rapidly for its own good. There are problems at Dallas with school overcrowding---an extra lunch period even had to be added at the high school to accomodate the student influx. The Back Mountain area is now home about 30,000 people and is growing daily. All of the traffic funnels onto Route 309, which becomes wickedly-congested in places at rush-hours when people flood in and out of the mountain and Wilkes-Barre in the evenings and mornings respectiely. New subdivisions are springing up everywhere (Yalick Farms, Goodleigh Manor, Saddle Ridge, Marina Pointe, Rolling Meadows, Woodridge II, etc.) at a time when officials are still too ill-prepared to handle the growth. Mountain Top has about half the population of the Back Mountain (about 17,000 residents), so traffic and sprawl-related concerns there aren't as imminent. However, a new 3,000-unit housing development is in the planning stages, as are many more large subdivisions, so Mountain Top WILL become "Back Mountain Jr." in the next 5-10 years.
My top choice for relocation is West Pittston, which I featured here in a photo tour:
West Pittston, along with its neighbors of Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, and Harding, all comprise the Wyoming Area School District, which is among the more sought-after ones in Luzerne County. Wyoming is also a great town, but I don't have a photo tour of it as of yet.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you in your pending relocation, and welcome in advance to Luzerne/Lackawanna Counties!
We are staying at the Days Inn in WB. For 2 nights the price is $155.??. I didn't find anything that could beat that. Thanks for the info!!!
The Days Inn is right in the midst of the Wilkes-Barre chain retail area, so you'll be very near to just about every chain restuarant, big-box store, mall, etc. you could ever imagine. The Days Inn is along Kidder Street, which is the "dead" retail corridor, but Mundy Street and Highland Park Boulevard offer quite a bit if you're bored some evening and want to hit up Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Macy's, etc. You can't (safely) walk to any of those places from the hotel due to the traffic congestion, but just about every parking lot is singalized with turn arrows to make left-hand turns easy (as compared to Dickson City in the Scranton area where making left-hand turns have proven deadly in the past).
West Pittston, along with its neighbors of Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, and Harding, all comprise the Wyoming Area School District, which is among the more sought-after ones in Luzerne County. Wyoming is also a great town, but I don't have a photo tour of it as of yet.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you in your pending relocation, and welcome in advance to Luzerne/Lackawanna Counties!
I was told the you are the one to ask for things to do around those parts! Well my son is 8, we have sat, sun to do something fun for him. Because his fun is not driving around looking at the area. So give me your wisdom! To be honest, it was your photo tour and the fact that someone said they had a house for rent that made us want to come to Kingston. I will check out the West Pittston area too. I saw home for rent at Wilkes-Barre PA news, sports, schools, entertainment, and shopping | timesleader.com - The Times Leader and The Citizens Voice - News - Top Stories classified sections for other home rentals. Thanks everyone. Please the more info we have before we leave the better!
I was told the you are the one to ask for things to do around those parts! Well my son is 8, we have sat, sun to do something fun for him. Because his fun is not driving around looking at the area. So give me your wisdom! To be honest, it was your photo tour and the fact that someone said they had a house for rent that made us want to come to Kingston. I will check out the West Pittston area too. I saw home for rent at Wilkes-Barre PA news, sports, schools, entertainment, and shopping | timesleader.com - The Times Leader and The Citizens Voice - News - Top Stories classified sections for other home rentals. Thanks everyone. Please the more info we have before we leave the better!
Actually, I just opened your e-mail that you sent to my campus account, but I'll probably respond here instead since we're both online right now. There are plenty of things to see and do in NEPA that might be "fun" for your son.
Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour: Located in Scranton's McDade Park, the coal mine tour was something I enjoyed when I was in middle school. Retired miners working for the adjoining PA Anthracite Heritage Museum (which might bore your son), would take groups of people down into a real former coal mine in a mine cart. You would then walk around in the shaft while he would tell you more about the region's anthracite mining heritage (your son might cringe to learn that 75 years ago kids his age used to work in coal breakers!)
Directions from Hilton: Take I-81 North to the Pittston/Dupont Exit (#175). From here, stay straight and then get onto the onramp for the PA Turnpike (just past the Arby's on your right, about 1/4-mile or so from the I-81 offramp). Take the turnpike (also known as I-476) north to the Keyser Avenue exit, at which point you'll want to make a right onto Keyser Avenue. Follow this a couple of miles to the signs for the entrance to McDade Park on your left (I believe it's near a Greek Orthodox church). Altogether it will be about a 25-minute drive from the hotel each way.
Electric City Trolley Museum/Steamtown National Historic Site/Steamtown Mall: Located in Downtown Scranton, this area is a great place to visit to take a train excursion ride through the countryside, learn about just why Scranton is known as the "Electric City", and shop/dine at a beautiful two-story downtown mall. You know your son better than I do, so it will be at your discretion as to whether or not you think a train ride or learning about and seeing old trains, trolleys, cable cars, etc. would interest or bore him. I've personally never been on one of the train excursions, nor have I visited the museum, but I do love the mall (there's an awesome Halloween store in there on the first floor near the center court).
Directions from Days Inn: Take I-81 North to the Central Scranton Expressway exit (I think it's Exit #185). Follow the Central Scranton Expressway into the city, following the signs for Steamtown. When you pass the "Welcome to the Electric City" murals, make a left at the light onto Jefferson Avenue and follow the bend around the right onto Lackawanna Avenue. Make a left at your second light onto North Washington Avenue, and the Steamtown parking garage will be immediately on your right. Drivers in Downtown Scranton can be quite aggressive, so don't be discouraged if you get honked at or cut off (as I do all the time). This should be about a 20-minute drive from the hotel.
I'll add more ideas in a few minutes as I think of them.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 09-06-2007 at 06:55 PM..
Reason: Updated Directions to Reflect New Hotel Location
I just made a reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn.
The Hilton Garden Inn is very nice indeed. Good choice! You'll be more centrally-located to I-81 and the "hub" of the chain retail, restaurant, big-box store shopping area to occupy your free time. Give me a few moments to update my "directions" in the other reply to reflect your new location.
Also, if you scope out West Pittston be sure to stop at the Blue Ribbon Dairy along Exeter Avenue for ice cream. The easiest way to get to there would be to take Wyoming Avenue (Route 11) North all the way up from Kingston. When you are near the end of West Pittston, you'll come to a light with a Bank of America on your right. Pass straight through that light, but at the next intersection hang a left onto Exeter Avenue (no traffic light or signage). Follow Exeter Avenue for perhaps a mile to Blue Ribbon Dairy on your left (across from new townhomes). They have all sorts of flavors of ice creams, shakes, yogurts, etc. there.
Could you be more nicer and helpful than you already are? I'll tell you, you are a dime a dozen! Thanks!!!! I'll let you know how it turns out.
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The only "sketchy" part of Kingston I've ever been through is west of Wyoming Avenue (Route 11) in the area around Schuyler Avenue near the old warehouses and railroad tracks, but even that area seems to be rebounding. I did a photo tour of Kingston, which you can find here:
There are plenty of things to see and do in NEPA that might be "fun" for your son. 
