More Photos of Scranton's Rebounding Hill Section (Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton: appointed, crime rates)

[I LOVE PA!]

In my opinion, The Lackawanna Station Hotel! Paul, I'm sure you can put some pics here or maybe the link, I'm not as computer savy...

[SaraDunderMifflin]

Originally Posted by I LOVE PA!

Our family travels by car, the ride to NY is OK if you don't hit traffic, but there is a bus company in Scranton that has buses going into Manhattan everyday. The ride to Philly is pleasant, on the Pa. turnpike, no traffic ever, and it takes you right there, about a 1 1/2 hr ride.
Heating bill...I have a 1600 sq ft home, my entire house is electric, and in the summer we run 4 window A/C units all summer long because we just like a nice cool house in the summer, and our total bill for the year is $2,500. Thats heat, electric with 2 teenage girls and all their 'accessories' and the AC all summer, plus my husband decorates for Christmas like Clark Griswald.

Like Clark Griswald...LOL. Very funny. Wow, that's quite a small bill to what I was expecting. Amazing. I'll bet my gas/electric combo is rival to that, and I'm freezing in the winter, and baking hot in the summer... and it's just 2 of us in a 900 sq ft home. I'm impressed.

Sara

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

Here's some Scranton questions....

Shoot! I'm all ears (errr...eyes?)

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

If you wanted to go to NYC do you drive your car? Is there anywhere you can even park if say you wanted to do some touristy things then maybe find some delicious food? What about travel to Philly?

Parking your car in NYC is a BIG "no-no!" LOL! Even if you were lucky enough to find a tandem valet garage somewhere in Manhattan with spaces available, the rates can often be outrageous---some charge at least $8/half hour! NYC is much more densely-populated and less "sprawled-out" than what you may be familiar with in, per se, L.A. or San Diego, where parking may be more reasonable. With that being said, it may be possible to drive your car most of the way into NJ and then catch the PATH (light rail) into Manhattan. I'm unsure of what the parking fees would be at the stations in NJ, but I'd assume they're likely nearly as mind-boggling! Most locals who venture into NYC take a bus---Martz Trailways and JoJo's Travelers are two popular bus companies that I have frequented, and the ride, in each direction, is usually slightly over two hours from Scranton, which puts us into a reasonable range for a fun day-trip of hitting up Broadway to see RENT and chowing down on seafood at Bubba Gump's! Hopefully, we'll also have a commuter rail line in operation between Scranton and NYC by around 2012, even though this project has been hitting snag after snag after snag! I'd likewise utilize one of the bus companies to Philadelphia, as parking there can be at a premium as well. Also, Philadelphia, just like NYC, isn't exactly the type of city where you'd want to drive around aimlessly into random neighborhoods, looking like confused middle-class tourists looking for directions and/or a parking spot! You'd be eaten alive in certain areas for doing something like that.

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

Do any of those beautiful homes in the hill section have anywhere to park your car? Mostly street parking? I know they are quite close together neighbor to neighbor, but what about the back yard? Is there a smaller one.. maybe hardly any at all?

The north-south arteries (across the hill), have alleys to the rear of the homes that permit off-street parking behind the homes. There was also very ample on-street parking in this area as well though, as those who utilized the alleyways for garages, carports, parking pads, etc. freed up space in front of their homes for others to park in. The roads that run east-west (up and down the hill), generally don't have rear alleys, so street parking is essential. Most lot sizes in the city of Scranton seem to average around 40' x 150'---this isn't nearly as spacious as a suburban lot by any means, but it's just enough to allow a dog to roam, to have a garden, or a swimming pool. I think part of the "charm" of the Hill Section is that you are so near to your neighbors. In many planned communities around here, your homes are spread so far apart that you're discouraged from getting close to your neighbors. In the Hill Section, you can freely chat over backyard fences or across the street from front porches.

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

Does anyone want to volunteer their total on an average heating bill? Don't be afraid... our cooling bills here in the desert are pretty nasty.

I don't know about this one. I do know that my parents just paid $1.89/gallon to have our furnace refilled with home heating oil, but I'm unsure of the capacity of our furnace or how often we refill. With how mild, overall, our winter has been so far this year, I'd predict that the total bill wouldn't be all that burdensome.

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

I've really grown fond of everybody here on the board. Thanks for your endless well wishes and information

You're quite welcome, and we've grown fond of you as well! Now, turn around so I can take your cell phone and hide it in the ceiling block above your cubicle while my best friend Pam calls it clandestinely to set off your ring tone and confuse you! LOL! (I LOVE The Office!)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

Ooh, thought of one more.

Where would be a great/affordable place to stay in Scranton to check out the town and also tour around to some of the sights? You know, the East Coast essentials....the sign from the Office, The Liberty Bell, Conan OBrian. The stuff you need to see before you die.

Thanks!!

I'd recommend either the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel or the Scranton Hilton, both of which are in the heart of downtown, but both are also not at all "affordable", in my humble opinion. Just on the outskirts of the city are some other options, including the Hampton Inn and Marriott Courtyard Hotels on Montage Mountain, both of which might be more affordable, as they're a five-minute drive to downtown. Clarks Summit is home to a Ramada Plaza Hotel, a Days Inn, and the Inne at Nichols Village, and these are also between 5-10 minutes from downtown. Dickson City has a Residence Inn by Marriott, and this is also around 5-10 minutes from downtown. 15 minutes from downtown, in the Pittston area, you have a Holiday Inn Express, Quality Inns, Super 8 Motel, and Knights Inn, the latter two being the most affordable.

[SaraDunderMifflin]

Thanks for all the info! I've been trying to set some preliminary vacation plans. I found suprisingly cheap airfares from Las Vegas to the Wilkes-Barre airport...only $150!!! Can't beat that. My husband wants to go to Hershey Park, too, and ride all those crazy rollercoasters. I'll probably just cheer from the sidelines
I heard there was a big car wreck in PA? Anywhere near you?

Sara

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by SaraDunderMifflin

Thanks for all the info! I've been trying to set some preliminary vacation plans. I found suprisingly cheap airfares from Las Vegas to the Wilkes-Barre airport...only $150!!! Can't beat that. My husband wants to go to Hershey Park, too, and ride all those crazy rollercoasters. I'll probably just cheer from the sidelines
I heard there was a big car wreck in PA? Anywhere near you?

Sara

Hello again Sara! You're quite welcome for the information, and I did snap your Nay Aug Park photos for you. You can find them at this link:
//www.city-data.com/forum/penns...-aug-park.html

That massive multi-car pile-up happened out in Erie County, along the Lake Erie shoreline, where a blinding lake-effect snow squall lead to icy conditions, and, unfortunately, the death of one person. That crash happened about four hours west of Lackawanna County.

I'm with you---I'm terrified of roller coasters as well, especially after I saw the gruesome opening to "Final Destination 3," in which people were flung one by one from an out-of-control rollercoaster only to meet grizzly deaths! I don't want to sound morbid, but you're never getting me on a roller coaster ever again! LOL!

By the way, I'll be uploading a new photo tour of Wilkes-Barre, PA, Scranton's "sister city", in about twenty minutes, so check it out!

[MB2]

Hey you guys
The station hotel is the place to stay, front and center with everything. (Unfortunately, not that cheap!)
My husband and I are nutty people and go to NYC and Philly with our car, but, I took the bus in the past. (Hubby says something about making own schedule, come and go as you please, and having "freedom", and being independant......LOL!!!
Trust me, I have seen areas and sections I never, ever want to see again, because we happened to drive trough them. So, here is my advice.........For the sanity, safety and wallet, do yourself a favor and go by bus.

[SaraDunderMifflin]

NY has never been a huge draw to me, but if I go to the East Coast, I need to atleast see it once. I've only seen it on TV/movies/etc. Have you seen that episode of the Simpsons where Homer goes to NY and everything goes wrong? It seems just like something that would happen to me. I definitely understand about having the freedom to go where you want, and leave when you want. In LA there is no other way to get around besides your car... heck, in California there is no other way to get around besides your car. San Fransisco has an awesome transit systerm (BART) but if you live where I do, you still need to drive 6+ hours to get TO Frisco, then park your car (good luck with that) then enjoy the BART.
The Station hotel looks beautiful. I love reading the reviews of hotels. These people are so complainy and I can't imagine them ever being happy. I literally read one that stated, " Said there was going to be 2 plasma TVs. There was only 1 plasma TV and one regular TV. Very disapointing." I hope I never travel with these people! You can't trust these travel reviews. People tend to complain if they had a bad experience, and say nothing if it was good. Plus some of these people don't have any grasp of what travel is all about. Another famous one was for the oceranside condo we stayed at in Hawaii (fyi everything is pretty much ocean side in Hawaii...that's what makes it so good!). The review said, "the pool was too small". LOL! If you go to Hawaii and spend that time in the pool than you might as well have stayed in Malibu. They always make my husband and I laugh reading the reviews and imagining these grumpy people all upset that their Hawaiian vacation got ruined from the pool.
C'est la vie...
Sara

[I LOVE PA!]

Wow, Las Vegas to Wilkes-Barre only $150!! Maybe we should swap places for a week I have never been to Vegas! Sara, pics on the Marriot Courtyard on Montage Mountain are very nice, and lowest price is around $109. a night. Even if you didn't stay at Lackawanna Station Htel, you could always have brunch there on Sunday, or dinner some evening.

[SaraDunderMifflin]

I know! Can you believe that airfare? Some days it's $1000, and others it's only $150. I was hoping to get money back from my taxes, but sadly I owe ($60) which really has put a damper on the vacation. Not forever, though.

Vegas is crazy. It looks just like what you've probably seen on TV. At night the lights are so beautiful. It really is an adult playground. My father works in Vegas doing slot machine repair. My husband and I are pretty tame, so when we go we don't really drink or gamble, but the food, the shows, the things to look at are quite spectacular. Ooh, the food. I love to eat and shop and in Vegas there is so much to eat and shop that even celebrities would run out of money We stay in the cheap rooms, but if you want to spring a little $100/a night will get you a very nice room.
When I used to wait tables I talked to a lot of foreigners and travelers who had seen Vegas for the first time. The reaction was quite mixed, from those who fell inlove and those who hated it. I guess you never know until you see it. I love it, but I grew up going.