Lancaster - yes or no? (Reading, Bethlehem: hotel, townhouses, general contractor)

[PiperGrace]

I think it's important to distinguish Lancaster city from the county. The city and its immediate surrounding areas are friendly and more liberal (although, still more conservative than Philly).

I live in Lancaster city (getting ready to relocate to Charleston, SC for my husband's job, though) and my neighbors are extremely friendly. We have parties and they really look out for each other. I'm also within walking distance to everything in the city, which is pretty fantastic. There are tons of arts and cultural opportunities and the indie retail and restaurant scene continues to grow.

That said, I much prefer city life to life in the rest of the county (I've lived in Manheim, Lititz, and Elizabethtown). Although, I think some of the examples cited here are on the extreme end of things, and I haven't found it to be quite as horrible as depicted, I do think the city is a better place to live than the smaller towns.

Oh, and here are some interesting articles that refute a lot of what has been said in this thread: America's Most Livable City, 100 Years in the Making
Lancaster County tops national well-being index - Traditions of America

And the poll that resulted in the highest resident satisfaction in the nation:
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

[pman]

[LEFT]A new restaurant, Rumplebrewskins, has opened at the former home of Hall's Café at 834 N. Plum St.
New owner Donroe Giffing oversaw some $75,000 in renovations to the longtime neighborhood bar, adding new décor and furnishings while also revamping the menu.
The newly nonsmoking Rumplebrewskins has seating at a bar, some high-top tables and a small back dining room, said Giffing, who was a longtime bartender at the nearby 915 Café.
The menu features traditional bar food such as burgers, fries and a variety of sandwiches as well as wings with more than 40 possible flavors. Rumplebrewskins will offer crab cakes, a specialty of the former Hall's Café, on the first Friday of every month.

Read more: New life for old favorite: Former Hall's Cafe now Rumplebrewskins - Business[/LEFT]

[pman]

[LEFT]On Monday, Lancaster city's Zoning Hearing Board approved plans for conversion of a former tobacco warehouse into condominiums....
[LEFT]at 317-321 N. Mulberry St.
The zoners approved renovation plans to convert the building to 10 condominiums.
Stuart said there will be two condominiums on each of the five floors. The condos, with exposed brick and wooden beam finishes, will average about 1,800 square feet, she said.

Read more: Condos proposed for former tobacco warehouse in Lancaster city - Business[/LEFT]
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[pman]

[LEFT]... Here, the kitchen at local — has opened at 213 W. King St. The restaurant, which has seating for 28, is located inside Expressly Local, a grocery store specializing in a variety of fresh, local products.
...The restaurant has opened for lunch and will begin serving dinner next Wednesday. The small menu will rotate monthly with dishes in the $10 to $28 range, including soups, salads and sandwiches as well as dinner entrees.
Lunch hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dinner hours: 5-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, 5-10 p.m. Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Phone: 917-5530.

Read more: Here restaurant opens in Lancaster city - Business[/LEFT]

[pman]

[LEFT]When rain came splashing down several weeks ago, it swelled rivers and streams and pooled in low-lying areas around the county.
It created pools in Lancaster city's Brandon Park, too — "in all the areas that we wanted it," city Public Works Director Charlotte Katzenmoyer said of the small ponds created by the downpour.
Although unplanned, Katzenmoyer said the June 1 storm proved a good test for the unfinished stormwater improvements being made in the park in the city's southwest.

Read more: City park work proving its worth - News[/LEFT]

[pman]

[LEFT]Prince St. Café reopened Thursday after closing temporarily for nearly three weeks to complete renovations.
Owner Crystal Weaver called it "a fresh new design which honors what we love: the city and the people of the city" of Lancaster.
The new layout of the café at 15 N. Prince St. includes:
• About a dozen more seats, bringing total seating to close to 70, with a table for 10 near the back for breakfast and lunch meetings.
• A 19th-century street map of the Red Rose City on the wall behind the coffee counter.
• Pictures from the Lancaster County Historical Society.
• Barnwood benches facing one of the windows and along the wall to the right as you enter.
One added menu item is iced coffee that is cold-brewed, which Weaver said reduces the acidity by 67 percent to give the new beverage a smooth flavor.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Phone: 397-1505

A new look for Prince St. Cafe - Business[/LEFT]

[pman]

so, gnutella shows that lancaster city was the fastest growing municipality in the state last year

[LEFT]For Lancaster city's West Side, that place is the Chestnut Hill Cafe, where F&M students, retirees, busy professionals, teens, young parents with kids and work-at-homers like to get out and check out the neighborhood happenings

Read more: Chestnut Hill Cafe becomes a West End gathering place - Entertainment[/LEFT]

[Barciur]

The comments underneath taht article disgust me.

A Manheim Township man has filed a complaint against a Columbia restaurant for offering a 10 percent discount for diners who present a church bulletin on Sundays.

John Wolff, who is an atheist, filed the complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against Prudhomme's Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia.


Wolff said the practice discriminates against him because he does not attend church
"I did this not out of spite but out of a feeling against the prevailing self-righteousness that stems from religion, particularly in Lancaster County," said Wolff, a retired electrical engineer.


Sharon Prudhomme, one of the co-owners of the restaurant, said area pastors and religious leaders told her that anyone can walk in a church or synagogue and obtain a bulletin, without attending services.
Prudhomme said she has no intention of changing the discount program, which she created to bring more traffic into her restaurant on a traditionally slow day.


"I think it's a waste, to actually give it merit," she said of the filing of the complaint.
A Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission spokeswoman confirmed the complaint has been filed and there is an open investigation.


"He is alleging he was offered different service based on his religious creed," said the spokeswoman, Shannon Powers.
The restaurant's owners must respond in writing within 30 days to the complaint. Ultimately, the commission will decide if there is probable cause to support the complaint.
If that is the finding, the case will proceed to a public hearing, Powers said.

[LEFT]
Read more: Atheist files complaint against Columbia restaurant over church-bulletin discount - News
[/LEFT]

[pman]

The Red Rose Transit Agency took delivery Saturday morning of its first hybrid bus.The Gillig bus, No. 184, operates on battery power. A smaller-than-usual diesel engine recharges the batteries...The only differences are the height and comparative noise level of the hybrid. With 16 batteries on a rooftop box, the hybrid is 11 feet 2 inches tall, or about 6 inches taller than a regular bus...
The hybrids also require 30 percent less fuel than a diesel bus. If all of RRTA's buses were hybrids, it would save the authority $65,000 to $70,000 annually in fuel costs, Kilmer said...

RRTA gets greener with hybrid - News

[pman]

Lancaster Central Market named one of best in world | PennLive.com