Allentown's Revitalization and Our Frame Of Reference

I suspect that the millennials are most enthused about the changes in Allentown, while the baby boomers are the least. How you feel about what is new there now, is probably based on your frame of reference.  We who experienced Hamilton Street in it's heyday are not so impressed with current developments.  Although the Whitehall Mall opened in the mid 1960's, Hamilton Street continued on for another 30 years. When the Lehigh Valley Mall opened in the late 1970's, Hamilton Street's decline as a destination was swift. Although the former Hess Brothers store would stay open through Christmas of 1995, most of it's shoppers entered and left via it's own parking deck, never stepping foot on Hamilton Street.

During the next 15 years, the downtown survived by serving the neighboring demographic, which was becoming poorer every year. Five years ago, when I debated about the coming NIZ on Business Matters, one of the NIZ board members actually referred to the stores being displaced and their clientele as a cancer. The same merchants and customers are now considered part of 7th Streets' success, what a difference a few blocks make.

Despite one promotional article after another by The Morning Call, the verdict is still out on the success of the new revitalized center city. Because it is being financed exclusively by public funds, and will be for at least the next 30 years, normal barometers of success cannot be used. I spend a lot of time there, but have yet to feel the buzz.

President Trump on Hope and Change

I was going to put up a picture of a murdered Christian woman in Syria, impaled by a cross, but it's just too horrible an image to use to make a point; That point being we're concerned about  words that hurt, or being perceived as xenophobic. While they bury those murdered by terrorists in Paris, Obama wants to accelerate closing Guantanamo Bay, he's worried about legal rights. To paraphrase a movie, Obama wants to bring a knife to a gunfight.

As details emerge about the police shooting in Chicago, apparently his inspirational speeches about Hope and Change hasn't translated into changing any facts on the ground, even in his home town, with his former presidential aide as mayor.

The press is appalled, because they think that Trump may have mocked a  reporter with a disability.  I'm worried about journalists being beheaded for trying to report the news, not Trump being politically incorrect.

I can't say that I'm surprised that hope alone doesn't do anything.  I think to the chagrin of my liberal associates,  if the election was held tomorrow,  ............

Allentown As The Little Apple

Before we start, if you're looking for some nice holiday sentiment, click away now, it's not here. I've called Allentown the Little Apple, but that's unfair to New York City. The comparison gives Allentown too much credit, even with the Revitalization. Understand, that the entire revitalized area is primarily owned by just one person, and that's just too freakish for anywhere, even here. Understand, that we have a newspaper that not only doesn't question that, it promotes it. Understand, that we have a mayor who is the center of a FBI investigation, who goes around like nothing's wrong. Talk about an elephant, or hippo in the room.

Bridge To Nothing But Higher Taxes

Mayor Pawlowski was preening on his facebook page that the new American Parkway bridge is #4 in the country, so I clicked on the link. I still don't know exactly what that refers to. Allow me to quote the author of the article in LV Business, When it opens, drivers will be able to travel on one road from the east side of Allentown near Coca-Cola Park and go over the Lehigh River to the city’s bustling downtown. I have a confession, I never understood the American Parkway, it's the road to nowhere. The new bridge, while being planned for 60 years, is of cookie cutter design, devoid of any uniqueness. All that it accomplishes is bypassing Union Blvd, and taking commerce away from the businesses there.  The Morning Call writes, At last, a link between Route 22 and downtown Allentown. I though that 7th Street already did that,  both quicker and shorter.  The photograph of Pawlowski and city council cutting the ribbon refer to them as dignitaries, which is better than defendants. That $36 million spent on the new bridge would have been better spend maintaining existing bridges. Both Pennsylvania and Allentown neglect their bridges until the point of no return, then build a new one.

Elsewhere in the news,  the midgets, aka state representatives and senators, voted down eliminating school property taxes, but will go ahead increasing your income and sales tax, what a surprise. The voters richly deserve this,  for voting for the same incumbents, election after election.

ADDENDUM/EMAIL TO CITY COUNCIL BY DENNIS PEARSON
;Mike Molovinsky states in his blog about the new American Parkway Bridge : "The new bridge, while being  planned for 60 years, is of cookie cutter design, devoid of any uniqueness. All that it accomplishes is bypassing 
Union Blvd, and taking commerce away from the businesses there. "
What does City Council and the Mayor say about that?
I tend to think that the Bridge may be a benefit to commerce in Hanover Township(Lehigh County) and it does provide an easier way for South Siders to get to 22 if they are going east and north in their travels. 
But It doesn't aid the South side in their travels if they are going west.
But as far as the East Side is concerned we have become bypassed as usual .... And maybe isolated .. The Bridge has no benefit or utility for us getting to downtown Allentown. We have to go out of our way to 
get on it. And as of January 2016 we won't have any resident on Council either and how many of us are selected to server on the cities various boards, commissions and authorities. Very few if any do serve .. Some of our best people are boycotted by the Administration because of their independence of thought. And soon the Tilghman Street Bridge will be closed ... When that happens we will be more connected to Bethlehem then 
Allentown.

photocredit:Emily Opilo/The Morning Call/November24,2015

Time Travel In Upside Allentown

A promotion group has released a new video showing the nightlife in Allentown. Those wanting to partake in the party will have to manage a little time travel, to either the opening night or best night of each venue shown. For the rest of us, we can get a small taste, but it's pricey, and sometimes not so good. I've received another bad report about dining at the Dime, now 0/5 in the Molovinsky Guide To Fine Dining. 

Between hockey season and more concert dates being announced, hopefully, this winter will have some real buzz downtown. However, that will require the city to step up the snow removal game. Climbing over dirty snow and ice mounds to plug overpriced meters, isn't so chic.

Allentown's Posturing and Reality About Refugees

Occasionally, Bill White thinks so much of his column, he has it placed on the front page, such was the case yesterday. White's headline was that fear about the Syrian refugees dims America's beacon of hope. White writes about a Iraqi refugee he met almost ten years ago. Last night,  Pawlowski told an interfaith gathering that as long as he's here, he'll do everything he can to support the refugees.  Six months ago, he wouldn't allow the Syrian community to raise their flag.  An article, which never made it to the Morning Call's hard copy edition, refers to the fears and doubts of current Syrian Americans, about the new arrivals. Also, according to Philadelphia news accounts, again never reported in the Morning Call,  over two hundred new  refugees arrived this weekend in Allentown.

While White and Pawlowski posture on about hope,  there was some news that should help reassure the local fearful. The local mosques, both Sunni and Shia, demonstrated against the terror in Paris this week. While the local Syrians of Christian background may be less involved with new Muslim arrivals than anticipated, the local mosques are well established, and very sensitive about perceptions from the greater community.

ADDENDUM:  The missing Syrian Christian refugees, according to Jonathan Witt, in The Stream