Re: (erielack) Former EL Cities on This Sad List

[Njricky2_@_aol.com]

Maybe the Forbes article did us all a favor.  For the most part, we believe 
what studies tell us and take it as more or less "gospel".  Well, anyone can 
manipulate statistics to prove a point.
 
The response on this list about the so-called dying cities, Scranton, 
Youngstown-Warren, Cleveland, Buffalo and on has given this guy the desire to want to 
see these cities and decide for myself.  I didn't think about doing that 
until I read the responses on the list.  Cities reinvent themselves.  Scranton is 
one of them and so far, so good.
 
Buffalo for example, hosted the NHL Winter Classic outdoors on New Year's Day 
2008 when their Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Bills' stadium 
was sold out.  That event brought people and bucks to a city that's supposed to 
be dying and Mother Nature complied by delivering snow squalls.  One couldn't 
have asked for more and I'm sure that after this game that was televised 
across North America, Buffalo's pubs were full.  Perhaps one venue but Buffalo 
received a lot of attention.  Good for Buffalo.
 
If you get the chance, check out today's Scranton Times-Tribune online and 
see the feedback from some people about the Forbes article.  There are some who 
see the city moving in the right direction as it appears to be doing and then 
you get the ones I remember when I lived there.  They never had a good thing 
to say about Scranton and in some cases, they are correct, but not completely.  
Some still appear to have a desire to live in the past.
 
The thing that hit me were the responses that blame things on immigrants and 
in particular one response where they guy said that when he goes to a part of 
Scranton's South Side, he thinks he's in Juarez Mexico (by the way, the dude 
couldn't spell Juarez correctly).  That brought back a thing my grandfather 
said about a part of Scranton that when he went there, he thought he was in 
Naples Italy.  One has to laugh.
 
All immigrants are not illegal and Scranton seems to be doing it right when 
it comes to new arrivals of all ethnic groups, not just Hispanics but also 
Croats, Koreans, Pakistanis, etc.  Kids are going to school and learning English 
while keeping their first language.  Sure wish my grandfather had taught me 
Russian.
 
If you are there this weekend, go to Nay Aug Park as the Hispanic Day Parade 
takes place.  A lot of great food to taste and while it's a small venue and I 
mean small, it's very good.  And the food, well, see for yourself.  And yes, 
Hispanic Scrantonians speak English.
 
Did the papers in any of the other so-called dying cities report on the 
Forbes piece?  What was the feed back from the residents?
 
One of the posters on the list mentioned about the cities in the article 
having all been railroad cities as they were and are.  It shows me that if these 
cities have viable rail service, industry will grow and passenger service will 
come.  Once Scranton gets its passenger service back, it will continue to grow.
 
Perhaps its time to take vacation time and visit Youngstown-Warren, Buffalo 
and so on as they haven't been "discovered" and we can find our railroad 
history or what's left of its rebirth.  Scranton is a bit ahead on this one as a few 
months ago it was featured in the New York Times' "Escape" section as a city 
that's close enough to get to for a weekend and offers much in its downtown 
and surrounding boroughs.
 
Let's seriously consider going to these cities and spend our bucks in our 
country as many on the list have done.  Who knows what we'll find and who we 
might meet.  Sometimes we don't see the forest because of the trees.  I think the 
Forbes article did us and the cities on its list a favor.
 
Rick
 
 



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