September 27, 20168 yr I just spent a few minutes "driving" around on google streetview...definitely one of the best-preserved small city downtowns in the United States. The interior of the State Theater is really impressive...probably nicer than the Taft or Emery in Cincinnati. It caught my attention that Brian Wilson was on the marquee...it looked very small from the street but it's one of those theaters where the entrance is just one storefront and then the theater is built in the interior of the block. That's how the Albee Theater was in DT Cincinnati.
September 28, 20168 yr I'd love to have seen that Brian Wilson show! Love Easton. They have one of the great high school football rivalries with their neighbors just across the Delaware, Phillpsburg NJ.
September 28, 20168 yr It doesn't have Nordstrom or a Cheesecake Factory crowned with the angel of Godiva but it is certainly the "prettiest" of all the towns in the Lehigh Valley. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 28, 20168 yr I passed through 15 years ago and 40 years ago. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is.
February 26, 20178 yr The thing I love most about the Lehigh Valley is how different the three large cities of Easton, Bethlehem, and Allentown are. They all have so much character. LANTA does a good job at connecting the urban centers with frequent transit as well. I could easily live there, and I think I would choose Bethlehem, but all three are great places.
February 26, 20178 yr Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton are all quite special. Bethlehem is definitely the most 'realized/revitalized' of the 3, is quaint and SteelStacks is an immensively impressive reuse of an old Steel Mill. Allentown is the immigrant hub, though, and feels a lot bigger with a more impressive collection of built form just awaiting investment. The allegiance/economic ties always felt more associated with Philly than New York. They need better rail connectivity but have very frequent fast bus services. I dated a guy in Allentown for a while and was up there often. Some really good Dominican food and a fun little gay bar called Stonewall, naturally.
March 5, 20178 yr ^ yes, to the north i think the poconos are sort of a dividing line -- metro nyc claims out to scranton and wilkes-barre. since service ended in 1970 there has always been talk of reviving the commuter rail line out there -- and some action too: http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20160517/NEWS/160519600
March 5, 20178 yr In one of my many "I Hate Ohio" moments, I looked at buying a home in The Easton/Bethlehem area. But the lack of train service soon pushed me to limit my westward investigations to High Bridge. I even toured some townhouses in High Bridge, but soon discovered Lancaster, then Poughkeepsie, then... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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