Coal Capital
It was getting pretty late by the time I arrived in Scranton--fortunately the city stays pretty lively late into the night.
I started my tour right in the heart of town at a very impressive plaza with war memorials (of course, always war memorials), a big monument to Cristopher Columbus (?) and a series of plaques honoring the great "achievers" of Scranton. Scranton likes to call itself the "Capital" of the old coal mine industry and boasts of having the first functional electric streetcar in the country.
I wander around a small but vibrant comercial district... up across a stream to a dark and abandoned area that's clearly not pedestrian friendly--so I head back into the heart of town past numerous churches that again point to this region's East European heritage. Some seemingly odd combinations in the church names ("Catholic Byzantine Church"? "Ukranian Greek Orthodox Church"?)
...On past a semi-abandoned University Campus (that's right, it is summertime)... and then back to the Courthouse Plaza where a group of skateboarders were still hard at play....
...Five Cities, five faces of the old coal mining world... a very satisfying day...
