As you know by now, Scranton took quite ribbing on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. In the greater scheme of things, it's really no big deal. We've heard it all before.
I did a little wandering yesterday, and I had a little more time to think about it. The anti-Scranton comments puts the city in a poor light, internally and externally. If you keep hearing how awful you are, you eventually start to believe it.
Case in point: Erie. I first visited Erie in the spring of 1994, when I was covering Tom Ridge's run for governor. Luckily we had a little time to kill, so a photographer and I drove out on Route 6, across the top of the state. If you ever have the time, do it. Route 6 is one of America's great roads.
When I got to Erie, I discovered a small, but nice city. Very Scranton-esque. It was once a manufacturing and shipping hub. Most of that has now disappeared, just like Scranton. Erie now has a slots parlor, and it's trying to re-make itself as a tourist destination. Downtown has a minor league baseball stadium, a hockey arena, and a performing arts theater. Retail has fled to the suburbs. Downtown has a couple colleges, government offices and a hospital. There is also a small restaurant/nightclub/bar area.
Summer and fall are gorgeous. If you don't like winter, stay away from Erie, where the lake effect snow is legendary.
I liked the trip so much, that I've repeated the journey several times. While there isn't much to do in Erie, the thrill is in the journey. Erie is not totally void of charm. There's a new bayfront hotel and conference center that I have yet to visit. There's a hotel I like about ten blocks from the lake. It has a nice restaurant and good cable television. Having a nice dinner, walking down to the lake, sitting on a bench, and watching the sun set is one of the great joys in life.
My usual route home is Interstate 86 and Route 17 through New York, just north of the Pennsylvania border. It's not quite as scenic as Route 6, but it's not bad.
Now, the attitude. The people of Erie have heard the jokes and put downs too often, for too many years. When I was covering the Ridge campaign, I asked some of the local photographers where I could go to shoot my "stand up" for the pieces we were satelliting back to our area. I asked for an area that really says you're in Erie. The reply: "We don't have one of those." A lot of people in Erie don't feel good about themselves and their city, and that's just wrong.
Erie and Scranton are a lot alike. They both have problems. Both aren't as bad as they're portrayed.
