May 21, 2013

The Crassness of Allentown

The last several days I have been overwhelmed by the crassness of Allentown. Despite a $billion dollars in development, Allentown will never be a destination, because like Charlie Tuna, it lacks taste. It has become a tangled web of demolition and grant fueled insider development. Buildings will be built, and people will work here, but at five o'clock they will exit the city as fast as the poorly planned streets will allow. Every decision in the last several years has been based on private avarice, and promoted as progress. Half of the population is in a survival mode, the other half indifferent. We have a newspaper with reporters knowing that new ownership is inevitable, safely not raking any mud, grateful to have a job, and hopeful to keep it. Thanks for your visit, vote today.

picture of a Krass Brother, Philadelphia merchant of clothes.

7 comments:

  1. Mike,

    You sum up the situation nicely. It will be interesting to see the results on the D side tonight in the city. Always wanting more Ed sent a mailer to R's asking us to write him in on our side. Why?

    Scott Armstrong

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  2. hopefully benyo will not allow pawlowski to cross file as a mayoral candidate, putting three names on the ballot for november, instead of two. it should be pawlowski and donovan, not pawlowski, pawlowski and donovan. that would be benyo's third politically based decision this election cycle.

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  3. A recent presentation by the superintendent of the ASD indicates a precipitous, AKA - alarming, drop in student enrollment over the past few years.

    Is this a marker for the future of Allentown? More residents are leaving the city for a variety of reasons.

    The question is, which if any demographic will replace them?

    I for one am waiting to see how "successful" our inner city development will be.

    David Fehr Zimmerman

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  4. Scott, Could flecks polling of the voters tellthat Mayors is slipping because of giving away the water and sewer system and DoNOVAN will win in Nov and he is desparate to stay Mayor and hoping Repu blicans can support him

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  5. I passed by Sangria yesterday and observed Mayor Ed having lunch with some associates. Aside from his table, there was only one other table occupied in Sangria. At 12:30 PM. On a clear, nice day.

    Is Mayor Ed singlehandedly keeping Sangria in business? I regularly pass this restaurant (on my way to more moderately priced alternatives), and yet I never see more than 2 or 3 tables filled at peak eating times. During occasional evening ventures to that block of Hamilton (on my way to get a beer at Brew Works, of course) I see Sangria sitting empty.

    How is Sangria paying its bills? Are they receiving some sort of financial assistance? Because seriously - there is no way that place is in the black on its own merits. Nobody is ever there! The local politicians can use it as their own personal dining establishment, but the reality is, a place like Sangria has no chance of "making it" on its own merits in its current location. I predict that once the arena is built and our attention is diverted, Sangria will be quietly shuttered, just like Johnny Mananas.

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  6. monkey momma @ 7:53, yes, sangria was subsidized by a half $million dollar grant to butz. i also have been told that the new financial service tenant in the butz addition, is actually just a tenant from the older side of the building.

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  7. What newspaper ? There's a newspaper?

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