Early this morning I was imagining J. B. Reilly's reaction to Don Cunningham's column identifying the boroughs surrounding Allentown as the new haunt of the millennials. He wrote about a packed old tavern in Hellertown serving craft beers, with a food truck instead of a kitchen. While J. B.'s spending $millions of our tax dollars building designer palaces in center city Allentown, Donny says that the target audience is starting to hang in places like Emmaus.
Hopefully, J.B. will forgive both Donny for writing the article, and his tenant, The Morning Call, for publishing the piece. The Call is between publisher/editors right now, with Robert York having been transferred to the Daily News by Tronc, the current outside media giant owning the paper.
Before York left, he told me that my agenda seems to be taking the paper to task. While I had always fancied this blog as the intersection of local politics and history, I'm willing to also accept York's description of this site as an additional mission.
Lol
ReplyDeleteAdd the Buckey Tavern (Macungie), Alburtis Tavern, Shelby's (T-town), and so many more 'hangouts' that young people frequent and yes, it spells trouble for the downtown. Fun places are complimented by close-in, free parking, and a safe short walk to the car.
ReplyDeleteMany cites have a 'less then desirable section'. But they are off to the side: like the north side or south side.
ReplyDeleteIn Allentown's case they are developing the downtown right in the center of the ghetto. They should improved the quality of the citizens first.
Younger, more educated, and white millennials also have the money & time to sit and order craft beers and the like. Frequently, with fewer or no children, they can congregate in suburbia to eat & drink in leisure. Furthermore, the watering holes are easier to get to and park than downtown. As this demographic ages and has children, they are becoming the swing electorate, between the urban centers favoring the Democrats and the rural areas the Russpublicans. Whoever carries the suburbs increasingly decides who carries statewide offices.
ReplyDeleteHe who speakers with forked tongue would sell grandma's into slavery too, if it's pocket got some?
ReplyDeleteTrent: in our case, 'suburbia' is about 3 miles from the NIZ. This is not NY or Philly where the evil suburbs are miles away and an hour or more by transportation. The sainted millennials can easily choose to dine downtown. If they don't it may have more to do with the location of the restaurants than where they live.
ReplyDeleteSuburbia and all of its amenities are more palpable than the golden palaces located in or around Hamilton Street. First, costs do play a part! Second, safety is a main concern. Hamilton Street is perceived as trouble. In reality it is not. however, to get there you have to drive through the hood where at any time a stray bullet may have your name on it. Third, parking is a major problem. The burbs usually have close and ample parking available. For these reasons alone operators are fighting an uphill battle!
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the foregoing, I don't believe J.B.'s strata lofts are doing as well as he proclaims and they have added little or no economic stimulus to the dinning and drinking genre on Hamilton Street. Also, the generated employment, spurred on by the taxpayers generous contributions, have not shown any appreciable gains in high end lunches or happy hour attendance.
I doubt the location of the restaurants has much to do with it, as "millennials" (whatever that means) are generally happy to go all sorts of places.
ReplyDeleteThe issue with the downtown places is generally the cost. These restaurants are "throwbacks" to days when Allentown executives and business meetings brought diners to high end places in sufficient quantity to keep them in business. For the rest of us, especially those with families, such meals are reserved for weddings, anniversaries, and other special occasions...which are not enough for such a density of places to stay viable. Lehigh County and BB&T's loan department are not expensed like that.
A Tap Room with a Food Truck is much better fit for the economic reality of most young people in the Valley. That said, I was stunned when I went to dinner in Bethlehem with my wife and paid out $80 bucks for a appetizer, two burgers, a couple beers, and a dessert.