In honor of Nardi's birthday, Mary and Nardi, Mitch and I drove out 80 to Steamtown in Scranton, PA. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Scranton had a lively railroad history based on anthracite coal and as a transportation hub for the northeast. Steamtown strives to preserve the history of steam railroading in the US and offers a lovely new visitor center, museum, train rides, and a roundhouse and workshops filled with tools to maintain and restore the old locomotives and cars in the collection. We walked across the RR yard into downtown Scranton for lunch. The town, full of colleges and universities today, doesn't seem as depressed as many American cities that have lost their industries. We had brunch/lunch at Mother's Table where prices seem to be about what they were in 1970 - just perfect! Here is a link to my Picasa pictures of the days outing.
Yes, it was cold and windy. The ranger said, "Welcome to Scranton where it's always November." I don't think that's true - heat and humidity in the summer are supposed to be terrible. But we had a great time, Mitch held up pretty well, and it was good to be "traveling" again. Steamtown is highly recommended.
