Be a Dunderhead

Be a Dunderhead!  No, not the old type of dunderhead, but the new type as in fans of  the hit NBC television show The Office which is set in Scranton.  In general, people seem to either love or hate this show.  I admit I had to watch a few episodes before I could decide if I loved it or hated it.  Here was a show that was alternately shocking, funny, offensive and occasionally made me squirm.  Yet, the characters are fascinating and well played, and the humor is there without an offensive laugh track trying to tell me when to laugh.  The themes are topical, and the faux documentary style is fresh along with much else about the show's style.  Watching The Office is not indulging in warm milk and cookies, it's chips and hot salsa washed down with cold beer.  I guess I'm a Dunderhead!

Peeping Toms

Whatever they are, they must really love to read!
(f3.5, 1/1000, ISO 125)

Wyoming Valley as Seen from Montage Mountain

This is the view half way down Montage Mountain, looking west across the Wyoming Valley.    At the bottom of the mountain, hang a right for Scranton, The Electric City, or make a left to get to Wilkes-Barre, The Diamond City.
(focal length 26.8mm, f4.5, 1/640, ISO 80)

Sno Mountain in Summer

This view of the top of Sno Mountain ski area is from halfway up Montage Mountain at The Shoppes at Montage.  The slopes in the picture may look like a big bunny run to some, but they  drop over a thousand feet into an unseen depression behind the clock tower.   Alpine adrenaline addled extreme skiers will be yawning at the 1,960' peak, but Sno Mountain offers some of the best downhill skiing in Pennsylvania with seven lifts and thirty runs, a quarter of which are for experts.  

(focal length 45.5mm, f/5, 1/320, ISO 125)

Scenic View From the Northwest

This is a view from the northwest side of the valley where the Endless Mountains begin.  The Pocono Mountains begin on the far side of the city.

The Courthouse Clock Tower

This may be a lofty subject, but I think it is high time clock towers get a greater  degree of the attention they deserve,  especially a courthouse clock tower that presides over the doling out of time.

The Veterans Memorial Plaza

Flags, fountains and the federal building along with some beautiful monuments add interest to the city center.

The Cigar Club

The city may be small, but it caters to many tastes.  So sophisticated.  Not always so healthy.

Lackawanna County Courthouse

The county courthouse sits right in the center of  downtown Scranton.   Lackawanna county is one of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.  The building has a weighty physical presence that harkens back to the days when coal was king and Scranton was an important hub of the anthracite coal industry.

Trains at Steamtown

The Steamtown National Historic Site is located next to The Electric City Trolley Museum.  There is a museum and numerous period trains on display.  Just as the trolley museum runs excursions on a restored electric trolley car, Steamtown has  train excursions with period cars being pulled by either a vintage steam engine or a historic diesel-electric locomotive.

The Electric City Trolley Museum

The Electric City Trolley Museum
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An Early Version of an Electric Rail Car

Many examples of early electric rail cars can be found at the Trolley Museum located next to the downtown area.

The Origin of Scranton's Nickname "The Electric City"

In 1886 Scranton became the first city in the nation to have a continuously operating electric streetcar system.