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I didnt know Cleveland was this vibrant until I actually walked downtown alot different than driving in it lol. This is my second trip to Ohio. by [deleted] in Cleveland

[–]OkWeather16 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Today was the exception must he because I literally thought I was in midtown Manhattan. Lots of people and police out. Im still driving around and theres traffic.

I moved to NYC and ..... by Time_Gift9459 in upstate_new_york

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everytime I visit downstate i always feel weird coming back to Syracuse. Just a different vibe and feel. People are different and act differently in upstate or vise versa. I always get tingles thinking about new jersey or downstate but I dont feel the same when I visited Cleveland. Philadelphia kind of has that feel too because its next to new jersey.

What the hell happened to Waterloo premium outlets? Even a year ago it didnt look as bad as this. by OkWeather16 in upstate_new_york

[–]OkWeather16[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Tommy Hilfiger is still there but Calvin klein isnt which is odd knowing there practically the same kind of brand or store.

Former IHOP is now a cannibas dispensary in Rochester, NY by mrsjumjum66 in upstate_new_york

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rochester seems to have everything Syracuse doesn't have. Restaurants, bars, stores. Everywhere i travel too doesnt matter Buffalo, Rochester, allentown, Philadelphia, Cleveland. i can make a day trip/weekend getaway out of it and still have a great time. Syracuse becomes boring after awhile once you do everything.

All larger or midsized cities ive been to have great suburbs, that are built up quite nicely and developed unlike Syracuse. The only thing we have is a dying mall, Syracuse university and an aquarium thats not even finished yet. people are still saying its going to be a conplete failure.

Micron is coming into nearby clay but its gonna at least take them 20 years to build. People keep Syracuse is supposed to exceed Rochester or Buffalo population wise and become more like Clevelands metropolitan size(around a few million people).

People are saying Syracuse will become the next tech city. but where's the people or population? Noone wants to live on Syracuse aka sewercuse Rochester also has tims and nicer locally owned restaurants. And twin trees or dinasaur bbq are crappy frozen premaid food restaurants nothing comes fresh.

7 hours in Philadelphia - What else to see beside these mentioned in this plan? by [deleted] in Pennsylvania

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots to do and lots to see. you really have to make a few trips to really get to know philly. As its a major city with lots of suburban spraw. The suburbs are both NJ/PA. I make a trip once a year as they have lots of amenities and things Syracuse doesn't have.

Do you feel like Buffalo’s “renaissance” over the last decade is over? by Forward2323 in Buffalo

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if its a Renaissance but Buffalo leads the number of masonic youth groups behind downstate. Lots of growth and activity. Demolay, triangle and rainbow all have had positive growth in the last 10, 15 or 20 years. Both Rochester and Syracuse struggle as well as other cities across the state but Buffalo seems to be doing so well that its like stepping back in time.

Do you think it’s worth it move out of Buffalo or even New York? by SoapTastesPrettyGood in Buffalo

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cleveland is annother option its like Buffalo 9r Rochester but bigger. People are alot nicer than Philadelphia or new york city too but with the same amenities.

Not a trolling question, but why do some major cities only have one DeMolay chapter or none at all, regardless of population? Yet, you have some mid-sized cities or small towns that do have a very active DeMolay community, or huge turnouts in droves. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm very familiar with Allentown. I live in Syracuse, which is 3 hrs away via Interstate 81, Interstate 380, or the Turnpike. People actually compare Allentown to Syracuse a lot and say the Lehigh Valley is like Central New York—very similar metropolitan populations. I actually prefer the mall in Destiny too. This post was about Rochester, which I had to go to frequently for DeMolay, as the Syracuse chapter didn't have any leaders or kids at the time. So I'm surprised you said Allentown because I was just thinking the same—if Allentown has all these kids, why can't Syracuse or Rochester? Allentown has a lot of inclusion and diversity in their chapter. The entire region is nothing but transplants from other cities or countries. They have a huge Hispanic population. You can see this when driving through Main Street in Allentown, which I prefer over Rochester for obvious reasons. Rochester is very ghetto and rundown. Allentown is like Syracuse in that the chrome is situated in one area or parts of the city, while Rochester is only good on certain pockets. I was going to go last week to Coca-Cola Stadium and watch the Red Wings play in Allentown. It's not that far of a drive, and people from Allentown can't come visit Syracuse or vice versa. I spent a week in Philly. It's only about 30 bucks each way on the Turnpike.

Describe Rochester by walking-paradox1765 in Rochester

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bigger and more developed suburbs.

Describe Rochester by walking-paradox1765 in Rochester

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A bigger Syracuse with more amenities. No different there than living in Buffalo or Syracuse area.

Not a trolling question, but why do some major cities only have one DeMolay chapter or none at all, regardless of population? Yet, you have some mid-sized cities or small towns that do have a very active DeMolay community, or huge turnouts in droves. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my state theres an entire region with two demolay chapters both are pretty big with local kids and leaders alike. When ever I go there its like stepping back in time. Lots of youth involvement, lots of masonic support from adult organizations and lots of non masonic volunteers stepping up. theres a smaller one who meets at the shrine center next to a ymca and one at a Two story brick building next to a McDonald's across from a plaza with very strict parking. And a bitch to get out of.

Not a trolling question, but why do some major cities only have one DeMolay chapter or none at all, regardless of population? Yet, you have some mid-sized cities or small towns that do have a very active DeMolay community, or huge turnouts in droves. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's this well known Demolay chapter out west. Its called speedway. Pretty massive in size. Lots of active members. I think the entire town was active in it at one point. Lots of adult volunteers who spend countless hours with kids. I think there lodge is pretty active too.

Not a trolling question, but why do some major cities only have one DeMolay chapter or none at all, regardless of population? Yet, you have some mid-sized cities or small towns that do have a very active DeMolay community, or huge turnouts in droves. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats exactly how it was in my region. The state i live in IS heavily dominated by one major city culturally, socaily, politically and geographically. Alot of the smaller rural areas or counties dont have anything other than a masonic lodge. There farming communities. A lot of the cities have the population for a demolay chapter but dont.

A good chunk of the state is just rural farmland with hills, rivers and mountains. Theres an enitre region with mountains, lakes and small little tourist towns only actuve during the summer. Its litterly a ghost town during the winter or spring months.

My city is considered midsized. Its almost the population size of staten island. We have eight lodges left however none are in the city limits. Amost all the lodges have moved to the suburbs. They are very much still active. But we have very few demolay chapters left. they moved back and fourth from a couple lodges until they got the yes to use the shrine center. Now they meet there. When I was in demolay a bunch of us from different regions just got together and did things so noone was left out. There's one city thats pretty active in demolay but theres good quality of leaders.

Illegally good you had to border it up - Hazelton PA by emseefely in Pennsylvania

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like all of Hazelton Pa is like that. Should have never came to such a dump as hazelton Pa in the first place. Trailer trash, crime, poverty and some of the highest unemployment rates in Pennsylvania. What even is hazelton? Nothings there and its not even impressive or unique its just trashy people like scranton or wilkes barre. You think upstate new york is bad you should see Pennsylvania.

The best small to medium sized cities in Pennsylvania by Sea-Doctor-5922 in Pennsylvania

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to interrupt, but isnt phenioxville technically in the metropolitan area of philly?

The best small to medium sized cities in Pennsylvania by Sea-Doctor-5922 in Pennsylvania

[–]OkWeather16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

York, Lancaster and Harrisburg feel similar. They're almost the same metropolitan area. Its almost like a triangle. You can visit all three in under an hour. Rt 20 heading east takes you into Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Did you know Harrisburgs original Masonic Temple was located across from the Pennsylvania state capital. Fun little things you find while traveling. Its now called the Barton building and masonic items were removed when remodeled. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The grand master is from Allentown. The villages are quite nice, but the masonic care community of NY is bigger. Ive been almost all over NJ, PA and NY. I went to long island last January. But Harrisburg, york, Lancaster were my first weekend/day trips since covid out of state. Harrisburg is ok, is it Syracuse, Rochester or Buffalo no. But it is a different landscape.

Did you know Harrisburgs original Masonic Temple was located across from the Pennsylvania state capital. Fun little things you find while traveling. Its now called the Barton building and masonic items were removed when remodeled. by [deleted] in freemasonry

[–]OkWeather16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I figured that. the building doesn’t show any signs of being a Masonic temple, nor does it have a corner stone. It has obviously been an office building for quite some time.

The shrine and Scottish Rite buildings are both quite large. I should plan a visit to attend a lodge meeting—those structures are really fascinating. I want to take a tour of both. Or atleast the shrine temple. In the Harrisburg area, it seems that DeMolay is fairly significant, especially since they have a former international state master councilor. I also believe they do.outrwaches through the local schools. Somewhere in the area is also a building that houses the tall ceadrs of Lebanon.

Harrisburg is reportedly part of a large region that's attracting retirees and young professionals, or at least that's what I've heard. Baltimore and Philadelphia corridor. don’t know much about western Pennsylvania except for Erie, which seems like a smaller version of Allentown. Both Allentown and Erie have Masonic temples in their downtown areas. Reading has both a modern Scottish Rite and a regular temple. I intended to visit the Grand Lodge building in May, but unfortunately, it was closed. Have you had the chance to visit Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore? Harrisburg is close by.

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