"You can always go...Downtown."

  Petula Clark had a big hit with the song
'Downtown' in 1964.  But 'downtowns'
were different back then.
  I did my exercise walk through center
city Pittston the other day.
  There's a small shop on the main drag
that has some paintings on display in
its front window.
   I could almost hear Petula singing as
I looked at the art work. Each depicted
the very street where I stood. But each
was set in either the late 40's or early
50's.
  One showed a long line of people waiting
to get into the American Theater to see
Debbie Reynolds as 'The Singing Nun.'
  Cars were crowded into every
available parking spot while others
traveled back and forth on Main Street.
  A smiling policeman held one hand in
the air and the other on his whistle as
he happily directed traffic on the
thoroughfare. The sidewalks were
filled with shoppers headed towards
Woolworth's or any one of the other
shops pictured in the painting.
  Then I looked up!
  Main street still has some very good
looking business places, And they're
easy to find because of the way they're
tucked in between vacant stores and
buildings that I like to call "used to bes."
  Near as I can tell there's a parking lot
where the old American Theater once
stood.
  And speaking of parking....here's when
downtown Pittston really shines. You
pull up to a meter...get your quarter
ready...then realize the meters are just
shells! There's no 'insides'...no place to
deposit any coins! Yep...parking is 'Free!'
  And there's usually plenty of it.
  The crowds that waited in line for
movie tickets or to go shopping are
apparently lined up  somewhere else
these days.
  I walked about a mile and a half and
probably saw about two dozen people.
  As far as the policeman directing
traffic....when was the last time you saw
any policeman doing that?
  Heck there was a time in downtown
Wilkes-Barre when one of the
patrolmen actually made the news
occasionally as he did a sort of dance
routine while keeping the cars moving.
  Of course traffic on Main Street in
Pittston has been 'One Way' north for
many years. And since you can't drive
south many people never see the
fading, painted sign on the side of the
city's tallest commercial building.
  It reads WPTS. An old ad for a truly
local AM Radio Station that once
served a once busy city.
  But it's also a sort of sign that
reminds us the 'good old days'
downtown are long gone!
 Sorry Petula. There are no movie
shows in this downtown anymore.
  The 'noise and the hurry' are pretty
much gone too.
   And if you try to 'linger on the
sidewalk where the neon signs are
pretty' you'll likely get cited for
loitering by one of those cops who
aren't directing traffic any more.
   Of course Pittston isn't unique!
   Nanticoke's theater was ripped
down years ago.
   Mr, Peanut vanished from the
streets of Wilkes-Barre even before the
'Agnes Flood' of 1972.
   And the Department store where I
used to see Santa in Hazleton now
stands halfway demolished waiting
for somebody to finish the job.
  Guess that's why I like looking at
the paintings of downtown Pittston
the way it used to be. It's nice to let
your imagination take you into the
canvass for a moment or two.
  You can almost hear Patula singing
'Downtown, you're going to be alright
now.'
  Hope you have some happy downtown
memories and that all of your NEWS
is good!