A city of contrasts on Thanksgiving Day... A Sleepy Downtown Utica Skyline...Parkway alive and vibrant

Thanksgiving Day is a quiet day in downtown Utica, in contrast I took these images after the "Turkey Trot" at the Parkway which was alive and vibrant with hundreds of runners who chose to get up and out, and to help feed the needy.

Holiday Stroll In New Hartford Friday, 11/20 5-9pm

Photos from last years stroll

While you're out and about next Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday, be sure to check out all the holiday cheer at theNew Hartford Holiday Stroll. Santa arrives at 7:00pm.

"Open Up" Downtown

A Beautiful Evening Walking North on Genesee Street

Genesee Street with it's many historic and beautiful buildings clearly hold the key to the resurgence of Utica and the surrounding areas. Something that needs to be seriously looked into is the removal of the the bridge that creates a four corner divide not only with the downtown area, but also a divide between the North Genesee Street area and downtown. Every year tens of thousands of visitors get off the thruway and stop at hotels, restaurants and gas stations. When they look south all they see is that big "hump" of a bridge. The remedy would be to look into the feasibility of tearing down this bridge and utilizing the little used entrance to Genesee Street that exits to the right before the bridge heading south. Tearing down this bridge would unite all four sections of downtown including Union Station and the Baggs Tavern historic area, and create a more scenic and appealing entrance into Utica. This would really benefit any consideration of developing the Harbor Point area and to stimulate growth on the vacant lot areas next to the Auditorium.