Something about a flag up high

Crisply. The tall pole in Clinton Square had a wonderful sky and great wind as the backdrop for Old Glory during my recent visit.

A new lane to consider

Careful opening that driver’s door. On my recent trip to downtown Syracuse, I had to navigate different traffic patterns. City planners had added a bike lane since my last time to the area. My thought? Clinton Square’s blocks already were tricky enough to navigate for vehicle drivers and walkers alike. Now there are less lanes…

Put the rink on ice?

Time for a real melt? During my recent trip to downtown Syracuse my walk past Clinton Square noticed that the arrival of spring has caused a bit of a melt for the skating rink. It may be time to take down the boards. Cement season is next. Who’s ready for music and entertainment weather?

It’s been a decade

Familiar and new. Some retirement business led me to downtown Syracuse last week. I had to haul out the iPhone to capture the still-notable Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Clinton Square against that cotton-candy sky. At right I noted the former big daily building with the title of its new purpose added at top left.…

Split loyalties

Orange side. With our season parking pass a thing of the past, a cool way to handle our Saturday night this-is-our-game-this-season excursion to the JMA Wireless Dome to watch Syracuse play Florida State. Shaughnessy’s Pub in the old Hotel Syracuse on downtown Syracuse’s Warren Street offered an intriguing plan. So we drove into their parking…

Chalk it up to individuality

At the edge of the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival sat Chalk Jam. All the hard-working, creative artists I asked said yet to my photo requests. I’m rooting for no rain for a bit to keep these pieces intact. This helps Syracuse stand out. International flavor. Amazing sidewalk pieces.

We’ll take a sunflower imprint

Nearing the end of our Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival stroll, my dear wife Karen and I were excited to come upon the artisan who sold us the piece we purchased for our backyard bird bath. This year we brought home a concrete piece imprinted with sunflowers. How lovely for our backyard. Again.

Keep the creativity going

I was excited to see the folks who put on the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival set up a special spot for the new generation to practice their creativity, too. This helps ensure festivals in the decades to come.

Celebrating the rich basketball history

I finally got to see the downtown Syracuse basketball mural orchestrated by significant city impresario Frank Malfitano with my own two eyes. Magnificent. Dolph Schayes, Earl Lloyd Jr., Manny Breland and Breanna Stewart look as if they can reach out and touch you. That’s the way to span a city’s rich basketball history. Great six-story…