Promenade Update--The Schtunks

If you've ever had the chance to peruse my little tours of Elmira Downtown, you may recall a short piece regarding a possible renovation and upgrading of the walkway under the what we locals call the train trestle.

Recently the Star-Gazette--and the local television news, for that matter--have been running items to celebrate the acquisition of state and federal funding for the project.

I was surprised that nowhere in any of those pieces is there mention of the man (and his department) who did all the researching, visionary, not to mention legwork, for the project.

Business as usual at the local level.

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Little Pond

Heh Heh--read the comments section in the Star-Gazette post for local reaction to the Promenade!

Weekday spring morning at the library

The corner of Main and Gray. Good place to start any tour in Elmira. Lady inside the Community Bookstore gots lots of info; what she doesn't have, her patrons do. Look for chatty pensioners and their pets. I began to wander about, looking for good photos.

Heh. But of course. 

Went around the corner, to the Main Street side and some breakfast at "the" Cafe. Be very careful ordering here. The portions are huge, huge, huge! Best to select a couple of sides instead. Beats the heck out of the fast food places. 

Just beginning to look greener here. Wisner park will be busier this summer, especially on Thursdays, when the farmer's market occurs. 

Very shortly this entryway will be properly leafed out for spring. An inviting haven on a busy downtown day. 

Familiar facade to any Church Street commuter. Other building nearby have been designed to complement the Steele. Just across the highway, though, the architecture goes back to Works Progress days, or even earlier. 

Books and stuff. A perfect haven for many different types of people. Steele Memorial is a wonderful, short tour for a quick-pick-me-up on a weekday. 

Not just for kites, but also flags. That's Quezacoatl, isn't it? The kites used to be strikingly colorful here, but now the decor is punched up with bright colors all around. 

Halfway up the stairs, the kites are ubiquitous. With the broad floodplains and plenty of updraughts, the Elmira, NY area is excellent for kites, and famous for sailplaning. 

Mean looking critter. The creator must be thrilled to have it so prominently displayed. 

The back of the eagle kite. It's amazing anything that massive can float; but these are all working kites. 

There's always a huge variety of anything being exhibited at Steele. Kites are a spring regular. Quilts are popular, too. 

One more kite, just for fun. Note the display case below, full of tiny miniatures of a civil war battle. Also, get a load of the huge chess set! 

Note the desk and the floor display rack for size approximations. There are books on the rack about kites and chess, naturally. 

This popular activity is an everyday occurrence at Steele. Storytelling with a tour of the facilities. It's good to hear a non-hushed voice, although the adults are busily hushing the kids. 

Survivor quilt, women's answer to "survivor guilt," donated by a lucky lady. The writing squares are well-wishes from family and friends. And so down the stairs, into the pretty spring sunlight.