Today we spent the day downtown. If you are familiar with Warren you might say - "The whole day?! Again I will tell you that Life is what you make it. Warren is coming along in leaps and bounds. A majority of the store fronts are occupied and most with retail spaces. We have a beautiful streetscape project that compliments our historical buildings and the Allegheny River. Have we made it back to awesome yet? Not quite, but we are definitely on a roll.
So here's to Warren and our endless potential - my 5 favorite things this weekend.
1. Allegheny Outfitters. Grand Opening TODAY! The new shop at 430 Pennsylvania Avenue is not only beautiful, it is a warm and friendly place. You truly have to check out the website - the Allegheny Outfitters are the premier canoe and kayak rental/sales choice in the Allegheny National Forest and Allegheny River. The store has a large selection of camping, canoe, kayak, and outdoor equipment. As an added bonus there is also a huge map room where you can get assistance in planning a hike, camping trip or river adventure!
2. Allegheny Cyclery Right next door to Allegheny Outfitters is Allegheny Cyclery. This bike shop sports the coolest display rack I have ever seen -
Something about the rack of gleaming bicycles gave me a bit of Spring fever. The back of the shop housed an efficient repair area. (I use the word efficient because it looked well organized - like someone was ready to kick some repair butt.) We were greeted quickly and there were several other customers who were getting some pretty in-depth information. If you are in the market for a new bike or equipment, this is definitely the place to go.
3. The Crary Art Gallery. Have I mentioned how lucky we are? This art gallery is truly a gem. The Crary was opened in 1977 by Gene Crary with an exhibit honoring her late husband, Clare. Since its debut, the gallery has featured numerous artists and workshops. There is also a permanent collection that is exhibited. The current exhibit is watercolors by Catherine Hillis. Urban Country is described as "watercolors of the city and country." This was one of our favorite paintings that was on exhibit. It is titled 'West 50th Street Gershwins Way.'
In addition to the physical exhibit, there was also a slide show of other work by Catherine Hillis. This is my favorite painting from the slide show. It is titled 'Vino Bianco de la Casa.'
4. The Warren Public Library. Our public library has a beautiful balcony gallery that they often have art exhibits. Since we were on a cultural roll (and we needed to drop off our used toners for recycling) we decided to check out the current exhibit.
All of this artwork was created by students in the Warren County School District. Amazing talent! The work was from all age groups, and many of the pieces featured an "Artists' Statement." I have to admit, we enjoyed some of the statements by the younger artists as much as we enjoyed the artwork!
Please don't forget to recycle your used toner and printer cartridges. Not only can you save landfill space, the library benefits.
5. Author's Bookstore. It makes me giddy when I walk into a bookstore and the first section I see is labeled "Beat." This shop buys and sells books, music, and other cool trinkets. I have bought something every time I stop in.
And the added bonus here - One of the owners has made awesome paper sculptures of Poe, Hunter S. Thompson, and Twain. And sometimes they come alive..
6. Phase Two. Being a bit of a clothes-horse, I can never pass by a wonderfully set window! Phase Two is a great consignment shop that has everything - and I do mean everything! The shop is packed with fashionable shoes, clothes and accessories. My favorite thing? Julia, the owner, remembered me by the boots I was wearing. I bought them from her..
This picture was taken from the upper balcony of the store - the selection is phenomenal! And thanks Julia - for your business suggestions and encouragement about my future endeavors!
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