10 hrs, 18 kms

Actual date: May 28, 2015

I'm excited about exploring Altoona--it's been a while since I did a "first time" exploration of a city here in the US . Altoona is the 10th largest city in Pennsylvania. All the other 9 I've already Pakbenched--except for Erie.

From the distance, it looks appealing... after miles of semi widerness mixed with random suburbs and industry, it looks very cohesive, with a couple of midrises and a towering cathedral (which I first mistake for a courthouse). The blocks approaching downtown are pretty shabby... to be expected. Then there's the wide multi-track railway cutting through the middle of the city, where I catch a really nice sunrise shot. with the rail lines converging far off in the horizon.

But once I reach downtown, the feeling of disappointment begins. Much like Harrisburg, it has an ecclectic mix of architecture--old Victorian homes interspersed with early 19th century lowrise office buildings... a random diner... a patch of land turned into a parking lot. But unlike Harrisburg, which is continuing to add on new styles and reinvent itself, Altoona seems to have have given up on coming up with new ideas for itself--other than a large hospital on the north side .

Of course, the city does seem to have a good excuse: population has been in decline since the 1930s, so the city has limited revenue. However, driving through earlier, I got a glimpse of a vast sprawl of shopping centers and strip malls to the south--showing that billions of dollars have been invested in this area... just not in the city itself. You'd think that if there had been more oversight and vision to make sure a big chunk of that investment had gone to turning downtown into a vibrant shopping area... things could've been much different.

It's the American Way... so much government authority and power is local (which, generally speaking, is a good thing I'd say) it makes it easy for companies and developers to simply abandon urban areas due to high taxes, high cost of renovating old structures and inconvenient location... and just move to the suburbs where the city has no jurisdiction over them... nor can it collect any tax money from them . I've seen this over and over during my journey--and the results are quite sad--and completely avoidable.

I climb up to a little park on a hilltop with a sign that reads "this land has been designated as a park... forever"

Sorry folks, nothing is "forever"--especially not when it comes to urban development.

One thing I do notice different about Altoona is that the vast majority of people in the run down neighborhoods around downtown are white folks. When you see a Confederate flag flying from a window just a block from downtown, you know this ain't your typical Urban America! It doesn't seem that Altoona was ever a big draw for African Americans fleeing poverty and segregation in the south.

I head back into town, going up one street and down the other. I will admit that the main cathedral is pretty impressive--and looks even moreso from a distance when you don't realize it's high on a hill .

Then I come down 11th street and... well... OK... It does look like some work has been done on this street. There a couple little mini plaza-parks (with no people in them)... a couple of nice murals... a farmers market (with maybe 4 vendors). Still, it feels more like a symbolic effort more than anything.

I head across the tracks to see what more I discover. There's a railroad museum... but I balk at the 10$ entrance feel. I continue on south to where the city meets the woods--and things abruptly change. Beautiful homes along shady boulevards. Everything is immaculately clean.

Yes, I guess there still are some well to do folks here in Altoona.

And then the city ends and the vast strip mall hell begins. I'm not complaining though. Despite all my gripping about suburban sprawl, I'll always choose a 7 buck all you can eat Chinese buffet in a strip mall over a pricey deli downtown...

Postnote.

Passing through town later on my bike...

I spot a sign that reads "Oldest Gas Station in America--since 1909". I'm a little skeptical--I mean why would the oldest gas station be in Altoona? I take a picture anyways... and sure enough--I look it up later and it is! An it's been operating continuously since then. I notice it's still very old school, with an older gentleman who pumps your gas for you--and wipes off your windshield. I imagine he gets regular customers with a nostalgia for "how things used to be", but I wonder how much longer that's going to last...