Allentown Good News - March 3, 2010

Here's a sampling of what you'll find on the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) page on Facebook and Twitter feed for March 3, 2010:

Trail Network Feasibility Study Council's hearing of the study was rescheduled for March 17

Zandy's Today's a cheesesteak day! Take a trip to one of the coolest little neighborhoods on the south side and grab a steak at Zandy's Steak Shop! The food's fast, but not "fast food". While you are there, be sure to walk around a bit and see a neat little commercial district. One great destination for after lunch is Double Decker Records, one of the best record stores on the East Coast

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Great article from @BrandYou- How to Grow Your Facebook Fan Page Following. Many Allentown businesses would benefit greatly from having a facebook presence. Be sure to check out the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce social media sessions for help. If you are interested in Twitter, check out Be the Bee Social Media Coaching.

From the Urban Land Institute For Generation Y, American dream becomes an apartment in the city. There are lots of housing choices in Center City Allentown, including great apartments in the Farr Lofts

Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) introduces the Green Communities Act (S 3055), aiming to help urban areas adopt green strategies. Allentown has put considerable effort into the planning for sustainability and we have some resources dedicated to implementation. Assistance with adoption would be very welcome.

Allentown Good News - March 1, 2010

Here's a sampling of what you'll find on the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) page on Facebook and Twitter feed for March 1, 2010:

LANTA Bus Shelters Here's a repost from LANTA Lehigh Valley Metro this morning. Some of these designs would be hard to do here in Allentown Pennsylvania, but we like that LANTA is looking at a creative approach to bus shelters. LANTA and the City Planning department will be getting together later this week to discuss moving forward with great bus shelter design. They are hoping to work closely with neighborhood groups to coordinate the design work. Check with the AEDC twitter and Facebook pages to track progress.

Bellissimo Ristorante I can't believe we went nearly a week without making a restaurant recommendation! To make up for it, we will give you a SUPER-recommendation today: one of the best authentically Italian restaurants in the Lehigh Valley. Bellissimo Ristorante has a great location and 13th & Tilghman with ample parking. Inside, you'll find a very cozy restaurant serving AMAZING Italian dishes. I've heard good things about the gnocchi and I have never been disappointed by anything on the menu. Best of all, they have a good espresso machine to finish off your pranzo italiano.

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Google Fiber for Communities: We continue to work on Allentown's response to the RFI from Google. We are getting some fabulous feedback from the business community and we are learning a ton about fiber optics and telecom. This project is why we had NO blog posts last week. Please remember to nominate Allentown for this project at the Google Fiber for Communities page. Click "Nominate your community". This takes less than five minutes and is critical to Google choosing the Lehigh Valley.

Good article in Morning Call about "Starry Nights in Allentown" art exhibit

Planetizen.com: Breathing Life Back into Seattle's Alleys. What would this look like in Allentown? Here we call them half-streets, but those same spaces seem prime for appropriate development. Imagine having Hamilton Street just outside your back door.

Believe it or not, it's that time again! Register for LVHN Marathon for Via! You can run, walk or volunteer.

Next RenewLV Brown-Bag: March 12th, 12 to 1:30 at Lehigh Valley Heritage Center (432 West Walnut) in Allentown. Topic is Redevelopment in the Lehigh Valley