The City of Morgantown

This was taken in Greenmont, near Gene’s. It’s an...

samthetownie — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:23:51 -0400

This was taken in Greenmont, near Gene’s. It’s an old garage and it is, or at least it was, packed full of stuff. My assumption is that it was once a functioning mechanic’s, although it has clearly not been in use for quite some time. I don’t know enough about Greenmont to know much more about the place. Does anybody else?

This was taken Saturday night at the small car wash behind the...

samthetownie — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:33:48 -0400

This was taken Saturday night at the small car wash behind the laundromat at the top of University Avenue. That night ranks as one of the great nights ever. Everything about its weather was perfect: perfect temperature, no humidity, just cool enough so you could drive with the windows down without also freezing.

This was taken downtown. This building has a name which I cannot...

samthetownie — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:21:46 -0400

This was taken downtown. This building has a name which I cannot remember off the top of my head. Goes to show you what I know about Morgantown.

This is taken downtown. It’s of the Massullo’s Dry...

samthetownie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:52:32 -0400

This is taken downtown. It’s of the Massullo’s Dry Cleaners building. I’ve tried to get the same shot before but this one seemed more like what I was trying to get. It’s only very occasionally, but I sometimes taking getting an image seriously.

Here’s the entrance to the alley where I’ve been...

samthetownie — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:28:15 -0400

Here’s the entrance to the alley where I’ve been taking photographs. I have odd hobbies.

Taken downtown, near Wild Zero Studios. This wall and these...

samthetownie — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:49:16 -0400

Taken downtown, near Wild Zero Studios. This wall and these pipes have gotten some good use, especially since the building itself seems to be largely empty.

You can find this door in the alley behind Wild Zero Tattoo....

samthetownie — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:30:34 -0400

You can find this door in the alley behind Wild Zero Tattoo. It’ll be to your left and is, I think, the backdoor into the used video game store, although I’m not entirely certain of that. This ivy does an excellent job of covering the wall each year and the tattoo artists do an excellent job of covering the door each year.

You can find this behind Wild Zero Studios on Pleasant Street.

samthetownie — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:26:18 -0400

You can find this behind Wild Zero Studios on Pleasant Street.

This is where Yann’s Hot Dogs used to be, on Brockway,...

samthetownie — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:19:18 -0400

This is where Yann’s Hot Dogs used to be, on Brockway, just over the Walnut Street bridge in a little block of buildings that also houses apartments and Custom Upholstering and Interior. It’s a quiet little bar now and I don’t drink, so I’ve never been in there, but I remember Yann’s.

The hot dogs there were delicious and not served with nearly the sort of aggression that Fairmont’s Yann’s is famous for. I remember eating lunches there of four hot dogs there with two canned Dr. Peppers. I always had my hot dogs with onions, ketchup, and the hottest chili. Not technically a proper West Virginia hot dog, but I didn’t/don’t really care.

Not only do I know little about the bar there now - Pregamer’s Pub? - but I struggle to imagine there being one worth going to. That place was so small; maybe they’ve hollowed out the back of the building a bit? Maybe not. And maybe, if I try hard enough, I can imagine the appeal of a tiny neighborhood bar. Such places are genuinely rare in Morgantown these days.

This is on University Avenue, just past the churches downtown...

samthetownie — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:50:42 -0400

This is on University Avenue, just past the churches downtown and just before the Hillel House. I am amused by simple things.

I have no idea if they’re still there, but these statues...

samthetownie — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:33:48 -0400

I have no idea if they’re still there, but these statues used to be behind the Our Lady Of Good Counsel Monastery (Franciscan Order) on Tyrone Road in Cheat Lake. There was a shirt hiking path back there at one point but it had long-since been abandoned and grown over when I took this photograph several years ago.

From the wall of a house in Greenmont in South Park. There are...

samthetownie — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 14:07:59 -0400

From the wall of a house in Greenmont in South Park. There are some great alleys to explore in the neighborhood.

Magic hour over Sunnyside - 5/31/13. Taken while stopped at the...

waltallalong — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:36:00 -0400

Magic hour over Sunnyside - 5/31/13. Taken while stopped at the temporary traffic light for construction vehicles.
(Photo: Walt Sarkees)

ncrawford: For as long as I’ve been in #Morgantown (3 yrs?),...

samthetownie — Thu, 30 May 2013 20:36:25 -0400

ncrawford:

For as long as I’ve been in #Morgantown (3 yrs?), this property has talked about the office space that was “coming soon.” Well, I guess it’s finally that time.

This lot is allegedly where Panera’s newest Morgantown location is going. It’ll obviously be somewhat smaller in scope than the one in Suncrest. As but one example of that. there’s no way it will have the parking. More concerning though is what Panera’s entrance into downtown’s market will do to other coffee shops.

The answer might be nothing. Panera’s coffee is absolutely terrible. But Jay’s Daily Grind is already on the market and it seems unlikely that these two occurrences are incidental. Slight Indulgence sells coffee, but doesn’t rely on doing so. The Blue Moose has South Park’s walking population largely cornered. Still, it’s hard to imagine that Panera’s opening won’t affect businesses downtown in some sort of substantive way.

The other problem is one of individuality. Morgantown’s downtown is a nice, unique place. Panera is a corporate behemoth, one that celebrates all of its establishments looking and feeling the same. I recognize that there are many consumers who want precisely that sort of experience, but the world doesn’t need more homogeneity. Downtown Morgantown isn’t going to thrive if it is turned into every other strip mall that exists everywhere else in the county. It will thrive if it can manage to be the place to go when those strip malls have become overwhelming and relentless. That’s regularly for me and less often for others. Still, I fail to see Panera’s entrance into the downtown marketplace as a necessarily good thing.

(Thanks to NCrawford for the great photograph.)

Let's Make A Bet (South Park Housing Market Edition)

samthetownie — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:29:09 -0400

This house just came on the market in Morgantown. They’re practically giving it away...

The old Harley Staggers Building is changing, maybe for the...

samthetownie — Mon, 27 May 2013 22:05:03 -0400

The old Harley Staggers Building is changing, maybe for the better. The backside reminds unchanged for now. I suppose strange things intrigue me.

The Urban Deer Hunt apparently didn’t get all of them....

samthetownie — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:49:00 -0400

The Urban Deer Hunt apparently didn’t get all of them. This is from the heart of South Park.

Trying To Make Sense Of Local Controversy (Tom Bloom Edition)

samthetownie — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:15:00 -0400

Good luck following this story about Tom Bloom, the Board of Education, and the County Commission....

I have no idea who this is meant to warn away. It is in an alley...

samthetownie — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:02:48 -0400

I have no idea who this is meant to warn away. It is in an alley downtown, on a brick wall with nothing beyond it. Maybe it is there for decoration.

Storm rolling into Morgantown as seen from Lowe’s in Westover -...

waltallalong — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:32:00 -0400

Storm rolling into Morgantown as seen from Lowe’s in Westover - 5/17/13. (Photo: Walt Sarkees via Instagram)