I walked downtown Friday evening for First Friday, as I try to do every month. About 8:00 PM, I noticed a crowd at Penn Square, so I walked up to check it out.
Part of the crowd was a walking tour. And a large part was locals…But a number of vehicles were parked in front of the Penn Square hotel, with quite a few young teen girls helping to unload; I ASSUMED they were a part of the soccer tournament. There were also a number of younger people simply hanging out in front of the Fulton Bank.
The next day (Saturday), I walked downtown again (I know this is a poor excuse for exercise, but it’s the only one I have) about mid-afternoon.
Downtown Lancaster was dead; there were as few people walking around on this beautiful Saturday afternoon as there are on a typical Sunday afternoon. There was NO activity whatsoever in the convention center, and very little inside the hotel.
I’ve been trying to walk downtown most evenings, again it’s for exercise, and it helps me to clear my mind. I often stop at Penn Square and sit for a while, watching the traffic go by. Most week nights, there is VERY little activity at the hotel, perhaps a little more at its bar and restaurant.
There is clearly more activity on weekends; on Friday evenings in particular, the hotel bar and restaurant seems to have become a popular (and apparently exclusive) stop for the EXTREMELY well-dressed crowd.
But I can’t see how the hotel is going to meet expenses unless they find a way to attract more business Monday through Thursday.
