Biked down to the Brig Niagara today as part of a work outing. It was fantastic! I had an excellent time and was able to experience square rigged sailing firsthand. After poking around there, I realized what a tremendous resource I had missed all these years living in Erie. Something I suspect that needs to be done around here is that Erie needs to get a better public relations group to promote some of the things we have around here including the Niagara.

Somewhere I read that Presque Isle has the number two rated sunsets in the world (after Japan). I think they're quite spectacular. However, I suspect that people need to be told about this. We have some fun amusement parks in the local area (Waldameer and Splash Lagoon). We have a casino. We have a convention center. I'm not sure what we're going to do with it, but we have one.

I read that in the 1920's, Erie was a center for tourism. Why isn't it now? We have wonderful beaches, a relaxed atmosphere, and three sources of tourism: Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.

Suggestion 1: Buy the GAF plant on the bayfront and turn it into a bunch of touristy shops, restaurants, and game places. Essentially, a midway.

Suggestion 2: Get a good PR campaign going. Kind of like Eriesistable was, but even more so.

Suggestion 3, kind of: Build the ferry to Canada. Negative side: there's nothing on the other side to go to, or people to come. Rochester to Toronto tried it, oh well.

Suggestion 4: Train service to Cleveland, Buffalo. Have you ever tried to take Amtrak from Erie? Almost impossible.

Feel free to take these suggestions and turn them into whatever you want. Take credit for them. My reward would be to see Erie thrive.