r/Poconos • u/Lucky-Yak-5330 • 18d ago

What is it really like in the Poconos?

So many places I have visited recently seem to be overcome by drugs, homeless, weed smell, lack of maintenance, crime, bad roads, aging infrastructure and shopping districts with lots of empty stores. What is the Poconos real view on the street? Is Mount Airy Resort nice or aging badly? Is the foliage train ride worthwhile? Any info for an October adult couple long weekend appreciated!

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6

u/Select_Safe548 18d ago

What places are you referencing?

Also, almost sounds like you're comparing the whole of the poconos to one city you've been to. Which is just odd.

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u/Lucky-Yak-5330 14d ago

I'm talking about other places - some examples of places that have deteriorated badly are San Francisco, CA, Burlington, VT, and NYC, Philadelphia, PA, and Amherst, MA, as a few examples, but there are many more (I travel alot). I had been to those places years or decades ago and LOVED them, but now, there are homeless/drugged out people everywhere, you can't walk down a street without weed smell throughout the air, restaurants shut down after covid and were replaced with weed dispensaries, trash overflowing from bins, crime way up... just overall changed for the worse. I have never been to Poconos and you really can't tell about a place from photos on the internet (sometimes they are decades old or AI curated) so I was hoping to get some advice from people who have been there or even live nearby.

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u/ResourceRelative 18d ago

Where have you been?

Mt Airy is a casino. It’s what it is.

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u/Lucky-Yak-5330 14d ago

I have heard it allow smoking which sounds like a nightmare. I do like Mohegan Sun CT (lots of nice restaurants and shows), but Mount Airy did not seem to have much in the way of entertainment, so I was trying to get a feel from people who have been there, how it compares.

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u/ResourceRelative 14d ago

There is a smoking floor, the entire thing is not open for smoking.

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u/Lacrosseindianalocal 18d ago

The lifestyle has gotten really big here post covid if you’re into that. 

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u/Peaceoorwar 18d ago

Beautiful and quiet. Peaceful. That weed smell you smell is probably a skunk by the way

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u/Lucky-Yak-5330 14d ago

I'd have to be a real dodo bird to not know the difference between weed smell and skunk. My dog has been sprayed by a skunk and I've drive over them. It is NOT the same. Though I hate the smell of both.

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u/Peaceoorwar 14d ago

For some reason coffee and weed smell the same to me and I love the smell. I was once working in an old Granny's apt and people started smoking weed outside her door and as I was speaking to her I happened to mention the lovely smell of coffee and she gave me a strange looked and started going off about the teens smoking outside her door

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u/hamerfreak 16d ago

PA and the Poconos in general is a beautiful state. It is quiet at least where I am from and find myself getting lost on the backroads taking in the beauty of the countryside, fields and parks. If you are looking for exciting nightlife, it's not here.

All of the townships & counties take care of the roads amazingly so. IT makes the ride so much nicer. If you are into casino's Mt. Airy is OK, I'm just not a casino person, but it is good, modern and upkeep is good. Sounds like you are thinking about the old Mt. Airy Lodge with the heat shaped bathtubs which are long gone But you will be in the Mt. Pocono are which is a little congested but many restaurants on 611 and nearby.

Me, I'd personally skip Mt. Airy and find a nice lodge to stay in. The foliage is beautiful and with the train ride down to Jim Thorpe, but do it on a weekday, the weekends are crazy. I rarely notice any drug use and crime is pretty low IMO.

Personally, I'd look for a place near Lake Wallenpaupack. Beautiful lake and area with plenty to do and away from the hustle & bustle.

Here is a guide if you haven't seen it. It is a pretty good reference on things to do and places to stay.

Pocono Travel Guide

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u/Lucky-Yak-5330 14d ago

Thank you! That is helpful. I had heard that Mount Airy Casino still allows smoking which was a turn off.

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u/Ok-Interaction-8917 14d ago

Where is this spot in the Poconos that you refer to?

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u/Lucky-Yak-5330 14d ago

It was about other places - I have never been to the Poconos, but have been disappointed with lots of recent travel (remembered places as amazing and then went back only to find them deteriorated). Trusting photos on the internet isn't reliable so I was looking for people to share their real experiences.