Where to Hold Adult Prom in Syracuse

Kitty and Notsky are ready for the big night! (AI)

    Now in my tenth year of finding a prom in my area (even in 2020 when even the kids were out of luck, and I'm doing this for those who were deprived in 2020-21 as well as those of us of every vintage who are looking to either make up or redo like it's a test we had to take in order to earn it). While I was able to find something I could go to with just one days notice, I'm still determined to get this done, especially since Singers Karaoke Club have now decided that they just won't have it this year after all because of other events being planned, even after last years revival following a long, long pause. A pride prom in Rome not just for young people has raised money, and it's on a Saturday this time, which is free if you live right in the area, but not if you have to pay more money getting there than being there, even if it's less than some events back home or starting from scratch. Going even further from town is out of the question for me and many others, even if they can drive. I wrote the list offline first before copying it here. I just wish this could be done in my backyard when they are held in one-horse towns as much as the big cities. Can't even get concerts to come here every time anymore (that's more for the sister blog). I also found where to have it in other Upstate metros, but it'd be more sporadic because I wouldn't know them all combined as well as my own backyard, of course, which is why I stay there. I went to Rome since I could absorb that cost, as that was my only option for the time being thus far, but I ruled out another prom in the Mohawk Valley, being held a hotel in New Hartford in July on a Tuesday, which is rare. The town (Utica) is small, but not that small (even if you do have your own way around). Because of poor bus scheduling in Rome, I didn't want to make the same mistake twice in Utica and New Hartford, even though there'd be better chance of a bus turning up, I will stay close to home for these events in future because I had to be picked up and lodged a complaint to one bus company.
    I haven't ruled out holding adult prom in Syracuse, even if it's not in the springtime or this year, although I found a more exclusive event at short notice similar to a couple I went to several years ago. That place closed months after not long before COVID and is still vacant, yet I would buy it and use it as a small event space to let, but until then, here are the numerous options in and around the city I can come up with. Price, parking, ADA compliance and bus lines all are factored in to each venue.
    Someone else in my area said that they're planning on having one this Labor Day Weekend (5 or 6 September), so that saves having to go two counties away again just for that. They'll most likely book one of the larger spots downtown. Might be a different lot than the other two this year, but one must keep an open mind. Just hope tickets are reasonably priced. A charity ball in Jefferson County charged $25 for singles, which would be doable here. Comes before the start of school and homecoming season in the Northeast. Other places are considering, but this is the only one half-confirmed thus far in Syracuse, so that saves me the trouble of navigating (as everyone says these days) this on my own.

Downtown/Armory Square

Palladian Hall; N Salina & E Water Sts (former OnBank/M&T Bank; part of the Treasury; Chittenango High School moved their prom there in 2026 so not to overlap with another school at the Marriott)

Maxwells, Hanover Square; E Genesee St (formerly Elbow Room; better for smaller events)

The Rail Line; S Clinton St (may not have hosted a prom, but there's a first time for everything)

McCarthy Mercantile; S Salina & E Fayette Sts (Victorian-era building with local businesses at street and lower levels that hosts events down cellar)

Sky Armory; S Salina & Clinton Sts (has hosted some proms before, but not in a period)

Marriott Syracuse Downtown (has several regular proms and may be too expensive); E Onondaga, Harrison & N Warren Sts; formerly Hotel Syracuse; I only went to a charity prom for terminally ill little girl in March 2019 (didn't even need to get dolled up for it). Has room for up to three proms at once, yet that would be too much. Adult prom was held in the past, but was just too expensive for me.

OnCenter/Nick Pirro Convention Ctr (same, even though it's taxpayer property); US 11/S State, E Adams & Harrison Sts. I've gone on rare occasion over the past three decades since it had opened in 1996; most recently for RetroGameCon in October 2025.

Landmark Theatre (has hosted a few of these in the corridor and lobby); S Salina St; formerly Loews State (from studio system era under MGM); was unavailable during the summer more than once because of renovations and when there are residencies. Not sure if the stage would be used like in Rome, which is smaller, of course. I was told by management in the past that they're a rental house.

Salt City Bar; S Salina & W Onondaga Sts, Salt City Market (official events held by coffee bar on New Years Eve and Pride, fulfilling both events for less. They can be booked for private events, however, as can the markets own community room in the back, which I've only gone to for Centro/SMTC seminars)

Hotel Onondaga; E Fayette & S Warren Sts (future luxury Hilton franchise with pending litigation that could hold it once cleared by court and even built)

Mizpah Towers; Montgomery & E Jefferson Sts, Columbus Circle; recently renovated and reopened after thirty years of vacancy. It's a wine cellar, restaurant and event center. I don't care for the wine, of course, yet there's no shortage of history in this building (ask OHA across the street once they finally reopen)

Liverpool

Randolph House Hotel, Electronics Pkwy & 7th North St off I-90 (Traditions of Wyndham franchise; formerly Ramada [sister chain]/Sheraton/Holiday Inn. No regular proms this year. Have gone for CD Record Fair and Easter buffet in the recent past)

Cicero

Carnegie Conference Centre, E Circle Dr; Drivers Village (former Penn-Can Mall in old Denbys wing near clock tower; also no run-of-the-diploma-mill proms in 2025-26; went for festive do last and this year)

Mattydale

VFW Post 3146; Truck NY 298 & leMoyne Ave (went for late Lent chippy and when moms car once broke down and we needed to ring for help)

Maplewood Bar & Grill, US 11 (former Zebbs); Mattydale Plaza (former kmart plaza; formerly at Holiday Inn & Suites in Liverpool [previously Maplewood Inn & Suites and Days Inn]; opening in Fall 2026)

East Syracuse

American Legion Post 359; NY 290 (Halloween parties and fundraisers held there; other venue I wanted to hire up the street has closed where one of my NGOs used to be)

Silver Street Event Center; a block from W Manlius St sometimes used for punk shows and other smaller events

Onondaga Hill

SRC Arena, OCC, NY 173 & 175 (where I used to go to around the corner closed in September 2019)

Camillus (in name only)/Taunton/town of Onondaga

TK Tavern on the Hill; Howlett Hill Rd, Taunton (original location off NY 5 that is becoming Byrne Dairy had Salt City Collective prom twice; no relation to TK99/105)

Tipp Hill

Emerald Cocktail Kitchen (suggested to them and they will consider); W Fayette St & W Wilbur Ave (will have to wait until Spring 2027 to be in season and when owner returns from hiatus)

Ukrainian National Home (SCC prom moved there after old TK closed from a fire); W Wilbur Ave

Eastwood

Palace Theatre; NY 290 (has no lift to get upstairs at this time unfortunately if held upstairs, being older and smaller, even though it may be in violation of ADA regulations. Could be held in theatre and lobby, but I was told it might be $3,000 to hire for the day when the floofs researched a venue for a separate event, but that's for another day)

American Legion Post #1276; NY 290 (former Friendlys; I was also trying to find a place for my birthday, and could even have the prom for my birthday party in August next year unless I am out of town or decide on something else locally)

Brewerton

Brewerton Centre for the Arts; US 11 (former church turned rental hall and community center; hosted one two years ago, yet may be too far for some people)

Syracuse (east side)

Harveys Garden (floofs had back room, yet prom could be held upstairs; also went for Mardi Gras); E Water St & Walnut Ave

SkyBarn; SU South Campus (Nottingham High School have their junior prom there)

Syracuse (west side)

Singers (last resort during the day if booked as a private event on a Saturday afternoon since nights are ruled out for right now, as they may only have their own during the season, so maybe next year on that)

Verona

Turning Stone Casino; NY 365 & CR 48A; the Grand Expo (although in Oneida County, it's the resorts new ballroom made for such a do. Even for a small town, I'm not certain that a regular prom could have been held there because of the age-restricted nature of gaming, limiting where students could go)

Car washes

A car wash in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland. Courtesy Günther Hentschel.

 It seems like lately, new car washes open up left and right. Of course, they need to be cleaned, yet they seem to be an easier business to open than others with a bit less red tape. Nowadays, they are larger than ever, able to accommodate dozens of customers. Delta Sonic alone get queues several yards long. They are also the only way to get Tim Hortons in CNY. Other competitors have replaced former chains such as Babies 'R Us, Cams Pizzeria/Hardees/Hortons/ Dougs/TJs Fish Fry, an older car wash, a phone store, and other businesses. I miss the kind of full service car wash where you could have the attendant take your car through while you wait and then they clean the inside out after (this is called detail). Those must still exist. Car washes aren't nationalised, if you like. They're regional or indie. Also, get undercarriage because it prevents rust if you don't have rust already (one of my pet hates about motor cars, along with bumper stickers, dents, scratches, and bin bags in windows if you're too cheap to get them fixed).

Ko-Fi

Notsky the blue husky furry is asking for your donations!

    Like most people these days, I'm struggling to get by. I am now on Ko-Fi if you can give what you can. I know this should be with the widgets on the side if you're reading this on the desktop, and I set up a similar one years before based on someone elses, but I needed to point this out and even up the number of posts I've made to date. The crowdfunding sites have done next to nothing for me. Anything helps. Thank you for the help. It doesn't directly support running this blog, yet I will eventually need a new laptop because mine will lose support in six months' time because it's on Windows 10 and is too old to be upgraded, and I can only get another used one that may be no better. I may only be able to donate any of my old laptops to my NGO ISP in LA and get a tax receipt if I qualify if not get an affordable and compatible one there, but other priorities have been grating at me this past year, and it's hard to establish yourself at a later age (she won't say which one, mind). I don't get to do half as much as I used to between the events of recent years in the world and in my own life. I can't be like Ralph Kramden chasing every get rich quick scheme because it doesn't usually work. I will land on my feet like my kitties always do. Seeing all these properties just sit there for years shows that none of us are exempt from the economy. At least help me until I can find my own way and the country does too.

 

Family Video today

Cortland store last year

    After going by the former Family Video in Auburn yesterday and looking at a now outdated post here from almost a decade ago on which I only added tags for reference, I felt it was time to look into what has happened to the last of the video chains as far as this state goes, although all but a handful were in Western New York, with a few in CNY, the Finger Lakes (Rochester counts as there and WNY) or Twin Tiers. All vacant or TBD unless indicated.

Auburn - US 20 & NY 38A; now FlynnStoned

Cortland - N Main St/US 11 & NY 41

Liverpool - Morgan & Buckley Rds; later Zara Fashions (no relation to the chain); now closed

Amherst - Eggert Rd

Lackawanna - Ridge Rd

Jamestown - NY 60 & 394

Dunkirk - Central Ave; now Dollar General

Elmira - College Ave

Lancaster - NY 21

Lockport - NY 31

Niagara Falls (1) - US 62 (Niagara Falls Blvd)

Niagara Falls (2) - US 62 West (Pine Ave)

North Chili - NY 33

Orchard Park - NY 277

Rome - N James St

Bowling in CNY

If a bowling alley were in downtown Syracuse today

 While sports isn't something I typically cover, one thing I've noticed over the years is that bowling alleys in Syracuse are fewer by the day. It's not as big anymore. I managed to write a list of locations of where they used to be, but I can't remember the names of most of them. It'd be too easy to get a free image of the inside of any bowling alley, and I can't find one of the outside of any open or closed. I used to have a photo of one of these, but it was ruined and later disappeared. Another one across town, I can still picture the Jerry Lewis MDA gumball machine from the mid-'80s. NBC 3 used to be the local affiliate for a national bowling show on Saturdays. In recent memory, a tournament was held at the OnCenter (Onondaga County convention center). So much for Homer Simpsons perfect 300 game. Here's where they used to strike before winding up in the gutter (that was bad).

Solvay - Milton Ave, Solvay Recreation Alleys; one of the oldest in the area and country; recently closed due to the owners death

Syracuse (Eastwood) (1) - NY 290, Eastwood Plaza; later a dance studio; now Yesteryear Antiques & Collectibles

Syracuse (Eastwood) (2) - NY 290 & now 598; Eastwood Sport Center; now Kinney Pharmacy; parking lot now Dunkin' and Papa Johns (previously ToGos)*

Syracuse (east side) (1) - NY 5 & 635; later Tilted Kilt; now KPot*

Syracuse (east side) (2) - NY 5; now Express Bottle Return

Syracuse (west side) - NY 5; now ALDI*

Auburn (1) - Pulaski St, Falcons Lanes

Auburn (2) - NY 5 & US 20, Starlite Lanes (as of April 2025)

Skaneateles - US 20, Cedar House Bowling Lanes; being rebuilt

North Syracuse - US 11, Bowling Green Lanes

Liverpool - Old Liverpool Rd, Lakeview Bowling Center

Central Square - NY 49, Green Acres Lanes

East Syracuse - Bowl-Mor Lanes, Highland Ave

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A, Pinz; Sangertown Square; a different animal and further out, but also worth mentioning

*Demolished

Notsky, dolly and the other floofs go night bowling

Dolly, Notsky, Wuffy and Duffy keep bowling alive

This could be a spot the differences thing in magazines.

Service Merchandise

If Service Merchandise were open now. Courtesy Meta AI.

 I've been meaning to write about Service Merchandise for several months, but I needed to find more locations since I only know the two that were in my area. They were a chain of catalogue showrooms, and my generation can remember the print edition, competing with Sears, JCPenney and Spiegel, before the internet (Amazon in particular) made it obsolete by 2002. There were subsidiaries like Mr How (previously HomeOwners), The Lingerie Store, The Toy Store, and Zims Jewellers, all of which I have only just learned about or just didn't notice in the old days. Due to having to deal with the here and now, and how long ago this all was, despite being from living memory, most downstate locations are more vague, and Upstate ones are less so if I know the area enough, but I will update as I know more and can commit to finding out where they all are and what is there today. Any input is always appreciated. TBD unless indicated (which is why I can't cover every chain, and even a wild guess can be disproven).

deWitt/Fayetteville - Wegmans Plaza, NY 5 & 92; demolished for current Wegmans in 1994 and/or later Chase-Pitkin, American Signature Furniture, and Value City Furniture; now Hobby Lobby

Cicero - Marketplace Plaza/Mall, US 11 & E Circle Dr; demolished by 2002 for current plaza

Huntington

Massapequa - Sunrise Mall

Montgomery - NY 208; now Staples

Lawrence

Nanuet

Woodhaven

Lake Grove

Albany - Northway Mall, NY 5 (most likely; demolished by 2004; now Target et al)

Schenectady - NY 5

Wilton - Saratoga Mall, NY 50 & CR 102

Yorktown Heights - Jefferson Valley Mall, US 6 & NY 6N; now H&M

Henrietta - NY 252

Irondequoit - US/NY 104

Greece - US/NY 104

Kenmore - NY 384

Plattsburgh - Champlain Centre, CR 26

Fishkill - Dutchess Mall, US 9; closed 1995; now vacant

Kingston - US 9W

Poughkeepsie - South Hills Mall, US 9

New Hartford - NY 5A

CVS lite

Small and pokey CVS in Glastonbury, CT from none other than Mike Mozart

 CVS/pharmacy have been struggling to regain relevance, much like their two main competitors. They've launched a new tactic by launching a dozen new locations that are just pharmacies and not much else. In CNY, they haven't had the best history and are sporadic in the region. In contrast, there have been stores without pharmacies (even Rite Aid had one in downtown Syracuse a block from a regular store [ex-Woolworth/now-DGX] and CVS/sans pharmacy [ex-kmart] in the old days). What CVS could do is have these truncated pharmacies in certain spots. One would be on SU Hill, where they have one last non-Rx location, which stuns newcomers to the area, who would have to go to Target or Manlius if they wish to have their scripts stay with CVS. Walgreens turned a former bank at Moyers Corners in Baldwinsville into a smaller store instead of converting the old Fays turned Rite Aid to cut costs, which is now Planet Fitness, so maybe CVS could do the same thing, and there'd even be a drive-thru at the ready that can be converted for pharmacy use. These mini-pharmacies could open where there isn't one nearby, which would help seniors and others without transport since the mail and even Amazon aren't always reliable. On Syracuses near west side, CVS briefly took over an indie, which was small by current standards for a regular store, yet Walgreens closed a few blocks away, leaving another local place to fill the vacuum. On the east side, Fays Cornerdrug were in the Madison Irving medical building at the foot of the hill, which I think had a pharmacy and just a few things, yet we covered them earlier already, since they also bought out mom and pop stores, mostly in small towns.
 They say less is more, and it'll be a little more challenging to come up with austere express locations for CVS since I tried for the usual, but events of the past several years have made growth difficult. They just can't be near Target or other pharmacy chains, of course. Maybe this could work. Just think smaller.

Syracuse (east side) - former Marine Midland/Key Bank; E Adams St

Syracuse (downtown) - former Sibleys/RKO Keith; S Salina St

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA; one of various hallway vacancies

Syracuse (south side) - former Acme/Carls/Fays/Dollar Tree; Turnpike Centre; NY 173 & 80

Canastota - former Family Dollar; NY 5 & 13 and CR 25 (since they won't open a full-fledged store in the former Rite Aid/Walgreens across the street)

Liverpool - former Café 407; Tulip St (no pharmacy in village since indie on CR 57 closed in the '90s)

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall; NY 5 & US 20 (past location, with or without pharmacy)

deWitt - former Party City (part); Marshalls Homegoods Plaza; NY 5 (full-fledged store was in Shoppingtown until late '70s when replaced by Fays)

Westvale - former Tops/P&C (part); Westvale Plaza; NY 5 (Target up W Genesee St in Fairmount, yet no pharmacy in plaza since Fays closed in 1997 and store became Family Dollar)

Brewerton - US 11 (vacant property listed on Facebook Marketplace)

Mattydale - former Eckerd/Rite Aid/Walgreens; US 11 & Malden Rd (even though it could be a full-sized store; this part of town has been weak in retail in recent years, but more on that another day)