A Brief Sunday Note

Cheers to the Morning Call for the railroad and arena articles this weekend. I deeply support both of these things happening here in the next few years and I believe that both projects could serve as catalysts to a true revitalization of Allentown.

It is hard not to wonder sometimes whether things will really start to get on track around here or if they will stay as they are and just meander along so long that people begin to forget what a real positive change could bring. This week I will be posting about WPA projects in the Valley and how this stimulus business could possibly have the same effects on our city.

O, before I go, please check out Allentown: From the Ground Up for a recap of last nights big debut!

Allentown Park Log 7: East Side Reservoir

Way back on the East side of Allentown, near to the border of Bethlehem, is the East Side Reservoir. It is as difficult to find as Keck Park and South Mountain, with no signage or driving instructions from the main arteries taken to get there. I had never been to the East Side Reservoir before and if not for the Allentown Parks brochure, I would not have had any idea the place existed.

Described in that brochure as a picnic area with hiking trails, I was surprised to find myself in what seemed like a parking lot, looking at a bathroom with no visible trails or picnic area. The road in on Halstead St. ends here in a small cul de sac at the base of the reservoir itself. Climbing the surprisingly steep earthen wall, I was greeted with this view on top:

Walking on, I found the picnic area. Here was another access road that looped around and went back to a city street. There were no hiking trails in this area, or at least not ones that I could easily find. Of all the parks I have thus far visited, East Side Reservoir was the quietest and the seemingly least used. It seemed more a picnic destination than a city park.

Trying to find the advertised hiking trails I walked down the far less steep side of the reservoir:

It led me back down to the bathroom dead end where I parked my car. The views of forest in this park are remarkable considering how urban the location is:

Alas, still no hiking trails. There were two paths cut through the undergrowth, but both just led out of the park:


On a clear day, from the top of the reservoir, a heck of a view is possible of Fullerton, Whitehall, and points north. Overall, East Side Reservoir is an interesting location but certainly not a major park destination given its sister parks in the city. If you however, need a place to have a picnic, this park might be the place for you. Good luck finding it though.

Allentown from The Ground Up: Ironpigs this Saturday

This Saturday, Allentown From Ground Up will be hosting an inaugural meet-up at Coca Cola Park. AFGU is a group started by me and two other local bloggers, Katie and Bryan. I am very excited that we are about to hit the ground running with meet-ups and other events to really get a good movement growing here in Allentown.

I invite all my readers to come out on Saturday night. We will be meeting at the gates around 6:30. I am instructing everyone to buy tickets individually for general admission, which will allow us all to sit together in the lawn section behind center field. Bring a blanket to sit on. This should be a really wonderful time and I hope a lot of folks come out to join in the fun.

Leave any questions as comments.

Allentown Park Log 6: The Fish Hatchery

The fish hatchery is one of the most unique attractions in the city of Allentown. In brief, it is an organization of concrete pools built to spawn fish.


The longer explanation and history can be explained well by the wonderful signs in the center of the pools:

(If you click the picture it will open larger in a new window)


Those are the kind of markers I would love to see explaining the lime kilns, etc, in the Parkway. Behind the main pools is a deep rock pool full of old and very large fish.

A couple more footsteps will take you to a vey unique room full of taxidermy. Most importantly it will lead you to the vending machine where for 50 cents or a dollar you can buy fish food. Feeding fish at the hatchery is not just awesome to do when you’re a child; it ruled pretty hard the other day:

(That is my first ever youtube video upload.)

Being able to come so close to contact with these beautiful river fish serves as a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with the natural world and see life in its various developmental stages.



The fantastic thing about the Fish Hatchery is that it is free to visit. I recommend taking a visit there if you have never been; it is just a really cool place to check out and even if you have visited but haven’t in a few years, I promise it is as interesting as it was when you were a kid.


Across the street (and be careful crossing, people drive very quickly around there) is another extension of the Parkway and it is as beautiful as the rest.



Hidden in the undergrowth a little trail will take you stream side to a beautiful dam:


There is also another old spring bed with stone walls and a stone bridge to the right:


Back at the Hatchery, there is a memorial arboretum that is absolutely worth taking a stroll through. If you plan to visit, please do it is a wonderful Allentown attraction. Heck, bring a picnic lunch with you while you’re at it; just don’t bring sushi.

Chow Chow

There isn’t much left of the PA Dutch tradition that was once a major defining characteristic of the Lehigh Valley. Sure, there are a few hex signs hanging around here and there and Martin’s potato rolls are still in supermarkets; but the restaurants are gone and the Dutchies themselves are almost gone too.

There is a lesson to be learned from them and it is one we should take very seriously. The old PA Dutch society here was “green” before “green” was the hip way to be. They grew their own food, ate in season, and preserved what could not be immediately consumed or what they needed to save to survive the winter. You see, the real lesson here is in a bottle of chow-chow.

I am going to assume that the majority of you have at least encountered chow-chow at some point living here in the Valley. Just in case though, chow-chow is a mix of vegetables (normally “end of the season”) covered in a sweet and sour brine and sealed in a jar. It isn’t pickles folks, but it is preserved in the pickling tradition.

Chow-chow is perfect fodder for vegans and vegetarians and with a little willpower, very easy to make yourself. The reason it is an example of old school “greenery” is because the farmers and farmer’s wives that made this product did so to preserve whatever they could from the end of the harvest. They weren’t going to have fresh green beans or wax beans so they needed to save what they already had.

My grandmother used to buy chow-chow all the time when I was a kid so I sort of grew up eating it as well as things like apple butter (which has nothing to do with butter but is a long slow cooked version of applesauce with cider to make it velvety and dark brown).

As the Lehigh Valley moves away from the Dutchie traditions for better and for worse; there are still lessons to be learned from them. A general awakening is occurring across America during this recession about the importance of local, sustainable food and if there is one positive we as a society take away from this firestorm of financial degradation; it is that beyond the walls of corporate food exists a country of farmers that is slowly fading away and it is that country of farmers that makes us who we are.

We are not separate from the food tradition that has defined generations before us. We do however separate ourselves increasingly from the tried and true process that respects the soil, preserves the eco-system and generally makes our bodies healthier.

I say today, remember. I titled this blog that when I first had the idea to write a blog back in January. Eating locally, and in season can help change you as a person. You will learn new and exciting ways to cook and hell if nothing else, you can begin to free yourself from the plastic food of the chain restaurants and find that local culture that is so quickly evaporating.

Related Posts:
Italian Salad
Ice Cream
Swine Flu Shenanigans

And, I will be announcing a meet-up for all those interested as soon as a theater announces a showing of Food Inc.

Emmaus VS The West End Theater District (Main Street VS 19th Street)

It is unfair to draw comparisons between the recent surge of developments in Emmaus with the lack there of in Allentown. As of the most recent census, it would be much more logical to compare a smaller area or district of Allentown to the entirety of Emmaus. A little over 11,000 people live in Emmaus whereas a little over 106,000 people live in the city of Allentown. Emmaus is about 3 square miles; Allentown 18.

I do however think that a direct comparison between Main Street in Emmaus and the West End Theater District of Allentown is in order. Both areas have main street revitalization programs in place but Emmaus has the edge here in time, having started their program in 1995 which was a few years before the 19th street revitalization program began.

So, where to start a comparison?

Let’s start with coffee shops. A good coffee shop can be a catalyst for artistic, cultural, and community growth for an area. A coffee shop is a place where over time day to day interactions become magnified as the edifices for a familial community of local residents. People learn each others names; get to know each others families and eventually the coffee shop crowd becomes a family unto itself.

In Emmaus, there are currently 5 coffee shops listed on their Main Street Program website; 3 of which are directly on Main Street itself, 2 of which (Mas Café and King Koffee) offer open mic nights. The other coffee shop is inside of a cycling store.

In Allentown, there is one currently operating coffee shop on 19th street, The Hava Java. There is a picture of it on the West End Theater District website but no mention of it. It does not currently offer an open mic night or a performance night of any kind and up until recently it had a notification on its front door from the city that said that the store wasn’t up to code.

Edge: Emmaus (by miles)

How about theaters? A theater is a great place for a community to be exposed to culture and serve as a destination spot for a night out. A theater can also serve as a showplace for local talent in film making and even for musical performances.

In Emmaus, there is no theater on Main Street. The theater is a few blocks down and shows big studio Hollywood movies at a cheaper price once the have finished showing in the major theater chains.

On 19th Street, Civic Theater stands as an example of theaters for the entire Lehigh Valley. In addition to showing independent films, Civic has a long standing reputation for Community Theater and theater classes for children. Civic has even, in recent years, expanded to include a second screening room across the street so that there is always something being performed or shown.

Edge: 19th Street(by a mile)

What about shopping?

Without listing the many varied shops in Emmaus, I’m just going to go ahead and give this one to them. There isn’t really a comparison. 19th street does boast two successful jewelry shops and an excellent and standard setting optical boutique as well as a designer handbag store but Emmaus has so much more retail development; it is an unfair comparison.

Tattoo?

19th street has one of the best local tattoo parlors in The Quillian as does Emmaus in Mind’s eye. I have had work done by Heather at Mind’s Eye and can speak personally for how well they do work. Steve at The Quillian has set a standard for Tattoo artistry in the Lehigh Valley and many friends arms, legs and backs can speak for it.

Edge: 19th Street

It would appear to be a tie but in truth it is no tie at all. Emmaus is leaps and bounds past 19th street in development. I did not draw comparisons between restaurants and bars because on 19th street there is only one restaurant currently. Salvatore Ruffino’s pizza is a fantastic Italian restaurant but Main Street in Emmaus offers not only an Italian restaurant but an assortment of other dining destinations and bars.

Main Street in Emmaus doesn’t become a ghost town at 5 every night either. Unless there is a major Civic production, 19th street is perpetually a ghost town after 5. I have seen more recently a fuller crowd at Hava Java past nightfall but 15 people a ghost town still makes. No one walks the street and before I hear about the coming streetlights, please see an earlier post on this blog about them.

I can hope that the West End Theater District decides to take a field trip to Emmaus to see how it is done so that they can legitimately challenge Emmaus as a destination spot in a few years. It is going to take a lot more than some yellow banners to get that done. I have lived here on 19th street since 1993 and from 2002-2007 worked at the lonely coffee shop.

I know my street. I have hopes that the West Side Diner starts some growth but as of now the unifying revitalization committee has yet to produce enough forward thinking ideas that would offer significant change. Bi-annual festivals increase visibility for a day. You can give a man a fish but….

And, seriously, with Muhlenberg a few blocks away there is a constant refreshing bank of new consumers for 19th street that has yet to be seriously tapped.

Thank god the Auto Zone was stopped. Commerce/TD Bank is bad enough.

I have many ideas regarding what should be done on 19th street. What do you think needs changing so that we can rival Emmaus? Share your ideas as comments.

Allentown Park Log 5: Keck Park

Sitting way over at the edge of the east side of town is Keck Park. It is tucked away in the corner and unless you know where you are going it is a bit difficult to find. There was no visible signage on Hamilton boulevard indicating where to turn (I could have missed it though, it is a busy intersection). Past some warehouses, you will eventually see this sign:



Of the parks I have visited thus far, Keck Park needs the most help. Most of the trash cans I saw, especially on the south side of the park were overflowing and the signs that I could find for the fitness walk were often broken or vandalized.




On the day I visited, the heart of Keck Park was buzzing with activity. The central gazebo was full of teenagers hanging out, the basketball court had a game going on it and the playground on the opposite end of the parking lot was covered in children. It was nice to see an urban park so full of people enjoying it.

There is one macadam road through the park which leads to another parking lot. A macadam trail to nowhere is without signage and leads through some underbrush to a small area that looks like an old access road at the top of the hill. A couple of unmarked slightly manicured (from travel) paths exist through the underbrush.




The views of the hillsides by the Lehigh river are beautiful from Keck Park. The park itself, while in need of the imminent upgrades and renovations coming its way; is a scenic place. I have yet to be able to discover what exact renovations will be taking place at Keck park but I know they are coming thanks to a blurb in the Adventure Allentown pamphlet.



Looking through city websites I discovered that a great amount of baseball is played at Keck Park during the summer. Baseball is one the best community building activities to have around. There is also a neighborhood watch group centered around Keck Park. (I had heard through word of mouth that there was a lot of crime in Keck Park but I could find no record of it at mcall.com or wfmz.com) If nothing else, Keck Park is very valuable to the community of Allentown and what better can you get from a city park?



(I would show pictures of the skate park, but I couldn’t find it)

APL: Lehigh Parkway Part 3

On the third journey I took into the Parkway, I took a left turn at Bogart’s bridge and walked what I am going to call the east-loop. Each of the three sections of the Parkway that I journeyed through are very different from each other while remaining familiar enough to always remind you where you are.


A single kiln stood on this loop but the defining feature was the huge bridge about half way through.



The true constant throughout the park is the little Lehigh creek meandering its way eastward. Kayakers, fly-fisherman, kids searching for crayfish or a hot adult placing a foot in to cool off; the creek is the star of Lehigh Parkway.





The parks of Allentown are our escape, our recreation, and our playgrounds at any age. These are the places we come to relax, to forget, to find new space, to remember and reform our connection to the ecosystem and to discover ourselves in solitude. We take our families there for afternoons or evenings out, and together. Sometimes, for no other reason, we come just to go.

This city has seen its fair share of changes. The constant here is our parks, and Lehigh Parkway stands as proof of it. The haunted kilns, stone staircases, and steel disc golf holes stand as the varied reminders of where this city was and where it is going. The Parkway will always be and has always been a shining jewel in the crown of the Queen City.

I encourage all of you to visit the Parkway. Go alone. Take your significant other. Take your children. Go for a walk with your dog. Go for a bike ride. Just go. It is a wonderful place that can truly enrich and expand a different, greener perspective of Allentown and if nothing else will give you a place to go as a citizen that can make you truly proud of your city.

Two Weekend Notes

Allentown:From the Ground Up is hosting an impromptu get together at Liberty Street Tavern tonight at 8. If you are free I suggest dropping by for one of the best beer selections in Allentown and some great company. It should be a good time.

(Liberty Street Tavern is located at
2246 W Liberty St Allentown, PA 18104)

Tomorrow night I will be hosting an Open Mic at Taylor Roasted Coffee House in Northampton. (It is right on Main St by the Roxy Theater). If you are free and in need of something to do on a Saturday night our Open Mic is a really varied and interesting night.

Sign ups will be from 6-8.

The show will run from 8-11.

If you are a writer, musician, or storyteller, please come out and perform. We have an increasingly diverse line-up and each week is better than the last.

There is a 2.00 cover charge. (A Dollar of which earns a ticket for a dollar off of any food or beverage purchase)

I really hope to see alot of folks out tomorrow night for one of the most entertaining and exciting nights of music in the Lehigh Valley.


(Parkway Part 3 is coming later and on Monday I will be visiting MayFair and will do a MayFair journey on here)

APL:Lehigh Parkway Part Two- Robin Hood

Visiting the Parkway today, I took what I am going to call the main loop of the park. We started at the main bridge by the old WPA staircase. Immediately at the parking lot are the remnants of what looks like an old spring house.



If you were playing disc golf, the first hole is actually over the old stone structures that I assume belong to the old spring house and aquifer. Further down in a marshland, an old stone bridge sits which I assume again was part of this spring house set up. (It would be nice to see some signage here that would explain what in fact it was)

As we began to walk the gravel park path my friend Matt noticed this to the left of us:

There was no signage to indicate a trail but the path was pretty well manicured in most parts (a bit of last fall and some fallen trees make a few parts dicey) and a very enjoyable little hike.


The woodland trail ends near Earl’s Bridge.

It is also near what is left of an old boat launch. I have seen and walked on the stairs many times over the course of my life but I had no idea what they were (you can barely tell they are even there); until I read this post on Molovinsky’s blog.

The Parkway runs its course in the deep shadow of Allentown’s history. During the sixties the Parkway (Robin Hood) was a hangout for hippies and featured concerts. I know Deep Purple played there.

Eventually, the crowds of people were banned and slowly over time the park was closed to automobile traffic. My dad used to drive through there all the time when I was a kid.

Even farther back, a proposed railroad was to be built where the Parkway is. The last vestiges of this railroad are present in the lime kilns:


and in a disintegrating wooden bridge on one of the parks far edges, past Earl’s bridge. There were far more kilns at one time but they were dismantled and rebuilt as the regal stone staircase and wall by the main entrance of the Parkway as a WPA project in the 1930’s.



I spent a significant time doing research trying to glean some Parkway history out of a lot of books but until this afternoon I could find nothing. After what was my thousandth different worded Google search I stumbled across a railroad message board that the one and only Frank Whelan posted on in 2002. That information about the railroad is fully explained by him in this post.
It is a shame that the city has yet put some sort of signage around these Allentonian landmarks. They do have great signage for the fitness walk and for each activity:

I imagine that the majority of people my age and younger will never have a clue as to what most of these structures were or why they are in the park. For as great a park as the Parkway is, and it is a great park, it could really benefit from a greater historical perspective. I still have no idea what most of the spring edifices were and I can’t find much information out about Bogart’s Bridge.

The living history in the Parkway needs no markers. During my excursion today I was able to see hawks, blue jays, many assorted songbirds and a few floating mallards and their vibrant color and sound let me know exactly who they were. The May apples littering the wooded areas, the intoxicatingly sweet honeysuckle, and various early blooming wildflowers let me know they were there as well. Trying to take a picture of the main structure of the remaining lime kilns, a large garter snake was pointed out at my feet and he certainly made his presence known as I ran away, screaming. I didn’t think I was afraid of snakes but hearing my friend Matt yell “SNAKE!”, caused a pretty intense fear reaction…

Fleabane:

Honeysuckle:

Raspberry:

Yellow Iris (Yellow Flag):

I hope that as plans for park revitalization and renovation move forward; that some forward thinking city official with a perspective of Allentown’s history moves to get some markers and preservation acts moving for the history that is being neglected in the Parkway.

This is only part two of my journey into the Parkway and a third part should be following tomorrow. There is a lot left to see down there.