born and grew up here (moved to Atown at 15) — 2 years ago
Grew up to the smog and red-orange glow in the southern sky from the coke-works. (grew up a half mile from the minsi trail bridge) Planes shook the house every day on approach to the airport (in allentown)
Constant industrial noise and whistles.
Actually delivered parts to The Steel in 1995 during a summer job. Saw the last gasps of the beast.
Lots of stuff to do, but just seeing the remains of the giant that built the Great White Fleet, the GWB, the empire state, PA378, several golf courses in Bethlehem, helped design the World trade center (but didn’t get the bid) the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, yup bethlehem DESIGNED AND BUILT IT, and countless other projects, is worth the trip.
All that is gone, now, and Bethlehem is being reborn in the spirit of a college town.
The smog is slowly drifting away,
the lehigh river, which was once known as “flowing black lava” because is was so polluted, has gotten clean enough to support fish again and to swim in (as recently as 1980 it was too dirty to support all but the most hardy fish)
It is kinda sad that neighbor city Allentown wants to build a cable bridge across thier section of the Lehigh but can’t because it COSTS TOO MUCH….in other words the AREA THE BUILT THE ENTIRE NATION…THAT SACRIFICED IT’S COAL, OIL AND VIRGIN LUMBER TO FUEL THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION… can’t AFFORD a STEEL bridge (wtf?)
but the benefits of 2nd growth forest covering much of PA, the rivers cleaning up, and air you can actually breathe,
far outweighs those little negatives, doncha think :)
