68skylark

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 :)

Start your day haggling in the 120 degree heat for a cab, get a price, pile into a little sentra and go to the mall.
Leaving the mall, wait at a cab stand for an hour and head to the souk, get some stuff,
wait another hour for a taxi (and haggle for another 14 min)
go to a bar and get sloshed.
Bahrain in a nutshell.

It’s gotten bigger each and every time. More and more western influence in the middle of the desert and the bathwater called the persian gulf.
Nice place to visit if you don’t mind 100 degree plus temps, the malls are everywhere and make it like anycity, USA, if anycity,USA happened to be in death valley.

Liked the visit, but a bit too crowded for me. (not so much people but buildings)
It’s kinda like they’re building skyscrapers just because they can.
Makes NYC look like a town.

Imagine a place smaller than the state of Pennsylvania that has over 50 million people in it. (Pennsylvania has 17 million and is the 6th most populated state!)
Yet you can still find little pockets of privacy (you ahve to look HARD) lol
very fun.

KL was a very fun place to visit. Very beautiful place with tiny little roads and full-size buses even make getting to places fun.

Great people, great beer.
A lot like San Diego but Smaller.
Port of Fremantle reminded me of Bethlehem,PA (where I was born) right before the steel went away.

Been to Perth and Fremantle.
Fremantle reminds me of Bethlehem,PA
Perth is kinda like a little san diego

3 locations in Allentown of the hot dogs that built allentown! Just kidding. Still a damn good hot dog.
One off of Liberty st, another behind 4th, another on 222 and 100.(technically not allentown, but fogelsville, an unincorporated suburb of allentown)
Willy Joes also in Allentown. Willy Joes claims to have the best hot dogs in allentown. If you find yourself in Allentown try them both and decide for yourself. At the prices you can eat a lotta dogs.
Willy Joes is located on lehigh street (get off I-78 and go toward center city allentown, can’t miss it)

Like all places, there is more to it than initially meets the eye. I’m admittedly biased, I’m from there.
If you ever find yourself in allentown, I suggest you hit up Yoccos. Best damn hot dog in Allentown, if not PA. (possibly farther out then that)
If you’re into steak Gregory’s on Airport Rd (right by the airport) has a great steak for not a lotta dough and you wash it down with a 32oz frosted mug of your favorite brew.
Dunkin’ Donuts does make some great donuts. (blows Krispy Kreme outta the water, and all you west-coasters are free to disagree, but I’m living out west currently, and yes KK don’t have shit on DD)
To defend you guys over here there are no Sonics in Allentown. Doh!
Being an old mill town (This is the city that billy joel sings about, after all) you can be just about anywhere in Allentown or Bethlehem (the exception is when in housing projects..in which case you have to make it to a regular street) and be within a block of at least one bar or pub, nightclub, state store etc. If you can’t quench your thirst in allentown you are passed out.
The remains of the steel in bethlehem are something to see, that’s over 4 continuous miles of steel mill there folks, the single biggest brownfield in the country is HERE. In it’s heyday the Steel was the shiznit. Over 30,000 people (in a city of 90,000 that’s called bethlehem) worked there.
The latest proposal is a casino/hotel/mall complex on the property.
Allentown is a sad place sometimes, but is currently trying to start a renaissance. Hopefully it works this time (I think this is the FOURTH time the city has tried to pull itself back up after being knocked down.)
Allentown is also an OLD place, full of tradition and memories. It’s one of the oldest cities in the country.
The recently departed Acres was the 3rd oldest housing project in the nation. (opened right after WW2)
While in allentown, feel free to visit the Old Zion Church. This is where they hid the liberty bell when the redcoats took over Philly.
All in all no matter what anyone says it’s worth a visit.