This story was originally published in September 2021. The end of summer always brings some self-reflection. My thoughts turn to those special places both as a child growing up in Pennsylvania, and today, living life Down East.
On a recent trip back to Allentown, Pennsylvania, the place I was born and raised, I had the opportunity to visit one such place — a place I have not been back to in a very long time. Growing up on the south side of Allentown, I never gave much thought to the places we spent most of our time. I guess as children we looked at time differently.
Perhaps the obscurity of time is essential for childhood exploits as one moves through a young life of games, play and sometimes, questionable behavior. But as we grow older, those same places and the memories they hold begin to float back, tugging at heartstrings in moments both good and bad. On this particular visit, walking through the Lehigh Parkway, the memories were all good.
The Lehigh Parkway is the jewel of the Allentown Parks System. It is a greenbelt, created before it became fashionable to do so, that is home to anglers, walkers, joggers, cyclists, motorists and the police academy. During the holiday season, the trees that dot the landscape are all decked out in an LED splendor of holiday color.
This park of vast greenery, covered bridges, paths of water and ground was home to my group of friends as boys growing up. To our young eyes, it was an outdoor jungle gym of grass, trees and a creek that spli.