south bethlehem walk off her list

My friend Angel made a list of things to do before summer was over. One was walk in South Bethlehem. An odd thing to put on a list, don't you think? But that line item was inspired by the posts in this blog, so today we went.

Angel and 7-year-old Bug arrived around 10. We didn't get back till 1:30.

Barely out of the house Bug says may we go to the park. That question I could smell that coming. There's one two blocks away, visible from my house—Ullman Park. (aka Junk Park, Drug  Park, Sassafrass Park.) When she see's it, she always asks. I said "no".

(There's a couple of reasons. I didn't tell her. She can now read. I don't want to explain the words in the graffiti. It is also the place to buy drugs in my area. Empty dime bags and needles are all around. She would think it was litter. I'd worry she'd step on something.)

I was going to tell her we could go to Fountain Hill park, but it was the other direction from our lunch stop. Plus mom's list said to walk in south Bethlehem, not Fountain Hill. So I told her I knew another park.


We headed up my hill and out Sioux. Then we had to cross Wyandotte. I told Bug I needed to hold her hand. She told me I squeezed it too hard. It was Wyandotte St. I don't care about comfort. Just safety.

We headed out Summit to Carlton and down Carlton of MLK Park. It's next to Holy Infancy. We stayed at least a half hour. Then headed back up the hill and thru Lehigh's campus. Stopping at every sculpture. We continued thru the old Taylor Stadium and down Filmore to the new South Bethlehem Greenway.

The Greenway is divine.

Hopefully it will take some of the pressure off the canal path. It's used hard already.

The Greenway used to be Norfolk Southern rail line. It's flat. It's wide. There are lights and new trees and benches and trash cans. (Yes, that is a horrible sentence. I don't care. Call the grammar police!) All the trash that used to be on the railroad tracks is gone. The homes along the way seem to have new found pride in their houses and are painting and planting flowers and things, instead of tossing old couches, mattresses and tires onto the former tracks.

The cross streets narrow at the Greenway intersections so it's easier to cross the street. There are posts to block cars, but not bicycles. And the street names are written into the sidewalks.


Right now the Greenway is about a mile an a half from New to the 4th Street bridge. It ends at the skate park. Next year it will continue to Saucon Park and connect, I think, with the Saucon rail-trail in Hellertown. (Which may ultimately connect with the one in going to Coopersburg.)

After work is completed on the Hill to Hill Bridge it will continue from New, across Third to Union Station.

We walked to Hayes, turned around and came back to New and went to Nawab for lunch. It's a buffet. Bug ate her weight and then some. Them she wanted to take a nap. At the restaurant. She asked if there was someone who could pick us up. I said no. We're walking.

Slowly we walked home.

All-in-all it was a great day.

If you read about a walk that you want to take in this blog or anywhere else*. Let me know. We'll go.

*Not quite anywhere else. Got one today for Scotland. Would love to do it. Lacking the $5K and have a serious fear of flying.