Does it bring back memories for any of you youngsters? If not, then rush to the internet and see what the movie was all about; it was such a scary movie in the 60’s.
When we decided to drive to Bethlehem, we didn’t have anything specific
to see, just wanted to see the countryside and enjoy a smaller town in PA. Were we shocked when we arrived in
Bethlehem. First off, the town was named
because it incorporated on Christmas Eve, 1741 by German missionaries and so
they decided to name it appropriately because of that special day. It was a big steel town from 1869 to 2001. We expected it to be depressed and dirty and
it was quite the opposite. The main
downtown area has been restored and it has three blocks of shops, lots of
restaurants and a huge hotel. The
historic Bethlehem Hotel stands majestically on the main street overlooking the
Monocacy River. We went in to the hotel
to check it out. As we were walking
around admiring the lobby a nice lady came up and introduced herself as the
hotel manager and proceeded to give us a personal tour of the hotel.
In the ballroom were these huge tapestries
that depicted the scenes of Bethlehem and its origin. They do a lot of weddings and anniversaries
in that ballroom.
I just love small towns and what a delight to experience such hospitality and fun walking the streets and having lunch at a local restaurant on a perfect summer day. The town really had a struggle around 2000 when the steel mill shut down and the town really took a dive. But, over the years they have come back and are trying to survive. So pleased to see the delightful town prospering now.
Isn't this the most original book shop name!I just love small towns and what a delight to experience such hospitality and fun walking the streets and having lunch at a local restaurant on a perfect summer day. The town really had a struggle around 2000 when the steel mill shut down and the town really took a dive. But, over the years they have come back and are trying to survive. So pleased to see the delightful town prospering now.
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| Woolworth Store....brings back memories |
Drove down to the visitor’s
center for Bethlehem Steel Company and they just had a small new building that
showed the mill’s history, etc. They
only had one afternoon tour and we missed it…bummer...so just took pictures.
Bethlehem Steel Company, founded in 1869, was one of the top producers of steel for this country. They produced the steel for the George Washington Bridge, Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Madison Square Garden, Hoover dam and one of the largest shipbuilder and the list goes on and on. When the company went bankrupt in 2001 International Steel Group bought the assets in 2003. The site of the company's original plant is now home to SteelStacks, an arts and entertainment district. The plant's five blast furnaces are left standing and serve as a backdrop for the new campus. SteelStacks currently features ArtsQuest, a contemporary performing arts center, and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, a gambling emporium. The area also includes three outdoor music venues - Levitt Pavilion, a free music venue featuring lawn seating for up to 2,500 people, Air Products Town Square at Steelstacks, and PNC Plaza, which hosts concerts featuring well-known artists.
Next, we decided that we had to go and photograph the
covered bridges that were close by. So
glad we did. It isn’t everyday you get
to see them and we were able to see three and drive through two. They call them ‘kissing’ bridges because back
in the day when it was improper to kiss in public the young people in their
horse and buggies could steal a kiss without the chaperone, following behind
them, seeing them kiss. George and I
decided we must experience that tradition and stole a kiss in the dark…no one
cared.
What a lovely trip into the country and was so glad we got
to experience some ‘untourist’ kind of sights.
Happy travels,
Peggy (plus George
& Coco)
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