Ah, Bethlehem: The starry city with streets lined with quaint shops, delectable restaurants, and kitschy social joints. During my time at Moravian, I learned to love walking through the majestic city and appreciate how walkable it is. Seriously, can we talk about that?
I am no expert on city planning, but even I can see how a city is designed to accommodate walking pedestrians. City planner Jeff Speck has a fascinating theory of walkability and how four conditions need to be met to determine walkability: usefulness, safety, comfort, and being interesting. I highly recommend reading his book “Walkable City” if you’d like to learn more about how he examines the walkability of downtown cities.
I digress, I think Bethlehem exemplifies this comfort in strolling, especially in its downtown area. During my freshman year, I always loved taking walks from North to South campus and getting to see the vibrancy of the city. I’d walk past The Attic and dream about all the cool earrings and spunky clothing that they may have in stock that day. I’d go past the Foo Foo Shoppe and muse over the collection of ducks or the crude yet funny wall of socks.
During Vespers season, I loved walking past carolers and the horse-drawn carriage rides; I could never get the rhythmic sound of clopping hooves and silver bells out of my head for some reason.
The bar scene is also something to behold. From Steelgaarden and 515 Main to McCarthy’s Pub, the bars in Bethlehem always offered that much-needed social spark to evening walks. Even when I didn’t go into any of these bars or pubs, I enjoyed walking past the lively scene of drunk college students going a little too crazy with karaoke or a group of friends having philosophical conversations after having a little too much beer.
I think I also just have great memories attached to my strolls through downtown. Cat and I used to walk to choir together, and I fondly remember our conversations. I’ve also had first dates in Bethlehem, and let me tell you, walking through the city with your date really does wonders for easing your anxiety.
As much as I rave on about downtown, I should also give South Side Bethlehem its flowers as well. SteelStacks is, hands down, one of my favorite sites to walk past, and I am endlessly impressed by the culture and entertainment within its venues. And how could I mention South Side without mentioning the Urban Arts Trail? For any humanities student, it’s an absolute dream walking down this trail and taking in the idiosyncratic sculptures and artwork while you’re chatting with friends.
As a college student, I feel so lucky to have access to such robust downtown and southside areas that can help me get away from the agonies of academic performance. My Bethlehem walks recharged my sense of wonder and exploration and made me appreciate the scenery of the city. Now that the weather is nicer and I’m in the home stretch before graduation, I will absolutely take the time to stroll through downtown and reminisce about my routinely walks that pulled me through college. Maybe I can get some friends to tag along during our last week!
