Twenty Five Years Ago....

This week, 25 years ago, Billy Joel released the song "Allentown." I remember at the time thinking what a depressing song it was and a good example of what Reaganomics would bring. When I went to college a few years later, I met some people from Allentown and they did not seem to be down trodden or coal miners, but the song was still in the back of my mind (it does have a catchy tune, also).

Never would I imagine that I would- for all intents and purposes- be living in Allentown one day. Of course,at the tender age of ...well, in our early teens, we cannot imagine ourselves doing many things which eventually come to pass. For example, I never thought I would attend a Tupperware party or a boxing match, but I have. And to answer the obvious question- I would rather attend another boxing match than go to another Tupperware party.

Allentown is very nice city, certainly as compared with the first one which comes to mind for framing in personal reference- Canton, Ohio. There is a definite flavor to the city and many pretty areas. I have not seen one factory, shut-down or otherwise, though I have seen the truly awful Bethlehem Steelworks, which are much closer to the tenor of the song than actual Allentown. If I had to, I would not be scared witless to ride a city bus (untrue of Canton) and the citizens are diverse and reasonably well informed about current events (untrue of Canton).

However- and this is the maddening paradox which I have struggled with for the last 3 or 4 years - it is so much more expensive to live here. A friend in Ohio has a similar apartment to mine and hers costs about $490 a month, mine costs $875. Same basic accoutrements, parts of town, etc. In Ohio, I could be making the some money but living in a pretty nice house which I could actually afford to own. But there is the catch- in Ohio.

No Drake's Cakes, Tastycake; Little Interest in the Outside world; Certified notch on the Bible Belt, Very hard to Find Decent Pizza/Subs; no diners; few decent areas of higher education...Trying to get the Sunday New York Times is a Grail Quest and when you do...don't be caught reading it. You will be viewed with suspicion: why would you be interested in anything in New York? True Story, which I have repeated incredulously to many over the years: Through some magical alignment of the planets, one Sunday I happened to be in the "luxury" grocery store and there was a NYT there waiting. I snatched it up in glee and took it off to the register. The cashier picks it up, looks it over carefully and remarks, "Huh. New York. I don't know anyone in New York. I'd probably never read this," and continues to critique my items (a fairly common occurrence out there). And this was the common attitude. If it did not affect them personally or involved Ohio, it did not matter. Yes, this includes 9/11. I will not even go there today.

Also, reference Massillon Ohio, where I lived for three years or so. The library burns down due to lack of smoke/fire detectors. It is not rebuilt. The high school football team has a state of the art...everything. They "red shirt," which I had never heard of until I moved to Ohio and I thought someone had made up as a joke: keeping kids behind a grade in school so that the team players can be bigger/more effective. To this day it amazes me that anyone would go along with it.

Anyway- Allentown? Much better than the song. Glad to be here.