Chen Charges Forward!

Photos by Gianni Villa, age 7, except the one he is in , which I took. (Mrs. D)

The Chen Arts Group (CHARGE)'s 5th party/event was a smashing (and productive) success last night! Thanks to Joe Skrapits for hosting. And thanks to all who attended.

Now On The Agenda: Chen's 1st Group Art Show will be October 4 at Pete Lewnes's coo-el space-- prep, promo plans, and details following. This will be an all day event.

Our Fifth Fabulous Event!

Attention friends and local glitterati: The scene-stealing Allentown Chen-Arts Group will be holding it's fifth fabulous monthly happening at the Musselman Arts Center 601 Hamilton St, Allentown on this Saturday Sept. 6th, 6:30 PM.

We'll meet in the offices of the Antonio Salemme Foundation, on the second floor. We will be charging over to Chen for dinner at around 7:30-8:00. Jenny Chen said we need to make sure we order food before 8:30. I have reserved the back room for our party. I am excited about meeting some new artists, and of course seeing all of you dedicated Chennies. Joe Skrapits is taking charge of the show at Musselman. Pete Lewnes has some exciting newses! We might be able to have a group show real soon, but I will let Pete tell you about that. Joe will talk about the studio building at 4th and Tilghman and the future NoTi arts district. I hope everyone had a chance to see the article in last Sunday's Morning Call and the 69 News spot. The fabulous Chen Arts group was mentioned in TMC's article. Exciting things are happening for the arts in Allentown and I am proud to be a part of this positive movement!

Did I mention how fabulous this is?

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

Andy Warhol

Painting is by Antonio Salemme

Our Fifth Fabulous Event!

Attention friends and local glitterati: The scene-stealing Allentown Chen-Arts Group will be holding it's fifth fabulous monthly happening at the Musselman Arts Center 601 Hamilton St, Allentown on this Saturday Sept. 6th, 6:30 PM.

We'll meet in the offices of the Antonio Salemme Foundation, on the second floor. We will be charging over to Chen for dinner at around 7:30-8:00. Jenny Chen said we need to make sure we order food before 8:30. I have reserved the back room for our party. I am excited about meeting some new artists, and of course seeing all of you dedicated Chennies. Joe Skrapits is taking charge of the show at Musselman. Pete Lewnes has some exciting newses! We might be able to have a group show real soon, but I will let Pete tell you about that. Joe will talk about the studio building at 4th and Tilghman and the future NoTi arts district. I hope everyone had a chance to see the article in last Sunday's Morning Call and the 69 News spot. The fabulous Chen Arts group was mentioned in TMC's article. Exciting things are happening for the arts in Allentown and I am proud to be a part of this positive movement!

Did I mention how fabulous this is?

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

Andy Warhol

Painting is by Antonio Salemme

Introducing: Mr. Dottie!

I (Mrs. Dottie) am pleased and proud to announce the addition of my husband Bill Villa (Mr. Dottie!) as my co-blogger sidekick at Lehigh Valley Somebody, effective immediately. As you'll see, Mr. and Mrs. Dottie don't see eye to eye on everything. For example, Bill, er, I mean Mr. Dottie, is not boycotting The Morning Call "Blogger Tuesday" or "Valley Blogosphere" as I am. Mr. Dottie is A-Quiver and wants IN at Blogger Tuesday, Valley Blogosphere, Sounding Bored, etc. (he's in advertising; see the self-promo attraction/agenda?), PLUS (and this is very exciting), Mr. Dottie will be attending all meetings involving local bloggers, Glenn Kranzley, and The Morning Call, starting with the inaugural meeting on October 4 just announced by Chris Casey > http://lvconversation.blogspot.com/2008/08/lehigh-valley-bloggapallooza-is-go.html

Welcome aboard, Mr. Dottie!

Introducing: Mr. Dottie!

I (Mrs. Dottie) am pleased and proud to announce the addition of my husband Bill Villa (Mr. Dottie!) as my co-blogger sidekick at Lehigh Valley Somebody, effective immediately. As you'll see, Mr. and Mrs. Dottie don't see eye to eye on everything. For example, Bill, er, I mean Mr. Dottie, is not boycotting The Morning Call "Blogger Tuesday" or "Valley Blogosphere" as I am. Mr. Dottie is A-Quiver and wants IN at Blogger Tuesday, Valley Blogosphere, Sounding Bored, etc. (he's in advertising; see the self-promo attraction/agenda?), PLUS (and this is very exciting), Mr. Dottie will be attending all meetings involving local bloggers, Glenn Kranzley, and The Morning Call, starting with the inaugural meeting on October 4 just announced by Chris Casey > http://lvconversation.blogspot.com/2008/08/lehigh-valley-bloggapallooza-is-go.html

Welcome aboard, Mr. Dottie!

"Difficulties and challenges": the city website

At my "Revitalization:let's make it personal" post from last week I received many thoughtful comments and ideas from concerned readers regarding the city website. City Councilor Michael Donovan has provided us with an update from the city council meeting last night where the issue was discussed. Thanks Michael. I have decided to post that here so my readers can be updated:

"Greetings:Tonight at the administration meeting, we received a briefing from the city's information officer about the difficulties and challenges of bringing the website up to full capacity. Much of the problem can be linked to poor decisions in past administrations, but also a lack of resources available to work with and publish content. In particular, within the city, the time and skill necessary to manipulate images, video, and even text rests in only a few people, who also have other responsibilities.Then, there is the need to make sure that all pages are consistent and follow similar themes.This all said, Michael D'Amore and I recommended to the manager that he provide a summary of the needs he has to move forward and get the site fully populated. Issues such as design can wait.As far as getting an improved presentation of our arts community, perhaps some people can get together and consider how the city could link to an arts website (perhaps co-sponsored by the arts commission), or even provided volunteers who can be authorized to update a city based site.I'm going to leave it to each of you to think about what is best. However, please know that I'll support whatever moves us to a point where we present the city's arts and culture in a worldclass way.Best regards,Michael Donovan"

He suggests an arts website. The Arts Commission already has a blog called "Allentown City Arts" which I link to at my sidebar. Maybe that can be updated. I am surprised that there is a lack of resources for the city website. Isn't this why we pay taxes? And there is a 14 million dollar surplus.

Since our local newspaper does not provide the citizens of Allentown with comprehensive coverage of city meetings and other developments, I believe the website should be viewed as an important and useful public service. It's an important resource for finding necessary information. I mean no offense to people who work for the city or in city govt., but if you people can't run a website, then why should I have confidence in your ability to run a city?

If you look at the list of all the city commissions, authorities, boards, corporations, councils, etc, there seem to be a lot of people paid to work for the city. I would think some of those people would "volunteer" to get it together and maintain a website. What do you think? Here's a link to city website: http://www.allentownpa.gov/

(Picture has no deep meaning, just for fun.)

"Difficulties and challenges": the city website

At my "Revitalization:let's make it personal" post from last week I received many thoughtful comments and ideas from concerned readers regarding the city website. City Councilor Michael Donovan has provided us with an update from the city council meeting last night where the issue was discussed. Thanks Michael. I have decided to post that here so my readers can be updated:

"Greetings:Tonight at the administration meeting, we received a briefing from the city's information officer about the difficulties and challenges of bringing the website up to full capacity. Much of the problem can be linked to poor decisions in past administrations, but also a lack of resources available to work with and publish content. In particular, within the city, the time and skill necessary to manipulate images, video, and even text rests in only a few people, who also have other responsibilities.Then, there is the need to make sure that all pages are consistent and follow similar themes.This all said, Michael D'Amore and I recommended to the manager that he provide a summary of the needs he has to move forward and get the site fully populated. Issues such as design can wait.As far as getting an improved presentation of our arts community, perhaps some people can get together and consider how the city could link to an arts website (perhaps co-sponsored by the arts commission), or even provided volunteers who can be authorized to update a city based site.I'm going to leave it to each of you to think about what is best. However, please know that I'll support whatever moves us to a point where we present the city's arts and culture in a worldclass way.Best regards,Michael Donovan"

He suggests an arts website. The Arts Commission already has a blog called "Allentown City Arts" which I link to at my sidebar. Maybe that can be updated. I am surprised that there is a lack of resources for the city website. Isn't this why we pay taxes? And there is a 14 million dollar surplus.

Since our local newspaper does not provide the citizens of Allentown with comprehensive coverage of city meetings and other developments, I believe the website should be viewed as an important and useful public service. It's an important resource for finding necessary information. I mean no offense to people who work for the city or in city govt., but if you people can't run a website, then why should I have confidence in your ability to run a city?

If you look at the list of all the city commissions, authorities, boards, corporations, councils, etc, there seem to be a lot of people paid to work for the city. I would think some of those people would "volunteer" to get it together and maintain a website. What do you think? Here's a link to city website: http://www.allentownpa.gov/

(Picture has no deep meaning, just for fun.)

Great day for women

Today, Aug 26, 2008 marks the 88th anniversary of the day that the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote.

After watching Michelle Obama speak last night I feel really proud to be a woman. She is an outstanding speaker. She is a compassionate, intelligent woman who has worked hard to accomplish so much in her life. And she puts family first. What a great American story she told about her life. She talked about American values that all of us, liberal, conservative or whatever, should be able to relate to. Her picture should be on the front page of every newspaper today. She is an inspiration to ALL women. And she's real. Unpatriotic? Elitist? I don't think so. In fact, hearing her speak last night made me feel a little more proud to be an American. And it gave me hope.

Go Obama! Let's take this country to where it should be.

Great day for women

Today, Aug 26, 2008 marks the 88th anniversary of the day that the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote.

After watching Michelle Obama speak last night I feel really proud to be a woman. She is an outstanding speaker. She is a compassionate, intelligent woman who has worked hard to accomplish so much in her life. And she puts family first. What a great American story she told about her life. She talked about American values that all of us, liberal, conservative or whatever, should be able to relate to. Her picture should be on the front page of every newspaper today. She is an inspiration to ALL women. And she's real. Unpatriotic? Elitist? I don't think so. In fact, hearing her speak last night made me feel a little more proud to be an American. And it gave me hope.

Go Obama! Let's take this country to where it should be.

Milk, bread, & eggs

I read this at Bill Moyer's Journal and thought it was worth sharing:

"The news at the grocery store is grim for many. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices rose by 4% last year, the largest increase in 17 years. And, the USDA predicts they will rise another 4% this year. Eggs are up 40% in the past year; milk up 26% a gallon; a loaf of standard bread, 20%.

All across the nation families, government agencies and food banks are feeling the pinch. So many people are in precarious straits our government figures 28 million Americans will be using food stamps this year, the highest level since the program began in the 1960s. Almost one in 10 people in Ohio get food stamps; one in eight in Michigan, and one in six West Virginians. The rising food prices make that assistance worth less and less and food banks and pantries are facing increased need and those same higher prices."

The govt. does not use the word "hungry" to describe the 35 million Americans who have trouble finding the money to put food on the table. They use the term "food insecure." Second Harvest Food Bank will be changing their name to "Feeding America." http://www.secondharvest.org/

Demand at their food banks is up 20% over last year.

So why have food prices gone up so drastically? Well I did some research and found out that it's mostly because of record oil prices, so there's an increase in transportation costs, and an added demand for corn and soybeans to make alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, and as a result, corn prices have more than doubled, soybean prices have nearly tripled. When the price of corn rises, so does price of livestock feed. So, meat, poultry and egg prices go up. Another reason is poor wheat harvests. And it is predicted that food prices will continue to rise. So I guess it's a good idea to clip those coupons and start cutting back.

Milk, bread, & eggs

I read this at Bill Moyer's Journal and thought it was worth sharing:

"The news at the grocery store is grim for many. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices rose by 4% last year, the largest increase in 17 years. And, the USDA predicts they will rise another 4% this year. Eggs are up 40% in the past year; milk up 26% a gallon; a loaf of standard bread, 20%.

All across the nation families, government agencies and food banks are feeling the pinch. So many people are in precarious straits our government figures 28 million Americans will be using food stamps this year, the highest level since the program began in the 1960s. Almost one in 10 people in Ohio get food stamps; one in eight in Michigan, and one in six West Virginians. The rising food prices make that assistance worth less and less and food banks and pantries are facing increased need and those same higher prices."

The govt. does not use the word "hungry" to describe the 35 million Americans who have trouble finding the money to put food on the table. They use the term "food insecure." Second Harvest Food Bank will be changing their name to "Feeding America." http://www.secondharvest.org/

Demand at their food banks is up 20% over last year.

So why have food prices gone up so drastically? Well I did some research and found out that it's mostly because of record oil prices, so there's an increase in transportation costs, and an added demand for corn and soybeans to make alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, and as a result, corn prices have more than doubled, soybean prices have nearly tripled. When the price of corn rises, so does price of livestock feed. So, meat, poultry and egg prices go up. Another reason is poor wheat harvests. And it is predicted that food prices will continue to rise. So I guess it's a good idea to clip those coupons and start cutting back.

Climbing the walls

Climbing the walls

Revitalization: let's make it personal

Hello friends! The Allentown Chen-Arts Group (CHARGE) is a growing group of local artists and friends interested in showing their work in Allentown, and possibly the surrounding LV area. The group was started by artists. When we get together once a month, artists are given an opportunity to present their art work to the group. Our next get together will be Sat. Sept. 6th, at the Musselman arts center on Hamilton St. Check back here for more info.

What I like about the group is the spirit of community, and the exchange of ideas. It's exciting to meet new people and learn new things, to see what other artists do. It's been fun to re-connect with old friends.We are all different, yet we do have things in common. I think this kind of "all inclusive" community building, through the arts, will help revitalize Allentown. It certainly has helped to revitalize my spirit! Art brings people together. All kinds of people of all ages. Everyone is welcome to participate in this group.

I think there needs to be more "all inclusive" community building in Allentown. It's the people who matter most. It's the neighborhoods. It's the kids in the school district. Why doesn't the city website http://www.allentownpa.gov/ include some pictures of these people, instead of just buildings and statues? Put people first. What do you think?

Photo: The first Chen-Arts get together at House of Chen, Allentown

Revitalization: let's make it personal

Hello friends! The Allentown Chen-Arts Group (CHARGE) is a growing group of local artists and friends interested in showing their work in Allentown, and possibly the surrounding LV area. The group was started by artists. When we get together once a month, artists are given an opportunity to present their art work to the group. Our next get together will be Sat. Sept. 6th, at the Musselman arts center on Hamilton St. Check back here for more info.

What I like about the group is the spirit of community, and the exchange of ideas. It's exciting to meet new people and learn new things, to see what other artists do. It's been fun to re-connect with old friends.We are all different, yet we do have things in common. I think this kind of "all inclusive" community building, through the arts, will help revitalize Allentown. It certainly has helped to revitalize my spirit! Art brings people together. All kinds of people of all ages. Everyone is welcome to participate in this group.

I think there needs to be more "all inclusive" community building in Allentown. It's the people who matter most. It's the neighborhoods. It's the kids in the school district. Why doesn't the city website http://www.allentownpa.gov/ include some pictures of these people, instead of just buildings and statues? Put people first. What do you think?

Photo: The first Chen-Arts get together at House of Chen, Allentown

Attention local artists!

Attention artists, here is an announcement from Joe Skrapits, Allentown Arts Commission:

"A private developer is planning to create affordable artists' studios in a building at 4th and Tilghman in Allentown. George Huang (the developer) called me last night to say he will be presenting his plans for the building at a zoning hearing board meeting this Monday, August 18, at 7pm in City Council chambers at City Hall. George has already developed a successful studio building in Yonkers, NY, and he's going through the permitting process in Allentown now. He needs a variance from zoning because the building lacks the required number of off-street parking spaces.

This project will be a great stimulus to Allentown's arts scene. Located in the same area as the Silkwerks, Green Street Dreams, and Gregory and Kiki's building on Washington St., George's building will bring even more artists to the NoTi ("north of Tilghman"--thanks, Gregory) district. If this keeps snowballing, NoTi could become Allentown's first "creative arts" district (versus the institutional arts district downtown), and our test case for showing the city how the arts can transform a once neglected neighborhood."

Attention local artists!

Attention artists, here is an announcement from Joe Skrapits, Allentown Arts Commission:

"A private developer is planning to create affordable artists' studios in a building at 4th and Tilghman in Allentown. George Huang (the developer) called me last night to say he will be presenting his plans for the building at a zoning hearing board meeting this Monday, August 18, at 7pm in City Council chambers at City Hall. George has already developed a successful studio building in Yonkers, NY, and he's going through the permitting process in Allentown now. He needs a variance from zoning because the building lacks the required number of off-street parking spaces.

This project will be a great stimulus to Allentown's arts scene. Located in the same area as the Silkwerks, Green Street Dreams, and Gregory and Kiki's building on Washington St., George's building will bring even more artists to the NoTi ("north of Tilghman"--thanks, Gregory) district. If this keeps snowballing, NoTi could become Allentown's first "creative arts" district (versus the institutional arts district downtown), and our test case for showing the city how the arts can transform a once neglected neighborhood."

Good Cheap Grub

This front cover of New York Magazine from July 28-Aug.4: "Eat Cheap 2008" (deluxe hard-times edition) called out to me at the hair salon. "Read me, Mrs. Dottie", it said. This article describes how some restaurants in the city are now changing their menus to suit the new "fiscally prudent" lifestyle that so many have adopted due to rising food prices. Makes sense to me. Makes me wonder just how much of a demand there is for new upscale restaurants like the "Cosmopolitan" which plans on opening in downtown Allentown.


In NYC for a dollar you can get a slice of plain pizza, or a lamb skewer, or dumplings from a street cart. Upscale is out.

Luxury toppings on burgers are out. There's the beef!

I usually cook at home, but on weekends we like to eat out, and I need a break. So does my messy kitchen. So I try to find ways to eat out for $20 or under per meal, preferably no fast food. And avoidance of the "get outta the way of my weekend" jerky crowd. It is possible for a small family of 3 to eat good food at a cheap price. Dining at a restaurant where you must leave a tip can go more than $20, but we try to keep it under $30.

Here's my personal Cheap List (Places we've managed to keep it around $20 or less for dinner)

House of Chen , Downtown Allentown. get the platter specials. Kids love shrimp toast.
5 Guys Burgers, West Allentown, hearty burgers, no fancy ambience, get the junior burger, share a drink, share the fries
The Brass Rail , Lehigh St., call ahead take-out, eat at Lehigh Parkway, go for walk
Schnecksville Diner, route 309, we like this diner, get a cup of soup and sandwich, or breakfast for dinner, take the long way home.
Cafe Buon Gusto, Allentown, good meatball pizza (my son LOVES this) and we must stop at soda machine at 19th and Highland laundromat. We've got some rituals.
Dan's Chicken at the Farmer's Market, Allentown, a longstanding tradition, and some vegetables!

You may be thinking that this is a lot of high fat food that's really bad for you. Well, it's just on the weekend, not every night. We eat only salads and vegetables 5 days a week! ;D Actually I make sandwiches, fish, pasta, roasts, salads, all sorts of stuff. But when you dine out, the fancy salads are usually a lot more expensive than the burgers.

Good Cheap Grub

This front cover of New York Magazine from July 28-Aug.4: "Eat Cheap 2008" (deluxe hard-times edition) called out to me at the hair salon. "Read me, Mrs. Dottie", it said. This article describes how some restaurants in the city are now changing their menus to suit the new "fiscally prudent" lifestyle that so many have adopted due to rising food prices. Makes sense to me. Makes me wonder just how much of a demand there is for new upscale restaurants like the "Cosmopolitan" which plans on opening in downtown Allentown.


In NYC for a dollar you can get a slice of plain pizza, or a lamb skewer, or dumplings from a street cart. Upscale is out.

Luxury toppings on burgers are out. There's the beef!

I usually cook at home, but on weekends we like to eat out, and I need a break. So does my messy kitchen. So I try to find ways to eat out for $20 or under per meal, preferably no fast food. And avoidance of the "get outta the way of my weekend" jerky crowd. It is possible for a small family of 3 to eat good food at a cheap price. Dining at a restaurant where you must leave a tip can go more than $20, but we try to keep it under $30.

Here's my personal Cheap List (Places we've managed to keep it around $20 or less for dinner)

House of Chen , Downtown Allentown. get the platter specials. Kids love shrimp toast.
5 Guys Burgers, West Allentown, hearty burgers, no fancy ambience, get the junior burger, share a drink, share the fries
The Brass Rail , Lehigh St., call ahead take-out, eat at Lehigh Parkway, go for walk
Schnecksville Diner, route 309, we like this diner, get a cup of soup and sandwich, or breakfast for dinner, take the long way home.
Cafe Buon Gusto, Allentown, good meatball pizza (my son LOVES this) and we must stop at soda machine at 19th and Highland laundromat. We've got some rituals.
Dan's Chicken at the Farmer's Market, Allentown, a longstanding tradition, and some vegetables!

You may be thinking that this is a lot of high fat food that's really bad for you. Well, it's just on the weekend, not every night. We eat only salads and vegetables 5 days a week! ;D Actually I make sandwiches, fish, pasta, roasts, salads, all sorts of stuff. But when you dine out, the fancy salads are usually a lot more expensive than the burgers.

Tutoring mess

According to Sunday's front page Morning Call story "Left Behind":

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-4tutoring.6480541aug10,0,1256694.story

"Under No Child Left Behind, school districts have to set aside 10 percent of their federal money to pay for private tutoring firms if a school with a high percentage of poor students receives three consecutive years of failing standardized test scores on the Annual Yearly Progress reports."

The intention of this federal program under NCLB is to help poor students. The ASD gets $470,000 from the fed. govt. Right now they are only using 3.5 percent of this money, and the rest is wasted.

Here's why, according to the article: There is too much bureaucratic red tape involved with this plan, few low income parents sign students up for private tutors, public schools don't work hard enough to promote the program, Allentown already uses state money (5.4 million) for public school teachers to tutor 3,000 students. So are that many students really being left behind?

This federal plan just seems like a waste. How could Congress approve this? Plus, private tutors are not as familiar with the local standards as the teachers. How about peer tutoring? That would not cost any money. I guess the ASD could be reaching even more students if they were allowed to use the federal money to pay their teachers to tutor students, but this is not allowed under NCLB.

What I think the real issue here is why are there so many poor students who need tutoring to begin with? Where is parental responsibility? Maybe the federal govt. should look into a tutoring program for parents. And it appears like the NCLB plan is more concerned with promoting private companies at the expense of poor students than actually helping poor students. The Dept. of Education is out of touch with reality. Incompetent leadership at the top, and everywhere else. I say, keep more control at state and local levels; it may still be lousy, but maybe not as lousy as the fed. govt.

Tutoring mess

According to Sunday's front page Morning Call story "Left Behind":

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-4tutoring.6480541aug10,0,1256694.story

"Under No Child Left Behind, school districts have to set aside 10 percent of their federal money to pay for private tutoring firms if a school with a high percentage of poor students receives three consecutive years of failing standardized test scores on the Annual Yearly Progress reports."

The intention of this federal program under NCLB is to help poor students. The ASD gets $470,000 from the fed. govt. Right now they are only using 3.5 percent of this money, and the rest is wasted.

Here's why, according to the article: There is too much bureaucratic red tape involved with this plan, few low income parents sign students up for private tutors, public schools don't work hard enough to promote the program, Allentown already uses state money (5.4 million) for public school teachers to tutor 3,000 students. So are that many students really being left behind?

This federal plan just seems like a waste. How could Congress approve this? Plus, private tutors are not as familiar with the local standards as the teachers. How about peer tutoring? That would not cost any money. I guess the ASD could be reaching even more students if they were allowed to use the federal money to pay their teachers to tutor students, but this is not allowed under NCLB.

What I think the real issue here is why are there so many poor students who need tutoring to begin with? Where is parental responsibility? Maybe the federal govt. should look into a tutoring program for parents. And it appears like the NCLB plan is more concerned with promoting private companies at the expense of poor students than actually helping poor students. The Dept. of Education is out of touch with reality. Incompetent leadership at the top, and everywhere else. I say, keep more control at state and local levels; it may still be lousy, but maybe not as lousy as the fed. govt.

Let's go swimming!

I have some questions and concerns about The City of Allentown public pools. The other day we went to Cedar Beach pool. It's a nice pool, seems well maintained. It was a perfect summer day for swimming. I had anticipated a huge crowd of kids. Boy, was I wrong. It was mid-afternoon and it seemed like the place was only about 1/10 full. Maybe less. We asked one of the young ladies working there if this low turnout was normal, and she said yes. I don't understand. Makes no sense. Why isn't it packed?

My husband, who grew up in Allentown, can remember going to the Cedar Beach pool in the 60's and in the summertime it was always jam packed with kids and moms. He tells me, "the cars overflowed the parking lot and filled the grass area from the parking lot to Hamilton Street. And it was really hard even finding any open grass space to put a blanket or towel down. It was as crowded as the beach at Coney Island." I can remember being a kid in the 70's and spending all day at the pool. (I grew up in NJ)

So where are all the Allentown kids? Are they at private pools? Are they home playing video games or watching tv? Is swimming too boring? Is it too expensive? Since in most households both parents work are all the younger kids in daycare? But what about the teenagers? I don't know if the other Allentown pools attract more people, I've only been to Cedar Beach pool.

If you pay just for the day it's $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for kids over 5 yrs. old. Kids under 5 are free. Spectators are $2. You can get a season pass for $75 per adult, $45 per child. I guess if you have a big family this can get rather expensive, but they do have reasonable family rates. See city website for details. http://www.allentownpa.gov/ Go to Parks and Recreation, Aquatics.
Anyone know (or have a theory as to) why Cedar Beach pool is not nearly as crowded as it used to be?

Image- Levittown, PA public pool circa 50's or 60's (I could not find a pic of Cedar pool)

Let's go swimming!

I have some questions and concerns about The City of Allentown public pools. The other day we went to Cedar Beach pool. It's a nice pool, seems well maintained. It was a perfect summer day for swimming. I had anticipated a huge crowd of kids. Boy, was I wrong. It was mid-afternoon and it seemed like the place was only about 1/10 full. Maybe less. We asked one of the young ladies working there if this low turnout was normal, and she said yes. I don't understand. Makes no sense. Why isn't it packed?

My husband, who grew up in Allentown, can remember going to the Cedar Beach pool in the 60's and in the summertime it was always jam packed with kids and moms. He tells me, "the cars overflowed the parking lot and filled the grass area from the parking lot to Hamilton Street. And it was really hard even finding any open grass space to put a blanket or towel down. It was as crowded as the beach at Coney Island." I can remember being a kid in the 70's and spending all day at the pool. (I grew up in NJ)

So where are all the Allentown kids? Are they at private pools? Are they home playing video games or watching tv? Is swimming too boring? Is it too expensive? Since in most households both parents work are all the younger kids in daycare? But what about the teenagers? I don't know if the other Allentown pools attract more people, I've only been to Cedar Beach pool.

If you pay just for the day it's $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for kids over 5 yrs. old. Kids under 5 are free. Spectators are $2. You can get a season pass for $75 per adult, $45 per child. I guess if you have a big family this can get rather expensive, but they do have reasonable family rates. See city website for details. http://www.allentownpa.gov/ Go to Parks and Recreation, Aquatics.
Anyone know (or have a theory as to) why Cedar Beach pool is not nearly as crowded as it used to be?

Image- Levittown, PA public pool circa 50's or 60's (I could not find a pic of Cedar pool)

Pretty bridge update

In my very first blog post ever I made this statement :

"the pretty banners the city placed over the rusty old 15th St. bridge would have a lot more impact if the bridge was at least painted first. It's kinda like turd-polishing. More on turd-polishing later. "

I was surprised when some fellow bloggers got all aquiver over my reference to turds. Not very sophisticated language for a lady bloggette? Oh, that Mrs. Dottie has such a potty mouth! Well, I like to call em' how I see em'.

Anyway, the 15th St. Bridge has finally been painted a pretty designer shade of spring green to match the lovely banners. It looks much better now. So what was the hold-up? Maybe they couldn't decide on a color?

I read that the bridge will need to be completely reconstructed one day, and that the structural repairs they just did in June were only a temporary fix. Makes me wonder why they let it get so rusty for so long? There's a rule I like to follow in my household when it comes to doing the dishes and general straightening up: "daily maintenance prevents pile-ups."

Is this fresh green paint just another coat of turd polish? Well, at least it looks better.

Public Notice FYI : the 15th St. Bridge will be closed Tuesday August 5th and Wednesday August 6th for additional structural repairs.

Pretty bridge update

In my very first blog post ever I made this statement :

"the pretty banners the city placed over the rusty old 15th St. bridge would have a lot more impact if the bridge was at least painted first. It's kinda like turd-polishing. More on turd-polishing later. "

I was surprised when some fellow bloggers got all aquiver over my reference to turds. Not very sophisticated language for a lady bloggette? Oh, that Mrs. Dottie has such a potty mouth! Well, I like to call em' how I see em'.

Anyway, the 15th St. Bridge has finally been painted a pretty designer shade of spring green to match the lovely banners. It looks much better now. So what was the hold-up? Maybe they couldn't decide on a color?

I read that the bridge will need to be completely reconstructed one day, and that the structural repairs they just did in June were only a temporary fix. Makes me wonder why they let it get so rusty for so long? There's a rule I like to follow in my household when it comes to doing the dishes and general straightening up: "daily maintenance prevents pile-ups."

Is this fresh green paint just another coat of turd polish? Well, at least it looks better.

Public Notice FYI : the 15th St. Bridge will be closed Tuesday August 5th and Wednesday August 6th for additional structural repairs.

Funny, he doesn't look Jewish ...

I thought Barack Obama was a (Sleeper Cell!) Muslim. Have you seen the latest John McCain attack ad that compares Obama to Moses?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8

I Hope it backfires. When I saw McCain's previous TV ad that compares Obama to Paris and Britney, I thought wow, so now Obama is a vacuous celebrity? He was also portrayed as unfeeling toward our troops in Afghanistan. Completely untrue, that alleged "troop-snubbing" incident, it turns out. So let's see, Obama is:

An elitist (code for "uppity?") , A Muslim, A Terrorist, Moses, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, A Socialist, Plays The Race Card, Anti-Christ, The Savior.

So what the McCain camp is saying with this attack ad is oh look at Obama prancing around and acting sooooo Presidential like he has accomplished so much that he thinks he is ready to lead the country. Like he is Moses. For Christ's sake.

Funny, he doesn't look Jewish ...

I thought Barack Obama was a (Sleeper Cell!) Muslim. Have you seen the latest John McCain attack ad that compares Obama to Moses?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8

I Hope it backfires. When I saw McCain's previous TV ad that compares Obama to Paris and Britney, I thought wow, so now Obama is a vacuous celebrity? He was also portrayed as unfeeling toward our troops in Afghanistan. Completely untrue, that alleged "troop-snubbing" incident, it turns out. So let's see, Obama is:

An elitist (code for "uppity?") , A Muslim, A Terrorist, Moses, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, A Socialist, Plays The Race Card, Anti-Christ, The Savior.

So what the McCain camp is saying with this attack ad is oh look at Obama prancing around and acting sooooo Presidential like he has accomplished so much that he thinks he is ready to lead the country. Like he is Moses. For Christ's sake.

Magic of Music

I've just realized that I am a musician, and my talented husband is a musician, but I hardly ever blog about music. Music is and always has been a big part of my life. It can lift your spirits, take you to another place and another time. A song can have an important message, or it can just evoke a feeling. I realize that musical taste is very subjective. When I first hear a new cd I might not be too crazy about it. Maybe one song stands out. I usually have to listen to a cd over and over again before I like it. I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" for about 7 months now. I just can't stop. It just makes me feel really good, even though some of the songs are sad. There are political songs, anti-war songs. Bruce is in his late 50's and I think he sounds better than ever.

My son, who turns 7 on Sept.1, is a Beatle fanatic. He's been listening since he was a baby. He knows every song, and can tell you what album a song is on, and other facts. I think The Beatles had a big part in his early language development, he was speaking and singing at a very young age. It also helped with his reading and spelling because he was so enthusiastic about learning the names of the songs that he started reading titles from albums and cd's. It's been an obsession that I don't really mind. We took him to see "The Fab Faux" at The State Theatre and he loved every second. Anyone who tells you that music and art are educational frills is a moron.

With Musikfest approaching, I hope some of you decide to "listen your way" through the festival as you enjoy the food. Anyone going to see John Fogerty?

Pictured: My son on Christmas morning after opening new John Lennon cd from Santa

Magic of Music

I've just realized that I am a musician, and my talented husband is a musician, but I hardly ever blog about music. Music is and always has been a big part of my life. It can lift your spirits, take you to another place and another time. A song can have an important message, or it can just evoke a feeling. I realize that musical taste is very subjective. When I first hear a new cd I might not be too crazy about it. Maybe one song stands out. I usually have to listen to a cd over and over again before I like it. I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" for about 7 months now. I just can't stop. It just makes me feel really good, even though some of the songs are sad. There are political songs, anti-war songs. Bruce is in his late 50's and I think he sounds better than ever.

My son, who turns 7 on Sept.1, is a Beatle fanatic. He's been listening since he was a baby. He knows every song, and can tell you what album a song is on, and other facts. I think The Beatles had a big part in his early language development, he was speaking and singing at a very young age. It also helped with his reading and spelling because he was so enthusiastic about learning the names of the songs that he started reading titles from albums and cd's. It's been an obsession that I don't really mind. We took him to see "The Fab Faux" at The State Theatre and he loved every second. Anyone who tells you that music and art are educational frills is a moron.

With Musikfest approaching, I hope some of you decide to "listen your way" through the festival as you enjoy the food. Anyone going to see John Fogerty?

Pictured: My son on Christmas morning after opening new John Lennon cd from Santa

Viva Noticias!

In my recent quest for informative and substantial local news coverage, I have discovered Noticias, the news in Spanish on Channel 69 at 11pm. Noticias is jam packed with local news stories. At 11:10 they are still covering important news. (Usually at 10:06, 69 News at 10 is on to the weather.) Maybe since the majority of Spanish speaking people live in the city, Noticias delivers more city news than the other newscasts? The reporters are so professional and speak fluently and quickly, even though I don't know what they are saying, they seem to be saying a lot. The female reporters have personality, wear stylish clothing, and look gorgeous. Wow, I wonder if my tv can translate into English? I've gotta figure this out. If you understand Spanish I recommend this, and even if you don't speak Spanish it's still fun to watch. Pictured is reporter Linda Candelo. Go here to see the others. http://www.wfmzenespanol.com/

Viva Noticias!

In my recent quest for informative and substantial local news coverage, I have discovered Noticias, the news in Spanish on Channel 69 at 11pm. Noticias is jam packed with local news stories. At 11:10 they are still covering important news. (Usually at 10:06, 69 News at 10 is on to the weather.) Maybe since the majority of Spanish speaking people live in the city, Noticias delivers more city news than the other newscasts? The reporters are so professional and speak fluently and quickly, even though I don't know what they are saying, they seem to be saying a lot. The female reporters have personality, wear stylish clothing, and look gorgeous. Wow, I wonder if my tv can translate into English? I've gotta figure this out. If you understand Spanish I recommend this, and even if you don't speak Spanish it's still fun to watch. Pictured is reporter Linda Candelo. Go here to see the others. http://www.wfmzenespanol.com/

Ice cream love affair

I love ice-cream. Actually I love anything from the four food groups: cookies, cake, candy, and ice cream. I guess most kids do. Here's me at six (bad haircut, Mom!) waiting for my birthday party to start. We always had those vanilla/chocolate ice cream cups with the little wooden spoons, along with the cake at every birthday party I can remember. On Saturday nights my Dad would take us to the Dairy Queen, and that was a treat. That's when I fell in love with "soft serve."

So where's the freshest and best ice cream in the Lehigh Valley? We love The Crystal Spring Farm Creamery/Tulip's Cafe on Route 329 Schnecksville. From Allentown, it's a nice ride in the country. http://lehighvalleyshopper.com/listings/crystal-springs-farm.php You can actually watch cows graze in the field; the same cows that provide the milk for your ice-cream. The soft serve is the creamiest by far. Anyone know why it is called "soft serve?" I usually indulge in a peanut butter sundae with soft serve twist, or a hot fudge sundae. Our little guy loves root beer floats. And hubby loves milkshakes and mile high cones. He'd have even more, but he's watching his figure. One thing about the Creamery, the smell of manure gets really strong at the end of the day and it's not so enjoyable to eat your ice cream outside on the patio at this time. It's a "Farm of Distinktion"
You can also buy farm fresh milk at their grocery store and they have a restaurant.

Coming soon: Best Candy Shop, Any suggestions?

Ice cream love affair

I love ice-cream. Actually I love anything from the four food groups: cookies, cake, candy, and ice cream. I guess most kids do. Here's me at six (bad haircut, Mom!) waiting for my birthday party to start. We always had those vanilla/chocolate ice cream cups with the little wooden spoons, along with the cake at every birthday party I can remember. On Saturday nights my Dad would take us to the Dairy Queen, and that was a treat. That's when I fell in love with "soft serve."

So where's the freshest and best ice cream in the Lehigh Valley? We love The Crystal Spring Farm Creamery/Tulip's Cafe on Route 329 Schnecksville. From Allentown, it's a nice ride in the country. http://lehighvalleyshopper.com/listings/crystal-springs-farm.php You can actually watch cows graze in the field; the same cows that provide the milk for your ice-cream. The soft serve is the creamiest by far. Anyone know why it is called "soft serve?" I usually indulge in a peanut butter sundae with soft serve twist, or a hot fudge sundae. Our little guy loves root beer floats. And hubby loves milkshakes and mile high cones. He'd have even more, but he's watching his figure. One thing about the Creamery, the smell of manure gets really strong at the end of the day and it's not so enjoyable to eat your ice cream outside on the patio at this time. It's a "Farm of Distinktion"
You can also buy farm fresh milk at their grocery store and they have a restaurant.

Coming soon: Best Candy Shop, Any suggestions?