Places we Visited on a Walk Through Town.

One of the things I love about living in Nazareth is being able to walk to places instead of driving a car. On Saturday morning, after the downpour and in an attempt to wear out and relieve my daughters of their "boredom" being stuck in the house, we took a long walk.

Our first stop was the Mitchel Avenue Fields, where I hoped the middle school field hockey team would still be playing. They did, but on what had previously been the soccer field. The team's regular field had what was believed to be the start of a sinkhole.

Special thanks to my daughter Alexa, who is fast becoming official photographer for NewsOverCoffee.com.

After about a half hour and two Nazareth goals we headed up into town and stopped at the Library. A favorite haunt of ours, we all got books, the girls also guzzled water like pack mules, and then we were off again.

Following center we crossed to the south side of the street at Whitefield and then crossed Broad at the light. I have to say this intersection is a challenge for pedestrians. There were three other kids there (young teens) and we all had to wait the entire light because the number of turns (mostly lefts from west bound traffic) from cars on Center going south.

The walk along Center to the Circle is always pleasant. The homes are well-kept and very historic in nature. Rounding the law offices and heading south I was pleasantly surprised by the sign in the middle of Main Street (pictured to the left).

The highly visible sign, crosswalk, and additional signage on the sides of the road should be encouraged throughout the borough.

One of the keys in my opinion to building successful in-town businesses is to encourage pedestrian traffic as much as possible. The more people who are walking in the community, the more energy there is, and the more the downtown becomes a destination for people. Encouraging people to walk also reduces the need to drive a car there and park. Soap box aside, we continued south on Main Street.

Kate's was closed due to a catering event, it was near or past lunch at this point, so we went to the Nazareth News Agency where my older daughter had wanted to look at the stuffed animals. She was bummed out that they were no longer there. The reason was a shift in product and style. The magazines and newspapers lined one wall, while some of the school/office supplies (paper, pens, etc) were along the other. Down the middle were tables to sit, have coffee and a snack. Other renovations were under way. It looks like it will be more of a coffee house complete with internet access - a pretty cool concept in my my book. We agreed for me to come back in a week or so once more work is done and I'll post exactly what is happening.
After the girls had some lemonade, orange juice and a snack, and I my coffee, at the Nazareth News Agency, we headed up Mauch Chunck to my grandmothers for a visit, and then around the corner to the Paul Kokolus, Sr. Memorial Park (formerly Washington Park). This is another of the local parks that are vital to our community. This one has a full sized basketball court along with play equipment, swings, teeter-totters, and as far as the kids were concerned everything. We didn't spend that much time there, before heading home. Down one hill, up another, then down again along the roller coaster that is Prospect Street and we were back to South New some 12,000 steps as the pedometer attached to my daughter read (though I'm not so sure of the accuracy they get a kick out of reading the number).

It rained only once on us and it was fun time on a dreary day. If you don't get to local events or visit the shops and parks, make a point to do so every once in a while. It is a genuine simple pleasure, costs next to nothing, and is healthy for both you and the community.