Fun Thursday Adventures in Easton

I've lived in the Lehigh Valley for basically all of my 34 years, but I didn't really spend time in Easton until October 2014. At that point in my life, I reconnected with a high school friend, Marybeth Large, over Facebook. We started meeting on Thursdays at Cosmic Cup, where Marybeth worked until recently. I found Easton to be a flawed, but vibrant city, enticing with its Victorian architecture, restaurants, bars and coffee shops, along with Lafayette College.

Easton is ethnically diverse with sizeable populations of Germans, Italians, Irish, Puerto Ricans and African-Americans, each group contributing to the cultural tapestry that is Easton. The city has cheap rents, attracting artists, musicians and professionals from the Lehigh Valley and from major cities such as Philadelphia and New York; Route 22 makes Easton accessible from both Harrisburg and Manhattan. In recent years, Easton has attracted art galleries and specialty shops. Community events and celebrations include Heritage Day and Bacon Fest.

College Hill is easily my favorite part of Easton. Easton is a college town, centered on Lafayette College, and College Hill is its namesake neighborhood. It is home to 2,400 Lafayette students, as well as to some of the school's professors and a few locals as well. My primary reason for visiting this neighborhood is to spend valuable time at Cosmic Cup, a coffee shop established there in 2005.

Cosmic Cup is a large, relaxing, Bohemian coffee shop that serves Lehigh Valley locals, as well as the Lafayette community. It has an awesome owner, Troy Reynard, who is personable and attentive to every patron. The baristas there are friendly and attentive, definitely worth spending an afternoon with! I always take my spot at the comfortable coffee bar facing March Street, a picturesque view through the large windows. You get to be part of a fun neighborhood, populated by easygoing locals and motivated, enthusiastic college students.

I will often spend time on Thursdays in Lafayette's Skillman Library, where I will look at old magazines, including Time and The New Yorker, dating back to the 1920s. The library was reconstructed in the 2000s, and is a fine example of uplifting modern architecture. Its layout is perfect and its interior creates an aura of positivity.

I sometimes also enjoy forays into Downtown Easton. I often enjoy taking in the sights along both Northampton and Third Streets. Centre Square is a prime spot for checking out specialty shops, bars and restaurants, as well as for some interesting people-watching! Bushkill Park and Riverfront Park are both beautiful in the spring. A few times I have even ventured over to the Easton library, which has beautiful old, brick architecture and a large computer lab, along with some great reads.

On a normal Thursday, I will stop in for a coffee at Terra Cafe before taking the bus home. I enjoy the caffeinated reflections on both my Cosmic interactions and the material I poured over at the Lafayette library. Terra is very close to Easton's Centre Square, drawing on the heavy foot traffic, especially on weekends, at the holidays and during the warmer months. Its outdoor seating near the street provides an excellent opportunity to soak up the sun while enjoying an iced coffee. Terra Cafe is a staple of Downtown Easton and is part of the overall experience.

My Easton trips provide a break from my weekly pattern of visiting Center City Bethlehem on most days. I get to see the mass of Bohemians and other interesting denizens that make up Easton. Some of the more interesting individuals include artists, musicians, old gadflies and local rebels (such as myself)! More importantly, I have met some great baristas at both Cosmic Cup and Terra Cafe, people who I am now close friends with. Despite Bethlehem being my hometown, Easton has enriched my life in ways that Bethlehem can't. Marybeth Large is a close friend, and that makes Easton near and dear to my heart.

Green for Life at NCC

I've spent a major part of my life at Northampton Community College in some capacity, as have many of you. My first experience with the college was when my cousin Julie began attending the college in 1992; I was only 9 at the time. I then participated in children's activities there in the summers of 1995 and 1996. The buildings and grounds of NCC have gone through multiple renovations since then, but the campus has been near and dear to my heart as an important part of my personal story.

As an NCC student, I had my favorite hangout spots: the cafeteria, the Student Activities Lounge and Mack Library. The NCC cafeteria was the center of my social world at the time. It was great for Magic: The Gathering, medieval armor, bad pizza and other junk food. The NCC cafeteria is really nice now, but before it was renovated (in the 2000s) it was quite the fun hangout spot! The Student Activities Lounge featured old, broken-down couches and tables that served as focal points for card games, r-rated movies, students sleeping and others showing off their exotic pets. It was definitely a place that created a sense of belonging.

I've always loved the view from NCC's Mack Library; you get to see the change of seasons and weather from a distance! The Quad was always a nice spot when the weather was warm, mostly at the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester. That is why Quadfest is always held at the beginning of the fall semester. You got to see the NCC Spartan dancing around - always a unique character, invariably with a super hot girlfriend! The Quad is also scenic when the leaves change later in the fall.

I went to Northampton Community College directly after high school, but took some time off in 2005. I subsequently changed my major and resumed my studies in 2006. For a while I tried out Paralegal Studies, but it didn't work out for me. At that point in my life, I didn't apply myself academically the way I should have - I'm sure a few of you can relate. I felt somewhat lost as I reached an existential crossroads in my life and struggled to regain a sense of self-control. I did learn a little bit about the legal system, however, which is critically important in today's world.

Finally, in December 2007, I graduated with an associate's in liberal arts. I made my share of mistakes, but I finally got the degree. I left NCC academic life for good in 2008, as I focused on work and my life in South Bethlehem. Since then I visit the college once a week, where I hang out in Mack Library for several hours on Mondays. As an alumni, I am allowed to use their library, so I surf the Internet and check out the stacks of informative, interesting books.

I met some great people at Northampton and learned some great things. Some of these people I still keep in touch with today. At that time, I loved hanging out with Colleen McGouldrick, Kadisha Roberts, Joe Vetter, Paul Belles, Alex Mendoza, Katy Steager and others. I nurtured my love of history and the weather. I also developed an interest in human evolution and sociology, as well as drag racing and forbidden sources of knowledge. It was a period of tranformation through rebellion.

I had some wonderful professors at Northampton Community College, including Rebecca Dean, Earl Page, Nancy Trautman and Sandra Del Cueto. They taught me how better to speak, write, examine history and explore new cultures, gaining a larger international understanding. I wasn't a perfect student, but I did learn from their knowledge and the wisdom that they imparted with us. They also provided some stability at a chaotic point in my life.

When I attended NCC there were several things going on in the world: the Bush Administration, the War on Terror, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. The major controversies and scandals of the period included euthanasia, Abu Ghraib, the Terri Schiavo case, Hurricane Katrina and the introduction of social networking sites. It was the flawed world that immediately preceded the chaotic world of today's times. By learning to better understand that world, I am now able to get a grip on today's world.

I did a lot of research when I was at NCC. Topics I covered included history, politics, weather records and evolution. I have my notebooks from that period! I have continued my research and this has given me a better appreciation of the earth and societal complexity. I have written journal entries since then and done copious amounts of research at other college libraries, including at Moravian College and Lafayette College. I am a lifelong student!

It was a growing time for me. I was new to adult life when I started at Northampton Community College, but, through trial and many errors, have become more mature and seasoned. I learned more about myself and the world around me. I questioned and then opposed many of the dogmas I was raised with. This created some interpersonal conflicts, but such difficulties were necessary in order for me to take a broader view of life and the world around me.

Many people throughout the Lehigh Valley either currently attend NCC or have attended at some point in the past. It seems that nearly everyone has a connection to the college. NCC makes a good topic to use to break the ice with new people that I meet in the Lehigh Valley. It seems that NCC should be called "Lehigh Valley Community Center!"

I love the setting of the campus, along Green Pond Road, surrounded by green fields and woods. The campus and environs have a rural/suburban feel to it. Due to it's relatively high elevation, the area is often slammed by thunderstorms in the summer, and it's open fields are subject to strong winds, which can drift snow, spread dust, etc. The campus is made green by the raw power and beauty of nature, as well as by a respect for the environment promoted by the faculty and administration at Northampton Community College. NCC has made me a well-rounded citizen of the earth!