Secrets From The Blog

I publish one of the oldest blogs in the Lehigh Valley, and I might be the oldest blogger, a distinction I don't relish. Anywho, over the years I have been asked to keep many secrets, and I do.

Yesterday, I republished a post from 2012 about Arnold Fein's youth in Allentown. Back in 2012, he revealed to me that he was Madison Arnold, the actor known from Law & Order, among many other roles.   Recently I asked him if he would release me from our confidentiality understanding, and he agreed to do so. 

Although I kept the secret referred to above for over a decade, most are revealed by circumstance, much sooner...A politician makes an announcement, or the press gets wind of the story from some other source. 

Getting back to age...  I still produce the blog every weekday,  and I still receive many complaints about various politicians and policies. However, I must confess that my enthusiasm for such issues is currently subdued... The current city administration is completely consumed with inclusion, with no apparent interest in quality of life issues. 

photo of Madison Arnold from Law&Order circa 1996

A CyberVisit To Allentown

The responses and comments to the political posts are usually within a day or two. The historical posts have a much longer shelf life. People using search engines find something of their youth often years after I wrote the post. I still occasionally get a comment from someone who worked at a Mohican Market, often somewhere in upstate New York. Yesterday, a former post on the 6th Ward received such a comment.

 Hello molovinsky, I found your blog today. I was born in the 6th ward in 1933. My grandfather, who died very young, long before I was born, was Emanuelle Markowitz and was, I believe, the first religious head of Aguda Achim. His wife was Ida Markowitz. We lived at 234 and then 244 Hamilton St. and went to Harrison Morton grade school before departing permanently to New York City. Arnold Fein (brother is Barry)

 My grandparents lived on Second Street in around 1900, and belonged to the Agudas Achim congregation. After Arnold and I exchanged a couple comments, I invited him to send me a note about Allentown via email.

  Yeah, Michael, I went back for a visit about 3 yrs. ago. All of lower Hamilton St,is part of a highway and the Jersey RR Station ,I was told, failed as a restaurant.The stores I remember on Hamilton between 2nd and 3rd were, Queenies Luncheonette, Bucky Boyle's Bar, Harry Gross Shoes,an A&P on the corner of 1st (Front?)and Hamilton, a "holy roller" storefront church, a travel agency with a large steamship model in the window,Taylors Plumbing Supply (now Weinstein's-I visited the place when I was there), a "Giant" supermarket on 5th and Hamilton across from the P.O., Francis the barber on the hill,the Colonial theatre,etc.Harrison Morton is still there and 2nd St.off Hamilton is still the same including the "A Treat" sign on the little store near HM, which I remember. Some friend's names from that time are: Stanley and Nancy Kulp (Culp?) who lived in an old wooden house next to the Lehigh Valley RR Freight terminal across from Taylor's. Michael Miller, Bobby Kressler, George Mevrides(sp?), Andrew Kent,Dickie Catalina(whom I'll never forget as the guy who came running out on Hamilton St. on 12/7/ shouting, "the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor"), the 4-5 Delaney kids,Dickie Gross who lived in a stone house on 2nd St.just off Hamilton where his father had his dental practice, Lucille Wiener, Phyllis Malatrott,Victoria Minner,Ronald DiLeo whose father was a Dr., (told me my first "off color" joke in the 1st grade while we were standing side by side at a HM urinal)), Marvin Karll, 2 HM footballers (who were not friends as such), Barney Garulla(sp?) and Albert Casium, whom I believe was Albanian.Other places were the slaughter house, Arbegast and Bastion (sp?). Couldn't miss that!, Riverfront Park, and a horse watering trough on the corner of Hamilton and Front(?)Lots of others. Something priceless about childhood, no matter where it's spent.

 Even in Allentown.

UPDATE: More memories from "Arnie" Fein
Also, my grand parents owned a store on 2nd St. around Tilghman, before I was born. My mother always remembered the few words she knew in Slavic because some of the customers spoke only "Slavisch".Another recollection was in 1943 when a lot of us went to the JerseyRR terminal to watch a train full of German POWs being transported west. Larry and Jimmy Whitman lived above the A&P on that picture you sent. Their name was anglicized from a Polish name their parents shortened.Harry and Jean Getz, friends of my mother, owned a small shoe store between 2nd and 3rd Sts.The name of the travel agency was, if I'm correct, something like Bortz. On Walnut St. around the corner from Weinstein's was the "Perkiomen Transfer Co." The local movie house was the Townie which I believe was in the 6th ward.Further up the hill were the Colonial, the Midway and the Transit.There was a trolley named the Liberty Bell which went from 8th St. to Philly and a trolley to Bethlehem along the "Bethlehem Minsi Trail". Other memories as they come from the distant past...

 photo supplied by Arnold Fein, showing him, brother and mother at Hamilton and the current American Parkway, next to the current Weinstein Supply Company.

reprinted from 2012

An Atlantic City Memory

The picture above by the Associated Press appeared on Facebook yesterday, in regard to the death of Jerry Lewis, the famed comedian. If the picture doesn't look like funny Jerry, there's a reason.

When I was about ten years old, my cousin and I stayed with our aunt, who had rented a house for the summer at the shore. Walking on the boardwalk, my consin and I were delighted to see on the marquee that Jerry Lewis was entertaining on Steel Pier. We both ponied up our week's money and went in to see the funny man. A rather gaunt man came out onto the stage and sat at a piano. When he started singing Great Balls Of Fire, we were confused. When he started pounding the piano with his feet, and his hair started unraveling, we were shocked.

Apparently, the young person at the Associated Press also confused Jerry Lewis with Jerry Lee Lewis, whose picture appears above.

reprinted from August of 2017

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 31, 2022: Jerry Lee Lewis passed away on Friday.  When I saw the announcement, I remembered my childhood experience and this post. The obituary said that Lewis was 87, only a decade or so older than me. At the time, sitting there as a boy on Steel Pier, the man on stage seemed so much older than me... age has shortened that distance.

Fetterman Wins Debate

Supposedly a man walked up to Oz at a rally and said  If not for you, I'd be dead. The heart device you invented saved my life, but I'm voting for Fetterman anyway. That pretty much sums up these polarized times in which we live. 

I believe that the Oz/Fetterman debate did not change one vote.  I believe that the undecided in today's world is a myth, propagated by the polling companies for the purpose of keeping their business relevant. I haven't spoken to one person who changed their mind because of the debate, as lopsided as it may have been.

There are, however, the unmotivated...Those who, for one reason or another, were not intending to vote. A small percentage of them will now be motivated by the underdog....Fetterman will pick up the empathy vote.

In politics it doesn't matter who won the debate, it only matters who gained a few votes because of it.

Too Quick To Judge Superintendent

The recent Morning Call report on the firing of the Allentown superintendent was rather startling! 

The dismissal of the superintendent wasn't racist, but his hiring was!  

At the time of his hire, and that of his predecessor, school board members were saying that the superintendent should look like the students,  i.e., someone of color.... that was their main criterion.

Besides knowing that the dismissal was not racist, I have no insight on that actual decision. I do know that it is a tough job in a difficult district. I do know that discipline problems come in contact with the principal and his/her assistant. In my time, I was sent there so often that my shoes could find the way on their own. Despite all those trips, I never met or even knew who the superintendent was.

I would hope that the next hire is based solely on ability, and that the person is given enough time to prove their worth.

NIZ Injuries To Allentown

The NIZ has fostered various injuries on the city and it's citizens.  Reilly's dashed hopes for a mega project, encompassing an entire block, 7th to 8th and Hamilton to Walnut, resulted in the displacement of numerous  businesses and residents.  Furthermore, we lost rich history, such as the Elks Club.  Yesterday afternoon the paper ran its second story of the day promoting Reilly's much smaller, substituted office condo project. The article is called  Five Things To Know about the new project.  There's actually six, and the sixth is that the paper never stops promoting Reilly's interests. This morning the paper continues with its third piece on the new building, within two days.  Putting aside this endless cheerleading by The Morning Call,  the NIZ has surely peaked. Although a number of tenants were poached from different locations,  there was no net gain for the region.  A responsible Harrisburg would be analyzing  the consequences inflicted on the area.  However,  responsibility and Harrisburg have never been acquainted.

As I commented yesterday, Talen workers will be isolated down at the river, almost punished, if you  will.  The surrounding 6th Ward certainly doesn't provide much ambience.  Expect our local and state taxes to be expended there, to embellish Jaindl's position. The tearing out of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Old Main tracks through that parcel is another history victim of the NIZ.

photo of former Elks Club on S. 8th St., prepared for demolition, to make way for now cancelled mega-project by J.B. Reilly

above reprinted from May of 2016 

 

UPDATE FEBRUARY 10, 2021: Four years later from writing the above piece, an update is in order.  Reilly did build out the square block with more offices and apartments. He also did so at 6th and Walnut. It all looks the same, devoid of architecture and any feeling of community.  He also secured Talen as a tenant, slowing down Jaindl's waterfront plans. Jaindl is now just starting his first building. The Morning Call continues their promotion of Reilly's City Center Real Estate, and Reilly now owns the Morning Call building. While resented for it, I continue to speak out against the loss of the town's identity.

UPDATE OCTOBER 26, 2022: Reilly continues to build on Hamilton Street, with his debt obligations serviced with our diverted state taxes. With a Hail Mary pass, departing state senator Pat Browne gives  Reilly the State Hospital site, endorsed by State Rep. Mike Schlossberg. The Morning Call continues to promote Reilly, yesterday on cue with a story about new vendors. I remain outspoken.

Morning Call as A Madam

The Morning Call is featuring, for the umpteenth time, another new store on the Arts Walk.  A real headline would be Another Failure On The Artwork Being Replaced.  I have been complaining about the Morning Call promoting the NIZ since before it began. When I saw that their former newspaper building, on the wrong side of Linden Street, was being included in the NIZ map anyway, I knew that their reporting would be less than objective. However, I never expected them to be an outright madam.  I use the M word, instead of the W word, because of search engines. Last time I used the W word, I got too many inquiries from the weirdo crowd. 

Students of this blog know that I also maintain that there is something weird about the supposed occupancy of the apartment buildings, Strata This, That and Whatever. Why can't all these supposed people keep any of these stores in business?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that you won't find them in the Morning Call.

A Bitter Pill For Allentown

On Saturday night, while the pale skinned from Catasauqua, Northampton, Fullerton and other points out of Allentown, wearing their orange Phantoms sweatshirts, were being directed by the Allentown Police Department to the various parking decks along Linden Street for the season's first game, chaos was raging down in the ward.

A large pack of dirt bikes, at least 100 in number, were wheeling through the stoplights and stop signs, with no police to be seen.  I suppose that for now, despite a pledged crackdown by Mayor Tuerk and Police Chief Roca, as long as the pack stays on the wrong side of the tracks, it's OK. But what's going to happen when the NIZ financed new riverfront projects come on line?  Will the chaos still be tolerated? 

One must wonder if Tuerk and Roca realize that for now they're sending the wrong message to the pack. Meanwhile, those too young for motor bikes practice their wheelies on Hamilton and Tilghman Street, looking forward to joining the pack in a few years.

Needless to say, this post is neither politically correct, nor culturally sensitive. However, I think that there must remain at least one place in Allentown where hard truth, even if it's a bitter pill, is still dispensed.

photocredit:Noah Rabinowitz/12 O'Clock Boys/Baltimore