Edit desk: Taking Bethlehem for granted

This summer, I attended my first Musikfest, a music festival that is held every summer in Bethlehem. The festival spans from the Southside of Bethlehem near the Steel Stacks to the North Side where they shut down Main Street to cars and allow people to roam freely. Although I was skeptical at first, I can honestly say that it was one of my favorite memories from this past summer. There was great live music, delicious food and overall a really cool atmosphere. Although it was fun, it also made me realize how little I had explored Bethlehem in the past three years of my college experience and how little I knew about the local community that I was a part of. It made me realize that I had been taking Bethlehem for granted.

While many students perceive Bethlehem as unsafe and sketchy, and in reality it may not be the safest area compared to where many people are from, students also fail to see how much Bethlehem has to offer us. They fail to appreciate the area where we get to spend four years of our lives. People often get stuck in what I like to call and what I think many other students would call “the Lehigh bubble,” where they stay on campus for most of their four years of college and rarely step outside their comfort zone and out into the local community.

Bethlehem is home to some really good restaurants, cute shops, running paths along the river and it hosts a variety of festivals every year that are typically free to attend. There is ArtsQuest and the new “highline” along the old buildings of Bethlehem Steel. There are also a ton of local community organizations to get involved with that are really close by.

It took me until the summer before my senior year to realize that I had only taken advantage of a few of these things. I had been to a few restaurants on the North Side when my parents came to visit and gone running along the river a handful of times, and that was about all. Other than that, I spent the majority of my time on campus. While it’s not a bad thing to stay on campus and take part in Lehigh events, I now only have about a year to try to make the most of Bethlehem.

I’ve made it my goal for this year to try and go over to the North Side occasionally, whether it’s to get food and drinks with friends or just to walk around. I want to volunteer for at least one community organization on the South Side. And I want to attend one event at the SteelStacks. While that doesn’t seem like a lot to do in just a year, with schoolwork and applying for jobs it is going to be a challenge to find time, but I am determined to make it happen.

So, I want to encourage people, whether you are a senior like me or a first semester to freshman to step out of your comfort zone, get off campus occasionally and see what Bethlehem has to offer. There is a lot to do and the more time you have to make the most of Bethlehem, the better. Balancing schoolwork, a social life and other aspects of college life can get in the way so start as early as possible.

Even getting off campus just once a month or even once every couple of months is better than nothing. Go to that restaurant you’ve been hearing such good things about, go for a walk or a run down by the river, or spend time finding somewhere to volunteer that you are genuinely interested in. It’s a simple task that doesn’t take much time or effort and can be so rewarding in the end.

Step out of the bubble that so many Lehigh students get stuck in and get to know the local community and learn to appreciate it more.

Don’t spend four years taking Bethlehem for granted.