There's a Song in the Air

I love being outside in South Allison Hill at 6pm. The reason why? The Christ Lutheran Church on 13th St. plays these beautiful hymns on bells every evening at 6pm. It makes me feel like it's Christmas every time I hear them played. If you get the chance, listen. You'll fall in love.

Coppa on the street

I want to give props to our incredible police force here in Harrisburg, PA. I have heard some stories that portray them in a rather unpleasant light. I can't say anything to that. What I can say is every interaction I have had with the police since living here has been good. The officer specifically assigned to our area is wonderful- he even gives his cell phone number to concerned citizens. Can you imagine that? He always has his work with him, but he is always courteous, concerned, and works for the good of our community. He's on top of things, and asks for all of us to call him or the station for any problem. We are lucky to have such a dedicated force, and I personally am quite grateful to our officer. They make our city a better place.

Location, location, location

One thing I love about Allison Hill is where it is located. Church, cultural events, friends- they're all within walking distance. Anytime something is going on downtown, all you need to do is walk across the Mulberry Street bridge, look at the beautiful murals, and you're there- the parades, the Front Street festivals, fireworks- never have to worry about finding a parking space or having to pay for it, or dealing with traffic on the way out. In fact, because we are a Hill, you can see fireworks from the top floors of many of the houses as well, and not even have to leave the comfort of your own home! Confession: I love my commute to work. Unfortunately, I don't work downtown, so I do have to drive, but going to work and coming home from work, I always drive against the traffic, and I get immense satisfaction from seeing the crawling traffic on the other side while I'm cruising along. What more could a person ask for?

The Beauty of it all

A friend and I walked through the neighborhood and downtown yesterday. Coming back up to the Hill via State Street, I noticed a small flock of birds swooping and reeling around the right pillar of the bridge. They didn't have any obvious destination or purpose, they just swayed in the air in circles. I love walking around Allison Hill. No matter how many times you walk or ride or drive around, there are always new things to see. The architecture on many of the houses is so distinct and unique, and there are always new little details hidden away. The frequent construction and renovation make every trip down the roads in our neighborhood delightful, fun, and fresh. Even though there are some houses in disrepair, I find it just serves to fire up my imagination: just think what all of these houses would look like if someone came in and loved them!

Signs of the times?

The city recently put in new traffic lights all over Allison Hill, as a continuation of their project to replace and homogenize the street lights of the city. They're pretty nice. Instead of lights hanging haphazardly on wires or located on the side of the street at the sidewalk where you could barely see them, they are now proudly glowing from sturdy poles, above the street, with bold street signs to accompany them. Myself and some other residents were excited because this meant that maybe we would get a left turn signal at the corner of Market St. and 13th St. Now, I can hear you say, it's one little light, what does it matter? You would understand if you drove west on Market Street and then tried to turn left onto 13th St during heavy traffic times. You literally cannot go, the entire light cycle. The only way one car gets through is if they gun it right when the light turns green. Did they decide to put a left turn signal in? Nope. We wouldn't want to inconvenience the folks coming out of the downtown district by making them wait for three or four seconds while some people get to turn left. Or maybe it wasn't even as planned as that- maybe city planning people just don't come into the Hill to see what changes may be required, even when they're in the midst of a unique opportunity to do so.

See us on the News!

I have come to dread seeing news vans. When I drive to work or walk around the neighborhood and see one, a feeling of anxiety sours my stomach. News vans only mean one thing- something bad enough has happened that the news crews feel brave enough to come up to the scary Hill to report. News of late? Burning houses and a hit-and-run that left one person dead. In Allison Hill, no news is good news.