Back in the 80's my family and I started to travel to the Poconos on vacation. But long before that my parents had been there. My father was working a carpentry job at a resort that needed an overhaul. It was used by the garment district union as a place for the workers to rest...a benefit of a hard job. I believe it was back then that my parents first stopped into a little dive bar called The Log Cabin. So it was sentimental for my parents to pop back in almost two decades later. I was a teenager and didn't notice the rustic nature of the place because in the corner by the door was my obsession...a Tetris game. There was also a pool table for my Dad and I to enjoy. Mom would sit at the bar with a tall cold beer and chat with the owner for hours. As long as I had quarters and a record to beat I was happy. Then we moved to the area. Sometimes when people are around something...if it is right there...they tend to not see it the same. They might not visit that tourist place even if people come from around the world to see it. They don't think about going there on a trip because the car ride is simply too short. Now, I'm NOT comparing a nasty hunter's pub to the Statue of Liberty or anything but I am saying that we need to see the local treat with the same eyes as a newbie. A place that was once sweet and nostalgic can lose its magic if it is only a few minutes away. It can also be closed off in ones heart because the person you used to be there with...is gone.
My Mom taught me to enjoy the local as well as the places we would travel to visit. So, when we moved to the area we didn't come with the thought process that we would no longer have to go to those places...instead...we were excited that we could do them more often. If I had a day free of classes or one of my four jobs...she would get that look in her eye. Maybe a raised eyebrow would follow. I would know we were having a mini road trip. We'd hop in the car and put on some good music and travel all the way to a dive for the best grilled ham and cheese. With a little comfort food in our belly...we would catch up. We would rest. We would giggle...and even though we only had to travel a mere thirty minutes or so each way...it would feel as though we hid from the world for a long enough chunk of time to recharge.
I went back for a grilled ham and cheese. The bar is nastier than ever. There were only four men at the bar wearing bright orange and playing the new hunting video game in the corner. No Tetris. I did find a pinball machine (my first real love) but it ate more quarters than it gave me joy. This time I did not sit at the bar...that will always be reserved for a date with a woman named, Sally. I sure as hell did have a melted gooey sandwich of grease though....and thought of her the entire time. Do I need to go back to the filthy place complete with condom machines in the bathroom...nope...but I did realize a place doesn't bring the person to the memory...instead...the memory keeps that person in your heart...always.
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