change and the PA trip

2005



2010



Within five years, a residential community, apartment complex, has been built on location, and the restaurant made a hill to block the ugly view of match-box houses.
Things have changed. Or some people would like another word for it: Things have evolved. Anyway, I spent my vacation in Pennsylvania last week. First stop was State College, where I lived from August 13, 2002 to May 28, 2007.

State College is different now. For a person who dislikes cupcakes, I tried cupcakes downtown State College. The store is new and called Indulge. Surprisingly, I did not dislike them.
Herwig's moved to a location on College Ave. The food was not as good as before. But the space was much bigger for seating me and my friends.
The night club Players changed its name to something else, but the logo looked the same to me.
The End Results became a bike store. Many more PSU-logo-ed stores are open. Many more clothing shops are open. But why are there two Dunkin Donuts? Hey, Starbucks, get one more store in State College, please.
The Big Bowel Noodle moved to its next door, and is much cleaner with a cute logo.
The downtown cinema is gone and became a Chipotle. The theater on College Ave plays independent films.
I found a Five Guys burger place in town! I really like it in Hoboken.

However, most of the things did not change. The wall of paintings of local elites is still there colorfully. Webster's bookstore. Allen Street Grill. Irving's. Zola. Indian Pavilion. PSU Creamery still serves super-sized scoop of ice cream. Tourists still take pictures with the Nittany Lion. Squirrels are still everywhere.
Standing there, I realized that I didn't miss it at all. I felt very little connection between me and State College/Penn State. Because my graduate-school advisors no longer live there? Because many friends moved or are going move out of it? Because of the new stores in town? No, none of those. It must be me.
I must have changed.

Without much burden of emotional memory, I visited State College and the other towns: State College -> Mill Run (Fallingwater) -> Mt Pleasant -> Ohiopyle -> Pittsburgh -> Bird In Hand -> Intercourse -> King Of Prussia.
I had a great time. Change is good.

Re-visiting my 5-year pennsylvanian life in 6 days