Observe & Describe: The Great Allentown Fair

The great Allentown fair. A place in which diversity turns into uniformity. Growing up in Lehigh county, I knew that finding parking would be an inconvenience in Allentown, per usual. The traffic, knowing we were already late, was another disadvantage. As my friends and I circled seventeenth street quite a few times, we gave up and parked in front of The Udder Bar. An amazing ice cream shop, but we knew there were better options at the fair. Despite the various signs stating parking was prohibited, we still took a great risk and hoped we were not going to get a ticket. As we began walking, the sound of excitement overfilled the streets of Allentown. It was a Saturday night and of course, the line to the main entrance was quite the wait. Standing in line, there were two older men behind us, “no better place to be on a Saturday night than the Allentown fair!” said the older man in line. We finally gave the lady working our tickets and forty minutes later, we finally made it inside the fair. “Enjoy your time ladies!” said the lady at the gate. We began exploring different parts of the fair, but the commotion of the countless people in line for their well-known, mouthwatering cheesesteak instantly captured my full attention. “MOM, what is that smell?” “It’s the cheesesteak honey, we can get some later for dinner if you want.” All of a sudden, I knew where I wanted to grab dinner. Vince’s famous steak sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, and cheesesteaks. I would have to say, making a decision between all three was quite a struggle. I contemplated between the sausage sandwich and the cheesesteak for most of the time I was in line. “Why don’t you get both, that way you can get the full experience?” said one of my friends. Before attending the fair, we all agreed that each one of us was going to try food from different stands at the fair. Being an extremely indecisive person, I knew that if I tried both I wouldn’t have to pick between the two. And that is what I exactly did. The line was dreadfully long like most stands at the fair, but I knew that the wait was definitely going to be worth it in the end. As we got closer to the cashier, the bright yellow signs and all capital, black wording became very fascinating. The incredible smell of the cheesesteak made me reminisce about my childhood. The days in which I used to have cheesesteak from a small shop down the street every other weekend. After what felt like forever, it was finally my turn to order. “May I please have a cheesesteak and sausage sandwich?” Before eating, my friends had to go through the same process. They quickly decided, one got a gyro and the other got tacos. We eventually found an area to sit down and enjoy our food. The moment I’ve been waiting for was finally here. After taking the first bite, I was mesmerized by the combination of red sauce, melted cheese, and grilled onions. At that moment I knew I made the right decision. We all looked at each other with mouth-filled smiles.