Bethlehem

Yesterday I took a day off to ride the motorcycle up to Bethlehem, PA. The occasion was Musikfest, a 10-day street festival that meanders through their downtown. My reason for picking that particular day was the appearance of a couple Jimmy Buffett tribute bands: Jimmy and The Parrots and the John Frinzi Band. I also enjoyed Dawn Iulg.

Bethlehem has a lot to teach us about puting on a festival. It is really well run, full of vender booths, with lots of food and beer tents. It runs on a ticket system, so venders don't have to deal with cash. If you've never been to it, I recommend checking it out.

Bethlehem can teach some lessons about a vibrant downtown in a historical setting also (are you listening Lancaster?). Look here how they combine traffic calming measures and outdoor dining space. I was surprised that the tables are not fenced off from the street. I liked it.

One of the venders with a display booth at Musikfest was Martin Eurosports showing off their scooters. I was particularly taken with the orange Vespa 150S. Derek convinced me to stop by the showroom on the way home.

As you can see from their sign, Martin carries Vespa, Aprilla, Ducati and Triumph. Of course it was the Vespas that drew me there, but the real surprise was their stock of Ducatis. After all, there are closer Vespa dealers, but I'm not sure where else to go for a Ducati.

According to Derek, they sold out their scooter stock twice this year, but you couldn't tell yesterday. The 150S I mentioned was sporting stickers that said, "80MPG" and "65MPH". They are the ones with the square headlight, and they had multiple colors from which to choose.

They are right on Rt. 309, in Coopersburg. There isn't a very direct route to get there from here, but if you're a fan of any of these brands, it is worth the trip. They had gear and accessories I haven't seen anywhere else.