Nicholas Fagen
- May 19, 2021
- 4 min read

Erie, PA

Updated: Nov 15, 2022

Oh Erie...💭

Hey guys!

Here we are again and I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for continuing to support me through this blog and every writing endeavor!

As a thank you, I'd like to continue my practice of vulnerability and share something with you that makes me utterly nervous.

Something that I wrote several months ago that is completely unedited 😬

I do think my Erie people will deeply enjoy this one to the core, though.

This one's not for me, but for you guys!

Let me explain.

Today, I found myself reminiscing on the old college days, as we all do from time to time.

Man...those were the days...

Anyway, since I haven't successfully posted anything in a decent while, I feel morally obliged to continue to form a certain patterns of posts.

After all, as we've discussed, to be a writer is the ultimate dream.

So, as they say, practice makes perfect!

I've been lacking on posts lately, I will admit, so I'm gonna thrust this one out there and click "publish" before I can talk myself out of it.

As many of you already know, I am physically diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (among other things). So, the concept of putting out an unedited version of a rough draft from months and months ago from a distant idea that is still so incredibly in the works...well...it makes me spectacularly nervous.

And while I'll definitely endure a few negative comments, I need to get used to it.

What others think of me is really not my business anyways.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

If you're familiar with Erie, Pennsylvania, I think you'll enjoy this very rough draft excerpt from a much larger work.

Consider it a movie trailer of sorts!

Erie people (both far and wide), this one's for you.

What comes to mind when you reference the words “Erie, Pennsylvania?”

Maybe a Netflix documentary? Or perhaps years of vicious records of hectic snowfall? Maybe your mind skips right to scenic Lake Erie or the radiant Presque Isle beaches? Romolo Chocolates? Plymouth Tavern? Erie Bayfront Convention Center?

You might even think about downtown with endless events and unique places to see. Or, it could be that you simply don’t think of anything when apprehending the name of the fourth largest city in the state of Pennsylvania. After all, it’s no Las Vegas or Los Angeles. It’s definitely no Chicago or New York, so I wouldn’t fault you for never thinking of Erie for even a second in your life.

Still, falling just behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with a population of about 100,000, was a quaint area that we called home.

Conveniently located between Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Cleveland, Erie played host to multiple universities for incoming collegiate students.

Those in search of a unique journey were certainly up to the task.

I wasn’t one of those people, however. That couldn’t have been further from my experience, in fact.

I didn’t seek out a journey but, more so, experiences pursued me. It’s hard to explain but I’ll give it my best shot.

Care to think what I thought of the city?

Well, when I first arrived, I couldn’t think of a place on Earth that I’d want to live in any less.

To my ignorant eyes, the rough exterior of this town caught my attention immediately, leading me to judge the book by nothing but its cover.

What I would’ve never realistically considered was one day calling it home.

I can’t speak for each particular individual, but I can say definitively that this neighborhood caught me by magnificent surprise.

It was our place.

And just like any daily living quarters, it became our refuge, both in and out of the spotlight. A place that was simultaneously our trap as well as our sanctuary. It was our terror just as often as our bliss.

Somehow, Erie was as much our hideaway as it was our favorite party spot.

The streets of a random Northwestern Pennsylvania city became second nature, molding us from friends into family, somehow so unbelievably quick and simultaneously seeming to never end. We felt on top of the world, conquering classes piece by piece, slowly merging our lives together as one.

Overloaded and consumed with our youthful adrenaline, bonds and journeys accidentally stumbled into intricate formation, puzzled in conjunction with one another, where secrets and experiences knew no limits.

Inside jokes were abundant and endlessly contagious smiles formed ever so effortlessly. We became intertwined underneath the city lights, unable to envision our physical existence without the presence of our favorite beings by our side.

But we did.

Eventually propelled into our own individual maturing issues, each of us were forced to endure our own paths across the globe. Bills, student loans, and careers became the foundation of our lives, as any functioning adult would say it should be.

We grew into our own everyday patterns and began to crave the moments for reunion and celebration.

Daily updates merged into weekly phone calls. Weekly phone calls transitioned to bi-weekly text messages. Our standards had become colossal and infrequent contact led to utter confusion and overall anxiety.

Perhaps you know of what I speak.

Engagements flourished and families were formed, as plans with each other became less and less frequent.

We were growing up.

Until I wrote this.

So, that was my quick little excerpt on my one-time 4-year home.

Boy, I'm revving with nostalgia now!

Cue the nerves!