Seeing Milford, DE Through Other Eyes (ft. Ciera)
The Great American Zig-Zag Day 10 | Wilmington, DE -> Milford, DE -> Bear, DE
Today’s main activity was visiting my good friend Ciera in the town of Milford, DE. This small city has exploded in popularity in the last 2 decades because it is cheaper than living by the beach, but is still close enough to most major Delaware attractions to be an attractive place for young families to settle down.
I essentially treated my friend as a small town tour guide as I asked her incessant questions about the town and its history. Apparently the city center used to be empty pre-covid, but experienced a boom and now there are a wide variety of shops on this 2 block long main street. It has the charm and appeal of a small town while having a large enough population to support more specialized stores.
We started the day simple with a walk around the river where she pointed out several student made boat sculptures (several of her friends created entries). The Mispillion River had an elevated wooden walkway which was absolutely lovely to walk down. The sagging branches of the overhead trees offered a pleasant shade and the breeze over the river was refreshing in the midday heat.
As we walked, I heard stories from Ciera I have never known before. When walking through the town she grew up in, the places jogged memories from her history in this town. The same person was talking, but as she recounted, I heard the echoes of middle school and high school Ciera.
Having this walk around conversation was a great reminder of my bike ride through Bethesda 2 weeks ago as I reminisced on my own childhood and the interactions I had with my childhood stomping grounds.
We passed by a church she used to volunteer at, a bar she used to frequent, the exercise gym she works at, the ice cream place Santa Clause came to. I saw the town through her eyes and it was enlightening.