Visiting the past

When I was in the Midwest last week I visited the small town in which I spent the first half of my childhood. I have also been in touch with a friend of mine whom I've known since we were 5, and I got a chance to meet up with her. But after seeing her or my old house, or my old elementary school, I didn't get that creepy, emotional feeling I was expecting to get. And I tend to be an emotional, sentimental person, so I was expecting this experience to bring some tears to my eyes. But that didn't happen and that was surprising, especially since so many of my childhood memories are painful ones.

Then I asked myself, why did I go back there? Of course I wanted to see my friend, since I hadn't seen her in 19 years, but if she was no longer there, would I have wanted to drive through that town, I don't know. I guess I was thinking that visiting it would be therapeutic in some way, telling myself I'm not running from painful memories. But since the visit was not emotional, I wonder if I would've needed to go.

What about you? Do you think such trips down memory lane are worth it?