Monthly Archives: January 2025

My Life as a Fireman: The Brothers of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association have began their Annual Fundraising Drive January 26th, 2025

The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association finishing the envelope stuffing. This money will help us run programming and special events at the NJ State Firemen’s Home.

The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association met at the Harrington Park Fire House to start the stuffing of the envelopes for the fundraising efforts of the organization. Monies raised by the fundraiser help pay for entertainment, refreshments, the food for the barbecue, gifts to the residents and for items that residents might need.

Visiting the home for the October Meeting

Serving residents at our Annual June Barbecue

It’s a start to another great year for the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association. Please stop by on our meeting dates to think about joining. We are dedicated firefighters from Bergen County, NJ who support the NJ Firemen’s Home and residents with all sorts of special events and wonderful afternoons of entertainment and refreshments. It’s our way of giving back to our fellow firefighters.

If you would like to donation to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association, please send your donation to:

BCFHA

277 Harriot Avenue

Harrington Park, NJ 07640

Attn: Jeff Parma

Please make the check to “Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association”

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty-Three Experiencing all the Holiday Lightshows in Cape May, NJ, New York City, Bronx and Brooklyn and Philadelphia December 28th-January 5th, 2024 and March 7th-9th, 2025

After the holidays were over and I returned from my trip to Cape May for three days, exploring all the museums and historic sites that were open while enjoying the extension of the holidays, I got to visit a few of the local “Lightshows” on the last weekend they were open before the Epiphany. These are interactive exhibitions of lights and museum that should not be missed and are fun to walk through.

These started in Cape May and continued on through my last walk through Brooklyn on the last night of “Lightscapes” on one of the coldest nights of the New Year. Even with the weather turning bitterly cold, some of the nights there was not wind and made these nights out a true delight. You get caught up in the beauty of all the lights and music.

My adventure of lights began after Christmas with my annual trip to Cape May, NJ. Cape May is one of the most dazzling towns to celebrate Christmas. The only town to rival it is Rhinebeck, NY and they are neck in neck for the holiday season. The parks, hotels and the downtown Washington Street Mall are always decked out for the holidays.

The Park in downtown Cape May, NJ

Cape May Park in Downtown Cape May, NJ

I love this annual lightshow because it is free and part of the holiday magic that makes Cape May, NJ so special. This walk through the ‘Village Green’ of Cape May is part of what is so wonderful and shows the holiday spirit of Greater Cape May during the Christmas holidays.

The glittering tree in the park

The park glitters and shines

The Gazebo is always brilliant at the holidays

The Christmas tree is always amazing in Downtown Cape May

The decorated homes of Cape May, NJ near the beach

The houses in Cape May lit up for the holidays

Washington Mall in Downtown Cape May lit for the holidays

Washington Mall in Downtown Cape May

The Washington Mall during the later evening in Cape May

The beautiful Christmas lights and decorations continued at The Congress Hotel just off the downtown. The hotel is always so beautifully decorated like the town and is a wonderful place to stay at Christmas time (I stayed here in 2017 for Christmas and loved it). I ended up eating at the hotel for both breakfast at the Blue Pig and dinner at the Boiler Room (you can see these reviews in my Christmas blog from 2017 updated in 2024):

My blog on Christmas in Cape May in 2017:

The Congress Hotel at 200 Congress Place at the holidays

https://www.caperesorts.com/congress-hall

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46341-d92337-Reviews-Congress_Hall-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The inside of the hotel’s foyer always decorated to the hilt for the holidays

The Courtyard of the hotel decorated for the holidays

The beautiful Christmas tree in the courtyard is always a treat to look at every holiday

After I left the hotel, I just walked around Cape May and there is always a light show to see. So I walked around town, had dinner and just enjoyed the lights for two nights.

The light tree in one of the parks in Cape May

I ate at Viggiano’s at Sunset 109 Sunset Boulevard for dinner my last night in Cape May after touring around town

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46341-d17659752-Reviews-Viggiano_s_On_Sunset-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

I started the meal with a delicious Italian Wedding Soup

This was followed by a delicious Spaghetti Carbonara

The food at the restaurant is very homey and delicious. The dinner was a perfect way to end my tour of Cape May’s downtown area and all the decorated homes. The two days I spend there always refresh me after the holidays.

When I arrived home from the Christmas holidays with my family, I had the week off before the college I work at resumed classes. I had not planned too many activities so I decided to update some of my older blogs by visiting places I had once visited during the holidays and planned to visit some of the popular light shows in the tri-state area.

The first thing I did when I returned home was visit the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The crowds started to go down after the holidays and I got to visit it later in the evening so I could take better pictures. There is nothing like Rockefeller Center at Christmas time. It is in a league all its own.

Visiting Rockefeller Center at Christmas is always exciting

https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/the-rink-at-rockefeller-center/

My review of the Tree at Rockefeller Center on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d10020616-Reviews-Rockefeller_Center_Christmas_Tree-New_York_City_New_York.html

There is a beauty to the area during the holidays

You have not experienced anything at the holidays until you have seen the tree at Rockefeller Center

Across the street, Saks Fifth Avenue was decked out for the holidays. The decorations and lights were beautiful and made up for their windows which were decorated with just clothes this year.

Saks Fifth Avenue at 611 Fifth Avenue at Christmas time

https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/locations/newyork/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d208852-Reviews-Saks_Fifth_Avenue-New_York_City_New_York.html

Saks main entrance on Fifth Avenue

There were three light shows I wanted to visit on the last weekend of the holidays and it took some coordinating. On New Year’s Eve, I took the train down to Center City Philadelphia to see the lightshow at the old Wanamaker’s store which is now Macy’s (Thank God I did as they announced after the holidays that Macy’s will be closing this location in March 2025). This is always a treat. I had not seen it since 2016.

See my Blog on visiting Philadelphia at Christmas in 2016:

It only takes a little over an hour to get to Philly from Manhattan and I got into Center City pretty quickly.

Macy’s Philadelphia Center City at 1300 Market Street

https://www.macys.com/s/holiday-celebrations/philadelphia/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60795-d2108535-Reviews-Macy_s_Philadelphia-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html

The front of the store made famous by the movie ‘Mannequin’

The trailer for “Mannequin”

The windows at Macy’s Center City

The opening of the movie “Mannequin”:

The inside of Macy’s Center City in the movie “Mannequin”

The beautiful decorations of Macy’s Philadelphia at Christmas

Preparing for the lightshow in the main Rotunda

The magnificent decorations on the first floor

The famous eagle on the first floor

I saw the Lightshow twice, once to take pictures and once to film it. It is the same show I have seen several times, narrated by Julie Andrew’s but I never get bored from it. It really is a holiday tradition.

The start of the show that takes place every two hours

The start of the show with the Introduction

The start of Part One of the show

The video of Part One:

The video of the start of the show with a scene from ‘The Nutcracker’

The second part of the show with the clocks

The Video of Part Two:

The video of the Clock Show and Snow falling

The Sleigh Ride and the Snow Falling

The visit from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

Video of Part Three:

Taking a Train trip to a Winter Wonderland

Welcoming Frosty the Snowman

Welcoming the Snowfall

Video of Part Four:

The Finale with the sounds of the organ is always a treat

The Finale

The Video of Part Five: The Finale

The Finale always gets an applause

After the Light-show was over, I walked around Macy’s. It is not the same store it was when it was Wanamaker’s when all the floors were open and they had all the magnificent restaurants. Wanamaker’s was top notch. Still I saw traces of the old store here and there. You can still see all the beautiful architecture and lighting.

The Rotunda after the Lightshow

Macy’s at Christmas

Macy’s at Christmas time

After I left Macy’s, I walked around Center City Philadelphia and walked around the City Hall complex. This was pretty much the last week of decorations and the holidays before they started to take this down.

City Hall in Center City

The lights continued with the Philadelphia Christmas tree downtown

On the other side of City Hall was the last day of the Christmas Mart

https://www.philachristmas.com/index.html

The outside Christmas Mart had its own gardens and Christmas lights

After I had toured both the store and the downtown area, I headed over to Reading Market for lunch. I love coming here for meals when I am in Philadelphia. There are so many places to choose from.

The Reading Market at 1136 Arch Street

The Reading Market sign

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60795-d104158-Reviews-Reading_Terminal_Market-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html

Wondering around the Reading Market

One of my favorite places to eat when it is open is the Dutch Eating Place inside the Reading Market. I love their breakfasts, their burgers but especially their Hot Turkey Platters. They are the best. Sitting at the counter, you can always have a nice conversation with someone.

I settled with the Dutch Eating Place

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60795-d463036-Reviews-Dutch_Eating_Place-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html?m=69573

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

The Turkey Platter at the Dutch Eating Place

The food at the Dutch Eating Place is always top notch and very homey. The Hot Turkey Sandwich was the Thanksgiving dinner that I did not have this year.

After my tour of the Reading Market, a short walk around downtown Center City and tour through Macy’s (with almost no merchandise on the shelves in certain departments, it was signaling to me that there was a problem in the store), it was time to head home. There were even more beautiful Christmas lights at Penn Station with their Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree at Penn Station in Philadelphia

After the holidays were over, Macy’s announced that the Center City store would be closing in March. So much for coming back or a ‘Mannequin’ remake.

Macy’s closing their downtown store in Philadelphia in March 2025

Over the weekend of the Epiphany, I arranged to see three more walking tours before they all closed for the season. One was the Holiday Lights tour at the Bronx Zoo, another was the Christmas Walking tour of the Armour-Stiner House in Irvington, NY and the last was one of my favorites, The Lightscape tour at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Each of these were more beautiful then the next with the only problem being is how cold it got those evenings.

The sign for the Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights Tour

https://bronxzoo.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47369-d136079-Reviews-Bronx_Zoo-Bronx_New_York.html

My review in VisitingaMuseum.com:

The well lit welcome to the Bronx Zoo at the entrance by Astor Court

The fountains by Astor Court

Astor Court dazzling that evening

The wonderland of lights by Astor Court

The Christmas Tree light show just off Astor Court

The Light-show is captivating

This holiday light presentation was ongoing and beautiful. I just wished the music could have been louder. The main Christmas tree had so many unusual light displays.

The beautiful lights during the show

The main Christmas tree

I loved all the lights on the tree

I ended up watching the show three times for over a half hour and it still keep changing to something new

The tree display

The tree lights were captivating

After I left Astor Court, I just followed the pathways around the zoo and enjoyed the lights and displays. The show either seemed bigger than I remembered or I missed a lot on my last trip in 2019.

Walking along the pathways with all the displays

The pathways lit to create a Fantasyland

What I love about this show is the different themed sections of the show and how the zoo sets the show up. The Nautical displays were on the side of the Zoo that I entered and were the first set of lights I saw.

The nautical lights

The Nautical lights

Stingrays in the Nautical lights

The fish display

The Jellyfish display

The seals were one of the bigger displays in the zoo

One of the indoor displays was interactive

The multi lights and interactive puppets by the zoo sign

I liked the light structures

The giraffe sculptures

The reindeer lighting the way

The colorful flowers lining the paths

The light sculptures line the paths of the zoo

The puppet masters entertained us in the park

Then I headed down paths to visit all sorts of exotic animals and their colorful habitats lined the paths.

The flamingoes

The Turtles

The ant eater

The colorful parrots

The penguins

The Emu

The Alligator

The crowds are sparse at this time of the year and this is the best time to take pictures

It was the weekend of the Epiphany when I visited so the holiday decorations were still up

The park was so nicely decorated for the holidays

The beautiful snow flakes

I next went to the jungle themed part of the park and visited all the animals in the wild. This is where all the bigger displays were located and you got to see all the zoo related animals.

Where the wild animals were located

The friendly giraffes

The friendly faces of the giraffes

The playful monkeys

The elephants

The Rhinos

Lions and tigers

Walking down the well lit paths

The Rainbow tunnel

The Wild Wolves

The Green Tree by the Dancing Crane Cafe

I had to stop for a while to warm up and have something to eat. I tried to stop before I got to the zoo but there are only delis that surround the park. I had not eaten here years and the food had always been pretty good.

The Dancing Crane Cafe inside the Bronx Zoo

https://bronxzoo.com/plan-your-visit/dining/dancing-crane

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47369-d32813295-Reviews-Dancing_Crane_Cafe-Bronx_New_York.html?m=69573

The inside of the Cafe later in the evening

The restaurant decorated for the holidays

The Chicken Fingers meal I had for dinner

The Chicken Fingers here were excellent and the portion size was very fair

The fries were really good as well and had just come out of the fryer

I have to say that I was very impressed by the food and the service. Everyone could not have been nicer and it was a very pleasant and relaxing dinner.

As I resumed my walk down the paths of the zoo, I walked through the most amazing colorful tunnel, where everyone was taking pictures.

When you can walk through this alone it is really amazing

My part of the zoo I traveled through was the Magical Rain Forest with its colorful flowers and exotic animals.

The beautifully lit Totem pole

The colorful flowers lined the paths

The colorful butterfly’s

The colorful flowers in the Rain Forest

The beauty of the walkways

This was such a colorful frog

Another playful frog in the Rain Forest

I thought the frog with the toad was very clever

These colorful birds lined the path

The colors of the frogs in the Rain Forest were amazing

This beautiful Diamondback turtle was last animal I saw before I left the Rain Forest

The temperature really started to drop this evening and it was in the thirties when I left the Bronx Zoo. Still it was an amazing night. The show was so dazzling that night and dinner was surprisingly good that night that I did not mind.

The 125th sign all lit when I left the park that night

The Swan Gate as I was leaving

It got really cold at the end of the evening but it was such a great night. The displays were amazing and the musical light shows were a lot of fun. It is something everyone should see once. It is even better later in the season when there are no crowds and you can take great pictures.

The decorated Rhino was one of the last thing J saw when I left the park

On the Sunday of the last day of the Christmas season, I visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see their lightshow ‘Lightscape’ which I had seen a few years earlier. It was the last night to see it and it was crowded and really cold.

The problem was that the weather had turned really cold and it was in the low thirties even in the early evening. So I really had to bundle up for these visits. The show itself was well worth the trip.

The map would take us all over the gardens

The lit tree army the entrance of the gardens

Then I entered the ‘Canopy of Light’ with its magical lights and music

At the entrance of the show was the breathtaking ‘Canopy of Light’

The beautiful multi lights with music

The lights moved to ‘Let it Snow’

I continued down the path to the Japanese Garden and saw the most spectacular light and water show in the lake of the garden.

The colors and fountains swayed to the music

What gorgeous colors

The movements and music were wonderful

The amazing water show in the Japanese Garden

The end of the show was beautiful

I ended up seeing the water show twice because I knew they would not let me turnaround to see it again. The I turned down the path.

The lights in the trees were amazing

The field of white lit roses

A closer look at the white roses

I continued down the path to the next display

I next moved on to the main lawn where the sculpture ‘Singularity’ was displayed. You could not stare at it too long or it could hypnotize you.

The sculpture ‘Singularity’

The sculpture ‘Singularity’

I walked around the Water Lilly ponds whose flowers would bloom again in the summer but had sculptures of Butterflies floating around in them.

These were called ‘Butterfly Effect’

The ‘Butterfly Effect’

I love the way the sculptures swayed and moved in the pond to the music. The Yellow Magnolia, the Garden’s restaurant was open that evening and was packed with people eating dinner. There was no way of getting in so I moved on down the path.

The pathways were lit with all sorts of colors

The next sculpture was ‘One Small Thing’ and the sculpture ‘Halo’ that lit the way in the back of the Gardens.

‘One Small Thing’

The lights alone the path for ‘One Small Thing’

The came the sculptures for ‘Halo’

The next interactive and musical sculpture was ‘Alumine’ which looked like trees in a Dr. Seuss book. Colorful and fun!

Walking through the ‘Alumine’ sculptures

The experience of walking through ‘Alumine’ is like walking through ’Whoville’ in the winter

The lights here changed color every minute and were so amazing.

As I left ‘Alumine’, the next series of sculptures were light shows with dazzling colors and music. This is what made this show stand out more than the shows of the past.

The beautiful lights lit the path through dormant trees

The colors kept changing

As I walked down the path, I entered ‘Rainbow Road’ with it colorful disco lights and energetic soundtrack.

The outdoor lights and music makes you feel like you are in a discotheque

I stayed here the longest to listen to the 70’s soundtrack

The music was fantastic that night

I moved on to the area of the gardens between where the crocuses will grow in two months and near Daffodils Hill was another amazing display entitled ‘Anemonia’. These sculptures looked like futuristic lamps.

The ‘Anemonia’ sculptures

The ‘Anemonia’ lit beautifully

The next light display rivaled the ‘Happy Waters’ was ‘Interface’, a display of memorizing lights and music. I stayed for three shows as it was so dazzling.

The ‘Anemonia’ sign

The lights and sounds of ‘Interface’

The sights and sounds of ‘Interface’

The show ended with some of the spectacular lights

I then walked through the ‘Neon Network’ to get to where the Cherry Blossom Esplanade dazzled everyone in April with its beautiful, fluffy pink blossoms. It was other bright colors showcasing this part of the gardens.

The ‘Neon Network’ sign

Walking through the ‘Neon Network’

The ‘Neon Network’

Walking through the ‘Neon Network’

The ‘Neon Network’ led to the last spectacular displays of lights in the Cherry Blossom Esplanade, ‘Winter Reflection’, a celebration of lights, trees and snowflakes.

The colors of ‘Winter Reflections’

The colors of ‘Winter Reflections’The

Video on ‘Winter Reflections’:

The tree brightly lit in ‘Winter Reflections’

The dazzling colors of ‘Winter Reflections’

To really appreciate the shoe of ‘Winter Reflections’ you had to walk up the pathways overlooking the Esplanade.

The pathway through the Cherry Esplanade was spectacular

The lightshow for ‘Winter Reflections’ was most entertaining from the top of the hill

The video of the show from the top of the hill show it’s true beauty and entertainment:

One of the most memorable show off ‘Lightscapes’

After I saw the show twice before I headed out of the gardens. I walked through the ‘Winter Cathedral’ which had been the biggest part of the light show a couple of years ago. This is most impressive.

The ‘Winter Cathedral’ at the end of the tour

The lights are so spectacular in the evening

The last display before I left the park was the ‘Lantern Garden’ at the original area of the gardens entrance.

The sign for ‘The Lantern Garden’

The ‘Lantern Garden’ at the end of the garden

The ‘Lantern Garden’

I exited the gardens after almost two hours of walking around and it started to get cold outside. It was still really busy in the gardens as the later ticket holders will still coming in.

The exit of the show at the Eastern Parkway entrance

Before I returned to Manhattan, I had a quick dinner at Bahn Mi Sandwich on Washington Avenue. Their Vietnamese sandwiches are always wonderful.

Banh Mi Place at 842b Washington Place

https://banhmiplacebklyn.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d8530850-Reviews-Banh_Mi_Place-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=69573

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/tag/banh-mi-place/

The Shredded Chicken Banh Mi was outstanding

After cold night in the gardens, I stopped to have a sandwich and eat inside the restaurant. It was so nice and warm and the sandwich was excellent. I ordered the Shredded Chicken Banh Mi and it was delicious. Lots of steamed chicken tucked inside a chewy bun with fresh vegetables. I really enjoy their sandwiches.

The sandwich was a perfect way to end the evening

Before I left Manhattan for the evening, I walked through Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The Christmas tree was still up surprisingly and the most of the food vendors around the skating rink were still open.

The Skating Rink at Bryant Park at the end of the holidays

The food vendors were still open at the end of the season

The Christmas tree was still ablaze at the end of the 12 Days of Christmas

Bryant Park is so spectacular during the holidays

For anyone who says New York City or even Philly for that matter are boring during the holidays have not walked the parks and streets. There are so many beautiful and spectacular things to do and see.

You all have to experience them for yourself in eleven months!

Post Christmas visit during the Philadelphia Flower Show 2025: Macy’s Closing

What was sad though when I returned two months later for the Flower Show, it was announced that Macy’s was shutting down the downtown store as part of the store cuts as Macy’s was downsizing the company.

Macy’s Closing at the Wanamaker’s Building

Almost all the inner city stores like Brooklyn and Philadelphia were going to join stores like Pittsburgh and Minneapolis. It was a sad day for Philly.

Macy’s during my day of touring

Sad day in Philly

It reminded me of when B. Altman closed in New York City

The display windows said it all but had been very festive just two months earlier

The once elegant Men’s Department

The mannequins for sale

Me with the ‘Mannequins’ on the first floor

Me with the decorations that once adorned the first floor during Christmas

It’s so sad to see where John Wanamaker once walked and Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall once danced down the aisles has now been reduced to this bargain sale

The empty cases were once filled with beautiful jewels and fancy perfumes

All the Christmas decorations from two months before were all sold

The beautiful atrium where I watched the light show a few months before

The Accessories Department

No one was near the Eagle that day

The back part of the Atrium

The sadness of the Clothing Department

The Cosmetics Department had nothing left

The beautiful embellishments around the Cosmetics Department of the Eastern States. This is of Massachutes

This is the New Jersey emblem

Where Kim Cattrell and Andrew McCarthy danced in the film

The lion guarding the stairs

The actors dancing in the film “Mannequin”

The front of the old Wanamakers store where the opening scene of ‘Mannequin’ was shot

Not what John Wanamaker envisioned for his store

It is a sad day as this was once one of the most beautiful and creative stores in the country now reduced to a bargain sale.

Downtown will never be the same

Places to Visit:

Congress Hall Hotel @ Christmas

200 Congress Place

Cape May, NJ 08204

(609) 884-8421

https://www.caperesorts.com/congress-hall

https://www.caperesorts.com/congress-hall/winter-wonderland

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46341-d92337-Reviews-Congress_Hall-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Rockefeller Center at Christmas

47th to 50th Street @Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10111

(212) 588-8601

https://www.rockefellercenter.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105123-Reviews-Rockefeller_Center-New_York_City_New_York.html

Reading Market Terminal

1136 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60795-d484853-Reviews-Reading_Terminal_Market-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html?m=69573

Macy’s Center City Philadelphia

1300 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 241-9000

https://www.macys.com/stores/pa/philadelphia/wanamaker-building_213.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60795-d2108535-Reviews-Macy_s_Philadelphia-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html

The Bronx Zoo

2300 Southern Boulevard

The Bronx, NY 10460

(718) 367-1010

https://bronxzoo.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm/Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-5:30pm

Fee: Members Free/Adults-Full Experience $39.95/Senior Full Experience $34.99/Child (3-12) $29.99/Child (under 3) Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47369-d136079-Reviews-Bronx_Zoo-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on TripAdvisor for the “Holiday Lights Festival”:

https://static.tacdn.com/AttractionProductReview-g47369-d19708232-Bronx_Zoo_Holiday_Lights-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

990 Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, NY  11225

(718) 623-7210

http://www.bbg.org

Open:  Sunday and Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Friday 8:00am-6:00pm

Admission: Depending on the time of year/please check the website

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60827-d103900-Reviews-Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum:

Places to Eat:

Viggiano’s on Sunset

109 Sunset Boulevard

Cape May, NJ 08204

(609) 435-5026

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46341-d17659752-Reviews-Viggiano_s_On_Sunset-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

Dutch Eating Place

1136 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA  19107

(215) 992- 0425

Open: Sunday-Monday Closed/Tuesday-Wednesday 8:00am-3:00pm/Thursday-Saturday 8:00am-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60795-d463036-Reviews-Dutch_Eating_Place-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

The Bronx Zoo-The Dancing Crane Cafe

2300 Southern Boulevard

The Bronx, NY 10460

(718) 367-1010

https://bronxzoo.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm/Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-5:30pm

Fee: Members Free/Adults-Full Experience $39.95/Senior Full Experience $34.99/Child (3-12) $29.99/Child (under 3) Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47369-d136079-Reviews-Bronx_Zoo-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on TripAdvisor for the “Holiday Lights Festival”:

https://static.tacdn.com/AttractionProductReview-g47369-d19708232-Bronx_Zoo_Holiday_Lights-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Banh Mi Place

824B Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11238

(718) 552-2660

https://banhmiplacebklyn.com/

Open: Sunday 11:30am-9:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:30am-9:30pm/Friday & Saturday 11:30am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d8530850-Reviews-Banh_Mi_Place-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-One Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Promoting the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum for Tourism-Be a Tourist in your Own Town” December 12th, 2024

In my live classes, I open my consulting company, “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, for business and the whole class bands together and we have one big project. In the era of post-COVID and online learning, I was lucky that I was able to teach one of the live classes on the Bergen Community College, Paramus Campus. It was such a pleasure welcoming students back to campus with live lectures and conversing with them.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. corporate logo of the six trees

Contact Us

In the past, I have created these projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO & Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

As part of the semesters project, I wanted to choose a location that was close to the college that we could promote and staying within the Lyndhurst area. I felt that Lyndhurst’s downtown was a bit fractured with gaps in the downtown making it tougher to market than other downtowns. Then I remembered the Red Schoolhouse Museum that I had visited over the summer to update my blog and thought that would be the perfect choice.

The Lyndhurst Red Schoolhouse Museum at 400 Riverside Avenue in Lyndhurst, NJ during the summer months

The museum grounds in the Summer months

The inside of the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum

https://www.facebook.com/LyndhurstHistoricalSociety/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46586-d3207980-Reviews-Lyndhurst_Historical_Society_Little_Red_Schoolhouse-Lyndhurst_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The museum is close to campus, was a historical site and really needed some new publicity. So I approached their volunteer Board and we developed a partnership on this project:

The Team Project:

It was going to be a tight project as we only had five weeks to pull it off and we had Thanksgiving Weekend break in the middle of the project. I created one less Team and gave them a fair amount of work to develop and then we started the project.

I had an extra credit Team Field trip to the museum that Sunday and about a third of the students showed up. The museum is a one room schoolhouse so it is easy to tour.

Team members touring the museum on the extra credit trip

Touring and planning ideas in the museum’s backyard and gardens

The next week during class time, I took the students on a more formal tour and lecture on the museum where they met with the Museum Board, their volunteers and it was time to ask questions and view the museum from the vantage point of how to we promote this museum and how can we bring people in from outside the Bergen County area.

First we met with the staff at the museum on class night

We started with a discussion of the museum, its history and its direction in the community. We also got to meet the Volunteer Board of the museum.

Then we toured the museum

The Kingsland Explosion Fire display

Going over the project steps with the Museum Board

Our Team picture with the Museum Board of the Lyndhurst Red Schoolhouse Museum

After our visit to the museum, I took the Teams to Mr. Bruno’s Pizzeria in Lyndhurst for a Team Building dinner that I host with all my classes. It is hugely popular with the students and gives them a chance to get to know one another. Nothing is better than Team Building over pizza.

Mr. Bruno’s Pizzeria in Lyndhurst, NJ has a complete dining room

https://www.theoriginalmrbrunospizza.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46586-d2345529-Reviews-Mr_Bruno_s_Pizzeria_and_Restaurant-Lyndhurst_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

Team Two setting up their game plan while dining at Mr. Bruno’s that evening

Team Two doing together and putting together their game plan

Team Three enjoying dinner together

The restaurant staff at Mr. Bruno’s could not have been nicer to us and everyone enjoyed dinner. It was a really productive evening for everyone. It was a nice Team Building event and the students that dined that night really got to know one another and start setting up their presentations. From this point on, it was up to the Student Consultants to put their projects together and make trips out to the museum on their own time.

The Lyndhurst Team will have three Teams compete with one another in a series of projects that are part of program in “Promoting the Small Museums of Bergen County”. The goal is to create a new Digital Marketing Campaign for the museum, a series of special events that includes events at the holidays, a Children’s Walking Tour and a fundraiser for the museum.

The Teams are to create two holiday events that include a ‘Holiday Village’, a secular December family holiday event where people can enjoy walking around the museum in a festive environment with delicious food and activities. This is the same with the “Spring Event”, another festive event where the museum is decorated for the day with engaging activities and delicious food all in a way to showcase the museum.

Some of the ideas that the museum asked of us was to create a Children’s Walking Tour for school age children who visit with their parents and with their local schools. This is a way for the docents to engage with the children and create a fun environment that speaks to them. The other request from the museum was to create a fundraiser or a series of fundraisers that will raise $10,000 for the museum to help with expenses in running the museum and mounting new exhibitions. It will be interesting to see what the students create to promote the museum.

This Team had it the toughest of my four Teams as they had four weeks to put their project together with one of the classes being the formal tour. They did a wonderful job putting it all together in a short period of time.

The week before the student Teams made their presentation, I gave all four of my Teams the ‘Holiday Project’ Quiz Four, in which each Team was asked by the Corporate office to create a holiday menu proposal for the company dinner, create an invitation and then film a holiday greeting in English and Spanish. That produced interesting presentations.

Video on the Holiday presentation:

PowerPoint Holiday Presentation:

The next week on December 12th, 2024, the students presented the project to myself, the Board and members of the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum and to parents and other invited guests. For a four week project, the students did a good job.

The Bergecco-Parc Corporate Website for the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum Team:

https://littleredmuseum.wordpress.com/?_gl=11eisv45_gcl_au*MzA4MzYyMTAxLjE3MzMyNzg1MDU

The start of the Presentation that evening:

The start of the Team Presentation that evening

Video of the Presentation:

PowerPoint of the Presentation:

Team One starting their presentation

Team Two ordering their ideas to the museum board

Team Two presenting their Holiday events to the Board

Team Two presenting their Holiday events budgets

Team Three making their presentation

The Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum Team at the end of the presentation

At the end of the Presentation, we had a Q &A with the Board of the Museum, who really loved the ideas that the students came up with and how creative they were with such a small museum. The President even admitted to me that she, like all the other museums I worked with this semester, would miss having the students visiting and touring the museum. That made me feel good, that in some small way we made a difference.

I don’t know if the museum will ever use any of these ideas or if all the things will be successful in the end but I could see these events a nice addition in making the museum more successful and create better visitation.

Again, I am very proud of these students.

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “The Bergen 250: Visiting Bergen County, NJ Museums: Promotional Plan for Visiting the Behnke Museum, Bergenfield Museum, Walking Tour of Coopers Pond Park and a Graveyard Walk of the South Presbyterian Church” December 11th, 2024

In my live classes, I open my consulting company, “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, for business and the whole class bands together and we have one big project. In the era of post-COVID and online learning, I was lucky that I was able to teach one of the live classes on the Bergen Community College, Paramus Campus. It was such a pleasure welcoming students back to campus with live lectures and conversing with them.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. corporate logo of the six trees

Contact Us

In the past, I have created these projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO & Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

The Behnke Museum Project:

I created the Behnke Museum promotion as a way to promote this wonderful museum located right next to the Bergen Community College campus for tourism. It is such a terrific museum but it never seemed to have any visitors. Not only that, it seemed that no one at the college including the Professors had been there or even knew what it was as they passed it everyday on their way to work. This project, which was the first project in the class, was going to change all of that.

With the help of Fred Behnke and the Board of Volunteers, we partnered together to help the museum promote itself for tourism and put the museum on the map. I created with the help of the Executive Team and the Student Consultants, a series of promotions, commercials and ideas to bring traffic into the museum. The Student Consultants also created an Instagram site for the museum, helped create a website and translated pamphlets into Spanish, Korean and Pilipino to help promote the museum to an outside audience where English may not be the first language. We started the project out with a tour of the museum.

The Fred Behnke Museum at 330 Paramus Road

https://www.facebook.com/FritzBehnkeMuseum/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46712-d4973052-Reviews-Fritz_Behnke_Historical_Museum-Paramus_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The Sunday Extra Credit tour that my class at the museum

On the Sunday before the formal Class tour of the museum, I gave the students extra credit towards their project to come in on a Sunday and tour the museum at their leisure. About a third of the class took advantage of it.

The next class, I picked my Teams, set up the Executive Team and then it was ‘full steam ahead’ with the project.

The Team:

The Project:

We arrived at the museum later that week for our formal walking tour of the museum and the class was broken up into two teams one upstairs and one downstairs.

The Class Field Trip to the Behnke Museum as part of the project

The Team Field Trip to the Behnke Museum

Touring the first floor of the museum

After the tour was over, we took our official Team Corporate picture for the project. Even though it was a gloomy day, it was all energy and smiles and a lot of promise to help the museum gain more visitors.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Behnke Museum Team picture with the Museum Volunteer Staff

The Student Consultants had a week to put the Presentation together and create a commercial to promote the museum and their PowerPoint on their ideas to create excitement at the museum. Here is their project Presentation and PowerPoint on the project. Please remember that they had seven days to do this.

The PowerPoint:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1atn7BlTHfG88tND0P8fU1yNzmEpFrEG4/view?usp=gmail

The Video of the Presentation:

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=krZNmHevETA

The Team Picture after the Behnke Museum Presentation to the Museum Volunteer Staff:

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Paramus Team for the Behnke Museum

The Behnke Museum Volunteer Staff was impressed with the students ideas and thought there was a lot good ideas that they can use.

Commercial Group One:

Commercial Group Two:

Marketing Commercial Team Two:

Commercial Group Three:

Marketing Commercial Team Three:

Commercial Group Four:

The Bergenfield Tourism Project: The Bergenfield Museum, Coopers Pond Park and South Church Graveyard Tour Project:

This is when I got the idea of doing the same project in a larger form. I saw the Bergenfield Museum, a small gem on the other side of Coopers Pond Park, that did not much traffic considering the museum is open both during the week and the weekend. The building was an original Demarest homestead and the family had their family plot in the South Church which is located right next to the park. So I approached both the museum and the church to partner with me in creating a project to promote this corner of Bergenfield, NJ for tourism.

Cooper’s Pond Park during the Summer months

So I set up the next series of tours for my students that encompassed the Bergenfield Museum, Coopers Pond Park and the historical South Church graveyard where the Demarest family plot was located. The Bergenfield Museum building is the original Demarest family homestead so it tied in nicely to the project.

Walking through Coopers Pond Park inspired this fascinating project

https://bergenfield.com/notices-announcements/oem-notices/cooper-s-pond-update

Two weeks after the Behnke Museum project, I introduced this project and the next week we took a walking tour of all three sites starting with walking through Cooper Pond Park, a WPA project and one of the most beautiful and underrated parks in Bergen County.

We met with the Bergenfield Volunteer Board at the museum to start the tour

The Bergenfield Museum at 100 Cooper Street in Bergenfield, NJ

https://bergenfield.com/museum-society

https://www.facebook.com/bergenfieldmuseum/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/photo/776032151?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The President of the Bergenfield Museum Board, Joanne, helped me organize the Team Field Trip of the museum. She had four other docents from the Board helping in four different rooms so each Team would follow each other through the rooms. Each Team had about ten minutes in each room for the docent to explain the collection to them. The Student Consultants got to visit the museum on their own time as well.

Our class being greeted by the President of the Bergenfield Museum, Joanne

Touring the Living Room of the old Demarest Homestead

Touring the old Dining Room and the Chair Factory display in the museum

Touring the Kitchen area of the old homestead

Touring the Military Room of the museum

Discussions of the function of the kitchen on the farm

Discussing the Chair manufacturing in Bergenfield, NJ

The Student Consultants touring the Living Room

The Teams taking notes during the tour

After our tour of the museum was over, we took a group picture outside of the museum with the Board of the museum.

The Student Consultants from Bergecco-Parc Consultants Inc. visiting the Bergenfield museum

After we took the group shot, we walked through the park again to my take note of its Depression era past and beautiful views and colors and made our way to the historic South Presbyterian Church and its historic graveyard where the second half of the project would take place.

South Presbyterian Church at 150 West Church Avenue

https://www.southpresbyterian.net/

https://www.facebook.com/southpres/

The historic marker for the church

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46301-d32842329-r988828266-South_Presbyterian_Church-Bergenfield_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/author/jwatrel/page/2/

The Demarest Family plot in the church graveyard

Touring the South Church graveyard for the historical walking tour with members of the Church volunteer staff

The tour was lead by Bob Carpenter, a historian who is helping renovate this historical graveyard

The tour of the historical Demarest family plot, which ties into the museum building’s historical past, was lead by historian Bob Carpenter, who is helping the church renovate and restore the graveyard. Mr. Carpenter explained to us how he was fixing all the plots and historic tombstones and how the maintenance of the stones needs to be carefully done.

Mr. Carpenter explains how to maintain the tombstones in these historic graveyards

Video of the walking tour of the historic graveyard:

Both the church volunteers and Mr. Carpenter explaining to the students how families were buried in the 1700and 1800’s

We finished the tour that afternoon inside the South Church to learn its history in the community. Though it will not be part of the project, the church offered the students a glimpse into Bergen County’s past as the original church was built before the Revolutionary War.

The Student Consultants touring the pews of the South Church

Once the tour was complete, the Student Consultants had a better understanding of the locations where the project will take place.

The new project will include walking tours, historical aspects of all three locations, and ways of creating a Destination Marketing Plan for domestic and foreign tourism. This will take place when the Student Consultants present their ideas to myself and the museum and church staffs.

The student consultants had four weeks to this project and put together their game plans. The had to put together commercials to promote the Bergenfield Museum, Coopers Pond Park and the historical cemetery of the South Church. As an extra credit assignment, I had the students develop a Halloween walking tour with food and create a separate commercial for this of which three of the for groups completed.

Quiz Four-The Holiday Project

Before the Team made their final presentation, they created Quiz Four-The Corporate Holiday Party

The Proposal for the Holiday Party Project:

Video of the Team’s Holiday Party Project:

They did a great job on the ideas for the Corporate Holiday Party and came up with some clever menus and logos.

The Holiday Project PowerPoint:

The Christmas Greeting from the Executive Team:

Executive Greeting:

Team One Greeting:

Team Two Greeting:

Team Three Greeting:

Team Four Greeting:

Then came the big Presentation on December 11th, 2024 and this group did an amazing job with ideas for the Town of Bergenfield promoting the Bergenfield Museum, Coopers Pond Park and the South Church’s Historic Cemetery. Each Team tried to top one another.

The whole idea of the Bergenfield Project was not just to promote the museums, parks and historic churches but to create Destination Marketing Project to promote the Town of Bergenfield as a place to visit for both domestic and foreign tourism. This is the project that promotes that vision:

The Bergenfield Team website for Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc:

https://bergeccoparcconsultinginc4.wordpress.com/

The presentation on the Bergenfield Museum

The day of the presentation the students had to be in professional dress with men expected to be in Jacket and tie or a suit and the ladies in blouses, slacks, suits and dresses. We presented this project to the Board and members of the Bergenfield Museum and to the Communications director of Bergenfield, NJ, which really gave the students a stamp of approval.

Video of the Presentation:

Part One:

Part Two:

PowerPoint of the Presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VUbI7TwxcOVTjXf-Ra-7GbC7fErs0-VU2JSHVMDX9rc/edit?usp=sharing

I thought the commercials the students came up with were very clever.

The Commercials of the Bergenfield Museum:

Team One:

Team Two:

Team Three:

Team Four:

The Children’s Walking Tour of the Bergenfield Museum:

Team One:

Team Two:

Team Three:

Team Four:

The Coopers Pond Walking Tour:

Coopers Pond Park sits between the Bergenfield Museum and the South Church and is one of the most beautiful parks and underrated parks in Bergen County. The students were tasked with creating a Walking Tour of the park.

The beauty of Coopers Pond Park in Bergenfield, NJ during the Christmas Holiday season.

Team One:

Commercial One:

Commercial Two:

Team Two:

Team Three:

Team Four:

The Historic Graveyard Tour of the South Church:

The South Church Cemetery is one of the oldest and historic cemeteries in Bergen County and home to the Demarest family plot, one of the most prominent families in Bergen County. The students were tasked with creating a short Walking Tour video promotion for the project to promote the South Church for tourism.

Team One:

Commercial Two:

Team Two:

Team Three:

Team Four:

Some of the Student Consultants also for extra credit created a Halloween Walk for the Church.

The Corporate Picture at the end of the Presentation:

The Executive Team of the Bergenfield Museum project

Another excellent Project from the Student Consultants of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.-Paramus Benhke/Bergenfield Team

I couldn’t have been more proud of a group of students who created an excellent project!

Day Three Hundred Twenty-Nine: Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Promoting Bergen County Farms: Visiting Old Schraalenburgh Farm and Farm Stand in Closter, NJ” December 12th, 2024

In my live classes, I open my consulting company, “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, for business and the whole class bands together and we have one big project. In the era of post-COVID and online learning, I was lucky that I was able to teach one of the live classes on the Bergen Community College, Paramus Campus. It was such a pleasure welcoming students back to campus with live lectures and conversing with them.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. corporate logo of the six trees

Contact Us

In the past, I have created these projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO & Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

I had done a blog promoting the farms (what is left of them) in Bergen County and thought this might be an interesting subject to research further. Farms are destination not just for walking around but for shopping, dining and for entertaining.

I chose Old Schraalenburgh Farm because of the beauty of the farm during the various seasons, the quality of the food and dining options and the location of the farm in comparison from the other larger farms like Alba and Demarest, who have bigger options such as apple picking and hayrides.

Old Schraalenburgh and Farm Stand at 110 Schraalenburgh Road in Closter, NJ:

https://www.abramdemareehomestead.org/the-farm

https://www.facebook.com/abramdemareehome/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46367-d5269898-Reviews-The_Farm_Stand-Closter_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

I talked with their manager one day after class and he seemed intrigued by the idea of new promotions for the farm stand and restaurant. So I put the proposal together, presented the project to the students and then I arranged the Team Field Trip and then we visited as a class.

The Proposal for the project “The Farms of Bergen County, NJ: Visiting Old Schraalenburgh Farm and Farm Stand”:

On a sunny October afternoon, we spent class time touring the farm with the manager of the farm. It was the first time some of the students had had a field trip like this before for a business project.

Our Team visit to the farm in early October

Our host and partner in the project, Manager of the farm Nick Griepenburg, explaining the workings of the farm

Explaining the growing season at the farm and the honeybee business

Visiting the honeybee hives and the honey business on the farm that supplies fresh honey to baked items and for sale in jars on the farm

Visiting the chicken coops which supply eggs for baked goods and fresh eggs sold in the farm store

The Teams feeding the chickens on the farm and hearing about how they supply items sold on the farm

The Team on the Farm

The Team at the end of the tour

After the tour, we went took our Team picture for the Paramus Team working with the farm. This helps the Student Consultants create their own memories of the project and is part of their resume building.

Our group shot at the farm

After the tour, I took the Student Consultants to lunch at Pompilio’s Pizzeria at 223 Westwood Avenue in Downtown Westwood, NJ for a pizza lunch and time for them to get to know each other. These are always successful meals and gives everyone a chance to talk.

Pompilio’s Pizzeria & Restaurant at 223 Westwood Avenue in Westwood, NJ

https://www.pompiliospizzeria.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46923-d4643410-Reviews-Pompilio_s_Pizzeria_Restaurant-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

Team Two having lunch together and creating their game plan for the project

Team Three enjoying a pizza lunch together

This is how we create Team Building and getting the Student Consultants to get to know one another. It is an important part of the project. We break bread with one another and it is how we start the Team project. It was a nice afternoon over good food and conversation and how we are going to market this wonderful farm to foreign and domestic visitors.

Now four Teams will compete with one another to create a Digital Marketing Campaign, Special Events and promoting their wonderful bakery, restaurant, ice cream and flower businesses. Each Team will create a new logo, a commercial for the farm and develop three holiday events to bring families to the farm.

What was good about the project is that is that I hope it helps build their bakery, jelly and ice cream businesses as well.

Their ‘cottage’ businesses during Valentine’s Day

The homemade ice cream business

The homemade jelly business

One event is “Spring in the Air”, will promote the flower gardens and the floral business. They will create an event entitled “The Bunny Visits” with an Easter Egg Hunt on the farm with candy souvenirs. Another event is “The Spirits of Halloween”, for families looking for Fall events like Hay Rides, Corn Mazes and a Haunted Barn event. They will create a special Halloween menu from the Farm’s restaurant list for visitors. It will also promote the pumpkin and apple business.

The last event in development for the Teams is a winter event entitled “Mr. and Mrs. Snowball Arrive”, a secular event enjoyed by all families. This event will open the holiday season on the farm.

After the tour was over, the students spent the next five weeks creating their game plans and putting their creativity to good use developing commercials and shooting them on the farm, formulating logos to rebrand the farm and figuring out how to bring more traffic to the farm.

The student presented the project to myself and to Nick, the manager of the farm who helped me judge the presentations. It really was a great afternoon of new ideas and new ways of looking at the business.

The Corporate Website for the Farm Division of the Paramus Team:

https://bergeccoparcconsultingfirmcom.wordpress.com/

The Presentation of “Visiting the Farms of Bergen County”:

The presentation is done in various languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Albanian, Korean, and Persian.

The PowerPoint Presentation for the Presentation:

The Farm Commercial for Team One:

See PowerPoint Presentation

The Farm Commercial for Team Two:

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=VKzaIIcvNWo

The Farm Commercial for Team Three:

See PowerPoint Presentation

The Farm Commercial for Team Four:

See PowerPoint Presentation

The Holiday Dinner Project (Quiz Four):

For Quiz Four, I developed the Holiday project to build comrade and prepare the students for their formal presentation. The students are requested by Corporate to create a Holiday menu, an invitation and a holiday greeting in English and Spanish. They have forty-five minutes to create all this and it is always fun to watch how it all comes together.

The PowerPoint presentation on the Holiday Project:

The video on the Holiday Project:

The Presentation Day December 11th, 2024:

I have to admit I was a little nervous about the Presentation to the Farm that morning. Nick , the manager of the farm showed up on time as well as several parents and friends of the students showed up to watch as well. It ended up being a very fine Presentation with not too many hiccups and I was very proud of the students for all their hard work on the project. Since much of the work was done ahead of time, there was time to fine tune the project before the Presentation and that made a difference.

What I liked about the Presentation was the at the Introduction was done in English and Arabic with my Introduction in English and Spanish. About six languages were spoken during the Presentation and I saw some students confidence rise when they spoke in their native tongue. This gave the Presentation a more International appeal and I hope for that when people watch these videos all over the world in the future.

Me with my SVP of Operations Moamen Abdallah and President Gianna Cantatore after the presentation

The Corporate shot of me with the Paramus Farm Team after the Presentation

What I liked about the projects that this Team created is that they are so workable and can be adapted quickly with not a lot of expenses. Since the farm has all the products the Teams used either to raise money or use as refreshments, its a win win for the farm.

I found Nick, the Manager of the farm, to be very open to the student’s suggestions and it gave him many new ways of looking at the farm. After the Presentation was over, there was time for a Question & Answer session where Nick made some really good points. The students did an excellent job creating menus for the restaurant, interesting ideas on promoting the ice cream, bakery and honey businesses and general merchandising and packaging ideas to promote all the wonderful merchandise sold at the farm. It really was an afternoon of creative Marketing and all of this was done in five weeks.

What was the best part of this project was that I felt we made a real contribution in promoting this wonderful farm for domestic and foreign tourism and hope it has an impact in the farm’s future.

Now you have to go and try their farm burger!

Yum!

The Farm during the Christmas holidays after the project was over December 2024:

The outside of the farm decorated for Christmas

The decorations were very festive

The outside of the farm at the holidays

The inside of the Farm Stand Restaurant during the holidays

The delicious looking holiday pies at the farm stand

The farm is a lot of fun any time of the year.

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House 45 West Clinton Avenue Irvington, NY 10533

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House at Christmas time

The formal Dining Room

The Second Floor Christmas tree

The first floor Reception Room

The history of the Armour-Stiner Octagon House with the Irvington Historical Society

Day Three Hundred and Thirty Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents: “It’s Razzling in Ramsey, NJ-Be a Tourist in your Own Town” December 11th, 2024

In my live classes, I open my consulting company, “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, for business and the whole class bands together and we have one big project. In the era of post-COVID and online learning, I was lucky that I was able to teach one of the live classes on the Bergen Community College, Paramus Campus. It was such a pleasure welcoming students back to campus with live lectures and conversing with them.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. corporate logo of the six trees

Contact Us

In the past, I have created these projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO & Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

I wanted to create another project on Destination Tourism for one of the town’s in Bergen County to follow the projects previously created in Paterson, Rutherford, Westwood and Glen Rock. I narrowed it down to two towns, Hillsdale and Ramsey, NJ.

I toured both towns and looked at their parks and then studied their town websites for events taking place in town. The reason I chose Ramsey is that they had the Old Stone House Museum, where we could create special events and promote this wonderful historical site for tourism.

The Ramsey Team Project for Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.: “It’s Razzling in Ramsey-Be a Tourist in your Own Town”

I presented the project to my students, created an Executive Team with many Alumni from my Introduction to Business and Marketing classes and broke the class into a corporate hierarchy with a Marketing Team, Historical Team, Special Events Team and a Talent Team. I had the students get their What’s App group chats in order and get to know one another.

I was very proud this semester to promote many of the Student Executive Consultants from previous classes to lead this project. My President this semester had been a Vice-President in two previous projects and through time and experience on the previous project led a wonderful Team. My Senior Vice-President of Operations was a former Vice-President as well on a winning Team for a previous project as well. Several of my Vice-Presidents and Team Leaders were Student Consultants from projects over the last three semesters and they really ‘stepped up to the plate’ for this project.

Then we took the Team Field trips to Ramsey to better understand the town and how it works and what everyday life is like in the town. Being ‘out in the field’ is very important to the class to better understand how create a game plan for the town.

On a warm October afternoon in lieu of class, we all met in Finch Park in Ramsey to tour the park where the location of the Strawberry Festival would take place as well as other activities would be planned. We were joined by the Borough Administrator, Bruce Vouche, who joined us for our afternoon tour of the town.

The Student Executives at Finch Park at the start of the tour

We made our introductions, I took attendance and we proceeded tour the park where we would be holding the event. We looked at the logistics of the park with parking and locations for things like tables and tents. Bruce was able to give us ideas on things like police involvement in traffic and security and permits that would be needed. Before we left the park, we took our group picture.

Our Team group picture at Finch Park

Then we all drove to Downtown Ramsey where we would be touring the business district. We would be looking at traffic patterns, parking and where the Farmers Market takes place and where the historical Trolley line that ran through Bergen County once stood along with the Trolley Building.

Our Team group shot by the Ramsey Train Station where the Farmers Market takes place

After we finished the tour of the downtown, I invited the Team for our corporate lunch at Anthony Franco’s Pizzeria, where we ‘break bread’ and enjoy a meal together to get to know one another and put our game plans together. It is a nice way to end the afternoon.

Anthony Franco’s Pizzeria at 128 East Main Street

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46762-d4918283-Reviews-Anthony_Francos_Pizza-Ramsey_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

The lunch was very successful and the students had a good time getting to know one another. This is the way the Teams jell.

The Marketing Team ding with one another

The Historical Team planning their projects

The Talent Team Dining with one another

The Special Events Vice-President an Team Leader and the Divisional President having lunch that afternoon

After lunch was over, the Teams stayed for a bit and got their game plans in order and left to go back to classes and work. There would be a lot of Team meetings and get togethers in the future. In class, I would let the Teams meet to work on the project, followed by Board Meetings on the progress for the project.

Right before the Thanksgiving Break, I was able to arrange with the Borough Administrator and the President of the Ramsey Historical Society s tour of the Old Stone House Museum. It took a lot of effort and phone calls and emails but we got the tour of this historical site.

The Old Stone House Museum at 159 Island Road

https://www.ramseyhistorical.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westervelt%E2%80%93Ackerson_House

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46762-d20323524-Reviews-The_Old_Stone_House_Ramsey_Historical_Society-Ramsey_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/the-old-stone-house-ramsey-nj/

The front of the Old Stone House Museum

The back of the house and its grounds

The historic barn and the fall foliage

The Old Stone House is run by the Ramsey Historical Society. The Student Consultants were given a tour by the President of the Ramsey Historical Society, Daniel Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy toured with the Student Teams all the rooms in the house and the barn. We got to see all the artifacts, room designs, displays and then tour the barn display. This helped the Marketing and Historical Teams with their proposals and gave them some time to film their ideas. It was a very interesting tour.

The Marketing Team touring the Old Stone House

The General Store concept of the home when it was center of the community

The Talent Team touring the house

The Dutch Bible inside the Old Stone House

The Historical Team touring the Old Stone House

Inside of the Old Stone House of the Second Floor Toy Display

Touring the barn on the house grounds

Touring the Barn on the Old Stone House property

The Student Consultants touring the barn on the property

The inside of the barn with farm equipment, a sleigh and historic markers

The Farm equipment in the barn

Historical Marker for the Revolutionary War years

Ending the tour of the herb garden in the front of the house and the stone basement

Our Team Group picture in front of the Old Stone House

These tours of both the Downtown Business Districts, Parks and the Historical sites gave the Student Consultants a perspective on what the town looks like, how the town is run and what the vibe of the town is to live and visit here. From the Student Consultants developed the project.

This project had several different components to it that we wanted to discuss and we wanted to invite the Council to join us for the presentation so a small group of us attended the November work session at Ramsey City Hall.

I presented a copy of the project to the Council and explained what the students were creating for the town. The Council took an interest in the project and that is when I invited the Council members to the presentation.

Since so many of them had full time jobs and the students were presenting the project to me on December 11th, that was also the night of their next work session. So they invited us back to City Hall to repeat the presentation that night to the Council in Chambers. Myself and the students who attended the meeting were thrilled by this and it upped the game.

I went back to the class and asked who would like to come to the Council meeting and about half the class wanted to attend the meeting. So I arranged for the class to attend the Council meeting that evening. Who knew it was going to rain the way it did that night?

The presentation during the day went by really well. We had a few parents and friends attend the afternoon presentation and we had a few interesting questions. I for one had many on how the students were going to implement the ideas the way they explained it.

The Marketing Team explaining their game l pool plan for the Borough of Ramsey

The Talent Team explaining their game how they were assist our employees

While the presentation went on, the other Teams got to ask questions of their classmates. It helped each group know how they assisted in the other Team’s work.

The Talent Team’s Corporate gift for the night of the holiday dinner

The Corporate Team listening constantly to the presentation on the Paramus campus

The PowerPoint of the Presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r7vMi-pDMDRtvKnh_FAyO1Xl4CLfsITEr13sAfMoo5U/edit?usp=gmail

The Video of the Presentation on the Paramus, NJ:

The Welcome and the Historical Team presentation:

The Introduction and the Historical Team

The Historical Team had to create a Historical Promotional video of the Borough, a Tour of the Old Stone House Historical Museum and for extra credit created a very clever video on the “Mr. Pumpkin” event.

The History of Ramsey video:

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=wt8vrB5Ks_o

The Mr. Pumpkin Event:

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=qbs2jhkrNWE

Tour of the Old Stone House:

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=ndwsF047eUQ

The Special Events presentation:

The Special Events Team

The Marketing Team presentation:

The Marketing Team

The Marketing Team created three videos to promote the Borough of Ramsey: The Promotional Commercial of Ramsey, the new Town Song and a promotional video on the Ramsey Farmers Market. All of these created a pleasant and fun approach to what the Borough of Ramsey is like to visit to Dine, Shop and Entertain in.

The Marketing Videos:

The Town Promotion

The Town Song

The Promotion of the Farmers Market (Extra Credit)

The Talent Team presentation:

The Talent Team

The first run of the Presentation in the classroom went by really well and it got a nice applause. After the Questions & Answers portion of the project, we took our Corporate Team Picture:

The Bergecco- Parc Consulting Inc. Ramsey Divisional Team after the Paramus Presentation

CEO Professor Justin Watrel with SVP of Operations Kamil Malec and President Demetre Gratiashvili

After the Presentation, I held a small reception for the class where I bake cookies, brownies and muffins for the party along with chips and snacks, soda and water. It is a way to celebrate a job well done.

The President and SVP of Operations then created the website for the project:

https://www.itsrazzlinginramsey.com/post/demetre-gratiashvili-reflects-on-leading-the-it-s-razzling-in-ramsey-initiative

Later that evening, the students met on an extremely rainy night, the Executive Team and part of the Team who could meet that night met at Ramsey City Hall to present the project to the Mayor and the Council of the Borough of Ramsey. It was an hour and a half presentation of the same project that impressed the Council.

The Presentation was made at the 7:00pm Ramsey Work Session Meeting on December 11th, 2024

The YouTube Presentation to the Borough Council in Ramsey, NJ December 11th, 2024

The Student Consultants really dazzled the Council with all sorts of ideas on promoting the Borough of Ramsey for domestic and foreign tourism by promoting the Downtown Business District, the Old Stone House Historical property and the Borough for the holiday season. Many of the ideas could be adapted with little budgetary concerns depending on how they wanted to run them and added on to many existing programs the Borough already ran.

The best part that seemed to impress the Council was the Town Promotional and Historical videos and the new town song “Welcome to Ramsey” created by one of the Student Executives. This was all capped off with a special sampling of homemade Strawberry Shortcake that the Team Leader of the Special Events team baked as an example of what could be done to expand on the Strawberry Festival. I could tell by the looks on the faces of the Council and many of the parents who attended that night that they were more than impressed. They treated this as it was a real Consulting Project and a very Professional one at that. “Hats off” to the students who were there promoting this project.

The Corporate Holiday Project: Quiz Four

For Quiz Four, I create the Bergecco-Parc Holiday Party Quiz where each of the Teams has been asked by the Corporate Division to create a proposal for a Holiday menu, an Invitation and then create a holiday greeting for Corporate. The class has 45 minutes to pull it all off and it is a great Team Building Assignment. Everyone seems to love this quiz because it has nothing to do with the textbook.

The link to the Project on Quiz Four:

The Holiday Team Presentation ideas from the Paramus, NJ Team

I was another very successful project by Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. On the last day of class, I presented my President Demetre Gratiashvili with his official President’s Corporate hat. Only the top executive of the firm receives this. It was an honor well-served.

This is a perfect beginning for many of these students who will begin their careers in corporations all over the world. I could not be prouder of them.

Irvington Historical Society 131 Main Street Irvington, NY 10533

The Irvington Historical Society at 131 Market Street in Irvington, NY

The Permanent Collection on the history Irvington, NY

The permanent collection

The permanent collection at the museum

The Main Gallery of the Museum