The front of the Potter’s Tavern
The Front of the Greeting Room
The hearth in the kitchen in the basement
Potter’s Tavern 49-51 West Broad Street Bridgetown, NJ 08302
Category Archives: “A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City
Forgotten Warriors Vietnam Museum Cape May Airport 529 Forrestal Road Rio Grande, NJ 08204
The front of the museum
The front of the gallery
The outside memorial to the Veterans
The Museum of Cape May County 504 US 9 Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
The Cape May County Museum
The Cresse-Holmes home is the home of the museum
The Buggies and Carriages
Wetlands Institute 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard Stone Harbor, NJ 08247
The back of the Wetlands Institute from the marshes.
The beautiful gardens in the Summer months
The salt marshes
Swedesboro-Woolrich Historical Society Museum-Swedesboro City Hall 1500 Kings Highway Swedesboro, NJ 08085
The museum is housed on the Second Floor of Swedesboro City Hall in Swedesboro, NJ
The Business Gallery
The Swedesboro High School and Education Gallery
Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Five Attending the West Indian Parade in Brooklyn on Labor Day Weekend September 2nd, 2024
One of the more dazzling floats in the West Indian Parade over the Labor Day Weekend
After many years of wanting to attend the West Indian Parade in Brooklyn and this year was the year. I planned ahead and got into Brooklyn in the early morning by 11:30am thinking that the parade started early. I did not realize that the parade started on the other side of the Eastern Parkway so I was end of the parade route.
By the time I got there, many of the politicians started to arrive with their staffs. I even got to see Mayor Adam’s in the beginning of the parade.
The end of the parade by the Brooklyn Museum
The first wave of parade goers in the parade arrived in front of the Brooklyn Museum by noon time and they were an energetic crowd
Video on the beginning of the parade:
The beginning of the parade by the museum
The parade was really about the generations. The older crowd of parade participants were in costume enjoying dancing around the floats. Here I saw the traditional dress of Carnival, the festival of celebration, by the Brooklyn Museum.
The older generation celebrating the holiday
The younger crowd of the parade enjoyed dancing around the flatbeds of DJ’s, playing contemporary music of the Caribbean. I expected to see more people in Carnival costumes.
The younger generation of parade goers did not dress up in Carnival like costumes
Most of the parade goers younger than myself seemed to like the casual approach to the parade.
Walking around the sides of the Eastern Parkway held lots of food vendors
As the parade went on, I ventured down the Eastern Parkway to get a better view. About halfway down the parade route, I saw that they had stopped the parade for a half hour. I did not realize that the parade was marred with a shooting. Five people were shot at during the parade by a random shooter, two critically. I ended up not knowing this until two days later when I watched the news. What was scary was that it was only a block and a half away from where I was standing.
I was wondering why there was so much commotion with ambulances and police cars. I just thought some people had just suffered from heat stroke. I had wondered why there was such a large police presence. It did mar the parade for a bit and then the show went on like nothing happened.
We finally got to see some of the Carnival costumes toward the middle of the parade
Towards the end of the parade is when the elaborate costumes and dancers started to come out.
One of the beautiful float costumes of the parade
This was what I thought the parade was going to be like. Elaborate costumes and floats vying for superiority in creativity. This was carnival.
The Carnival costumes of the parade
The parade started to wind down just before 4:00pm and I started to walk through Crown Heights trying to avoid the crowds on Eastern parkway. There were loads of food vendors selling curried and jerked items and trays of take out food around $25.00 and I did not want all that heavy food. I was looking for just a snack.
Puffs Patties at 812 Nostrand Avenue
https://whereyoueat.com/Puffs-Patties-27639.html
My review on TripAdvisor.com:
As I walked up Nostrand Avenue, I seemed to walk into the heart of ‘Little Caribbean’ with its island geared grocery stores and restaurants. I passed Puff’s Patties at 812 Nostrand Avenue and looked in the window. A gentleman who was sitting outside with a friend said, “You have got to try them. Go inside and get one.” So I did.
The menu at Puffs Patties
The delicious Jamaican meat patties at Puffs Patties
The meat patties here are excellent and made right in front of you. The pastry is moist and flaky and the fillings are excellent. I had a Chicken Curry Patty full of rich flavor and a surprisedly large filling. It was delicious and spicy.
The Curry Chicken pattie I had for lunch
They were so good that I had to have another one. The woman behind the counter recommended the Jerk Chicken and that was an excellent recommendation. Another spicy and hot patty that was wonderful. The ladies behind the counter seemed happy that I was so happy and it was funny that moved me to the front of the line. I guess I looked official.
The Jerk Chicken Pattie
I ended my street meal with a dessert of a Lemon/Lime ice from the Dominican ices vendor, who could not keep up with the scooping on a hot afternoon. The ices hit the spot after a spicy meal and are perfect on a hot day. Talk about being cooled down.
The Lemon lime ice at one of the Dominican vendors
On the way back to the subway by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I walked around Crown Heights and through the neighborhoods surround the park. Gentrification has not totally changed this area yet.
Passing Bryant Park on my way home after the parade
By 5:00pm, I got back to Manhattan and headed home. The parade had been an experience.
The incident of the shooting at the Parade
The Parade went on:
The video is credit to New York Amazing
Things to do:
The West Indian Parade takes place every Labor Day Weekend. Check their website for days and times.
Places to Eat:
Puff’s Patties
812 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216
347-538-4901
https://whereyoueat.com/Puffs-Patties-27639.html
Open: Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm/Monday-Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Knox Headquarters State Historic Site 289 Old Forge Hill Road Vails Gate, NY 12584
The Knox Historical site at 289 Old Forge Hill Road in Vails Gate, NY
The house is very well maintained and historically accurate
The grounds are so beautifully landscaped and are a pleasure to walk around in the late Summer months
The historical site from the main road
Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Three Attending the Tractor Parade of the Village of Montgomery and Exploring Downtown Montgomery, NY-A Local Journey August 31st, 2024
This was a first for me. I spent the afternoon watching a parade of tractors and farm equipment drive Downtown Montgomery, NY and I have to say that it was a fun parade. I never realized there were so many different types of tractors.
I came across this poster at the Ulster County Fair and thought this might be fun to see
When I was at the Ulster County Fair earlier in the month, I came across this poster at the Agricultural Museum of Ulster County (see review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com) and thought this might be an interesting display to see.
I had been to many niche parades before like the Barnacle Parade in Brooklyn and the Sinterklaas Parade in Rhinebeck but never a parade dedicated solely to tractors. It harks back to the county’s rural past (which more than a few people explained to me is slowly disappearing noting luxury McMansions opening across from the high school).
I got there early not knowing what type of crowd I would see and got into Downtown Montgomery early. Since they did not advertise where to park, I found the local park at the end of the downtown and found plenty of parking there. I got there that early.
First arriving in Downtown Montgomery, NY
This tractor tour started in 2007 thanks to the combined efforts of Norbury “Skip” Chambers, the owner of Chambers Tractor Sales, and Grand Hollow Old Time Power Associate, an antique tractor club that provided much of the equipment for the event (HudsonValleyTimes.com/Jared Castaneda 2023)
It was a gloomy afternoon but the crowds of locals did not seem to mind
The parade was founded to remind every one of Orange County’s rural past and people to showcase their antique equipment. It really is just a nice way for the community to get together and have some fun. The evening would conclude with a Barbecue Chicken dinner and Square Dancing.
The crowds started to get bigger as the morning continued on
The crowds lining Downtown Montgomery, NY
The parade started with a lot of antique farm equipment trucks and tractors
Tractors from the 1970’s made their way up the Main Street
My video of the start of the parade:
One by one the tractors drove through the downtown
Tractors from various years made their way up through downtown
Owners proudly showing off their equipment
Equipment from various years were showcased
Generations of family members drove together up the Main Street
A parade of tractors from the 1970’s
My video on the parade:
Multi families having a good time
Antonio’s Family Restaurant at 118 Clinton Street
https://www.antoniosmontgomery.com/
https://www.facebook.com/antoniosfamilyrestaurant/
My review on TripAdvisor:
In the middle of the parade, I saw several people stopping in Antonio’s Family Restaurant for pizza and they were walking out with the most amazing looking slices that I had to go in and get some myself. Their cheese pizza is delicious.
The Cheese slices here are over-sized and their sauce is delicious
I went back outside and enjoyed my pizza while I watched the rest of the parade. What a way to watch a parade. That was a good idea everyone had.
The last of the parade passed by at around 2:00pm
The parade ended around 2:00pm and with lunch out of the way, I decided to explore Montgomery’s historic downtown. Like most small towns in the Hudson River Valley, the ‘Brooklynification’ of the downtown and the surrounding historic homes has renovated the downtown with antique stores, some upscale restaurants and gift shops. I am beginning to see more and more restaurants with Manhattan prices on their menus.
Downtown Montgomery, NY in the Summer of 2024
The historic buildings in Downtown Montgomery, NY in the Summer of 2024
A bookstore Christmas tree
Downtown Montgomery has a lot of historic architecture and charming shops which were unfortunately closed that day. I headed across the street where all the parade goers went after the parade to see all the tractors. When I went over to the field across the street, all the equipment was lined up by sections. Some of the participants were giving a demonstration while I saw some of the guys from the fire department cooking batches of chicken for the barbecue chicken dinner later that afternoon.
The tractor demonstration in the field
Since the dinner was sold out, I stopped by the concession stand the firefighters were holding and I had a hot dog and a Pepsi while I watched other parade goers look over the equipment.
My hot dog and Pepsi were a great lunch
I don’t know why a hot dog tastes so much better when you are at an outside event
For a small town in a rural county, Montgomery has three museums you can visit, two of which were closed (but should have been open that day), the Orange County Farmers Museum and the Orange County Firefighters Museum. Both historical museums display the counties past.
The Orange County Farmers Museum
Review on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12939899?m=19905
The historic brick house on the property
The sign welcoming you to the museum
The other museum I was looking for was the Orange County Firefighters Museum at 141 Clinton Avenue, which was also closed as well.
The Orange County Firefighter’s Museum
https://www.facebook.com/OrangeCountyFirefightersMuseum/
Review on TripAdvisor:
The museum is housed in the historic firehouse which was the second one built in town in 1913
Since they were both closed, I came across the Montgomery Village Museum just across the street from the fire department museum. It opened later in the afternoon at 3:00pm and was having a concert at 3:30pm so I stayed and toured the museum before the concert. What a wonderful museum. It tells the interesting history of the Village of Montgomery.
The Montgomery Village Museum
https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryVillageMuseum/
https://www.villageofmontgomery.org/our-community/village-history/523-museum-hours.html
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
The sign welcoming you to the museum
The galleries are filled with displays of memorabilia and artifacts of the Village of Montgomery and of the County of Orange, NY. Each display is a treasure trove of information on the community.
The front gallery of the museum
The middle part of the gallery
The front part of the museum
After I toured the museum and watched the video on the history of the town, the museum had a very nice concert in their garden with a delicious assortment of refreshments.
The gardens to the side and back of the museum
The gardens in full bloom
I ended my evening in the gardens with the concert
Video on the Concert:
It was really a nice day and I look forward to my next trip to downtown Montgomery and continue to explore the area.
The Tractor Parade in Montgomery, NY takes place each year at the end of August.
Places to Eat:
Antonio’s Family Restaurant
118 Clinton Street
Montgomery, NY 12549
(845) 769-7716
https://www.antoniosmontgomery.com/
Open: Sunday 12:00pm-8:00pm/Monday 11:00am-8:00pm/Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-8:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor.com:
Places to Visit:
Montgomery Village Museum
142 Clinton Street
Montgomery, NY 12549
(845) 457-7576
https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryVillageMuseum/
https://www.villageofmontgomery.org/our-community/village-history/523-museum-hours.html
Open: Sunday 3:00pm-6:00pm/Monday-Saturday Closed
Admission: Free but donations are accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
Orange County Firefighter’s Museum
141 Clinton Street
Montgomery, NY 12549
(845) 457-9654
Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm
Admission: Free but donations are accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
Orange County Farmer’s Museum
850 Route 17k
Montgomery, NY 12549
(845) 615-3830
https://www.orangecountygov.com/1469/Brick-House-Museum
Admission: Adults $5.00/Children $3.00/Groups $4.00
My review on TripAdvisor:
Montgomery Village Museum 142 Clinton Street Montgomery, NY 12549
The front of the Montgomery Village Museum at 142 Clinton Street
The collection of town artifacts
The interesting displays at the Montgomery Village Museum
Bay Head Historical Society & Museum 1643 Bay Avenue Point Pleasant, NJ 08742
1643 Bay Avenue in Bay Head, NJ
The Slade Dale exhibition in the Bay shed
The Lenape exhibition
mywalkinmanhattan 