The Pompton Plains Railroad Station Museum.
The collection.
Pompton Plains Railroad Station 33 Evans Place Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
Category Archives: “A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City
Martin Berry House 581 Route 23 South Pompton Lakes, NJ 07444
The Martin Berry House in the Spring of 2024.
The art display during the ‘Pathways to History’ tour of Morris County in Spring 2024.
Lincoln Park Historical Museum 141 Main Street Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
The Lincoln Park History Museum at 141 Main Street in Lincoln Park, NJ.
The inside of the gallery of the museum.
Butler Museum 221 Main Street Butler, NJ 07405
The Butler Museum at 221 Main Street in Butler, NJ,
Day Three Hundred and Six Celebrating HHMA Member and our friend, Frank Gasparino April 27th, 2024
The members of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association at their recent dinner .
The sign honoring HHMA member Frank Gasparino, Coach and Christmas tree selling extraordinaire.
On a sunny Saturday morning and the opening of the Girl’s Softball League season in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association (HHMA) and the Town of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ honored one of our own, former member and Coach Frank Gasparino.
Frank has always been involved in the town, being head of the town’s Soccer Association and very involved with girl’s softball due to his daughters playing in the league. Frank had also been a dedicated member of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association for almost twenty years supplying us with jokes and excellent restaurant reviews on top of being very involved with our Golf Outing and Christmas tree sales.
So it was fitting that the Town of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ dedicated part of the road around the Softball/Baseball field to Frank. It was honoring a man who gave so much of his free time to contributing to our community and the kids of Hasbrouck Heights.
The stretch of road along Paterson Avenue in Hasbrouck Heights named after Frank.
The members of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association, led by our President Steve Palladino, participated in both the parade and the ceremony down at the Softball field at the high school. Mayor Ron Kistner read the proclamation honoring Frank’s accomplishments with both the Soccer and Softball leagues, noting that this was the first time there was a parade to honor Girl’s Softball.
The Girl’s Softball League Parade coming down Paterson Avenue towards the fields behind the high school.
The crowds were waiting for the ceremony and the opening of the Girl’s Softball season.
The Mayor of Hasbrouck Heights Ron Kistner opened the ceremony with an inspirational speech about the opening of the season of Frank’s accomplishments and his involvement in the town and in the Girl’s Softball League due to his daughters involvement in the sport.
Mayor Ron Kistner at the opening of the Girl’s Softball Season.
The Mayor gave a very touching speech about Frank’s dedication to the town and all the things he had done with volunteering his time to make the sports programs that best they could be.
Councilman Bobby Bing reading the proclamation for Frank.
The new street sign honoring our member, Frank Gasparino.
The start of the Girl’s Softball season in Hasbrouck Heights.
Frank Gasparino with his daughter, Amanda, when she won one of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Scholarships a few years ago.
This blog is dedicated to our friend and dedicated volunteer, Frank Gasparino and his family. Thank you for making Hasbrouck Heights, NJ the community that it is today!
Day Three Hundred and Four Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents: “The Bergen 250-Visiting The Garretson Forge & Farm in Fair Lawn, NJ” April 24th, 2024
The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Spring 2024 Executive Team for the “Bergen 250: Visiting the Garretson Forge & Farm” project.
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.
This semester I thought back to our project last semester on the Bergen County Historical Society and the success it was and how impressed both myself and the Executive Board of the Bergen County Historical Society both were that evening.
The Project “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Touring at the Bergen County Historical Society”:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/40413
I think a lot of these historical sites do not get the attention they deserve and with the 250 Anniversary of the Revolutionary War happening in two years, these wonderful sites needed to be showcased. They needed to dusted off, revamped and a fresh perspective was needed to tell their story. This is where the project for the “The Bergen 250: Tourism at the Garretson Forge & Farm” came from.
The project “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Bergen 250-Touring the Garretson Forge & Farm”:
That and the tour the former President gave me during the holiday season when I begged to see the Christmas decorations for the Sinterklaas celebrations were still up. I needed pictures for my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com” and “MywalkinManhattan.com”.
My blog on Touring the Garretson Forge & Farm on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1448
When I toured the home during the holidays, I approached them on using the home as a future project and she seemed to like the idea. This is where the partnership for the project came from.
Our first visit to the site was on “Pea Day” in March 2024 for an extra credit assignment to start the project off so that the students could see the grounds and experience the farm and its attributes.
Visiting the Garretson Forge & Farm in Fair Lawn, NJ for “Pea Day”
Visiting the farm house and gardens on “Pea Day”
The volunteers planting at the Garretson Forge & Farm on “Pea Day”.
Observing the Master Gardeners and Volunteers on “Pea Day”.
The students coming in on their day off to attend “Pea Day”
Everyone took turns getting their hands dirty on “Pea Day”
We also had a special field trip to the Garretson Forge & Farm on class day so that everyone could tour the farm and the farmhouse. Outside “Pea Day”, it was the first time anyone in my class had ever visited the site.
The Garretson Forge & Farm:
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
We started the tour on a rather gloomy night. We had just had a rain storm but that did not stop our visit. Our whole class attended the trip (it is a mandatory part of both the project and the class) and it was a interesting tour for all of us.
Our host was the President of the Friends group that helps raise money for the site. We started the tour after the rain storm with a trip through the barns to see some of the old farm equipment. The were some interesting artifacts that included farm plows and horse drawn articles to carriages and sleds.
Then we toured the gardens where the volunteers had just finished the plantings of the summer fruits and vegetables. The President explained that the fruits and vegetables that were grown here were donated to a soup kitchen in Paterson. I thought this was a great idea.
Then were toured the farmhouse, which I had just been to for a private tour during the holidays. The kitchen was set up for a harvest meal now and I explained to some of the students how food was cooked back then in the hearth.
Then we toured the small museum and looked at the family tree, where generations of Garretson’s had lived. Our last stop on the tour of the farmhouse was the main living room where the Sinterklass event was held and many of the talks on domestic life on the farm.
This is where we concluded the tour and many students asked questions about life at that period of time. After the tour was over, I took the students out to dinner as part of their Team Building. It is important for the students to get to know one another.
Our tour of the grounds, the barns and life on the farm.
Discussing the expression “Sleep tight don’t let the bed bugs bite” and where it came from.
The second floor had been added on years later.
Discussing the furnishings and how the farmhouse ran as a farm and a home.
Talking about life on the farm.
Our group shot with President of the Garretson Forge & Farm April Barth.
After the tour was over, I took my class to Bella Vita Pizzeria in Fair Lawn, NJ for their first Corporate dinner and Team building exercise. The dinner was wonderful, and the pizza was excellent. It really warmed us up after a cold night of touring and the students seemed to enjoy getting to know each other over a hot pizza dinner.
Bella Vita Pizzeria at 1761 River Rd A, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410:
https://www.bellavitaitalianrestaurant.com
My review on TripAdvisor:
Dining together after the tour:
My Teams dining together at a “Corporate” pizza dinner.
The company Team dining together that night.
The aspect of dining together is an important part of the Team Building exercise and you can tell by the pictures that my students enjoyed it.
The next few weeks were preparing the project for the presentation. We had a visit from Vivian Davis, who I had known for years from working in the Division of Disability Services when she was one of our speakers. She now was running the “Bergen 250: The 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County” and we had incorporated part of this in the project. I had given her a copy of the project and she came into the class to discuss what she was planning and the significance of the Revolutionary War had on the towns in Bergen County. It was a real history lesson on some of the towns in Bergen County and some of the historical homes and sites in Bergen County.
The Bergen 250 Program:
This project was a bit more intense than my morning class. While they designed the rigors of the Bergen Room Bistro, my evening class was putting together an entire game plan of Revolutionary War events for the ‘Bergen 250’.
I had the students working on an Independence Day event, a Children’s Walking tour of the property, a Mid Summer dinner with a Revolutionary War themed dinner, a continuation of the Sinterklaas event that would extend visiting the decorations in the house another two weekends and then a new Digital Marketing campaign for the site with a commercials and posters.
The night of the presentation on April 24th, it all came to life. The students each showed the PowerPoints with their ideas, menus and commercials to promote the site. They really had some interesting ideas.
PowerPoints:
Team One:
Team Two:
Team Three:
Commercials:
Team One:
Team Two:
The Promotional Tour Video
The Children’s Walking Tour Video
Team Three:
Promotional Tour
The Children’s Walking Tour Video:
The full Presentation of the student consultant’s work on The Garretson Forge & Farm:
The complete video of the Presentation.
The new website for “Bergen 250″: The Garretson Forge & Farm”:
https://tfischer90.wixsite.com/bergecco-parc-consul
Finishing the evening with my Student Consultants was great. The students were so excited to finish and I have to admit it was quite the journey for me too. It was a lot of work (and money) to pull this event off but it went by well. The Board of the Garretson Forge & Farm really seemed to enjoy it and asked lots of questions.
Vivian Davis, who is running the “Bergen 250″ asked the most important question of the night, if I was to run all of these events, would your age group come?” This got the students thinking and one said, “We are a busy group with college and work. If you want our age group to come, you are going to have to cater to things we like.” I thought that was fair and gave her something to think about as well.
We then took our Board picture. I am always so proud of my Student Executive Consultants. They come dressed for work.
The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. “Bergen 250″: Garretson Forge & Farm” Executive Team.
I want to thank my President of the Team Project, President TJ Fischer and SVP of Operations Camila Alvarado and the entire Team of Vice-Presidents, Team Leaders and Team Members for tackling this very difficult and very detailed job of promoting this wonderful historical site with such detail.
The questions on the project were excellent and direct and audience was very impressed by how thorough the project was done that evening. To all my Student Consultants, you did an excellent job!
Great Work!
Day Three Hundred and Three Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Dining at the Bergen Room-The Ultimate Dining Experience”-Bergen Community College Campus April 24th, 2024
The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Executive Team picture in the Bergen Room on the Bergen Community College campus for the project “Dining at the Bergen Room: the Ultimate Dining Experience” on April 24th, 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.
Two semesters ago we created the project “It’s Cultural on Campus-Bergen Community College” publicizing the Gallery Bergen, The Ciccone Theater and the Bergen Room Bistro to the outside community. It was a ‘Digital Campaign’ to bring people to the Bergen Community College campus from all over Bergen County, NJ to enjoy all the wonderful things to do and see on our campus. The project was a huge success and all the Professors and Departments involved really enjoyed the Presentations (See Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Six):
Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: “It’s Cultural on Campus”:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/32922
One of my counterparts on campus loved the campaign and ‘hired’ (asked me) to expand the project for a “Digital Campaign” for the Bergen Room and expand the project with all new menus, commercials and create a special Themed Dinner for the student dining room. This resulted in “Dining in the Bergen Room”:
The Project Idea:
I got Professor Drakeford and Professor/Chef Morrisey involved in the project and we worked together to see the best ways to promote the success of the Culinary Program’s Student Run Dining Room.
I created the Teams two weeks before the Spring Break and got them started on their project. When we returned from the Spring Break, we arranged for the class to dine in the Bergen Room. Chef Morrisey and his Team of Culinary Students created a special menu for us when the Bergen Room was closed and the students got feast on a four course meal courtesy of the Culinary Arts Department.
Having lunch with my students at the Bergen Room on the Bergen Community College Campus in Paramus, NJ:
My TripAdvisor reviews on the Bergen Room:
The menu that afternoon:
We started the Testing Menu with a Pumpkin Carrot Ginger Soup.
Then we had the second course with a Toasted Green Salad with a light Cream Dressing.
The main course was a Chicken in a Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, Baked Pasta and Roasted Brussel Spouts.
The meal was completed with a Cream Cheesecake that tasted more like a cream cake and topped with Fresh Strawberries.
All the Teams got to dine with one another and get to know each member in a less formal setting.
This meal got the students to know their product better and look around the Bergen Room and see how they could take this student run dining room and transform it to a special themed event that would dazzle myself and the other Professors and bring in the paying public. Here are some of their ideas:
Along the way, I had various speakers come in to talk to the students. Professor Tim Blunk from the Art Department and the Curator for Gallery Bergen, our on campus Art Gallery came in to talk to the students about the artists that are available on campus and the number of students on campus who are looking for projects for their portfolios. He also discussed some of the happenings at Gallery Bergen.
Professor Jim Bumgarner, the head of our Theater Department, came in to talk to the students on the student singers, actors and dancers that study at the college. He discussed upcoming shows and theater events planned for the future. He added too that there are a lot of students looking to add to their resumes on projects like this.
Our last in house field trip was to the Horticultural Department and to the Greenhouses in Ender Hall. Dr. Steven Fischer, who is head of the Holocultural Program, gave us a tour and talk on the growing seasons, the plants that are grown and available in the greenhouses, the arrangements that are created for the Bergen Room Bistro.
The tour of Greenhouses on our last inhouse field trip with Dr. Fischer explaining the greenhouses.
Asking questions about the floral arrangements used for the Bergen Room.
Discussion of the grounds of the Horticulture Department grounds.
It was a good tour and opened the students eyes on how events were decorated and where the flowers came from and how they were grown. The students were creating their centerpieces for their theme dinners and I wanted them to see where they would get the flowers from.
My President and SVP of Operations on the field trip to the Greenhouses.
We finished our last Board meeting the week before the Presentation and then the Executive Team had a week to make the adjustments. We would be presenting the Project in the Bergen Room Bistro on April 24th, 2024.
The new Corporate website for the Bergen Room Team:
https://tbozoluer.wixsite.com/ultimatedining
The Presentation Day had some hiccups along the way but overall it was a great Presentation. I was so proud of the students. Each of the competing Teams set up for extra credit a table in the Bergen Room on how their Dining Experience would be set for the evening of their meal. I have to say that the Teams did a nice job with the decorations and all received extra credit for their place settings. There was a lot of creativity in this class.
The were the three Team tables on how they would be set for their ideas for the Student Fundraiser.
Team One’s Display Table
Team Two’s Display table (The Wining Team)
Team Three’s Display Table
The Three Teams then started their Presentations to Chef Morrisey and his student staff, invited guests and friends of the students who came to see the Student Consultants ideas. What creativity! Each team had to present their theme, their menus, music for the event, artwork, floral arrangements and Social Media campaigns. It was an afternoon of a lot of creativity and though that went into each Teams ideas.
Here are their Commercials promoting the Bergen Room:
Team One:
Team Two:
Team Three:
Here are their Presentations from the afternoon. Each Team had to ‘pitch’ their ideas to the Culinary Team.
Team One:
Team Two:
Team Three:
The Teams competed for the prize being the most creative and effective project to sell the Bergen Room Bistro to the outside community.
Team Three even created for extra credit a AI version of visiting the Bergen Room.
After the Team conclusion, it was time for questions and answers. The point of the whole project was to get the students ready for a career in business and marketing and there were questions of why the project was taken so seriously. The answer I had for one parent was that you want your son or daughter to get a good job out of college? It is better they get their lumps here than on a new job. They will be more prepared for the workforce.
One parent did compliment me in that his son was so excited about the project and it really showcased his son’s talents in filming and graphics. That was nice to hear that students are excited about their work. I know that these are the students that will get good jobs out of college and be prepared for Corporate expectations.
I couldn’t more proud of a group of students that banded together to showcase this wonderfully run student dining room.
Have you been there yet?
I took pictures with my Executive Team before the Presentation. I very proudly wore my Alumni Chef’s Jacket from when I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998. I don’t think it had been out of the dry cleaning plastic since that time.
Professor/Chef/CEO Justin Watrel with SVP of Operations Ayesha Zulfiqar and President Tugay Bera Bozogluer.
Professor Justin Watrel with the winning Team Project from Team Two. I was very impressed with their work. The Team was lead by Vice-President Mauricio Benitez and Team Leader Dennis Shkembi.
My group picture with Team Three lead by Vice-President Taner Ender and Team Leaders Kane Cheng.
Our Corporate picture for the Bergen Room Team at the end of the Presentation.
I am so proud of my students each semester. I like knowing I am training the next group of Executives for their future.
Day Three Hundred and Two Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association “Man of the Year” Awards Dinner April 5th, 2024
Dennis O’Connor, the Hasbrouck Heights “Member of the Year”.
On the evening of April 5th, 2024, the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association held their Annual ‘Man of the Year’ and ‘Member of the Year’ awards ceremony at Segovia’s Meson Restaurant in Carlstadt, New Jersey. It is always a great evening out and a way for members and their wives to mingle after a long winter and a holiday season long behind us (it is only seven more months before we are back to selling trees). We were there to celebrate our two winners, Dennis O’Connor, the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association ‘Member of the Year’ and Robert Brady, the “Man of the Year”.
The evening starts with a Cocktail hour before dinner so that people can converse before we’re are seated and dinner begins. It is a nice way to catch up with people that we have not seen since the holidays.
It is a time to get together with old friends and meet up with other members and their wives. Us as an Executive Board enjoy sitting with the winners and their wives and a toast to their accomplishments and contributions the town. It is our way congratulating the winners in a more casual way.
The evening started with a wonderful meal at Segovia Meson, a popular restaurant the is a favorite of the members of the Association. This is our third year having the dinner at the restaurant and it is very popular with the whole organization.
Segovia Meson at 645 Washington Avenue in Carlstadt, NJ:
My review on TripAdvisor:
We started the meal with a wonderful appetizer of Calamari, Chorizo Sausage and Shrimp with Garlic. This is always a nice way to start the meal. The Shrimp is an especially popular appetizer with everyone.
This delicious Appetizer combination is very popular with everyone.
The meal continued on with a crisp fresh salad that is a welcome to the heavier appetizer.
In addition to the Appetizer platter, we had a bowl of Mussels in a Red Sauce which quickly disappeared and the sauce soaked up by the fresh rolls on the table.
The Mussels in Red Sauce was outstanding and better when you soak up the sauce with fresh rolls.
For such a large crowd, the pastas served at Segovia’s are excellent. The Penne Vodka is always a great choice for our pasta dish.
The Penne Vodka is so well prepared and the sauce is rich and creamy.
The entrees were Sautéed Salmon, Grilled Beef, and Chicken Francais and everything was so well prepared and well-spiced. It was an excellent selection of entrees and people got to help themselves in the family style dinner.
The Chicken Francais entree in a lemon and white wine sauce.
The Grilled Salmon entree.
The Grilled Steak with fresh peppers and onions.
The Seafood Paella is full of all sorts of Seafood and Chicken and the saffron flavor of the rice offsets the meats nicely. It is not just an entree but a full meal in itself.
It was an evening of good food and conversation. Some of us have not seen each other since the days of the Christmas tree lot and we talked about the long days ahead of us. After all, Christmas is only eight months away. Every time I pass the lot, I think it is coming soon and we have not even gotten to the summer yet.
The members of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association and their wives and special guests.
For dessert, the restaurant created a special cake for us with our logo on it. The cake was really good with a vanilla and cannoli cream center in between the layers of white cake and a delicious buttercream frosting.
The proud Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association logo on the cake.
After dinner was over, we started our awards ceremony. We were very proud to award “Member of the Year” to longtime member, Dennis O’Connor. Dennis has contributed so many years to helping set up for Christmas tree sales (leaf blower in hand) and participating in the Golf outing. His support at countless meetings and discussions has helped the organization grow.
The HHMA Executive Board Lou Verdi, Ken Wheeler, Dennis Coltan, winner Dennis O’Connor, Steve Palladino and Justin Watrel.
Winner Dennis O’Connor and his wife, Jodi.
“Member of the Year” 2024 Dennis O’Connor.
Our “Man of the Year” was no stranger to the Hasbrouck Heights community. Robert Brady seems to be everywhere these days. From coaching award winning Men’s and Women’s Track teams, to assisting in running Senior Programming, to stocking the Food Pantry to running our community’s successful Summer camp, Rob is involved in so many activities in town that benefit our community.
The Board had a sneaky way of catching him off guard to let him know that he won. We pretended to meet him at Woodland Park to propose a project for the park and snuck the announcement for the award in the paperwork. Needless to say he was totally caught off guard and was touched.
Needless to say for a man who does so much for our community, he was so touched that night he was trying to hold back his emotions. He talked about his love for the town and the community and how it was honor to work here.
“Man of the Year” award winner, Robert Brady and his wife, Jennifer.
It was a very emotional evening for both Rob and his wife, Jennifer, who were both very touched by the honor bestowed on him. Many members and their wives talked about how Rob contributed to their children’s success. Others talked about his support and love for the town. It was an emotional night for the couple.
Community “Man of the Year” 2024 Robert Brady
After the awards ceremony was over, it was time for the members of the Executive Board to talk to the Membership and our invited guests. We discussed the successes of our many events including the Golf Outing, the Halloween House Decorating Contest and continued quick sell out of our Christmas tree sale in December. We sold out in two weeks and three days.
We also welcomed new Executive Board At Large member, Kyle Kasper, a former “Member of the Year” himself. The amount of work and responsibilities on the organization is growing and we also needed to groom new members of the Board to take over future responsibilities to growing the HHMA and contributing to its success.
The Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Executive Board 2024: Dennis Colton, Secretary, Ken Wheeler, Vice-President, Steve Palladino, President, Kyle Casper At-Large Executive Member, Lou Verdi, Treasurer and Justin Watrel, Director.
After the awards ceremony, the crowd had time to talk to the winners before dessert.
Then the rolled and cut this very special sheet cake for everyone to enjoy.
The HHMA logo on the cake was a wonderful dessert.
The HHMA Group picture at the end of the evening.
Hats off to another successful year to the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association and to our families that support our late hours and long days of volunteering. Thank you to the Hasbrouck Heights community for helping make our programming the successes that they have been.
Downtown Hasbrouck Heights in the early evening.
My Life as a Fireman: The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association: February Meeting and Entertainment February 18th, 2024
The Members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association at the February meeting 2024.
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Six: My walk in Abu Dhabi: Our Fifth day exploring Abu Dhabi with a visit to the Abu Dhabi Tourism office, Masdar City, the Louvre Museum, Abrahamic House and our final dinner in Abu Dhabi January 19th, 2024
Please check out all my blogs on our trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Exploring Abu Dhabi Block by block:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-abu-dhabi-block-by-block
Everyday became an adventure when we visited more of Abu Dhabi.
After a quick breakfast in the morning ( I am sure everyone was tired of me talking about the amazing buffet at the Marriott Courtyard but it is that good!), we were off on our next day of touring around the City which started with a visit to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office. I have to say that it was not the same as the visit to the Dubai Tourism Office.
Our class at NYU taking notes on the PowerPoint presentation at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office for our final projects that were done at the end of the class.
They gave us a through look at the city and the recent developments made to attract more tourists from North America. Some of the issues with this is that in the US, we already miles of beaches on three coasts and access to the Caribbean Islands and the South Pacific, which are all much closer to us. This on top of the fact that we have hundreds of malls in this country and we pretty much invented in the modern indoor mall starting with Paramus Park in Paramus, NJ in 1978.
I thought where the Tourism Office should concentrate on is the wonderful palaces, the trip to the Oasis and developing the Convention Business, which I think would bring more people to the region who might stay on for Business/Vacation type of trip. You have to give people a reason to come here and it can’t all be the beach and shopping malls. We in the US can do all of that at home. I do not need to travel ten hours to do any of that. Plus with the amount of immigration in the New York area, I can find Arabic food from Lebanon, Syria, Saudia and Egypt in Paterson, NJ, (ten minutes from my home), whose Arabic population has doubled.
Our NYU group picture at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office that morning.
When people travel somewhere, especially at these distances, they want to see something that they can’t see or experience at home. It is nice to have McDonald’s, a mall and a beach if you need a piece of home nearby and that option is nice but as a rule that is usually at the end of a trip when you are tired of touring around (I found this out after five weeks in China and needed something from home). When I was here, I wanted to experience something different (yes, you can ride a camel in the United States).
The Visitors Center in Masdar City.
https://www.mycitycentremasdar.com
My review on TripAdvisor:
After our trip to the Tourism Office, we traveled to Masdar City, a planned futuristic community that was being developed. That was an interesting concept in modern living.
The City of Masdar layout of city blocks.
The whole place was sustainable and built with every modern feature. Unfortunately like all places like this in the US, I can see it turning into public housing one day if not carefully planned correctly. Just read Jane Jacobs “The Death and Life of American Cities” and you will know these places never work in the end. Neighborhoods need to develop at their own pace with the people that live there and it is the people themselves who make up a neighborhood.
Walking through the maze of the complex.
Masdar City is a groundbreaking urban community and a world class business free zone and technology hub with innovation in our DNA. Driven by the UAE’s commitment to sustainability. Masdar City is driving global solutions to climate change and helping create cities of the future (Masdarcity.ae).
The Masdar City layout in the Visitors Center.
Us touring through the wind towers.
The city set up was pretty amazing. We walked through the city through the mazes of buildings and offices to see how the whole complex was set up. We drove in a driverless car around the complex which I thought was interesting. I hope this does become the wave of the future because I hate driving.
I broke away from the group while they were choosing restaurants and was able to explore the complex a bit. They even had their version of Central Park towards the back of the complex.
Central Park in the back of Masdar City.
I was searching around the complex for a place for lunch and there were some places in the complex that were quite interesting but some were closed and some had a lunch menu I was not in the mood for a afternoon meal. Nimesh and I headed back to the Thai restaurant that my classmates were all eating at that afternoon, Simple Thai. All I have to say is that this place was Simply Delicious! The food is excellent!
Simply Thai at Masdar City
https://www.facebook.com/p/Simply-Thai-UAE-100090015915148/
My review on TripAdvisor:
This is one of the best restaurants that we ate at in Abu Dhabi. The food is more than excellent. It was superb in everyway from taste, presentation and in price. This type of quality in the US would have been double the price and I thought everything about the restaurant was very reasonable in price with excellent service.
Nimesh and my lunch was a selection of items off the appetizer menu.
I was still stuffed from the hotel breakfast buffet so I just ordered two appetizers, the Shrimp Patties and the Thai Spring Rolls. Both in plate presentation and in taste this was some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten.
The Thai Spring Rolls.
The Shrimp Patties were crisp and sweet.
After an amazing lunch, we headed to the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre Museum which was impressive. We had a wonderful private highlights tour of the artwork and of the museum.
The entrance of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an impressive piece of architecture. When you walk inside, you can see the metal work in the walls and ceilings with a lattice appearance. I had never seen such an creative looking building where the building is as important as the art. The museum is impressive and in awe when you walk inside of it.
The ceiling in the entrance to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The product of architect Jean Nouvel’s unique vision, Louvre Abu Dhabi was constructed as the heart of a new urban quarter for the United Arab Emirates’ capital city. A symphony in concrete, water and the subtle play of reflected light, its design was inspired by the region’s rich architectural traditions and the museum’s unique location at the point where the Arabian sky meets the sands of Saadiyat Island and the waters of the Arabian Gulf (Museum website).
Some of my favorite pieces from the collection:
The golden masks
The Twins
Middle Eastern Ancient Art
The Winged Sphinx
Some of my favorite pieces of early art
Now considered as one of the modern urban wonders of the world, Louvre Abu Dhabi is not only the Arab world’s first universal museum but a powerful symbol of the United Arab Emirates’ ambition and achievement. Inspired by the cupola, a distinctive feature in Arabic architecture, Nouvel’s dome is a complex, geometric structure of 7,850 stars. These stars are repeated at various sizes and angles in eight different layers (Museum website).
I was dazzled by the museum and all its treasures. What I thought this museum could be is the display for all the treasures locked in storage and finally bringing them to light in revolving shows. This would really highlight the extensive collections of art the museum owns.
When the tour was over, we had some time to walk around the museum on our own and it really was unique set up as a building. It had beautiful views of the water and the architecture was amazing. It made me late for the bus.
Traveling through Downtown Abu Dhabi with the buildings glistening in the sunlight.
Our next stop on the visit was Abrahamic House, a place of Moslem, Catholic and Jewish worship and faith. Since commercial photography is not allowed, I can not use my personal pictures on this blog but I attached the link to it:
https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae/visitor-guidelines
The Mission and Vision of the site:
Our vision is for people to come together in peace, diverse in our faiths, yet common in our humanity. Our mission is to bridge our common humanity through the exchange of knowledge, dialogue, and the practice of faith. Our values are peaceful coexistence, inclusivity, and the centrality of human fraternity. They embody the multiculturalism and diversity of the UAE, where communities from more than 200 nationalities live together peacefully (Abrahamic House website).
At the heart of the Abrahamic Family House are a Mosque, a Church and a Synagogue, each established to welcome Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities to practice their individual faiths. The three houses of worship are designed of equal stature, size and materiality to eliminate any sense of hierarchy. The three structures border an elevated landscaped garden that becomes a shared space for gathering and connection. The Mosque is oriented towards Mecca, the Church towards the East and the Synagogue towards Jerusalem (Abrahamic House website).
The site was very touching to me. I thought this was a wonderful way of understanding each other’s religions and faith. Since all three religions are interconnected through the belief in God, it showed me that the country was trying to bridge this belief that they are so different when they aren’t. They are just different ways to celebrate God. It was a very enlightening tour of the facility.
After we left the Abrahamic House, we got a chance to go back the hotel and relax before dinner. This would be the last time all of us would be together before we went our separate ways. Some of my classmates would be leaving right after dinner for the airport, some would be leaving the next morning for either home or to another country they would be visiting.
I was staying another night because I could not get a flight out and in the end that was a God send. I needed a day to myself away from all this togetherness. I really wanted to visit the city of Abu Dhabi on my own and really see it from the ground up.
Our Farwell Dinner was held at Bu Tafish Restaurant in a really nice section of the city by the water. The restaurant was in a beautiful complex of apartments, parks and hotels. The restaurant had beautiful views and wonderful food.
The complex where Bu Tafish Restaurant was located was very upscale and elegant.
https://www.facebook.com/butafish
My review on TripAdvisor:
The menu and history of Bu Tafish Restaurant.
The Crab & Seafood Soup to start the meal.
I had the grilled meat entree over the fish one. It was excellent but a HUGE portion of food. I think I was the only one who finished my meal. Barely! I could not believe the American sized portion for dinner. It was sad that most of the food on the table was wasted. Still the food was excellent.
Our final group picture of the trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai at Bu Tafish Restaurant. It was an evening of good food, a lot of laughter and stories and a wonderful Professor who ran a great trip. Thank you Dr. K!
We really had wonderful time at dinner. It was nice to talk about the class and about all the places that we visited over the last five days. I could not believe that amount of sites that we visited and places we went. The desert tour the day before had really wiped us all out the day before so everyone was tired from that.
There were a lot of laughs and good conversation over dinner and then it was time to go. Heading back to bus meant none of us were going to see each other again until classes started. In my case, not until March when I finished my last class before graduation.
I had been a great class. God, it went by quick!
Places to Eat:
Simply Thai Masdar City
MBZUAI 1A Podium Level Unit G10
Masdar City – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 55 352 6188
https://www.facebook.com/p/Simply-Thai-UAE-100090015915148
My review on TripAdvisor:
Bu Tafish Seafood Restaurant
Al Quffal St – Al Bateen
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 2 666-6108
https://www.facebook.com/butafish
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-1:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
Abrahamic Family House
Jacques Chirac St – Al Saadiyat Island – Cultural District
– Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae
971 2 627 5900
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Masdar City
Masdar City Hall
Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
My review on TripAdvisor:
mywalkinmanhattan 