When the second week is September comes and the Labor Day weekend is behind us, it is time for the NJ State Firemen’s Convention.
This was going to be a particularly long weekend for me as I was going to be extending my trip to include a series of visits to historical sites in Southern New Jersey to complete a blog on historical New Jersey. Most of these little sites are NEVER open.
My street was being ripped up with replacing the morning I left and with an 8:00am class, I decided to leave early for class and then leave for my mother’s right after my 11:00am class was over.
I had never planned a trip like D-Day before. The laundry had to be done, the house cleaned, the bills paid, the dishwasher run and I had a series of repair work being done around the house. Plus knowing I had to be out of the house early meant that I had to wake up at 4:00am to get out of the house then to work then to drive the four hour trip to my mother’s.
I was in the middle of perfecting my students resumes, which is always the toughest project in my class. It is a challenge every semester but worth it if it will help them get a job. So I had been extremely busy at work.
After my last class was over, I decided to get on the road and head down to Rehoboth Beach. As I passed my house on my way to the New Jersey Turnpike, I saw the workers completely ripping apart my street and thank God, I had left early.
It was a really nice day as I traveled to Delaware. I had planned on visiting a new museums in Bethany Beach before my ferry ride to Cape May the next day, so the trip would be more of a working business trip and vacation.
Because of my schedule with work and the holidays, I take my mother to dinner for her birthday on Convention weekend. It’s less rushed and we have a good time.
I got down the Rehoboth Beach about an hour before dinner and was able to relax a bit. My mother chose the restaurant, Harvest Tide in Lewes, DE for dinner, which I had been before and enjoyed.
The Harvest Tide at 410 East Savannah Road in Lewes, DE
The food was excellent and we all enjoyed our dinner. I started with a delicious Caesar Salad with fresh greens and a homemade dressing.
The Caesar Salad at the Harvest Tide
For my main meal, I had the Lobster Pasta, which was excellent. The pasta was perfectly cooked and was loaded with pieces of sweet lobster in a light cream sauce.
The Lobster Pasta
For dessert, I treated myself to a giant piece of their Ten Layer Cake. I forgot how big these slices were and I just about finished it.
The Ten Layer Cake at the Harvest Tide is a treat
I was a very laid back evening and we had a nice time catching up. It was going to be a quick trip this time and I had to be in Bethany Beach at 11:00am the next morning so I had to be out the door early. I slept like the dead that night.
The next day over breakfast, my mother and I spent the morning catching up and laughing at past holidays. It was a really nice overnight stay and it was fun to have that time together.
I left after breakfast and headed to my appointment at the Dinker-Irvin House Museum in Bethany Beach. Who knew the whole morning would be spent visiting cultural sites in Bethany Beach.
The Dinker-Irvin House Museum in Bethany Beach
The front of the Dinker-Irvin House at 318 Garfield Parkway
I toured the house and the grounds with members of the Board and they gave me the full history of the house and its place in Bethany Beach. It really is an excellent little museum representing town history.
The history of the shore
The shore kitchen with some of the original items
The front gallery of antiques
The museum was really unique and the Historical Society does a nice job displaying and interpreting all them.
After my tour was over, I had plenty of time before taking the ferry over to Cape May, so I visited both Bethany Beach History Museum and the Bethany Beach Nature Center. I did not know that either of them even existed.
The museum is located in the main floor of Bethany Beach City Hall. It has some interesting displays on the towns’s history. There are also displays on artifacts from different aspects of the town’s past.
The displays of the museum and shelves of artifacts
The displays of town artifacts on display
The main exhibition was the history of their Life Guard Squad
After I finished up in the two museum’s, I walked a bit of their downtown and saw the statue of Little Owl at the entrance to downtown.
The statue of Little Owl at the beginning of the Bethany Beach downtown
After that tour, I visited the Bethany Beach Nature Center. The center consisted of the main building which was a historical home and then the gardens and grounds.
The inside of the Nature Center there were all sorts of displays on turtles and fish and tables for students for games and drawings. The real draw are the gardens and nature trails in the back of the building.
The entrance to the Baldwin Trails
The entrance to the gardens
The gardens in full bloom
The back trails led to the marshes and to the wooded areas. The views were breathtaking.
The back pathways to the marshes
Looking over the watering hole
To end my tour of the Nature Center, I toured the front gardens of the building which had a Butterfly Rain Garden.
Part of the Rain Gardens
I was touring the garden when a Monarch Butterfly flew in and landed on a flower. It would not open up and I wanted to take a picture of it so I yelled at him to open his wings so I could take a picture. He did!
The butterfly landing in the garden. I yelled at him to open his wings for a picture.
The butterfly must have heard me and opened up his beautiful wings
After I took the picture, I showed it to him and he flew away. Everyone is a critic! Still, it was a beautiful butterfly.
I really had a nice time not just visiting the Nature Center, but the other two museum’s as well. I could not believe all these hidden gems in such a small town of Bethany Beach. They really have a nice selection of museums and cultural sites for such a small town.
Before I headed to the ferry to Cape May, I stopped in Ocean View to visit their Historical Village. This tiny historical street of had many historical buildings but the complex was closed so I just took some pictures around the neighborhood, stopped at an antique store across the street and then headed to the ferry.
The sign for Historic Village in Ocean View at 40 West Avenue in Oceanview, NJ
The historic buildings on the edge of the property
Ocean View Park in the summer of 2025
What I love about the Cape May-Lewis Ferry on a nice day is the ferry complex on the Lewis side has some nice restaurants that are partially outdoors and on a calm day, the views are amazing. Because the waters were so calm, we got over to Cape May fifteen minutes early and that meant I could check into my room by 5:00pm and relax.
Checking out the snack bar on the ferry on the trip to Cape May
I got to the Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May in a half hour and checked in. The hotel was preparing for that night’s entertainment which was ‘The Ramble’, a local group who performs there every Thursday night during the warmer months
My room for the next four nights was a tiny room on the second floor with a shared bathroom, perfect for someone who is never in his room.
Parts of the Chalfonte Hotel look like the ‘Overlook Hotel’ in ‘The Shining’
My home away from home for the next four days
I rolled into bed and had a long nap before ‘The Ramble’ started. When I woke up later, the crowds had swelled all over the front lawn and street and they closed the side streets off as well. I never saw crowds like this before for the concert.
Joining the rest of the crowd for the weekly ‘Ramble’ on the Chalfonte Hotel porch
Part of ‘The Ramble’ concert that evening
The Ramble on the porch of the Chalfonte Hotel
The concert on the porch
After the Ramble was over, I walked into downtown Cape May for dinner. This particular weekend was all about the pictures. I had to go back in time and retake pictures of all the meals and places I had been to on previous trips to update older blogs. So on top on my duties for the fire service, I would be working to update all my older blogs.
So all my meals and museum visits my this a ‘working vacation’ on top of visiting new places to add to the treasure trove of great hidden spots to visit.
I would be having several meals at the Ugly Mug and Uncle Bill’s in Cape May and the Ravioli House in Wildwood. I even stayed an extra day in Cape May to complete my pictures with breakfast at the Magnolia Room dining on the porch.
My return meal at the Ugly Mug at 426 Washington Street in the Washington Mall was a favorite of mine and a specialty of their’s, the Cheesesteak.
I sat at the bar watching the Mets and Philly fans duke it out watching the playoff game. Even though we are all from New Jersey, you see the difference once you pass Long Beach Island. South Jersey is all about Philly not New York.
The inside of the Ugly Mug’s bar area
I just ordered my Cheesesteak and sat back and relaxed and enjoyed my meal and my time off. It was fun watching the exchange from people from North and South Jersey and see how the alliances change at the border of Hunterdon County.
Now this is a Cheesesteak!
You can not get this in North Jersey
It was a nice evening talking with the bartender and watching a game I couldn’t care less about. After dinner was over, I worked off dinner by walking around the Washington Mall and walking by the beach. The weather the whole weekend was amazing and we had sunny days everyday.
The beaches of Cape May are amazing at night
After a good night’s rest, it was off to the Convention meetings. Our meetings don’t start until 10:00am, so there is enough time for a good breakfast. That meant two mornings at Uncle Bill’s.
Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Cape May at 261 Beach Avenue
I love coming to Uncle Bill’s. The service is always so friendly and the food wonderful. This weekend was about the picture and I was eating the meals of the past that I needed photos of for past blogs so that meant ordering the French Toast special (I so hate my job as a travel blogger).
The French Toast special at Uncle Bill’s
The French Toast and Sausage here should not be missed
After a good breakfast and walk back to the hotel, I headed to Wildwood for the first day of meetings. It was a spectacular sunny day and since I got there so early, it gave me the opportunity to walk on the boardwalk and get some ocean air before our first meeting.
Walking on the Wildwood Boardwalk before the morning meetings
The Wildwood Boardwalk would not look like this for long
The first day of meetings for the NJ Jersey Firemen’s Convention is full of pump and circumstance, but with 9/11 being the first day of the Convention, we respected our Brothers who gave their lives that terrible day. There was a lot of emotion in the Convention Hall as a lot of these members are of the age where a lot of them volunteered in New York to assist and still have lingering health issues.
While it is a somber time for firefighters when we remember the 24th Anniversary of 9/11 we still have to carry on the traditions of the fire service. Time has a way of marching on and while we remember our fellow brothers with dignity and respect, we can only honor them by continuing our craft and building on the things that made them successful at their jobs. So delegates from all over the State of New Jersey met from September 11th to the 13th for the annual NJ State Firefighters.
Getting to the Wildwood Convention Hall early
I am starting to see some of the same faces over and over again as I have been attending these meetings. What I am beginning to notice is that the crowd is getting older and thinning out. The younger firefighters don’t seem to be taking over from their predecessors. The average age of the people in that room had to be at least 45 years old.
Still we carry on with our mission of making the first service the best it can be. This means a lot is going on the State organization. We started the morning out with the Bergen County Pipe & Drum performing with the Wildwood Fire Department’s Color Guard.
We stand for the performance
The performance as they entered the Convention Center
Then the welcome from the Executive Team to the Convention started. If you ever want to see a prouder group of Americans it is fire fighters. When do the Pledge of Alliance, you never saw a whole convention center do it in unison. That is where I am very proud of being a firefighter. Is the dedication these men and women give to their communities that mantle people do not appreciate.
After the initial introductions and welcome, the Pipe & Drum and the Color Guard left. It’s pomp and circumstance when they leave as well.
The closing ballad before they left the Convention Center
It was an afternoon of business talking on current issues of the fire service and items that we were dealing with the state. There were many bills on the Governor’s desk to be signed and line items we were fighting for our membership. There would be a lot of State and local issues to vote on the next day.
After the first day of meetings were over withI had to travel around Cape May County to visit various cultural sites and revisit farms for my picture taking mission. The first place I visited was the Sam Azeez Museum in Woodbine, NJ.
Touring the fire equipment displays at the Convention after the first meeting
During my four day stay in Cape May, I had appointments to see many historical sites that are normally never open or open at specific times where I can never visit. So I either made appointments to meet people or set my schedule to meet with the precious hours these places were open. I planned this trip like D-Day. You had to hit each spot at a specific time or else the window closed.
The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage at 360 Washington Avenue in Woodbine, NJ
The Sam Azeez Museum is a look at the Jewish community that was established well heeled Jewish businessman that established for new immigrants. They built a successful community assimilated the population to become Americans.
The history of the Jewish community in Woodbine, NJ
The museum was an interesting look at the successes and failures of the community but the museum shows a community that keeps changing. I thought this was fascinating that a community like this once existed.
There is a synagogue on the second floor
The Americanization of children through baseball
I thought this was a fascinating museum because the museum itself does not tell this story in its website. It is such an interesting look at a community and it asks the question ‘how do you become an American?’ It is a rich history that most of New Jersey does not know.
A self sustaining community
The new Americans playing America’s past time
After I returned from my tour of the museum from Woodbine, I relaxed and walked along the beach near the hotel. We really lucked out with the weather that weekend and it was sunny and clear. It was starting to cool down a bit but it was still nice to be outside at night.
Meals on this weekend trip were all about the pictures so I headed to The Ravioli House at 102 East Bennett Avenue in Downtown Wildwood, NJ for dinner. This is my favorite place during the Convention to eat and is one of my popular sites on my blog, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com.
I was here so many times without a cellphone to take pictures of all the wonderful dishes that I had eaten and this weekend I was going to have them again. This is when my job gets tough!
I always enjoy seeing the owners daughter when I walk in. She is always in the same spot greeting people. I get one of the booths in the back and stretch out. I got there a little late so it was just starting to wind down. The service is always excellent so I got my food pretty quickly.
Tonight I had the dinner I had five years ago, the Manicotti with homemade meatballs with a fresh salad. It was just as delicious as I remembered.
The start of the meal is a fresh green salad with their homemade Creamy Italian dressing and the freshly baked bread
The fresh salad is always a treat
The freshly baked bread makes it is easy to devour a few baskets
The entree was excellent and all the pastas, sauces and meatballs are made in house. You can taste the quality.
The Manicotti with meatballs was excellent and I love their red sauce
The homemade meatballs should not be missed
The meal was incredible and I topped it off with a St. Joseph pastry with vanilla cream. It was from their pastry shop and was wonderful (see my review on TripAdvisor and LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com).
My dessert, the St. Joseph pastry
All the desserts are baked in house
After the amazing dinner, the restaurant was closing for the evening and I needed to work off dinner so I parked closer to the Wildwood Boardwalk and walked the length of it back and forth. I was so surprised that on the first night of the Convention it was so quiet. Many businesses were still open that evening to very little crowds. I think the merchants were surprised by this as well. When I got back to the hotel, I slept like the dead.
We did not have to be at the Convention Center to vote until 9:00am, so I could sleep in a bit. I planned breakfast on the Boardwalk so I was fine either way time. It was a beautiful sunny morning and I got up to blue skies and warm weather.
The Chalfonte Hotel in the morning
The Magnolia Room set up on the porch in the mornings. I would find here my last morning at the hotel.
I got on my way to Wildwood for voting and then breakfast. When I got to the bridge to get to Wildwood, I had to stop as a boat was passing by and I got the best pictures taken.
Getting to the bridge
The marshes
The boat was coming
The boat passed by so gracefully
The boat passed by so gracefully like in the movies
It only took a few minutes but I thought it was one of the most enjoyable things to watch in the morning. In this age of rushing around, something so simple as this could be so much fun to watch.
I got to the Convention Center, voted, signed in and talked with some other delegates. Then we were done with our meetings for the day and I left for breakfast to my favorite spot on the Boardwalk, Franconi’s Pizzeria at 3318 Boardwalk. All meals are excellent at Franconi’s.
My breakfast was amazing! Biscuits with Sausage Gravy, Hashbrowns and a homemade Cinnamon Twist (they did not get the Cinnamon rolls that morning). This feast was my breakfast and lunch for the day.
Don’t miss these decadent Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
The Cinnamon twist is not on the menu but the owners daughter made it special for me because there were no cinnamon rolls. What a delicious treat and I highly recommend ordering it!
After a meal like that and Voting over, I had to walk the Boardwalk again just to work some of it off.
The Boardwalk got busy after Voting was over
The weather was fantastic that morning and the amusement piers would be opening later that evening
There were many museums and cultural sites I would be visiting in the area and I did not want to spend my entire morning on the Boardwalk, so off I went again visiting museums. My first stop was just off the Boardwalk at the Doo Wop Preservation League Museum at 4500 Ocean Avenue.
The Doo Wop Preservation League Museum at 4500 Boardwalk
This unique little museum unfortunately gets drowned out by the fire department displays and beer garden and people really don’t appreciate it for what it is, a glimpse of Wildwood’s Motel past that is quickly disappearing in the wake of the real estate boom and gentrification. I don’t give the remaining motels more than five years before they all sell out.
The museum is bright and shiny
The museum shows the progress made after WWII and the optimism of the electric age after the war with foreign travel part of a dialogue that most people could not afford yet but wished to attain. So these motels brought that to them. As the era passed, these relics show the progress we had made and then what we left behind. I think it is one of the most clever small museums I have visited down the shore.
While searching for the Cape May Maritime Museum (which does not exist except in some of the members wanting for a physical space), I came across the Garrett Family Preserve, which was a large wetland preserve just outside Cape May proper.
The Garrett Family Preserve at 801 Wilson Street in Cape May Creek
The Preserve is acres of wetlands that is refuge for birds, butterflies and wetland creatures.
The Butterfly sculpture at the end of the paths
When you enter the Preserve, you have the option to follow several paths that take you through the woods, the wetlands or down paths of wildflowers. It was unfortunate that it had not rained in a month and the preserve was very dry.
The sign had said in the Spring that the preserve was alive with colors of flowers. Still it offers a glimpse into the mating areas and refuge for these insects and birds on the path to warmer climates.
Searching for the Maritime Museum, which will have a physical building in the future the President of the organization assured me when he called me later that afternoon, I headed back to Cape May to walk along the beach after a long day of meetings and cultural visits.
The beaches were busy on this warm late summer evening
It was a beautiful afternoon just walking the shoreline trying to get my mind off everything
Please join me for my walk at the shore
The views of walking that Cspe May shoreline
I am never sure where these tubes come from
The shore works its own magic
The view on the Boardwalk at Cape May Beach
It was still early in the evening so I decided to head to Sunset Beach in West Cape May and watch the sunset before going to dinner. That is always a treat to watch!
Sunset Beach in West Cape May arc502 Sunset Boulevard
There is nothing more beautiful on a clear night than seeing the sunset before set on this beach. The crowds were huge. Being Convention weekend, people were packed all over the place. I had to park about a mile up so that I could drive back out.
The restaurant that had once been a simple snack shop and was now a higher end restaurant with views of the bay and that did not help the parking situation. The crowds a families set up blankets and chairs all over the beach and then we stood back and let the magic take place.
Going
Going
Going
Going
Going
Gone
Gone
Then all the beautiful colors of the sun
The beauty of the sun set
I set on the beach with the locals while everyone else fought to get out of the parking lot and headed back to Cape May for dinner. It was such a spectacular night.
The Washington Street Mall was packed with people that night. With the Convention meeting now over, many fire companies were having their get togethers that night. A lot of the older firefighter couples though I could see opted for a quieter night strolling the Mall.
On the third night of my dining picture taking it was back to the Ugly Mug for dinner and for the elusive Bacon Barbecue Cheese Burger (dinner four years ago).
My dinner at the Ugly Mug, the Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger (and yes, it is as delicious as it looks)
After the wonderful dinner, I took a long walk along the Mall, the Boardwalk and beaches to work the dinner off. What spectacular views of the town.
The Washington Mall later that evening
I went back to the room and slept soundly as I had a long day of work ahead of me. After the Convention was over, I had arranged an extensive day of touring with members of the Board of the Upper Cape May Township Historical Society to tour all three of their historic sites, the Gandy Farmstead, the Friendship School and the Tuckahoe Train Station, plus an additional tour of the Endicott-Reardon Family Museum. It would be a long day.
Waking up to the sun the next morning
When I woke up the next morning and checked my schedule for the morning and afternoon, and then checked the weather report, I decided to extend my stay in Cape May one more night.
I arranged for the additional night and walked down to Uncle Bill’s Pancake House for the second day of picture dining. It was another sunny afternoon and I was going to need a lot of energy. I ordered an Omelet with a side of sausages, potatoes and rye toast (breakfast from Christmas time 2021). The breakfast was excellent.
The omelet with potatoes and sausage
The breakfasts here are amazing!
You can create two breakfasts from the meal
On the way back to the hotel, I had to walk along the shore just to work some of breakfast off before my roadtrip. They give you so much.
It was a beautiful morning and a perfect shore day
God creates these beautiful days for us to enjoy
After my walk, it was time to meet the Board Members of the Upper Township of Cape May Historical Society at the Gandy Farmstead, my first historical stop.
The Gandy Farmstead at 26 Tyler Road in Oceanview, NJ
I was met by two of the Board member who had just arrived and we did an extensive tour of the house, the outer building and the grounds.
The first floor kitchen, storage and wash area of the house
The kitchen and heating area of the house
The second door bedroom
The attic loft area
We then took a tour of the grounds that included the well, the smokehouse, the outhouse and extensive tour of the barns. The organization did a nice job preserving the integrity of the home and life at that time period.
The back part of the grounds with the various buildings
We did an extensive tour and discussion of each building (you can see the full tour on my blog VisitingaMuseum.com). The barn was the most interesting.
The barn on the Gandy Farmstead
The inside of the barn
The inside of the barn
The tour was really nice and what an interesting home. The displays were so well organized and laid out. Each of the buildings told their own story.
The grape arbor behind the house
We discussed the Gandy family whose ancestors live across the street and who had donated the home a grounds to the committee. We also discussed to upcoming “Apple Festival coming up in two weeks.
Please read my blog on the Gandy Farmstead Apple Festival:
After the full tour of the house and grounds, we headed to the Friendship School down the road and up the highway from the homestead. Another fascinating look at the areas past.
The school just showed me how things have not changed in over a hundred years.
The front of the Friendship School
The school has the most interesting look both inside and out. You see the way students lived and learned at the turn of the last century.
The old water pump outside the school for classroom use
The classroom reflects education of the various levels of students between the ages of Kindergarten and High School.
The classroom set up is still similar to today
Instead of computers and laptops they used slates, chalk and books
The Friendship School showed how much we have progressed in education but it also has stayed the same. The ladies explained to me that the school is open at certain times of the year to show children how the classroom still reflects its main purpose, to learn and to educate.
The Outhouse
On my way to the last historic site on the Historical Society’s list, the ladies took me to the Frog Hollow Bakery for the most mindblowingly delicious doughnuts.
The Frog Hollow Bakery at 140 NJ 50 in Ocean View, NJ
We just stopped in for a doughnut and I tasted on of the best fried sugar doughnuts I had had in a long time. Everything on the counter was made from scratch and looked so good.
The delicious looking buttery breads and cakes inside of the bakery
Do not leave this bakery until you have tried one of their fried sugary doughnuts
This is such a unique and wonderful little bakery. It has a nice selection of not just baked goods but a gift items and produce.
The next historical site I visited was the Tuckahoe Train Station in Tuckahoe, NJ. This Victorian structure was once the hub of shore transportation. Now it houses all its treasures of the past.
The Tuckahoe Train Station at Railroad and Market Street in Tuckahoe, NJ
The Board member who met me at the museum was an expert on the station and gave a very in-depth tour of both the inside and outside of the station.
The old Waiting Room and Gift shop
Most railroad museums I have visited in the past have been dark and dusty but the Tuckahoe Station, which is brightly lit, beautifully organized and has engaging displays.
Each display case showed a different aspect of life on the rail system from arrival to departure
We toured both floors of the station which showed not just the life of passengers coming to and from the shore but the life of the station manager. It was a very demanding job where you have to wear many hats.
The room of the station manager on the second floor
The station manager’s office
We then toured the Baggage Room and Receiving Room
Each room built on the other showed the day of the passengers as they arrived at the station with their luggage and then had to be transported to their destination at the shore.
Then we toured the outside rail yard where many of the old train cars are being or have been restored. We discussed train travel with some lines being very luxurious for the time and others just regular transportation.
The outside rail yard on the old tracks
The Blue Comet railcar was once the ultimate in luxury travel to the shore
The last place we toured in the complex was the Repair and Transport building next to the rails. This is where everything was maintained at the depot.
The Repair Shop
The station stop at the end of the tour
I was really impressed by the Tuckahoe Station with such an interesting and thorough tour. I could not believe almost two hours went by. I said my thank you and sang my praise of how organized and fascinating the museum was to tour.
My last museum tour of the day was the Endicott-Reardon Family museum at 3036 Shore Road in Ocean View,NJ. This brand new museum houses the artifacts of both sides of Endicott and Reardon families.
The front of the Endicott-Reardon Family Museum at 3039 Shore Road
The beauty of the museum is that the last direct family descendant never threw anything out and carefully organized things for years anticipating that she wanted to open a museum. It is a fascinating look at the life of an Upper Middle class family from the turn of the last century to today.
The beauty of the museum is that the last direct family descendant never threw anything out and carefully organized things for years anticipating that she wanted to open a museum. It is a fascinating look at the life of an Upper Middle class family from the turn of the last century to today.
The inside of the museum and its extensive collection of family artifacts
The curator of the museum met me in the late afternoon for the tour. Instead of a musty house, this recently built museum is bright and airy and the well lit displays showcase the collections. Each section of the museum is broken down by collection and life style.
The family artifacts at the entrance of the museum
The Living Room set up
The bedroom set up
The Dining Room set up
The Founder’s Doll Collection
The founder of the collection even had a collection of dolls and toys she loved and the display was replicated in the museum with all the original toys.
The founder as a little girl in her bedroom
The exact replica of the picture with all the original toys
Family items from father and uncles
What amazed me about the museum was how meticulous the owner kept all the family items including everyday items like irons and dishes. The woman never threw anything out.
Everything from her childhood into adulthood had been carefully documented and preserved much to the benefit of us the visitors. We get a glimpse into the life of an Upper Middle class family at the turn of the last century. I thought this was fascinating and for people interested in history, it is a nice museum to visit.
After my tour I talked with the curator and thanked her for all her time and promised a wonderful write up (please read my blog on all these museums). Then I headed back to Cape May
On my way back I stopped at an ice cream stand that had become part of my tradition on my trips, the Icd Cream Station at 809 US 9 in Cape May Courthouse. The ice creams are all made in house and are delicious.
The ice cream here is amazing. It is so dense, rich and creamy. It is a lot of fun to just sit in the courtyard and just relax.
The courtyard of the Ice Cream
The Cookies and Cream and Moose Trakes ice cream
The delicious selection of ice creams
The props of the property that you can eat at and climb
I love coming here for a snack. The name has changed twice over the years but quality of the ice cream has stayed the same. Consistently delicious.
I headed back to the hotel to relax for a while before dinner. I had never crammed so much into one weekend when attending the Convention while answering emails for work each night for my students. I went from morning to night.
I returned to the Ravioli House that night for dinner again for another night of picture taking. This time dining on a dinner that I ate four years earlier. I love doing this type of research.
The meal started off with an order of homemade Fried Mozzarella, which was served with their delicious red sauce. They looked like fancy fried mozzarella sticks. They were excellent. Gooey and stringy at the same time.
The Fried Mozzarella
Then a crisp salad, which I always enjoy with their homemade dressing.
The house salad with Creamy Italian dressing
For dinner I ordered a dish the I have enjoyed here twice before, the homemade Linguini with Bolognese sauce. Talk about a wonderful dinner. The rich combination of freshly chopped meats and tomatoes is excellent. I never have a bad meal here!
The pasta is delicious
The dinner was excellent
For dessert I indulged the Pastry shop next door and enjoyed a Delishioso cookie. This is a short bread cookie filled with hazelnut filling.
The Pastry shop at the Ravioli House
The assorted cakes and pastries to choose from in the case
The inside of the pastry shop
My dessert, the Delishioso cookie
This sweet indulgence is two buttery shortbread cookies with hazelnut filling and rolled in chopped hazelnuts
What a sweet treat!
After a day of running around for both jobs, I decided to extend my stay by one night. I was so tired from all the driving and touring and trying to cram everything into one trip, I went back to my room and had the best nights sleep in a long time.
The next morning I had a relaxing breakfast at the Magnolia Room, the Chalfonte Hotel’s restaurant. It was such a nice warm sunny morning, that I ate out on the porch. It was nice to sit back and relax and do nothing.
The Chalfonte Hotel my last morning
The inside of the Magnolia Room set up for breakfast
Dining on the porch is what you want to do when the weather is warm. The views are wonderful and it is so relaxing.
The views from the porch at breakfast
Admiring the views at breakfast
My breakfast, the Chalfonte Breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast
The breakfast at the Magnolia Room are excellent
Went back up to my room to relax for a bit before check out. I had a long trip home and decided this time to take it easy and not rush back. I decided to follow the shore towns up and make stops at places I wanted to visit again. Getting myself motivated after a relaxing night and morning was tough.
Checking out of my room late the next morning
I left Cape May later that morning and heading up the shore highway with a stop in Stone Harbor first. I took my time and took various stops along the highway to take pictures.
The marshes along the highway to Stone Harbor, NJ
The lone fisherman in the early morning
The views of the coastline
The view of the marshes
The marshes in Stone Harbor
When I got into Stone Harbor, I tried to see if the historic Life Guard station was open but it was closed for the season. That is when I came across the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary. I must have passed this dozens of times over the years and did not know what it was.
The entrance to the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary at 11400 Third Avenue in Stone Harbor, NJ
I toured the main path through the park and got lost in walking through the woods which drowned out traffic and all you could hear was the birds chirping. It was a quiet and peaceful walk admiring the woods and the sounds of nature around me.
The entrance to the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary
Walking through the woods hearing nature
The woods were beautiful in the late Summer
The outside of the park on a early Sunday morning
I continued up the coastal highway to my last stop on my way home. I decided to stop in Margaret, NJ to visit Lucy, the Elephant. I had not visited this famous structure in years and I wanted to update my pictures.
Lucy the Elephant at 9200 Atlantic Avenue in Margate, NJ
The weather was so nice that we were able to tour the whole elephant and the nice part about the tour was that it was just myself and the tour guide. Items great to visit here on Mondays when it is quiet.
Heading up the stairs
The belly of Lucy
The inside of Lucy was once real estate offices
The tour guide explained to me that the elephant was used to attract real estate buyers of shore land back at the turn of the last century. The structure had through many owners before it fell into disrepair after WWII. The effort to ‘Save Lucy‘ became the battle cry of the community much to the benefit of all future visitors. The elephant needs constant maintenance and visitors are how it benefits the community.
The view from the top of the Huto
The view from the Huto of the ocean
The view of the City of Margate, NJ
Lucy the Elephant from the parking lot
After the tour was over, I had a wonderful conversation with my tour guide about her going to high school in Atlantic City. Those battle scars were interesting to talk about.After I left , I went to explore downtown Margate and see if the Margate Historical Society was open. It was closed for the afternoon.
The Margate Historical Society at 1 South Washington Avenue
The museum has limited hours and was not open that day. So I had lunch and headed home.
Between my work for the fire department and my work on my travel and dining blogs, it was an extremely productive weekend. There will be more of this area to explore in the future.
I could not believe how much of the shore I covered for my travel blog and was still contributing to the future of the fire service. We have to do what we need to do to promote the great State of New Jersey.
I had a very busy weekend of running around South Jersey. I have been updating my blog on the Historical Sites of South Jersey and trying to visit as many of this small museums and special events venues before they close for the season. Like any of my blogging trips, I planned the weekend like “D Day”. I lucked out as the weather was wonderful both days, clear, sunny and in the mid 80’s. I could not think of a better time to go to the shore than post-Labor Day weekend. My goal was to attend the Apple Festival that I had heard about at the Gandy Farmstead Museum when I toured the home for my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com (see blog and reviews).
The JW Gandy Farmstead Museum at 26 Tyler Road in Greenfield, NJ
Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival on Saturday, October 4th. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival I had attended in May , a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.
The East Fishkill Historical Society-Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival 2025/Exploring Fishkill, NY blog:
Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards. Plus when the event was over, I could visit Ocean City and explore both the downtown and the boardwalk.
I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ as the town was having their ‘October Fest’ over both days of the weekend. Traffic was backed up for about two miles trying to get in so I got off Route 9 and traveled down the Garden State Parkway.
I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning. People were still arriving even as the event was winding down that afternoon.
The sign welcoming you to the event
When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily.
On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.
The train tracks around the farm property
The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm
The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids
This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves
I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families. I did not understand how the train car got there but I thought it was an interesting look at life on the early train system of this country especially how it opened up the State of New Jersey.
The caboose on the farm property
The inside of the caboose
Getting ready for the holidays
Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose
After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities. There were all sorts of craft vendors, food and entertainment. The music duo was performing the James Taylor song “How Sweet it is to be loved by You” when I arrived.
The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment
Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale
The Farmers Market of locally grown produce
There was a stand that was a mini Farmers Market with locally grown apples, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes on top of other produce. It was so nicely displayed and the prices were really reasonable.
They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon
There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing
The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers. There were all sorts of handmade items and there were stands to buy homemade jellies and pickles and the prices were not like North Jersey, where a jar of jam at a Farmers Market will run you $15.00. The prices here were closer to $5.00 for certain items, which I thought was very fair.
One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets
This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas
Here beautiful holiday crafts
I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom
This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays
What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.
The concession stand where all the food was made
Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made and that’s why it tasted so good! The apple cider was from a local farm and I wished they had sold this at the festival. I think the farmer would have sold out!
Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!
The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members
I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.
I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually
The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert. Nothing is better than a Jersey Apple right off the vine. I could not believe how fast they sold out of the boxes of apples and the individual apples were selling just as fast.
The Mango Sweet apples
Talk about delicious
After lunch, I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour, so I toured this part of the house on top of taking a better look at the first floor.
Touring the outside grape arbor
The grape arbor on an early Fall day
Touring the first floor laundry room
An early washing machine
How to do laundry at the turn of the last century
After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. The duo performed a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.
The duo performing classic hits
The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way
The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it
Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up while I was there. Bummer! I really wanted a piece of fresh Apple pie.
The winners of the Apple pie contest
The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s, which was long before cell phones.
It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me but then I was there to cover this event. It really was a relaxing and wonderful afternoon with good food and entertainment. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes I think that people underate these local events which are so much fun.
By the time I left, most everyone was gone but I did watch families still walking in and heading to the food concessions. I hope they had that delicious Apple Shortcake. I assume the Festival did not close until after 3:00pm.
From the festival, I headed to Somers Point for an afternoon of picture taking. I had been here the summer before Grad school to visit the three museums on Shore Road, the Somers Mansion, the Atlantic County Historical Society and the Somers Point Historical Society and never got the exterior shots of the town that I wanted. I ended up revamping the whole blog and almost all the pictures.
As I was heading into Somers Point, I came across the most unusual farm stand sign and had to stop to take a picture. I thought this was fun and engaging and what a way to capture your attention.
The sign for Vaughan’s Farm Stand
The entrance to the Vaughan’s Farm at 312 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora, NJ
I stopped for a quick visit to the Vaughan’s farm stand and took a quick walk around the greenhouse to admire the plants and fall decorations on sale. I thought there might be food but just colorful plants and gardening supplies for local homes.
The flower and plant selection
The beautiful plants that they carry
The selection of seasonal items and Halloween themed gifts that they carried
Then I headed into Somers Point and my first stop, the original Somers Mansion which was the only museum open at the time. The other museums had closed earlier in the day but I had already visited all three in the past.
While the house looks impressive from the outside and was once home to five generations of the Somer family, the inside is a dusty relic of the past and they will not allow you to take pictures inside (I think they think someone will steal the dusty relics). I just think the inside could be a better interpretation of the family who lived here. Still the views from the house are amazing on a sunny day.
The view of the bay and the highway and bridge
On this trip I had about two and a half hours to really tour and explore the town. I ended up revamping the entire blog from three years ago with more pictures and a better depiction of this historical town.
I walked through the historical district of the town which stretches from the Somers Mansion to the modern downtown and got a better understanding of the growth of this community.
The district is filled with old and classic beach homes
Then I walked down Shore Avenue, the heart of Somers Point historical area and came across the statue of Richard Somers.
The statue of Master Commandant Richard Somers
Walking down to the elementary school on New York Avenue, I also visited the graves of the Somers family which is tucked off to the side.
The family cemetery was once part of their estate
After my tour of the historic district and revamped my entire blog on Somers Point, I remembered the Dairy Queen in town and had a craving for a Banana Split. It still tastes the same as it did in 1972!
The Dairy Queen in Somers Point at 501 Shore Drive
After my snack, it was time to walk it off. I took a tour by the shore line and discovered parks that I had not seen on my last trip to town.
The park and beach by the bay
As I walked further down the road, I came across the walkway under the bridge and the highway. That was an interesting walk.
The walkway under the bridge offers great views of the bay and dazzling sunsets
The sun was starting to make its descent in the late afternoon
I wanted to get to the Airbnb by 5:00pm and relax before dinner. Driving between Somers Point and Ocean City is a breeze in the off season and I made it in about twenty minutes.
My Airbnb was right next to downtown Ocean City and three blocks from their Boardwalk
After I settled in and relaxed a bit, I took a walk through the downtown to look at the stores and restaurants. I pretty much knew where I wanted to go for dinner but wanted to see my options.
Their pizza is always a treat and I look forward to eating here every time I am in Ocean City. Their red sauce has a nice flavor and is so well spiced. While a bit pricy for a slice (the meat lovers slice was $8.00), they did not skimp on the toppings.
A slice of the Meatlovers and a slice of Cheese pizza
I really enjoyed my dinner. The Meatlovers was loaded with different types of meat and you could taste the complexity in every bite. It was also fun to watch everyone glued to the Phillies game. When I explored Beach Haven the next day, it was all about the Giants.
After dinner, I took a stroll down the Boardwalk and walked through the amusement parks and games. Ocean City does not have the ‘honky-tonky’ feel of Wildwood or Point Pleasant. It really has the feel of family resort.
Walking through the amusement area
The park was really busy for a Saturday night post Labor Day
What was really beautiful was my walk on the beach and the light of the moon rising over the shore.
The beach views were breathtaking
My video of Ocean City Beach at sunset
Just walking on the boardwalk in the evening on a beautiful fall night was a treat. It had not gotten cool yet and it was still warm that evening.
My last stop before I headed back to the Airbnb was a stop at Johnson’s Popcorn. By this point it was now 9:00pm and everyone was closing up shop fast. I have never seen an amusement park empty out that fast.
The girl at the counter of the main Johnson’s Popcorn could not have been nicer. She told me she had plenty of popcorn left and gave me a bag of a combination of Caramel and Cheddar in addition to my cup of popcorn that I could barely finish.
My bag of Johnson’s Popcorn
The combination of the Cheddar and Caramel has the best flavor
I was a very happy camper that night
The popcorn was still warm and the caramel was still really sticky. Even at that time of the evening, the popcorn was such high quality. Trust me, not a kernel went to waste on the Boardwalk.
I slept so soundly that night and had one of the best night’s sleep in a long time. The Airbnb was great because it was so close to everything that it was a short walk back from the boardwalk I could get right into bed.
My room at the Airbnb
The next morning I wanted to take a quick walk around town before I headed towards my next shore town of Beach Haven just up the coast.
I stopped for a quick breakfast at McDonalds in Ocean City and indulged in the new Sausage McMuffin and Egg Breakfast Extra Value meal.
The new McDonalds in Ocean City, NJ at 900 West Street
I still think the Sausage McMuffin with Egg is the best breakfast in the industry
I wanted to make two stops before I left town. I started with a walk on the boardwalk admiring the sunny morning. Nothing is more wonderful than walking around a boardwalk on a quiet Sunday morning. The stores and restaurants were opening for breakfast and surfers were out in full force ‘catching waves’. Mornings in a shore community have their own life.
The boardwalk at Ocean City, NJ
The beach with early risers
The amusement area in the distance
There’s a big surfer culture here
I could not believe the amount of surfers who were on the Ocean City beach. The waves were not that big that morning but I could imagine what the waves were like during the recent storms. These folks have their own culture and lingo.
My video on the Surfers of Ocean City on the beach that morning
After my walk on the beach, I headed off to the US Lifeguard Station 30 Museum to see the exhibitions.
I was very lucky that I was able to visit the museum before it closed for the season and tour the facility. I found the life of the rescue teams fascinating and all the work these men did before the creation of the Coast Guard. The way they handled rescues and the training they needed back before the advent of phones and walkie-talkies was interesting. How the lanterns were used for as a form of communication between the beach and the building.
The inside Rescue Gallery
The formal Dining Room
There was a whole formal culture built on this and visitors and guests were welcomed to the building by officers, some meals cooked by the members wives and some by themselves.
The pulleys and wenches that saved people
Additional rescue boats
Life here was active but comfortable as I judged by the bunk room. This loft once overlooked the sea that is now three blocks away. Here the men had to be ready for anything and the windows offered perfect access to the sea.
The Bunk Room loft where the men slept and watched over the beaches
After I left the museum, it was time to travel to Beach Haven. So I took more walk around Ocean City to enjoy the beauty of this Jersey shore town. Even though it was just an overnight trip, there is a lot to see and do in these South Jersey communities packed with historical sites and interesting restaurants and especially beautiful beaches.
One last walk on the Boardwalk that morning
One last look at the spectacular beach
Now it was on to Exploring Beach Haven, NJ and Long Beach Island. I wanted to revamp that blog as well as there were places I wanted to visit before the weather got cooler. This is the best time to visit the Jersey shore and what a spectacular weekend it was!
My blog on Visiting and Exploring Beach Haven and Long Beach Island:
It was another wonderful afternoon in South Jersey and really shows all the wonderful things this area of the State has to offer. These little festivals show what volunteers can accomplish and I think we are better as tourists when we ger to attend them.
Right after the Metropolitan Museum of Art had their private members night, ‘Met After Hours’, the Museum of Modern Art countered with their event. Neither museum has the whole museum open but at least at The Met there is more than one bar open and they keep two of the restaurants open for patrons so you can have dinner at the museum.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) kept only two floors open and had one very crowded bar open that evening. Still it was nice to visit the museum after hours and walk through the halls.
The front of the Museum of Modern Art at 11 West 53rd Street
Looking down on the bar crowd as I walked to the second floor
Listening to the music play with the artwork
The first piece of art I saw was ‘Cadence’ by artist Otobong Nkanga. This colorful and impressive piece took up the entire second floor atrium and the interesting part of the work was that it was interactive and you could walk through the display. It looked like a volcano had exploded and the rocks that spewed out you could walk around.
The work ‘Cadence’ by artist Otobong Nkanga
The write up on the this interesting work
The work took up the second floor atrium
The rest of the second floor of the museum was closed that evening so I made my way to the fourth and fifth floor to visit the galleries.
There was no special exhibition on the fourth floor so I stopped room by room to admire the art. Sprinkled amongst the paintings and sculptures, the museum had placed clips of movies, a few of them silent films. One of my favorites was showing, George Meles’s ‘Trip to the Moon’.
George Meles’s silent film ‘Trip to the Moon
The write up of the piece
The YouTube video on the movie “A Trip to the Moon”
I had first seen this film in high school and had fallen in love with the elaborate sets and the campy storyline. I never got how they thought they were going to get home. Still the movie is fun to watch and you think to seventy years later to movies like ‘2001 Space Odyssey’ and ‘Apollo 13’ and even the footage of really landing on the moon and think how far we have come.
Roaming around the Picasso gallery
Then I walked around the Contemporary Galleries and admired all the works by Picasso and Brancusi. Everyone else was still down at the bar on the first floor so I had these galleries to myself for the first forty-five minutes. I quietly walked and admired all the works.
The contemporary gallery
The works ‘Fish’ and ‘Bird in Space’
Brancusi’s works especially ‘Bird in Space’ I had studied in my Art History class at Michigan State University and zI had admired them for a long time. I had forgotten that versions of them were at the MoMA.
‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’ by Piet Mondrian
The signage
Then I passed ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’, another work I had studied in college. It is amazing how many great works were at this museum. I just liked the colors and whimsy of this painting. Then I walked through the Claude Monet gallery where the famous ‘Water Lillie’s’ paintings were located.
The gallery dedicated to Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’
The signage
Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lillies’
I love these immense murals either their beautiful colors and calmness to the painting.
I then turned the corner and came across Picasso’s ‘Girl before the Mirror’
I had forgotten that this painting was here and I stopped for a while and just admired it. I loved the simplicity of the idea but enjoyed its bold colors and crazy cubism to it. I have been attracted to this painting since I was a kid when my mother took me to the Picasso Retrospect here when I was a freshman in high school.
The signage for the painting
As the night wore on I visited the floors that were open and it was only two floors, four and five and the second atrium that were open so I visited the bar area when I finished with the other floors.
The prices here were just as expensive as the earlier Member’s Night at The Met and the selection was not as nice, so I bypassed it. I just watched everyone from a distance.
I just enjoy watching everyone having a good
time. I makes the evening even more special.
Watching the crowd while admiring the beautiful interactive art. This work kept moving around to the music in the background
The painting would move in different directions to the music
It had been a short but relaxing evening and got my mind off everything between work and home and I guess I needed a change of pace to shake me out of it.
After a short visit to the gift shop, I left the museum and headed home. As I turned the corner past the museum, I stopped to admire the lights of Seventh Avenue. I sometimes forget how breathtaking Manhattan can be at night.
Seventh Avenue at night around the corner from the MoMA
I took a short walk around the neighborhood, thinking about where I could stop for a snack. None of the restaurants at the museum were open the evening and they had nothing at the bar.
I remembered a wonderful hamburger/ hot dog place near Eighth Avenue, Lucky’s Famous Burgers at 370 West 52nd Street.
I settled on the ‘Double Dog’ special meal with two dressed hot dogs and a large size of French Fries with a large Coke. It was enough food for two people. The hot dogs here are fantastic and the French Fries are cooked to order. The meal just hit the spot and really cheered me up as had the visit to the MoMA. It was the perfect meal to cap off the evening.
The Doubledogs with French Fries meal
The delicious twin hot dogs
They were nicely decorated
What a way to end the evening
It was quick and relaxing evening and shook away the blues of the past days of gloomy weather and some of the long nights of grading papers at work. A pleasant night at the MoMA can really cheer you up!
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):
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
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
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
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:
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
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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 thisbargain 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.
School has started, the leaves have started to change colors and it is getting dark at a depressing 7:00pm. Fall has started. With that, the farms go from peaches and tomatoes to pumpkins and apples. By Labor Day, the Halloween merchandise starts to hit the shelves and even more depressing, Christmas trees and ornaments with Santa’s singing have entered the stores. I am still hitting the beach and I have to look at reindeer?
As I was passing Rosie’s Farm on my way into Mullica Hill as I was driving to Wildwood for the Firemen’s Convention, I came across this festive sign for Halloween. We were worried about Halloween in the middle of September? Still it intrigued me and I thought this would be fun. I booked a room at the Salem River Inn for two weeks later and off I went yet again to South Jersey exploring all the back roads.
When I got off at Exit Two off the Jersey Turnpike, I was greeted with all these signs with this festive little ghost all over them. I would understand later that this was a big fundraiser for the Harrison Township Historical Society, a very nice little museum on the edge of Downtown Mullica Hill, NJ that I had blogged about in the past. So with the room and tour all booked, off I went exploring the area again until I could check into my hotel.
Since I had just toured the area two weeks earlier, I got most of my stock pictures in and had a list of places I wanted to visit again before they closed for the season. On that list was Hudock’s Ice Cream to see if I could get that heavenly peach ice cream again before they closed for the season, then visit a small museum in Bridgeton (which ended up being closed), the Cohanzick Zoo in the Bridgeton public parks and the Bridgeton Presbyterian Church cemetery for more pictures of sections of the historic cemetery that I missed. So I took all the local back roads through farm country to get to Bridgeton. The adventures took through farm country and all the great farms and farm stands that come with it. It is so much fun when I get lost.
The Mullica Hill Ghost Walk in Mullica Hill, NJ started the Halloween season
I was coming back from the Firemen’s Convention and was staying in Salem River when visiting museums for my blog and I saw the sign for the Mullica Hill Ghost Walk and back to South Jersey I went. I had to take my mind off the first month of school, so I took the weekend to get away.
As I made my way down to Bridgeton to start a series of visits to historical sites on my bucket list for my blog I took a local detour down local roads and came across Moods Farm with a very festive looking pumpkin looking at me and smiling. I had plenty of time for a detour and visit the farm. What a treat!
The farm was really active that morning with people going on hay rises through the fields, walking through the corn maze and enjoying apple cider and cider doughnuts. That last one I was planning on doing.
The very festive female pumpkin greets you at the gate
Moods Farm Market at was very busy that morning and was even busier when I left
The entrance to the market at 901 Bridgeton Pike, where they were selling tickets to hay rides and the maze
The farm created such a relaxing and enjoyable environment when welcoming you. I felt like I was taking a step back to the 1970’s when there was time to stop and take a breather and enjoy a sunny afternoon. I really like the farm stand with the multiple fruits and vegetables and homemade jams.
The fruits and vegetables from the farm
There were lots of things to choose from at the stand
I was in search of a good cider doughnut. I was bummed that they were selling them by the pack. That was until I stopped and talked with the girl at the counter and she said I could buy them individually. They were just coming out of the fryer and they were warm. There is nothing like a fresh cider doughnut with fresh apple cider.
The doughnuts were just out of the fryer and were so delicious
The Apple Cider was made from Honey Crisp apples
I took my cider doughnut and my apple cider and sat at the picnic tables over looking the farm. With all the rushing around in my life, it was to just stop and enjoy a sunny morning.
I was watching the rides through the fields
While I was at the picnic tables, I read the trivia questions in the large pumpkin while watching the tractors drive by.
The Pumpkin Trivia board
The questions and answers were really cute. I thought it was an interesting game.
The questions
The answer
It was just nice to watch people on the rides and having a good time. It is nice to see all this on a sunny early afternoon.
Looking over the farm in the early afternoon
Watching people have fun on the hay rides
The wooden pens of animals for kids to play with at all ages
After this relaxing detour at the farm, I continued my trip down the back roads to Bridgeton, passing other farms and fields of corn.
Then I passed Elmer, a small farming town just south of Mullica Hill. I had not heard from their historical society and when I saw the sign and time I took a chance to see if they were open and pulled down the country lane. I am glad I did.
The country road leading to Elmer, NJ
In Southern New Jersey you are reminded that we are still a rural state
When I visited Elmer, NJ, they were having their ‘Harvest Fest’ that afternoon when I finally got to see their historical society, which was open as they were sponsoring the event. Normally they are only open the second Sunday of the month and that is it.
The Tractor display at the Harvest Fest
The crowds at the Harvest Fest
The amazing crafts at the festival
The amazing crafters at the festival
While I walked around Downtown Elmer, I found that their historical society was open too. I finally got to tour that elusive museum too.
After I left Elmer, I made my way down to Bridgeton to the downtown to visit some of the historical sites in this former Colonial city. For such a depressed City, Bridgeton has a lot to offer and see. I am so surprised that the artists have not taken over this city as well. I am starting to see traces of it as there are now two art galleries in the downtown amongst the Mexican businesses and a few of the Victorian homes outside the downtown have been really fixed up.
The first museum that was located in the main library, the Woodruff Museum of Indian Artifacts was closed and no one could take me downstairs no matter how much I asked. I could not understand how a main library could run on just two people.
So I left there and decided to take pictures at the Presbyterian Church cemetery. There were a lot of pictures that I did not get the last time I visited and there were certain parts of the cemetery I wanted to revisit. Before I did that, I noticed a woman and her daughter had set up a taco stand just in front of the church across the street from the library.
The smells were amazing and I wanted to see what they were serving. She was cooking homemade soft tacos. tamales and quesadillas. I was starved and they looked so good. So I ended up getting two of them and she served them with a homemade hot sauce. They were out of the world.
What was nice is that they set up a table just outside their stall and I was able to enjoy lunch outside in the beautiful weather
The fresh Tacos being cooked across the street from the Bridgeton Library. The woman and her daughter were such good cooks
After lunch, I headed back up into downtown Bridgeton and visited the Century Bakery at 525 North Pearl Street. I had read an article online that this was one of the best bakeries in the State of New Jersey. It did live up to its reputation. The doughnuts were excellent.
I could not believe the selection of different flavors of doughnuts and cakes and it was hard to choose between them.
The selection of doughnuts to chose from
I wanted something different so I got a Vanilla Cream filled glazed doughnut. Talk about excellent. It was light and sweet and topped with a thick layer of glazed.
The Glazed Vanilla Cream Filled doughnut
Yum!
After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon before I checked into my hotel at the Bridgeton Presbyterian Church in the cemetery taking pictures of the historic graveyard. It really is something out of a Hollywood horror film. The cemetery at Bridgeton Presbyterian Church contains some of the founding families of the region and many veterans of both the revolutionary and Civil Wars.
I headed to the church and toured the cemetery. On a sunny Fall afternoon with the leaves changes colors, the graveyard had a certain glow to it like the spirits knew I was there. I still think this graveyard has positive spirits at rest because I never feel creeped out by it. It seems like the spirits always appreciate visiting them and respecting their place here.
The graveyard has a creepy look about it even during the day
I toured the graveyard and looked over some of the more unusual tombstones. I liked the part of the graveyard that was older and closer to the church. The names of many of the original families of the area and a lot of Revolutionary War members were buried here so it’s not only historical but part of the fabric of the City of Bridgeton.
After I toured the graveyard I headed to another part of Bridgeton and headed to the Cohanzick Zoo in the Bridgeton Park.
The entrance to the Cohanzick Zoo in the early afternoon
I got to the zoo in the early afternoon and was able to walk around the zoo and tour the whole thing in an hour. This regional zoo had a lot of smaller animals that had been rescued or abused. The sad part was that the cages and pens were not that big so some of the animals looked bored.
The entrance of the Zoo
The sign that explains the zoo
The Raccoon House was my first stop
I searched for the raccoon and found him sleeping at the top of his house
The little guy looked so pooped
The zoo is one of the smaller more localized ones that I have visited so you can see the whole zoo in about an hour. Then you can walk leisurely around the paths and revisit the exhibitions again. Some of the animals like the peacock family, just wonder around the park and do their thing.
This gorilla sculpture that greets you in the back part of the zoo
Following the walkway to the back pens where a lot of the small animal and bird displays were located
The next exhibition that I visited was the Sand Hill Crane and I read that the poor little guy had been injured. He seemed a bit more optimistic when I passed the cage. I think that the animals just want some attention.
The Sand Hill Crane display
The Crane was watching all of us as we passed his cage
The next small animal that I visited was the Fennec fox and the two that I saw were fast asleep on this warm afternoon. They must have had a busy morning.
The Fennec fox cage
The foxes that I saw that day were fast asleep
While I was walking around the back part of the zoo, there was a peacock family walking around the cages. The father peacock had two small birds with him and they just meandered amongst the cages.
The male Peacock walking around the zoo with his children. They were allowed to walk around on their own without being locked up. They looked like they were having an adventure as a family.
The Ring Tailed Lemur display
I visited the Ring- Tailed Lemur pens and these little monkeys looked like they were plotting an escape. They stayed in a bunch the whole time I watched them and they just stared.
The lemurs just stared back at me as I watched them
The back part of the museum was beautiful in the early fall
The tiger sculpture along the path at first freaked me out that he had gotten out and just looked at us. He looked real.
The Totem Pole Garden
The river running through the gardens in the Fall 2024
The leopard looked bored in his cage. He justly walked aimless around their cages. They are not being given enough space to move around.
The serval cage
The Serval also looked bored. It just walked in circles around the cage. I was not sure if he was bored or just confused.
The zoo was such a nice place to relax and just collect my thoughts. The beginning of the semester had been rough for me and we were going into Midterms in a couple of weeks. Just walking through the zoo relaxed me. Between the gardens and the sounds of the animals it was nice to clear my head for an hour.
I headed over to the Salem River Inn in Salem, NJ and dropped my things off in my room before the tour. I just relaxed for a bit before I made the trip back to Mullica Hill to start the tour. The town was packed with people already starting their tours.
Downtown Mullica Hill the night of the walk
The downtown was dotted with scarecrows
The foliage was just starting to change but like Octobers in the past five years it has been warmer and greener further into the month.
The tee shirts of the event being sold at the start of the tour
Our tour guide at the start of the tour
The scarecrows on the tour
We walked many stops in the downtown that was steeped in history even before the Revolutionary War.
The Hanging Barn where a worker hung himself
The history of the 12th Infantry some buried in the town
The Haunted St. Stephen’s Church downtown
The inside of the church where angels were seen
The graveyard talk in the back of the church
The Haunted House where multiple ghosts have been seen
Another haunted house
The Mullica family home is haunted
Another haunted house in town
After the tour was over, I toured the Mullica Hill Historical Society after the tour to see the new ‘Taverns and Temperance’ exhibition on the local watering holes of the 18th and 19th centuries of which only two exist.
The Last Call exhibition at the Harrison Township Historical Society Museum at 62 Main Street
The ‘Last Call’ exhibition was a look on how taverns were such an important part of socialization at a time when there were no movies, internet, phones and newspapers were limited. Still there was a strong resistance to people drinking which still reflects to our Puritan past.
There was nothing wrong with having a drink but there was a sense of taking it too far. Still this attitude is reflected today. It is still interesting though how one or two of these taverns have carried over into the Twenty First century. They are still welcoming guests today and that proves the socialization of these establishments and how important they are in our lives.
After the tour was over and I had a nice visit with the museum, it was almost 9:00pm and I wanted to eat something. Two small tacos and two doughnuts are hardly a proper lunch for someone. By 9:00pm though, the whole town had rolled up its sleeves. Even the restaurant where the tour started was closing at 9:00pm. I was shocked as there were people inside still ordering. The host said the kitchen was closing and if I knew what I wanted I could sit down.
That was not much of an offer especially at their prices and I made my way down to Naples, the pizzeria and Italian restaurant where I had parked. They were open until a normal 11:00pm on a Friday night (I still do not understand restaurants that close at 9:00pm on a Friday or Saturday night. This part of the COVID scare is over and things are pretty much back to normal).
I went to the host stand and they seated me quickly. Tours were still going on and as I ate my dinner, the place really filled up when I finished because there was no place left to eat in town. (Not a good business decision). I really enjoyed Naples. Not only was it a lively environment with the games going on and a very active bar scene but the food was really good as well and very reasonable.
Naples Pizzeria 1 South Main Street in Mullica Hill
After the walk was over, I went back to the hotel and sunk into bed. I was exhausted from all the driving. The Salem River Inn is so quiet and relaxing the I slept so soundly that night.
My favorite room in the hotel, The Meadow Room with views of the old golf course and the lawns in the front of the hotel.
I had a bit of a rough night’s sleep, I figure to all the traveling and running around due to work. When I got up, I got to watch the sun rise over the field. That is worth getting up for in the morning.
The start of the sunrise
Continues
Continues
Continues
Continues as the Sun peeks out
Continues
Continues
The sunrise finished. This is why you have to book this room
I had a kind day ahead of me with a lot of running around visiting museums for my blog and exploring the areas of South Jersey that I had not yet covered. That meant running from Salem to Millville to Penns Grove to Pennsville to visit all three historical societies before everything closed at 4:00pm. It does not seem like much but it was a lot of ground to cover.
I started off with a good breakfast on the deck overlooking Delaware Bay that Yvonne prepared for me. It was an egg omelet with tomatoes with fruit, breads and hot tea. The perfect breakfast to start the day. The weather was spectacular and perfect for eating outside.
The views from the deck at breakfast the first week of October
The perfect breakfast outside on the terrace
The perfect omelet
Matched with the perfect view
I had to check out early as the Inn was preparing for a big wedding and I had a lot of ground to cover before I headed home. Don’t ask me how I did it but I got the job done.
I said my goodbyes to the owners but not before taking some more spectacular pictures of the grounds and the beach area. It was so beautiful in the morning.
The beach just outside the hotel
Looking the other direction down the shore line facing the Delaware Bay
After I packed up, I said my goodbyes to the owners and headed to my first stop, the Millville Historical Society in Millville, NJ the first of my three stop journey.
It took just under an hour to arrive in Millville which was past Bridgeton where I had been the other day. I was lucky there was no traffic on the road and I got to the museum fifteen minutes before it opened. It gave me time to take all my exterior pictures of the museum. It is a nice little museum with a great bunch of volunteers.
The Millville Historical Society at 200 East Main Street
The Baracha-Dunn House right next door to the Historical Society is open for touring.
History of the museum:
(from the museum’s website)
The Millville Historical Society has been preserving Millville, New Jersey’s past for over nine decades. Incorporated in 1927, the organization’s headquarters and archives depositary is located in the historic 1857 Millville Bank at 200 E. Main St., Millville.
The main gallery of the Millville Historical Society
The Society has been entrusted with the care of three of Millville’s most historic structures: the 1857 Bank building at 200 E. Main Street, the 1798 Baracha Dunn House, and the 1814 Mansion House. Admission to all buildings is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.
The main gallery of the Millville Historical Society from the front door
I recently visited the Millville Historical Society and got to tour the museum and the historical home next door. The main part of the museum is built inside a historic bank that the Society took over in the 1970’s. All the displays are showcased around the museum.
The original picture of the Millville National Bank during the turn of the last century
One of the first displays you will see is the original drawing of the bank. This beautiful historic building sits on the very edge of the downtown as you enter Millville. On the top of the display was a model of a sand separator that was in the creation of glass which the area was known for in the previous century.
The historic map of Downtown Millville, NJ
Another display has a model one of the major ferries that once ran in Millville.
The model of the Millville
After I toured the displays along the perimeter of the museum, I had a tour of the Baracha-Dunn House next door which was part of the historical society’s complex. These historic buildings were built in the late 1700’s and the addition in the early 1800’s. The tour takes you through both the main house and the later addition both upstairs and downstairs.
The Barack’s-Dunn house was open for a tour
The entrance the house from the street
The main room of the original house with the hearth in the main room for cooking and for heat in the house
The hearth is the center of the house
The Living Room of the main home
The Living Room of the home
The Living Room
The other side of the house which was the later addition to the home offered more rooms.
The Living Room from the main door
I left Millville after about an hour and a half and had to race across the southern part of the State of New Jersey down both Routes 45 and 47 to get to Penns Grove to visit the Penns Grove Historical Society which was on the other side of the Garden State Parkway. They closed at 3:00pm and that offered its challenges. Thank God I had already visited the Presbyterian Church cemetery and the Cohanzick Zoo the day before. Since I also updated the exhibition at the Historical Society at Mullica Hill and the town pictures of Millville, Salem, Mullica Hill and Penns Grove, pretty much my blogs were completed to the seasons. That took a lot of driving and a lot of racing around. Still I was extremely impressed the the Historical Society of Penns Grove, Carney’s Point and Oldmans.
While the Society is in a very depressed downtown area which pretty much does not exist anymore (all the stores surrounding the building are all boarded up), inside the museum was presented the exhibition “What We Wore Then”, an impressive look at the town’s former Downtown area up until the 1970’s when the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Malls and highways changed the way the town shopped. All the strip malls along the highway drew people away from the stores downtown.
The Penns Grove Historical Society at 48 West Main Street
This was when the museum was decorated for Christmas in 2023
The Penns Grove Historical Society sign that welcomes you to the museum
The mission of the Society is to collect, study and conserve such historical materials as they relate to the towns and their inhabitants, especially of the early settlement. It shall preserve relics and property of the past, both real and personal as may be given, bequeathed, purchased, loaned or otherwise acquired by the Society. It shall be the Society’s responsibility to use the collection for the education, enjoyment and benefit of the general public.
After almost two years of trying to visit this small historical society, the trips aligned and J was able to visit the Penns Grove Historical Society and delightful and very engaging exhibitions. What was sad was that people missed this wonderful well thought out museum when visiting the area. The museum has so much charm and such interesting exhibitions to walk through.
Entering the museum and the sign for the main exhibition ‘The Clothes we Wore’
There were three exhibitions showing when I came to visit. One was “On the Waterfront” on the Penns Grove waterfront. This describes the shipping and fishing industry that the town had before the building of the factories and the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Each display case has different aspects of the industries.
The seafarer and shipping artifacts
This exhibit shows how much the Delaware Bay has changed over the last 100 years.
The pictures and description of the native coastline around the Delaware River
Pictures of the Fishing Industry that was once part of the fabric of the town
The next was the exhibition, “The Clothes We Wore” was an extensive look at the retail community of Downtown Penns Grove, NJ before the coming of the malls and changes of traffic patterns into town. It is also a look at the changes in the way we dress not just to go out but how we dress every day.
When you walk the exhibition you can see the array of stores from shoe stores to hats that people used to don until the mid 1960’s and the coming of ‘Flower Power’. Each store had its specialty and catered to a specific client. It is interesting how each stores had it own display of wares and its use in our wardrobes. It also shows a very vibrant downtown that is now part of its past.
Each store had its own display along with the advertising in a time when shopping was leisurely and we took time out to try things on. Pride in appearance was a big part of who we are as people.
Dresses and suits were once part of our everyday wardrobe
The Millinery shop where hats and gloves were part of the wardrobe
Shoes shined for work every day were part of the uniform
Accessories built the character of our wardrobe
More hats that showed the personality of the wearer
The different advertising for the various merchants that made up the downtown
A glimpse of the downtown in its heyday
The infant and children’s clothing was a bit more formal even at public school
We pampered babies even back then. Their wardrobes were always special
Poland’s Department Store downtown was the place to shops before malls took over
The last exhibition was entitled “It’s Elementary” on the town’s school system. The displays in the back of the museum discuss the modes of transportation before cars and highways became part of the fabric. The progression of the schools in Penns Grove were on display as well with class pictures, school trips, awards and pictures of the schools themselves before regionalization and building of new schools.
The history of the Penns Grove School system in the exhibition “It’s Elementary”
The history of early schools in Penns Grove
The corner stone of the Penns Grove School
A classic trip to Washington DC and Mount Vernon were part of the school traditions even in the 1920’s
After I finished touring the Penns Grove Historical Society, I made a mad dash across the highway followed by the Pennsville Historical Society President, who just happened to be visiting that afternoon, to tour the house before they started to put the Christmas decorations up. This was pretty much the last weekend before all the houses closed to start the holiday season. Most of the houses needed to be decorated before Thanksgiving and it took time.
I got to the Church Landing Farm in plenty of to tour the house and the grounds. What an interesting museum that is full of surprises. When they unlock the auxiliary buildings to show you the displays, they are a real wonder of fascinating artifacts each with its own theme.
The sign welcoming you to the Church Landing Farm-Pennsville Historical Society
The house was built by Daniel Garrison between 1840-1845 and was the home for five generations of the Garrison family up to 1973 when the last living relative, Anna Locuson died and did not leave an heir. In 1991, Atlantic City Electric worked with the Pennsville Township Historical Society to open this as a museum.
I started with a quick tour of the outer buildings which I had seen three years prior but did not have a camera to take the proper pictures. Since there is not much online, I was on major picture taking mission and started with the amusement shed of the old Riverview Amusement Park display.
The display of the original park
The Amusement Park display
The Amusement Park display
The Amusement Park display
Then I moved onto the Military and Farming buildings
The town history building
Then I moved onto the High School and Military displays and then I took a quick tour of the house before they closed at 4:00pm. Talk about visiting under the wire.
The Town and High School History building
The High School display
After the tour of the outer buildings, the president of the historical society took me on a quick tour inside so I could take pictures in the house before it was decorated for Christmas. It really is a beautiful old home with the most amazing views of Delaware Bay. No wonder it was in the family for so many years. We first toured the downstairs starting with the Living Room.
The Living Room during the late Fall
The Parlor during the rest of the year
Then we took a quick tour of the bedrooms before they were decorated again for Christmas.
Bedroom One
The Bedroom during the regular months
Bedroom Two
The Bedroom during the regular months
The new dollhouse that was donated
The bathroom during the year
I just had enough time to visit the rest of the house and then head off to lunch before my trip home. The house is so nicely decorated both in the regular months and for the Christmas holidays that it is fun to visit all times of the year. I just finished the tour when the museum closed for the day (Visit my blog site VisitingaMuseum.com for details on all of these historical museums and sites).
I stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Pennsville area, Orient Restaurant at 414 South Broadway, a small restaurant in a tiny strip mall that you would never notice. It may have a very non-descriptive front but the reviews online do not do the restaurant justice as the two times I have eaten here the food and service are excellent. I never quite understood why the restaurant is not busier.
Orient Chinese Restaurant at 414 South Broadway in Pennsville, NJ
Orient Chinese Restaurant is one of those old fashioned Cantonese places that still offers the fried noodles and sauces in the beginning and still serves hot tea, ice water and Fortune Cookies at the end of the meal. Don’t be fooled though, this is no Chow Mein palace. Everything I have tried here is delicious, the prices are fair and the portion sizes are just right for a full meal.
The Wonton Soup is excellent
I kept it traditional by ordering a combination platter with Wonton Soup and Sweet and Sour Pork with Pork Fried Rice.
The Sweet and Sour Pork with Pork Fried Rice and an Egg Roll
The egg rolls here are delicious!
I have always been impressed by the meals at the restaurant and it was a nice way to end a very productive weekend. I got to visit, update and revisit so many cultural sites for my blogs plus I got to see Mullica Hill’s Haunted past. It was also such nice weather and I love waking up and looking at the views of the Delaware Bay at the Salem River Inn. Dinner was the cap off to a very busy Halloween season.
With four class though, I told myself that I am toning the whole Halloween season back a notch to limit the amount of events on the weekends. It got to be too much last year with work at the college and classes at NYU that I nearly lost my mind. So I promised myself that I would try not to revisit events of the past and pace myself each weekend of October. This year we did luck out and every weekend in October was beautiful with surprisingly warm weather. It would be 80 degrees on Halloween Night for the parade but for now, I enjoyed the long weekends and relished my time off when I had it. Until the next weekend.
The second weekend of October was my birthday and this time around I was planning things I had wanted to do and visit on my blogs and eat at some of the restaurants on my bucket list. Two of my major projects were done so on Friday I got all dressed up and started my birthday morning volunteering at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen.
I got in a little late but was able to catch up with everyone filling take away bags for the guests to go with their meals, then preparing 100 sandwiches for the weekend to take to sites where the homeless were sleeping so that they had a meal over the weekend and then we had to prepare for Sunday Supper that Sunday so all the place settings had to be prepared and bagged up for the dinner, which I had been to a couple of times over the Summer when I had more time. I always like to give back on my birthday and this was the perfect way to start my birthday day.
It was such a beautiful afternoon to walk around the City. This area of Chelsea has changed a lot in the last twenty years
I decided to take it easy this birthday and not do too much running around. I still had to get a haircut and get some other errands done. One of the meals that I planned today was having Afternoon Tea at the Lowell Hotel up on East 61st Street. I had passed the hotel years ago and when I was doing research on the hotel, they had mentioned the excellent Tea Service they had in the afternoon. Since I have been to the Plaza, Pierre and Waldorf (which is still closed for renovation) many times in the past, I had put it on my bucket list to try. At $150.00 for tea, and tiny cakes and sandwiches it was always hard to justify the price for ‘just going’, Since it was my birthday, I decided to splurge today and spend some of my hard earned money on something special. It was well worth it. What a nice afternoon.
The first thing to check out is the Lowell Hotel at 28 East 63rd Street at Madison Avenue. This elegant little hotel is one of the ‘Leading Hotel’s of the World’ and whose architecture is elegant and inviting. The potted plants and well appointed doorman really give it that European looking touch.
On my birthday in 2024, I finally broke down and went for Afternoon Tea in Majorelle, one of their signature restaurants. I went to try the new “Lilly of the Valley” Tea designed by Dior. It was pricey but this was a once in lifetime experience (unless someone takes me here again). The whole experience was amazing from the time I walked in to the time I left. It was first class all the way.
The floral arrangements along were magnificent. I could not believe the attention to detail the whole hotel paid to every corner of the hotel. Even in the bathrooms nothing was out of place.
The floral arrangements in the lobby were polished and elegant
Majorelle is a quiet corner of the hotel’s restaurants with an elegant and polished look to it. The restaurant was not busy that afternoon with only three other tables having diners. People were well dressed and subdued and the room was polished elegance.
Majorelle set for Afternoon Tea patrons
Nothing was out of place in Majorelle
The table set for one and ready to celebrate my birthday
Ordering from a menu fit for a King! I did not look at any prices this afternoon (it was my present to myself)
The start of the Afternoon Tea service
The Sweets and Sandwiches of the Lilly of the Valley Tea
The Curried Chicken, Lobster Salad and Cucumber Sandwiches
The pastries were so beautiful that I did not want to eat them. They looked as good as tasted!
I toasted my father on the Anniversary of his passing and to my birthday for a happy and safe year. This French Rose Champagne was excellent and a generous pour. Happy Birthday to me!
I had to justify spending the extra $35.00 on a glass of Champagne, I admitted to the waiter that it was my birthday and I should spend it in a special way. They came out later with two freshly made Madeline’s with a candle on the plate for my birthday. I will not tell you how much they sell Madeline’s for here but this was a generous gift that the waiters gave me. I told them I did not say it for something free (this is hardly an Olive Garden) but they could see it was a special gift to myself.
The Madeline’s presented to me with a candle on my birthday
Then came out the freshly baked scones which were still warm from the oven. Everything was made from scratch and made for me for this Tea. Even the Madeline’s were still warm from the oven.
These scones just came out of the oven for me and they were served with freshly made jelly
The additional sweets: freshly made iced cookies, Madeline’s, the Pink Dior Cake and a Chocolate Puffed Cake were presented to me after Tea was served
The Pink Dior Cake that served as a Birthday cake
The Pink Dior Cake was the perfect Birthday cake
Me on my birthday at the Lowell Hotel tea. This was the perfect birthday present to myself. I did make a wish that afternoon but I will not tell it
After I filled myself with sweets and good things to eat, I needed to walk this all off. Even then the sugar was starting to affect me and I needed a stretch or I would have spend out in the hotel’s lobby. I walked outside in the warm weather and walked down East 63rd Street and enjoyed the sunny day. That was some birthday!
After Tea was over, I took a trip to the Central Park Zoo to walk off some of the desserts and then I started to get phone calls from friends and family on my birthday, which was really nice of everyone. It was so beautiful and warm that I sat in the gardens near the Seal Tanks and talked with everyone for over an hour before my haircut appointment.
By the time the Zoo had closed, I had finished most of the my phone calls with my family and friends ( I was on the phone for over two hours), I went to get my haircut at York Barber at 981 Lexington Avenue. My barber of thirty years finally retired at 92 and I had to find a new barbershop. I had passed this place many times on my walks on the Upper East Side and finally decided to try it. I have had my last four haircuts here and I have been very happy.
York Barbershop at 981 Lexington Avenue has been around since 1926 and the interior looks like it
The barbers here are really nice and the haircuts are only $42.00 which I think is very fair for the quality of the cut and the fact that I look so nice when leave. They have also all been around for a long time so their clientele is pretty much established. This is also where a lot of celebrities get their haircuts but I never see anyone I know.
The inside of York Barbershop with the all well known people who get their haircuts here
After my haircut, it was off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a quick tour of the new exhibitions and just to walk around. I love just getting lost in the Met when I want to just get lost in myself. This was the perfect place to spend my birthday.
I love walking around this area looking at the luxury stores and walking around the Pierre and Plaza hotels, especially around the holidays. Unfortunately because of recent occurrences, the security at the hotels becomes a point of harassment where you can’t even walk around to look at the displays in public areas anymore.
Pierre Hotel at 2 East 61st Street of Fifth Avenue
For my Birthday dinner in October 2024, I enjoyed my birthday dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Perrine. The food and service were wonderful. The only problem was that the restaurant was so quiet during the Jewish holidays I felt alone sitting in the back of the restaurant (I had asked for a large table so that I could grade papers).
Perrine Restaurant inside the Pierre Hotel at 2 East 61st Street
The dinner was the perfect way to end my day walking around the Upper East Side. I had been eyeing that Perrine Burger for so long and on a cool night it was the perfect comfort foods.
The inside of Perrine on my birthday
My table at Perrine
I did not even need a menu I had memorized it and I was having the Perrine Burger. It was one of the best burgers I have eaten in a long time. It was made of Prime Beef and Short ribs and you could taste the difference in the meat. It was gamey and rich
My birthday dinner
Nothing like a juicy burger and fries on your birthday
The Perrine Burger is indeed special
Yum!
For dessert instead of any cakes or traditional sweets (I had all of that at Tea in the afternoon), I order the Apple Galette topped with sweet apples and cinnamon. Another perfect comfort food on a cool October night.
My birthday dessert, the Apple Galette
Don’t miss the Apple Galette at Perrine is amazing!
I just relaxed on this birthday evening, spending my day visiting the things I had missed before and just relaxed and enjoyed them.
Me on the night of my birthday at Perrine (with my hair cut). It really was a special evening and a special day. It really cheered me up especially that wonderful dessert!
After my birthday dinner, I walked around Midtown and just enjoyed the views. It is so beautiful in this section of the City. Still before I left I had to take a quick tour of the Pierre Hotel. I forgot how elegant this hotel is to visit. I had worked at the hotel during Spring Break in 1984 and remembered it being one the best hotel’s in the world at that time. I still have that love of this hotel.
Exploring the Rotunda at the Pierre
Even the bathrooms are amazing
After I left the hotel, I just walked around Fifth Avenue and enjoyed the views. Fifth Avenue and East 59th Street is what people think the State of New York is when you say the words “New York” to anyone outside the City.
Midtown Manhattan by the Plaza Hotel at night
The amazing views of Fifth Avenue at night
I really enjoyed the day with wonderful food, excellent activities and giving back on my big day. I know the meals will set me back a bit but both hotels are well worth it. The quality of the food and service you just don’t see a lot of anymore. Happy Birthday to me!
I got back to work over the weekend and graded papers and worked on new projects for my students. With four classes the semester, these students keep me awfully busy. So I spent Saturday and Sunday in front of the computer.
On Sunday morning, we had the October meeting for the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association. We are starting to get ready for the annual breakfast and the holiday party so there was a lot to discuss.
The NJ Jersey Firemen’s Home decorated for the Fall holidays
The home did a nice job making the grounds cheerful for both the residents and their families
The stage was set for a wonderful afternoon of entertainment
My blog on the event at the NJ State Firemen’s Home:
Singer Kelly Carpenter entertained the guests that afternoon
It was a productive meeting and we got a lot accomplished. We started the plans for the annual Christmas Party at the home and the breakfast meeting at the Wyckoff Fire Department. After the meeting was over, I drove around Downtown Boonton taking pictures of the foliage. It was going to be a long week at work and every weekend had something going on due to Halloween.
The next week after an extremely tiring week of classes and testing, I was finally able to sneak back up to Narrowsburg, NY (the upstate Brooklyn) for the weekend. I have been trying to do this for five years and I was finally heading back to the town.
Two days later, I was off again to try another restaurant, The Heron, in Narrowsburg, NY. I must be dedicated because only me could travel to two out of the ways spots just to try a restaurant. I had missed eating here in 2017 when I was passing through on my way to Bovina Center, NY (See Day Seventy-Seven on ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’):
To see the whole trip to Narrowsburg, I followed the same trip I made five years ago. This was a picture taking trip and it was just as enjoyable as it was the first time. Here is the link to the full trip both times:
I had gotten to Narrowsburg at 5:00pm that night and had to be in Bovina Center by 8:00pm so I just had about a half an hour to walk through the downtown and pass the restaurant. I vowed I would be back and it took three years to do it. Funny how life gets in the way when you are living it?
The goal is Downtown Narrowsburg, NY
My trip to Narrowsburg, NY was also a last minute trip that had been on my bucket list for the summer break from school. After such a wonderful day in Cape May, I wanted to take another drive to revisit the area in more detail plus there were a few museums that I wanted to visit that were also on the bucket list. So after work, I traveled up Route 23 into Sussex County and traveled up the highway to my first stop, The Franklin Mineral Museum (which I had passed years ago). It was a nice little museum on the site of the old Franklin Mine.
Before I got to the museum, I had to stop at the McDonald’s in Franklin, NJ, which has been my go to place for lunch before the long trip up to Narrowsburg. It is right around the corner from the Franklin Mineral Museum at 260 Route 23 in Franklin, NJ.
The limited edition Chicken Big Mac which is on the menu as a special
I had to try the new Chicken Big Mac that they were featuring as a special on the menu. It was two tempura chicken patties with the same sandwich set up as the beef counterpart with another type of secret sauce. I have to admit with a small Coke, it was more than enough to tide me over before dinner at 7:00pm. I did not need to order anything else. After lunch, I headed over to the Franklin Mineral Museum.
The entrance to the Franklin Museum 32 Evans Street in Franklin, NJ
The Franklin Museum 32 Evans Street in Franklin, NJ (See my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com) is dedicated to preserving the history of the mining industry, the types of minerals that were found on the property plus interesting displays on fossils from New Jersey and Native American artifacts.
The Franklin Mineral Museum on a sunny afternoon
Before you start to tour the museum, they give you an option to tour the quarry on your own and look for specimens of rocks. I looked over the quarry to find smaller pieces to take home and they had a black light to look over what you found. I found several pieces of calcite that glows orange under the light.
The Mineral Room before the lights go out
When touring the museum, leave yourself plenty of time to tour each of the galleries with two standing out, the Illuminated Rock Room and the simulated mine shafts, which take you into a copy of what a mine shaft and working in the mine would be like.
The Illumination Room is interesting once they shut the lights and close the door
The gallery illuminated
The other rooms are dedicated to minerals and rocks that are found all over the world. The only problem with the museum is that it is a little dated. Most of the signs are typed and the displays could have had more videos to explain what things were and how they were mined. Still the museum is an interesting stop along the highway.
The Franklin Museum Mineral Room
The Native American and Pre-Columbian Gallery
The Fossil Room
After my trip to the Franklin Museum, I continued the drive up Route 23 to downtown Sussex, the County seat. I have never been to such a depressed downtown before since visiting Asbury Park in 2002 (this shore town looks nothing like that today). In 2024, this is the same with Downtown Sussex with a very big theater and arts district. Now the sidewalks are being ripped up and bricked up. The buildings are getting a new life with new stores, restaurants and I can see galleries.
The changes going on now will change Downtown Sussex in 2024
Driving through it looks very nice from a distance but when I parked the car and walked around, almost all the storefronts were empty. All these beautiful historical buildings were just sitting around rotting. The historic hotel on the edge of downtown that looked over the rest of the city was falling apart. There was a theater that had been turned into an arts center but the rest of the downtown had not caught up yet. The artists have not found this place yet. Even the Chase branch closed recently so it is telling you about business. I got in my car and continued driving.
When I stopped in Downtown Sussex in 2024 for the first time in almost five years and all the predictions I thought that would happen to this downtown are coming true. The artists and the creative types have discovered the area. The beautiful Victorian homes that surround the downtown are being renovated, the sidewalks are being bricked up and the ‘new windows’ on old buildings are showing repurpose. It , like Asbury Park, are finding a new beginning.
The views as you start the drive into the mountains on Route 97
The views of the Delaware River in 2024
The trip up Route 23 continues into the mountains and to the highest point of New Jersey, High Point Mountain in High Point Park. Here you will see a lush forest and a great park to go hiking in. Maybe for the next time. I exited through the town of Port Jervis, NY before making the turn onto Route 19 which lead me into the mountains.
The Route 97 plaque
Route 19 past Port Jervis, NY hugs the Delaware River
Route 19 right now is one of the most beautiful drives into the mountains. The foliage was still green on my way up but in a few months the leaves will start to change colors and the views will be even more spectacular. Just driving slowly up the road the Delaware River Valley shows off its true beauty. My advice when you travel up to Narrowsburg, NY is to take your time and if there is a driver that wants to pass you, stop at one of the stops along the way and take the time to admire the view.
Route 19 views of the Delaware River
The view on its way to Narrowsburg, NY
I have to admit though that the drive can be a little scary being so close to the cliffs. I had not been this nervous about driving to close to an edge since my trip to Hana in Maui, Hawaii so please take your time, drive alert and drive during the day. During the late summer, just seeing the river glisten beside me and driving through the small towns on the way up the highway was picturesque and romantic.
The views from the top of Route 97
I got up to Narrowsburg in the late afternoon and the everything in the town was closing down for the night. I arrived at the Narrowsburg Inn by 3:00pm and needed to take time to relax. I met the owners who were preparing for a wedding that Saturday so I did not want to take up much of their time. What surprised me was when they told me that this was their last weekend in business and that Sunday would be their last day running the Inn. Also I was to be their only guest that evening and that they were leaving by 6:00pm for the evening.
All I could think about was the Overlook Hotel in the movie “The Shining” and the rumors that I read online that the Narrowsburg Inn was haunted. The owners assured me that there were no ghosts at the hotel, and I would be fine. They showed me to my room toward the back of the hotel with a view of the park and the river in the distance.
For $100, I thought it was very nice (See my review on TripAdvisor). It had a nice large bedroom with a small sitting area and bathroom with another small sitting area. The whole Inn had been renovated and made to look rustic to match the environment of the town.
The views of the Delaware River from the bridge in Narrowsburg
I had time to unpack and then explore the town while my hosts returned to their work. Downtown Narrowsburg is right around the corner from the Inn and is a nice walk down the road (The Narrowsburg Inn has since been renovated since I stayed there in 2019 and I have no pictures of it).
In 2024, the Narrowsburg Inn was full and I stayed at the new Darby Hotel just across the bridge in Pennsylvania.
The Darby Hotel is a new hotel to the area and is a five minute walk across the bridge from Downtown Narrowsburg. This little hotel which was once a nursing home has been transformed to a hipster hotel with game rooms, wonderful jazz music in the lobby and at breakfast and the most comfortable beds. They had a fire pit at night and a wonderful continental breakfast in the morning. I slept soundly that evening and enjoyed walking the grounds in the morning.
The Common area of the Darby Hotel
The firepit on the grounds at night
My bedroom and the dreamy bed
The Continental Breakfast in the morning which is part of the package
The grounds of the hotel
Narrowsburg had once been a sleepy little logging and fishing town that had become depressed with the economy of Upstate New York until the artists and restaurateurs discovered the town again and made it the ‘Brooklyn’ of the Catskills. The downtown is filled with innovative ‘farm to table’ restaurants, some very expensive galleries and shops (these do not cater to the locals) and some excellent views of the Delaware River.
I think Narrowsburg is going through its second transition as some of the more expensive stores have closed up and some newer ones look like they have been planned.
Downtown Narrowsburg, NY in the Fall of 2024
The small four block downtown is filled with clothing and food stores, small gift shops and galleries and some interesting restaurants. Most of the stores were closed by 5:00pm and would not be opening until 11:00am the next day so there was not much to do but window shop. I walked the whole downtown and passed the grain factory at the end of the block and wondered how long it would be operating with this wave of change. It was nice to see the old and new next to one another and how the town is remaking itself.
Downtown Narrowsburg, NY post office
Downtown Narrowsburg with the Heron Restaurant in the background
I had time to walk ahttps://welcometonarrowsburg.com/exploreround the river and the bridge that lead to Pennsylvania and don’t miss out on this breathtaking view. It is really something to look down the river and see woods and rock formations as well as see the view of the “Big Eddy”, the bend in the Delaware River in the middle of the downtown. The river bends to create a type of lake that naturally flows. At one time, this is where the logging industry used to move the logs downstream but now its used for fishing, boating and photography.
The Bridge over the Delaware River
The views of Delaware River in the Fall 2024
After the walk downtown and saw how busy The Heron Restaurant was that evening, I decided to walk a little further to work up my appetite and walked around the other blocks and look at the old homes and small farms that surrounded the downtown. Right down the road there was even a small historic cemetery and Fort Delaware were right down the road from the Inn.
The views of the ‘Big Eddy’ of the Delaware River from the Downtown Narrowsburg
Dinner at The Heron Restaurant was beyond my expectations (See review on TripAdvisor). The whole experience was excellent. From the warm greeting that I got at the host desk, to the view from my deck table (if the weather is nice it is highly recommended that you get a table on deck facing the river) which is amazing, to the friendly and welcoming service. It was one of the best meals I had eaten in a long time. What was nice was the restaurant was decorated for the Halloween holidays and it was pretty spectacular.
The artsy entrance to The Heron Restaurant at 40 Main Street
The inside of the restaurant during October of 2024 with Halloween decor
Choosing to sit on the outdoor terrace at sunset
The outdoor dining that overlooks the Delaware River
Enjoying a Bellini before dinner and toasting my father on the Tenth Anniversary of his passing
My toast to my father with much love!
What is nice about The Heron is that the prices are very fair for the portions you receive and everything I had was consistently delicious. I started off with a side salad of fresh greens with a homemade vinaigrette dressing, which was a small side dish that could have passed for an appetizer. It was more than enough. It was a combination of mixed greens, red onions, carrots and radish which was crunchy and delicious.
The Mixed Green Salad to start the meal
The salad was crisp and tossed with a light dressing
For my entree, I ordered the Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy with a side of mac & cheese that was made with three cheese, caramelized onions and baked bread crumbs . Trust me when I say that the sides of salad and mac & cheese are more than enough. The appetizer portions were much larger and would be too much with a full entree.
My Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato dinner (there were no sides of Mac & Cheese on the menu on this visit)
The Fried Chicken was excellent. When you have a free range organic chicken you can tell the difference in flavor with that and a frozen chicken from KFC. The chicken was moist, succulent and flavorful. The outside had been coated with a crunchy breading that was perfectly fried and crisp. The mashed potatoes were loaded with butter and the mushroom gravy had a rich flavor to it. The mac & cheese must have contained three cheeses and was sharp, gooey delight. The entree was delicious.
I highly recommend the Fried Chicken the Heron Restaurant
For dessert in 2019, I skipped the rich, heavier desserts (even though I really wanted one) and opted for the homemade grapefruit sorbet which was light and tart and the perfect ending to spectacular meal. In 2024, that dessert was no longer available and I wanted some comfort food to end the meal. I had the Lemon Ricotta Cake with a pot of Tea for my dessert. Talk about heavenly. The dense cake was served with a side of fresh whipped cream.
My dessert, the Lemon Ricotta Cake with Hot Tea on a cool October night
The dessert was perfect on a cool October night
The view was the deck was just as breathtaking! As I waited for dinner to arrive, the view changed from a sunny evening that gave way to a beautiful sunset over the “Big Eddy” and the mountains to a starry night where you could almost touch the constellations. I could see the ‘Big Dipper’ perfectly from my table. It was the perfect compliment to the wonderful food and excellent service.
The people dining on the patio The Heron Restaurant looking over the “Big Eddy”
I was the last one left on the terrace which had such beautiful views of the stars
After dinner was over, I walked around the quiet downtown and walked over to the small deck that is next to the stores down the road and looked at the stars. Up in the mountains you don’t have all the light pollution of the City and you can really see all the stars and admire the constellations. The walk was the end of a perfect evening.
The Skeleton inside the restaurant greeting you and watching you leave
The Mummy Lady outside the restaurant
When I got back to the Inn, it was quiet. There was one light on at the other side of the building over the kitchen. I guess one of the cooks stays there. Outside that, when I walked in I saw the empty kitchen and dining room. I walked up the creaky stairs to see the other empty rooms and arrived back in my own warmly lite room and got ready for bed.
Downtown Narrowsburg at night with a full moon by the bridge
If there is a ghost in this Inn, I did hear them. I sunk immediately into the soft, firm, comfortable bed and went fast asleep. When I mean its quiet up here it is silent. I did not hear a peep and slept soundly the whole night. Since the owners were not coming back until noon the next day, I could sleep in and had one of the best night’s sleep since the trip to Cape May. All that driving wore me out.
The owners had recommended Gerard’s Cafe at 119 Kirks Road the next morning for breakfast (See review on TripAdvisor). It had been an old gas station that had been turned into a restaurant (I think they still pumped gas there). It was a pleasant little cafe where all the local farmers ate and caught up on their gossip.
Gerard’s Cafe is now called “Proper to Go” and is a gourmet grocery store
I had a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with a side of hashbrowns ($10.95) and a blueberry Danish that had been brought in from a local bakery ($2.00) and everything was simple and delicious. The hashbrowns could have been warmer but overall it was a nice meal. It was fun watching the staff interact with the local guys and some of them went in the back to kid with the staff and give the cooks a hard time. It is a very nice place to eat if you want to go where the locals eat.
The Sausage Egg and Cheese sandwich was excellent (the restaurant is no longer open)
Since none of the downtown stores open until 11:00am, I stopped at Fort Delaware down the road. Fort Delaware is a local historical site (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com) that is a recreation of an old fort that used to be on the Pennsylvania side of river.
The Historic sign
The fort was created in the 1950’s as a local tourist attraction by an area resident historian who later sold it the area Parks system. The fort was open for touring on my first visit and I got to see the grounds. In 2024, it was closed as they were preparing for a Haunted Halloween event.
The site has three homes that recreate life in the fort as well as a working blacksmith shop and areas for spinning cloth and cooking. There are actors walking around demonstrating their crafts and talking to the visitors. It is a nice place to take the family if they are interested in history. If you visit the fort, remember to take time to walk all around the upper decks of the fort to look inside.
The next day after a relaxing breakfast and a quick run through Downtown Narrowsburg, I headed home. I had to drive down the shore to visit both Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights to check out their Boardwalks to see how the towns were celebrating Halloween. So there was a lot of driving I had to do this entire weekend before I resumed classes on Monday. I dragged my class work with me on the trip and managed to grade all my papers over dinners both in Narrowsburg and Seaside Heights.
The Aquarium was packed with people going to the special programming. The lines were so long that I did not bother. I had been there over the summer and had a lot of fun inside. The aquarium is very interactive and I loved the feedings that I saw in the summer.
The seal feedings were a lot of fun. The seals they have at this aquarium were both disabled and needed to be in a controlled environment. One had a flipper amputated and had a tough time swimming and the other was blind. They both seemed so grateful that people were helping them and were both very aware of human contact.
The harbor seal was a little charmer
She was always looking around, watching everything we were doing
The little harbor seal could not have been friendlier to the crowd and more engaging. She just showed the crowd what she could do and proceeded to swim around, eat and enjoy herself. She was so used to being around humans she acted like one herself.
The blind seal was just as friendly
The larger seal seemed so at home and comfortable around humans she seemed so relaxed during the feeding. You can tell she was well taken care of by the handlers.
She was also very playful
After the feeding was over and most people left, I stayed to say goodbye to the little harbor seal and she gave me such an innocent look. I just wiggled my mustache at her as she stared back at me.
How can you resist that look?
I walked through the upstairs open pools before I headed downstairs and watched the turtles watching us. Both the Spotted Turtles and the Diamondback turtles just popped in and out and stared at us.
The Northern Diamondback Terrapin
The Northern Diamondback turtle was funny. He just bobbed his head around and looked at all of us looking at him. It is so interesting to watch wildlife observe us and form an opinion. It would be an eye opener if they could talk and form an observation on us watching them.
The Diamondback turtles staring at us
The Spotted Turtle
The Spotted Turtle kept looking at us as well
Both turtles must be so used to humans looking at them, I swear that they are forming their own observation of us. If they were born and raised in captivity, they must be used to us as well.
The one thing I can say about the aquarium from what I observed is that the mammals and aquatic like are very well taken care of and the tanks are very clean. The employees here really take good care of the marine life and of the aquarium itself. I found the staff engaging and knowledgeable on their assigned displays. They interacted with the public very engaged and that’s what made this trip here so enjoyable.
When I came back in October for the Halloween holidays, the aquarium was mobbed with people trying to get in for the Halloween special events inside. I did not even bother getting in line but just walked the Boardwalk to see the decorations. “Boo at the Boardwalk” was a big deal and people came out in droves.
Halloween in 2024 in Point Pleasant with “Boo at the Boardwalk”
Trust me, Halloween is a big deal at the Jenkinson Boardwalk. There were all sorts of activities. Considering that it was almost 72 degrees that day, the Boardwalk was mobbed with people that Sunday afternoon. Everyone was sweating on the Boardwalk and a lot of people were wearing shorts. So much for the Fall!
Classes got even tougher for me as we going into Midterms and all my students were getting their Team projects so there was a lot going on between Mondays and Thursdays. Then on the long weekends I kept running from one section of New Jersey to the Hudson River Valley and then trips down the shore. I really stretched myself trying to cram as much as I could get done before the day was over.
I could not wait for weekends in October. Classes were rough and having over a hundred and thirty students can be taxing but I still managed to get the job done. As I was getting my second round of research papers graded, on the third weekend of October I traveled back up to the Hudson River Valley for a Holiday Tea at the Mills Mansion Staatsburgh. It was the first Halloween Tea since the one I attended in 2019 and the program was very similar to the one we had then.
I have been a Friend of the Mills Mansion now for about four years finding that I was going to a lot of their events it just made it easier to join and get priority on their special events which are enjoyable. The ‘Halloween Tea’ was one of them the opened the holiday season.
The slide show as we were about to begin the lecture at the Staatsburg Mansion
The guests arriving for the Halloween Afternoon Tea
The friendly witches getting ready to greet guests
This event was a tea and lecture of how the Victorians recreated Halloween from a dark more countryside evening wrapped in mystery to an engaging urban event with costumes, specialty foods and traditional events like apple bobbing that guests then made their own. Local Historian Carol Kohan discussed how the event went from a dark rural event to fun and engaging holiday.
The celebration was spooky and fun
From the old traditions to new ones
The Victorian’s made everything elaborate and overdone and the Halloween celebrations were ‘taken up a notch’ with elaborate costumes, parties, bonfires and desserts and candies that were to be served. There were special invitations and cards that were to sent and rules of etiquette.
The Ghosts and Ghouls of the holidays
Following the Civil War and at a time when disease was not understood the way it is now, there was an interest in spiritualism and seances were in vague as people want to reach out to their loved ones. So having a medium at a party was part of the activity. The Victorians knew how to transform a holiday.
The Menu for the afternoon
Our tables numbers on the table
During the discussion, we enjoyed an afternoon tea of the specialty Staatsburg Tea blend, a variety of finger sandwiches, pumpkin and cranberry scones and many types of pastries including mini pumpkin cheesecakes, tiny devil’s food cupcakes and assorted sweet cookies. The caterer always does a nice job with the food and service here.
The food at these function are excellent and plentiful. These were the current and raison scones
The Assorted delicious Tea Sandwiches
Sweets and cakes Afternoon tea here is wonderful
The estate in the Fall of 2024
The estate during the Fall of 2024
After the tea was over, I took a tour of the mansion. After my afternoon at Staatsburgh, I went mansion hopping and took pictures of the foliage at Wilderstein by Rhinebeck and then at the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. I worked my way back down Route Nine to my last event of the evening, the ‘Ghost Tour’ at the Knox Headquarters site. It was a very unique event.
My first stop was Wilderstein just as the house was closing for the afternoon. The last of the guests were relaxing on the patio overlooking the Hudson River as the docents started to close up the house. The views of the Hudson River from the house are spectacular.
The Wilderstein Estate 330 Morton Road in Rhinebeck, NY in the height of the foliage
The most amazing views of the Hudson River in the Fall of 2024
The colorful fall foliage of the Hudson River at Wilderstein
The beauty of the Wilderstein estate
After I visited Wilderstein, I went to the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, where the last of the tours for the day were completely sold out and the parking lot was really busy. People were touring the grounds and looking over the Hudson River. These old estates had some of the most prime space along the river.
The Vanderbilt mansion facing the Hudson River around the time of the setting of the sun
The views of the Hudson River from the Vanderbilt Mansion
The last home of Fredrick Vanderbilt
I could tell why Fredrick Vanderbilt loved this house so much
After I toured the grounds of both of these wonderful mansions, it was the trip down both Route 9’s past all the other historical sites that were closing for the afternoon. The whole Hudson Valley was busy that afternoon.
I attended the Halloween events at the Knox Headquarters when in the spirit of the 18th Century Gothic Literature, an author took us on a tour of treason and tides turning during New Windsor Cantonment and inside the Knox Headquarters. The ghosts of the past tried to find a traitor in the midst of the war.
Meeting the ghosts of the author and her characters on the site of the Knox family estate
The Knox House at 289 Old Forge Road is lit for the Halloween holidays had a eerie look to it that night
The Ghosts of the past trying to find a traitor during the war
Leaving the Continental Army camp after the performance was over that evening
We walked the estate and followed the storyline with the actors. There were people on both sides of the war who thought they were right. It was an interesting Halloween event. Then it was the quick trip home to relax.
The week before Halloween, the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association head it’s Forth Annual Halloween House & Merchant Decorating Contest, which was a huge success. The contest took place as I was giving my students their midterms and as I prepared for the Halloween Parade. It was the week from Hell as it was a series of late nights and taking my computer and all my paperwork with me. I never worked so hard. Last year, throw in Grad School and three massive projects and three research papers and you know why last year my Halloween blog was filled of nights of exhaustion. At here I did not have the three classes at NYU but this time I had the additional class with another thirty students so it was just hard.
It was a banner year in ‘Haunted Hasbrouck Heights’ as a record number of Hasbrouck Heights residents decorated their homes for what has now become the start of the Holiday season. ‘In our town of Halloween’ we searched for the best ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night to find the best house and merchant that best represents the spirit of the Halloween holidays. This is my forth year as the Chairman of the Hasbrouck Heights Halloween House Decorating Contest and I have never seen so much creativity in our town.
The Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Halloween House & Merchant Decorating Contest:
We found that our winners were two members of the community that had been winners in previous contests, who really stepped up their game and created displays that dazzled the judges unanimously, Heights Floral Shoppe for a third straight year and the Fiduccia family of 85 Woodside Avenue for a second year since winning two years ago. The judges were blown away by their creativity and ingenuity in creating such fantastic displays.
Our Merchant Division is starting to grow with more of our Downtown merchants decorating their windows for the Halloween season. We wish more would get involved but the clear winner is now a three time winner with not just the most amazing windows but interior as well.
The Heights Flower Shoppe dazzles during day and night
‘I love Halloween,” owner Ray Vorisek said. “We like to use our creativity in the windows. I am always adding on and looking for new things for the display. We have been so busy lately that we were not able to finish adding some of the newer pieces for the store.”
The witches, goblins and ghosts in the display at Heights Flower Shoppe
The windows were decorated with flying witches and beasts smiling on their journeys while a howling wicked witch of the west stood guard in the front of the store. The interior was a wonderland of Halloween decorations and candies perfect for any Halloween event and party.
The inside is decorated for a Halloween get together
The candy selection for you little goblins
The store both inside and out was decorated to the hilt with items for sale and the displays.
Three time winner Ray Vorisek with HHMA Halloween Chairman Justin Watrel
Winner and owner of Heights Flower Shoppe Ray Vorisek in front of his store.
Our runner up the year was Healing 4 the Soul, the gift shop and café that is one of the newer additions to our business district. The business is owned by residents Renee and Dawn Pikowski. The windows were simple and creative and elegant.
The enchanting windows of witches and pumpkins
The spiritual windows up close
“We love to decorate our windows,” said co-owner Nicole Pikowski “ we strive to be creative. You will always see different displays at each holiday.” The store was decorated with beautiful witches wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.
The inside of the Cafe for Healing 4 the Soul
The enchanting gifts at Healing 4 the Soul
There are a lot of lotions and potions and sweet treats to eat inside that are all handmade in house. The Halloween fragrances abound the store. More of our merchants got very creative this year and we are hoping to see more next year.
Chairman Justin Watrel presenting the Runner Up Merchant award to Co-Owner Renee Pikowski
In the House Decorating Division it was a difficult decision for judges who drove around many days both day and night to see the houses. Of all the wonderful houses we visited all over Hasbrouck Heights, one home was on the top of every list of each judge and that was 85 Woodside Avenue.
The Fiduccia family had been our winners in the Second Annual contest and stepped up their game by adding all sorts of new elements to the yard to be the winners again in 2024. The vote was unanimous amongst all five judges.
85 Woodside Avenue at night
These are some videos on the winning home’s video display that won the contest. These were amazing and so spooky:
Ghosts and ghouls lined the yard performing all sorts of interesting acts
Skeletons lined the yard awaiting the crowds of Trick or Treaters visiting on Halloween Night
The Fiduccia family in their family ‘skeleton’ costumes
The Fiduccia family with their second year win!
The display during the day was just as impressive as it is at night
Matt Fiduccia said that he really wanted to add new things to the display. “We found a lot of new items that became available and added them to the display. I created the arch for the ‘Ghostbuster-like video’. We added the projectors to the windows on the second level of the house as well. There are a lot of new decorations on the market now for Halloween.”
The house not only had sculptures and mannequins of all types but creatures, skeletons and ghouls that lines the yard. In the archway in the front yard was a running video of apparitions from movies like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Poltergeist’. In the upstairs windows of the home were running videos of desperate souls and violent blows. Each part of the house had its own storyline. It was a well-deserved win.
The Fiduccia family together with their second win for the Halloween House Decorating Contest
The Judges Marc Mancuso, Chairman Justin Watrel and Vinnie DeCicco from the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association with winner Matt Fiduccia
With so many wonderful houses to choose from, the judges narrowed it down to three homes as the runners up. There were so many that we liked but each judge was asked to narrow it down to three and it was pretty much unanimous amongst the five of us. Just like the winner, the judges had a short list of the runners up and three homes captured our imagination.
The first two were previous runners up who upped their game and had extraordinary displays of creativity. One was at 36 Hamilton Avenue, the home of Alex, Laura and Scarlet Pena. The other was at 115 Ottawa Avenue the home of Dennis Hall. The displays were both intriguing and imaginative both during the day and night. Like the winners, everyone stepped up the decorations with lights and sound effects and added that special touch to their homes that made it stand out.
Our third was a house on the Hasbrouck Heights border in Lodi that captured the imagination of each judge at 236 Paterson Avenue. The house had a bevy of creatures displayed both in and out of the house. All the judges kept passing it at night so impressed by it we did not realize that it was on the border of Hasbrouck Heights in Lodi, NJ.
“My grandfather used to decorate his house and people used to travel to visit it, so I wanted to keep that tradition going,” said Runner up Jay Logan. “We keep dreaming up new ideas for the display and we keep adding to it.”
Jay and Ann Logan of Lodi were one of the three Runners up for the contest
“We didn’t even know that there was a contest going on,” said Anne Logan. “We live right on the border of Hasbrouck Heights and Lodi, so we feel like we are part of both communities.” The Logan’s turned their display on and lit up and roared. The Logan’s are active members of both communities and were surprised and very excited about their win.
236 Paterson Avenue at night
The ghost and ghouls in front of 236 Paterson Avenue
236 Paterson Avenue during the day
Chairman Justin Watrel awarding the Logan’s their award.
At 26 Hamilton Avenue, Alex and Lauren Pena and their daughter, Scarlett added at lot to their and their display had more horrors in each section of the yard and house. “We have a lot of fun decorating on Halloween and everyone is impressed by the front yard display,” Lauren explained.
26 Hamilton Avenue was Runner Up last year as well
36 Hamilton winners Lauren and Scarlet Pena in front of their home with Chairman Justin Watrel
The Skeleton surgery in front of 26 Hamilton Avenue
36 Hamilton during the day
The mother and daughter Runner Up winners Lauren and Scarlet Pena
The last house on the Runner Up list was 115 Ottawa Avenue which had an honorable mention last year in the contest and has been noted on the list since the first year of the contest. Owner Dennis Hall accepted the Runner Up award with much excitement. “I love decorating the house for Halloween. The kids really seem to love it when they come here Trick or Treating. We are a very popular house. I added the sound effects and have several new pieces that I did not have time to put out for next year. You will have to come back next Halloween.”
115 Ottawa Avenue
115 Ottawa Avenue by the doorway
Runner Up and previous Honorable mention winner Dennis Hall Second next to his ghoulish display that was lit for the night of the presentation
115 Ottawa Avenue drinking the day
We want to thank all the members of the Hasbrouck Heights community for their wonderful displays and with a little extra decoration here and sound effect there can make a big difference in the judging.
Before I headed into the city for an overnight stay the night of the parade, I went to the Halloween events at the Harlem Meer in the northern section of Central Park. For years I had wanted to see the Pumpkin Flotilla. This is when hundreds of lit carved pumpkins are paddled around the Harlem Meer at sunset. I have never seen this section of the park so crowded. Being 77 degrees that night, families crowded the park creating crafts and children in costume were having a ball playing with each other and enjoying the activities. It was when it turned dark, the eerie and exciting events of the water activities started.
The Harlem Meer in late October 2024 before sunset
Every year the park has all sorts of activities for families like pumpkin painting, costumes contests and refreshments. The conclusion of the sent they have the pumpkin parade.
The Harlem Meer and the Dana Center right before sunset and the activities begin
I had never seen the Harlem Meer so crowded before especially with lots of little kids. Families were enjoying the Halloween activities of pumpkin carving and painting, games and little treats that the kids got (I never saw anything as it was gone quickly). The festivities were just ending as I raced from class to get into the City before the Pumpkin Flotilla started at dusk. It was still light outside so I got to enjoy the exhibition inside the Dana Discovery Center, “The Gates”, on the history of the various gates people use to enter Central Park.
The Gates Exhibition at the Dana Exploratory Center
Then the fun began when the sun went down and the Halloween music started to play on the load speaker. Then two people canoeing started to paddle around the Harlem Meer Pond with lit Jack O’Lanterns following them. They started at dusk but when the sun finally went down, the real magic began.
For the next hour, one gentleman started paddling around the Meer then followed by another and they circled the pond for about an hour. Everyone was jockeying for space as we all tried to take the perfect pictures.
I stayed in the park taking pictures as the guys finished paddling around. The park had a almost spooky and mysterious look to it at sunset. I just wanted to get out of Central Park when it got dark. Too many bad memories of things happening. I headed over to the East Side
I stopped at the Bamboo House for a quick dinner before I left for home. The one nice aspect of this small take out place is that is has a nice place to sit down and eat. It isn’t the fanciest place but is a nice place to sit down and have a relaxing meal.
The inside of the dining area of Bamboo House is very nice for a takeout establishment.
I stopped by the restaurant for a late night dinner and had the General Tso’s Chicken with Pork Fried Rice and a pint of Hot and Sour Soup. It was perfect on a cool October night.
My dinner that night
The Hot & Sour Soup was perfect. The spiciness of the soup really opened me up. It had such a rich flavor to it. The General Tso’s Chicken had a nice tangy and spicy flavor to it to complimented by the Pork Fried Rice.
The Spicy Hot& Sour Soup
The General Tso’s Chicken was delicious
This small gem by the Lexington Houses is very good and I look forward to dining here in the future. They have a very nice selection of meals for a reasonable price. It was a wonderful dinner and a great way to end the evening. To work off dinner, I walked from East 98th Street back to Port Authority down Park and Madison Avenues, stopping on the side streets to look at the Halloween decorations. I took so many pictures of displays because I knew the second the Halloween Parade was over, everyone would take down their decorations by Saturday and the Christmas decorations would start to go up.
For some reason East 95th Street off Fifth Avenue especially between Park and Lexington Avenue, were decorated to hilt. The East 90’s were heavily decorated for Halloween as if there was a competition between the neighbors of these areas. Then when I got into the more commercial 80’s, it seemed to stop. More and more this year I saw more people decorate for the holidays.
Here are some of my favorites from my walk down through the Upper East Side:
There scary tales of the Upper East side
East 95th Street looked like it was in competition for the best decorations
Halloween at 1165 East 98th Street
East 95th Street decorations
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 95th Street
East 92nd Street
East 92nd Street
East 92nd Street
East 92nd Street
East 91st Street
East 79th Street
East 79th Street
This was pretty twisted on East 79th Street
East 79th Street
East 78th Street
East 78th Street
East 78th Street
People on the Upper East Side really decided to decorated and they did. People were really creative and had a lot of fun this year. I saw this in my own community that people are embracing the fun part of Halloween. I think people really wanted to outdo each other.
The next day, I had class in the morning at the college and I could tell that the students were getting antsy that they wanted to get out and enjoy Halloween. I can tell a lot of my students had plans that day and wanted class to end. As soon as class was over, I was on the bus to the City. I found out earlier in the week that Mark, who I had been working with for years at the Performance Gate as a Marshall, was not going to be there and now I was in charge with another Marshall J.J. to run the gate. I had to admit I was nervous.
I really had nothing to worry about as I was well trained and there was a lot of help plus J.J. was a great guy and we got along really well. Our entire Team worked together and the evening went by without a hitch. I had never seen four and a half zoom by so fast.
The Cat Puppets practicing at the parade
The Cat puppets rehearsing at the beginning of the Halloween Parade
The Dragon Float at the end of the Halloween Parade
Last float in the Halloween Parade
Me Protecting the Gate at the Halloween Parade with my friend the Dragon
J.J. and I working together at the Halloween Parade
By 8:30pm, the last of the stragglers had come into the parade route. Anyone who arrived late were out of luck anyway as the the floats were long gone. Most of the parade goers were downtown anyway. When we closed the gate, J.J. and the other volunteers left and I stayed to watch what was left of the floats heading up town. By the time I got to the staging area, only two floats were left and the rest were people in costume marching up Sixth Avenue. The parade was winding down by 9:00pm and I walked up Sixth Avenue and followed the parade uptown. Even the Village was heavily decorated for Halloween.
Decorations on East 11th Street
Halloween on East 11th Street
Decorations on East 13th Street in the Village
The crowds were huge and still going strong when I left Da Umberto’s later that evening. One of the police officers said they were on duty until 11:00pm and I thought he was kidding. That really was when the crowds thinned out.
After the parade a group of us went to Da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street for dinner as we had in the past
I stayed and had dinner with some of the other volunteers at the parade at Da Umberto’s, an Italian restaurant at the end of the parade route. As I watched the remainder of the parade goers finish their march uptown and the volunteers packing up the puppets and floats, I stopped in for dinner and just relaxed. It was nice to talk to the other people who helped in the parade and exchange notes.
Dinner Buffet at Da Umberto’s
Dinner Buffet at Da Umberto’s of Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Spouts, Penne Vodka and Veal Risotto. The food is as good as it looks!
The food and the service at Da Umberto’s is excellent and we all had a nice time after the parade was over to relax and catch up with each other. The parade was the main topic and its success. It was such a beautiful night and the temperature was still a balmy 65 degrees when I left the restaurant. I had never seen such a warm Halloween but the economic impact of people eating outside, bars jammed with party goers and every restaurant below 23rd Street including the pizzerias and fast food restaurants jammed packed were helping the local economy. Owners may have been tired but looked extremely happy. It ended up being a very nice Halloween for everyone.
As I resumed classes and handed back Midterm exams, (I spent the night at the Residence Inn Downtown and locked myself in the room until 4:00pm the next day grading) there was once last event I attended before it closed for the season. It was the The Pumpkin Blaze up in Croton on the Hudson at the Van Courtland Manor.
I was able to get tickets the Friday night of the last weekend. It was a cool night when I drove up and since it was after Halloween as one of the volunteers at the site said to me, “We see a significant drop in people after Halloween”, the place was empty. There may have been about fifty people when I walked through which was perfect for picture taking. No one was in my way this time and I had plenty of time to walk through and admire the displays.
By the last weekend though, the amount of pumpkins was less and I could see they carved just enough to fill it in for the last weekend. Still I loved the creativity of everyone who contributed to the Blaze.
Arriving to the Pumpkin Blaze on the last weekend of the event. It was quiet on Friday night but was the best for picture taking and viewing all the wonderful displays
Van Cortlandt Manor Pumpkin Blaze in Croton on the Hudson:
I have been to the Blaze over the last ten years and each year displays do change but it is nice to see new things be created. These are some of my favorite displays of the Blaze. I hope you enjoy them.
The Entrance display
The entrance to the Pumpkin Blaze
The entrance path to the Blaze displays and all the Halloween Delights!
The entrance to the Pumpkin Parade
The Carved Pumpkins at the entrance
The Carved Pumpkins at the entrance
The Carved Pumpkins at the entrance of the Blaze
The Carved Pumpkins at the entrance of the Blaze
One of my favorite carved pumpkins
I loved this pumpkin
The main display has not changed much but it is still spectacular. It is an amazing site.
The Tappan Boo Bridge travelling to the ghostly display
The Van Cortlandt Family home decorated for Halloween
The decorations during the musical performance
The field of pumpkins along the way
The end of the Blaze
The Gift Shop on the last week of the Blaze. The Blaze would close that Sunday.
It really was a wonderful Halloween season. I may have cut back because of work but the things I had volunteered to do and events I participated in made it all worth it. It really was a great start to the holiday season.
Boo!
Places to Visit:
Old Town Hall Museum/Harrison Township Historical Society Inc.
Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm/ Monday-Saturday Closed/Museum is open from April-December/The Auxiliary buildings are closed when the museum is closed. The community is welcome on Sundays when the museum is open and for community events. Please check the museum website on this.
Fee: Combination Museum & Rock Collecting: Adults $15.00/Children 3-16 $10.00/Seniors (65+) & Veterans $12.00 Other packages for just the museum and rock collecting are available. Please check the website.
Hours: Open Thursday-Sunday: 11:00am-5:00pm (the last tour is at 4:00pm)/Open Monday Holidays from April 19th to October 28th. The mansion then closes to prepare for the holiday season. Closed on Thanksgiving and Easter. There are special programs from January to April so please see the website.
Admission: $8.00 for adults/$6.00 for groups and Seniors/Children under 12 are free. Special events have separate fees and can run from $8.00 to $10.00 and above.
Fee: $10.00 donation at the Holidays/$16.00 Adults/$10.00 Seniors & Students/Children Under 12 free
Visit Wilderstein-With its exquisite Queen Anne mansion and Calvert Vaux designed landscape, this historic estate is widely regarded as the Hudson Valley’s most important example of Victorian architecture.
I started my exploration of Gramercy Park having walked many of its borders in other walks. It seems that the borders between the Flatiron District, Union Square, Rose Hill and NoMAD have become blurred. All these beautiful buildings with their protective lions, mythical creatures and mysterious faces watching and protecting them have a home on all of them.
The elegant brownstones that line the park
Gramercy Park is probably one of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan with its historic brownstones, beautiful park and excellent restaurants and shops. The neighborhood is steeped in history and it had been enjoyable to walk around the buildings and read their history.
As I walked around the Farmers Market, looking over the very over-priced fruits, vegetables and bakery products, I noticed more of the medallions that line the border of Union Square Park. The first one I admired without the sunlight distracting me was the medallion of the layout of the park from the 1800’s.
This is the original layout of the park in 1876 plaque
The collection of medallions around the park’s fringes
The Union Square collection of plaques
The collection of plaques in Union Square Park
The plaques around Union Square Park
The plaques around Union Square Park
I walked around the park and marveled at it on a very hot afternoon. Like most parks in former edgy neighborhoods, it fascinates me how a bunch of twenty year old’s and families sun themselves and socialize where thirty years earlier you would be harassed by homeless, drug dealers and methadone addicts. You still might see them on the fringes of the park but not like in the early 1980’s.
The park now has a business partnership and I believe a Friends group as well. There are so many activities going on in the park, that I am sure people don’t notice all the chess hustlers and counterculture types on the 14th Street perimeter.
Looking at the southern part of the park facing 14th Street and the southern entrance to Broadway
From Park Avenue South/Union Square East is the extension of the street that lines the eastern end of the park. At the corner of East 15th Street and Union Square East is 101 East 15th Street the old Union Square Savings Bank building.
101 East 15th Street-The Union Square Savings Bank Building/Daryl Roth Theater
The side of the Union Square Savings Bank building
The bank itself was founded in 1848 and moved to this location in 1895. This building was designed by architect Henry Bacon in the neo classical design in 1905 and the building was finished in 1906. The bank closed in 1992 (Wiki).
I walked to the small triangle of Union Square Park that sits between East 15th and 14th Streets and came across a sculpture that I had never seen before on all my walks back from NYU. Maybe I just missed it when it was dark out. It was a depiction of an urban legend of the NYC sewers.
Artist Alexander Klingspor is Swedish born artist who works both in the United States and Sweden. He apprenticed under American artist Mark English. He is known for his paintings and sculptures (Wiki).
I then started my walk up Park Avenue South which is actually the western border of Gramercy Park. I have always been impressed by the W Hotel on the corner of 16th Street and Park Avenue South at 201 Park Avenue South.
This luxury hotel has an impressive history of being one of the innovators of luxury in the Marriott chain. The W Hotel concept was known for its edginess in design and the creativity in its restaurants. Things must be progressing as their customer gets older because their General Manager spoke to our Leadership class before I graduated from NYU and said they are softening the music (finally!) and changing the designs in the rooms. Maybe there will finally be a place to put your clothes.
The historic plaque on the building
This historic building was designed by the architects D’oench & Yost in the Modern French mode and built in 1911. Like most historic office buildings below 23rd Street, the are being refitted as hotels and condos as the desire for high ceilings and soaring lobbies have become desirable. This building had been designed for the Germanic Life Insurance Company Wiki).
I continued up Park Avenue South to East 20th Street to see another familiar building on the border of the neighborhood, 250 Park Avenue South. This building seems to be on the border of many Manhattan neighborhoods.
250 Park Avenue South was designed by architects Rouse & Goldstone in 1911 in the Neo-Classical design. You have to look at the building from a distance to appreciate all the interesting embellishments on the sides and top of the building.
The building was designed by William Dilthey and built in 1898. The building’s style, scale and materials contribute to the special architectural and historic characteristics of the Ladies Mile District (Corcoran Group).
As you walk up Park Avenue South, the first building that makes an impression is 251 Park Avenue South. This elegant office building with its large display windows and clean lines shows of the store inside. The office building was built in 1910 and has large windows both on the ground level and towards the top of building.
One building that does standout from the others on Park Avenue South is the Calvery Church at 277 Park Avenue. The church was established in 1832 and moved to its current location in 1842. The current church was designed in the Gothic Revival style by James Renwick Jr., who designed St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Another interesting building, I looked up and admired while walking up Park Avenue South was 281 Park Avenue South, the former Church Mission House. The building was designed by architects Robert W. Gibson and Edward J. Neville in the Medieval style and was built between 1892 and 1894. It was built for the Episcopal Church’s Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (Wiki). It now houses the photography museum The Fotografista Museum.
281 Park Avenue South-The Fotografiska Museum (The Church Mission House)
Another impressive building, I passed before East 23rd Street is 105 East 22nd Street the former United Charities Building. This is the final building in what was once known as “Charity Row” (Wiki). The building was designed by architect R. H. Robertson and the firm of Rowe & Baker. It was built by John Stewart Kennedy in 1893 for the ‘Charity Organization Society’ (Wiki).
I started walking down East 20th Street from Lexington Avenue. I crossed East 23rd Street which is the edge of the neighborhood shared with Gramercy Park, Rose Hill and Peter Cooper Village further down the block. This busy thoroughfare is lined with a lot stores, restaurants and many interesting buildings that leads to the East River.
I stopped for lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant named Awe Sum Dim Sum at 160 East 23rd Street and it was just excellent. I took my friend, Maricel, here for lunch when it first opened and we ate through most of the menu (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com).
The restaurant has the most amazing appetizers to choose from that are all made in house and served fresh to you either at your table inside or one of the many tables outside (while the weather holds out). On my trip with Maricel, we ate our way through the Fried Dumplings, the Chicken Siu Mai, the Spring Rolls, the Baked BBQ Pork Buns, the Scallion Pancakes and the Soup Dumplings. On my trip today, I ordered the Soup Dumplings, Crispy Shrimp Rolls and the Siu Mai with pork and shrimp.
The Soup Dumplings here are the best
So are the Spring Rolls when they are fresh out of the fryer
On one of the trips I had the Pan Fried Pork Buns, Spring Rolls and Roast Pork Buns.
With the cost for each running between $4.00-$6.00, I could eat my way through the menu. The nice part is what a nice contemporary designed restaurant the place is to dine in. Everyone is kept ‘socially distanced’ so it is a nice place to eat.
The inside of Awe Sum Dim Sum
After a nice relaxing lunch, I was ready to continue down East 23rd Street. Criss crossing the street again, I noticed the beauty of 219-223 East 23rd Street. The building has all sorts of griffins and faces glaring out. When you stand across the street, you can admire the beauty of all the carvings on the building along the archways above and the faces staring at you from the tops of windows.
Another building that stands out is 304-310 East 23rd Street. This former factory building was built in 1900 and now is the “The Foundry”, a converted condo complex. The amazing detail on the building stands out and you have to admire the stonework and details in the carvings along the building.
Reaching the end of East 23rd Street, you will see the planned middle class complex of Peter Cooper Village, which has gone market rate and is now getting very upscale and seems to have a younger resident walking around then the usual middle aged residents who used to be on the list to get one of these very desirable apartments.
The entrance to Peter Cooper Village at First Avenue
Across from Peter Cooper Village is the Asser Avery Recreational Center and Playground 392 Asser Avery Place with the famous baths and pools that have been part of the neighborhood for generations.
The Asser Levy Recreation Center and Park at 392 Asser Levy Place
When the baths opened in 1908, the facility was called the East 23rd Street Bathhouse. It was by architects Arnold W. Brunner and William Martin Aiken. Based on the ancient Roman Baths, the architecture was inspired by the “City Beautiful” movement, a turn of the century effort to create civic architecture in the United States that would rival the monuments of the great European capitals (NYCParks.org). The playground next to it opened in 1993.
The architecture by Arnold Brunner and William Martin Aiken resembled a Roman Bath
The fountain at the bathhouses.
The historic plaque.
The Baths and Park was named for Asser Levy, a Jewish trailblazer in colonial times when Mr. Levy and 23 Jews fled from Brazil in 1654 to seek refuge in New Amsterdam. He challenged Governor Peter Stuyvesant when he tried to evict the Jews from the colony. He was the first Jew to serve in the militia and own property in the colony (NYCParks.org).
The border to the east of the neighborhood is combination of the East River Esplanade, FDR Drive and First Avenue. Since First Avenue and FDR Drive are surrounded by a combination of college campus and hospital space, it makes walking around the neighborhood tricky.
When you walk across East 23rd Street to FDR Drive, you have to cross over FDR Drive at East 25th Street behind the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Hospital complex and the CUNY/Hunter College campus and then cross over the bridge to the Waterside Plaza complex.
The Waterside Plaza complex and the Greenway walkway
This series of apartment buildings faces the East River and FDR Drive that leads to the East River Greenway walkway and the Waterside Plaza walkway both surround the complex. The views are breathtaking on a sunny afternoon of the East River and Long Island City.
The East River Greenway and the view of Long Island City.
East River Greenway looking at East 23rd Street
I turned around from the river (which is technically not part of the neighborhood) and walked down First Avenue. First Avenue is an unusual border for the neighborhood in that on one side is the gated communities of Peter Cooper Village from East 23rd to East 20th Streets and Stuyvesant Town which is from East 20th to East 14th Streets and on the border of Avenue C at the very eastern border. These once middle-income housing that once catered to teachers, fire fighters and police have gone market rate in the last twenty years, and you can see the changes in the chain businesses that now line their side of First Avenue.
Peter Cooper Village on the corner of East 14th Street and First Avenue
Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village was one of the biggest post WWII private developments created in Manhattan. It consists of 110 red brick buildings that spreads over 80 acres of land below East 23rd Street. The complex was developed by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company based on the earlier success of the Parkchester complex in the Bronx. The first buildings opened in 1947. The complex used to be catering to middle class/middle income rent controlled apartments but since 2006 has gone more market rate (Wiki).
I found that you are not allowed to walk around the complex without permission so I just walked around the borders of the complex that had open roads. Please just don’t ‘walk around the complex’ without permission or know someone in the complex. Still I was able to walk through some of the well landscaped corners of the complex. They do a nice job maintaining the complexes.
On the other side of First Avenue just below East 20th Street starts Stuyvesant Town
The gardens in between the buildings in Stuyvesant Town in the Summer of 2024
On the other side of the street, there are small brick and brownstone buildings housing businesses that cater to the complex with a combination of chain and independent stores. I thought the whole Avenue could use a bit of a makeover. So much of the neighborhood was under scaffolding. Walking down First Avenue I noticed a lot of newer businesses on the complexes side of the street with more upscale restaurants and bars. Now that this is market rate housing and there have been renovations in the complex, a wealthier clientele has moved into the two complexes.
On the business side of First Avenue, it’s a combination of small restaurants such as pizzerias, delis and bodegas and services catering to the residents in both complexes. Here and there are some very reasonable places to eat. From 23rd Street to about 16th Street are businesses that cater not just to the housing complexes across the street but to the office buildings around the corner at East 14th Street.
The independent businesses lining First Avenue and East 21st Street
The independent businesses along First Avenue and 19th Street
Turning onto this part of 14th Street just above Alphabet City, I found I was far away from the old Ladies Shopping District and the beautiful architecture that once housed those stores. That is closer to Fifth Avenue and Broadway. On one side of East 14th Street are new buildings catering to office workers. The northern side of East 14th Street is a series of old brick and brownstone buildings that house small restaurants and bars.
The East 14th Street shopping district is made up of small businesses
Looking up Second Avenue at East 14th Street
As you enter the heart of East 14th Street as I rounded the corner, I saw a tiny fire fighter outside Engine 5 at 340 East 14th Street.
Engine 5 was founded as a Volunteer Fire Company in 1865. This firehouse was designed by Napoleon LeBrun & Son in 1881 and is still used today (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
Little Fire Fighter at Engine 5
Looking down East 14th Street shopping and dining district
There is a real diversity of businesses down this stretch of East 14th Street from First to Third Avenues.
Coyote Ugly Bar, famous of the film, at 233 East 14th Street
The bar was made famous by the movie of the same name back in 2000.
The trailer for the movie “Coyote Ugly”
Here I noticed a lot of newer buildings that have changed the dynamic of the neighborhood housing small businesses, city agencies and some of the buildings that have become part of the NYU campus. 14th Street is now a hodge lodge of different businesses such as restaurants and stores and a lot of fast-food places catering to the college students and the office workers.
This six story walk up apartment building was built in 1900 and is one of the last holdovers in this neighborhood. You have to look up at all the faces staring at you to appreciate it (Streeteasy.com).
The entrance to 328 East 14th Street
The faces staring at you from the entrance of 328 East 14th Street
As you get closer to Union Square Park, you see more of the classic architecture and upscale housing. In an ever-changing Manhattan, this area like every other section of island is being knocked down and rebuilt. The closer to the parks you get, the more upscale things get.
At 124 East 14th at the base the NYU campus at part Palladium Hall is Urbanspace Union Square. There is a selection of upscale restaurants catering not just to NYU students but to the business community as well. This just opened in August 2024 so I had not noticed it when I was recently attending NYU.
I took a quick walk through the food court and looked over the over-priced menus of the restaurants. I could not believe the prices of these places and how it catered to college students but the place was packed. I also saw two young plain clothed policemen looking over the food court and that was a little unnerving but a sign of the times.
The food court in the afternoon
Some of the upscale restaurants at the Urbanspace Food Court
When I arrived back at my starting point in Union Square Park, it was nice to sit on the benches and listen to the street performers practicing their music. The park has been such a relief from the heat and a place to cool down is probably the reason why the wealthy called this home before the Civil War. There is a lot of calm in the park in this very busy crossroads to uptown.
Looking down East 14th Street from Irving Place
Arriving back at Union Square Park in the Summer 2024
Union Square Park in the late summer is quite spectacular
Union Square Park is just spectacular during the Summer and it is nice to just relax on the lawn or sit on the benches and read a book. It is nice to just calm down and relax and enjoy the day. The Gramercy Park area is unique in architecture, parks, restaurants and shops and there will be more to explore in the future.
Please read my other blogs on Gramercy Park:
Day Three Hundred and Twenty Walking the Borders of Gramercy Park:
It has been a long time since I had visited both Seaside Park and the Seaside Heights Boardwalk and beaches. I used to come down swimming with my dad at the Seaside Park Beach all the time in the summer in the early 2000’s when I moved home from Guam. I always really enjoyed the park as it was one of the nicest beaches in New Jersey.
I had not been to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk in a long time. I used come down in the summers when I was in high school (like everyone else in New Jersey) but I was writing a series of blogs about museums down the shore and was writing a blog on the new Seaside Heights Historical Museum and Carousel so off I went down the Garden State Parkway again to this popular resort town. While I was down the shore, I went back to Point Pleasant Beach up Route 35 and revisited the downtown for that blog to update it.
The welcome sign to Seaside Park, NJ on a sunny Summer morning
I started my day talking with the Director of Recreation of Seaside Park, who was starting to spearhead a new Historical Society in Seaside Park and invited me to tour their historic City Hall building.
The historic Seaside Park City Hall at 1701 North Ocean Avenue
What I thought was interesting about the building is that it originally started out as a lifeguard station. I thought it had an unusual design with a tower and wide doors.
The from of the building faces the ocean.
When we toured the whole building I could see where the lifeguards used to watch the ocean from the tower and the large garage doors are where the lifeguard boats were stored. That’s why the doors were so large. What was impressive were the tower views.
The ocean view from the top of the tower at City Hall
After I got dropped off when the tour was over, I made my way to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk which starts in Seaside Park and passed the well known pizzeria, Sawmill Pizza, which has an excellent reputation and is well known down the shore. I had never eaten there but I heard they had over- sized slices.
The original Sawmill Cafe in Seaside Park, NJ in the downtown area
I had gotten to Seaside Heights so early, it only took me only an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from North Jersey, that most of the businesses on the Boardwalk had either not opened yet or were just opening. The Boardwalk was really quiet and I had the Boardwalk to myself.
The Seaside Heights Boardwalk at 10:30am in the morning was quiet and very relaxing
The Boardwalk by both the Sawmill Cafe and Three Brothers Pizza. The outdoor seating is plentiful.
The long stretches of quiet Boardwalk in Seaside Heights
The Boardwalk is perfect when its quiet and not much of a crowd. It was a sunny day with a pleasant breeze. With some of the businesses preparing to open for the day, I was able to visit many of the stores on the Boardwalk without the usual crowds having to elbow people to see things on the shelves and in cases.
I had asked the Recreation Director of Seaside Park why there had not been the damage during Hurricane Sandy as in other parts of the shore, he said it was due to being on higher land on the shore line and the well built dunes that had been created. These dunes today are well maintained and a valuable part of the beach ecosystem.
The planted dunes by the shore line in the Seaside Park part of the beach
The well built dunes near the Boardwalk protecting both the Boardwalk and beach
As I walked down the Boardwalk to get to the new museum, I noticed the open air art show on the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk was lined with interesting paintings by artists depicting Seaside Heights.
The newest addition to the collection on the Boardwalk
I thought it was wonderful to have an artwork display that had so much creativity and imagination in each of the pieces. The fact that it was a beautiful sunny morning to enjoy it made it even better. Each piece had such a colorful perspective of life at the shore.
I finally got to the Seaside Heights Historical Society and it was all gated off. I had to stop and ask the woman selling beach badges when it would be opening and she said not until 3:00pm. I am looking at my watch and it was past 11:00am. She said it was open from 3:00pm to 8:00pm so I would have plenty of time to see it.
With so much time before its opening and so much more I wanted to see and do, I decided to take the time to explore not just Seaside Heights and Seaside Park but Bay head and Point Pleasant Beach as well. I had wanted to revisit their downtown area as well as visit other museums in the other towns.
The Seaside Heights Historical Society- The Carousel Pavilion at the dnd of the Boardwalk
Some of the historical pictures of the past of this shore community
After our conversation, I decided to make a morning of exploring the two towns and see what they have to offer. Both towns have so much to see and do both on and off the Boardwalk. The first thing I did was have something to eat. I am not sure if it’s the sea air or just the smells of the boardwalk of fried foods and sausage but I got hungry.
This started my ‘Pizza Fest’ adventure on the Boardwalk. With so many pizzerias located on the Boardwalk, it was going to take several trips to Seaside Heights to try them all. I started on one side of the Boardwalk and would work my way down.
As I passed the Historical Society, I looked at the pizza case at Shore Slice Pizza at 1309 Boardwalk and saw the Sausage pizza in the case. I got to talking with the owner and he was telling me he worked in the City and learned the business there. All I have to say is that the pizza was wonderful.
The pizza made first thing in the morning. Pizza at 11:00am was really fresh.
I had to have a slice of the sausage pizza and it was fantastic. I love a slice of pizza loaded with sweet sausage.
After a nice lunch, I walk the length of the Boardwalk and explored the stores and the restaurants. I had a nice time weaving through all the stores looking at candy displays and restaurant menus. I saw plenty of gift shops as well.
The amusement area closed that morning
I passed the amusement area but it was closed in the afternoon so I only got to see the rides beyond the fence. The park would open up later that evening. I walked all around the Boardwalk that morning and have to say that there is nothing like a Boardwalk that is all your own. You are not elbowing people, the shop keepers are not over-whelmed with people and are extremely friendly and it gives you time to really enjoy it and look around.
One store that impressed me was Planet Candy at 615 Boardwalk
I stopped in Planet Candy attracted by all the candied covered apples and chocolates in the window. The smell of the sweets lead me inside and I was delighted by the selection of candy, chocolates and novelties.
I loved the selection of gifts and treats and the service was very friendly
I loved the assortment of fresh candies, gifts and admiring the boxes of fresh salt water taffy, a Jersey shore specialty. Talk about a kid in a candy store. I left with a smile on my face.
I stopped to look at Jimbo’s Bar & Grill menu to see what they were having for lunch. The had an extensive menu which I took note of for another time. I had my eyes set on another pizzeria.
I had heard about the pizza at the Sawmill for years and it has quite the reputation down the shore so I had to try it. I have to say that the slices are really large so bring an appetite.
The giant cheese slice The Sawmill I had for my second part of lunch
I have to say that I was disappointed. It was an over-sized slice and it looked good, it was thin on the bottom and could have been cooked more so it limped in my hand. Maybe this happened because it was the first pie of the morning. The guys at the register were really friendly and served the pizza quickly.
I took one more trip around the Boardwalk to work off the two slices of pizza and passed the display of Seaside Heights Rescue Boats that people took pictures in. While it was quiet in the morning by the afternoon you could not get people out of these boats. I was able to get some nice pictures before it got busy.
On my second trip to Seaside Heights, I had done a bit more research on the town and remembered another pizzeria that I wanted to try on the Boardwalk, Maruca’s Tomato Pies Pizzeria at 601 Ocean Terrace on the Boardwalk.
What I had remembered about Maruca’s was that they put an extra swirl on the top of the pizza to finish it once it baked. People in the State of New Jersey call this a ‘Tomato Pie’ since the sauce is on top of the pizza and not below the cheese.
Maruca’s Tomato Pies (Pizzeria) at 601 Ocean Terrace
Maruca’s Tomato Pies do live up to the hype. I had a piece of Sausage pizza and it was very good (but it could have used a bit more sausage on top). It really did have the swirl on top of it and what was nice about the extra sauce is that it added extra flavor to the cheese on top of the pizza. I must have really enjoyed this lunch because it was the same dinner I had when I visited in October. They are so generous with the sausage on top of the pizza and the pizza is so crisp!
My lunch on the second trip to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk
The pizza really does look nice
I had a slice of their Sausage pizza for lunch on my second trip to town and it lived up to its reputation. It could have had a bit more sausage on top and was a little pricey at $7.00 a slice but figured it must be the rent. Still the pizza was flavorful and delicious. Their was nicely spiced and the sausage added a sweet flavor to it.
I returned to Seaside Heights in October 2024, to see what was happening on the Boardwalk for Halloween. There were some nice decorations but nothing had been planned for the Boardwalk that I could tell. We had some warmer weather in the middle of the month and for a week it was in the 70’s.
When I returned to Seaside Park and Heights in October of 2025, the Boardwalk had been busier with a Pumpkin Decorating Contest and the night before a showing of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. I also got to see the finish of the Scarecrow Contest. So there were little ones running around but the cool weather kept people from sticking around.
The Boardwalk was very busy but most of the businesses had closed for the season and those that were open closed at 6:00pm. Still it was nice to walk on the Boardwalk and enjoy the warm breezes from the ocean and be able to visit the dunes without having to pay for it.
Seaside Heights Boardwalk was celebrating Halloween on the Boardwalk
Some of the businesses had decorated the Boardwalk for the Fall holidays
I was finally able to visit the beach without paying for it in mid-October
A beautiful view of the now closed Amusement Park at Sunset on a October afternoon
The Seaside Heights Beach by the Boardwalk at Sunset on October 20th, 2024. I was just beautiful the way the sun sparkled on the shore
In October of 2025, I stopped in just after a Scarecrow Making Contest. The contest was already over by the time I got there but people were still looking them over. The kids did a really nice job with the contest. While Seaside Heights and Park don’t have the activities that its northern neighbor Point Pleasant has, the activities led to some creative ingenuity of the kids and there were interesting decorations all over the towns over the Halloween weekend.
The town even decorated the Boardwalk more this year with skeletons and other creatures. There were not many activities on the Boardwalk on the Halloween weekend but the decorations were fun.
Skeletons on the Boardwalk
Zombies on the Boardwalk
I left the Boardwalk to explore Seaside Park’s Downtown area and parks. I can see the beach at any time but what makes the character of a town is where the locals go. The restaurants that are out of the way, the parks families go to and the business districts that the tourists don’t flock to but should. I took a stroll down the Main Street of town. My first stop was the Seaside Park Farmers Market.
The Seaside Park Farmers Market at the Marine Lawn
The Farmer’s Market is every Monday and Friday when in season. I walked through the market that afternoon and really enjoyed the variety of merchants they had selling their wares.
The entrance to the Seaside Park Marina where the market takes place.
There were a whole array of vendors to choose from at the Farmers Market and you could find what you need to fill your pantry or for the perfect picnic at the beach. The was a pickle man, a woman making gourmet pizzas to go, farm fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms in the area, a bread and pastry man, and a cheese man. There were several people selling homemade crafts and jewelry.
The market was busy that afternoon
The one thing I did notice was that the prices were very similar to those in Bergen County. It looks like the price hikes have affected down here too. When you want quality it will cost you.
There was a lot of nice produce and prepared foods to buy
The Cedar Post Farm Market had a nice variety of fruits and vegetables at their stand
After walking the whole Farmers Market and noting the vendors for my next trip down the shore, I left the Farmers Market to visit the stores that lined the business district. Before I left, I took a quick tour of the marina district behind the park. The views were amazing.
The Marina District at the end of the block with a view of the bridge
The views from the Marina District
The old fashioned clock tower just outside the Farmers Market
There were a number of stores I passed on the walk down the street that were not open at the time but would warrant a visit in future trips. The first business I passed was a whimsical ice cream shop with a very unusual logo.
The Ice Cream Boss at 10 NE Central Avenue in Seaside Park, NJ
I noted that they made their own homemade ice creams in house and wanted to try their peach and blueberry while they were in season. The store was not open at the time but this is for another trip to Seaside Park.
On my second trip to Seaside Park, I ended my day and my eating tour of town with a medium dish of ice cream, which equates to two and a half nice scoops of ice cream in a dish. This is far more generous than some the places closer to the City.
The inside of Ice Cream Boss
The selection of homemade ice cream at Ice Cream Boss
I changed my mind on what ice cream flavors I wanted to try when I sampled the Pretzel Caramel Swirl and the Birthday Cake flavors. Talk about wonderful. The ice cream here is all homemade and you can taste it in the quality ingredients.
The combination of Birthday cake and Pretzel Caramel Swirl was delicious
There were loads of chopped pretzel and big swirls of caramel in the first scoop and hunks of vanilla cake, icing and sprinkles in the second scoop. I had no problem devouring this at the end of a very hot day.
What I like about Ice Cream Boss is that you can eat either inside or on the outside tables giving you view of the surrounding homes and gardens. The road is also filled with people heading to the beach so it is busy all the time. On a sunny, warm day there is nothing like it.
The next place I passed was the Union Church of Seaside Park with its historic looking wooden structure. This historic building stood out amongst all the shore homes in the area.
The Union Church of Seaside Park at 47 4th Avenue in Seaside Heights
The church was organized by founding members in 1899 and the church was completed in 1901. This historic non- denominator church has been welcoming locals and tourists alike for over a hundred years (Church website).
The main entrance to the church
The next business I visited has been a shore staple for years and that I see in many shore towns, B & B Department store at 500 SE Central Avenue.
The outside of B & B Department Store at 500 SE Central Avenue
B & B Department Stores are one of the last of the small localized department stores in New Jersey. Many of these disappeared in the early 1990’s with the bankruptcy of Allied, Federated and Macy’s Department stores. B & B seems to know their niche and caters to the Jersey shore downtowns. I visit their store in Beach Haven I am in the area.
I love the way they merchandise their clothes
They a nice collection of seasonable clothes that is perfect if a tourist is visiting and needs to pick up a couple of things for the trip. They also have a nice gift department and a collection of logoed ‘Seaside Park’ merchandise. Each of their stores gears this merchandise to the beach town they are located in.
I thought the displays were very original. This shark display was in the beach merchandise department
After I left the store, I continued down the street to the next store stopping at Park Bakery at 408 SE Central Avenue. I got there rather late in the afternoon and the assortment of baked goods was limited but I took note of the items available and will be back for breakfast in the future.
This whimsical little guy greets you when enter the bakery
After I had breakfast on my second trip to town in August it must have been something in the salt air but I was still hungry from my breakfast at White Oak Market and had to stop in the store for a piece of pastry.
There had been so much going on in the store on my last trip with a delivery and a noisy family inside plus being late in the day, there was not that much of a selection. Early in the morning, there is more to choose from. I loved looking at the assortment of twists, yeast breads, doughnuts and turnovers to choose from.
The selection of pastries, cookies and cakes at Park Bakery
What I like about Park Bakery is how whimsical the store is inside. I had not noticed it on the first trip but there are puppets and interactive characters along the walls and by the coffee station.
These dessert Chef’s oversee the counter at the bakery
The talking Moose and Tree interact with one another and the tree is actually a refrigerator
After surveying the turnovers and cookies I chose one of the doughnuts and that was a hard choice as they all looked so good. I had one of the powered Jelly doughnut’s with a raspberry filling and it was a delicious. There was so much jelly inside that when I bit in, the sweet jelly burst in my mouth.
The delicious jelly doughnut with raspberry filling was the perfect way to finish breakfast
When I came back in August, I did a more extensive walk of the town and ended up walking not just the entire length of Seaside Park but all the way to the edge of town to the Seaside Park that is located in Berkeley Township. I thought it had been part of Seaside Park, the town.
The entrance to Island Beach State Park in Berkley Township in the Summer
Then turned around and walked the entire length of the business district and Boardwalk again in Seaside Heights and saw all the new developments there as well. Like many of the shore towns in New Jersey that I have visited, the old businesses are being knocked down for pricy condos and more upscale expensive restaurants to cater to the people who will moving in. I have seen this in Point Pleasant Beach and Wildwood.
The Island Beach State park is actually located in Berkeley Township in South Seaside Park
You can’t just ‘walk into Seaside Park’, the park itself but have to drive in and pay a fee so that is where I stopped when I got to the entrance. I noted the restaurants at the entrance of the park and there were some that I wanted to try in the future.
The Seaside Park sign on October of 2035
As I walked back to Seaside Park, I stopped at several of the small parks that line the bay on the side streets. I think the tourists miss these and that’s what the locals enjoy. The first one was a small park near the entrance of Seaside Park two blocks down from the entrance at the end of 24th Street. The small pavilion offered nice views of the park and bay.
The view from the pavilion at 24th Street in South Seaside Park
The nautical display by the businesses in South Seaside Park
The little bohemian houses as you leave the Berkeley Township neighborhood by the beach
The next little gem of a park was by the 13th Street Pier in Seaside Park. This long pier was attracting fisherman and joggers on the hot day. At the entrance of the park, there was a butterfly garden meant to attract monarchs on the migration path.
The sign for the 13th Street Pier and Park
The small garden at the entrance of the pier
This wonderful little park also had a pavilion to rest in the shade and relax and enjoy the views.
The Butterfly Garden by the entrance of the pier
The views from the 13th Street Pier at the park
The views from the end of the pier are just breathtaking of the bay area. On a sunny day you can see all the way up to the bridge. The views are just spectacular and the park is so peaceful on a quiet weekend.
The views from the 13th Street Pier Park
The views from the 13th Street Pier Park looking south
I walked back to the circle where the main part the Seaside Park shopping district starts and had to stop in the police station because there are not a lot of public bathrooms outside the Boardwalk area. They have nice public bathrooms and no one bothers you when you use them.
I walked around the circle of the main shopping area and made my way back up Central Avenue. I could see the Bay Area from the shopping district and went off the path to explore it. One store I enjoyed walking into was the Shore and More General Store at 100 5th Street.
The Shore and More General Store at 100 5th Street
The Shore and More General Store is for the visitor who forgot the things they needed for their trip or for a day tripper who did not want to drag everything with them for a day at the shore. There are all sorts of beach chairs, towels, umbrellas for sale and inside suntan lotion, snacks, drinks and gift items to take home with you. It reminded me of some of the stores of Amity Island in the movie ‘Jaws’. A little local store that carries everything needed in a beach community for a visitor.
The inside of Shore and More General Store in Seaside Park, NJ
I stopped at the 5th Avenue Bay Pier and Park after my long walk around the shopping district. This wonderful little park has a small beach, a wonderful pier to walk on to see the views and the most breathtaking views of the bay and shoreline. This park is really for the locals and it funny how all the kids seemed to know on another.
The park offers a small beach for a fee for swimming in the bay and the pier looks like it is popular with fisherman and sunbathers alike. Just like the 13th Street Pier Park, it offers the most spectacular views on the bay and the surrounding shore.
5th Avenue Bay Pier in the afternoon
The park is nice to get away from all the hustle of the Boardwalk. I watched everyone fishing on the pier talking and swapping stories past catches. The I got the end of the pier and saw all the sailboats in the distance. That was a beautiful site. It looked like a regatta.
The view from the 5th Avenue Bay pier is breathtaking on sunny afternoon
The 5th Street Pier
This seagull acted like he was guarding the pier
The view of the 5th Street Beach and Pier with our friend the seagull looking on
The weather got hotter in the afternoon and I got the most amazing accidental tan. I did not realize the strength of the sun that afternoon. It was really strong hidden by cool breezes. The pier offers such a nice place to relax and watch families having a nice time on the beach. It is the perfect place for a walk after a day at the shore.
I walked up Central Avenue peeking in the gardens along the way and admiring peoples homes. There seems to be a mix of weekenders and permanent residents.
One of the gardens I admired on my walk up the main street
I loved this shell flag that was on one of the porches
One of the nicely landscaped homes gardens in the downtown district
From the park I made my way back to the shopping district on my way back to the Boardwalk. On the way, I passed the White Oak Market at 206 SE Central Avenue and walked in to see a bustling crowd of customers.
The grocery section and deli of the White Oak Market
What a great little grocery and deli. It had the nicest assortment of sandwiches and salads and is the prefect place to get food items for a beach picnic. The people working there could not have been nicer to all the customers. The problem was after two slices of pizza I was not hungry and I was eyeing the breakfast sandwiches coming off the grill.
The hot food deli section of the market
I made note of this and on my second visit to town had breakfast here as my first stop. I had a Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a hard roll that was wonderful. They loaded the sandwich with fresh bacon, about three eggs and a couple of slices of American cheese and tucked all of this into a chewy bun. I was able to enjoy this with a Nantucket Red Plum juice on one of the benches outside the store.
The White Oak Market’s prepared food section and salads
While I was waiting for my order to be finished, I stopped and looked at the gift and beach section. The store has all sorts of shirts for the beach and to take home as a souvenir. What’s nice too is the grocery section is extensive and you can stock up on things you will need for both your hotel room and beach rentals.
The selection of gifts and grocery items
I had a better chance to walk around the store and it is really like a little general store for the locals with a nice grocery section, a section for beach toys like pails, shovels and items like chairs and umbrellas for a day at the beach.
They also have a selection of clothing with logoed items from Seaside Park to take home as gift. What I really liked about the stores is that it really was a gathering place for the residents who were greeting one another by name and sharing gossip with one another. It is one of those stores that every town should have in it.
I took my Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich and a Red Plum juice and ate outside on the benches, which is a really nice treat on a sunny day. The sandwich was excellent and was the perfect breakfast that morning after a long walk (see reviews on TripAdvisor and LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com).
The Bacon Egg and Cheese sandwich on a hard roll is definite choice for breakfast
Yum!
When I returned in October in 2025, for lunch I tried the Chicken Salad on a hard roll. The over-sized sandwich was enough for lunch and dinner.
The Chicken Salad with a side of Macaroni salad
It was a great sandwich
Ditto with the Macaroni salad
After my second meal was over, I made my way through the rest of town and into the business district of Seaside Heights which parallels the Boardwalk. This is where the real changes are happening.
Gone are the older motels and shops. The area must have been rezoned because all sorts of upscale condos and apartments are being built where those businesses once stood. It tells me that they are trying to attract a more year round visitor.
The edge of the Seaside Heights Downtown business district by the Boardwalk
A downtown restaurant sign
The Downtown artwork
The Downtown artwork
The Downtown artwork
With all this new building you can see the quality of the coffee shops and restaurants now being built around them. The old hot dog and cheesesteak places that surround the block between this and the Boardwalk are starting to look out of place.
Part of the old Downtown Seaside Heights by the Boardwalk, the waterslide park
I made my way back to the car which I parked near City Hall. I had to go back to Point Pleasant to finish my blog on that town’s downtown area and two of their museums. I came back to the Boardwalk later that evening.
My blog on Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach:
Later that night I was back on the Boardwalk again and there was a nice crowd that evening. The amusement park opened on the Boardwalk and it was a lot more lively with the rides going and the music.
The Boardwalk amusements area was really lively when I returned to the Boardwalk that evening
The rides were spinning, flipping and swirling everyone around. It looked like everyone was having a good time on this sunny Friday night. There is nothing like a night at the Jersey Shore.
My view of the rides and activities on the Boardwalk:
I walked to the end of the Boardwalk to find that the Seaside Heights Historical Society building was open and the historic carousel was in use with its colorful animals and cheerful music.
The Dr. Floyd L. Moreland carousel in the Seaside Heights Historical Society Building
The carousel was so beautifully restored and the music so festive.
The start of the ride and the music
The beautifully restored horses
The camel
The tiger
The gentleman working the carousel that evening told me that the Historical Society plans on having more exhibitions in the future but for right now the doctor’s collection of carousel horses were on display.
The case line of carousel horses being shown at the museum
The panels from the carousel that could not be restored were on display as well
The Seaside Heights Historical Society has done a wonderful job creating a museum that is engaging and interactive. That and the carousel offers a wonderful ride.
The Society has a new exhibition in the back part of the building promoting the “Postcards from Seaside Heights” in October 2024.
“Our History in Postcards” at the Seaside Heights Historical Society
The Seaside Heights “Hodge Podge” of the Town Map and artifacts from the town
The Seaside Heights Banner display
The Seaside Heights Historical Society keeps adding all these interesting displays to the building and you really have to walk around the building to enjoy them. Don’t forget to ride the carousel.
As I walked back down the Boardwalk, I enjoyed all the laughter and yelling going on with people having a wonderful time on the rides and at the games. Before I left for the long ride home, I stopped at the Midway Steakhouse at 500 Boardwalk for some Cheese Balls. All I saw that afternoon were signs for the famous Cheeseballs of Seaside Heights and now had to have some before I left.
What Cheeseballs are fresh mozzarella balls (or have been rolled into balls), breaded and quickly deep fried similar to mozzarella sticks. They are then served with a homemade red sauce. They are heaven on earth and the Midway Steakhouse did an excellent job on them.
My Cheeseballs meal from the Midway Steak House that I ate on a bench on the Boardwalk
Yum!
I took one last look at the amusement area before I left and watched the summer crowd just having fun. Funny if we’re not for the cellphones and the models of the cars, I would have shown it was 1978 all over again. That’s what the Seaside’s do, bring you back to your youth.
The entrance to the amusement area at dusk
It was a fun day!
The Boardwalk at the end of the day
The clown in the amusement park taking a rest
Greetings from the restaurant section of the Boardwalk
Seaside Heights Boardwalk in October of 2025 during Halloween Weekend
Halloween Weekend in 2025
No matter what time of the year it is, both Seaside Heights and Seaside Park offer interesting and fun activities or just a quiet walk on the Boardwalk is nice as well. It is a relaxing place to just think and have a nice afternoon.
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