I promised myself I would cut back on holiday activities last year. Since almost all of my older blogs have been revamped and updated to reflect the work on my newer visits and walks of neighborhoods and towns, I took a step back and revisited one last holiday activity I enjoyed last year, The Light Show at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. So, join me for my walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s ‘Lightscape’.
The Gardens have been running this show for several years to increase traffic in the Gardens during the winter months to great success. These type of lightshows are gaining popularity in botanical gardens all over the country similar to the drive through holiday light shows. They are becoming a new tradition for families in usually quiet parks during the holiday season. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been an impressive show over the last four years that I have attended.
The directory of the ‘Lightscape Show’ at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The brilliance of the “The Tree of Stars” display at the entrance of the show
I love how they illuminated the trees to the music
The Christmas music illuminated the trees in the “Shadow Play” and created a festive beginning to the light shows
One of the best parts of the light shows is displayed in the Japanese Garden “Let the Magic Begin”. The water show keeps people dazzled for almost five minutes. I find myself every year having to watch it three times. Once to check it out, once to film it and then the last time to be dazzled by it myself. It is one of the reasons why I put up with 35-degree weather.
The beautiful lights illuminate the gardens at its start
Then the water show “Let the Magic Begin” begins
The video of the water show is so impressive every year (excuse my coughing)
The end of the water show was spectacular
I walked down the pathway toward Daffodil Hill and could not wait until the sea of yellow flowers returned in four months. In its place was a sea of lights and sounds in the display “Papillion’s”.
I next walked through a sea of butterflies and the skies were full of color in the ‘Papillion’s’ display
The trees were full of colorful butterflies in ‘Papillion’s’
I then walked through the Shakespeare Garden and came across the ‘Threshold’ display which was a sea of lights that flipped and sparkled around.
The ‘Threahold’ display in the Shakespeare Garden
‘Threshold’ in full color
‘Threshold’ changing colors
I walked around the spiral of spinning lights s and admired all the beautiful colors as it moved around. I walked around the Shakespeare Garden and looked at where the colorful flowers and plantings are placed in the Spring and Summer.
As I walked to the lawns of the Watershed, I passed the ‘Sway’ exhibition with its layers of colorful lights on the trees.
The colorful lights of ‘Sway’ as the music plays on CD
The video of the ‘Sway’ lights against the trees
The illumination of the trees in the gardens during the light show
The next display on the lawn of the Watershed was ‘Fluxit’, which looked like outside fire. It clicked and sparkled as the music played.
The ‘Fluxit’ display as it lit and moved
The video of the ‘Fluxit’ display
Once I left the Watershed lawns, I walked into the ‘Winter Terrace’, where in the warmer months are the Lotus Pools and seasonal plants and flowers are displayed. It was now decorated with topiary women guiding in the pools, the fountains were decorated with blinking lights and where the bar and restaurant were located. The area is really crowded with people milling around and taking a break from the walk.
The ‘Winter Terrace’ in full illumination
The Lotus Pools with the illuminated women
The ‘Illuminated’ women in the pool
One of the ‘Illuminated’ women
The fountain was shimmering with lights in the “Winter Terrace”
While I was walking around the frozen pools admiring the lights, many of the patrons were in the glassed-in banquet room having snacks and drinks. The building was packed with people eating and drinking.
I walked through the next series of displays ‘Flock’ and ‘Shadow Lantern’s on the edge of the Water Basin lawn. “Flock” looks like illuminated pigeons flying around the trees.
The display ‘Flock’ on the lawn’s edge
The ‘Shadow Lantern’s’ were quite brilliant
The ‘Shadow Lantern’s’ cast their brilliant lights all over the sidewalks with a sea of snowflakes and could hear the music in the background.
One of my favorite displays in the show was walking through the giant ‘Lilly’s of the Valley’ display to what sounded like a 1970’s folk singer. It was like a surreal trip through ‘Wonderland’ and I felt like Alice when she was shrunk walking through the gardens.
The ‘Lilly’s of the Valley’ display
Walking by the floral displays illuminated with brilliant lights
My video of walking through the giant patch of Lillie’s and watching the plants and trees change colors. It was a lot of fun to walk around.
The next display was another favorite of mine, the colorful and interactive ‘Winter Walk’ with lights and music to the song ‘Sleigh Ride’ that sounded like the New York Pops. The colors popped and popped with the music.
The ‘Winter Walk’ in full color as the music played
My pictures and videos don’t give the display justice as I filmed everything from the side view of the display.
The festive lights dancing to the song ‘Sleigh Ride’
Talk about putting you in the Christmas spirit even after the holidays were over. “Sleigh Ride” is still one of my favorite songs at the holidays.
I loved walking past the lines of trees that were illuminated
I followed the path down to where in the Spring, the Bluebell flowers bloom brightly and the whole area is a sea of purples and blues. Now it was ‘Bluebonnets’, a sea of purple lights. It was just picturesque and brought the gardens back even in the dead of winter.
‘Bluebonnets’ light display
The light flowers replacing the Spring flowers
The ‘Robin’s Trail’ display at the end of the ‘Bluebonnets’ display
As I entered the Cherry Blossom lawn, which is a sea of pinks in various hues, there was now the ‘Leaf on the Light’ display on all the trees.
The ‘Leaf on the Light’ display
Towards the end of the light display for the spectacular finish of the display in the Cherry Blossom lawn, you had to walk through the lines of Cherry Blossoms that line the pathways on both sides of the lawn. Only this side of the pathway was open and lit for the display.
I walked through ‘Pulse’ , where the trunks of the trees kept changing colors. It was an interesting walk down the pathway.
The lighting of ‘Pulse’ as I walked down the pathway
‘Pulse’ as it changed colors
All this led to the best part of the show, ‘The Sea of Light’, where the whole Cherry Blossom lawn became a dazzling sea of lights, sounds and music. I love the creation of the lawn light display every year I visit the show.
The ‘Sea of Light’ as it started
The ‘Sea of Light’ as it changed colors
The dazzling ‘Sea of Light’ performance and the lively music that accompanied it.
This was the best way to cap off the evening with its dazzling lights and music. Even as it got colder, I stayed longer to see watch it at least three times. I wanted to get the perfect video to share with everyone. If there was part of the show I enjoyed most, it was this part of the display.
As I left the gardens that evening, I exited through the ‘Winter Cathedral’, an archway of an illumination of lights that is the one place that foot traffic stops as people always want to take pictures here. While this display has moved around the gardens over the years, it is still the one display that has been been consistent every year.
The ‘Cathedral of Lights’
Couples were stopping here asking everyone to take their pictures. It was a popular spot to take pictures.
The ‘Cathedral of Lights’
The last display I walked through to exit that night was the ‘Firefly Field’ at the old main entrance of the Gardens.
The ‘Firefly Field’ blazing with Tony lights
It was a nice way to wrap up the show. The “Lightscape” light display at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was spectacular this year and always different. As cold as it was, it was still an amazing night of sights and sounds.
It was a nice way to rest and relax as the holiday season ended. Until next year!
I started October with one game plan, not to over do it this year with loads of activities. At this point, I had been to almost every activity in the area over the last five years and I needed to concentrate on work and my writing this time around. I was still catching up with blogs from the summer and work with my 102 students at the college was getting over whelming. I took it easy this Halloween and did not cram as much in as previous years.
That and the fact that over the last five years I have been to every haunted house tour, cemetery graveyard walk, themed meal event and musical performance that I can find in the tri-state area. I had been to them multiple times and I wanted to find new things to do. Plus work was taking up a lot of my time, so I learned to better pace things this year.
The month started off with a tour to see the foliage both in New Jersey and in Upstate New York. The first trip I made was for the Apple Festival at the Gandy Farmstead which I had toured during the Firemen’s Convention two weeks earlier and two weeks after that it was back to the Hudson River Valley for the Annual Sheep and Wool Festival.
My blog on the Apple Festival at the Gandy Farmstead:
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
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. I don’t know about everyone else, but I had a ball!
Two weekends later, I headed up to the Sheep and Wool Festival at the Duchess County Fairgrounds and the followed by the Graveyard Walk at St. James Church in Hyde Park. There is such much to see and do this time of year.
The Sheep and Wool Festival is not as big as the Dutchess County Fair but had a lot of the same food and merchant vendors. On a smaller scale, it is much more manageable but with the number of people who attend this every year, they could use more food vendors for the event.
The sign and directions in the fairgrounds
The foliage was so beautiful that afternoon
The Festival takes place the second week of October just when the Duchess County foliage is coming to its peak. The fairgrounds were covered in golds and reds.
Entering the Midway at the Sheep and Wool Festival where the food vendors were located. The foliage was at peak color.
The Midway was not as packed with vendors as the fair but is had a nice selection of food vendors
Entering the middle of the festival was getting busy
The foliage was amazing both inside and outside the fairgrounds
I got up to the fair late this time, not arriving until 2:00pm ( I thought the festival ended at 6:00pm but it ended at 5:00pm) and needed to get done lunch. Amongst all of my choices, I still always head to Janek’s, the barbecue/hamburger truck that has been my favorite for years.
Janek’s food truck is always at the same location
For years I have been getting the Piggy Back burger with Cheddar cheese and pulled pork on top(which I highly recommend) but I decided to do something different and have the Burger with freshly made Pastrami and Swiss Cheese. A very nice substitute.
The Pastrami and Swiss burger
The burger was perfectly cooked with slices of smoked pastrami on top
Yum!
After a good lunch and getting my energy back, I headed over to the animal pens and the craft stalls to see all the handmade products. My first stop was the Sheep pens, where sheering was going on and they were many contests to showcase the livestock. The Sheep were being shown, sheered and were talking amongst themselves as we walked around the pens admiring them.
I found that the sheep looked really relaxed and seemed to have more fun staring at us
This little guy kept smiling at me watching him
While the livestock contest was going on to a huge crowd, I toured the Crafts stalls. In the Summer for the fair, this was full of cows and goats, it now had all sorts of wool vendors, knit items, handcrafts and cosmetic items.
The colorful wool items on display
These wool dragon sculptures I thought were really interesting
After the show was over, I decided to tour around Rhinebeck. I just wanted to take a quick walk around the downtown before I took a tour I had done a few years earlier at the St. James Church graveyard. Since I was Upstate, I figured I would do both the same day since the weather was nice.
I got to St. James Church in Hyde Park at 7:30pm so I had plenty of time. I had taken this tour back in 2021 just as everything had opened up and it was a lot of fun, plus I wanted to update my pictures of the church and the graveyard. It also gave me time to talk to the docents and get some background on the church.
St. James Church before twilight at 6:15pm
The staff was just setting up the lights at the cemetery (technically a graveyard)
The inside of St. James Church in Hyde Park, NY, parish of the Roosevelt family
I got to the church an hour before my tour and just relaxed and admired the beauty of the church. I never saw an hour fly by before my tour started. Then darkness came and my tour started.
Darkness came by 7:30pm and the cemetery looked much different
We started the lantern tour with a talk of the spirits who were buried in the grave yard. Each of the actors was waiting for us at each stop. I still could not believe these actors were waiting alone in the dark in a graveyard for people to walk by the them.
Each of the actors told their tales of when they were living and stood beside the place that they were buried. It was very intriguing.
The first person we met was Mrs. Emma Victoria Pitkin Marshal
Mrs. Marshall was once known as the ‘Poet Laureate’ of Dutchess County. She was well known in the world of publishing.
The second spirit I met was Mrs. Harper, Mrs. Mill’s housekeeper up at the Staatsburgh mansion. She told us the story of her life working for the Mills and Livingston families.
Mrs. Catherine Kennedy Harper
Mrs. Harper told us about her life working for the Livingston family and her relationship with Ruth, who she was her nanny and then housekeeper.
Our conversation with Mrs. Harper
Our next spirit we visiting was the ghost of Gertrude ‘Gerdie’ Livingston who talked about her time in the Hudson River Valley and in New York City.
Gertrude ‘Gertie’ Livingston
Mrs. Livingston telling her tales of the Hudson River Valley
In between our conversations with the spirits of the past, we walked through the graveyard as twilight gave way to darkness. The graveyard was illuminated with lanterns and lights to follow the paths. It is easy to trip over a tombstone while you are walking around the paths. They did give us lanterns to light the way but there were not enough to go around.
The vaults are illuminated at night to follow the ghostly trail
Our next with the spirits was the ghost of Reverend John McVickar, who was the Rector at St. James Church starting in 1811. He married Eliza Bard, the daughter of Dr. Samuel Bard of Bard College and raised their nine children together.
The spirit of Reverend John McVickar telling his tales of his life in the church
Walking past the church at night
The last apparition we met that night was the spirit of Mr. Augustus C. Colman, the son of a sailing captain who invested heavily in Manhattan real estate on the advice of his boss. John Jacob Astor.
The spirit of Mr. Colman telling his tales of the City
Both himself and the Reverend went at it in the graveyard
The stained glass windows at the church
The church at the end of the tour
I decided to head home after the tour via the Kingston Bridge and drive into downtown Kingston, NY for dinner. I stopped at my favorite go to restaurant in The ‘Stockade District’ Wing Shui at 53 North Front Street. The food is consistently wonderful and extremely reasonable and you can sit down inside the restaurant.
Wing Shui Chinese Restaurant at 53 North Street in Kingston, NY
I was surprisingly hungry even after the big burger at lunch. It got cooler that evening so I ordered the Wonton Soup, the Steamed Dumplings and one of their wonderful eggrolls. It was such a great meal and really warmed me up. For such a small hole in the wall restaurant/take out place, the food is excellent.
My dinner that evening at Wing Shui
The Wonton Soup had for large wontons that you could barely fit in your mouth in the rich chicken broth. That warmed up after a graveyard walk in the dark.
The Wonton Soup with the oversized Wontons and rich chicken broth
The steamed dumplings were plump and moist and filled with spiced pork mixture.
The dumplings here are delicious
Their egg rolls are always a treat and are the first thing that I ever tried here years ago.
The egg rolls here are excellent
Yum!
I was nice to sit in the restaurant and just warm up. The temperature really dropped that evening and it was a rather cool October in comparison to other years. There is nothing like Chinese food after a long walk in a graveyard.
After dinner, I walked around Downtown Kingston some more and admired some of the decorations and store windows decorated for the holidays. It seems like Halloween is now the lead into Christmas rather than Thanksgiving (some places have already decorated for Christmas).
The ‘Jack Pumpkin’ decoration that looked like it out of “The Nightmare before Christmas” in Downtown Kingston, NY
A lot of windows were decorated for the Halloween holidays. The merchants in Downtown Kingston are so creative and here are some of my favorites.
This was displayed in the window on a North Front Street store.
The faceless entities in the windows
They face this witches hat
The skulls and pumpkins in the window. The merchants get quite creative at the holidays in the downtown area.
The Thursday before my birthday, we had a special late night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I finally got to tour the new Rockefeller Wing of the museum. After almost three years and COVID, the galleries have been mounted. The Oceania and African collections had been remounted with a new layout and pieces of the collection that had been in storage had been brought out. The collection looked a brighter and you could appreciate the art better.
I just needed an evening in the City to clear my head before my official birthday and I figured a night at The Met would help. It was nice to finally see these works again after several years of hiding. The galleries looked so much nicer and the works brighter and more vibrant.
Artwork that reminds you of the Halloween holidays
After I left the Met for the evening, I walked through the Upper East Side neighborhoods west of Madison Avenue and the creativity of the brownstone neighborhoods rivaled anything in that suburbs.
Walking on the Upper East Side before Halloween:
The Pumpkin glare
Black cats and Witches
From twilight to darkness, I walked all the side streets to see how people decorated. There were some very clever displays.
Outside of the grocery store
Then it got dark and the real magic began
Just at twilight
I walked down the Upper East Side from East 79th Street to East 60th Street from Madison to Third Avenues. It depended on the block but some streets were really competitive. These are the best displays I saw.
Guarding a building
Creatures that bump in the night
Halloween land
The doorway
The Headless Horseman
Guarding ghosts
Jolly pumpkins
I loved this ghoul guarding the house
I just hoped he didn’t come to life
Skeleton Parade
Ghostly lights
A happy ghost
More jolly pumpkins
The elaborate Halloween Kingdom
The Evil Witch guarding the house
Here is the witch explaining her wicked ways
More ghouls guarding the homes
A Christmas Halloween
From both angles
Boo!
Last year I did the ‘luxury’ birthday with dinner at Perrine at the Pierre Hotel and Afternoon Tea at the Lowell Hotel on top of my haircut at York Barber, and my trips to the Central Park Zoo and the Met. This year I was just content with staying home and relaxing. I have been doing nothing but running around from one thing to another in between classes.
Maricel asked me what I wanted on my birthday this year and I said ‘rest’. Having over a hundred students between three classes at various stages of their classes can be daunting for anyone especially for me. I had done the whole luxury birthday thing last year and on my birthday this year, it poured so badly during the day that I just stayed home and crashed. I stayed home and watched Michigan State get crushed by UCLA. That was rough!
For my birthday dinner that night, I kept it low key and went to Sofia’s, a Greek restaurant in Hasbrouck Heights. It was perfect because it was relaxing that night and the food was excellent.
For dinner I had the Shrimp Saganaki, which is a shrimp appetizer which is cooked in a tomato sauce and topped with cheese. I have loved this dish since they first opened.
The Shrimp Saganski appetizer
It is as delicious as it sounds
For dinner, I had the Gyro sandwich, which they put on their freshly made pita’s. Their sandwiches are delicious and they do not skimp on anything. I really enjoyed my meal.
My birthday dinner, the Gyro sandwich
For dessert, I had a change from the $35.00 slice of pink Dior cake at the Lowell and indulged in a slice of Baklava at Sofia’s, who much they make homemade and in house.
The Baklava at Sofia’s served as my birthday cake this year
This sweet cinnamon indulgence has layers of flaky and sugary phyllo and nuts and lots of honey. The perfect way to end the meal and the cap to my birthday dinner.
The next day Maricel took me out for a breakfast birthday at the IHOP in Hasbrouck Heights. I had not been there in a long time (and was a little shocked at the prices on the menu). I was just expecting pancakes, but Maricel knows me well enough and made the morning even more special. She greeted me with balloons. Turning 60 seemed to be a bigger deal to her than it was to me.
Maricel greeting me at IHOP on my 60th birthday
It is amazing how something as simple as this could mean so much. I love when my friends just do the simple things that touch me so much.
Now for people who say they do not like IHOP, you have never been to the one in Hasbrouck Heights. Their food and service is consistent and delicious. I have been coming here for years and have never once had a bad meal there. I love breakfast and could eat it all day long.
I had the “Two for Two” with two pancakes, two French Toast, two sausage and bacon and they even through in a side of toast. Talk about a perfect breakfast.
My birthday breakfast at IHOP at 111 Route 17 South in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
The staff got caught up in the excitement of our meal and came over to sing “Happy Birthday” to me and brought me a dish of Vanilla ice cream with a candle in it. I was really touched. Sometimes the simplest things people do are the most touching.
The staff at IHOP really made the morning special with kind words, a nice song and their delicious Vanilla ice cream treat! That is good customer service!
This is what a best friend is for!
She saved the best for last and gave me a birthday present. Folks, I hate getting presents! Everyone always gets me what they like and never what I like. I always have to fake a smile and my older brother says I am the worst at it.
Maricel surprised me with a Hermes gift pack of Verte cologne, which is my favorite. I used it for years at Macy’s and Tiffany’s when I could afford it. I swear she totally surprised me. I told her she ‘nailed the birthday and made it perfect!” I love when people can read me.
Maricel by the balloons
After my birthday surprise, I took turning 60 with a badge of honor. When I look at my grandparents at my age, they always so much older to me. I guess it was just the times and their life experiences. They had it so much rougher than I did and I am always grateful to them from what I can remember of the love and support they had for us when we were little. With the exception of my father’s mother, none of them lived into my adult hood.
October also meant Midterms, Team Projects and Term Papers, which some of my students just could not handle. It was a struggle in each class to get the students to do their homework. Let’s hope they get to the finish line on December 17th.
My blog on the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association:
The grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home decorated for the Fall holidays
The next weekend, I was in Boonton for our quarterly Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association meeting. Both the outside and inside of the Firemen’s Home was decorated for the Halloween holidays. They really did a nice job with it. After the meeting and entertainment were over, I went up to visit Downtown Boonton to see how it was decorated for Halloween. They do such a good job. The town was decked out with ghosts and ghouls all over the Main Street.
The horrible ghoul in the center of downtown
The town was not decked out for the Halloween and Fall holidays. It was not just the Halloween holidays but the beauty of the change of seasons and the Fall foliage.
The Hill section of Boonton
The Hill section of the town in October
The beauty of the Victorian homes
Each street was so beautiful
The homes were the colors of gold, red and copper
The businesses did a nice job with the scarecrows this year. The ghosts and ghouls dotted the downtown.
The Annabelle doll
The ghouls are out
The cat in the hat
Pumpkin head
Mars Attacts outside a restaurant
This strange Teddy was outside the library
Boonton does a wonderful job of decorating during both the Halloween and Christmas holidays. The downtown is decorated with all sorts of interesting and creative artwork and beautiful lights. I recently walked around the Downtown at the start of the holiday season and it was really festive. I always get a kick out of the scarecrows decorating the town.
My blog on Exploring Downtown Boonton (a very unique downtown):
The fire department, even after I retired after 19 years, still keeps me busy. We had our Fire Department Relief Association meeting the night of ‘Halloween in the Park’ and after our meeting was over at 7:30pm, I headed over to Woodland Park in our town and watched everyone get on hay wagons and ride around Woodland Park being chased by ghosts and ghouls. I do not think I have attended this since before COVID. “Halloween in the Park” is an event our town sponsors that bring hay wagons thorough Woodland Park’s small bundles of trees and woods and scares them with costume characters.
It used to be spookier but when neighboring town, Wood Ridge, built a series of condos on the border of our towns and they took down all the trees on their side of the park, all you see is the windows of condos at the back of the park. Still, its a lot of fun and residents get a kick out it.
Woodland Park in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ at night
Halloween starts for me in Hasbrouck Heights with the town’s Annual Halloween in the Park, an event that takes place each fall in Woodland Park in Hasbrouck Heights. First thing to note that since developers have built new condos on the parks edges, it has taken some of the allure from the park. You can see the lights and people moving around.
We ‘stand by’ with the fire department for lights for the event and emergency calls when we have to leave. Still it is a lot of fun watching everyone get on the hayrides and start screaming in the distance. We watch from the equipment while eating a pizza dinner which we share with our Ambulance Squad who is on hand incase someone gets hurt. The last ride of the night, we get to go on when everyone else has left.
Patrons waiting at the Pavillion
The fireplace roaring at the event
Ghouls waiting for you
The park decorated for Halloween
The DPW takes families around the park in hayride fashion with bales of hay in the trailers and everyone on the trailer is chased and harassed by various ghosts, ghouls and witches. You spend most of the evening being chased with someone with a knife or chainsaw.
The start of the haunted hayride
Video of Halloween in the park
Ghouls and creatures of the night chasing everyone
This popular event is always sold out and residents get such a kick out of it. I of course was working that night and got there in time for the last two rides and people were still screaming at 9:30pm.
Halloween in the Park in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ in Woodland Park
I did more traveling down the shore to see what was happening in both Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights beaches. The boardwalks were decorated for the holidays and there were scarecrow contests and pumpkin carving on the Boardwalks. The day started off sunny but then a giant cloud came over the towns which did not clear until 4:00pm. Just as I was leaving, the sun came out again.
Both Seaside Heights and Park and Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach are getting more active during the Fall Holidays as more people have moved down the shore permanently. There are a lot of events for kids and their families families to participate in.
When I visited Seaside Park and Seaside Heights, 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. Even on this warm afternoon at the shore, it put me in the Halloween spirit.
Skeletons on the Boardwalk
Zombies on the Boardwalk
The Boardwalk was busy with people who had just participated in a Pumpkin carving contest. The weather was overcast by the late afternoon but most of the businesses on the Boardwalk were open and there was a choice of places to eat and shop along the way. The two bars were packed with people who were watching the Giants game. I big change from when I was in Cape May and it is all Philly fans.
My full blog on Visiting both Seaside Heights and Seaside Park:
After my visit to Seaside Heights and debating on where I wanted to go to lunch, I drove up the coastal highway through the other beach communities to Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach. The downtown arts community always knows how to decorate the downtown and Jenkinson’s does a nice job on the Boardwalk.
When I visited Downtown Point Pleasant, I was able to admire the decorations on both the downtown Main Street and then walk to the Boardwalk. The downtown is always so nicely decorated and I love the whimsical scarecrows that decorate the downtown. The windows are filled with creative displays that always seem to be begging for Christmas decorations even before Halloween is even over (like most stores everyone wants to rush the holidays).
Downtown Point Pleasant in the Fall of 2025
The Point Beach Arts community gets very creative in Downtown Point Pleasant with the Gazebo decorated for Halloween
I walked their downtown and saw that their Arts Commission added more scarecrows to the downtown light posts.
The scarecrows from 2025
Another creative scarecrow
There was a lot of creativity in this downtown contest
The scarecrows came in all styles
Barbie display
The Phantom bride
More unusual scarecrows
They get very creative in Downtown Point Pleasant
When I walked to the Boardwalk a couple of blocks away, it was a little cooler than last year but there was still a good crowd walking around the Boardwalk. The afternoon activities sponsored by Jenkinson’s kept everyone active with their series of programs at “Boo at the Boardwalk”. They decorated the Boardwalk for the Halloween Holidays and kept all the stores and restaurants open adding to the festivities. With the Fall holidays getting warmer, it is a smart business decision to extend the Summer activities further into Fall.
Halloween is always fun on the Jenkinson Boardwalk. There was always something going on. The towns really get into the Halloween holidays. The park really knows how to celebrate the holidays.
My blog on Exploring both Point Pleasant Beach and Point Pleasant:
It was a lot of running around the shore from Boardwalk to Boardwalk but it is interesting the amount of activities these towns have been doing and the creativity that goes into them. This led me to visiting another shore town the next week when I visited Long Beach Island the Town of Beach Haven.
It was rather quiet in town when I visited Beach Haven the week before Halloween. Usually there was a lot more going on but it was probably reserved for the weekends. Some parts of the of the town were decorated for the holidays but I did not see the activities of the other shore towns that day. Still there were reminders of Halloween here and there throughout the town.
My first stop was Woo Hoo at 211 South Bay Avenue for some ice cream. The store was all decorated for the holiday, and they even had a specialty ice cream flavor for Halloween, Spooky S’mores. The ice cream here is a real treat as it is made in small batches on premise.
Woo Hoo carries some non -ice cream merchandise
They have now cut the menu down to just ice cream. There is no longer any ‘meal’ items like sandwiches and fries. The woman at the window explained, they will be only the homemade ice cream on their menu. I had no problem with that. Woo Hoo was preparing for the Halloween and the shop was decorated for the holidays.
Games for kids
They decorated the interiors
The store was surrounded by ghosts and ghouls
I looked over the menu and I saw a flavor I remembered from the past, Spooky S’mores, which I had when I visited the island a few years ago for Halloween. It is a Marshmallow Ice Cream with a Chocolate swirl with graham crackers and Halloween M&Ms and you only see it at this time of the year. I had to have that.
The Spooky S’mores flavor
It was delicious
The Spooky S’mores was loaded with graham and M&Ms in every bite and the ice cream was so rich and creamy. Going to Woo Hoo at the holidays is the best!
They now have ice Cream making classes
The service could not be friendlier. The staff is very accommodating and will help you make a selection from the various choices. Not only that but the staff knows the island really well and can point things out for you to see.
I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Beach Haven, walking through the stores and amusements areas which were still open this late into October. The warm weather over the weekend really attracted a lot of people and watching people play miniature golf this late into the season was interesting. The shore towns in New Jersey really are going full season.
Beach Haven Bay during the day
It was a nice snack to enjoy after walking on the beach or exploring the island. I walked down the block at the end of Dock Road and enjoyed the views and watched the boats sail by. I also got a great tan.
Beach Haven, NJ by the bay is just beautiful
Just sitting by the bay relaxing
Admiring the boats while I digested
The creative artwork by the shore
It was fun to just walk around Beach Haven’s downtown that afternoon and enjoy the warm weather. They had a Chowder Cook off going on down the road, so the town was packed with people that afternoon.
My blog on Exploring Long Beach Island and Beach Haven, NJ:
I saw by the weather report that Hurricane Melissa was coming up the coast and I knew that this would knock the foliage down all over the state so I made one last trip down the Route 46 Budd Lake to the Delaware Water Gap. I started at the Delaware Water Gap to take the pictures of the foliage in the sunshine and then I worked my way back, stopping at farms along the way and in Hackettstown to take more pictures. I wanted to get the pictures of the foliage before the storm knocked it all down.
The Delaware Water Gap at River Road off Route 209 in 2025
I was able to stop at the U turn on Route 80 West and park in the beginning of the trails that go through the park. Since it was so gloomy out and it was getting late in the afternoon, I stuck by the Visitors Center, which was closed for the season and walked along the river. Most of the foliage had been knocked off the trees by the two recent storms but there were still hues of gold and yellow with the trees that were left. It is a breathtaking view of the mountain range.
The foliage from the highway
When I returned in October of 2025, I timed it so that the trees would be at their peak and it was before a major rain storm the next day. I figured this would be the best time to come. Plus it was going to be the last nice day of that week. The trees were just past peak but because there had not been much rain that summer, the leaves changed earlier than in past years.
The mountains at the Delaware Water Gap from the Visitors Center in the Summer months
I continued my path down Route 46 East, taking pictures of foliage and stopping at the Marshall Farms to see the Halloween decorations. Sometimes you will pass a farm stand and you see the standard pumpkins, peaches and apples outside. When you pass Marshall’s Farm Stand in Delaware, NJ, you see a whole farm experience with orchards of fruit, corn fields and a property that is decorated for the upcoming Halloween holidays.
The side of the Marshall’s Farm Stand at 114 Route 46
The other side of the farm stand stocked high with pumpkins
The festive pumpkin sat on the roof of the building
The whole front of the farm was stocked with all sorts of early Fall produce, honey, jams and jellies and delicious baked goods including pies, cakes and rolls and their specialty, their mini Apple Cider doughnuts.
The fresh Jersey produce
The cream rolls and homemade pies, including apple, berry and Shoo Fly pies
The best is their mini Apple Cider doughnut. One bag of these and you are content for the afternoon. I can barely get out of the parking lot with indulging in one or two of them before my drive down Route 46 to the Delaware Water Gap.
The farm stands addictive Apple Cider doughnuts
These sugary delights are so good!
What I also enjoy is their delicious apple cider. I found out though that they do not make it in house but a farm close by makes it both for their farm and Marshall’s. It is sweet and very refreshing and only comes in gallon containers.
I love walking through the stand, walking past the pumpkin, produce and the crafts display.
The pumpkin display in the parking lot
After I put my purchases in the car, I walked around the farm, looking at all the decorations they had for the upcoming Halloween holidays. The farm has pumpkin picking, corn mazes and a hayride where the $5.00 cost includes along with the hayride a cup of apple cider and a doughnut. I could handle that.
The sign for the weekend hayrides
The witch sign in the parking lot near the Corn Maze
The witch painting at the start of the corn mazes
Ghosts decorating the field
The Corn Maze was still tall and green and I am sure led all around the property. Each part of the front part of the farm was decorated for Halloween festivities which would happen the next weekend.
The cemetery in the back of the farm stand
A horrible ghoul
All the Halloween decorations at the start of the hayride
Here is my blog on the whole trip down Route 46 East and West from Budd Lake to the Delaware Water Gap:
Hurricane Melissa came up the coast the week of Halloween and a lot of functions were either cancelled or had to move inside. I had no desire to go into the City when it was pouring rain. So I missed some of the museum and Central Park events that had been cancelled and stayed home. We really lucked out on Halloween night, and the weather was a brisk 58 degrees. It was clear and the perfect night for the parade. The parade this year went off without a hitch. I got to the parade after a long day at work and I made it into the City by 4:00pm.
We started the sign in for volunteers at 4:00pm
I met my counterparts at the start of the shift and I really lucked out. We had a really good group of people who would answer ‘no’ to people. I was able to see a little bit of the puppet rehearsals before people started to arrive for the event. There was a lot of excitement as everyone got ready to start the parade.
The puppets ate the beginning of the parade
Puppet rehearsal before the parade kick off at 7:00pm
I met many creatures, witches and things that go bump in the night at the beginning of the parade and they enjoyed showing themselves off.
This Sea Maiden joined us at the beginning of the parade
This group of friendly witches and warlocks joined the parade early
As the sun went down and the parade was about to begin, balloon creatures joined as the Good Witch led the way. The parade of costumed characters was in full swing by 5:30pm as people entered the gates for the parade.
The Good Witch with the balloon creatures
The Good Witch with the insect
Even Frankenstein joined the parade
Moon creatures joined this Witch of Darknes
Ghosts and ghouls with balloons
Then the parade start was getting closer between 5:30pm and 7:00pm, it got crazy at the gate and people tried every which way to get into the gate. I kept and to talk and finally yelling at people to keep it organized. I swear I have never seen adults act like little children. We have more people try to sneak through the gate with every excuse. I have learned to put my foot down and it is by pass only.
Then the golden hour of 7:00pm came and the parade started. As the floats were heading uptown, people were still scrambling, trying to get in. At 8:00pm, this woman walks up to the gate one hour into the parade and tells me she was here as a volunteer. I told her we were closed at that point and have a nice night and see her next year. It amazes me how people use excuses to get in.
Watching the parade from inside
We finally closed the gate at 8:30pm and the police took over security from there. I was able to walk in and watch where the parade begins. It is always interesting to see how the parade works and how this organized.
Watching the parade progress uptown from the sidelines
The chutes where the floats come out combined with the number of costumed people is carefully done and I have never seen so many people marching in the parade. Later on, someone told me the police were turning people away because too many people were showing up.
The parade from Dominick Street heading uptown
I could not believe how crazy it got in the park as the parade progressed. I have to give the guys who are the volunteers who coordinate the parade so much create. They do an amazing job. They really are worth their weight in gold.
More of the floats heading uptown
The video shows the true magic that goes into the parade from behind the scenes
The last of the floats heading uptown
The last of the floats start to head uptown by 9:00pm and after that, it is all costumed people, not just New Yorkers but people from all over the world who had come to walk our unique parade.
People walking uptown in full drag
The weather cooperated and their was an over flow of people marching and enjoying the parade
The costumers enjoying themselves
I loved the creativity of the costumes
The last of the floats heading uptown
I loved these costumes. The headless guy was pretty gruesome
A better look at the headless Spector
The last of the floats heading uptown
The last of the floats starting uptown before the costumers took over
I left the parade route and walked through the parade to get to at least 8th Street before I veered off on to Seventh Avenue. I walked uptown to join some of the volunteers after the parade for dinner.
Walking through the Village and looking at the decorated windows and homes
Some of the private homes are so beautifully decorated in Greenwich Village
Another great decorated home in Greenwich Village
The West Elm right next to the restaurant on West 12th street
I am sorry but to decorate your store to the hilt on Halloween night is really rushing the holidays. They did this the year before as well. Who ever heard of looking at a Christmas tree on Halloween night?
Still the store looked gorgeous and their visual people did a marvelous job
It was nice to sit down to dinner that night. I was starved rushing from work to the City and then to the parade route. I did not get to eat anything and was famished.
Joining friends for dinner at Da Umbertos at 107 West 17th Street
It was nice to meet some of my counterparts and swap stories about the parade.
Meeting with friends for dinner that night
The restaurant had a wonderful buffet that evening
The Penne Vodka and Sautéed Shrimp were wonderful
The dinner I enjoyed was wonderful
After dinner and some wonderful conversation, I said my goodbyes. I had been going strong since 4:30am that morning and was beginning to run out of steam. I just wanted to head home and go to bed.
I decide to walk back to the Port Authority from the restaurant since it was such a beautiful night. The weather really cooperated and it was a crisp and beautiful night.
Even the Empire State Building was decorated for the holiday
I was lucky that I walk fast. I made the 11:50pm bus out of Manhattan and got home by 12:30am. It had been a long night. The night was still young and I still did not see the spirits of the night except parading up Sixth Avenue.
Even when I reached Hasbrouck Heights, the decorations were still up and lit. It was nice to see that holiday spirit strong in town.
The houses were still lit and decorated when I got home
Residents love to decorate their homes in Hasbrouck Heights
It always amazes me of homeowners creativity
Post Halloween:
There were still traces of Halloween even after the holidays. Stores and homeowners kept their displays up but the lure of Christmas and the warm weekend meant that people started to take things down so the Christmas declarations could go up.
I went down to Mill’s Bakery to check out their Halloween treats and there was still some things left. The sweetest things were available in all the bakery cases.
The front of Mill’s Bakery at 275 Valley Boulevard in Wood Ridge, NJ
I loved the festive Frankenstein cake. Talk about creative!
The festive and creative cupcakes
The fun loving cupcakes
I loved the Halloween cookies and a little pricy at $5.00 each but were well worth it. I bought a few for snacks.
The mummy cookie was so good!
So was the Pumpkin
The ghost was good too!
Mill’s Bakery does such a good job at any holiday
I took my cookies and went back to Downtown Hasbrouck Heights to tour the window paintings from the contest a week earlier. The sweetness of the cookies gave me a sugar rush.
Walking in Downtown Hasbrouck Heights for the Halloween holidays
Downtown Hasbrouck Heights was still decorated for the Halloween holidays with festive window displays and the kids window paintings from the recent Window Painting contest.
Some of the window painting downtown
These kids are so creative
The weekend of Halloween (Halloween fell on Friday night this year), I took my best friend, Maricel to the “Pumpkin Blaze” on Croton on the Hudson, NY. I go to this annual event as part of my membership to Historical Hudson Valley. I love walking through the old Van Cortlandt Estate and seeing the creativity of the carvings and displays.
We started off early and had dinner at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants that I feature on my blog, DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com, Dong Happy Gardens at 440 South Riverside Avenue in the ShopRite Mall. The food and service are excellent and the family who run it are really nice.
I love the food here. It is white tablecloth quality for a small take out place in a strip mall.
I had the Orange Chicken with Pork Fried Rice and an egg roll and Maricel had the same with but with Barbecue Spareribs. I can’t tell you how wonderful the food is in this tiny take out place but you have to try it for yourself. I have never had a bad meal here.
The Orange Flavored Chicken with Pork Fried Rice is excellent
Then we shared some Panfried Pork Dumplings. They really hit the spot on a cool night.
The Panfried Dumplings were a nice addition to dinner
Dinner was a chance for us to catch up and talk. So much has been happening in our lives and we never get a chance to talk.
After dinner, we headed over to the ‘Blaze’ and then the fun began. The parking lot was packed with people and the weather really cooperated. It was cool but not cold and walking through the pathways was nicer than we thought.
The Spider display
A close up shot of the spider
Maricel in front of the rainbow flag that was on display at the entrance of the displays
We started our tour through the Blaze walking through the rows of pumpkin carvings. I noticed there were less of them this year than in years in the past. Still there was some interesting pumpkins.
The first row of carvings I thought were interesting
An interesting face
Another interesting face
The Haunted Pumpkin Windmill
Frog swimmer
The Pumpkin Octopus
Visiting the Hudson River Sites
Pumpkin sling shot
Me in front of the Statue of Liberty sculpture
The Statue of Liberty sculpture
Walking through the Light Tunnel
Maricel and I in the Tunnel of Lights
This is the experience you get when you walk through the Tunnel of Lights
Then we reached the Van Cortlandt Manor, home to the Van Cortlandt family. The house had been closed for years for touring since the renovation but been open for the Blaze.
The cemetery was moved from here to earlier in the tour with a Circus in its place.
The ‘Under the Big Top‘ pumpkin sculpture
The beauty of the Van Courtlandt Manor at night
The Wonderful Lightshow at the manor house
We then toured the amusement area. The Merry Go Round with its eerie sounds and glowing pumpkins made it foreboding.
The eerie Merry Go Round
The Merry Go Round
Maricel though it would be more cheerful with a picture of me
We then looked over the Halloween Circus train that passed us by. I loved looking at all the Circus animals.
The Haunted Circus Train
My video of the Circus Train
We then walked through the end of the display with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls that included a Pumpkin man and the Headless Horsemen.
The Headless Horseman
Chasing poor Ichabod Crane
The evil Pumpkin man showed himself towards the end of the tour
The end of the tour looking back at the lights and displays. There were all sorts of lit pumpkins as we exited the tour.
This was my favorite
Me at the end of the Pumpkin Blaze with one of the flying monkey’s behind me.
It may have been a Halloween with less activities and far less running around but it was far better than my years of Trick of Treating as a kid! Yuck!
The membership arrived at the NJ State Firemen’s Home to find the home decorated for the upcoming Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. It seemed like yesterday we were up here for the Summer Barbecues.
The outside grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home
We had a lot to talk about at our October meeting with the Annual Convention behind us. There had been discussions on the Home and its expansion, renovations going on and the upcoming holiday season. I thought it was one of the best meetings we had in a long time.
The outside of the home decorated for the upcoming holiday season
Our fundraising has been coming along really well and we have exceeded our drive from last year. I think the word getting out about what we do and the Social media has been a huge help. We not only want to show our fellow fire companies where their money is being spent but how it is being spent.
We discussed also our upcoming reorganization breakfast at the Wyckoff Fire Department in November and the Annual Christmas party in December. Our Secretary, Tom Simpson discussed the gift this year and a planned lunch for both the staff and the membership. Everything is underway and planned for a great holiday season.
After the meeting was over, we joined the residents in the main meeting room where refreshments were being served and the entertainment had started.
Gigi entertained the residents on a stage decorated for the upcoming Halloween season
Gigi performed a series of Classic rock and Country music
Gigi performing the Patsy Kline hit “Crazy for you”
After ending her performance with ‘God Bless America’, we got up and introduced ourselves to the residents. We let everyone know about our upcoming Christmas party, which is always a huge hit with the residents and staff alike. We also we wished them well and for their years of service to the fire service, which they seemed touched by. Then we took our group picture.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
We ended the program with one of the employees of the home, Eleanor, singing with Gigi a heartfelt song., “I Believe”.
What I thought was interesting was one of the guys told me she had once been a backup singer to Michael Jackson. I thought that was really gift that this woman shared her voice and love for these guys.
It really was a wonderful afternoon and I want to thank everyone who made it possible. This is our gift to our fellow firefighters.
The wonderful little natural preserve is the perfect getaway on a sunny day. With something for the whole family, there are nature paths, gardens, aquatic tanks to view and even a butterfly area, the preserve is a nice way to spend the afternoon.
The front of the historic Addy Cottage
The historic Addy Cottage building
The Addy Cottage historic marker
The history of the Addy houses
The cottage where the Nature Center is located is an example of early beach homes in the community. Once a series of homes by the same family , this is the last surviving home in the series.
The History of the Bethany Nature Center:
(from the center’s website)
The Addy Cottage houses the Bethany Beach Nature Center. It was built circa 1903 by John Addy, one of the Pittsburgh Six that founded Bethany Beach. Located on the 26 acre Delaware land conservation trust, the property was originally owned by the heirs of the Natter Family.
In 2001 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, and the Town of Bethany Beach successfully funded the acquisition of this natural land to be preserved for all future generations in Bethany Beach.
The inside of the Nature Center
The inside of the nature center is perfect for children and families with interactive games and playthings plus fish and turtle tanks.
The fish display
The Box turtle display
The Box turtle display
Finding this Baby Terrapin turtle hiding in the display
The Box Turtle display
The Box Turtle display
The Red Eared Slider Turtle display
The Aquatic display of marine life in the community
The highlight of the visit on a beautiful sunny afternoon is the half a mile long Baldwin Trail into the marshes.
The entrance to the Baldwin Tral
The dedication sign
The pathways as part of the trails
The Garden of Native Plants was in full bloom at the end of the summer and I started my walk of the Nature Center here.
The Garden of Native Plants
The entrance to the Gardens
The gardens were still in full bloom when I visited and offered a sanctuary for insects and birds who were flying all over the place. There were areas to sit under the shade and paths to walk down to admire the gardens.
The center of the garden
The gardens in bloom toward the end of the summer
A view of the gardens from the back
I then continued down the path and toured the area by the wetlands. The back trails took you to the marshes.
The sign for the wetlands
The pathway into the Wetlands
The wetlands were very picturesque with the marshes glistening in the light. The trees still reflected a summer not quite over.
The entrance to the wetlands
The pathway to the pools
The beauty of the pools
After I left the pools, I headed to the back of the Wetlands area, to the woods and marshes.
The pathways to the back of the marshes
The marshes
The Hard Surface runoff
The back paths were dense with trees and brush but you could still hear the running of water and the birds calling.
The paths to the back part of the natural preserve
The natural preserve
It was such a beautiful day
The fresh water marshes
The fresh water marshes
The fresh water marshes
The very back of the fresh water marshes
Heading back to the Visitors Center
When I headed back to the Natural Preserve, I visited the other part of the gardens again.
People were reading books and relaxing
Visiting the Butterfly Gardens
The flowers were in full bloom
The gardens in the back of the Nature Center
Off to the side of the property, the catch basin was planted as a Butterfly Garden. The area was full of flowers and plants to attract butterflies and other insects.
The Rain Garden
The Rain Garden in bloom
Then it just so happened that a butterfly flew in the gardens. He just sat there not doing anything and I actually yelled at him to open up so I could take a picture of him.
The butterfly flew into the gardens
He listened and opened up and after I showed him the picture he flew away. Everyone is a critique.
The Nature Preserve is the perfect place to just walk around and just relax. When the weather is beautiful, there is nothing like it. Take time to walk the paths and enjoy the surrounding environment. You will surprised what small creature might pop up.
The entrance to the museum from Bethany Beach City Hall
The City Hall sign
The History of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
The museum is right in the hallway of the museum. Just go through the front door and the museum is to the right. The Bethany Beach History Museum is currently located in the foyer of the Town Hall at the intersection of Garfield Parkway and Route 1. The exhibits contain memorabilia and photographs from the Bethany Beach area
The front of the museum building
The museum is run by volunteers who work on the displays and set the exhibitions. The exhibits that were part of the museum display were the history of the Bethany Beach Lifeguards, the Bethany Beach Women’s Club and the history of Bethany Beach.
The inside of the museum
The first display was on the history of Bethany Beach as a religious community. This was a display on the Tabernacle and the religious services.
The history of the town as a Methodist community.
The history of worship in the community
There was also an interesting display on the Native American tribes and their using the community as a fishing and hunting spot during the summer months.
The Native American history of the community and the dedication of the Chief Little Owl statue
The Chief Little Owl statute outside of City Hall
Chief Little Owl
The display of natural disasters in the town including the 1962 flood
The museum has displays of various aspects of the community from the farming industry to
The displays of the town’s history
The town’s Methodist past
The town’s Religious past
The early farming industry of the town
The start of the family resort
The Storms of the past especially the 1962 storm
The development of the town as a community
The back part of the gallery
The back gallery displayed the history of all the clubs and organizations of the town. These included the Woman’s Club, Police and Fire Departments and many of the civic clubs in this small beach town.
The history of the Women’s Club
The history of the Native Americans in the area
The museum also had a wonderful display on their Life Guards in town and the history of search and rescue.
The history of the Life Guards in Bethany Beach
The Life Guard uniform
The history of the Civic organizations in town
For such a small town, the town has such a rich history and an interesting past. For a beach community, there has been and still is a lot to get involved in.
The museum does a nice job displaying these accomplishments and an interesting perspective on a small town.
Sunset Beach in all its glory in the summer of 2023.
Sunset Beach is a marvelous place to visit for sunset
Sunset Beach in Cape May, NJ is one of the most beautiful beaches in American and is ranked 24# on TripAdvisor as one of the breathtaking beaches to visit. The beach site in Lower Township in Cape May and is at the very end of Sunset Boulevard which is a direct run from downtown Cape May.
One both sides of the parking lot, there are gift shops and a small café grill. These have limited hours after Labor Day Weekend. The grill is closed after the holiday weekend but sometimes stays open depending on the weather after the Labor Day weekend.
The beach is amazing as you can see the pleasure boats in the distance coming in and out of the small harbor just north of the beach.
The Sunset Beach is really beautiful in the off season when not a lot of people are there
The Start of the Sunset in December 2022
Looking out into Delaware Bay is quite spectacular with its moving waves and the way it glitters in the sun. In the warmer months, it is just nice to walk along the shore and watch the birds. In the winter months, the breezes get to be too much and a short visit is nicer.
The beginning of the sunset
Any time of the year though, make sure to be here for sunset and that is when the beach works it beautiful natural magic.
The setting of the sun
The sun disappearing in the horizon
The sun disappearing
At sunset you will see an array of colors with the sun setting in the distance. The last time I visited the beach in September, it was a combination of oranges, purples and blues as the sun set. The lower the sun the more brilliant the colors. They become more complex as the sun gets lower.
The final sunset
Sunset Beachat various times of the year:
The best part of the view is that it is played out on the large stage. It covers the whole sky and it looks like the sun is going to sleep in the bay. You can almost touch it. Each night when the sun sets its a different color in the rainbow in the sky. The backdrop of the small stone formations and the SS Atlantus Concrete Ship make it more dramatic.
SS Atlantus Concrete Ship
Whenever you are in Cape May, try to finish your dinner early and then watch Mother Nature work her magic by the shoreline. It is an experience that should not be missed. Please try to arrive about an hour before sunset to get a space in the parking lot. It is the most spectacular site at anytime of the year.
Sunset Beach area:
The SS Atlantus Concrete Ship:
The SS Atlantus Concrete Ship was built and launched in 1918, just after World War I had ended as a trans-Atlantic steamer to return troops from Europe to home. After being decommissioned in 1926, she was purchased along with two other ships to create a ferry dock for ferries from Cape May to Delaware. The plans were later shelved as she ran aground in a storm along Sunset Beach and could not be freed.
Flag Lowering Ceremony:
The Evening Flag Ceremony held every night at sunset between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The lowering of the American flag at sunset is a 40-year-old tradition. All of the flags that are flown at the flag ceremony are veteran’s caskets flags that families being with them from their loved one’s funeral. The ceremony includes the Pledge of Allegiance, the ‘Stat-Spangled Banner’ and a recording of Kate Smith’s ‘God Bless America”.
The beautiful summer sunset in 2023.
Cape May Diamonds:
While taking a stroll along the beach, look out for Cape May ‘Diamonds’. These are small pieces of quartz crystal found in the sand that are washed from the bay. You can find Cape May diamond jewelry in the gift stores at the beach.
(NJ Leisure Guide)
Sunset Beach
Disclaimer: This information was taken from the NJ Leisure Guide and I give their writer full credit for it. The beach is open all year around but it is the best in the warmer months. Don’t miss this spectacular view at sunset.
Visiting again in 2025:
When I came in the Summer of 2025, for the Firemen’s Convention, that Saturday evening I came on the most spectacular sunny evening and the beach was packed.
Sunset Beach in the summer of 2025
I loved the sailboat in the distance
The beach was crowded with people
Then the sun started to set and the magic began. It was such a clear night it was perfect to see the sun set with no cloud interference.
The setting of the sun at 7:00pm
People getting the birds-eye view of the setting sun
While I was at Sunset Beach, I took a series of videos when the sun was setting to share with all the readers. You really must visit Sunset Beach to experience the beauty and the gracefulness of Mother Nature at her best. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys these videos of the setting of the sun in Delaware Bay.
The pictures and videos of the setting of the sun at Sunset Beach:
During the Summer months, the Hudson River Valley, especially towns in Dutchess County host all sorts of events. They are so numerous you have to pick and choose. Plus it’s the distance from New Jersey where I live where you have to plan accordingly.
The Friends of Clermont, the home of the Livingston family holds a series of concerts every summer, of which I never have time to attend being that the estate is two and a half hours away. When I saw that they were hosting a Victorian era Brass Band, with instruments and music from that era, I made a special trip up to the Hudson River Valley to see them.
I started my trip after my class met and headed up to the Hudson River Valley in spectacular sunny weather. The day may have been hot but the cool breezes off the river made it better to walk around.
The concert did not start until 6:00pm, so I had time to explore and visit cultural spots and towns that I had not been to since the early Spring. Everything changes so much during the seasons and Summer is especially beautiful up here. My first stop was Marist College to see the Marist Art Gallery.
The museum was closed for the summer but it gave me a chance to see the new section of the campus that had been built. The building is amazing as is the art school. I can’t believe how the campus has changed in the last twenty years.
Since I had to be at the Clermont Estate by 5:00pm, I decided to do some touring around the area and stopped in Rhinebeck next. The town was packed with day trippers and there was not much parking available.
The Dutchess County Historical Society at 6282 US 9
I stopped at the Dutchess County Historical Society at for a visit. The last time I had been it was when it first opened. The museum now is mostly being used for research and people were using the library when I walked in. I walked through the Portrait gallery.
The portrait of local resident Edward Martin
The portrait of Judge and Mrs. Soutenburgh
A Farm scape of one of the local farms
The museum has an extensive Map Collection
The museum was just about ready to close for the day so I headed for my next destination of Red Hook for lunch. I decided on Village Pizza III, which has some of the most delicious food at reasonable prices.
Village Pizza III at 7514 North Broadway in Downtown Red Hook, NY
Knowing that there would be no time for dinner on the way home, I ordered a Lasagna dinner for myself. They make the most flavorful red sauce and it brings such flavor to their food. Everything that I have tried at Village Pizza III has been excellent and I have always enjoyed my meals here over the years.
The Lasagna dinner at Village Pizza III
The food is excellent here. The portion sizes are very large and the prices are reasonable (though they just went up a few dollars). Everything was delicious.
The garlic bread was loaded with garlic and olive oil
The Lasagna was a gooey delight of sauce and cheese
After lunch was over, I walked around Downtown Red Hook and it is funny, just like the pizzeria everything seems to be going up in price. The other restaurants that used to be so reasonable have gotten a little more expensive. I guess the Rhinebeck prices have finally found their way to Red Hook. That was the one thing I always liked about Downtown Red Hook, the merchants were meant for the locals. Now they have gotten very gifty and more expensive. Just like the other Hudson River Valley, these cute little towns have gotten expensive with the City expats.
Downtown Red Hook, NY in the Summer of 2025
Here’s my blog on Exploring Downtown Red Hook, NY:
After I walked Downtown Red Hook and noticed all the new shops and gourmet grocery stores, I figured that the hipsters and artists have finally found their way to Red Hook when I saw the selection of stores that have opened and replaced the ones that had been there for a long time. It is funny when you see a town change the way I have over time. Rhinebeck did the same thing about a decade ago.
I left Red Hook and decided to go up to Tivoli, a small town by the river before I left for Germantown, NY, where Clermont Mansion is located. Tivoli was really quiet on a late Thursday afternoon and I just walked around the downtown area and took some pictures. It is such a great little downtown to walk and explore.
Queen Anne’s Lace growing on the side of the road is just beautiful
After my tour of Downtown Tivoli, I left for Germantown and the estate. I decided to first walk the grounds and the gardens to work off my early dinner. The estate looked amazing with everything in bloom and everything was green with longs lawns lining the river. It was just gorgeous.
Walking towards the mansion through the lawns and gardens on the Clermont Mansion
I decided since I had an hour before the concert that I would tour the house and grounds. All the gardens were still in bloom and were still at peak blossom. It was nice to take my time and not be rushed as I walked the estate.
Walking though the Lilac Gardens
First I walked through the Lilac Gardens, which had been out of bloom since the summer, but the trees were lush with green. The lawns had just been cut and the estate really looked beautiful.
Clermont Mansion in the summer
A rabbit was posing for myself and other photographers
The South Spring Garden is right next to the mansion and is one my of my favorite gardens on the estate. I love visiting here first.
The South Spring Garden is right of the mansion
The South Spring Garden
The South Spring Garden in full bloom
The Root Cellar for food storage before refrigeration
The ruins of the Root Cellar
I then walked over to the Walled Garden which was under renovation at the time. It was still in full bloom and nicely landscaped. This is one of the nicest gardens when in full bloom.
The sign for the Walled Garden
The entrance to the Walled Garden
Inside the Walled Garden
Inside the Walled Garden
The Walled Garden in full bloom
The Back of the Walled Garden
Leaving the Walled Garden to go to the Cutting Garden
The Cutting Gardens and the Children’s Playhouse by the old Greenhouses
These gardens were created for the foundation of other gardens and for flowers for the house.
The Gazebo in the Cutting Gardens
The Cutting Gardens in bloom
The flower beds in full bloom
Walking through the gardens
The flowers in full bloom
The ruins of the greenhouses
The Gardening shed was converted to a playhouse for the children
The Children’s Garden has now been restored and in full bloom
I then left this part of the estate gardens and headed back to the house and toured the Wilderness Gardens next.
The sign for the Wilderness Gardens
The bridge from the Cutting Gardens to the Wilderness Gardens
The Wilderness Gardens in the late afternoon
The pool in the Wilderness Gardens
The Wilderness Gardens near the woods
The gardens were just amazing that afternoon. Everything was so well taken care of and the new gardener the park had was doing such a good job maintaining things.
I headed back to the house and toured the lawn near the river where the concert would take place.
The mansion in the late afternoon
The lawns in the late afternoon
Walking by the Hudson River
Walking by the Hudson River and admiring the views
The concert lawn is right next to the river so we could enjoy the cool breezes
By the time I got back to the concert grounds, the band was getting ready to play. The crowds had also grown as well. When I arrived at 5:00pm, there were barely any cars in the parking lot but the crowds swelled right before the concert.
The Yankee Brass Band preparing for the concert
The History of the band:
(from the band website)
Since 1986, the Yankee Brass Band has entertained audiences in New England and beyond with historically informed performances of nineteenth-century American brass band music. Using antique brass and percussion instruments from the period, painstakingly restored by their owners, the Yankee Brass Band presents the music of the “Golden Age of Bands” played in much the same manner as in the mid- to late nineteenth century.
To recreate this music, the band plays close attention to the aesthetics, performance practice, and concert attire of an earlier time. For one week each summer, the members of the Yankee Brass Band assemble from across the country to preserve this unique musical legacy through a series of live performances. Each year’s tour repertoire is developed through careful study of period programs, personal papers, manuscripts, and early printed music, along with all sorts of band ephemera.
The musicians of the Yankee Brass Band volunteer their time and talents to bring this music to life. The band is supported by the generosity of tour hosts, donations, and Friends of the Yankee Brass, Inc (a 501(c)(3) organization).
(The performance of the “Victoria Gallop” by the Yankee Brass Band)
The horn solo and duo of the “Duet from “Il Puritani”)
Part One (before someone walked in front of my camera)
The Duet from “Il Puritani”
Part two to finish the duo
The concert was wonderful. The Yankee Brass Band played all the traditional marches from the 19th and early 20th Centuries. All the musicians came from all over the country for a week to play together and all performed on antique instruments.
The second half of the concert and patriot music played
The song “Our National Union March” by the Yankee Brass Band
After the concert was over, it was still early at 7:30pm and the sun was shining bright. While other people prepared to leave I walked around this part of the estate.
The river front by the Hudson River
I walked around to see the ruins of Arryl House, the home of Robert Livingston which buried down in the early part of the twentieth century.
The sign for Arryl House
The ruins of Arryl House
The ruins of Arryl House
After the tour, it was time to go home. I had over a two hour journey home but it was a productive and fun way to spend the afternoon. I think I just needed a break from everything. The views of the river and the tour of the gardens really relaxed and refreshed me and was a great way to end the day.
The Summer Solstice arrived on a beautiful sunny and warm afternoon. It looked like a heat wave was coming but today and tomorrow we’re going to be spectacular. It would be a nice day for a walk.
I would have ordinarily have done The Great Saunter on my own today but Maricel and I had plans in the afternoon that I did not want to break but fell through the day before. That and I had tickets to a special event at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a special ‘Summer Solstice’ concert and I really wanted to go to the concert. Plus being in the Gardens at night for Member’s events is a real treat.
Once the plans fell through and after getting a series of errands done, I headed into Manhattan for a quick lunch and the I would walk all the Avenues between West 23rd and West 14th Streets between 10th and 7th Avenues. It took me about four hours to do because I kept stopping in parks and walking around the Chelsea Market between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.
I started the walk with a good lunch. I had been wanting to go back to Kashmir 9 at 478 Ninth Avenue for a while so I started my day there. The place was packed. The food is a combination of Indian and Arabic cuisines and gets an interesting crowd of people from all walks of life. The food is wonderful and very reasonable.
The Chicken Kebabs with rice and a Chicken Patty at Kashmir 9 at 479 Ninth Avenue
The Chicken Kebobs here are excellent
The Chicken Patties make a good starter
Yum!
It can be a real culture shock eating here because you will feel like you got transported to the Middle East. You are surrounded by men speaking Hindi and Arabic chatting away while other men are doing their afternoon prayers. It is an interesting experience at lunch.
After a perfect lunch of proteins and carbohydrates, I was ready for the long walk around the neighborhood. It was the perfect day with no humidity and bright sunshine. I walked down to West 23rd Street and Tenth Avenue and started my walk around the neighborhood. Chelsea is such a great neighborhood to walk around in.
The corner of Tenth Avenue and West 23rd Street
This section of the Chelsea neighborhood has been in massive flux since the opening the High Line Park. It has been totally rebuilt over the last several years. I have never seen such changes before in a neighborhood. Along the High Line Park, there are all sorts of innovative new buildings that have been built or under construction.
While walking down Tenth Avenue, I noticed the beautiful mural located outside Juban Restaurant at 206 Tenth Avenue. I thought the colors and design were so vibrant.
The interesting painting outside of Juban at 206 Tenth Avenue
I thought the mural outside the restaurant was interesting (I could not find the artist who did the outside mural)
History of the restaurant:
(From the Juban website)
Set in the heart of Chelsea’s gallery district, Juban’s rich culture offers a convivial and inspired experience of authentic fare. Here, seasonal menus and artful murals converge—serving tradition with the wink of innovation.
Juban is an inventive Izakaya dedicated to bringing wonder to the experience of Japanese cuisine in a local setting. With every meal designed for discovery, its creative spirit unfolds through community. Artful sushi, masterful seafood, elevated skewers, and neighborhood favorites are served family-style to celebrate sharing and connecting. At once serendipitous and soulful, its unique approach always serves the moment.
Further down Tenth Avenue outside of the Empire Diner building is the mural “The Mount Rushmore of Art”, one of the many murals in the neighborhood created by artist Eduardo Kobra, who has murals painted all over New York City. This one stuck out for its take on Contemporary Artists of the Twentieth Century.
Artist Eduardo Kobra painting “The Mount Rushmore of Art” above the Empire Diner at Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street
The mural, created by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, “Mount Rushmore of Art”, is the artist’s memorial to some of modern art’s biggest artists including Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Vibe Map 2023).
Eduardo Kobra is a Brazilian born artist known for his contemporary and colorful art murals all over the world.
Further down Tenth Avenue, I passed the Guardian Angel School at 193 Tenth Avenue. What stood out on this building was the beautiful and intricate stone work that embellishes the building. It really is an interesting building.
The Guardian Angel School at 193 Tenth Avenue had a lot of interesting stonework around the building. The school is currently closed.
The church school was designed and built in 1930 by architect John Van Pelt of the Van Pelt, Hardy & Goubert firm. The building was designed in the Southern Sicilian Romanesque style and has many different religious elements in the detail of the outside of the building. You have to look at it from all directions to appreciate its beauty (Wiki).
What’s sad is that the school has been closed as part of the cutbacks of the Archdiocese of New York. Right now the community is fighting to keep this school open. We will see how the building gets used in the future.
As I walked down Tenth Avenue, you can see all the changes in the neighborhood and the architecture that surrounds both Tenth and Ninth Avenues. This area of the City has seen so many changes due to the opening of the High Line over the last ten years. This part of the neighborhood has some of the most interesting looking buildings and many innovative art galleries and restaurants. It still is in the process of changing. Many old warehouses and factory buildings have been converted into lofts and apartments.
The creativity in the new architecture that lines Tenth Avenue
One of the most beautiful of these new buildings is the Lantern House Apartments at 149 Tenth Avenue
The Lantern House sign at 149 Tenth Avenue
(From the Related Corporate website)
Lantern House is designed by Heatherwick Studio, founded by the British designer Thomas Heatherwick in 1994. The building offers a distinctive reinvention of the Chelsea warehouse architectural style, featuring a modern interpretation of the bay window and a custom masonry façade. The 21-story building comprises a collection of approximately 180 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom residences, many of which bestow uninterrupted cityscape and Hudson River views and promise to provide residents a totally integrated lifestyle destination. Lantern House is part of a two-tower development that links underneath the High Line.
As I walked back up Tenth Avenue, I saw this series of graffiti art on the side of a building that will quickly disappear as the lot next to it will become a new apartment building. Still the work was very interesting.
Even the street graffiti was interesting but will not last with all the new construction
The one thing I like about the Tenth Avenue side of the neighborhood is the access to Hudson River Park and all the trails, shaded areas to relax, gardens and views of the built up side of Jersey City and the Hudson River coastline. There are all sorts of benches and shaded areas to just read a book and talk to people. No matter what the age is, people of all types are conversing in the parks.
Hudson River Park lines the neighborhood and the edges of West 14th Street
The success of the Hudson River Park under the Giuliani/Bloomberg Administrations when things ran correctly in New York City.
Hudson River Park at the corner of Tenth Avenue and West 14th Street in the Summer of 2025
Hudson River Park at the corner of West 14th Street and Tenth Avenue
Stopping in Hudson River Park for a half hour to cool off was wonderful. The breezes from the river were really nice and it was relaxing to just sit under a shade tree and watch the world go by. As I left the park and started my walk back up Tenth Avenue, I just saw how breathtaking the view was as I looked back up to West 23rd Street.
Looking up the ever changing neighborhood that lines Tenth Avenue from West 14th Street
I saw people walking around an interesting clothing shop and peeked through the windows. I could not find the entrance and walked through the door of a back hall. It ended up being the back entrance to the Chelsea Market, whose main entrance is on Ninth Avenue. I didn’t even know there was a back entrance and never explored the stores to the back of the complex. The market had once been the old Nabisco factory and you can still see some of the original features of the old building.
The inside of the Chelsea Market in the back entrance at Tenth Avenue between West 15th and 16th Street. The Market was mobbed that day. It was the middle of lunch hour. Between the locals and the tourists, you could barely move around the complex.
The selection at Sarabeth’s can be a bit pricey but the quality is excellent and the food is always consistently delicious. When I took a tour of Little Island with NYU at the start of the school year by second year at the college we came here for lunch and then had a picnic on the island. Great selection of items.
The mural “Soft Power” next to the Lantern House Building with the Pink Panther Mural in the front of the High Line
As I walked back up Tenth Avenue, I came across this giant billboard of the Pink Panther. The work is entitled “Soft Power”
Artist Alex Da Corte presents a new artwork for the High Line’s 18th Street Billboard, inspired by the Pink Panther, a Friz Freleng creation designed for the animated opening sequence of a 1963 Hollywood comedy that came to embody the film and has evolved, through 60 years of spin-offs and reinventions, into cultural ubiquity. Pink’s durability across many generations has allowed it to sell countless products, from fiberglass insulation foam to artificial sweetener, yet the creature’s essence remains out of reach.
With neither master nor peer—and seemingly eternally unbound by the rules of others—Pink represents a certain queer freedom. Da Corte revives Pink as an icon of resistance, supine but poised, wielding a sign of universal protest, brandishing a clear pink purpose. “There is a difference between falling down and laying down,” Da Corte explains. “I call that soft power.” This billboard is an advertisement for the value of such power.
Alex Da Corte is an American born Venezuelan-American artist now living in Philadelphia. Da Corte was the 2023 Philip Guston Rome Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Rome (Artist bio).
Another interesting mural was on the side of The Chelsea Square Market at 130 Tenth Street is of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi by artist Eduardo Kobra, whose work I had seen earlier on my walk and I have seen all over Manhattan. These two icons of peace face each other in a store that sells delicious deli food (see the artist bio above).
The Kobra painting “Tolerance” on the Chelsea Square Market building at 79th Tenth Avenue of Mother Theresa and Gandhi
As I was walking up Tenth Avenue towards West 21st Street, I passed a wine store and saw this sign. It was just after Pride week and I thought this sign was amusing and fun.
I saw this sign outside the wine store, Community Wine & Spirits at 140 Tenth Avenue and thought it was very clever
As I continued up Tenth Avenue, I passed Clement Clarke Moore Park, which was once part of the Moore farm and estate. The park was busy with parents and children cooling off. A series of ice cream men and guys selling ices kept coming in and out of the park while I was there. It is the perfect place to stop and cool off on a hot day.
The Clement Clarke Moore Playground at Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street
The park sits on the spot of the original estate of the Moore family and the plaque were the mansion once stood is around the corner on West 23rd Street. This park is wonderful during the warmer months to just sit and relax.
The picnic area of the park
The playground area was packed with kids running around the parks fountains
The gardens were in full bloom and were so well maintained
It was in 1837 that poet Clement Clark Moore claimed to be the author. Even today there is a controversy of who really wrote the poem, Clement Clark Moore or Major Henry James Livingston Jr. This discussion is still being debated today (Wiki).
How the poem mixed well into the tour is that Clement Moore’s family owned an estate here on the area on West 23rd Street between Hudson River and Eighth Avenue from West 24th Street to West 19th Street. His home was at 348 West 23rd Street. He developed the area after donating a large portion of the estate to his church and created a residential neighborhood that still stands today.
The Clement Clarke Moore estate when he sold it into real estate parcels
The historical marker for the Moore Mansion. It is claimed that he penned ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ here (this has been debated over the years)
I then started my trip down Ninth Avenue, which has been rapidly gentrifying even around the public housing over the last twenty years. Now it has been announced that the City will be knocking down both the Chelsea-Elliott and Robert Fulton Public Housing complexes. The cost to renovate these structures are too expensive and it will be replaced by mixed housing.
Looking down Ninth Avenue from West 23rd Street and the changes that are coming between Ninth and Tenth Avenues
Discussion on the replacement of the Public Housing Projects around the neighborhood:
As I walked down Ninth Avenue, I was treated to a diversity of architecture from different times. I have admired these two tiny wooden buildings for years and they have an interesting past. They were built in the 1840’s after the Moore estate was broken up for real estate plots for new homes.
These two small building at 185-189 Ninth Avenue were built in the 1840’s by real estate developer James N. Wells and were used by local merchants who lived about them (Daytonian in Manhattan.com). It is amazing to me when buildings from over a hundred years ago have survived this long and still in use. Here and there in Manhattan I have found these buildings from the early 1800’s along street and corners of neighborhoods on the island.
Another building that stood was futuristic structure with all sorts of pot holes. This is the former Maritime Union Building that is now the Dream Hotel. It was once part of a series of three buildings that was part of the National Maritime Union. When the Union folded due to lack of membership as industry changed, the building was left empty. The building designed byBronx-born but New Orleans-based architect Albert C. Ledner in 1966 (New Yorkitecture 2015).
Walking past the hotel, the front of the Chelsea Market stands tall on the corner of Ninth Avenue right across the street from the NYC Google headquarters. Before the layoffs at the company, the Chelsea Market was really bustling with office workers during lunch hour. Now its a majority tourists and local New Yorkers from all over the City. This building was an interesting conversion from building the old Nabisco Manufacturing plant (National Biscuit Company)
History of the National Biscuit company and the building transformation:
It seemed more mysterious when you entered from the Tenth Avenue side of what you would expect to see. The market is a lot of fun especially at lunch time or on the weekends when the facility is packed with tourists coming to tour and eat at the Market.
On the very edge of Chelsea, sharing it with the Meatpacking District is the historic Homestead Steakhouse. The restaurant was established in 1868 and is the oldest continuous running steak house in the United States. The restaurant was originally called the ‘Tidewater Trading Post’ and had been opened by German immigrants. The restaurant still has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor and their steaks are considered some of the best in the City.
The oldest steakhouse in NYC, The Homestead Steakhouse at 56 Ninth Avenue and West 14th Street
I continued up Ninth Avenue, admiring the ever changing architecture of the neighborhood. This area had once been all shipping and freight filled with warehouses that now are boutique hotels and shops and art galleries. It amazes me the changes in the past thirty years.
Looking up Ninth Avenue from West 14th Street
Another mural that has captured my attention both in the past and on this series of walks in the neighborhood is the painting on the side of Gotham Pizza at 144 Ninth Avenue
Gotham Pizza at 144 Ninth Avenue has the most interesting mural on the side of it. It was created by artist Jenna Morello.
Artist Jenna Morello is an American born artist based in Brooklyn. She is known for her colorful and detailed murals.
While walking on the other side of the avenue, I got a better look at the architecture along the street. As I walked up the other side of Ninth Avenue I got a better look at the wooden buildings.
185-189 Ninth Avenue
I turned the corner and walked down Eighth Avenue, the heart of the gay community. I have to say, you are always reminded of this too when you pass many of the establishments especially during Pride Week. Rainbow flags and colors were decorated all over the place. Up and down Eighth Avenue, there are all sorts of interesting shops and restaurants.
Walking down Eighth Avenue with the mural “We Love NY”
This is the third mural by artist Eduardo Kobra and shows a playful Albert Einstein showing his love of the “Big Apple”. This interesting painting towers over Eighth Avenue. These murals add such a playful and interesting look at the neighborhood and its creativity.
The Kobra painting of Albert Einstein ‘We ❤️ New York’
On of my favorite restaurants in Chelsea is S & A Gourmet Deli, which has a wonderful selection of sandwiches and salads located at 240 Eighth Avenue.
What I love about New York is that one every corner there seems to be a favorite bodega or deli that sells what you need when you need it. Some also just stand out for the quality of the food and the service and selection. S & A Gourmet Deli is one of those places.
A friend and I had just stopped in to buy sandwiches for lunch that we were going to enjoy a few blocks away in Madison Square Park. They had a large selection of sandwiches and wraps, and I decided on Chicken Cordon Bleu hero sandwich ($8.99) with a Coke ($1.99).
The sandwich contained a fresh fried chicken breast topped with Swiss cheese and ham and then broiled for a few minutes to combine the ingredients. Inside they put a little mustard to add to the complexity of the flavors. You really felt like you were eating a piece of Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich
My friend ordered an empanada and bought some snacks that we enjoyed after our lunch. The deli has a wide variety of grocery items. She also enjoyed her lunch.
The sandwich was delicious and packed with flavor.
Continuing down Eighth Avenue I saw this flag outside one of the bars on the window and I thought it was so profound but true. We are forgetting the freedom choice, expression and the right to live our lives is available to everyone. This is what makes us American.
I saw this posted outside a bar during ‘Pride Week’ and it’s nice to see people expressing their opinion. I think we are forgetting this.
At the very edge of the neighborhood on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 14th Street, technically the border with the Village is the Museum of Illusions at 77 Eighth Avenue.
At the very end of the block bordering Chelsea with Greenwich Village is the Museum of Illusions at 77 Eighth Avenue
It is a perfect museum for a day out with the kids but it is a bit on the pricey side. I had visited the museum at the beginning of last summer and here are some of the things that I enjoyed at the museum.
There are a lot of brain teasers and mirrors to throw you off or add to the display to entertain you. The optical illusions will test your mind and your senses. There are titled rooms to test your balance and your sense of sight, mirrored rooms to show location and reaction and small displays to show size and distance.
Me at the Museum of Illusions
Admittingly it is a very small museum of the steep price of admission ($24.00 for an adult) and you will only be in the museum for about an hour. The problem with this museum is that once you experience it and if they do not change the displays, there is no reason to go back. The small displays can be experienced on two floors.
The Tilted Room display
The afternoon I was here, the museum was packed with summer campers and school aged kids who dominated the place and it is so small that it was hard to maneuver around the museum. Still it was a very interesting museum to experience once as it will test the power of and exercise your brain.
The Clone Table
Me in the Vertical Room
The Illusions Gallery
I found the museum more geared towards children but visiting it once as an adult was a lot of fun. You have to visit the museum at least once because it is very interesting.
My last part of the neighborhood I visited was my walk down Seventh Avenue. Just like Eighth Avenue, these are really commercial blocks and the architecture reflects that. Mostly office buildings and newer apartments. Here and there on the Avenue there were things that stuck out and some interesting little restaurants and shops along the way. The street art was very interesting.
Looking down Seventh Avenue from West 23rd Street
One of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood sits right on the border of Seventh Avenue and West 23rd Street in the middle of the Chelsea neighborhood, Chelsea Papaya at 171 West 23rd Street. I love coming here for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the best part is you can get all this delicious food 24 hours a day.
Chelsea Papaya at 171 West 23rd Street
I swear that Chelsea Papaya has been part of this neighborhood since the 1970’s. I have passed this place a million times and never stopped in to eat. Recently when I was walking around the rim of Manhattan for ‘The Great Saunter” walk, I needed an early start, and this place opens at 5:00am (please check their website for the changing hours).
Chelsea Papaya at 171 West 23rd Street specials
For breakfast that morning I knew I would need to load up on carbohydrates so I ordered a Breakfast platter. I had four very large pancakes with a side of bacon and two scrambled eggs ($7.95) with a medium Papaya drink. It was the best breakfast on this rare cool summer morning.
The pancakes had a nice malted taste to them and were crisp and fluffy. The eggs were sizzling hot off the grill with the flavor of clarified butter. It was quite a large breakfast and it lasted me for most of the morning and afternoon.
The breakfast is over-sized here and filling. Bring your appetite.
The pancakes and eggs here are delicious
Yum!
The only problem that I had with breakfast was that you could not eat inside and I had to eat at one of the filthy outdoor tables that were available. They looked like the homeless had slept at them all night.
Chelsea Papaya is open all night
For dinner, I tried the Fried Chicken Sandwich and it was much better in the dining area. The Fries had just come out the fryer along with the Chicken Cutlet. Even though it had the shredded lettuce and tomato on top, they seemed much fresher on the second trip. I really enjoyed the meal. It had been after class and I really needed a good dinner.
The Chicken Sandwich and fries are cooked to order here
The Chicken Sandwich #4 Special at Chelsea Papaya
The one thing about Seventh Avenue is the interesting street art tucked here and there all over the Avenue. I love the fact that New York City feels like an open air museum with creative works here and there. The first one of this apple core that lined the wall outside a shop in neighborhood.
Mike Maka is a painter and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans large-scale murals, canvas works, illustration, and sculpture. Mike is based in between New York City and Melbourne, Australia. (Artist’s website).
The one local restaurant that has stood out the me is the Sleeping Cat at 160 Seventh Avenue. This small bakery/cafe has a lot of freshly baked items and sandwiches and it extremely popular both with the locals and the NYU students as I passed here a lot on my way to campus a year ago.
I look forward to giving it a try in the future. I loved some of the items on display.
The pastries at the Sleeping Cat
Here and there tucked into corners of buildings and on walls and poles is the most interesting street art. I always notice it at the corner of my eyes and several of them stood out to me when walking around Lower Chelsea.
I thought this was a fun piece of street art. You do not see too many snowmen on skateboards
This street artist I have seen all over the City and has some of the most amazing work. I think the designs are so unusual and the geometrics are amazing. This is just one example of this graffiti artist’s work.
This graffiti artist’s work I have seen all over Manhattan. This was on a building on Seventh Avenue.
On the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 21st Street, there is a series of graffiti art along an abandoned restaurant that I thought was interesting.
A unique homage to many genres
Old Hanna Barbara characters
Snoopy and Mr. Peanut
The Barbadok’ from the horror film
These will disappear when the restaurant reopens one day but for now you can look at them and make your own interpretation.
Another great restaurant that I enjoy is J’s Pizza at 96 Seventh Avenue, which has some of the best pizza and entree specials in the neighborhood. I used to come here a lot at night after classes at NYU and everything was so reasonable and delicious. It is one of those hidden gems for both lunch and dinner.
J’s Pizza at 96 Seventh Avenue
I have been coming to J’s Pizza for many years and had eaten here in the past after viewing the Halloween Parade in October. I just rediscovered it again when I started grad school in the neighborhood and forgot how good the food was when I dined here. The pizza slices are generous in size and their marinara and pizza sauces you can tell are freshly made and not from a can.
The sauces for all the meals here from the pizza, to the spaghetti and meatballs to the sauce that is the side to the many rolls and calzones is well spiced and has so much flavor to it. It really makes the dishes.
J’s Pizza counter is lined with pizzas and calzones
The wonderful garlic knots, Chicken and Pepperoni Rolls and Grandma Pizza
The Chicken, Sausage and Pepperoni rolls and fresh Grandma Pizza
The Tuesday Night Special is Spaghetti & Meatballs for $9.00
I finished my walk of the neighborhood in the early evening when it finally started to cool down. All the restaurants and coffee shops started to fill up with people starting dinner or going for a drink after work.
I headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a Summer Solstice concert to celebrate the longest day of the year. This was a ‘Members Only’ special event and I was looking forward to cooling off and relaxing on the lawn to listen to Jazz Music. So I took the subway from West 23rd Street into the heart of Brooklyn and joined the other members at the front gate.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden at 990 Washington Avenue was open late for the concert and watching the sunset in the park
The gardens were in full bloom and members were walking around the Cherry Blossom Lawn. Some people were sneaking a snack on the lawn or having a drink. Some were ordering food from the carts and just relaxing on their blankets. It was a nice night to be out as it cooled down when it got dark.
It was a nice night to walk around
The Garden set the bar up on both sides of the Gardens so that members could buy a cocktail or a snack. This made it easier to get something to eat (some nights you are not allowed food in the gardens except at the cart or in the restaurant inside the gardens).
The bar just outside the Visitors center
The menu at the bar that night
Waiting for the concert to begin
As it got dark the concert began. It really was not what I expected and being so tired from all the walking, I headed home around 9:30pm. It was going to be a two hour trip home. I was lucky that I made both the subway and the bus home as they were both waiting for me when I got to both of them.
It was a really good walk around the City and get the pulse of a neighborhood. Chelsea just keeps evolving and will change even more in the next ten years as the public housing in the neighborhood gets torn down for mixed income housing. The neighborhood will keep changing.
mywalkinmanhattan 