POOL HALLS s DAWN PATROL s 50 SHADES s BLOODY TASTY
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vi s i t us on li n e w w w. h u d s o n p l a c e r e a l t y. c o m 132
washington street · hoboken, new jersey
07030
201.420.7393 R E C I P I E N T OF THE 2014 HOBOKEN CHAMBER OF COMME RC E B U S I NE SS AWARD FOR RE AL E STAT E OF F I C E OF T H E Y E A R
07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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CONTENTS 07030
38
FEATURES 18 FIFTY SHADES Reality Show 22 CITY CRITTERS Hoboken’s Wild Things 26 CITY SIGNS Handmade Missives 30 FANTASY FENCES Chain Link Art 42 HOMEGROWN BREW N.J. Beer Company 46 SWEET SWINGS Baseball Bro’s
58 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Derrick Alston
COVER 32 THE STUDIO Issa Sow Cover Photo by Terri Saulino Bish | tbishphoto
DEPARTMENTS
38 WORKING OUT WITH Dawn Zimmer
4 CONTENTS
50 EDUCATION All Saints Episcopal Day
10 CONTRIBUTORS
62 ENTERTAINMENT Joseph Gallo 64 ARCHIVES AND ARTIFACTS Hoboken Public Library 66 HOW WE WORK Small Businesses 68 HOW WE LIVE House Proud
49 DATES What’s Goin’ On
70 SPORTS CORNER Pool Halls
12 EDITOR’S LETTER 14 ON THE WATERFRONT Fireboats
54 HELPING HANDS HOPES
73 POINT AND SHOOT Haunted Hoboken 74 EMERGING HOBOKEN DIY Bloody Mary Mix 76 EATERIES Trattoria Saporito 79 07030 DISH Restaurant Listings
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HOBOKEN
FA L L & W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 | 1 6 Vo l u m e 4 • N u m b e r 2 Published every Spring & Fall A Publication of The Hudson Reporter
PUBLISHERS Lucha Malato, David Unger EDITOR IN CHIEF Kate Rounds GRAPHICS STAFF Terri Saulino Bish, Lisa M. Cuthbert Alyssa Bredin Mike Mitolo Pasquale Spina COPYEDITING Christopher Zinsli ADVERTISING MANAGER Tish Kraszyk SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Toni Anne Calderone Ron Kraszyk ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Melissa Bridda Jay Slansky CIRCULATION MANAGER Roberto Lopez CIRCULATION Luis Vasquez ACCOUNTING Christine Caraballo
07030 Hoboken is published by the Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P., 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (201) 798-7800, Fax (201) 798-0018. Email 07030@hudsonreporter.com. Subscriptions are $10 per year, $25 for overseas, single copies are $7.50 each, multiple copy discounts are available. VISA/MC/AMEX accepted. Subscription information should be sent to 07030 Hoboken Subscriptions, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other unsolicited materials. Copyright ©2015/16, Hudson Reporter Associates L.P. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
07030 Hoboken is a publication of The Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P. 1400 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 phone 201.798.7800 • fax 201.798.0018 e-mail: 07030@hudsonreporter.com 07030hoboken.com
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Work with the
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THE NJ GOLD COAST LEADER 200 Washington Street, Hoboken NJ 07030 635 Valley Road, Montclair NJ 07043 t: 201.478.6700 I Hoboken@halstead.com
TERRI SAULINO BISH ALYSSA BREDIN CARLO DAVIS
JIM HAGUE
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
C O N T R I B U T O R S
0 7 0 3 0
AMANDA PALASCIANO
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
TARA RYAZANSKY
TERRI SAULINO BISH
began her career as a graphic designer and digital artist. Expanding into the area of photography, she not only creates images but captures them with her camera. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Best of Photography. Her art currently includes digital paintings and photos that can be viewed at tbishphoto.com.
ALYSSA BREDIN
is a graduate of Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, with a degree in graphic arts. She is pursuing a career in photography. Her work can be seen at tbishphoto.com.
CARLO DAVIS
is a freelance journalist who has written for The New Republic, World Policy Journal, and The Huffington Post. Most recently, he was staff writer for The Hoboken Reporter. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
JIM HAGUE
is a Jersey City native, who landed a job with the Hudson Dispatch in 1986. He has been the sports columnist for the Hudson Reporter Associates for the last 22 years.
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ANNA WILL
AMANDA PALASCIANO
is an award-winning journalist and freelance copy and content writer. She is the author of the Mascara series for teen girls and Artasium.
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
has studied publication design, photography, and graphic design. “I’ve been fascinated by photography for 18 years,” he says. One of his jobs as a construction project manager is to photograph job sites.
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries and published worldwide. A recent transplant to Bayonne, he spends his spare time trying to figure out the best pizza place in town.
TARA RYAZANSKY
is a writer who recently moved from Brooklyn to Bayonne. She works as a blogger for Nameberry.com and spends her spare time fixing up her new (to her) 100-year-old home.
ANNA WILL
Was raised in Denmark, and moved to the United States last year to edit fiction and nonfiction. She holds a degree in Comparative Literature from Aarhus University.
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EDITOR'S LETTER 07030
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Sight Lines
We
have a lot of visuals in this issue, and maybe that’s appropriate for a season that flaunts its flamboyant colors. Norm Kirby uses strips of canvas to make art on chain-link fences. Caren Lissner collects wacky handmade signs, which could be considered found art. We have a photo essay on city critters and invite you to email pictures of wildlife you’ve seen around town to 07030@hudsonreporter.com and put “city critters” in the subject line. We also encourage you to send images for our “Point and Shoot” page. And of course our cover guy is artist Issa Sow whose gallery on Observer Highway is a work of art in and of itself. Not to mention an event space for art shows and entertainment. Everyone knows our mayor loves everything that has to do with sports, fitness, and the outdoors.
see page 45
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Photo of the Marina 1 by Victor M. Rodgriguez
Flames Afloat The little fireboat that could BY ANNA WILL
Y
ou may have seen them. They ply the Hudson River, are painted red and white, and throw large arcs of water from their decks. Fireboats are specialized watercraft designed to fight fires on boats and waterfronts, but “the function of a fireboat is not one-dimensional,” Hoboken Fire Chief Anton Peskens said. “We use our fireboat for much more than firefighting.” The first fireboat came to Hoboken three years ago with a Port Security Grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The Hoboken fireboat, Marina 1, is small, merely 26 feet and capable of pumping just 250 gallons of water per minute, but it meets
the needs of the local fire department, which uses it to patrol the water, conduct search-and-rescue operations, and help distressed boaters. “We patrolled on the 4th of July along with the rest of the area’s security departments,” said Captain Michael Stefano from the Hoboken Fire Department. “We patrol during special events, like when the band Mumford & Sons played a concert. We patrol all the time, especially during the summer. We simply have to with all the people on the waterfront.” The most important job of the Hoboken fireboat is to save people from drowning. The firefighters have already saved a handful of people this year and not one has died on their watch. “Just a few months ago we received a
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call from the police department,” Stefano said. “Someone was drowning at Pier A. We immediately went there and plucked him out of the water. After the job was done, we handed him over to the paramedics. That’s what we do. It’s just an everyday routine for us around here.” To help with the firefighters’ searchand-rescue missions, Marina 1 is equipped with an engine camera that can detect heat under water. It alerts the firefighters when it detects an elevated temperature, making them aware that someone might be drowning. The advanced technology makes life a little easier for the Hoboken firefighters who want to maintain their perfect record. Marina 1 is used almost every day, but rarely to fight fires. This is not at all
ON THE WATERFRONT07030
John J. Harvey, on the job, fighting a fire uncommon; fireboats today are multipurpose vessels. The National Fire Protection Association says the mission of fireboats has changed in the past couple of years, and that fireboats today must be equipped for a wide variety of emergency and nonemergency operations, such as water patrol, search-and-rescue operations, and assisting land-based firefighters during manmade and natural disasters.
All Hands on Deck It was in the aftermath of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, that public safety officials realized the value of the fireboat. At the time there were only four active fireboats in the area; all belonged to the New York Fire Department’s Marine Division. On 9/11 the water distribution system surrounding the Twin Towers had been destroyed, hampering the efforts of land-based firefighters. Luckily, fireboats pump water directly from the ocean, and five fireboats, the John McKean, Firefighter, Smoke II, Kevin C. Kane, as well as a retired FDNY fire-
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boat, the legendary John J. Harvey, were called on to supply the land-based firefighters with water. The FDNY fireboats pumped water for five days straight, playing a vital role in extinguishing the massive fires at the World Trade Center site. The John J. Harvey has been restored as a museum. It was built in 1931 and is
still one of the most powerful fireboats ever in service, capable of pumping up to 18,000 gallons of water per minute. Docked at Pier 66 Maritime at 26th Street and the West Side Highway in Manhattan, the John J. Harvey now takes visitors on trips around Manhattan. Passengers can visit the engine room and experience the water cannons as they throw water from the
John J. Harvey early 1970s
deck. The John J. Harvey is a reminder of fireboats’ importance—past and present. The Hoboken fireboat might be small in size and have a shorter history, but it serves the needs of the local fire department, and as Chief Peskens said, “We’re a small part of a very large waterway.” —07030
John J. Harvey by Bierce Riley
Photo of John J. Harvey by Renee Stanley
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FIFTY SHADES OF… Well, Shades
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
WINDOW TREATMENTS MAKE REALITY-SHOW MAGIC BY AMANDA PALASCIANO PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERIOR MOTIF
W
e’ve all seen him in the movies: the handsome, wealthy bachelor who clicks a button to control the blinds in his modern penthouse. Admit it. You’ve wondered how you could be that cool with motorized shades in your pad—like something fresh out of Fifty Shades. The man behind the shades is Montreal-born Stephan Elbaz of Interior Motif, which has been at 629 Washington St. for 18 years. The company has put down roots in the community, helping the Elysian Charter School, walking locally to fight breast cancer, donating blinds to superstorm Sandy victims, and helping Stevens Institute with an efficient beach-home project.
Prior to hanging out his shingle in Hoboken, Stephan was involved in a similar family business in Canada. The business, which serves New Jersey and New York, is capitalizing on the demand for high-octane window treatments. Interior Motif was first featured on DIY’s Kitchen Cousins and HGTV’s Rev Run’s Renovation, which gave Stephan the inspiration to shoot a completely off-the-cuff reality show, “Behind the Shades,” in November 2014. The first season features 14 unscripted five-to-10-minute webisodes. The spots walk through the consumer experience from vision to finish. With a roster that includes New York Giants’ Jeremy Shockey, New York Yankee Mariano Rivera and actress Jennie Garth, Interior Motif has some cool-kid customers.
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But, Stephan emphasizes, “Just because we’ve been fortunate to work with celebrities, we want to show everyday people. We are really a retailer to the average homeowner.”
CASE IN POINT Who knew that a guy who loves shades would be such a natural in front of the camera? The spots operate in typical reality-show format. Stephan knocks on the door of a “contest winner,” who really needs help with her window treatments. We arrive at a classic 1950s, renovated ranch. On seeing white curtains from the outside, Stephan remarks that they don’t look all that great. He goes in and is greeted by an attractive woman who explains that they didn’t have good contractors. Stephan commiserates. The contest winner’s problem is compounded by
the fact that before they could even finish the renovation, a tree fell on the house during Hurricane Sandy. Stephan moves to the sofa with his new client to look at various options that are in a large notebook, filled with window-treatment designs. She wants something “beautiful and simple.” When we next catch up with her, Stephan’s guys are installing the shades—and the rest is history.
BACK ON WASHINGTON The work is done by in-house staff. Someone will come to measure the space and show what it’ll look like in a 3D version. A team of guys— you’ve probably seen those black-and-red Interior Motif vans around town—will then come to the home and install everything. Custom closets are another Interior Motif specialty. Now, if there is one thing Hobokenites know, it’s the need for more closet space or better use of the space you’ve got. “Most people are actually only utilizing a third of their closet space,” Stephan says. The showroom, which was expanded in the fall, features everything from those cool motorized blinds to custom closet solutions, shades, and shutters. We’re talking shades that work off of a remote or iPad, home-theater buttons, preprogrammed window coverings for optimal reading or energy efficiency. Despite some high-end products and glitzy clients, Stephan says, “We provide everyday clientele with a million-dollar look without spending a million dollars.”—07030
Stephan filming for DIY Network’s “Rev Run’s Renovation”
Stephan with production crew of “Rev Run’s Renovation”
Stephan with Justine Simmons, Rev Run’s wife on the set of “Rev Run’s Renovation” 07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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in Our Family Friendly Neighborhood
Your friendly neighborhood Central Avenue shopping district has over 240 storefronts offering a large variety of goods and services. From dining to clothing, you get everything you need and find something new every time you visit. Shopping local supports many independent “mom and pop” businesses and over 1,200 jobs in the district. Also, shoppers pay only 3.5% sales tax at participating UEZ registered businesses.
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D
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
espite all the development going on in Hoboken—high rises along the waterfront, and new condos on the west side—you can still find vestiges of our rural past in ragged lots left vacant by demolished or abandoned buildings. The vast stretch of woods and brambles leading up to what old timers call the “white wall,” is also still pretty untamed. In these areas, you can find a surprising variety of wildlife—not to mention on the river and the waterfront. Heck, once I saw a skunk waddling down the sidewalk. On this spread are some wildlife caught on camera in our Hoboken ecosystem. We will be publishing more wildlife photos in future issues. Send yours to KRounds@hudsonreporter.com.
Turkey vulture
Tuxedo cat
A rare sighting of a giraffe in Hoboken
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Mallard
Monarch butterfly
Squirrel with picnic lunch
Canada goose
Gosling
07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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We’ll take good care of your little superhero.
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Hello Hoboken! Opening Late Fall 2015
WE ARE CSBK
CSBK is your local community bank - and so much more. Simply put, we want to be your “Forever” bank. Although you may not have heard of CSBK before, rest assured we are a solid, FDIC insured bank, with roots extending back a very long time (to 1928 to be exact). WHY CHOOSE CSBK?
We offer just about everything you’ll need – simple-to-understand products and services, friendly and knowledgeable employees, and plenty of technology to make managing your money a snap.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM CSBK • We listen and respond to your individual needs • Our banking professionals make sure they provide appropriate advice and explain things thoroughly • We offer Banking by Appointment, where you select a convenient date/time • You are openly encouraged to provide feedback to help keep us on track • CSBK will continue its long history of volunteerism, outreach and support in and around the City of Hoboken
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csbknj.com/Hoboken
Our Address: Located in the Park & Garden Building 1470 Garden Street (on corner of 15th St)
Signs BY CAREN LISSNER
T
hroughout my time in Hoboken, both as a newspaper reporter and a resident, I’ve enjoyed
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and the city watching how neighbors communicate. And even with the advent of social media, sometimes there’s no better way to express joy or anger than with a handwritten sign. I’m always happy to see someone reaching out (even in an off-kilter way), since people tend to disappear into insular groups and
not meet others. Some of the signs I’ve seen—including those from businesses—are simply amusing, while others display raw emotion, and still others provide insight into how people think and interact in 2015 in a dense city in New Jersey. They range from overly polite missives about missing
bikes (we’ve seen several of those) to cocky come-ons about relationships. When we ran a sign series in the Hoboken Reporter, it won statewide awards. Here are some of my recent favorites.
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Chain links get whimsical facelifts
F
olks wandering around Hoboken and Jersey City have probably noticed them—a curious kind of artwork on fences around town. “Is that toilet paper?” asked one incredulous onlooker. Hardly. That métier would never stand up to the elements, and this is outsider art, in the true sense of the word. The artist is Norman Kirby, who
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makes his creations from straps of canvas, after experimenting with rope (too easily stolen) and colored ribbon (too expensive). Kirby, who works as a painter’s assistant at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, gets his canvas from what’s left over after stretching it on stretcher bars. “I’ve always been interested in street art,” Kirby says, “and this seemed like a good way to express myself. I see a fence and think of something to put there or find a location for something I already want.” And what about the ephemeral nature of his work? “Canvas lasts for awhile but will eventually deteriorate,” he says. “It does bother me.” For all you photographers out there, photographing it is the best way to preserve Kirby’s art—Kate Rounds
Check out more of Kirby’s art in the next issue of Jersey City Magazine. Visit hudsonreporter.com.
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issyra
ISSA SOW’S
composed chaos
BY KATE ROUNDS TBISHPHOTO
D
on’t turn down an invitation to visit Issa Sow’s work space. You may think you’ve seen studios or galleries or artists’ lofts or museums, but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve experienced the Issyra gallery. And “experience” is the operative word. It’s not just a visual feast. It’s a mélange of tastes, scents, and sounds. I visit on a hot August afternoon. When I approach the entrance on Observer Highway, a guy walking his dog asks me if I know anything about the gallery. “Not yet,” I say, “but I’m about to find out.” The door is ajar and a calico cat greets me. I’m afraid she’ll escape into the dangerous rush-hour traffic, just yards away. But she stays in her dark, cool comfort zone. Issa materializes behind her, extending a hand. When I tell him about the dog walker, he rushes outside, but the man has gone. I would soon learn that an expansive, welcoming aura surrounds Issa, his gallery, and his work. There’s a bus stop right outside the gallery. When it rains, he often invites folks who are waiting for the bus to take refuge in his gallery. “I like to make people happy,” he says. Issa’s home country is Senegal, and he’s lived in the south of France. He speaks English with lovely French inflections. Tall and slender, he’s dressed entirely in black, a “cowboy hat” on his head and Keds on his feet. Bracelets jangle on one slender wrist. We try to figure out how tall he is, mangling English, French, meters, and feet, and wisely give up.
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He offers me tea, coffee, or water. He looks so disappointed when I decline that I finally accept a glass of water, which he delivers in a Mason jar from a water cooler, nearly hidden amid the odds and ends. He makes an espresso for himself. Hold that thought. Coffee will make an important appearance later in the story.
Everywhere You Look Where to begin? You pan the room but don’t know where to let your eyes rest. The space is filled with African statues, masks, and art, acrylic paintings on canvas and pen on paper, framed and unframed work, on the walls and looping from the ceiling. Antiques and art share space with hand weights and a bike, intriguingly carved furniture, clocks, musical instruments, and rugs atop a hand-painted floor. At first it may seem like a
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jumble, but you suspect that an intelligent design is behind it all. Pods with coffee tables and cozy chairs and sofas are placed around the room for small groups to chat about the art, music, and poetry that regularly fill the space. Issa hosts weekend events with bands, musicians, poetry readings, and art exhibits. He encourages every nationality to participate, ticking off French, African, AfricanAmerican, and American. “A mélange,” he says. Guests may bring food, beer, and wine, but no hard liquor. It’s fine to get drunk on culture but not on booze. “My customers are friends now,” he says. On this day a Senegalese musician named Youssou N’Dour is playing on a huge screen in the band area where bongo drums look like they’re just waiting to be played. A percussionist, songwriter, composer, actor, businessman, and politician,
THE STUDIO 07030
N’Dour was described by Rolling Stone as “perhaps the most famous singer alive in Senegal and much of Africa.” That most Americans have never heard of him is important to Issa’s inclusive worldview. He wants his American friends to learn about Senegal and has planned to take a few of them on a tour of his home country. He also loves American country music and says, “When you grow up in Africa, you grow up with the world.” Issa doesn’t feel entirely comfortable with English, though he speaks it very well. “I learned it from people here in four years,” he says. He laces his speech with Issa-patented philosophies, such as “When you see a beautiful woman, you see only her; it’s the same thing with art.” He often ends such musings with the French, “alors.”
The Artist’s Art Issa admits to never going to museums, but when a friend from Senegal visits, they plan to take in a few in New York. His own paintings feature fish, “the beginning of life,” he says, shards of glass or mirrors—and women. “Women,” he says, “should be part of any important decision in the hope that it will help us to achieve world peace.” Issa doesn’t throw away anything. In fact, just the opposite. “I love to walk around Hoboken and find garbage,” he says. His “garbage” is often something beautiful like a telephone box, a lamp, or a clock. He saves plastic to use in his paintings. “It also saves the planet,” he says. I spotted a paint scraper and real dreadlocks incorporated in his work. Scents play a part in the Issyra experience. The aroma of natural lavender
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incense fills the space. “I want to experiment with every oil in the world,” he says. There is so much exquisite debris that you might miss something really interesting—like the Senegalese fishing boat, carved from a tree and hand painted. It’s now covered with stuff, but when Issa does some rearranging, he hopes to pull it out, cover it, and use it as a table. Or maybe hang it from the ceiling.
A Drawing to Go I choose one of the comfy couches, so that we can sit down and chat. Issa is very intuitive. He can tell that I would prefer the quiet of the gallery to the rattling of the air conditioner and turns it off. He also intuits that my question about price— larger paintings might cost $3,000—is a kind of wistful longing to own one.
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“I will make you a drawing,” he says, reaching for pen and paper. “Now?” I ask. “Now.” He makes a whimsical drawing. And here’s where that little cup of espresso comes in. He pours the dregs over the image to give it an “organic color.” He runs to the back to dry it in the sun and then frames it while I wait. As Issa says, “I like to make people happy.”—07030
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DAWN
PATROL Working Out With—Dawn Zimmer
---------------------------------BY CARLO DAVIS PHOTOS BY TBISHPHOTO
Y
ou don’t have to ask Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer how she stays active in Hoboken—just follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Zimmer’s social media feed is a virtual smorgasbord of athletic activities. On any given day, you can find her climbing a rock wall with her kids in Brooklyn, kayaking on the Hudson, or joining an informal game of hurling at 1600 Park. A sunny afternoon this past April found Zimmer running on Hoboken’s pristine South Waterfront, a peaceful venue with breathtaking views of New York City. Zimmer’s schedule usually allows for only one jog a week, but she tries to find time for exercise wherever she can.
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“I just build it into my everyday,” said Zimmer. “I go for long walks along the waterfront, take my dog and walk with my family along the waterfront.” She’s been kayaking many times through the Hoboken Community Boathouse, and recently tried standup paddle boarding for the first time. “The key is you’ve got to keep paddling,” she said. “If you’re just standing there, then it’s a little difficult to balance.” Though she already has the basics down, she wants to take more classes and work paddle boarding into her routine. “That could be another way to work out, something different from going to the gym,” she said. “I never seem to make it to the gym. To be honest, I prefer to be outdoors.” In keeping with Hoboken’s 2013 ranking as the most walkable city in America by walkscore.com, Zimmer said that when she has community meetings at the Hudson Tea
WORKING OUT WITH 07030
Carlo didn’t even attempt the upward-facing pretzel.
Building, she’ll walk home from there, adding “I never use the elevator; I take the stairs.” She also walks or bikes from her Madison Street home to City Hall every day. Known as the biking mayor, she often shows up at ribbon cuttings or press conferences on her trusty cruiser. At the debut event for Hoboken’s next-generation bike share system in August, Zimmer served as her own demonstration model, activating a bike and tooling around for the scrum of reporters and dignitaries. Earlier this year, Zimmer took up hurling, a Gaelic field sport in which teams of 15 attempt to make goals by hitting a stitched ball called a sliotar with a wooden stick. “It’s kind of a cross between field hockey and lacrosse,” said Zimmer, who played the former in high school. The game is littleknown in the United States. In fact, Zimmer says, “I feel like I’m literally taking a trip to Ireland every Tuesday.”
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WORKING OUT WITH 07030
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She joins weekly informal practices and scrimmages with the Hoboken Guards Hurling Club, which competes in tournaments nationwide. In 1858, Hoboken’s Elysian Fields was home not to just the legendary first U.S. baseball game, but to one of the first recorded hurling matches in North America. Zimmer grew up hiking in her native New Hampshire, and she has tried to instill her love of wide-open spaces in her two sons. This summer, Zimmer and her family went backpacking in Sierra National Forest and climbed Half Dome, Yosemite National Park’s iconic rock formation. “My sons are both teenagers now, so they were carrying more than I was,” she laughed. “They each had like 45-pound packs.” Zimmer has made it her mission to expand open-space opportunities in Hoboken. During her nearly six years as mayor, she’s completed two parks, Pier C Park and 1600 Park, renovated existing parks, and laid the groundwork for construction this fall of Hoboken’s newest park at Paterson Avenue and Jackson Street. Plans for more parks at Seventh and Jackson streets and in the city’s northwest section are in the works. The City Council has also approved a design for a new boathouse on Weehawken Cove. “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done and what we’re on the cusp of doing,” she said. “We need more open space, but all of those new parks will be built with green infrastructure and resiliency so that they help address the flooding challenges that we face.”—07030
Belly Up to the bar FOR SOME HOMEGROWN BREW
“There’s something for everybody,” says General Manager Kevin Napoli (left). BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAX RYAZANSKY
At
the entrance to the New Jersey Beer Company are large metal tanks and machinery in a section called the brew house. Further on is the tasting area with repurposed wine-barrel tables and a wooden bar built by head brewer Brendan O’Neil. The brewery is appropriately situated in an industrial neighborhood—in North Bergen just off the light rail at Tonnelle Avenue. “We always knew we would be in Hudson County, and being near the light rail was important for us,” says General Manager Kevin Napoli. “Our postcards that we give out everywhere we go show that you can jump on the light rail and get here and not have to worry about getting home.” But if you want to stay right here in Hoboken and enjoy a New Jersey Beer Company brew, Napoli says you can find them at the Brass Rail, Stewed Cow, Little Town, Smokin’ Barrel, and the Black Bear, as well as at Cork Wine and Spirits and Sparrow. Napoli was an early investor in the company, and local real estate developer Paul Silverman is a major investor. Around the brewery are portraits of Silverman, Napoli, O’Neil, and staff
members disguised in animal masks by street artist Sean Lugo. Bottle labels and merchandise are currently designed by Holly Tienken of Design Grace. The brewery offers tastings and tours during which patrons observe the entire process from brew to barstool. Because it’s a small business, guests get to meet the brewers and ask questions. “There’s something for everybody,” Napoli says, “whether you’re a craft beer nut or you’re new to it.”
BRING ON THE BEER MENU Year-round offerings include LBIPA, 1787 Abbey Single Ale, Garden State Stout, and Hudson Pale Ale. LBIPA is brewed to evoke memories of the Jersey Shore. “For us, the whole idea of this beer was about sitting on the beach and enjoying a beer,” Napoli says. A portion of the sales from this one go toward Alliance for A Living Ocean in Ship Bottom, N.J., which is devoted to maintaining a healthy coastal environment. It would be hard to find a more aptly named town for beer booty than Ship Bottom. “We were doing test batches for an IPA, and it was right at the time that
Sandy happened,” Napoli relates. “Having three feet of water in your business is horrendous, in your home, I can’t even imagine how much worse that was.” 1787 Abbey Single Malt is a crisp, Belgian-style ale, named for the year that New Jersey became the third state in the union. “It’s kind of like a Stella,” Napoli says. Garden State Stout is full-bodied and chocolate. “It’s a really, really tasty beer,” says Napoli, who admits to sneaking bits of the real Belgian chocolate with the other guys while they brew it. The bright and hoppy Hudson Pale Ale gets its share of teasing. “There are a lot of jokes to be made, like people say, ‘Oh, Hudson Pale Ale, do you make that from water from the Hudson River?’ We say, ‘Absolutely! Every employee has to fill two buckets a day!’” But, he says, “There’s a lot of pride in New Jersey. We try to honor it; we think it’s a big deal to call yourself New Jersey Beer Company. You don’t want to make bad beer, and then you’re representing the whole state. “As much as there is a ton of pride for being from New Jersey, there’s a little bit of self loathing as well,” he acknowledges. “I think people expect that a beer
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Because it’s a small business, guests get to meet brewers and ask questions. from Colorado or Vermont is going to be better just because. That’s not the case. We’ve got talented brewers, we buy awesome ingredients, great equipment, we’ve been at this a while. I think New Jersey, especially Northern New Jersey, is making beer happen.”
SILVER MAN The beer was impressive enough to make Paul Silverman take notice. He teamed up with New Jersey Beer Company four years ago. “He came to us for advice on how to open a brewery, and at that time we were starting a fundraising campaign,” Napoli says. “At a certain point it became obvious. ‘Hey, you have money and an interest in starting a brewery, and we have a brewery, and we have an interest in getting some more investment.’” Silverman, for his part, says, “The beer is delicious, and the guys are great. I love the name. It’s also much easier than starting my own.” For Silverman, brewing and building go hand in hand. “We are returning to our cities and to all things wholesome and hand-crafted,” he says. “Beer and beautiful places to live can both bring you happiness.”—07030 For more info, visit njbeerco.com
Portraits by Sean Lugo include owners, brewers, and staffers in animal masks.
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EDITOR'S LETTER 07030 from page 12
Writer Carlo Davis took a jog with Mayor Zimmer along the waterfront. Check out Terri Saulino Bish’s pictures of the mayor caught in the act of being herself. Speaking of sports, take a walk down memory lane with sports writer Jim Hague as he profiles former NBA star and Hoboken native Derrick Alston. He also has a chat with Hoboken’s Eusebio brothers, pro baseball players who are helping us all to be better batters. If indoor sports are your thing, check out Hoboken’s pool scene. No, not the blue chlorine kind but the corner-bar kind. The husband-andwife team of Tara and Max Ryazansky got the scoop and shot the pictures of some real Hoboken hustlers. As we move into winter, we can be grateful for the HOPES organization, which is doing everything it can to fight poverty. Check out our interview with President and CEO Ora Welch. There’s much more in this issue. How about making yourself a bloody Mary with a homemade mixture by Hoboken residents Ryan Grace and Christine Dodd and relaxing with a copy of 07030?
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Hoboken brothers team up to build better ballplayers STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM HAGUE
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hey were one of the most athletic families ever to pass through Hoboken High School. The name was synonymous with Red Wing royalty. The Eusebio brothers—Eddie, Ralph, Tony, and Michael—were the
Windsors of the Mile Square City. Eddie, the oldest, chose basketball. Ralph, now 42, played a little bit of everything but chose baseball as his ticket out, getting drafted by the Chicago Cubs as a slick-fielding, power-hitting outfielder. Tony was also a talented athlete, but it was the
youngest brother, Mike, now 36, who continued the pro baseball tradition, signing with the Cincinnati Reds as a hard-throwing pitcher. “To me, there was no secret as to where I got my inspiration,” said Mike. “I had three other role models living with me as my older brothers. I was the
Devin Cristian of North Bergen (center) gets batting instruction from brothers Mike (front) and Ralph (rear).
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lucky one. I just followed my brothers’ lead.” Ralph, for his part, said, “I don’t think I could have encouraged Mike to become a pro baseball player. It just happened.” After Ralph retired from baseball, he came back to become a Hoboken firefighter. Mike stepped away from baseball in 2003 and entered the business world, but the two brothers had something in common—the ability to work with kids and the desire to help. “Ralph started it for me,” Mike said. “He always showed me how to give back.” “Being around the game of baseball meant so much to me,” said Ralph, who came back to assist former Hoboken High head baseball coach Buddy Matthews. “I also helped out with some of the Jersey City teams. I gave some one-on-one lessons. I just wanted to help kids learn the sport I loved.”
After his softball days ended, Hernandez became an instructor at the Teel Baseball School in Bergen County, remaining for six years. While there, the plans for his own facility started to take shape. In December 2012, Hernandez opened the Hudson Baseball Center on Summit Avenue in Union City and immediately reached out to Ralph Eusebio. Soon after, Ralph secured the services of his youngest brother.
“I thought it was only fitting for me to have them as a part of this,” Hernandez said. “This is exactly what I wanted to do,” said Ralph. “Once this place opened up and Raf called me to do this, I knew it was perfect. Raf came along and changed my whole life. I wouldn’t be doing much with baseball without it.” “If we didn’t love the game, we wouldn’t want to do this,” added Mike, who was an infielder his entire life, then was discovered as a pitcher at age 22.
SAFE AT HOME Ralph’s path from pro player to local coach started six years ago. “I just stepped away from the game for four years and didn’t do anything,” Ralph said. “I didn’t want to do it anymore.” He played two years with the Cubs. “I had a chance to play in the Dominican Republic and didn’t do it,” he said. “I played a little independent ball with the Mohawk Valley Land Sharks, but I asked for my release, because I wasn’t enjoying it.” Three years ago, Raf Hernandez, a former restaurateur and bar owner from Union City, came up with the idea of opening an indoor instructional baseball center that would include batting cages, enabling local baseball players to hone their skills all year, regardless of weather. Hernandez was a standout baseball player at New York Tech on Long Island and later became a nationally recognized fast-pitch softball player.
Raf Hernandez (rear) has been fortunate to have the Eusebio brothers of Hoboken, Ralph (left) and Mike (right), at the Hudson Baseball Center. 07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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BASE HIT The trio has been diligent in getting the Hudson Baseball Center off the ground. They also offer softball pitching and hitting instruction, under the leadership of former Hoboken softball standout Ashley Barron, who was the 2010 Hudson Reporter Female Athlete of the year. The Hudson Baseball Center has even opened its doors to soccer leagues and teams. “I have to admit,” Hernandez said. “Soccer saved us for a while.” The facility has initiated a travel baseball program that has helped the business flourish. Boys 10 and under, 12 and under, and 14 and under pay a fee to compete. Mike is in charge, scheduling and assembling a coaching staff. About 90 percent of the boys playing in HBC’s travel program are from Hudson County. “We try to teach them that there’s more to baseball than what’s inside the batter’s box,” Mike said. “We want to change their entire culture and teach them about discipline in life as well. That’s what we’re all about.” “What they receive is a great product,” Hernandez said. “They are able to get an entire winter of practice together three days a week.” “The kids are getting treated like they’re professionals,” Ralph said. “It’s all hands-on learning. I see Raf getting
out there with them and fielding ground balls. I see Mike with the pitchers on the mound. The kids believe in them. It’s great to see.”
TEAM PLAYERS Devin Cristian, 11, is an aspiring player from North Bergen who’s on the Hudson Baseball Center’s U-12 team and regularly comes to the facility for private lessons with the Eusebio brothers. “Before I came here, I was very sloppy,” Cristian said. “I had no balance in my swing. I like having the winter training. I’m glad that they’re never closed. Baseball is definitely my favorite sport, and I’m glad to have them here for me.” Cristian plays second base for the North Bergen Little League. With the Hudson Batting Center team, he also plays the outfield. “The coaches really inspire me and definitely help me,” he said. “Most of the kids understand what we’re asking of them,” Ralph said. “And they really act like professionals.” Ralph said that the staff is always trying to come up with different angles to encourage new members. “We’ve had to be a little creative and figure out what we could do,” he said. “It’s still a roller coaster ride, but we’re growing pretty nicely.”
THEY SWUNG FOR THE FENCES “Being here with my little brother has been fantastic for me,” Ralph said. “It really has been a godsend. I could always vouch for him and his baseball ability. I had that much confidence in him that he would be great here. We talk to each other all the time. If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t be with my brother as much. That’s the other blessing.” Mike agrees. “Ralph allowed me the chance to come back,” he said. “I never would have been into it if it weren’t for my brother. I love it. It’s the greatest job in the world. I get to hang out with my brother and good friend. There’s no better place to be.” Together, the Eusebio brothers, Hoboken’s athletic royalty, are making a difference with kids on a daily basis. As Ralph said, “It’s like we’re producing little miracles here.”—07030
Hudson Baseball Center is at 2300 Summit Ave., Union City. It’s open year-round Monday through Friday, 39 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. The facility can also be opened upon request. For further information, call (201) 766-6072.
Mike pitches to brother Ralph in one of the batting cages at the Hudson Baseball Center.
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D Want your event listed? Please email us at 07030@hudson reporter.com and put “07030 calendar listings” in the subject line.
ONGOING Hoboken Gallery Walk, various locations, hoboken gallerywalk.com. 2-6 p.m. Third Sunday of every month. Galleries and art spaces
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around Hoboken participate with special events and receptions highlighting the work of local, regional, and international artists.
Downtown Farmer’s Market, Washington Street between Newark Street and Observer Highway, 3-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 20.
Uptown Farmer’s Market, 13th Street and Hudson, 2-7 p.m. Thursdays through Oct. 22.
Family Farmer’s Market, Garden Street & 14th Street. 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays through Nov. 23.
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Tuesday Ballroom Dance Classes, Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St., (201) 9630909, symposia.us. 7 p.m. $15 per person per hour or $50 for four lessons. Wednesday Yoga classes, Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St., (201)
S 963-0909, symposia.us. 7 p.m. Refreshments served after class. Thursday Guitar Circle, Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St., (201) 9630909, symposia.us. 8:30 p.m. Beginners welcome.
see page 57
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PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
All Saints Episcopal Day School PREPARING KIDS FOR AN UNKNOWABLE FUTURE
In
1609, Galileo conjectured that the surface of the moon might be walked upon. But he never envisioned toddlers firing up Peppa Pig on their mothers’ smartphones. That’s the dilemma facing 21st century educators: They just do not know what skills an eighth grader in 2015 needs in order to enter the workforce in 2025. “These kids will grow up to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet,” says All Saints Episcopal Day’s Head
of School Jill Singleton. “The truth of the matter is, the skill set is for jobs that don’t even exist.” Students from nursery school through kindergarten are at 527 Clinton. Grades 1 through 8 are at 707 Washington. At midday on a Friday in late September, it looked like a lot of problem-solving was going on at the Washington Street school. Some classes were in session. Other kids were moving through the hallways in supervised
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lines, and little ones were enjoying a story hour. The school is bright and colorful with none of the chaos, gloom, or sense of dread that characterize some schools. When teacher Libby Vino dismissed her math class, we sat down for a chat. Talk about renaissance teacher. She has degrees in religious studies, education, and dance, and teaches spirituality and math.
EDUCATION 07030 “We prepare them for high school, but it’s more than just math,” she says. Or any subject. “It’s nurturing and caring and pushing them to be independent and responsible. It’s about innovation, creative thinking, cooperation, and caring for one another.” She and everyone else swear by the school’s mission, which is posted in every classroom. The 11-point statement, available on allsaintsday school.org, includes calls to inspire a love of learning, team-
The school inspires a love of learning, teamwork, and self awareness.
work, and self-awareness. “It’s a beautiful statement and has been a guiding light for 30 years,” Vino says.
Three Decades and Counting All Saints, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is meeting 21st century challenges in a dynamic environment. “It was founded at a time when a lot of people were leaving the city to raise families,” Singleton says. “This school was an option for people who were looking to stay in Hoboken. They loved the urban area and wanted quality education without leaving town.” Part of the school’s mission statement at the time was to “nurture an appreciation for the cultural wonders of urban life.” Vino, an Oregon native who dreamed of living in New York City, embodies that appreciation. She loves the fact that
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EDUCATION 07030 ago, the school instituted a “vermicompost” program in which worms eat organic waste. Another component of the mission statement is to “develop an appreciation for the planet and gratitude for its beauty,” Singleton says. “The kids have gotten the message about climate change and the climate crisis.”
Hoboken is across the river from Manhattan yet has a cultural footprint of its own, including the arts and music festival, in which her daughter participates. She’s a real task master when it comes to ice cream. She makes her own kids bike all the way to Edgewater for it; it’s good exercise and good use of an urban amenity. The school uses the city—and indeed the world—as its classroom. The students are “global citizens,” who take part in an exchange program with students from Ecuador. “We talk all the time about trying to make sure kids understand and interface with the community and the world,” Singleton says. “A school used to be for getting information. Now you can get information from the iPhone in your pocket.” The challenge, she says, is “how to discern good from bogus information.”
Taking Action Ten-year-olds in the fourth grade are learning how to gather good information in a year-long action research project in which they identify a problem, create a survey, tabulate the results, and analyze the data to see how the problem can be solved. They’ve addressed dog waste in the streets, pedestrian safety, litter, and the banning of single-use plastic bags. “They researched other world cities and found that cities and whole countries had banned plastic bags, and they tried to learn from them,” Singleton says. The students created a report and presented it to the Hoboken City Council. “These kinds of skills help students develop knowledge that is a means to an end,” says Singleton. They’ve also looked at the success of recycling and composting. A few years
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Teaching Action “Faculty really wants to do this kind of teaching,” Singleton says. “They’re frustrated by artificial parameters and want to do authentic experiential learning. There’s a lot of collaboration and group work; we’re smarter together than alone.” During the Month of the Young Adolescent in October, middle schoolers pick a topic of concern such as texting while driving, healthy hangouts for teens, throwing cigarette butts on the street, and secondhand smoke, and in a leadership summit, they invite local leaders such as the mayor, council members, firefighters, and police officers to share their thoughts. When Singleton came on board over a decade ago, the school was—and still is— on the forefront of technology, with smartboards in classrooms and laptops on desks. Now Singleton has a different con-
EDUCATION 07030 cern. “We’re trying to temper that,” she says. “Kids spend so much time on the screen,” putting their social and emotional development at risk. Singleton tells the story of a ninth grader whose smartphone ran out of juice. The girl explained that she’d been hanging out with friends and they’d been texting each other. A clueless adult might be forgiven for asking, if you’re with your friends, why are you texting them? Is talking the new hieroglyphics?
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Singleton also shares an overheard conversation between a mother and her fouryear-old daughter on the boardwalk near the beach. The girl begged to go to the beach or the playground. The mother refused, giving the child her smartphone instead. “Technology is not an end in itself,” Singleton says. “Students should struggle with something, sit with something, be bored and figure out what they want to do.” They need unplugged and unscheduled time. “Children are hardwired to play and use their imaginations,” Singleton says. “They need free time and free space to experiment—and fail.” It’s called successful failure. Says Singleton, “A happy childhood has to have some joy in it.”—07030
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˙HELPING HANDS 07030
ra Welch will be the first to tell you that things have changed in Hoboken. She’s not talking about the glass-and-steel high-rises that soar from our waterfront but about the humanity struggling to stay afloat in their shadow. The well-known Bible verse declares that “you always have the poor with you.” Nothing’s changed in 2,000 years except perhaps a media climate that can give destitution some “Time Out of Mind” drama. Welch, who is president and CEO of the nonprofit HOPES, knows that there’s nothing theatrical about being homeless and hungry. “The demographics in Hoboken have changed tremendously,” she says. “Hoboken used to be one of the poorest cities in the nation. Now it’s more gentrified, but there are still members of the community who are economically challenged.” A common refrain is that she wants to serve people who may have just enough money to disqualify them for public funds. HOPES’ mission is “to provide community services that respond to the social, educational and training needs of individuals in an effort to overcome barriers and fight the causes of poverty.”
GARDEN OF HOPE The headquarters at 301 Garden St. sports a welcoming red door. The minute you walk in you know you are in a former school building—the first school in Hoboken, according to Welch—and parts of it are still used for classrooms. Welch is also welcoming, a warm, big-hearted presence, bejeweled and fashionable, a munificent talker given to flight of ideas. In fact, her mosaic of details is almost too complex to follow. When I suggest that readers might want to visit HOPES.org to get the full picture, she says, “or they can just call me,” a brazen notion for most CEOs. Though she might take verbal flight, her ideas and programs are firmly rooted in the soil of community service—to infants, toddlers, preteens, teens, adults, and seniors.
ORA WELCH
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˙HELPING HANDS 07030 When an armory in Plainfield much like the National Guard Armory in Jersey City became available, Welch says her adrenaline was pumping. Because it was owned by the federal government, she had to persuade Gov. Chris Christie to sign legislation allowing it to be sold to a private nonprofit. It now houses Plainfield’s Head Start program.
SEEDS OF HOPE HOPES was established in 1964 under the firepower of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, and specifically the Economic Opportunity Act, which established Community Action Agencies. The enemy? Poverty in Hudson County. The majority of program participants have incomes below 75 percent of the federal poverty threshold. Services include those for youth enrichment, adults, senior assistance, and early childhood development. Board Chair Frank Raia has been with the organization for 32 years. In 1983, he was tapped by Hoboken Mayor Steve Cappiello to fill a vacancy on the board, and he has been there ever since. “I’ve been trying to help youth my entire life,” he says. “Clearly, this is the best Head Start in the country. It’s a model program, and it just keeps on growing.” Raia affirms that “fighting the causes of poverty” should start with our youngest citizens. Welch came on board in 1994 as early childhood director and two years later took the helm of the entire organization. She remembers her mother repeating the proverb, “It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness,” a philosophy that has served Welch well in her two decades at the organization. “You can’t change everything and everybody,” she says. “You have to pick an area and then go out like waves and change others.” Instead of cursing Hoboken’s gentrification, she takes advantage of it. “It’s impossible to find housing for lowincome families,” she says, “so we connect with the gentrified population, bring them in, and see how they can give back. They spread the news among friends and acquaintances and raise funds.” Charity starts at home. A large percentage of her staff of some 280 comes from low-income Hoboken residents.
ROOTS OF HOPE Welch was born in Alabama and was raised there before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965. “The schools were segregated,” she says. “I lived in a community where things were segregated. But there were some advantages to living in the South. One is that all my teachers lived in the same community. It was not as foreign as it is now for some children.” She attended Antioch College in Ohio, an acknowledged hippie school and hotbed of activism since the 1940s. Welch spent much of her time after college and between semesters in New York City, her dream destination while growing up in Alabama. She eventually moved to New Jersey, where she has stayed for 40 years, gradually falling in love with the state and always finding fulfillment in her work. “There’s satisfaction in giving back to the community,” she says. “I would absolutely do the job for free.”—Kate Rounds
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from page 49
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Mangia Hoboken Food Tours, Hoboken PATH Station (corner of River Street and Hudson Place), (201) 653-151, hobokenfoodtour.com. 2 p.m. Saturdays. For reservations, call (800) 595-4849. $46 per person.
First Sundays Sinatra Singers: Greg Myers, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmusuem.org, 4 p.m. The Museum and the Hoboken Department of Cultural Affairs have teamed up to bring back past Sinatra Idol Contest performers to help us celebrate Frank Sinatra’s centennial year. This month’s singer is Greg Myers, Hoboken Sinatra Idol winner of 2011. Free.
The Mile Square Toastmasters Club Meetings, Hudson School, 601 Park Ave. milesquare.org. 7:30 p.m. Mondays. Develop public speaking skills and leadership skills in a safe and supportive space.
OCTOBER 1 Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hoboken museum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
11 Heirloom Garlic-tasting Festival, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmusuem.org, 1-5 p.m. Savor the pungent flavor of more than a dozen varieties of “the stinking rose.” Volunteers needed: email volunteer @hobokenmuseum.org for more information. Free.
15 Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hoboken museum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch
shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. An annual tour of some of the great private homes in Hoboken.
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25-26
Harvest Festival, Pier A Park, First Street and Sinatra Drive, (201) 420-2207, hobokennj.org. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Hay maze, pony rides, face painting, moonwalk, trackless train, pumpkin painting, sand art, and more. Live performances by Garden Street School of the Performing Arts, Hoboken Hip Hop from All Saints Episcopal Day School and more. Free.
Rock the BBQ, Pier A Park, 11 a.m. Featuring 20 of the top BBQ chefs, five pastry chefs, a beer and wine garden, fireworks, kid friendly activities and more. Visitrockthebbq.webconnex.co m/generaladmission for ticket information. The festival lasts from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Oct. 26.
18 Strangers in the Night: Poets on Music, Musicians on Poetry, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hoboken museum.org, 3-5 p.m. The Museum’s Poet in Residence, Danny Shot, is gathering a group of poets and musicians for an evening of poetry and music. All are welcome. Free.
30 Ragamuffin Parade, 13th and Washington Streets, (201) 420-2207, hobokennj.org. 3 p.m. Lineup starts on 13th Street and heads down Washington Street, followed by a Costume Contest at the Little League Field. Prizes awarded for the best costumes.
NOVEMBER
25
1
Hoboken House Tour, various locations, (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org.
First Sundays Sinatra Singers: Greg Myers, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301
Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 4 p.m. The Museum and the Hoboken Department of Cultural Affairs have teamed up to bring back past Sinatra Idol Contest performers to help us celebrate Frank Sinatra’s centennial year. This month’s singer is 2015 Hoboken Sinatra Idol winner Tony Corrao. Free.
5 Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
8 Hoboken Artists’ Studio Tour, various locations, (201) 4202207, hobokennj.org. This city-wide self-guided walking tour of artists’ studios, galleries and group exhibitions features the work of over 100 local artists. Pick up maps at City Hall on the day of the tour, located at 94 Washington St. Free. see page 61
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 07030
Where are they
NOW? DERRICK ALSTON
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BY JIM HAGUE
If
you were an athletic kid growing up in Hoboken in the 1980s, you had to play the trifecta: baseball, basketball, and football. Derrick Alston had gotten a taste of Little League baseball. But in Hoboken High, he wanted to be part of the famed Red Wing football tradition, headed by legendary coach Ed Stinson. Chipper Benway, a former Hoboken High football and baseball star and currently head baseball coach at Union City High School, was a teammate. “I was a wide receiver, and one day in practice I went out for a pass,” Alston recalled. “I was running across the middle, and Chip hit me so hard that I suffered a hairline fracture in my chest. Chip took it all away from me. He still remembers that play and knows he derailed my football career.” It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Derrick Alston was a basketball star at Hoboken High. That’s right, basketball. That run-in with Benway sealed his fate. In 1990, he helped the Red Wings to one of the best seasons in school history, winning both the Hudson County and state sectional championships. Back then, no one, including Alston, could have imagined where basketball would take him. “When I started playing basketball in fifth grade, I never thought it would end up like this,” said Alston, now 43 and living in Houston with his wife and two children. When Alston first arrived in Hoboken from the Bronx, he was a skinny first grader. “All my brothers were short, so we played soccer,” Alston said. “Then I played baseball. I didn’t start playing basketball until I was in fifth grade at Wallace School, when I was taller than most of the other kids, but I wasn’t any good at it.”
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 07030
PHOTO COURTESY OF DERRICK ALSTON
Alston was taken in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1994 draft.
Alston remembers going to Legion Park in Hoboken and wanting to play basketball with the rest of the kids. “I used to get abused, because I was so big and lanky,” said Alston. “But I enjoyed playing and eventually had some success.”
Hoopla As a freshman, Alston was already 6foot-4. He would eventually grow to 6foot-11. As Alston grew taller, basketball coach Gene Sparta applied the pressure. “He knew that I could have some success,” Alston said. “But I was still awkward trying to catch up to my height.” His senior year his teammates were guys like Ronnie Forbes, Mike Purvis, and Eddie Eusebio. That “really got me ready for the next level,” Alston said. While a senior still learning the game,
he was receiving offers from local colleges, but Alston was spotted by thenDuquesne head coach John Carroll, who later would go on to coach the Boston Celtics. “I felt comfortable with Coach Carroll, because he was an East Coast guy,” Alston said. “He told me that if I went to Duquesne, I would get a chance to play right away.” Duquesne was the only mid-major college to offer Alston a scholarship. Seton Hall and Rutgers, in Alston’s backyard, didn’t approach him, despite his height and Hoboken roots.
Steel City Alston packed his bags and headed for Pittsburgh. “I was really going to Duquesne just to get an education,” Alston said. “I didn’t have any thoughts of going pro.”
As a freshman in 1990-91, he started after the first 10 games and made the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and continued to improve. “During my sophomore year one of my coaches brought up the idea of possibly being drafted,” Alston said. “I knew it was going to be tough, but it was then in my head that I had a chance.” Alston started to get invited to the top NBA camps, earning an invitation to play with the 40 best college players at the United States Olympic Festival in San Antonio. “That summer, I started to get a lot more confidence playing with the better guys,” he said. “I played great in three of the NBA camps, but the third in Chicago, I thought I was burned out and exhausted.” He finished his college career in 1994 with the second-highest-scoring total in the program’s history, trailing only
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 07030
“I might live somewhere else, but I’m from Hoboken and proud of it.” – Derrick Alston Dick Ricketts on the all-time Duquesne scoring list.
Feeling a Draft It was time to focus on the draft. Though he was being touted as a firstround pick, he was taken in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1994 draft. “I was confident I could make the team,” Alston said. “The Sixers weren’t very good then.” Coached by John Lucas, the team won only 24 games, though it had Clarence Weatherspoon, 7-foot-6 center Shawn Bradley, and its top scorer, point guard Dana Barros. Alston saw action in 64 games, averaging 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. “But it was hard to find my niche,” he said. “The NBA was so physical and powerful. I thought I had a good enough skill set, in terms of shooting. I was playing like a point forward, using my quickness and ball handling. I played some good minutes.” The 1995-96 76ers won only 18 games. Alston played in 73 games that season, starting in 41 and averaging 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. “I thought it was working out well for me,” Alston said. But the Sixers released him after his second season. He was only 23. Though the Charlotte Hornets were going to give him more money, he signed with the Seattle Supersonics. “I went to Seattle, but I wasn’t in great shape there,” Alston said. “I didn’t push myself, because I thought I had it made.” He was waived and then the Atlanta Hawks signed him, but he was released after playing just two games. “Atlanta didn’t play me, so I asked for my release,” Alston said. “I didn’t put in
enough time to work on my craft.” At age 24, Alston’s NBA career was over.
Go East, Young Man Alston then chased his basketball dreams overseas, playing first in Turkey, where he helped his team win a championship, then eight years in Spain, where he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Spanish league playoffs in 1999. “Spain was the second-best league behind the NBA at the time,” Alston said. He played with current Chicago Bulls All-Star Pau Gasol. “It was a competitive league,” Alston said. “I had four guys on my team who played in the NBA.” In 2006, Alston had stints with pro teams in France and Russia. In 2007, he was back in Turkey, before having a stellar season with the New Zealand Breakers in 2008, leading his team to the league playoffs for the first time in club history. In 2009, Alston signed with the famed Boca Juniors in Argentina and remained in the Argentine pro league for three seasons. At that point, he’d reached a crossroads. “I was 39 years old,” Alston said. “I had a contract to play the next season in Argentina, but my son was going to be a freshman in high school, so I called it a career.”
Full Circle Alston came back to wife Robin, son Derrick Jr., and daughter Avery, now 9, and found work with the Houston Rockets as a player development coach. He spent three years with the Rockets,
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but his contract recently expired; he’s looking for another coaching position in the NBA and working with Derrick Jr., now 17. “He’s a guard,” Alston said. “He’s long and lanky like his dad, but he’s skilled.” The skinny kid from Legion Park and Wallace School did pretty well for himself. “I got to see the world,” Alston said. “I got to see the country. I played against some of the all-time greats.” Alston doesn’t like to hear that he’s considered the best basketball player ever to come out of Hoboken. “I was just fortunate that I made it the farthest,” he said. “I might live somewhere else, but I’m from Hoboken and proud of it.” And Hoboken is proud of Derrick Alston.—07030
from page 57 Upper Gallery Opening, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 2-5 p.m. Opening reception for “Art Photography by Joseph Corrado” exhibit. Free.
19 Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
22 Author Talk: Richard Muti, “Cent’Anni: The Sinatra Legend at 100,” Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 4 p.m. Author Richard Muti will visit the Museum to discuss his latest book: “Cent’Anni: The Sinatra Legend at 100,” a fresh look at the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. Free.
29 Author Talk: James Kaplan, “Sinatra: The Chairman,” Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hoboken museum.org, 4 p.m. The museum is pleased to welcome back James Kaplan to discuss his book “Sinatra: The Chairman,” part two of his monumental biography of Frank Sinatra. Free.
DECEMBER Holiday Banding Concert, Date and Location TBA, (201) 420-2207, hobokennj.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m.
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Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
5-6 Hoboken City Hall Holiday Crafts Fair, Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington St., (201) 420-2207, hobokennj.org, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Three floors featuring artwork and unique handcrafted gift items by local crafters and artisans.
6 Hudson County History Tour: Frank Sinatra Bus Tour, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hoboken museum.org, 2-4 p.m. This bus tour will trace Ol’ Blue Eyes’ early years in Hoboken. Annual Winter Holiday Family Concert, Independence Playroom, 1 Independence Court, (201) 656-2240, 1:30 p.m. Catch the holiday spirit with a fun, family-friendly concert by Dave Lambert and Howard Olah-Reiken. First Sundays Sinatra Singers: David Arellano, Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 4 p.m. The Museum and the Hoboken Department of Cultural Affairs have teamed up to bring back past Sinatra Idol Contest performers to help us celebrate Frank Sinatra’s centennial year. This month’s singer is 2010 Hoboken Sinatra Idol winner David Arellano. Free.
see page 82
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Pop Psychology The show-biz life of a Hoboken dad
J
oseph Gallo has been living in Hoboken since he graduated from Rowan University in the late 1980s. He and his roommate chose Hoboken over New York City because they were Jersey boys with cars. “There were no parking meters here,” he says. “You could park anywhere.” If you’re thinking valet, think again. He always had his eye on a stage career, minoring in theater at college and getting an MFA at Ohio University. It was seeing Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” on Broadway that sealed his fate. Gallo grew up in a blue-collar house in Linden. His father, who was a firefighter, died when Gallo was 19. The play’s father/son dynamic hit home. “I was devastated,” Gallo recalls. “I was sitting with my face in my hands sobbing until an usher tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to leave. If I could spend my life
writing something that could make people feel the way Arthur Miller made me feel…” Before he could get to that, Gallo went to acting school. After class one night, he walked into a restaurant on Prince Street in SoHo, responding to a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. He spent a dozen years there, a gig that put him in the same orbit as the Performing Garage on Wooster Street, where Spalding Grey staged his famous one-man shows. Meanwhile, he was performing with the Renegade Theater Company, which did readings in the back room at the old Lady Jane’s on 14th Street, where the Hudson Tavern now is. “It wasn’t a dive bar. It was a cool place and not far from Maxwell’s,” Gallo says. “One of the members said I was a great storyteller and should do solo work.” Throughout the 1990s Gallo was also working with the Waterfront Ensemble Company. In 1997, his solo show, “My Italy Story,” debuted off Broadway and was later performed here at the Mile Square Theatre. He sold the screen rights to
Joseph Gallo in a salon performance of “Long Gone Daddy,” produced by Mile Square Theatre. Photo by Joe Epstein.
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ENTERTAINMENT 07030 the show and for a while was bicoastal, flying to L.A. on a regular basis. “Having rent control in Hoboken really helped,” he says. “Keeping overhead low is the only way to survive.” He spent six years in film and TV development in L.A., where he fell victim to Hollywood’s storied “paid-but-not-made” syndrome: He was paid for writing scripts but none of them made it to the screen. The good news? He no longer had to hold down the quintessential Hollywood-actor job: waiter. During that time, he also married a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. “While we were engaged, she became a Rockette,” Gallo says. “I always wanted to say that I married a Rockette.”
HOME TURF When he’d had enough, he came back to Hoboken for good. Around 2003, in a moment of random good fortune, Gallo ran into Chris O’Connor on Washington Street. O’Connor, founder and artistic director of Mile Square Theatre, asked Gallo to help him launch the theater project. In 2007, he took a job as an adjunct at Hudson County Community College, where he taught creative writing. “Almost immediately I started to build the theater arts major, which took six years,” he says. “I became full-time tenure track in 2013 and am now theatre arts coordinator.” Along the way, he became a father. “I opened a notebook and began taking notes right after my wife became pregnant,” he says. That noteWhen he’d had book eventually enough, he came became the solo “Long Gone back to Hoboken show Daddy,” which for good. chronicles the alienation, adventures, and anxieties of being a stay-at-home dad. His daughter, Olivia, is now 6. He has been doing salon performances in people’s homes around town as a fundraising vehicle for the Mile Square, which is set to occupy brand new digs at 1408 Clinton St. in early 2016. In January, he is slated to perform an Equity production of the show at the Mile Square, directed by Chris O’Connor. “When I sat down to write ‘Long Gone,’ I realized it was the same character as ‘My Italy Story,’” Gallo says.
RADIO DAYS Gallo honed his one-character solo technique on public radio’s “Moth Radio Hour,” which features captivating performers—usually amateurs—telling their own personal stories. In 2013, he won a grand slam championship for a story on the theme of fathers. Gallo has an interesting connection to the Hudson Reporter organization. He bought the rights to “Yuppies Invade My House at Dinnertime,” a 1987 compilation of letters to The Hoboken Reporter , lamenting the gentrification of the town, which, Gallo says, “reached full steam with the closing of the Maxwell plant.” (He is also a Hoboken history buff.) Gallo might stage a production based on the book. Gallo has eyes to produce some form of it at the Mile Square. His wife, Sarah Weber Gallo, opened the Hoboken Dance Academy this fall for kids. In fact, kids play an important role in Hoboken’s burgeoning live-theater scene, with the Hoboken Children’s Theater joining forces with Mile Square. “The playground in Church Square Park is a publicity dream,” Gallo says. Spoken like a true show-biz dad.—07030
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HOBOKEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
You Could Look it Up A MILESTONE FOR THE HOBOKEN PUBLIC LIBRARY BY KATE ROUNDS
T
he Hoboken Public Library has been serving the needs of bibliophiles and folks who just want to know stuff for 125 years. Or, as habitués of libraries might say, it’s celebrating its quasquicentennial. The library opened in 1890 on Washington and Second in what was once the National Bank Building. Benefactor Martha Bayard Stevens and her son, of the renowned Hoboken Stevens family, put up the money to build the current library at 500 Park Ave., which was designed by Hoboken architect Alfred Beyer. It opened on April 5, 1897, and is the oldest public library building in New Jersey— not the oldest library but the first dedicated public library building. Stevens, who controlled much of the family fortune, was considered one of the richest women in the United States. You could probably bottle a fragrance called eau de bibliothèque. I mean, what is it about libraries? All of them seem to have a distinctive aroma. Certainly, books have a scent, the dry old bones of the elderly ones sometimes bringing on sneezing fits. Then there’s the heady essence
of humanity learning, loafing, and sometimes living by day in the public library. Not to mention the smell of polish on all that old Victorian wood. And it does seem as if that era was the golden age of libraries. Here’s an extraordinarily unscientific survey that would make most librarians cringe: The tiny library in my hometown in Massachusetts is housed in a Victorian home, built in 1874, and, at the other end of the spectrum, the grand New York Public Library broke ground in 1895. Indeed, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie bankrolled 1,689 American libraries between 1883 and 1909. You can look it up.
Martha Stevens, Martha Stewart What strikes you when you visit the Hoboken Public Library is what Martha Stevens would have thought. Upstairs in the kids’ section, a tiny girl is engrossed in her iPad. The next floor down is the computer room, every work station filled. A sign reads “charging station.” Amid all the new stuff on these two floors are two gorgeous old nonworking fireplaces with colorful tiles and decorative carvings.
ARCHIVES & ARTIFACTS 07030
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Periodicals are also on this floor. Would Martha be into the yoga magazines? Maybe not, but she might have been intrigued by Ms. Magazine. Downstairs is a painting of Edwin Augustus Stevens IV and his sister Emily Curtis Lewis Stevens. Here you get a sense of what it might have been like back in the day, but Library Director Lina Podles explains that there was no browsing back then. You chose a card from the catalogue and waited for a librarian to retrieve the book.
Virtual Versus Venerable To the oft-expressed view that the internet is making libraries obsolete, Podles responds with a resounding no. “It’s a false perception,” she maintains. “The number of people using the collection is growing every year. People are still using and need the library.” She says the library complements the internet’s vast resources. “There’s a rainbow of opportunities; people don’t go to just one source.” The library supports schools by stocking books on student reading lists, in summer and throughout the school year. Representatives from the library attend open school nights, so that teachers and students are aware of what the library offers. In the works, for example, is an online program to help kids with homework. “The library is a valuable resource in the community for all ages,” says Podles. “Children who read perform much better. We try to publicize the importance of reading.” But reading isn’t everything. The library supports a wellrounded education in the increasingly important STEM areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It has also launched a very popular maker space and has brought on two more children’s librarians.
A painting of Edwin Augustus Stevens IV and his sister Emily Curtis Lewis Stevens.
The More Things Change… When the library debuted 125 years ago, it was “very warmly received by the community,” Podles says, “but it was a different library.” It was open long hours. There was a women’s reading room, a law room, and a big collection of German books to accommodate the town’s many German immigrants. Not only the history of the town but the history of the world is reflected in the library’s 125-year lifetime. For example, it exhibited the books that Hitler hated and burned. “It was such a good celebration of reading and freedom in response to the horrors going on in Germany,” Podles says. “It was a very high moral civil act of the library.” In the 21st century, the library stepped in during the economic downturn of 2008 to help residents find jobs, offering assistance with resume writing, computer skills, and interviewing techniques. “We stay relevant,” Podles says. “It was really a great reward when someone found a job and came back to say thank you.” It’s also celebrating Frank Sinatra’s centennial with photos and exhibits. Ongoing renovations will preserve the integrity of the building, which has been listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.—07030
Renovations will reserve the building’s integrity and elegance.
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BUSINESSES MAKE HOBOKEN WORK
BY KATE ROUNDS PHOTOS BY ALYSSA BREDIN
Diane Alonso
FLOWERS BY DIANE 109 Second St. (877) 293-4263 (201) 795-2504 flowersbydiane.net
D
iane Alonso went from working as a supervisor for a global health insurer to opening her own flower shop. You could call that following her bliss. In 1996 she was at Cigna Health in downtown Manhattan, and two weeks before Valentine’s Day in 1997, she was at Flowers by Diane on Second Street in Hoboken. As any florist can tell you, Valentine’s Day is by far the biggest day of the year. On Feb. 14, Diane’s two-designer shop balloons to 25 designers. “I’ve always had a passion for floral arrangement,” she says. “I had been working on the side making arrangements, and one day I’d had enough. I saw a calendar with flower arrangements in it, and something snapped inside.” Her love of flowers was coupled with a love of weddings, an auspicious love affair to be sure. Though she was living in Weehawken, she says, “I came to Hoboken to establish myself. I knew Hoboken was the right environment for a woman in a small business. I knew the demographics; there were young professionals who end up getting married. It was a good fit.”
Her experience in the service industry and a second career as an actress prepared her for the wedding business. She even planned a Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding in New Jersey. The legendary off-Broadway spectacle features audience participation in a staged wedding. She was also doing weddings on the side for friends and family. “It all clicked for me,” she says. Flowers, like food, have to be fresh, which presents an ongoing obligation for florists. Diane gets her flowers from farmers in Ecuador and Colombia, as well as from a wholesale distribution center in Bergen County. “It’s a small shop with not a lot of square footage,” Diane says. “It’s better for our customers and us not to have a large inventory.” That said, she can always satisfy customers’ special requests. She loves the roses from Ecuador and the hydrangeas from Colombia. “I’m very visual,” Diane says. “I’m like Martha Stewart, self-taught. It’s not just creativity, it’s about good balance.” She’s also developed an understanding of flowers from “sheer experience.” It’s only fitting that a lover of weddings would be married herself. The one downside for her on the big day was her decision to do her own floral arrangements. “I destroyed my beautiful French manicure,” she says. “I spent the night before redoing my professionally-done nails.”
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A lot has changed in the 18 years since her wedding. In fact, when it comes to floral trends, things are constantly changing. “Designs are more simple and elegant now,” she says. At the same time, she never metaphorically steps on her bride’s train. “Everyone has her own unique style, taste, and vision,” she says. “I always listen to their needs and wants and desires. I see what excites them. Every girl dreams of this day.” She’s also sensitive to the many cultures in the tri-state area. Whether it’s an Asian funeral, Jewish holiday, or Indian wedding, customs have to be observed. Diane doesn’t believe in the hard sell. “I give them a proposal, and if it’s the right fit, they come back.” Most do, and it’s because Diane and her team are there every step of the way. “We’re involved in every wedding we do,” she says. “We don’t send drivers to deliver the flowers.” And sometimes they’re involved in weddings they don’t do. “In a destination wedding, we will make a list to present to florists.” Folks should not be intimidated by what they believe is the high cost of beautiful fresh flowers. Diane can make an exquisite bouquet for $10. “For me,” she says, “it comes from the heart.”
Owners Ami Joshi (left) and Bruhati Trivedi with staff members (l-r) Sean, Andres, Erica, and Alicia
MATHNASIUM 706 Washington St. (201) 683-7030 mathnasium.com/hoboken
Y
ou could say that Mathnasium is the McDonald’s of math institutions because it’s a franchise that’s been around for decades. But that’s where the similarity ends. There’s nothing fast food about it. Kids and adults can rocket to the highest orbit of math theory, using a tried-and-true system developed by math innovator Larry Martinek. The owners are Bruhati Trivedi and Ami Joshi. They opened the franchise in January 2015, choosing Hoboken because “it’s turning into a very kid-friendly town,” Joshi says. It serves students from other Hudson County towns, including Jersey City, Secaucus, and Union City. As long as you know how to write your numbers, you can start as young as four. Adults sign up if they need to know math to achieve a particular career goal—one student needed help passing a nursing exam—or if they just want to stay sharp in a fast-paced, youth-centered technological world. Most of the students need to get up to speed in school math class, pass the SATs, or in the case of gifted mathematicians, get advanced instruction that they can’t get at their grade level. You’ve probably seen the storefront at 706 Washington with its welcoming red sign. It
looks like a fun place, which is important because—as the owners acknowledge— they’re also dealing with math phobia, a ubiquitous condition almost unique to mathematics. You rarely hear of students fearing art history, but algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, statistics—all taught at Mathnasium—these can sometimes bring on cold sweats or hot tears. To avoid this, students are taught to “understand” and “make sense” of math, not to just memorize theorems or learn by rote. Fear of math, Joshi says, “is linear. If you don’t know a and b, then you won’t understand c and d, and fear builds.” She says, “Instructors are trained to meet students where they are,” starting with a comfort zone of what they know. “We never start with something completely unfamiliar,” she says. The system uses simple vocabulary, which brings up the dreaded word-problem issue. “Children cannot do word problems,” she says, “but unfortunately, you step out the door, and everything is a big word problem. In the real world everyone has to do word problems, and they are a good way to test reading comprehension as well as math.” The franchise is conveniently located across the street from two schools—All Saints Episcopal and Hoboken Charter—and is close to Stevens Institute of Technology, whose student body is a rich source of natural math instructors. Other instructors are fulltime math teachers or math professionals working in mathematical fields.
Both Trivedi and Joshi are former elementary school teachers with extensive classroom experience and math backgrounds. “We both stayed at home with small kids and wanted to get back into education,” Joshi says. “But we wanted to do something a little different, something very personal.” The organization wants hands-on instructors who actually deal with children, not professors who lecture from a podium. Martinek created the system 40 years ago when he realized his own son was mathematically gifted. In 2002, his curriculum became the driving force behind the Mathnasium learning centers, launched by educators Peter Markovitz and David Ullendorff. The first center opened in Westwood, California. Now there are centers in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Depending on the time of year, the Hoboken franchise handles 50 to 75 “learning guests” with five instructors. Students are referred to the center by classroom teachers or brought by parents. In the modern world, people get a false sense of security when they have a smartphone in their pocket that can calculate for them. But, Joshi says, “Math is a survival skill. What if your phone or computer were taken away? I’d rather rely on myself.” The franchise is aptly named. “Just as a gym trains the body, math trains the mind,” Joshi says. “There is a big world of math out there.”—07030
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How We
WEST OF WASHINGTON
I
BY KATE ROUNDS
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
t’s not often that we get to highlight a “How We Live” home that also has a strong, community-service component, but the Tennaro family’s certainly qualifies. Michael Tennaro, who has cerebral palsy, uses a scooter and designed the house to meet his needs. He lives there with his wife, Catherine, and three girls, Amanda, Abbey, and Ava. They’d lived in other locales around town and, as their family grew, started looking for an appropriate house on the market that was big enough and had the accessibility that Michael required. They also wanted parking and a backyard. They couldn’t find what they wanted, and then, Michael says, “Builders and architects advised that ‘the best thing is to buy something, tear it down, and start from scratch.’ We went from looking for a house to looking for land. It took years to find a lot.” On the outside, the house has a nice, contemporary feel that manages to fit in
with the brownstones and other older buildings on the block. It was designed by Marchetto Higgins Stieve at 1225 Willow. The challenge was to meet all the family’s requirements in a space that was only 17.5 feet wide. The house took four years to complete. It’s a two-family. After all the construction work, the Tennaros could benefit from a rental property, a self-contained unit on the second floor. The automatic garage door looks as if it is wood. On the day I visited, I called Michael on his cell. Soon, the garage door opened and he appeared, having descended on his scooter in a custom-made elevator. The elevator has a cool “gate,” patterned after old-fashioned metal elevator gates, but with a new, modern design. The basement/garage is used for a car and for storage. You can enter from here to the patio, which has wicker furniture and a grassy area for the kids to play in. A stairway leads up to the next level. We went up on the elevator to the family floor, which features hardwood floors, a living room with bay windows, and a
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HOW WE LIVE 07030
state-of-the art kitchen with an island and bar chairs. The space is sunny, with some of the light coming from skylights. All three girls were home, along with two dogs. Michael works from home as a project manager in the finance industry, and Catherine is a teachers’ aid in the Hoboken public school system. The elevator then took us to the “sleeping quarters.” It was clear that the kids had a hand in their bedroom décor, the cheery pastel colors clearly announcing that girls, not boys, occupied these rooms. They also chose the light fixtures in the ceiling. Off the master bedroom is a bathroom with wide doorways to fit the scooter, strategically-place handrails, and a walkin shower with a large shower seat. “We built the house with the idea we would live here for the rest of our lives,” Michael says. “The kids could maintain the house and keep it in the family, even if
they don’t live here. Lots of Hoboken families pass down properties from grandparents.” Building the house was a labor of love. “It’s been a long journey,” Michael acknowledges. “It almost killed my wife. I’m more patient because of my disability, but now that it’s finished, she’s proud. The post-Sandy approval process was stringent, but now I have a house that won’t float away if there is another Sandy.” The Tennaros are invested in the town. “We’re out all the time in restaurants, bars, and at the movies,” Michael says. “The kids go to Hoboken Catholic and are involved in activities—soccer, volleyball, choir.” Michael has also talked with the mayor. He says, “Because of the convenience, I want to encourage disabled people and seniors to live in Hoboken.”— 07030
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Mark Lavery (left) and Tom Pane at The Ale House
IN THE POCKET NO MISCUES IN HOBOKEN AS POOL TABLES AND TAVERNS TEAM UP BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAXIM RYAZANSKY
T
he clack of pool balls is a familiar sound in many Hoboken watering holes. It’s commonly heard on Monday and Wednesday nights when the American Poolplayers Association holds league matches in bars all over town. The APA is the world’s largest amateur pool league. In Hoboken alone, more than 120 players shoot pool at around a dozen APA venues.
Mark Lavery has been playing on the APA league since 2000, but he stepped up to the table long before that. “I remember my uncle had one in his house, and I was probably just head and shoulders above the table,” he says. “No one really explained it to me, but there was just an initial attraction.”
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As he got older, he was tall enough to play but still had doubts. “I always enjoyed playing,” he says, “but never thought I was good enough, which I think is a common mistake a lot of people make in not joining a league.” It was being a regular at a nowshuttered Hoboken bar that led him to join. “The bartender said, ‘Hey we really need some players’, so I thought I would be doing him a favor. It’s one of the best moves I’ve made. I’ve made so many good friends.”
He is now co-captain of his team. League Division Representative Adam Decicco agrees that many connections can be made over a game of pool.
SPORTS CORNER 07030
Michele Wood at The Ale House
“Genuinely, it brings the town together; it’s casual, it’s friendly and it works,” he says. Decicco, along with fellow rep Theron Steiner, helps build those relationships. “I introduce the bar owners to the pool players,” Decicco says. “It’s a networking opportunity.” Bars that start a team and welcome players are finding new patrons. The pool scene in Hoboken “is on an upswing,” Decicco says. “Some new venues this fall, such as Willie McBride and hotel Victoria, should bring pool to areas that might not have had a location within four or five blocks of where people may live.”
HALLS VERS BARS But many players mourn the loss of Willow Billiard Club & Lounge, which closed a few years ago. The
difference is that pool-hall tables are larger than bar tables and are often better maintained. “In bars it seems that people go to drink and shoot pool, but in halls we would go to shoot pool and drink, in that order of priority,” Lavery says, adding that halls in Weehawken, Secaucus, and Bayonne have shut down as well. Gary Barsky’s family used to own Willow Billiards. “It all started with my mother and stepfather many years ago,” Barksy says. “We had a nice run for 23 years, but unfortunately business started to dry up a bit and
then my stepfather passed away. I was looking for something else to do and that’s when Andy Segal approached me.” At the time, Andy Segal was League Operator of the APA for Hudson County and the top-rated trick shooter in the world. Segal was looking to sell his Hudson County APA franchise. “He knew me because I had been playing for the league since 2003,” Barksy says. “I was a rep and we had teams at the hall.” Barsky teamed up with league buddy Robert Vandertoorn to buy the franchise. “Andy was incredibly nice and showed us the ropes,” Barksy says. “And through Willow I already knew all the players.” When Willow closed, some serious Hoboken players packed up their cues and headed to New York City to play.
Jake Schwartz was one of them. “I played in the league for years,” he says. “I did it for over a decade. Once the pool hall went out of business, I went to the city to play. In New York City I’m a small fish in a big pond.” He now plays on the Billiard Congress of America. Schwartz fondly recalls joining the APA when he first moved to Hoboken 13 years ago. “I was thrilled to death ’cause I could play pool right around the corner. And I was new to town and didn’t know a lot of people.”
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The Hoboken scene has changed. “There are a lot of tables still,” Schwartz says, “but a lot less than there used to be, because there’s been this move to more generic sports bars with a lot of TVs on the wall and dance music and stuff like that. It’s more profitable, but it’s kind of shifted the pool scene to a select few bars where you can find people who are really passionate about it. The pool scene here isn’t as big and spread out as it used to be, but it’s just as passionate.”
BILLIARDS FOR BUCKS Schwartz comes out to watch Lavery’s team compete in one of the final matches of the summer
season. The game determines whether Lavery will move on to compete in the Tri-cup, and next the Gold Cup. “If you win your slot in the Gold, the APA cuts you a check, Lavery says. “The team flies out to Las Vegas to compete in a national amateur event.” Schwartz says, “It’s not necessarily being there that’s the best part. It’s the feeling of accomplishment of your team having to work toward this goal for
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months and months, if not an entire year, and all the trials and tribulations that lead to it.” Both Schwartz and Lavery have made it to the Vegas event on Hoboken APA teams several times over the years. Hoboken offers opportunities to play pool beyond the league as well. Lavery, who tends bar at DC’s Tavern, runs a tournament there every Saturday. “It’s been a big success,” Lavery says. “I try to do a 12-person tournament. First place you’re looking at about $150, second place is $65, and third place you get your money back. There’s a small buy-in, but on top of that the house actually puts in money.”
The game is open to the public, and anyone has a shot at winning. “It’s a handicapped event,” Lavery says. “Week after week I was recording all the wins. I didn’t want to discourage anybody, so I tweaked it to make it a little bit harder for the higher-ranked players.” Try the league out for a season. As Decicco says, “It’s a come-one-comeall-no-pressure-required activity.”—07030 For more information, visit hudson.apaleagues.com
haunted h
o b o k e n
EDIN PHOTO BY ALYSSA BR
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGU EZ
POINT&
SHOOT
see more page 80
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DESPERATE, A HOBOKEN COUPLE IS FORCED TO CREATE THEIR OWN BLOODY MARY MIX
PHOTOS BY TBISHPHOTO
H
e’s from New Orleans, in the wine and spirits business. She’s from Jersey, in the advertising business. It was a match made in heaven, except they just couldn’t find a Bloody Mary mix they could live with. Christine Dodd and Ryan Grace are an engaged couple who have spent the better part of two years in the kitchen. “Christine loves to mingle, have brunch, lunch, and dinner,” Ryan says. “She’s the perfect date.” Translation: She loves Bloody Marys. After experimenting with “this and that,” Ryan decided the key was in his New Orleans roots and came up with the tagline, “Made in the North, inspired by the South.” The ingredients are no secret—they’re on the label—except the creators do not reveal what brand of Louisiana hot sauce or how much of each ingredient goes into the recipe. One thing you can count on is a healthier mix than the standard brands. “They are so full of sodium they make you feel full and boated,” Ryan says. “We started using low-sodium products.” The mix is also gluten free, fat free, and low calorie. The positive response from friends got the two thinking about getting the mix out of the pantry and into the marketplace. “People were floored,” Ryan says. “They loved the mix, they loved the taste. A couple of people said, ‘gosh I wish something like this was on the market.’ The wheels started spinning, and we really started to look at recipes and all the ingredients.”
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CHRISTINE AND RYAN
Visit thehobokenmary.com and find Bloody Mary recipes that include beer, clam juice, tequila, gin, and raw oysters. With the help of an industry pro who had done product development for biggies like Snapple, Crystal Light, and Pepsi, they were able to secure a bottling operation in the Catskills and are looking to open another one in Irvington, N.J. Christine’s background in advertising came in handy with the brand—it’s called The Hoboken Mary—and the label, which features a sketch of her in silhouette. “We made her a person and gave her a personality,” Ryan says.
Another marketing strategy was to sell the mix in a Mason jar, which customers can reuse for drinks or whatever else they want to put in it. You can find The Hoboken Mary at both Sparrow locations, the Cork, Yash, Shop Rite, and at Super Buy Rite in Jersey City. It’s also available all over New Jersey, and plans call for national distribution. Though Ryan is a transplanted southerner, he’s a Hoboken fan. “It’s like a mini Manhattan,” he says. “It’s very convenient to walk through, with nice restaurants and local pubs. It has a safe, family feel. It’s a very special place—special to us—an unbelievable little town.”—Kate Rounds 07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH
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EATERY 07030
I
t was a very auspicious Wednesday evening—the first day of fall—when we dropped in at Trattoria Saporito. I mention this only because patrons were still dining al fresco on this balmy autumnal equinox. We chose to eat inside, where you can imagine how warm and welcoming the dining room will be, even on the coldest winter night. It has a nice Sunday-dinner feel with white tablecloths, linen napkins, and high-backed chairs, while the overall ambience is casual and inviting. And of course you know right away that you are in Italy on the Hudson— from the photos and murals on the walls to the music in the air, the news
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on the TV, the picture of the Pope, Italian flag, “la dolce vita” sign, and the aromas wafting from the cucina. The photo over our table is of Molfetta. The sky and sea are so blue, and the boats and buildings so white, you want to be transported to this town on the Adriatic in southern Italy. Owner Gastone Alvando is originally from southern Italy and opened his Hoboken restaurant in 1999. Photographer Terri Saulino Bish is also Italian. The two talked nostalgically about the peasant dish, pasta e fagioli, a pasta-andbean combo often given to little kids. We were given three appetizers: a gorgeous cold antipasto of grilled vegetables, including eggplant, breaded zucchini, carrots, green beans, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. There was none of the oiliness that sometimes wilts grilled veggies. These were crisply cooked. Next up, eggplant rollatini, breaded eggplant slices, clothed in ricotta cheese and tomato sauce. Of course this could be a delectable entrée in itself. And last, a large disc of buffalo mozzarella atop a beefsteak tomato, the cheese and tomato incredibly fresh. Time to relax with a drink. Trattoria Saporito is BYOB. We brought our own beer and spiked iced tea. If you bring a bottle that needs to be chilled, the wait staff brings an ice bucket immediately, always appreciated by white wine and beer drinkers. OK, now for the pasta dishes. Among the specialties of the house are Tortellini della nonna, tortellini with mushrooms in white sauce. Della nonna means grandmother, and the dish is a kind of grandmotherly comfort food. The other is Orecchiette con cime di rape, pasta with broccoli rabe. It has that nice, slightly bitter bite of broccoli rabe, which adds a beautiful green accent. Two entrees followed. A moist and savory Chicken Portofino is cooked with eggplant, plum tomatoes, and melted mozzarella and comes with a Saporito salad of mixed greens.
Red snapper meuniere is originally considered a rustic dish. The word meuniere means miller’s wife and refers to anything dredged in flour. It’s made with lemon, white wine sauce, and parsley. The tenderness of the fish and simplicity of the ingredients make for a light entrée. No doggy bag for this one. Topping off the meal was the Italian signature dessert— tiramisu, which literally means “pick me up.” It probably got the name because it is laced with coffee and cocoa, anchored by ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese and what looks and tastes
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like whipped cream. Served with a frothy cappuccino, it is indeed a pick-me-up. Marco, the manager, and all the wait staff were hospitable and efficient. Gastone keeps a watchful eye on his dining room and his diners. Which is one reason why this eatery is a Hoboken favorite. You always want to come back for more.—Kate Rounds Trattoria Saporito 328 Washington St. (201) 533-1801 trattoriasaporito.com
D I S H 0 70 3 0 KOMEGASHI
LEO’S GRANDEVOUS
SATIS BISTRO
103 Montgomery Street Jersey City (201) 433-4567 www.komegashi.com Located in Jersey City’s financial district, Komegashi offers fresh, well-presented sushi along with traditional Japanese favorites and an extensive selection of fresh shellfish. Locals and visitors from around the world find this a perfect spot to dine in casual elegance. Open seven days.
200 Grand St. (201) 659-9467 leosgrandevous.com Since 1939, this Hoboken landmark has been tantalizing guests with old school Italian standards and contemporary specials. A variety of pasta, fresh fish, veal, and chicken dishes keeps the emphasis on great taste and homey charm. You haven’t been to Hoboken until you have eaten at Leo’s!!
KOMEGASHI TOO
THE RESTAURANTS AT NEWPORT
212 Washington Street (201) 435.5151 satisbistro.com Tucked away in the Paulus Hook neighborhood, Satis is Jersey’s City’s best-kept dining secret. Satis is a foodie haven with a fantastic wine bar that serves dinner daily and brunch on weekends. The cuisine is modern European with an emphasis on French, Italian, and Spanish specialties. Menu changes are made seasonally, and specials are run weekly. Reservations are recommended.
99 Pavonia Ave. Newport Financial Center Jersey City (201) 533-8888 www.komegashi.com Komegashi too offers an authentic Japanese dining experience with a spectacular view of the New York Skyline. The menu includes perfectly prepared sushi and sashimi, kaiseki, teriyaki, and tempura. Located on the river at Newport Financial Center, Komegashi too is open seven days.
J.C. Waterfront District newportnj.com Overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline is the most diverse dining destination on the New Jersey Gold Coast—The Restaurants at Newport. Located among the luxury apartments and office towers in the Newport section, The Restaurants at Newport include 12 fine establishments: Komegashi too, Dorrian’s, Raaz, Cosi, Confucius, Bertucci’s, Babo, Fire and Oak, Boca Grande Cantina, Michael Anthony’s, Skylark on the Hudson, and Loradella’s.
SMOKIN BARREL 1313 Willow Ave. (201) 714-4222 Smokin Barrel® is our brand barbecue sports bar. Coming soon to Hoboken, the BBQ bar is the perfect choice for patrons seeking old-fashioned Southern comfort food paired with mouthwatering beer and liquor. If you’re in need of some down-home comfort, you can come satisfy your craving at Smokin Barrel®.
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SEND YOUR HOBOKEN PHOTOS TO 07030@ HUDSONREPORTER.COM. BE SURE TO WRITE “POINT AND SHOOT” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODR IGUEZ
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PHOTOS BY AL SULLIVAN
from page 61
8 Christmas Tree Lighting 2015, Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington St., (201) 420-2207, hobokennj.org, 5 p.m. with Elvis the Elf, an appearance by Santa Claus, and much more.
9 Hoboken Shelter’s Silent Auction, Reign, 92 River St., (201) 656-5069, hobokenshelter.org. Come enjoy drink specials, snacks and the Silent Auction and Tricky Tray to support Hoboken Shelter.
12 Sinatra Centennial Birthday Party, Bissenger Room at Stevens Institute of Technology, (201) 656-2240, 7-11 p.m. The Hoboken Historical Museum and the City of Hoboken are joining forces to plan a swingin’ Rat Pack party to celebrate Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. Featuring performances by the Swingadelic Big Band and Sinatra style vocalists.
17 Uptown Storytime at the Museum, Hoboken History Museum, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 6562240, hobokenmuseum.org, 10 a.m. Librarian Penny Metsch shares stories with children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Free.
19-20 Holiday Crafts Fair, The Museum Walkway, 1301 Hudson St., (201) 656-2240, hobokenmuseum.org, 12-5 p.m. Come by for jewelry, household items, knitwear, children’s items, historic prints, and more! On offer are handmade items by local artists and artisans.
JANUARY
add ADVERTISING
to the menu
26 – FEBRUARY 5 Hudson Restaurant Week, Participating Restaurants, hudsonrestaurantweek.com. This bi-annual culinary celebration promotes Hudson County as a premier dining destination. It is run for two weeks, primarily Monday through Friday, though some offer the deal over the weekend in between. Restaurants offer a discounted prix-fixe for lunch and/or dinner.
FEBRUARY 21 Cabin Fever Festival 2016, Brant School, 215 9th St., hobokenfamily.com. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come enjoy a fun-filled, family-oriented day of activities featuring local kid musicians, Hoboken dance performances, face painting, balloons, arts and crafts, games, and much more. Date and times subject to change. The 12th Annual HFA Community Awards, Brant School, 215 9th St., hobokenfamily.com. This annual event honors non-profit organizations serving children in families in Hoboken and Hudson County. Date subject to change.
Contact the Hudson Reporter Advertising Department
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EAT LOCAL. ENJOY WORLD CLASS FLAVORS.
DINE RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.
#JERSEYCITYEATS newportnj.com 07030 HOBOKEN ~ FALL | WINTER 2015 | 16 •
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