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CONTENTS JCM
FEATURES 14 COVER 14 PEOPLE POWER Richie Havens Remembered Cover Photo by tbishphoto 18 HOMEGROWN HOME BUILDERS Cousins star on reality TV 24 KIDNEY DONOR Gift of life 34 JC WINS AN EMMY Best place to live
DEPARTMENTS 43 DATES What’s goin’ on
8 CONTRIBUTORS 38 LAST CARFLOAT From JC to Brooklyn
10 EDITOR’S LETTER
64 SANDY STRIP An artist recalls the hurricane
28 THE STUDIO Jules Allen
44 SPORTS CORNER Super Bowl veteran 47 EMERGING/VANISHING Jersey City footbridge
32 HOODS Historic downtown
48 EDUCATION The city is the classroom
40 NICHE Vintage vinyl
54 HOW WE LIVE House proud 66 HOW WE WORK Small businesses 69 ON THE JOB WITH — Entrepreneurs 72 DINING OUT Sátis 75 RESTAURANTS Listings
18
4 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
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CITY
FA L L & W I N T E R 2 0 1 3 / 1 4 Vo l u m e 1 0 • 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, Patricia Verano COPYEDITING Christopher Zinsli ADVERTISING MANAGER Tish Kraszyk ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Joseph Calderone, Toni Anne Calderone, Ron Kraszyk, Jay Slansky CIRCULATION MANAGER Roberto Lopez CIRCULATION Luis Vasquez ACCOUNTING Christine Caraballo
Jersey City Magazine is published two times a year by the Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P., 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (201) 798-7800, Fax (201) 798-0018. Email jcmag@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 JCMagazine Subscriptions, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other unsolicited materials. Copyright ©2013/2014, Hudson Reporter Associates L.P. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
Jersey City Magazine 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: jcmag@hudsonreporter.com jerseycitymagazine.com
6 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
CONTRIBUTORS JCM MELISSA ANDERSEN
has lived in downtown Jersey City since 2009 with her husband Bobby, rescue dog Molly, and two rescue cats Peeka and Boo. She is a web content and social media manager for the interior design and lifestyle industries whose clients include several HGTV personalities. You can follow her on Twitter at @melissaarlio. MELISSA ANDERSEN
LANA ROSE DIAZ
ARLENE PHALON BALDASSARI
has worked as an actress, for a literary agency and book publisher, and in the restaurant industry. She lives in Hoboken with her husband Mike and daughter Sophie.
LAUREN BARBAGALLO
is a freelance writer. Since 2008, she’s lived in Hamilton Park with her husband Vassily and daughters Caro and Nico. She can be reached at lcbarbagallo@yahoo.com.
TERRI SAULINO BISH ARLENE PHALON BALDASSARI
JIM HAGUE
is a graphic designer, digital artist, and photographer. 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 graphic artist and photographer who graduated from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City with a degree in graphics arts. Her work can be seen at tbishphoto.com.
MICHAEL CALLAGHAN
LAUREN BARBAGALLO
STEPHEN MCMILLIAN
has drawn cartoons and comics for several magazines and anthologies including Snicker and Autonomedia. He is currently blogging a new cartoon every day at http://mikes-cartoons.blogspot.com/.
LANA ROSE DIAZ
is a freelance writer, Jersey girl, and paramour of concrete and trees. A graduate of Lehigh University and former staff writer for The Hudson Reporter, she lives, works, and plays in her beloved Jersey City. For more info, visit lanarosediaz.com.
JIM HAGUE
TERRI SAULINO BISH
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
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 21 years.
STEPHEN MCMILLIAN
was born and raised in Jersey City. He is a graduate of Henry Snyder High School and received his Bachelor’s Degree in English from Morgan State University in Baltimore. He is a journalist, actor, and filmmaker. He formerly danced on the long-running television show, “Soul Train.”
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
ALYSSA BREDIN
PETER TEHOMILIC
has studied 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.
PETER TEHOMILIC
is a photographer who works in the tri-state area. He lives in Queens and loves to come to the Jersey side to bike the riverside trails with his family.
DEIDRE M. WHITE
MICHAEL CALLAGHAN
DEIDRE M. WHITE
8 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
Is a former beauty editor for Black Elegance magazine. She has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Intrigue, an art and lifestyle magazine in Houston, and New Image Media Publications. She lives in Union City with her daughter Chardonnay and dog Roxxi.
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EDITOR'S LETTER JCM
JC Hits the Big Time Increasingly, Jersey City is making a name for itself on the national stage. In late summer, I was riding my bike past Liberty National and was excited to see all the preparations for the The Barclays. It’s fun to know that our town is host to such a prestigious golf event and, I should add, in an incomparably beautiful spot with the Manhattan skyline in full view and Lady Liberty standing by. And of course the Super Bowl is going to be on everybody’s mind this winter, as MetLife Stadium—home of Eli Manning and the Giants—hosts the first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl. In this issue, sports writer Jim Hague profiles Jersey City native Dwayne Sabb, who played in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. A lot of folks start thinking about buying, renting, or renovating at this time of year. If that’s your mindset—or even if it’s not— you’ll want to check out our story, “Homegrown Builders,” about a Jersey City family who made it big on national TV. Anthony Carrino and his cousin, John Colaneri, are renovation fiends on three popular home makeover shows. Jersey City was even the subject of an Emmy-winning episode of Re-Invention TV’s “Best Places to Live in New Jersey.” Its Gold Coast episode featured both Jersey City and Hoboken. I was really moved by Melissa Andersen’s first-person account of donating a kidney— not to a family member or friend—but to a woman she’d never met. This JC resident gives new meaning to the term “model citizen.” We always knew that a music-industry legend was in our midst, but we were never able to land an interview. Sadly, Richie Havens died on April 22, 2013. But Lauren Barbagallo was able to track down his lead guitarist. Walter Parks still lives and works in Jersey City. He and his wife Margo are great boosters of the Jersey City arts scene. Mr. Parks graces our cover. And speaking of world-class talents, we were lucky enough to meet Jules Allen whose striking photographs can be seen on pages 28– 31 of this issue. As the end of October rolls around, all of us will be having recovered memories of Hurricane Sandy and the devastation she wrought on Hudson County. Michael Callaghan offers a pictorial remembrance of how he spent that day. E-mail me at jcmag@hudsonreporter.com or find us on facebook. Help us cover our town.
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LEGEND
y t i C y e s r e J a Remembering
Like most truly great performers, Richie Havens did not crave the spotlight. What he really wanted—and found in Jersey City—was a peaceful place to rehearse and relax.
BY LAUREN BARBAGALLO
he most famous moment of folk singer Richie Havens’ career was at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. He was the opening act who, at the urging of the promoters, performed for more than three hours, mesmerizing the audience while the other artists scheduled to perform sat in traffic. At one point onstage, he ran out of material, so he improvised the lyrics to “Freedom,” a song that would
T
PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH AND ALYSSA BREDIN
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become the iconic Woodstock anthem. He sang his original folk music—and recorded covers of songs by artists like The Beatles and Bob Dylan—in a soulful, urgent tone that became his trademark. He sang at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, and “Freedom” was heard most recently on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 Django Unchained. As a guitarist, Havens was famous for his rhythmic style of playing. And play he did—for many years, constantly touring and creating new music. He spent his later years in Jersey City and
ANTHONY CORREIA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
PEOPLE POWER JCM
RICHIE HAVENS (RIGHT) WITH WALTER PARKS
retired in 2010 from the grueling grind of touring. He was seen around town by folks like JC Mag’s editor, Kate, who always wanted to interview him but respected his desire for peaceful anonymity. We tried to track down folks who wanted to talk about him. Some family members were reluctant, but we were lucky to find his longtime lead guitarist Walter Parks, who also lives in Jersey City. He told me that Richie was still very well-known in the Greenwich Village music scene, which is where it all began for him in the 1960s. Coming here was a welcome respite from the constant recognition in New York City, and from his hectic life on the road. “For his time in Jersey City, Richie was pretty private. He came here to relax and get some rest,” Walter says. “But at the same time, WALTER WITH MARGO
PEOPLE POWER JCM
In May, a month after Richie’s death, I met with Walter and Margo at their Congress Street home, the former Jersey City Statuary Building. It’s been gut-renovated into a meticulous, multi-purpose loft, with beautifully refinished walls covered with paintings and photographs. Instruments and equipment rest neatly on the hardwood floors that Walter himself painstakingly restored. “It took a whole month of nonstop work,” he tells me with understandable pride. He says that Richie would come by often to offer construction advice, which Walter appreciated. Margo and Walter bought the house in 2005, drawn to the artistic and spiritual traditions it had housed. People (priests, mainly) came from all over for the artfully crafted religious statues. In fact, Margo says, they kept coming long after the house had changed hands. She remembers being knee deep in renovation, only to look up and find a kindly priest standing in her living room, inquiring as to the state of his statue repair. “He couldn’t have been more gracious about it,” Margo recalled. “We’re trying to carry on an artistic tradition here,” Walter says. When Richie was alive, they regularly rehearsed in the THE COUPLE’S HOME IS THE FORMER JERSEY CITY STATUARY BUILDING.
he was very approachable. He loved to talk to people on the street and had all the time in the world for people in the neighborhood. He was very friendly and hated snobbery of any kind. He didn’t look at people and calculate whether they were important. He was a very unpretentious man— exactly what you would think he would be.” Besides being band mates, Walter and Richie lived close to each other—Walter moving here from Manhattan soon after he joined Richie’s band in 2001. A veteran blues guitarist and former member of the folk duo The Nudes, Walter knew Jersey City through Kaleidoscope Sound, a recording studio (now based in Union City) that Walter, Richie, and Dayna Kurtz, a jazz singer and mutual friend, had all recorded in. While The Nudes had opened for Havens before, it was Kurtz who suggested Walter when she heard that Richie was looking for a new guitarist. Living near Richie made rehearsing that much easier, but besides that, Walter and his wife, Margo, were on the lookout for more space. Margo works in various business roles in the music industry and runs her office from home, while Walter has his own home studio, along with a large collection of vintage guitars.
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house when not on the road. Today, Walter writes and rehearses his solo music here, along with music with Swamp Cabbage, the swamp-blues band he fronts. From her desk next to Walter’s recording area, Margo organizes music festivals, bookings, and studio time for artists. They’re graciously eager to discuss each other’s projects, and equally enthusiastic to talk about many neighbors who are also making their living in the arts. Walter is also on a mission, he says, to “cultivate art and culture in this town.” He regularly opens his doors to anyone with interest or artistic inclination to see the work that they’ve done. He’s passionate not just about music but about civic pride, the beautiful turn-of-the-century architecture in Jersey City, and what this town can become, “with commitment to preservation and culture and art,” he says. For their 10-plus years working together, Richie and Walter spent much of their time on the road—to the tune of about 100 gigs a year. When they came home, they spent time together rehearsing at Walter’s home or checking out live music in Manhattan. Walter was politely unwilling to share personal details about Richie’s life, out of respect for Richie’s family and their wishes for privacy. What he would share is how much he treasured his time with Havens, on-stage and off. “He took me all over the world,” Walter says. “He was a very inspiring leader and role model, and a great man who was so, so loved by so many people.”—JCM
WALTER PARKS FRONTS SWAMP CABBAGE
THE WALLS ARE COVERED WITH ART
JOHN COLANERI (L) AND ANTHONY CARRINO
PHOTO BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Homegrown
HOME BUILDERS Local guys make it big BY KATE ROUNDS
S
o I am visiting the Y in the small town in Massachusetts where my mother lives. The young woman at the desk sees that my ID card says Jersey City, and she asks, “Do you know Anthony Carrino?” The answer is yes, and I knew him way back when— before he became a big star on reality TV. Anthony, with his father Alfonso, and cousin, John is part of the familyowned Brunelleschi Construction Company, a Jersey City outfit that is well known for doing fine renovations in Hudson County. I first met Anthony when he approached me about doing photography for Jersey City Magazine. He sent us some great shots, and we covered the opening of the company’s M650 Flats, a residential building on Montgomery Street. Their office is in a former firehouse on Central Avenue, built in 1892, which we also covered when we were doing a story on renovated firehouses. That’s where I met up with him and his cousin, John Colaneri, who partners with him on three HGTV shows— Kitchen Cousins, now in reruns; Cousins on Call; and Undercover Overhaul. OK, let’s get this out of the way right off Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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the bat: These two guys are great looking, which is one reason why the woman at the Y loves the shows—aside from the fact that Alfonso, Anthony, John, and everybody associated with Brunelleschi Construction are noted for their high-quality renovations. Anthony, age 34, said it all started when a friend filmed them at work and sent the video to HGTV. The network liked it, contacted them 10 months later, and the rest is history. “This was our biggest chance to showcase what we do,” Anthony said. “We forgot about the cameras and decided we were going to be us. We’re not actors. We don’t know how to act. We interacted with clients just like we would if the clients were across the table.” The cousins were given the advice, “Be yourselves,” and that seems to be working well for them. The show can be difficult at times, John, 32, acknowledges. “People are telling you things,” he says. “Say this, talk this way, it gets a little much.” But their chemistry is partly what makes the show work. “Overall, it’s the way Anthony and I interact, our relationship,” John says. Anthony adds, “We finish each other’s thoughts, we have the same design aesthetic, we’re friends.” And that goes back a long way. When he was four years old, Anthony says, the two families would go camping together. “Our whole lives translate to the screen,” Anthony says. John adds, “It’s an effortless interaction. It’s natural. That’s what makes the show as fun and easy flowing as it is. It’s not contrived.” “The biggest part,” Anthony says, “is that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re passionate and proud, but we don’t have a problem laughing at ourselves or each other.” This attitude, coupled with their competence, knowl-
edge, and skills, gives them the confidence to air their mistakes. “If we don’t know how to solve a particular problem,” Anthony says, “we show the part we don’t know. We don’t have to have all the
that aspect. Restoring old structures to their former glory is all about problem solving.” The mainstay of their Hudson County business, they say, is “transforming and
They obviously do way more than just kitchens, which is why Kitchen Cousins is now in reruns. In their second show, Cousins on Call, they demolish old homes and surprise the
answers. Why not show the viewer part of the process? Problems are interesting. We’re never nervous about
revitalizing buildings within the urban core of Jersey City—breathing new life into once-great structures.”
homeowners with huge renovations. In Undercover Overhaul, debuting this fall, the cousins
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surprise neighborhood heroes with stunning renovations. A real neighborhood hero is whisked away, while Anthony and John engineer a fast-paced, budget-friendly makeover.
handsome 60-something. Currently, he is overseeing the renovation of the police department at 8 Erie St., which is slated to become a residential condo building. On the day we were there, for-
his son and nephew, Alfonso says, “I know my son and John very well. Both worked hard to make it happen. To say I am extremely proud is an understatement. They worked night and day for three years to get
While I was meeting with Anthony and John at the firehouse, Alfonso—Anthony’s father and John’s uncle— walked in. He is a very fit and
mer Mayor Jerramiah Healy and other dignitaries were getting a walkthrough of the raw space. Reflecting on the success of
it to the point that it is now and have national recognition. They do the work, which separates them from the crowd. Their passion and tal-
ent speak for themselves. They’re not a flash in the pan.” Anthony and John share a love of the work itself. “You wake up every morning,” John says, “you’re not going to another job. It’s your life’s passion. It’s the same in any industry. If you feel that way, the best and brightest and most dynamic work comes out.” Adds Anthony, “Our projects and designs are not just good, OK, or mediocre. We always push the limits and boundaries. If you watch our show week to week, the designs are very different. Plenty of shows do the same show week after week.” A sign of their professionalism is that they don’t try to foist their ideas on the client. “Our design aesthetic might not be the same as the client,” John says. “They might not like it as contemporary or rustic, but we stay within the box, and give the client what they want. At the end of the day it’s their home, and the client is always right.” John got married last summer, and Anthony, who has a girlfriend, get their share of fan mail and Twitter mail. They’ve received cupcakes and even a pair of cargo pants, when Anthony split his pants on the air. “You get some fans who are a little over the top,” John says, “but we get super compliments. They love what we do on the show.” One of the great perks of the job is doing renovations for families in need—people who are victims of storms or suffering from illnesses. “We have had episodes and stories that really hit the heart,” John says. “We get very emotionally involved, and fans love seeing those types of stories.” They renovated three buildings for people in need, who had reached out to Ellen DeGeneres. And during Cancer Awareness Month, they renovated the home of a cancer survivor in Buffalo. They made a new kitchen and living room, and did some exterior work. When they
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more... ripped off the siding they realized that the whole house was rotting, and there was termite damage to the insulation, which had been eaten by rats. “It was a nightmare,” John says. They built a brand new roof and reframed the outside of the house. It took 20 guys, and they had to do it in five days. “We have really talented workers and great subcontractors,” John says. “That’s the only way a project of this magnitude gets done.” Says Anthony, “It’s a level of exhaustion you’ve never experienced before. You need strength and teamwork to pull it off in the time frames we have.” The guys also make it look easy. “People watch us joke around,” Anthony says, “but it’s a complicated process with a lot of moving parts. When you’re working in somebody’s home, they’re looking for an education, as far as the order of operations, how to go about it, and they’re looking for design ideas. We get questions every week, what color on the wall, what bathtub, where do I get this tile? Dialog is better than looking at a design magazine.” And they’ve seen their share of household disasters, including an episode that featured an electrical fire, and one that featured a flood. “In one episode,” John says, “we walked in, and a couple was literally living in a kitchen that was flooded out. They tried shoving a coat hanger down a drain and cracked a pipe. The dog was in a swimming pool of water in the kitchen.” They often encounter walls not supported by beams. “The roof could collapse,” John says. “We’ve re-supported everything and fixed houses for TV that should have been knocked down.” But two things they nixed right off the bat are makeup artists and hair stylists. “We lost that immediately,” John
says. “For a talk show, you have to put it on, but no one has makeup on the site.” Anthony and John are proud of their local roots. “Hoboken is in the title screen,” Anthony says. “We’re proud to be from Jersey City. We’ve been around long enough to make substantial change in the city.” The Erie Street renovation will be called Erie Street Market with a purveyors market modeled after those in New York City. In fact, the cousins’ three HGTV shows have put Jersey City on the map. John tells the story of folks from Georgia who took the family on a vacation up here, found their way to the Hoboken PATH and then to the firehouse in Jersey City. “Millions upon millions of people travel to Manhattan,” John says, “but how many people stop in Jersey City? It’s great for the city.” The diversity of our town is something both cousins are also proud of. They frequent Indian and Thai restaurants and love Ibby’s Falafel, Satis, and Skinner’s Loft. “They’re developing Newark Avenue and Restaurant Row and starting to connect pockets of the city,” one of the cousins commented. Says John, “Newark is a prime street for restaurants and bars like Barcade, and Manhattan is coming to Jersey City for great restaurants.” Anthony says his good friend is the Texas native and owner of Hoboken’s Turtle Club. “His dream and vision is opening a Texas-style barbecue restaurant here,” Anthony says. For now, the cousins are happy that their local business has gotten them national recognition. But the demands of construction and television can sometimes be at odds. “You have to be upbeat on camera,” John says. “It’s a different dynamic. Emotions and stress get high, and you have to handle both.”—JCM
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Your Fifteen Minutes Jersey City folks star in reality TV BY ARLENE PHALON BALDASSARI
T
he first time it happened was in 1993. I loved Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and as I watched one night, the Fab Five worked their magic on a guy who lived only a few blocks from my apartment. I’ll admit to a little thrill as I saw my bus stop on T.V. Fastforward 10 years, and now it doesn’t surprise me at all to recognize a storefront or restaurant interior, or to see a camera crew on a local street. How do the producers of reality shows choose who will be on them? Production companies based in New York looking for an atmosphere other than Manhattan don’t have to travel far to get a different state, with a different look and feel from the city. Industry standards define “out of town” for film crews as any location outside a
25-mile radius from Columbus Circle, and crew costs can include paid travel time, meals or per diem, transportation, and lodging. This makes every shooting day far more expensive. The Jersey City film commission works to accommodate permit requests; the revenues they bring in can be significant. Back in 2005, Matt Brown and Lindsey Lohmeier were just starting their life together, buying a three-story townhouse in Jersey City. Their listing agent had been contacted by TLC’s Moving Up in hopes of finding two families that fit their very specific format. The show follows buyers who purchase a home with the intent to renovate, then bring the sellers back to react to the changes. Next, we watch the first sellers renovate their new home, and bring the old owners back to critique their efforts. Matt and
Lindsay’s townhouse was owned by a family moving to a country farmhouse that needed a lot of work, and everyone was on board. Matt was no stranger to renovation. A real estate agent himself, he had done some very successful flips with partner Peter Cossio. He had the connections, the expertise, and would be able to be onsite to oversee the work. But the timeline was a killer. This show doesn’t design or perform the work; it only documents the process. Brown had not originally planned on tackling the kitchen or the backyard, but the producers made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: deep discounts on custom cabinets and a free outdoor kitchen, supplied by manufacturers who wanted the exposure. Suddenly, the job encompassed the entire parlor floor, kitchen, dining room, living room, deck, and yard. “The outdoor kitchen weighed 2,000 pounds, and had to be lifted in by crane through a neighbor’s driveway,” Brown recounts. It was one of the most extensive renovations ever attempted on the show. They would have 12 weeks for construction. Matt’s professional knowledge of permits and contractors would prove invaluable given the compressed time frame. “But we could never have done it without Lindsey’s family,” he says. At one point, the whole clan flew out to help, and her father, a master carpenter, installed the kitchen in a week. It was down to the wire, Brown recalls. “The day before the reveal, we were all still up at 3 in the morning, with guys out back finishing the deck in the rain.” Ultimately, the reveal was amazing, and the show has rerun several times. Since then Matt and Lindsey have married and had a baby, Sydney. Last year, Brown was approached
LINDSEY LOHMEIER, SYDNEY, AND MATT BROWN by MTV to be the agent to Snooki and JWoww, showing them apartments in Jersey City for their spinoff show from Jersey Shore. He declined. “That’s just not the image we want to project, not who we really are here,” he says. In the long run, the couple says they are glad they took the Moving Up challenge “because,” Brown says, “it was a good experience, and the great thing was we were in complete control.” There are untold numbers of people eager to appear on
screen. Unlike Moving Up, some reality shows set about to embarrass, encouraging misbehavior or using editing to create conflict where there isn’t any. (I’m talking to you, Andy Cohen.) In the paradigm of our time, notoriety usually trumps reputation. But, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity, and the rewards can be great. Bethenny and the other Bravo-lebrities have reaped huge benefits and spend many episodes at launch parties for their clothing lines, perfumes,
cocktail mixes, and so on. If you want to be on a reality show, you might hear about a casting session from a friend, see a posting on Craigslist, or receive a blanket email at work. If there’s a specific show you want to target, most networks list contact information on their websites. Whether the aim is to promote your business, fix up your house, gain personal fame, or just have fun, for those of us in the Jersey City area, the odds are tilted in our favor.—JCM
THE NEW KITCHEN Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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“I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT” A Jersey City woman sacrificed a kidney so that a woman she had never met could live BY MELISSA ANDERSEN
O
n March 8, 2011, I stood outside the operating room at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell in my ill-fitting hospital gown and paper slippers. “You can still change your mind, you know. Now’s your last chance,” the nurse said as she handed me the pen. “I’m ready,” I smiled, signing. Then I stepped through the OR doors to donate my left kidney—to a total stranger. It all began while I was sitting on the couch with Bobby, my then boyfriend (now husband) reading the latest issue of Glamour magazine. In it was a story about a woman named Christina Do who donated her kidney to start a donation chain that ultimately saved 18 lives. She didn’t know the recipient at the time. She just felt compelled to do it. Since then, she had completely recovered and was as active and healthy as she had been with two kidneys. I’d never heard of someone donating a kidney to a stranger, let alone starting a chain to save additional lives. By the time I’d read the article a second time, I knew I was going to donate. “I think I’m going to donate my kidney,” I said to Bobby. “To…?” “To anybody. And start a chain.” He knew better than to argue. I began researching everything about donation, starting with the donation-chain concept. It goes something like this: Patient A needs a kidney, and her loved one, Donor A, wants to donate but isn’t a good match. Patient B also needs a kidney and has a loved one, Donor B, who would like to donate but isn’t a match. As an altruistic, or non-directed, donor, I would step in and donate my kidney to Patient A (since we’re a near-perfect match), but in exchange, Donor A has to donate his kidney to Patient B. Then Donor B has to donate to Patient C, and so on. Think of it as a highly coordinated, complex, life-saving domino effect. As I researched the possible risks, side effects, and what I could expect before, during, and after the procedure, it became more and more clear to me that I was meant to do this. It never occurred to me that this was crazy. It wasn’t about “why” but “why not.” I quickly connected with a network of other donors (most-
ly through social media), which further solidified my decision. They were both directed donors (they knew their recipient) and non-directed (like me, they did not know who would be receiving their kidney). Speaking with them was like hearing my innermost thoughts vocalized. We were all different in every way, but the one thread that tied us together was feeling destined to donate. I’ve always been extremely healthy. I eat well and work out regularly. But healthy people like me can very quickly take it for granted. I simply couldn’t imagine what life would be like if I were a slave to dialysis. Worse yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I would do if one of my loved ones needed a kidney, and I couldn’t donate because I wasn’t a match (matches are made through blood type and other factors). I’m not very religious, but were I to find myself in that situation, I’d pray that someone would help. It felt only right to be that person for someone else. After many discussions with Bobby, I decided to move forward with testing. My family still had no idea that I was considering donating. I decided it would be best to wait until it was definitely going to happen, and between me and that point stood endless medical, physical, and psychological tests. Around this time I also started the discussion with my employers at the time, who were, although dumbfounded, supportive—at least at first. The testing process began in November 2010. Over the next few months, I met with my general practitioner, obgyn, a social worker, a psychologist, a nephrologist, a slew of other doctors and nurses, and eventually, the man who would be my surgeon. I had physicals, countless blood tests, an EKG, CAT scans, x-rays, 24-hour urine tests, and psychiatric evaluations to make sure I wasn’t—despite many people’s accusations—certifiable. My family is a big, rowdy, opinionated bunch of Italians, so I knew everyone would have something to say. In early January 2011, I decided it was time to tell my mom. She did exactly what I knew she would do: cry. And cry. And then cry a little more to make sure I got the point. Like any good mother, she was worried about my safety. I assured her I would be
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AFTER THE PROCEDURE fine, and armed her with the research I had been amassing. I promised to include her in my appointments so she could meet my doctors, which helped a little. She wasn’t happy about it, but she supported me, and really, what more could I ask? Reactions from the rest of my family were mixed, but in the end, they all became my biggest cheerleaders. Although I had been blogging about the process for quite awhile (consider thestars.wordpress.com), it was around this time that I let my friends and the rest of my social circle in on my secret. Most of my closest friends told me I was nuts, but they asked the important questions and had my back in the end. A few, however, surprised me in their animosity. That was probably the hardest part of the process, but it showed me who my true friends are. Acquaintances and people I didn’t even know began to reach out as word spread locally and nationally. I got everything from the most heartfelt thanks to nasty accusations. But I had the support from the people who meant most to me. By mid-January 2011, I learned that I’d passed all my tests with flying colors. I was going to be, perhaps, one of the healthiest people ever to willingly go under the knife. At this point, I was officially entered into the living donor pool. And then the waiting began. Many donors will tell you this is the hardest part—just waiting and waiting for a match, a combination of excitement and helplessness. In early February, I received the call. The call. A potential match had been found. Now all that
BOBBY AND ME
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FAMILY CHRISTMAS
OUR WEDDING DAY
ROBIN CAME TO MY WEDDING
stood between my donation and me were a few cross-match blood tests. After a few quick tests I found out that yes, my potential recipient and I were a match, and the donation would be moving forward as soon as possible. A few excited phone calls with my transplant team and future recipient’s doctors later, and we settled on our own D-Day (Donation Day, that is) of March 8, 2011. I immediately confirmed the date with my bosses, who were excited, and we agreed that I would use one week of
vacation time and the second week I would work from home as I recovered. Typically, kidney donors need about two weeks of rest before returning to life as usual, but since I had a job that was based solely around the computer, working from home would be no problem. All set. The morning of Feb. 28, just eight days before my surgery, I walked into work like any other day. My bosses asked me to meet them in a café below our midtown Manhattan office where their solemn faces warned me something drastic was about to happen. With barely any explanation, they told me that despite discussing and planning with them for almost a year, if I decided to move ahead with the surgery, I would be fired. It was like being sucker-punched straight in the gut that housed my soonto-be-donated left kidney. Did I miss something? The three of us had been in communication about all these plans from the get-go. Less than a month earlier, I had been given a promotion, so I knew it wasn’t about the quality of my work. My guess? Business wasn’t going well, they needed to let someone go, and in their small minds, this was the perfect out. I argued, but ultimately I stood my ground and decided I didn’t want to work for a company that would fire a dedicated employee one week before she donated a kidney. I walked out, head high, to the streets below, where I began to sob and didn’t stop until late into the night. By the next morning, though still shocked, I was in a better frame of mind. Yes, it was a small damper on what was an otherwise exciting time, and yes, on top of recovering I had to find a new job in a bad economy. But it reminded me of why I wanted to do this in the first place. There were people who could only dream about being healthy enough to hold down a job, and in the grand scheme of things, this small setback was a mere blip compared to what others faced daily. I decided to dedicate the next week until my surgery looking for a new job—one that was more aligned with my passions and goals—and
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preparing for the awe-inspiring process in which I was about to participate. On the morning of March 8, I awoke feeling calm and ready. I got up around the time I used to get home in my wilder days, dressed in comfortable clothes, grabbed my overnight bag, and hopped in the car with Bobby. We drove through the eerily empty streets of Manhattan toward New York Presbyterian where my parents were waiting for us. After changing into my new hospital garb, we were ushered from waiting room to waiting room, until finally my doctor came in to mark up my abdomen. Finally a nurse came in to tell me to say goodbye to my parents and Bobby. Lots of hugs, kisses, and good-luck wishes were shared, and then off we went to the OR. After signing my life (ok, my left kidney) away, the nurse led me into the OR which was filled with doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, and lots of equipment. I hopped onto the table and got hooked up to the machines while everyone told me how special what I was doing was and that they would take extra care of me (I’d be a liar if I said that didn’t make me feel a bit more comfortable). It felt surreal until a nurse strapped the lower half of my body down to the table. Something about that action made me acutely aware of what was about to happen. And although that should have made me nervous, it didn’t. I was ready. Then I was peacefully drifting off. Surgery went beautifully and after a two-night stay I went home. There was pain and discomfort (mostly from being pumped with gas which then settled in pockets all over my body), but I was also elated. My recipient was doing incredibly well and at that point, my chain had already spanned six people, meaning three people had received kidneys because of my one donation. The first week was the roughest, but the incredible Bobby and my amazing parents made it all bearable. By week two I was feeling much better, and by week three I was nearly back to normal. By the fourth week, I was working out again. I went on interviews and eventually got a job, got engaged (!), the matter of my
firing was resolved in court, and my life continued on as any 26-year-old’s would. The difference was knowing that six lives were changed because of my act, three were saved, and one—my own—was forever altered in a way that cannot be captured in words. I became even more aware of my own health, and I began looking at life from the perspective of gratitude. But something was still missing. I had still not heard from my recipient (though I knew she was healthy). I began to accept that I probably never would. Six months later, on Sept. 11, 2011, I sat watching the 9/11 Memorial on TV. Like my fellow New Jerseyans, 9/11 hit close to home and so it’s always a somber day. I checked Facebook to get my mind off it all, and there I saw it: a message from the woman who was the person who donated her kidney so that my recipient could get mine. She asked me if I was the Melissa Arlio who donated her kidney on March 8. She and Robin—my recipient—had been searching for me for months. I began to cry the happiest of tears. I was soon emailing with Robin and there was an instant connection. She was—and still is—so overcome with gratitude that she called me her angel, and still does today. Robin had been dangerously close to death and had one week until she would have to accept her friend’s poorly matched kidney, or else she wouldn’t make it. She held out, and just before the end of that week, she got the call about an anonymous donor who was a match. My journey felt complete. I finally met Robin, who is from south Jersey, at my wedding this past Sept. 21. Seeing Robin dancing all night made what was already the most incredible day of my life even more special in ways I simply can’t explain. I’m 28 now, married, still living in my beloved Jersey City with my dog and two cats, working my dream job doing social media and web content in the field of interior design, and generally living a happy, healthy, and love-filled life. I’m continuing to spread the word about living donation via social media and other advocacy work. I recently participated in a documentary that a fellow kidney donor is creating about living donation, called Social Media Stole My Kidney (socialmediastolemykidney.wordpress.com). Physically, donating a kidney has had little to no effect on my day-to-day life. But mentally, it has been a game-changer. I’m reminded never to take my health for granted and to realize that the things we fret over are insignificant. What matters are health, love, and happiness. Kidney donation isn’t for everyone. I would never persuade anyone to do it. It’s a personal decision that you live with for the rest of your life. If I could, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Whenever I feel like things aren’t going right, I think of Robin at my wedding, dancing her heart out, and I remember what it’s all really about.—JCM
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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14 •
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J U L E S
ALLEN
PHOTO BY MICKEY MATHIS
A globetrotting photographer puts down roots in Jersey City
GOOD NUDES
IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY
GOOD NUDES
JULES ALLEN
Not surprisingly—for a man who makes his living through the lens—it was the spectacular views of Manhattan that brought Jules Allen to Ogden
Avenue in Jersey City in 1999. For Allen, who had lived in Manhattan and was born and raised in San Francisco, Ogden Avenue was literally an eye-opener.
STUDIO JCM
IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY
“It overlooks Manhattan with unobstructed views,” he says. “It’s incomparable. I was tired of paying loft rents in Manhattan, and when someone said, ‘Look at this,’ I wrote a check.” What he bought was a two-family brick house with a basement, two stories, and a backyard. Allen, who currently teaches photography at Queensborough College, studied photography at Cal Tech with the legendary Ansel Adams. He moved to New York in 1978. Allen calls his own work shown on these pages “metaphorical documentary street photography.” He says, “The images I like to make are street photographs of people behaving in their cultural activity with me just moving by and photographing without being seen, like I’m a fly on the wall.”
IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY
MARCHING BANDS
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MARCHING BANDS
GOOD NUDES
HATS AND HAT NOTS
BOXING
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BOXING
His photography has taken him way beyond Kennedy Boulevard—to many countries in Africa, including Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and Sudan, and all over the United States. “I photographed places I was fascinated with,” Allen says. “Then I got a grant to do what I wanted to—in 1980 I went to Egypt. I was interested in moving around, always traveling, and one thing led to another.” His portfolio includes Africa: Own Sweet Way, Boxing Double Up, Marching Bands, Good Nudes, and Hats and HatNots. All these photographs are black and white. The boxing photos focus on the legendary Gleason’s Gym in New York City, the nudes are elegantly posed images of black women, and the hat photos are of—well—people wearing hats.
Check out Allen’s marching band pictures on pages 29 and 30, and you will see this staple of high-school football games and Fourth of July parades through new eyes. “Marching bands are a big thing across the country,” Allen says. “—in colleges, cities, communities, on holidays. Marching bands are distinctive and extraordinary. I got a grant and traveled around the country for three years— Louisiana, Texas, California, Mississippi, Chicago.” And right in our own back yard—Newark. He says that the Malcolm X High School drum majorette was only eight years old at the time he photographed her. “Photographing the marching bands, he says, “I had to hold back tears. It was overwhelming.”—Kate Rounds
HATS AND HAT NOTS
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Historic Downtown Special I m provement District
HOODS JCM
Helping businesses thrive
T
he Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) was incorporated in 1998. Its mission, according to Director of Administration Nikol Floros, is to “help businesses in the area thrive.” It’s a public/private partnership that impacts the neighborhood by improving services and promoting the area. Floros says, “It’s a quasi-government agency. I turn in a budget to the city, and the council approves it. We work with the city but are not technically part of city government.” The Historic District SID recently experienced a funding shortfall. In past years, it has been funded by the state Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), but it received its final grant for $40,000 in July, which means it will have to cut programs. “Seven days a week we ensure that the streets are clean and safe,” Floros says. This includes keeping the sidewalk clean and maintaining public areas like Mercado Park on Jersey Avenue and the Grove Street PATH area. In general, the district encompasses Grove, Montgomery, Newark, Monmouth, Jersey Avenue, and Columbus in the downtown area. To find out the exact coordinates, visit jcdowntown.org.
The first SID was established on Central Avenue, and the downtown one came after that. Before there were SIDs, according to Floros, local merchants formed their own associations. “We try to bring a sense of community for the citizens downtown,” Floros says. “Our mission is to be involved in local events. Jersey City is comprised of small businesses. It is important to make sure people stay here and shop locally at mom-and-pop shops.” GROOVE ON GROVE
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PHOTO BY LANA ROSE DIAZ
Steve Kalcanides, owner of Helen’s Pizza, is former president of the organization, current vice president, and one of the original creators back in the 1990s. “It’s a way to combine all the efforts of every business into one resource to be able to do special events and keep the streets clean,” he says. Before that, there was a merchants’ association. “In order to collect funds for Christmas lights, we had to go door to door, a process that was not successful,” he says. Now, they have a presence at street fairs and on Groove on Grove. They have a sanitation crew on staff and graffitiremoval capabilities. “The look and feel of cleanliness makes it feel safer,” Kalcanides says, “and it is safer than it used to be.” The organization has made it easier for bars and restaurants to get liquor licenses and created restaurant row, which has brought more people into the historic downtown district. Though Nikol Floros herself has moved around a lot, including stints in New York, Texas, Arizona, South America, and Greece, she came back to JC in 2007. “I live and work here, and my kids go to school here,” she says. “We want to make the area a better place to live for all of us.”
PHOTO BY CAMILO GODOY
The historic downtown district offers a lot of advantages. The historic part puts residents and visitors in touch with a culture that goes back to the Lenni Lenape and the Revolutionary War era in American history. The area thrived during a robust manufacturing period which saw the likes of Colgate and Dixon Mills when soap and pencils and sugar were king. It survived during severe economic downturns, flourished during real estate booms, and now is seeing waterfront development, an influx of new residents, a robust art scene, and
lots of restaurants, bars, festivals, concerts, and farmers’ markets. Floros is happily ensconced with her kids, who are 4 and 2, and her husband, Thimio, who is an aircraft and motorcycle mechanic. “I love the fact that it’s ethnically mixed,” Floros says. “I love the differences in culture here, and everything is accessible. I am able to get other people to move here when they hear how much I enjoy living here. My mom and sister live here. It’s a great community with great potential.”—JCM
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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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Jersey City Wins an Em my
Re-Invention TV introduces our “Gold Coast” to a national audience
Y
BY DEIDRE M. WHITE
ou already know that Hudson County is a great place to live and that Jersey City and Hoboken are the two happening towns that draw new homeowners, small businesses—and yes, folks from Manhattan who want to have a good time across the
river. This past spring, Re-Invention TV let the rest of the world know. Its “Best Places to Live in New Jersey” series won an Emmy for the episode, “The Gold Coast,” featuring Jersey City and Hoboken. The episode originally aired on July 11, 2012 on NJTV and was rebroadcast in April 2013 to coincide with the Emmys. GOLDMAN SACHS BUILDING PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
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The show is hosted by award-winning New York Daily News real-estate writer Jason Sheftell, who died unexpectedly in June at the age of 46. Sheftell was excited about all the sights he visited. Though well travelled, he approached local venues with just as much enthusiasm as exotic destinations. He’s the good friend you always
want at your dinner table for great conversation and passion for food. It’s fun to see your hometown on national television, celebrated with the kind of ardor that Sheftell bestows on his chosen locales. But while it gives you the feel of an engaging travel program with beautiful scenery, savory food from local restaurants, and the personalities that make the community feel like home, for those of us in the know, the episode just scratches the surface. For the most part, there’s not much of the hidden treas-
ures or best-kept secrets. Sheftell goes for the grand and the obvious: The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Liberty State Park, the Liberty Science Center, the Liberty House, and in Hoboken, Carlo’s Bakery, and the Erie Lackawanna railroad station. Still, it will be an eye-opener for folks who don’t know the territory, and Sheftell’s obvious pleasure in what he refers to as the Gold Coast makes for a fun 30 minutes. You can view the Gold Coast episode at re-inventiontv.com. “The star of the show is Hoboken and Jersey City, and
that’s why it won the Emmy,” Sheftell said. His enthusiasm for neighborhoods and the people who live in them is what makes the show. He wasn’t just a host; he was a travel writer. “I love places, people, and the communities that we live in,” he said. “Hoboken and Jersey City have character and emotion. There’s a good sense of balance and that makes them work.” Alan Goldsher is CEO of ReInvention TV and executive producer of “The Best Places to Live” series. “Jason has an easy on-camera style,” he
said. “He really is an expert in real estate, neighborhoods, and people. Jason connected to the personalities of the people in the show. We set out to do great shows, telling great stories, starring a great newspaper writer. It was important that we make a great first impression.” The series of six episodes is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, K. Hovnanian, and Union Center National Bank. The episode begins by telling the history of the Jersey coast communities in the shadow of Ellis Island, the
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Statue of Liberty, and Hoboken’s historic Lackawanna railroad station. “Hoboken and Jersey City came from the very people who came off these boats,” Sheftell says, while viewing the Statue of Liberty from the river. “Writing about this for the 10-plus years I have been doing this, you get a handle on where you are in the world. You feel
the history, the drive, and emotion. You feel why people live there. Jersey City has pockets of real beauty, real urban nature, and commercial growth that are fantastic. When you look at Hamilton Park, the waterfront, and the magnificent views of New York City you can’t help but get excited.” Jersey City’s new residents often
LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER
RESERVOIR 3
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remark on how the town “grows on you.” Indeed, the Gold Coast episode reached a wider audience that was unaware of JC’s charms, history, attractions, and fabulous views. “They have no idea of what it’s like to live in these areas, which is why we do this,” Golsher said. He said the episode elicited responses, such as “I never knew.” They also didn’t know about Jersey City’s historic downtown, our thriving art scene, or outdoor concerts series Groove on Grove, festivals, and farmers’ markets. The episode also highlighted Jersey City’s easy access to Manhattan and the Manhattanites who often favor the posh highrises, such as 77 Hudson, on our ever-expanding waterfront. To give just the slightest taste of Jersey City’s vast diversity, in the episode Sheftell interviews Nick Vazquez of Azucar who shares the Cuban history and food traditions that have transformed this family establishment into a four-star restaurant that was awarded 2012 Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine. Goldsher says, “People familiar with the area say, ‘Thank you for doing this. It’s great to see the place I’m from honored this way.’”—JCM
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Floating bridge, and empty barge, waiting to be loaded. These rail cars are loaded with cargo, such as lumber, consumable goods, produce, aggregate, scrap metal, and building supplies. They were transported by rail barge and tug to Brooklyn at 7:30 a.m. on a Thursday in July.
Last of its kind
Floating rail cars from Jersey City to Brooklyn n these pages are pictures, taken by Victor M. Rodriguez, of the last “Carfloat” operation in New Jersey. The NYNJ Rail operation, located at the former Pennsylvania Railroad Greenville Yard in Jersey City, carries rail cars on rail barges called “Carfloats,” which are towed by tugs, between Jersey City and the 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn.
O
NYNJR supervisor checks the bridge before loading.
This is the first of two rail cars of lumber loaded on the barge. The weight is balanced by loading the middle cars first. In the distance is Brooklyn. The Bayridge Towers mark the 65th Street area, which is the Brooklyn destination.
The John P. Brown is the tug company that tows the rail across the harbor.
With the Carfloat loaded, the locking pins from the bridge to the barge are released by the crewman for its trip across the harbor.
Ready to go, the horn sounds to indicate departure.
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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14 •
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NICHE JCM
Stan R. Krause
V i n t a g e Vinyl
Dusting off the turntable at Stan’s Square Records BY STEPHEN MCMILLIAN
Who said that the LP is dead? Record vinyl has been making a huge comeback, and a cherished shop in Jersey City has been carrying it for more than 40 years. When you walk into Stan’s Square Records at 737 Bergen Ave., the smell of vinyl emanates from some 10,000 albums and thousands of 45s. “People come into my store and they say ‘that is a great smell,’” says store owner Stan R. Krause. “I love vinyl, I smell vinyl, I sell vinyl.” The store mainly sells classic R&B. Krause, who has lived in Jersey City most of his life, got his start in the business at age15 when he worked with his dad, Stanley F. Krause, who was an independent record manufacturer, who pressed many hit records, such as Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City,” a number-one hit from 1959. Krause also worked as a part-time salesman for the Relic Rack, a record shop in Hackensack. “Whatever I was paid, I wound up spending on records,” he says.
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Krause was also in a few singing groups as a youngster. “We just had no understanding of the five-part harmonies,” he says. “In today’s type of music there are no five-part harmonies, no bridges or melodies, just beats, and it’s dry to me. But it’s getting better. I learned to sing a little bit, but I was always more interested in the production end.” In 1961, Krause started Catamount Records, an R&B label. “I worked with people in New York such as Joe Webb, who was a producer of the Bobbettes, as well as Tommy Glasgow, who produced the Lost Souls. I had a couple of records on the label that sold quite a few thousand, and that was a lot of 45s in 1962 through St. Louis and Chicago.” Two of the biggest sellers on the label were “Pretty Boy” and “Uncle Willie” by the Brooklyn group, the Julietts. The biggest group Krause produced was The Persuasions. “I produced their first two albums. After my five years with them, they went on to become quite big.”
PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH & ALYSSA BREDIN
Krause also produced a radio show on WPIX FM in the early 1970s that played R&B and doo-wop. “When I opened my store in Jersey City, I tried to make enough money to feed the label and also make enough money to eat, Krause says.” Originally called Journal Square Record Center, the store opened in 1965 on JFK Boulevard four doors down from the State Theater. “I’ve been at 737 Bergen for 35 years,” Krause says. You can hear the sounds of R&B and soul from outside the store. The windows display classic album covers and posters. Inside, albums line the walls. You can find an album or 45 by nearly every artist in the history of soul and R&B, from James Brown and Marvin Gaye to The Dells and the Ojays, as well as The Heartbeats, Moonglows, and Flamingos. In the back are 45s and even 12-inch records. Near the front counter are CDs by current rap, hip-hop, and soul artists. “If I sell a Drifters greatest hits album, you are going to get the original album with the original Drifters,” Krause says, “not some soundalike group.” There’s a jukebox in the back. “It plays and it works and it has a pounding sound,” Krause says. “That is a 1959 50-play jukebox. There were very few 50-play jukeboxes made. That same year, 100- play jukeboxes were made, which are easier to find and go for a lot less money.” Lining the top walls are photos of various celebrities from vocal groups of the ‘50s and ‘60s, as well as rappers. “Eighty percent of the people in those photos are people I met,” Krause says. He booked a lot of these acts for concerts at Symphony Hall and the Beacon Theater. Among the celebrities pictured are the rapper Nas, whom he met at a dinner reception in New York, gospel singer Tramaine Hawkins, rappers DaBrat, Fat Joe, Naughty By Nature, Chill Rob G, Jersey City’s own The Manhattans and Heather B., and a Jersey City rapper named Chill Divine, with whom Krause produced a 12-inch record. “The record didn’t sell big in the U.S.,” Krause says. “The sound of Chill Divine’s record was positive. Rap became negative, so we had to go sell it in Japan.” Though most of the
rappers he knows portray tough-guy images, he says, “They are the nicest people in the world.” Also on the wall of fame is PM Dawn, a hip-hop duo from Jersey City who had a huge number-one hit with “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.” Krause recalls, “They used to come in the store looking for James Brown records to sample his beats. I asked one of the members, Prince, why is he following the trend of everybody else? I told him about Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf, so he started picking out records by these artists with that type of early style of rock. He developed a sound and he made it.” In the last five years or so, labels have been pressing the music of artists such as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Adele on vinyl as well as on CD. “Vinyl has a better sound and is more personal than CD and all the other different formats,” Krause says. “If you put vinyl on a turntable, it sounded like the band or the group was in front of you, not down the street.” Four years ago, when vinyl came back, sales were up 18 percent. As of last year, sales of vinyl were up 38 percent. “The original becomes worth more and more because as time goes on, it becomes harder to find,” Krause says, “especially when the original has a foldout cover whereas the reissue doesn’t.” Krause says, “The CD is convenient when you ride around in your car, you have a party at your home and want to hear your favorite track five times in a row. Soundwise, however, there is no middle or low range. When a deejay plays vinyl records, the beat is pounding and vibrates all through your body. The CD sound is synthetic.” Young people are spearheading the vinyl movement: “High schoolers are coming in and they’re not only looking for vinyl, but they also want to know the history of the recording artists, and they ask questions. This is rejuvenating me because I can teach now what I’ve been teaching for years.” When I was in the store, a guy in his early twenties was looking for Michael Jackson’s Bad on vinyl, and another young customer bought a current rap album on vinyl.
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NICHE JCM
“It’s not a mega-sales store, it’s a culture store,” Krause says. “I also learn from a lot of the young people that come to the store.” There was a time when it cost too much to make vinyl. “Record companies found a little cassette tape and a CD which is no cost to make,” Krause says. “They are making triple the amount of money. Record companies found a way to take away the word ‘music’ and use the word ‘beat.’ I don’t condemn the new technology, but when I was coming up, an artist had to go into the studio and have an arranger, a writer, a producer, musicians, instruments, and a union. All of these people got paid.” Krause believes R&B died around 1980. “It is still called rhythm & blues, but it is not rhythm & blues anymore,” he says. “Just like when Motown hit, it didn’t have the same gutsy ingredient as rhythm & blues, but it was termed soul music.” Who are his favorite current singers? “My favorite singer in the last 20 years is Amy Winehouse,” Krause says. “If anyone my age or older listens to Dinah Washington do the licks in her lyrics, they’ll hear Amy do similar licks in her lyrics. I also enjoy Adele because she is a great singer.” “I’m an entrepreneur of a capella,” he goes on. “The true street a capella vocal sound that goes all the way back is comprised of five basic parts of harmony: the bass singer, the baritone singer, the first tenor, the second tenor, and the lead. When you perform a capella in that style, you’re doing correct a capella. It’s not an ensemble like you have on TV where you have 12 people singing all these parts and they don’t harmonize at all.”
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Krause produced about 20 vocal groups. One of the great vocalists he knew was Skip Jackson, a singer, writer, producer, and arranger from the Junction section of Jersey City. “He was Jersey City’s genius of music and could sing all five parts of harmonies and play six instruments,” Krause says. “He used to come to my shop, and we became very good friends. He used to teach vocal lessons and would work with some of the a capella groups I worked with and taught them different styles of harmony.” One of those groups was 14 Karat Soul, composed of two guys from Jersey City and three guys from East Orange ranging from age 16 to 18. “Skip took them from a good singing group to a great singing group,” Krause says. “Skip and I produced an album with them. They performed on Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live during the time Eddie Murphy was there.” Krause also worked with Jersey City groups like The Heartaches, who were from downtown and attended Ferris High School, The Royal Counts from Dickinson High School, and The Concepts, a downtown Latino group. Two members of a group he produced called Mixed Company are now part of his latest project, a vocal group called The Catamounts, who rehearse in the back of the store on Saturday afternoons. The group members are Jeffrey Chambers and Jimmy Woods, who were formerly with Mixed Company, Robert “Ippy” Ippolito, who did album jacket designs for the Persuasions, Mixed Company, and others, and a 21-year-old woman named Jacki Poss who is not from Jersey City. “She’s a mountain girl,” Krause says. “All four members round out the versatility of a group that doesn’t just sing a cappella, but five styles of a capella,” Krause says. “Everyone in the group can do different leads.” The Catamounts, who also sing background vocals on a vinyl record of a Jersey City group called The 1 & 9s with feature vocalist Vera Marino, are scheduled to play Casino-inthe-Park in November. The store is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. One thing that keeps Krause going is “the love of people and communicating with them. Not only do I sell records, I know records. I listen to all forms of music. I am not interested in becoming rich. I make ends meet, I love music, I have a lovely lady and that’s all that counts.” His advice? “Relax, calm down, get some good vinyl and let yourself hear what music is all about.”—JCM
DATES Want your event listed? Please email us at jcmag@hudsonreporter.com and put “calendar listings” in the subject line.
ONGOING Art House at Two Boots, 133 Newark Ave., (201) 209-1250, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. Monthly event featuring live music, performance and film. Free. Let There Be Live, Grassroots Community Center and various roving locations, (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunity space.com. 9 p.m.midnight. A monthly open performance series. $5 suggested donation. PMJAMNITES, Dorrian’s Red Hand, 555 Washington Blvd.,
(201) 626-6660, pmjamnites.com. 9 p.m. Multi-genre singer, songwriter, and band showcase. Second and last Fridays of the month. Free. Friggin Fabulous Open Mic, Trolley Car Bar & Grill, 328 Palisade Ave. 8:30 p.m. Musicians, poets, comedians, spoken worders, and other creative types are all welcome. JC Slam, The Dopeness. 332 Second St., (201) 870-7698, facebook.com/jerseycity slam. Weekly poetry slam series held every Thursday.
see page 63
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Dwayne Sabb’s epic journey STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM HAGUE
D
wayne Sabb is now 43 years old, far removed from his football-playing days. The father of four now manages two Subway sandwich shops in Roselle and Linden. But mention football and Sabb lights up like a Christmas tree, knowing full well that he had a chance that not many football players get to experience. “I never dreamed I would actually end up in a Super Bowl,” said Sabb, a Jersey City native and Hudson Catholic graduate. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to be like Lawrence Taylor and play in a Super Bowl like him. But I never thought I could actually get there.” As a kid growing up in Jersey City’s Greenville section, Sabb wanted to be just like the Giants’ superstar. “I was a big L.T. fan,” Sabb said. “I loved his intensity and the way he got after people. He would do what-
ever it takes to get to the quarterback, to get a victory. I always enjoyed watching him play.” Sabb first played football in the old Jersey City
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Recreation program, playing for the Bergen Colts. At the time, Sabb believed his future was in baseball. “I really loved playing baseball,” Sabb said. “I just
happened to play football, but I loved baseball. Baseball was my first love.” Incredibly, Sabb’s older brother, Art, was a standout basketball player at the
DWAYNE SABB
SPORTS CORNER JCM now-defunct St. Michael’s of Jersey City, later Bloomfield College, where he was a Division II AllAmerican and later drafted by the Utah Jazz. “I tried playing basketball, but I wasn’t all that good,” Sabb said. “I played for the Greenville National Little League and I tried out in high school.” When Sabb went to Hudson Catholic, he tried out for the baseball team, but legendary coach Joe “Rocky” Pope cut him. “I never played baseball again,” Sabb said. “My focus was then on football.” Although Hudson Catholic’s football team wasn’t successful in the late 1980s, Sabb gutted it out and made a name for himself as a standup defensive end/ outside linebacker, much like his idol Taylor. Ironically, while in high school, Sabb was asked to
pose for a now-famous poster that featured Taylor as “The Terminator.” Sabb was one of the football players on the ground in that poster. “I worked the living daylights out of myself,” Sabb said. “I wanted to be a good football player.” Sabb also competed in the shot put, discus, and javelin at Hudson Catholic. “Overall, Hudson Catholic was a great experience for me,” Sabb said. “I came from a tough part of Jersey City and Hudson Catholic gave me the opportunity to get away from all that, to become a well-rounded individual and become a better person.” Sabb had some collegiate offers, including Rutgers, Wyoming, and Temple, but one school was insistent on securing Sabb’s services. “The University of New Hampshire blew me away,”
Sabb said. “I went there for a visit and it was like no place else I had ever been. I had scheduled visits to Tennessee and Missouri,
“
became an even better football player on the collegiate level than he was in high school. He was a twotime NCAA Division I-AA
I never dreamed I would actually end up in a Super Bowl.”– Dwayne Sabb
but I canceled those and went solid on New Hampshire. It was like night and day from what I was used to in Jersey City. “There were a lot of guys from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania at New Hampshire. But the main reason I went there was the school. I wanted to major in business and economics. I never thought about pro football. I thought about getting into the business world.” As it turned out, Sabb
All-America honoree as a linebacker at New Hampshire. He was a nominee for the I-AA Kodak Player of the Year as a senior. “Things happen for a reason,” Sabb said. “It was meant for me to go to New Hampshire.” A journalist contacted Sabb before the 1992 NFL Draft and told him that he was about to get selected in the draft. “He basically said that if the draft was held today, I’d
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SPORTS CORNER JCM go in the fifth round,” Sabb said. “I told him that it was crazy. I wasn’t even thinking of pro ball.” Sabb was taken in the fifth round by the New England Patriots.
Patriots. He had brief stints with the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills and took an injury settlement from the Bills in 1998 that promised to end his career. “For two years, I couldn’t
Sabb remained with the Patriots for five seasons. “Here I was, a kid from Jersey City and Hudson County, getting drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft,” Sabb said. “Of course, I was happy about it.” Sabb remained with the Patriots for five seasons. In his fifth year, the Patriots won the AFC Championship and headed to the Super Bowl to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI on January 26, 1997. “When I walked on the field, before the game was kicked off, I couldn’t believe it,” Sabb said. “I ran on to the field knowing that 100 million people plus would be watching me. It was an unbelievable feeling. It was indescribable for a kid from Jersey City. I remember [Patriots head coach Bill] Parcells wasn’t sure who was going to start at linebacker. Green Bay did some different things and designed special packages. So in preparation, those two weeks, I was locked down, thinking I was starting. It was a great experience for me.” Unfortunately, the Patriots lost the game, 35-21, thanks to a kickoff return from the game’s Most Valuable Player Desmond Howard. “I dream about that Super Bowl at least once a month,” Sabb said. “We lost the game, but it was an honor to be there. They can’t take that away from me.” After that Super Bowl, Sabb was released by the
even watch a football game,” Sabb said. But in 2001, Sabb
to make it back and I loved it.” Sabb remained in pro football with the New Jersey Gladiators of the Arena Football League for two seasons, and then played one season in the AFL with Buffalo and another with Philadelphia, finally ending his career in 2004. After retirement, Sabb returned to his high school alma mater to serve as an assistant coach for two seasons.
SABB IS THE PLAYER ON THE GROUND IN THIS POSTER. returned to professional football with the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the ill-fated XFL, a team where he starred as the team’s best defensive lineman, collecting a leaguehigh nine sacks. “I got the bug again,” Sabb said. “I gave it my all
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“I enjoyed being back at Hudson Catholic and being with the kids,” Sabb said. “It was a chance to give back.” Now, his time is spent managing his sandwich shops. “I’m staying busy,” Sabb said. “With four kids, I’m
just trying to keep my head above water.” Jersey City’s other connection to the Super Bowl is Brandon McGowan, who was with the Chicago Bears in 2006 when the Bears lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17, in Super Bowl XLI in Miami on Feb. 4, 2007. McGowan went to Lincoln High School and later became a standout at the University of Maine. He went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, but signed a free-agent contract with the Bears soon after. He became the lone free agent to make the Bears’ roster in 2005 and played in all 16 games that season. McGowan missed most of the 2006 season with an Achilles injury, but was with the Bears at the Super Bowl. He returned to play with the Bears in 2007 and was the starting safety, collecting 80 tackles and two interceptions. In 2008, McGowan suffered an ankle injury and missed most of the season. In 2009, he signed with the New England Patriots and spent two seasons there, before getting his release in 2011. Now 29 years old, McGowan has been out of professional football since 2011. Dwayne Sabb is excited that the Super Bowl will come to the Meadowlands this February. “I told my wife already that she may not find me the whole week,” Sabb said. “I’m going to attend all the events. It’s going to be a fantastic time. I might not go inside to the game, but I’ll be at the other events. “It’s going to be great. There are going to be so many alumni events and the fact that it’s in my own backyard is amazing.”— JCM
PR E S E N T
S
SAV E T H E DAT ES
VANISHING/EMERGING JC JCM In this issue we have a unique opportunity to document emerging and vanishing Jersey City at the same time. Photographer Mickey Mathis has supplied us with a very hard-to-find image of the footbridge (top) that connects Liberty State Park to Jersey Avenue before Hurricane Sandy hit. It was destroyed in the storm. I took the other picture of the new bridge which debuted on Memorial Day, 2013 — exactly when the city promised it would. – Kate Rounds
DEC 6 MARCH 7 2013
2014
Send your vanishing Jersey City photos to JCMAG@HUDSONREPORTER.COM. Be sure to write “Vanishing” in the subject line.
Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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W
Town and Gown
Jersey City colleges take learning to the streets
BY LANA ROSE DIAZ
hen out-of-town students arrive on the campuses of colleges like St. Peter’s and New Jersey City University (NJCU), even if they’re from another part of New Jersey, their knowledge of the community outside their campus boundaries is generally limited. By senior year they may have become accustomed to the area immediately around school or perhaps a few downtown hot spots—but what about the rest of Jersey City? Thanks to the inclusion of some hands-on, out-of-theclassroom coursework, stu-
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48 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
EDUCATION JCM International Business and Trade, he wasn’t very familiar with the city surrounding his college campus. “I knew very little of Jersey City,” says Julio, a 2013 graduate of the university. “I knew it existed, but I really had never visited.”
As he made friends and began to branch out off campus, he liked what he saw. Soon he was introduced to the Heights by both a fellow student and a professor. Walking along Central Avenue was such a profound experience that he was drawn
QUAD ON THE ST. PETER’S UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
PHOTO BY MATT RAINEY
dents at Jersey City’s colleges are graduating with a much more intimate knowledge of our city.
DIVING IN When Julio Herrera came to St. Peter’s University from Bricktown, N.J., to study
to take part in a sociology project his senior year focusing on that important business corridor. Professors Mary Kate Naatus and Alex Trillo have teamed up for the past few years to lead the students through a project analyzing businesses along the Central Avenue retail corridor in the Heights from a business and sociology perspective respectively. “One of the first things I noticed was there are a lot of the same businesses in a small area,” Julio says. “Textbook-wise, that wouldn’t make sense. But what was really cool about this research and class was realizing it really is such a diverse community, they each have a place in that one community.” For example, Julio notes that dollar stores owned by people of different ethnicities tend to carry specialized products catering to their
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demographic in addition to the regular dollar-store fare. “The overall experience was beneficial,� he says. “It gives me a sense and awareness that even though you’re in a business school, it’s very important to get yourself out there and do your own research. We learned above and beyond what the classroom could have taught us.� Alberto Groves, another 2013 graduate who worked on the project, agrees. The Psychology and Latin American Studies major from the Bronx was a commuter student his entire time at St. Peter’s.
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“At Prep, everyone was my teammate.” –Savon Huggins, ’11
ELLIS ISLAND PAINTING BY FORMER NJCU STUDENT SIDRA HASSAN
“Being a commuter student, it sort of detaches you from campus and community spirit,” Alberto says. “But this project made me learn and get involved. You can’t help but take that into you.” Julio, who is currently in the process of settling into a new place as he takes on a job at his alma mater, says he’s fallen in love with the small, rich communities of Jersey City’s “big city.” “I really enjoyed living there,” he says. “I feel like I just touched the surface. I can’t wait to dive in.”
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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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EDUCATION JCM
IMMERSED IN THE ISSUES College administrators are often the front line for students’ introduction to the city via orientation, but it’s the teaching faculty—and their own connections with the city—that has brought the city to life for students. Donal Malone, associate professor of sociology and urban studies at St. Peter’s University, leads groups of students on a variety of projects with New City Kids, a local afterschool program, as part of their senior seminar coursework. The experience brings statistics to life for the students as they delve into topics such as incomes, teen pregnancy, and high-school graduation rates. In previous years, coursework for that seminar has included a conference on youth violence and its impact on education. Though he hails from the Bronx, Donal has immersed himself in Jersey City news and politics over his 20-year tenure and says that connecting students with local issues can help shine a light on challenges that real families face. “I’m hoping they get a greater under-
standing of social issues and social problems,” he says. “Especially the complexity of them.” Michelle Atkinson, a 2013 St. Peter’s graduate who participated in Donal’s seminar, says the experience was “eyeopening.” Michelle, who is from Paulsboro, N.J., didn’t know much about Jersey City before arriving on campus and ventured off campus only a few times during her first couple of years at the university. But the New City Kids program, she says, acquainted her with the area and with real sociology issues. “You can read a bunch of statistics, but I thought it was really nice to sit down and talk to these kids,” she says. “I really feel like I got to know who they were.”
COMMUNITY AS INSPIRATION AND STAGE At NJCU, there is also an intentional, campus-wide mission to get students interacting in Jersey City. Classes are taught at Harborside Financial Center, educational walking tours are set up around the city, and the Jersey City Public Library hosts a variety of artistic exhibits and events for students. NJCU is
also the sole educational partner of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. When students wanted to get their artwork out to the community, Professor Jane Steuerwald facilitated the Urban Image Showcase to bring the best of students’ work to venues all over Jersey City and Hudson County. She has curated the show for the past 10 years. Jane’s students in the Media Arts Department also created a film called “Jersey City: 24 Hours in Public Places,” which was screened at the Beacon. The video documentary, inspired by the 1980s NPR radio documentary “NYC: 24 Hours in Public Places,” explores the many diverse cultural, historic, gritty, and eccentric places that make up the city of Jersey City. Students went out to various locations throughout the day and night to record one-minute segments of footage for the homage which includes images like the Holland Tunnel at 6 a.m., a schoolyard at 8 a.m., and a bodega at 8 a.m. The students handled the entire production, down to the musical score. “Our students are very, very talented and their work is really powerful,” Jane says. “They have stories to tell and they want to tell them. My job is to facilitate.” This fall, Jane’s class is working on a new video project focusing on various aspects of Jersey City life. That project, too, will have a special connection with Jersey City venues. “The whole point of making film and video is to share it with an audience,” Jane says. “And a classroom is not a real audience.”
IN THE FIELD While some professors choose to focus on the grit of Jersey City, others prefer the grass. When NJCU Dean Barbara Feldman (of the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences) launched a thematic semester initiative in the Fall of 2011 encouraging faculty to create courses with an urban focus, Cindy Arrigo of the Biology Department responded with the idea for creating walking tours centered on the Grove of Remembrance in Liberty State Park. The walking tours give insight to the hub of activity that once surrounded the old railroad station, offer discussion on abandoned brownfields, and stress the importance of green and open space in urban areas like Jersey City. They were so popular that they were held four times that year and have been held once every year since, attracting
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EDUCATION JCM students from all disciplines as well as members of the community. From a biology standpoint, students are given the opportunity to sample different areas of the park and participate in Cindy’s research of brownfield mircoflora. “That’s where the real learning takes place,” Cindy says. “People come to know by doing.”
PUTTING RESEARCH TO WORK IN THE CITY Urban field research doesn’t stop when summer hits. At St. Peter’s University, instead of heading home, students like Julio and Alberto continue their research on Central Avenue. Professors Mary Kate Naatus and Alex Trillo live in the area, which was part of the impetus for their interest in the project. Alex says that, as a sociology professor, he was interested in having his students find out more about why people chose to open the type of businesses that they do along Central Avenue, especially with so many offering duplicate services in a small area. “So we organized some students and came up with a survey and hit the streets,” says Alex. For Mary Kate, a professor of business administration, it was the opportunity to get the students involved in a hands-on project. “I want to do more realistic projects in my classes,” says Mary Kate. “Rather than do a marketing plan that only I and the rest of the class see, I’d like to partner with businesses that need actual help. Students get experience on a real project, interacting with a real business owner. It’s a win-win.” Students apply data-analysis skills in a real-time environment, having to take into account various factors like the overall community vision—or lack thereof— hours of operation, and access to community programs. Students speak Spanish and Mandarin to interview shop owners in their native tongues. One student spoke five languages, including Tamil. The next part of the process will be figuring out how to implement recommendations, feedback, and perhaps even a consulting program based on the students’ findings. For now, findings are presented at a research festival at St. Peter’s each year as well as submitted as a presentation to one of the local conferences with the Eastern Sociological Society, which hosts events in various locations from Boston to Baltimore.—JCM
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WWW.KENNEDYDANCERS.ORG Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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HOW WE LIVE JCM
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How we
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THE MADOX PHOTOS BY MARK DYE
One good thing came out of Hurricane Sandy for Mark Dye and Elizabeth Ward. Flooding drove them out of one home but landed them in a place they really love. Mark, a photojournalist, has been living in Jersey City for six years. Elizabeth, a production manager at the Gap, has been living in Jersey City for 10 years. They live with two dogs, Roxy and Bleu. They were renting a garden-level apartment in Van Vorst Park when the storm hit. “We were under three feet of water,” Dye said. “We had to move. We weren’t planning on moving at the time, but this forced us to look around. We looked at every building around the Madox.” Which means downtown. They’d been living in FEMA housing and couldn’t wait to get to the new place in mid-December. “It’s on the third floor, overlooking the light rail and a little bit of the harbor with boats,” Dye says. “If water ever got that high, we would all be in trouble.” But they also didn’t want to be too high up because they’d heard horror stories of people walking up 30 flights of stairs when the power went out.
MARK DYE AND ELIZABETH WARD
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“The Madox had the nicest amenities,” Dye says. “A full-size fridge, gas range, quiet dishwasher, brand new washer/dryer, Kohler fixtures. They put a lot of effort into good design and high-quality appliances and fixtures.” The space reflects the occupants’ own personal aesthetic. “There’s a modern look and feel to the apartment,” Dye says. “Clean and open but not necessarily minimalist. I love mid-century modern furniture. We have an Eames-style table and chairs; the metal survived the flood. We also have antiques and found objects.” The public spaces include an attractive lobby, club room, gym, and roof deck, with a view of Manhattan. “We love Paulus Hook,” Dye says. “We work in Manhattan, and you get off the train, it’s quieter. It’s friendly. A lot of people are walking dogs and pushing baby carriages. We never feel threatened or unsafe. We’re a half a block from the water. We’re happy to be home.” But that’s not to say that they don’t frequent some of the neighborhood spots, including PJ Ryan’s, Amelia’s, the Light Horse, Satis, Legal Grounds, which has reopened after Sandy, and the White Star, which used to be the Harbor Casino. Best of all? They actually met at Edward’s Steak House.
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HOW WE LIVE JCM
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HOW WE LIVE JCM
JIMMY LAM (LEFT) AND OSKAR TORRES
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Don’t be fooled by the modest look and feel of this residential building on Magnolia. It has a canopy out front and colorful tiles in the entryway. Jimmy Lam and Oskar Torres occupy an artful and art-filled space on the fifth floor. It’s not large. The 900-square-foot space has a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom. The windows overlook Journal Square. Torres says he enjoys watching the planes on their (silent) journey toward Newark Airport. His favorite color is orange, and he says he loves to watch the sunsets. He grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and has been living in Jersey City for 14 years. Lam, a writer from the Dominican Republic, has been in Jersey City for eight years. His subject is identity politics, which he addresses in cultural and political essays, poetry, and short stories. Torres’s first foray into Jersey City
was not a success. He landed at the Grove Street PATH. You can’t see the river from there, so he thought it was too far away from Manhattan, and nixed the idea of living there. Eventually he found his sense of direction and got an apartment on Grove Street. But he had friends up Magnolia way. “I always liked the building from the outside,” Torres says. “I happened to be walking by and went into the office to see if they had apartments.” And the rest is history. The couple has been living there for three years. It’s not by chance that the apartment is so artfully decorated. Torres is an interior designer who owns Antique Textiles on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Their travels in search of fine textiles have taken them to Paris, Turkey, all around the United States, and many other locales. Lam says that making pillows, curtains, or upholstery from these fine textiles gives them “new life.” Their home is a bit like a fine textile— intricately woven with a unique mix of fabrics, textures, and hues. Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14•
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HOW WE LIVE JCM They had to do a bit of structural work, just to fit a sofa into the living room. They had four sofas delivered before they cut out an opening to accommodate their current one. They repainted all the rooms. “A fresh coat of paint changes everything,” Torres says. The living room is celadon green. Cool and warm colors offer a surprising contrast. The artwork is eclectic—abstract paintings, photographs, textiles, and furniture. Lam says they’re foodies. As evidence, they save menus. Among their downtown haunts are Madame Claude’s, LITM, and the Cuban restaurant Azucar. A special favorite in their own neighborhood is Franchesco’s, an Ecuadorian/ Spanish restaurant on Tonnelle Avenue. They look forward to coming back to Jersey City after work. “I love the buzz of New York,” Lam says. “It’s about getting on, making money, and being famous. But here it’s quieter, homey. It’s about a regular place with regular people finding their way in life.” —Interviews by Kate Rounds
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DATES JCM from page 43
Wordsmithing Wednesdays, Steam Café, 278 Newark Ave., facebook.com/wordsmithingwed nesdays. 7 p.m. Last Wednesday of every month. SJC Green Drinks + ART, HCCC Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk St., sustainablejc.org. 6-9 p.m. Social and business networking event held every third Thursday evening of the month. Ice Skating at Pershing Field, Pershing Field Skating Rink, Summit Avenue and Pershing Plaza, (201) 5474392. Call for hours of operation. November 2013 through March 2014. Extended public and daytime hours. Skate rentals, classes, and concessions are available. Newport Skates, 95 River Dr., (201) 626-RINK, newportskates.com. Weekdays 4-9 p.m., Saturdays and holidays 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Live Jazz Jam, Moore’s Lounge, 189 Monticello Ave., (201) 3324309. 8:30-11:30 p.m. Every Friday (except JC Fridays). Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunityspace.com. Various weekly events including yoga, performing arts, Zumba, martial arts, Bollywood—even hula hoop—held weekly and monthly. Bob the Builder: Project Build It!, Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org. Children build, fix, plant, and improve using team efforts alongside Bob the Builder and friends. Sept. 21, 2013, through Jan. 12, 2014. Gridiron Glory, Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org. Pro Football Hall of Fame’s traveling exhibition featuring more than 200 artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s collection. Sept. 28, 2013, through March 2, 2014. Gypsy Jazz, Madame Claude Café, 364 1/2 Fourth St., (201) 876-8800. 8 p.m. Live music every Thursday, no cover charge. Creative Grove, Grove Street PATH Plaza, (201) 547-6921, cityofjerseycity.com. Meeting place, market, art experiment, and scene that involves the public, promotes art and culture, and builds community space as a forum for dialogue and exchange. Free. Every Friday 3-9 p.m. see page 79
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What I did during Hurricane Sandy On the one-year anniversary of the hurricane, artist Michael Callaghan offers his winsome reenactment of how he spent that time.
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RHEA SHIVNANI
PANDORA How We
WORK PHOTOS BY ALYSSA BREDIN INTERVIEWS BY KATE ROUNDS
Newport Centre Mall 30 Mall Drive West (201) 386-9900 pandora.net The word “moment” figures prominently in the philosophy of this specialized jewelry store. “Celebrating unforgettable moments” is its raison d’être. Though the company has a wide variety of jewelry, it is known for its charm bracelets, which allow women to create their own personal designs—with meanings and mementos unique to them. “It’s about building moments on your bracelet that coincide with what’s going on in your life,” says Rhea Shivnani, president of SR Concepts. Customers buying a gift can be assured that the charms are appropriate for anyone from age 10 to 70. “Men love buying the bracelets for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and anniversaries,” she says. The reason? Selecting a custom charm bracelet
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takes some of the guesswork out of buying a gift. With each annual celebration, the recipient can add to her bracelet, using the events of her own life to build a meaningful work of art. The bracelets are handcrafted in silver and gold, and some have diamonds. Even so, with a price range of $20-$700, most people can fit a Pandora bracelet into their budgets. “We are big on customer service,” Shivnani says. “We don’t rush people out of the store. We give each person respect and time.” With a product that depends so strongly on personality and backstory, this individual attention is crucial. Shivnani says her sales staff helps customers make choices. They find out “what she’s like, ask questions, connect with the person they are dealing with.” She says the Pandora experience is so much more than “just the value of the jewelry. It’s the emotions tied into the jewelry.”
SMITH AND CHANG GENERAL GOODS 230 Pavonia Ave. (201) 420-0557 smithchang.com Smith and Chang General Goods curates a complete line of eyewear, from vintage-inspired frames to designer sunglasses. Lester Frankel, an optician with
more than two decades of experience, is on hand to fill eyeglass prescriptions. Frankel also fits and adjusts frames for customers. Smith and Chang, a unique general store on Hamilton Square, is noted for its vintage wares, which lend a cozy, country-store atmosphere to our urban downtown landscape. Frankel’s wife, Eileen, says that a popular item at Smith and Chang are never-
been-worn vintage eyeglasses. “My husband finds old optometrists who are closing up shop,” Eileen says. “We buy out loads and loads and offer a selection at Smith and Chang’s.” Frankel has been in the eye and eyewear business for 35 years. The Frankels had locations in Brooklyn and Middlesex, N.J., but are known for their on-site eyeglass shows at corporations. They offer 900 frames. You pick the frame, and the Frankels fit them and fill the prescription. “We grind the lenses off premises, and then we mail them,” Eileen says. “A working person has no time to do this at lunch hour, and they love it because we save them a bundle of money—60 to 70 percent off retail.” In addition to designer frames, such as Ray-Ban and Tom Ford, Smith and Chang offers copies of vintage frames. “Very high-end quality,” Eileen says. “The Smith and Chang customer likes copies of vintage frames.”
DR. EDWARD TJOE PODIATRIST 66 York St. (201) 984-0231
DR. EDWARD TJOE
Though Dr. Tjoe is a native of Queens, N.Y., he chose the Exchange Place section of Jersey City for his medical practice, which he opened about 18 months ago. “There are not many podiatrists in the immediate area,” he says, “so I can make an impact and a name for myself.”
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HOW WE WORK JCM The locale is perfect for his business. He says “It’s relatively close to New York as well as downtown Jersey City.” He says that sometimes people who work in New York opt to go to doctors in New York rather than where they live, and he wants to “remedy that.” He also touts the reasonably priced transportation options. “Instead of paying the Holland Tunnel tolls, there’s the PATH, the ferry, and the light rail,” he says.
In our modern, active society, podiatry is an increasingly important field. “We have a variety of patients,” Tjoe says. “We’re dealing with weekend warriors, a lot of corporate people, who work out on a regular basis and get nagging injuries—Achilles pain, shin splints, heel pain, and back pain that can affect the feet.” He also deals with seniors who often suffer from skin wounds and ingrown toenails. An important service is
preventive foot care for diabetics, so that they can avoid amputations, a very dire medical intervention. But it’s not all business for Tjoe. “I’ve done some shopping in the immediate area, there’s a nursing home, a real estate agency, and condos are being built,” he says. “It’s quite a magnificent view from the waterfront.”
THE STAFF OF HIMALAYA HERBAL SPA
HIMALAYA HERBAL SPA 95 Montgomery St. (201) 985-8888 jc95spa.com Alan Lau is a Jersey City entrepreneur with four successful restaurants to his credit: BOX, More, Sawadee, and Sky Thai. And now, not only has he opened another restaurant, Shanghai Best, but he’s expanded his kingdom into another realm altogether: the spa business. Himalaya Herbal Spa, right next to Shanghai Best, opened in May. “I always wanted to diversify,” Lau says.
“A spa is an easy business to manage. You don’t have a lot of overhead. You don’t have waiters. You don’t need a lot of support.” What he does have are nine masseuses and a seven-day-a-week operation that is already going strong. “I studied the location,” Lau says. “There were a few similar establishments in the area, and everyone is doing well. No one has closed, and our pricing is the most reasonable.” Himalaya is a full-service spa. “We have all kinds of massages—facial, herbal, Swedish, Tibetan, chair massage, and foot massage,” Lau says. “We introduced
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foot massage to the neighborhood. It’s popular in China. It helps blood to circulate.” The spa serves a lot of professional and corporate clients in the downtown area, who experience daily stress. “They have shoulder pain and neck pain,” Lau says. The spa also offers a sea salt massage and something that sounds a little scary—fire therapy. Log on to the Himalaya website, and you’ll see the full range of offerings from Jade facials and foot reflexology to stone massages. Yet again, Alan Lau has found the right touch.
ON THE JOB WITH —
ENTREPRENEURS
IndependenT CONTRACTORS are in full bloom
BY LANA ROSE DIAZ
E
ven before the doors of Indiegrove were opened at the start of 2013, members were signed up and ready to get down to business at the new coworking space. Just a few steps away from Grove Street Plaza, Indiegrove is a bright, airy, fast-growing hub for entrepreneurship. The idea behind “co-working” is creating a shared work environment for independent contractors, freelancers, and work-at-home professionals as an alternative to working at homes, cafes, or libraries. The concept has been hot for quite a while in Europe and across the Hudson River in Manhattan, but it has now made its way to Jersey City, with all kinds of entrepreneurs and freelancers converging in this relaxed, eclectic, and affordable business environment. “I’ve just been amazed at how that’s happened organically here,” says Zahra Amanpour, founder of Indiegrove. “I’m proud of the membership—this is community business. The seeds have been planted and now we’re growing.” An entrepreneurial guru herself, Zahra, who lives in the Hamilton Park area, believes in the co-working model as a way for people to grow successful businesses. She worked with small businesses and non-profit organizations for several years in New York City and brings that experience to all the members she serves at Indiegrove.
Indiegrove also offers a wide array of business amenities to members—everything from meeting rooms and mailboxes to copy machines and complimentary coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. A variety of events are held in the 6,000-square-foot space each month, which provide another level of support to entrepreneurs. “I believe that connections are a huge part of success in business,” Zahra says.
DARIS WILSON
Founder and Head Trainer, JCF Boot Camp Resident of Jersey City Indiegrove Member Status: Co-Worker An early adopter of co-working in Jersey City, Daris Wilson began working at Indiegrove before the floors had even been laid down. As creator of JCF Boot Camp, an outdoor fitness program for women, Daris uses the Indiegrove space as a place to organize, hold meetings, and even do weigh-ins with clients. A sports team player all his life, Daris says he got the idea for his business in 2008 when he was creating a workout plan for his wife. He began crafting a fitness alternative to the traditional gym setting, and although it was intended only to be a four-week program, Daris says most of his clients stay on for a year and he even has some that have kept with it for three years. As the success of the program grew, it wasn’t long before he left his full-time
job working securities compliance at the New York Stock Exchange to follow his entrepreneurial spirit. “I took a leap of faith,” says Daris. “I felt like it was something I had to do.” Married, with a toddler at home, Daris, like most entrepreneurs and freelancers, was doing the business end of his work out of cafes. He found out about Indiegrove through Zahra, who was a member of his boot camp. He now has a central hub for his campus and a place to do consultations, and his close rate is up 75 to 85 percent. “My efficiency is just way better,” he says. “I’m much more productive, which leads to being more profitable.”
LAURA M. FISHER Lawyer (Real Estate, Small Business, Estate Planning) Resident of Bloomfield, N.J. Indiegrove Member Status: Private Desk While most lawyers’ days are harried and hectic, and Laura M. Fisher’s day starts just as early and ends just as late as any other lawyer, it’s the time in between that makes her day truly enviable. Between client files and court hearings, Laura is one of Indiegrove’s most friendly and sociable butterflies, taking joy in stepping away from work for a moment, bouncing ideas off others in a multi-faceted collaborative network, and coming back to her desk with a fresh mind and clear eye for detail.
WORKING SPACE AT INDIEGROVE PHOTO BY STEPHANI AGILAR
PHOTO BY STEPHANI AGILAR
“I like the idea of being surrounded by people doing all different kinds of things,” she says. “When you work around other lawyers you can refer cases back and forth but you miss a little of the vibrancy of life that people from all backgrounds can give you. I think that we all benefit from being around each other.” A resident of Bloomfield, N.J., Laura says she was attracted to Jersey City because of the special feel downtown. “There’s so much to do and be excited about,” she says. “I think this section of Jersey City represents the hope of every city.”
MARK NEJMEH Roofer and Eternal Entrepreneur Resident of Bradley Beach, N.J. Indiegrove Member Status: Company Co-working
PHOTO BY MELISSA BLEMUR
Zahra Amanpour
Daris Wilson
Ask Mark Nejmeh what he does and he will humbly tell you he is a roofer. But stick around long enough to have a conversation with him and you will catch a glimpse of the entrepreneurial spirit at its best. Mark, who has been in the roofing industry since he was 18 years old, started his first roofing company in 1983—doing millions of dollars worth of roofs on everything from schools to prisons. He worked through college, graduating with a great deal of experience and what he calls the “least hirable” personality. A consummate businessman, Mark now uses his roofing business to fund his other interests and ventures, which range from journalism to energy technology. Though he lives down the shore, Mark decided to house his companies here in Jersey City because of the bustling community. Indiegrove was particularly enticing to him because, despite the open space, he felt it was a place that respects the much-needed privacy for businesses, especially when innovations are on the table. “Your ideas are where the values are,” he says. “I’m a real American entrepreneur. Indiegrove under-
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stands the needs of entrepreneurs.” He now has four of his employees working at Indiegrove Monday through Friday, his foot soldiers who advance the technology side of business while he is up on a roof somewhere. But he’s always happy to come down and return to the office. “This place is better than home,” he says. “I hope there’s a lot of other Indiegroves out there. This is the way American businesses can get off the ground.”
BILL MURPHY JR. Author, Journalist, Ghostwriter Resident of Jersey City Indiegrove Member Status: Private Desk In the wee hours of the night, when there is nary a brightened window along downtown Jersey City’s business corridor, you may still see a glow coming from 121 Newark Ave. But don’t be frightened—it’s not a ghost, just a ghostwriter. Bill Murphy Jr. has been known to pitter patter his way down the block from his home to Indiegrove to write whenever the mood strikes. And, like many writers, that usually happens in the middle of the night. Bill, who ghostwrites for CEOs and writes a column for Inc. Magazine, has also written his own books (Breakthrough Entrepreneurship, The Intelligent Entrepreneur , and In a Time of War). Prior to becoming a member at Indiegrove, Bill worked at “all kinds of weird spaces,” including a photography studio and architecture space. He had even tried co-working in New York City, but that didn’t last very long. “Part of the benefit of working for yourself is supposed to be you don’t have to commute,” he says. He wanted to rent an office locally and share the space with others earlier this year when he found out Zahra was already doing essentially the same thing with Indiegrove. “The space itself is great and it’s a good group of people,” says Bill.
“Writing can be a solitary thing, sometimes it has to be. But co-working gets you in the frame of mind of having working relationships. The minor social stuff is important.�
CARLOS NEIRA Cinematographer/ Editor, Iris Cinematics Resident of Jersey City Indiegrove Member Status: Private Office Carlos Neira stumbled upon Indiegrove while taking a break from working on a video. One day, he and a colleague came down to Grove Street Plaza to find a food truck. What they found instead was a sign that said Indiegrove. The 26-year-old cinematographer has been involved in film since his days at County Prep High School, where he graduated in 2004. He was inspired to become an entrepreneur by watching others boldly follow their dreams—including a former math teacher and a director at the Food Network. Carlos began his own company in 2011 and has been blessed with a growing business ever since. Being at Indiegrove, he says, has strengthened the business even more. “It just added motivation,� Carlos says. “I see other co-workers working hard, and it makes me want to continue working hard.� Now with its own private office at Indiegrove, Carlos says his company conveys a professional image and meets with clients in a comfortable, well-equipped space. They’ve even used the space as a backdrop in some videos. And while everyone at Indiegrove may be working on his or her own projects, Carlos says there is truly a spirit of camaraderie. “Being an independent spirit or an artist, there are times when you want to be a little lazy,� Carlos admits. “You just want to sit at home, catch up on your shows. But it’s uplifting knowing that there’s all of these energetic people that have been inspired to do what they do.�—JCM
RESOURCES Indiegrove 121 Newark Ave. (201) 589-2068 info@indiegrovejc.com indiegrovejc.com
642 Newark Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Tel: (201) 484-7759 <hgo^gb^gm Ahnkl bg\en]bg`3 >Zker Fhkgbg`% EZm^ >o^gbg` Zg] P^^d^g]l IZkdbg` OZeb]Zm^]
Beginner Intermediate Advanced Therapeutic Stretch Restorative Prenatal Mom & Baby Family Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Massage Medical Qigong
We do it All !! ;kZg] G^p LmZm^ h_ ma^ :km ?Z\bebmr <hlf^mb\ =^gmblmkr ?Zfber =^gmblmkr HkZe Lnk`^kr ;kZ\^l Khhm <ZgZel M^^ma Pabm^gbg`
275 Grove Street, 3rd fl on top of the Majestic Jersey City, NJ 07302
201.610.9737
www.yogashunya.com
JCF Bootcamp (201) 484-7848 jcfbootcamp.com Law Office of Laura M. Fisher (201) 604-6036 lauramfisher.com Real Roofers (732) 995-3914 realroofers.com Bill Murphy Jr. billmurphyjr.com Iris Cinematics (201) 978-2191 iriscinematics.com Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14 â&#x20AC;˘
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S Á T I S
BISTRO
PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH
It’s hard to separate the ambience at Sátis from the ambience of Paulus Hook, where this wonderful bistro, café, and wine bar is located. We visited on a beautiful Thursday evening in summer. It seemed almost criminal not to sit outside, which we did. Sátis offers rustic wood tables, green umbrellas, and the quiet hum of Paulus Hook itself. While you dine surrounded by brownstones, you can also look up and catch the setting sun reflected on the glass of a high rise on the waterfront. This is an excellent place if you want to have a full meal but your dining companion wants to have lighter fare. Sátis is known for its cheese and meat (salumeria) plates, which are perfect if you just want a bite to eat with your cocktail, wine, or beer.
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DINING OUT JCM
Sátis Bistro 212 Washington St. satisbistro.com 201 435 5151
Let’s talk about drinks for a minute. There is a complete wine bar in an attached area. But there is also an extensive list of cocktails and beers. We ordered a really elegant (Mad Menish-looking) drink called Southern Peach, which is made from Angel’s Envy bourbon, honey syrup, lemon juice, white peach puree, and peychaud bitters. Cisco, our very genial and helpful waiter, also sent over a Mojito. Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14 •
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Appetizers range from a plate of marinated mixed olives to salads, pizza, soup, steak tartare, and vegetables. There was also a special of mussels in lobster broth. We chose two large head-on prawns with chorizo pincho, blistered shisito pepper, and toasted garlic vinaigrette. You don’t have to know what all this means. Just trust your taste buds. It was delicious. The entrée special was a striped bass fillet with zucchini and corn sauce. It’s hard to describe how fresh this fish was and how intricately these flavors interacted. And then to be totally healthy, we ordered the cauliflower “steak.” This dish has nothing to do with meat. A large por-
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tion of cauliflower is enhanced with roasted pearl tomatoes, watercress and—what really makes it—a “golden raisin pinenut ‘steak’ sauce.” Other entrees include steak, chicken, fish, and pork, all prepared with the ingredient combinations and accents that are the hallmark of this European-style bistro. If you choose to eat inside, you will find a warmly inviting dining room. Sátis is famous in the neighborhood for its weekend brunches. Sátis means “enough” or “satisfied” in Latin. You will definitely be satisfied, but you can never have enough of this elegant but friendly Jersey City eatery.—Kate Rounds
DINING OUT JCM
BELLA SORRELLAS 1020 Broadway, Bayonne (201) 455-8844 bellasorrellas.com The address is Bayonne, but this eatery has deep roots in Jersey City. Owner David Rivera’s family has a long history of successful downtown Jersey City restaurants. He recently acquired Leonardo Compi, the renowned chef of the legendary Just Sonny’s restaurant. Compi’s genius is in bringing flair to classic dishes, making extraordinary what would be ordinary in other hands. BOX ASIAN BISTRO 176 Newark Avenue (201) 432-1670 boxjc.com Think inside the BOX at our unique restaurant, which features the most popular dishes of Southeast Asia, such as Korean barbeque short ribs, Malaysian curry noodles, Cantonese style over rice and noodles, Sichuan shredded beef, sushi, mango duck, Chilean sea bass, and more. Experience this journey in our softly lit dining room, where great food meets great prices.
CONFUCIUS ASIAN BISTRO 558 Washington Boulevard (201) 386-8898 confucius558.com Confucius Asian Bistro is a perfect mix of ambiance, excellence, friendly service, delicious food served with an attractive presentation, large portions, and affordability. Stop in for lunch and take advantage of the specials or for dinner to experience a tasty meal in a serene environment. EDWARD’S STEAK HOUSE 239 Marin Boulevard (201) 761-0000 edwardssteakhouse.com Edward’s Steak House offers steak, seafood, and other sumptuous fare with an elegant bistro flare. Tucked into a historic townhouse in downtown Jersey City, Edward’s is comfortably upscale. The menu includes all the classic steaks and chops—aged prime sirloin, porterhouse, filet mignon, and more. You’ll enjoy the atmosphere whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or stopping by for a steak sandwich at the bar.
HELEN’S PIZZA 183 Newark Avenue (201) 435-1507 helenspizza.com Helen’s Pizza, a family owned restaurant, has been serving downtown Jersey City since 1968. Using only the finest ingredients they provide customers with the best tasting pizza, dinners, sandwiches, salads, and now a wide selection of homemade desserts. They have earned their reputation for the best pizza in town. Come taste the difference at Helen’s Pizza. Open seven days: Mon. – Sat. 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. Sun. 3-11 p.m. HONSHU RESTAURANT 31 Montgomery Street second floor (201) 324-2788/0277 honshulounge.com When craving an exciting Japanese dish or looking for new cuisine with an enjoyable atmosphere, we have the answer—smoking appetizers, sizzling entrees, fresh seafood, noodles, and sweet desserts. No matter your selection, rest assured we use the finest and freshest ingredients to bring out the unique taste of our superb menu items.
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DINING OUT JCM
IBBY’S FALAFEL
303 Grove Street (201)432-2400 ibbysfalafels.com One of downtown’s most popular eateries, Ibby’s Falafel has been serving Jersey City for more than 18 years. The menu consists of original Middle Eastern cuisine made with authentic ingredients, along with new and innovative additions—the falafel that made falafel famous. Ibby’s offerings are now 100 percent officially halal certified. Open seven days. Catering available. Also located in Edgewater and Freehold. Delivery to all of Jersey City.
KOMEGASHI
103 Montgomery Street (201) 433-4567 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.
KOMEGASHI TOO
99 Town Square Place Newport Financial Center (201) 533-8888 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.
LA CONGUITA
351 Grove Street (one block from the Grove Street PATH) (201) 435-6770 www.laconguita.com La Conguita restaurant opened in 1980. The small space held only seven tables and a small counter but soon became a neighborhood favorite with its authentic Latin food. Since then the restaurant has grown and looks a lot different but the food is the same. La Conguita continues to serve good food in big portions for low prices—simple but flavorful.
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DINING OUT JCM
MORE
281 Grove Street (201) 309-0571 morejc.com More offers a wide selection of Thai and Japanese offerings, and more. Whether you stop by for a meal or take one to go, the experience will be satisfying. more is located across the street from City Hall.
THE RESTAURANTS AT NEWPORT
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.
RITA & JOE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
142 Broadway (201) 451-3606 ritaandjoes.com. A Jersey City favorite, Rita and Joe’s is the next best thing to Mama’s Italian cooking. This family-run restaurant serves delectable homemade dishes served in the comfort of a cozy and intimate dining room. On- and off premises catering are available.
RUSTIQUE PIZZA
611 Jersey Avenue (201) 222-6886 rustiquepizza.com Welcome to Rustique Pizza! The Rosiello family warmly invites you to wake up your taste buds with our delicious food in the casual, friendly atmosphere of our dining room. If you’d rather enjoy your meal at home, we offer free delivery or the option of picking up your entrées or pizza. Our bread, dough, and mozzarella are made fresh daily in-house, ensuring satisfaction each time you dine with us. Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14 •
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DINING OUT JCM
exquisitely casual dining
SAWADEE
137 Newark Avenue (201) 433-0888 sawadeejc.com Offering exceptional Thai cuisine, Sawadee is a dining experience that will please both the eye and palate! Enjoy lunch, dinner, or a refreshing cocktail in an inviting atmosphere. Sawadee is conveniently located just steps from the Grove Street PATH.
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97 Montgomery St. (201) 333-6661 shanghaibestjc.com The newest addition to downtown Jersey City, is a chinese restaurant right next to the new Himalaya Herbal Spa. It offers a full menu of Chinese specialtiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;crispy noodles, fried rice cakes, dim sum, cold and hot appetizers, noodle soups, flat-rice noodles, and fried rice, as well as vegetarian dishes, lunch specials, chef specials, beverages, and Chinese desserts. Shanghai Best offers catering and free delivery and is available for parties.
SKINNERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOFT
146 Newark Avenue (201) 915-0600. skinnersloft.com A chic, loft-style eatery, Skinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Loft features a warm, spacious interior with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and total attention to detail. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a perfect spot to enjoy a cocktail and a fine meal.
SKY THAI
62 Morris Street skythaijc.com This new Jersey City eatery near Exchange Place serves traditional Thai cuisine in a warm and beautiful atmosphere. Enjoy a cocktail before dinner and get ready for an authentic Asian feast.
78 â&#x20AC;˘ Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
DATES JCM from page 63
Don’t You Know I’m Loco, Boca Grande, 564 Washington Blvd., (201) 626-6646. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Weekly comedy open mic series held every Thursday. Free. Fall/Winter Farmers Markets • Van Vorst Park, Jersey Avenue and Montgomery Street, fvvp.org, 8:30 a.m.– 3 p.m. Saturdays through December. • Hamilton Park, Eighth-Ninth West Hamilton and McWilliams Place. 3–7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Dec. 18. • Historic Downtown Special Improvement District, Grove Street PATH Plaza, jcdowntown.org. 4-8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays through Dec. 19. • Journal Square PATH Terminal, October through November: Wednesdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. December: Fridays 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 3
4-31 Hispanic Heritage Month Group Exhibition, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 5476921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
5 Jersey City Artists Studio Tour, Various locations, (201) 5476921. Noon-6 p.m. Between the Lines, Mary Benson Gallery, 369 Third Street. Noon6 p.m. Local artists Beth Achenbach and Miguel Cardenas come together to showcase their modern art. Free. Fourth Street Arts & Music Festival / Jersey City Artists Studio Tour, Fourth Street from Newark Avenue to Merseles Street. Noon-6 p.m. Rain date Oct. 6. Parks & Crafts, Van Vorst Park, notyomamajc@ gmail.com, notyomamasaffairs.com. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Not Yo Mama’s Affairs sets up shop along with JC Studio Arts Tour.
Art House Performance Series & Open Mic, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouse productions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 8-10 p.m. $5.
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Golden Door International Film Festival, Various locations. Details and times TBA.
Jersey City Artists Studio Tour Kick Off, Tenmark Building, 430 Communipaw Ave., (201) 547-6921. 6-9 p.m. Barbara Ann’s Benefit Society: “BABS”, St. Joseph’s Parish Center, 511 Pavonia Ave., (201) 653-0392. 7-11 p.m. Charity event featuring buffet dinner, music, big ticket raffles and dessert by the Cake Boss.
Jersey City Artists Studio Tour Closing Party, 150 Bay St., (201) 547-6921. 6-9 p.m.
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12 Columbus Day Parade & Festival, Parade starts at 1 p.m. at Newark and Merseles Street. Ends at 280 Grove St., City Hall, columbusparadejc.org. Festival at Montgomery Street between Marin and Grove Street.. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
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NOVEMBER
Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunitys pace.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle.
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25 Late Night Curiosities, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthousepro ductions.org.
26 The Big Dig / National Make A Difference Day, Various locations / City Wide Plantings. 8 a.m.-noon.
Parks & Crafts, Van Vorst Park, notyomamajc@ gmail.com, notyomamas affairs.com. 11 a.m.4 p.m. Crafters alongside the Farmers Market in Van Vorst.
4-30 Rotunda Gallery Gaia Exhibition, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.– 4 p.m. Reception: Nov. 12 6-8 p.m.
5 Laugh Tour, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthousepro ductions.org.
Casual Latin Cuisine 351 Grove St. One block from the Grove St. PATH
201-435-6770 www.laconguita.com www.twitter.com/laconguita
80 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
7 Art at the Magestic, 222 Montgomery St. 6-8 p.m.
7-10 Your Move Modern Dance Festival, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. Annual dance festival featuring emerging movement artist in the tri-state area.
9 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunity space.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle.
11 Veteran’s Day Ceremonies, (201) 5476921. Details TBA.
DECEMBER 4-31 Rotunda Gallery Exhibition: Fourth Street Exhibition, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
5 Art House Performance Series & Open Mic, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 8-10 p.m. $5.
foot of Washington Street to honor those who died that day. Time TBA. 3rd Annual Happy Holiday Fair, Downtown JC, notyomamajc@gmail.co m, notyomamasaffairs.org. Not Yo’ Mama’s returns for a with their holiday craftacular. “Blitzcraft” to be held at the Powerhouse Lounge. Cathedral Arts Festival Gala, Grace Van Vorst, 39 Erie St., (201) 659-2211. 7:30 p.m.midnight. Community benefit featuring live music, dancing, fine foods, free flowing champagne, live and silent auctions, and work from dozens of artists from the tri-state area.
12 Art House’s Youth Company Presents: Little Shop of Horrors, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 8-10 p.m. $5.
14 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunitysp ace.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle.
26 Kwanzaa Celebration, Location and details TBA.
JANUARY
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JC Fridays, Citywide, (201) 915-9911, jcfridays.com. Seasonal citywide series with art, music, film, and JC Fridays business discounts.
Art House Performance Series & Open Mic, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 8-10 p.m. $5.
7 Pearl Harbor Day, Laying of a wreath into the Hudson River at the
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DATES JCM
4-31 Rotunda Gallery Exhibition: Proarts Group Exhibition, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
9 Art on the Square, Hamilton Square and Art Bloc, 232 Pavonia Ave. 6-8 p.m.
11 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommun ityspace.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle.
25 Annual Snow Ball, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions. org. Champagne Gala for Art House’s Innovative Arts Programs. Music, silent auction, food. 8-11 p.m. Black Tie Creative.
FEBRUARY 4-28 Black History Month Group Exhibition, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.– 8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Black Liberation Flag Raising date and details TBA.
6 Art House Performance Series & Open Mic, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor,
82 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2013/14
(201) 915-9911, arthousepro ductions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 8-10 p.m. $5.
8 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommun ityspace.com. 7-9 p.m. Familyfriendly drum circle.
MARCH 4-31 Women’s History Month Group Exhibition, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921. Weekdays: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Weekends: 11 a.m.4 p.m.
6 Art House Performance Series & Open Mic, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, Sixth floor, (201) 915-9911, arthousepro ductions.org. Poets, musicians, performance artists. 08-10 p.m. $5.
7 JC Fridays, Citywide, (201) 9159911, jcfridays.com. Seasonal citywide series with art, music, film, and JC Friday’s business discounts.
8 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunit yspace.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle.