Winter 2017
Life o n th e Peninsula
Life o n th e Peninsula
Vol. 3 No. 2
Accidental Activists
Girl Scouts Honor Accidential Activists Corner Bars Ripped from the Headlines! Intrepid Triathlete
GIRL SCOUTS HONOR CORNER BARS RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES! INTREPID TRIATHLETE
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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features
22
COVER
16
Accidential Activists Bayonne residents turn terrible tragedies
Cover photo by MAXIM RYAZANSKY
22
Girl Scouts Honor A century old tradition
30
Elvis All shook up
DEPARTMENTS
8
Contributors
10
Editor’s Letter
10
Dates
24
Watering Holes
26
City Critters
16
Friendliest places in town
Who’s in my backyard?
28
Working Out With
32
People Power
34
On the Job With
24
Vince Virga
Saxophonist David Watson
30
The Hudson Reporter
38
Hanging Out With Bruce Dillin
40
Senior Moments
42
How We Work
44
Education
46
How We Live
48
Entertainment
50
Helping Hands
54
Eatery
57
Dining Listings
Bayonne Office on Aging
32
Dr. Rocco DiAntonio Dance With Me
54
Washington School - Special Needs
Lucy and Gennaro Addesso
“A Muslim in the Midst”
Bayonne Quilt Club
Sarelli’s
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Life on the Peninsula PUBLISHERS Lucha Malato, David Unger EDITOR IN CHIEF Kate Rounds GRAPHICS STAFF Lisa M. Cuthbert Terri Saulino Bish Alyssa Bredin Ines Rodriguez Pasquale Spina COPYEDITING Christopher Zinsli ADVERTISING MANAGER Tish Kraszyk ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Toni Anne Calderone Ron Kraszyk, Jason Lay Jay Slansky, John Ward CIRCULATION MANAGER Roberto Lopez CIRCULATION Luis Vasquez ACCOUNTING Sharon Metro, Veronica Aldaz
Winter 2017 Vo l u m e 0 3 • N u m b e r 0 2 A Publication of The Hudson Reporter
Bayonne Life on the Peninsula is published by the Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P., 447 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002 (201) 798-7800, Fax (201) 798-0018. Email bayonnemag@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 BLP Magazine Subscriptions, 447 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002 Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other unsolicited materials. Copyright ©2017, Hudson Reporter Associates L.P. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
Ba yonne – Life on the P eninsula is a publication of The Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P. 447 Broadway, Bayonne, New Jersey 07030 phone 201.798.7800 • fax 201.798.0018
6 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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TERRI SAULINO BISH is an award-winning graphic designer, digital artist, and photographer, capturing many of the iconic images featured in print and online publications across Hudson County. You can view more of her work at tbishphoto.com.
ALYSSA BREDIN is an award-winning designer and photographer. Her work is featured in numerous publications, including Hoboken 07030 and Jersey City Magazine. You can see her full portfolio at tbishphoto.com.
TERRI SAULINO BISH
CRAIG WALLACE DALE ALYSSA BREDIN
Is a Hoboken-based photographer who has been telling stories with his camera for national magazines, Fortune 500 corporations, and private clients for more than 20 years. When not shooting for clients, Craig teaches the finer points of digital photography from his school, Beyond the Photograph (beyondthe photo.com).
DELFIN GANAPIN is an editorial assistant at the Hudson Reporter. In his spare time, he is immersed in contemporary geek and pop culture and has contributed to a small geek culture blog called We Are Geeking Out.
CRAIG WALLACE DALE
ANAND RAO
DELFIN GANAPIN
ANAND RAO
is a writer, storyteller, actor, and communications consultant, who moved to New Jersey after living in Utah, Illinois, and India. One of his plays, ‘A Muslim in the Midst’ recently played to houseful audiences in New York’s Hudson Guild, and was nominated for the ‘Best Play’ award at the 2016 Thespis Summer festival. When he is not taking on complex problems in organizational development and internal communications, he is found working on a script, or writing about interesting people and their work. He has an MBA, and an MA in English Literature.
C O N T R I B U T O R S
B L P
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ has studied publication design, photography, and graphic arts. “I’ve been fascinated by photography for almost 20 years,” he says. One of his jobs as a construction project manager is to photograph job sites.
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
TARA RYAZANSKY
is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries and published worldwide. A recent transplant to Bayonne, he spends his spare time trying to figure out the best pizza place in town.
TARA RYAZANSKY is a writer who recently moved from Brooklyn to Bayonne. She works as a blogger for Nameberry.com and spends her spare time fixing up her new (to her) 100-year-old home.
AL SULLIVAN has been a staff writer for the Hudson Reporter newspaper chain since 1992. He was named journalist of the year in 2001 by the New Jersey Press Association, and photographer of the year in 2005 by the Garden State Journalists Association. In 2001, Rutgers University Press published a collection of his work, Everyday People: Profiles from the Garden State.
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
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AL SULLIVAN
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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EDITOR'S LETTER BLP
Tara Ryazansky’s cover story is about some of our Bayonne neighbors who have transcended horrible personal tragedies by giving back to the community. In this issue we salute Margaret Abrams, Pam O’Donnell, Jason Sellers, and Mary Kay Master Sellers. Their stories are uplifting; the circumstances heartbreaking. Max Ryazansky’s images are poignant and moving. On a lighter note, Tara and Max got the inside scoop on The Hudson Reporter, visiting our new office at 447 Broadway and following us around as we do our thing for our “On the Job With” feature. Al Sullivan, meanwhile, caught up
DATES
2017 Want your event listed? Please email us at bcneditorial
PHOTO BY MARIE PAPP
Triumphing Over Tragedy
with Bayonne playwright Anand Rao whose “A Muslim in the Midst” played to full houses Off Broadway. I want to give a shout-out to our loyal photographer Victor M. Rodriguez, who really worked hard on this issue, running all over town, camera in hand. Among several other assignments, he captured many of our iconic “corner
@hudsonreporter.com and put “Bayonne Magazine calendar listings” in the subject line.
Ongoing The Hudson Toastmasters Club,
Bayonne Public Library, 697 Avenue C, the first and third Tuesdays of every month, 7 p.m. Toastmasters International encourages the art of public speaking and develops leadership skills. Guests are welcome. Tai Chi with the Division of Recreation, 4th Street Senior Center,
bars” for our “On Tap” feature. As development surges, these neighborhood watering holes may not be long for this world. He also was able to flag down Carl Anderson, aka Elvis, who drives around town in his van, entertaining passersby with hits from the King. We covered a couple of feel-good stories for this holiday season. Victor and I visited the Quilt Club, where members donate their beautiful creations to charity. We also dropped in on Matt Ruttler’s Life Skills class at Washington Community School, where specialneeds kids cooked up a batch of apple crisp to die for. Have a great 2017—and enjoy life on the Peninsula!
16 West 4th St. (corner of Story Court), 10-11 a.m. every Tuesday. Pre-registration is not required. For information, contact the Division of Recreation at (201) 858-6127 or bayonnerec@aol.com. Chair Yoga for Seniors with the Division of
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Accidental Activists Turning unspeakable tragedies into forces for good BY TARA RYAZANSKY
PHOTOS BY MAX RYAZANSKY
P
am O’Donnell walks the baseball field with her daughter Ali and their new dog, Peanut. Stephen R. Gregg Park means a lot to her family. She often circles the bases, talking to her husband and remembering her family as it was. Tim O’Donnell was a proud two-time Coach of the Year. Pam says that to be a great coach, the entire family has to be on board, and the O’Donnells certainly were. “When our first daughter was born, we left the hospital and drove straight to a softball game,” O’Donnell recalls. “Our lives truly did revolve around softball.” Tim O’Donnell and their 5-year-old daughter, Bridget, were killed in a car accident in February near the 14C toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike. It was a typical day; they were heading home from work and daycare. A reckless driver sped into the O’Donnells’ car at a toll plaza, sending them into the other side of the highway into oncoming traffic. Tim O’Donnell, a lifelong resident of Bayonne, was a math and science teacher at County Prep High School in Jersey City. “He is my knight in shining armor. He saved me in so many ways. We saved each other,” Pam says. “He was a true gentleman. He was old school. He pulled out chairs, opened doors, carried things, not because he thought women were helpless but because he had the utmost respect for the women in his life. There need to be more boys and men like Tim.” She still can’t make sense of the loss. “I am catching myself talking about him in past and present tense,” she says. “I keep going back and forth, and it’s very difficult for me to accept that he is gone, that they are gone, so forgive me.”
Friends to Family Rebecca Zlotnik, longtime coteacher and friend of Tim O’Donnell, recalls his engagement to Pam, which happened before grand proposals became a modern trend. “The
girls on his softball team were in on it,” she says. “Pam was scheduled to visit softball practice, and the girls had signs that spelled out ‘Will you marry me, Pam?’ Wow, to watch the joy on Tim’s and Pam’s faces was incredible.”
Pam O’Donnell with daughter Ali and dog Peanut
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The couple welcomed two daughters, Ali, and then Bridget. “On any random day I would find Tim just looking at his girls and just from the look on his face I knew what he was thinking; how happy he was to have a family of his own,” Pam says. “Tim had succeeded in giving us every dream we had as a couple, as parents, except for one, and that was to grow old together and sit on our front porch in our rocking chairs as an elderly couple and just watch our grandchildren running around our front lawn. Sadly that dream was stolen from us on that Monday afternoon.” Pam says they respected each other’s freedom. “We never told each other we could or could not do something,” she says. “The only time he did not allow me to do something was during my cancer journey; he’d whisper in my ear, ‘You are not allowed to die.’”
Catch You Later Pam O’Donnell created the Catch You Later Foundation to spread awareness about aggressive driving and to urge witnesses to report it. After the O’Donnells’ fatal accident, eyewitnesses came forward to say that they had seen the other vehicle driving erratically for miles. Through Catch You Later, Pam hopes to urge New Jersey to improve and promote the #77 aggressive driver hotline,
Tim, Ali and Bridget O’Donnell
– Pam O’Donnell
Cancer Survivor Pam was diagnosed in May 2014 and has been cancer free since December of that year, though she still receives post-cancer treatment. “The stakes are very high now that I am the only parent to my surviving daughter, Ali,” Pam says. “God forbid the cancer comes back; this notion scares the hell out of me every day. It’s a lifelong worry.” Bridget had been inspired by her mother’s oncologist, Dr. Devarajan Iyengar, and dreamed of growing up to be a “cancer-curing-singing doctor.” Compassionate and brave, she stood up for her big sister. “Bridget defending her sister was a big deal,” Pam says. “While she was younger and smaller, she was larger than life. She was quite family-oriented; she would often say, ‘I am in your heart; you have me in your heart.’” In the aftermath of the tragedy, the surviving O’Donnells were overwhelmed by the support of their neighbors. “I cannot thank the Bayonne community enough,” Pam says. “I don’t think the words ‘thank you’ are adequate. There had been so much support and generosity sent our way that it still boggles my mind.
“
He is my knight in shining armor. He saved me in so many ways. We saved each other.”
The O’Donnell Family Photos courtesy of the O’Donnell Family
It is simply amazing what Bayonne can do during a time of crisis.” As Pam began to heal, she honored her loved ones by starting a foundation. “It gives me purpose other than being known as the poor widow,” Pam says. “My husband always looked for the good in people, always looked for the silver lining. He would want something good to come out of this, Bridget too. The mind of a child is so incredible that all she saw was good. Something good has to come out of this situation.”
which is for nonemergency situations, though she says that calling 911 is best at this time. The name Catch You Later came from Tim O’Donnell’s former student, Brittany Grazioso, who held a fundraiser two weeks after the crash. She had shirts made that said “Catch you later, Coach.” “When the idea of the nonprofit came into play, we thought that would be perfect,” Pam says. “It is something he said numerous times to his players and his friends. It was always ‘catch you later,’ never ‘goodbye’; it just seemed fitting.” The foundation also provides scholarships to high-school seniors in the Hudson County area. Pam wants to help young students who embody the spirit of her late husband and daughter. “After reading the applications, for the first time since this tragedy occurred I have a glimmer of hope,” she says. “We see so much bad stuff in today’s society. It’s hard to see the good in people, and the applications certainly opened my eyes. I am hopeful for the future with these young people going out in the world and trying to make a difference.”
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Remember Me In March 2012 John “Jack” Santopietro was riding his motorcycle in Bayonne. He was struck by a minivan at 10th Street and Avenue E. He died the following day, his life cut short at age 21. “Receiving that call is just devastating,” his mother, Margaret Abrams, says. “My life basically came to an end.” Santopietro was a cancer survivor, first diagnosed at age 14. “He would lift up everyone else who was receiving care at the hospital,” Abrams recalls. He was “very faith filled” and active at Saint Henry’s Church. Despite health problems, Santopietro achieved Eagle Scout, earned a black belt in karate, taught karate, and loved motorcycles. A 2008 Bayonne
Karen Minutella, a Bayonne resident who had moved to Connecticut shortly before her death in a motorcycle accident.
Motorcycle Memories The foundation also sponsors an event called Rider Of The Clouds. Before his death, Santopietro came up with the idea after witnessing his mother’s work with WomenRising Inc., a Jersey City organization that
helps survivors of domestic violence. Abrams brought her son along to see an installation of the Clothesline Project, in which T-shirts are hung on a clothesline, each one telling the story of a victim or survivor of domestic violence. It makes a visual statement, showing that people are more than just statistics. Santopietro, who was moved by the event, suggested to his mother that something similar could be done to represent motorcycle fatalities. Abrams
“
He would give the shirt off his back, so we wanted to give back in his memory. – Margaret Abrams High School graduate, he expected to graduate from Hudson County Community College in May 2012. A month after the accident, Abrams formed Remember Me...John “Jack” Santopietro, a nonprofit that promotes motorcycle awareness. “I thought it would give his death some kind of purpose,” Abrams says. “He would give the shirt off his back, so we wanted to give back in his memory.” She awards a yearly scholarship to a student majoring in fire science at New Jersey City University. Santopietro had planned to enter the program the fall after his death. “We want to award the scholarship to fire science majors who are interested in community service, just like he was,” says Kevin Malley, department of fire science dean. “Every single one of the students to earn that scholarship has gone on to be successful.” Remember Me also gives “campership” awards to Bayonne scouts attending Boy Scouts of America summer camp. Later the foundation added a driving school scholarship to honor
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Margaret Abrams
Members of the “Remember Me” Foundation brought the idea to life after she lost her son. Her events use the striking visual of 21 life-size motorcycle silhouettes. “It shows who was underneath the helmet,” Abrams says, as each motorcycle bears the name of an accident victim. Abrams notes that motorcycle fatalities have decreased in New Jersey since she started the foundation. “I know we are making a difference,” she says.
Christmas that year, Jason and Mary Kay bought skateboards for Tyler and for Mary Kay’s daughter. “We got them at Classic,” Mary Kay says, meaning Classic Skate Shop on Broadway at 35th Street. “Tyler just kept with skating,” she says. “It was
his life. We have videos of him skating with ice on the ground. It could be freezing out, and they would still skate.” Jason says that Tyler and his friends traveled all over to visit skate parks. There was a skate park here in
Skateboard Memories Tyler Sellers was crossing Route 440 at 32nd Street with his friend Sabore Worrell in November 2015 when they were both killed by a motorist speeding at 106 miles per hour. His family wants people to remember him for the person he was. “He was just happy, very happy,” his father, Jason Sellers, says. “He finally graduated and had his first job.” “He was a free spirit, and his passion was skateboarding,” says his stepmother, Mary Kay Master Sellers. “I took custody of Tyler when he was 10 years old,” Jason recalls. For Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Bayonne, but it had fallen into disrepair since it was first built in 2000.
Skate Park Gets New Life
ing for them knowing that the memory of their son will live on with the new plaza and his friends who skated with him.”
Iannitelli was glad to see how receptive Mayor Jimmy Davis was. “As a community, Bayonne has always been unique,” Davis says.
The revamped First Street Skate Park beneath the Bayonne Bridge opened in June. Gary Iannitelli, owner of Classic Skate Shop, is executing some skateboard moves while Jason and Mary Kay look on. “Skateboarding kind of died in Bayonne because the kids had nowhere to go,” says Iannitelli, who had rallied to help rebuild the skate park. He went to city hall with a peti-
“
When they had the ribbon-cutting, we asked the mayor if we could just get a plaque, and then he dedicated the whole park to Tyler, and it just blew us away.” – Mary Kay Master Sellers tion that included more than 200 signatures, including those of the Sellers family. “The city had no idea how many skaters there were and how much of an impact that it had on the community,” Iannitelli says. “Tyler looked forward to this, and he never got to skate it,” Jason says. “When they had the ribbon-cutting, we asked the mayor if we could just get a plaque, and then he dedicated the whole park to Tyler, and it just blew us away,” Mary Kay says. “It was bittersweet, but Tyler was there that day. “I’m sure he’s here right now,” she says, watching Iannitelli take a spill as he skates up a ramp. “He’s laughing at Gary for falling.” She says skateboarding keeps kids from getting in trouble. Iannitelli says that the Sellers “have almost become the parents of the skate park. They are at every event at the park. I’m sure it’s a soothing feel-
Mary Kay Master Sellers and Jason Sellers
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(Left to Right) Jason Sellers, Mary Kay Master Sellers and Gary Iannitelli
“When something happens to our children, we come together. All three families are signs of the strength and resiliency of people in Bayonne. They are all to be commended for moving from their personal losses to positive activities that can improve or save the lives of others. I am moved by what all of them have done for the people of Bayonne.”— BLP For more information or to donate: catchyoulater.org facebook.com/CatchYou2Later rememberme316.org
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Girl Scouts uphold a century-old tradition
Help People at All Times PHOTOS BY CRAIG WALLACE DALE
T
he scrumptious “S” word will be forever linked to the Girl Scouts— s’mores. If you were a Girl Scout, it’s hard to forget that burnt-marshmallow messy concoction with the name that says it all. But, as you’d expect, there’s more to scouting than high-caloric dental disasters. Or those highly anticipated cookies sold on the sidewalk. “It’s not just camping and cookies,” confirms Jean Styles, Girl Scout service unit manager. Styles, who has lived in Bayonne for 30 years, runs four troops. Her daughter, now 26, was a Scout. “That’s the reason I got into Scouts,” she says. Her daughter “started in second grade and continued through high school. She got the silver and gold award.” The gold is the equivalent of an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts. The Girl Scouts is 104 years old and has been in Bayonne for about 50 years. “It’s a sisterhood of girls working together for our community,” Styles says. They collect food for local pantries; donate to animal shelters; collect hats, gloves, and scarves for the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation; help organizations such as the Masons and the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Foundation for Cancer Prevention at their events; and help serve Thanksgiving dinners. “With bullying and peer pressure out in the world, girls need to come together in
a positive setting,” Styles says. “There is no pressure to wear makeup or dress differently,” as there often is when boys are around. “We stress leadership skills, so that they can go out and conquer the world.” And, indeed, many have. Among the luminaries who have been Girl Scouts are Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, the Williams sisters, Taylor Swift, Marian Anderson, Michelle Obama, Mariah Carey, Lucille Ball, Condoleezza Rice, Roslyn Carter, Sandra Day O’Connor, Martha Stewart, Linda Carter (Wonder Woman), Queen Elizabeth, and Sally Ride. WALKING THE WALK, TALKING THE TALK The Girl Scout law, which touts such virtues as honesty, fairness, friendliness, helpfulness, consideration, courage, strength, and respect, is recited at all meetings and events. “These are not just words,” Styles emphasizes. “Girls learn them at a young age and continue” to abide by them. The Girl Scouts, in its more than 100year history, has experienced ups and downs in enrollment. “When there were more stay-at-home moms, we had more girls involved,” Styles says, “because parents were more involved. Now it’s harder to get the adults involved.” In some ways, the organization has been the victim of its own success. As girls gained more opportunities, through Title IX and more societal acceptance, the Scouts has had to compete with soccer and many other sports. Girls are
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not only playing on varsity teams, but winning sports scholarships to colleges. “We’re working hard to get our numbers back up again,” Styles says. There are 125 girls registered in Bayonne this year. The famous badge program has also changed. While badges for sewing, embroidery, and cleaning house used to adorn those iconic sashes, now badges for geocaching, business, government, and website design are common. Not surprisingly, the uniforms have also changed. “They’ve gotten less formal,” Styles says. “When I was a Scout we wore the full uniform head to toe. Now, because not everybody can afford them, it’s often just the sash and vest.” The Scouts have taken trips to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C., in 2012 for the 100th anniversary, and to Camp Oval in West Orange. “Many may never have camped before, or never been away from parents,” Styles says. “It’s a huge step. We cook dinner over a fire and sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag.” GOLD AND SILVER Briel Peters earned the Gold Award, the highest Girl Scout achievement. She’s been a Scout since age 4. “I was too young to make the decision on my own, but I stuck with it,” she says. “It’s so much fun, and you make a lot of friends.” Going for the Gold, she says, was a “big goal. It’s good for college to have that for my entire life on my resume.”
To achieve the Gold, she says, “You have to do at least 80 hours of a longstanding project. It can’t be community service. It has to be something that lasts. I wanted to do something to help younger students.” She created something called “alphabet trees of knowledge” on grammar-school playgrounds in Bayonne. She painted apple trees with leaves on the paved areas. It’s like hopscotch, only kids jump from letter to letter on the leaves to spell words. “I’m going to leave a stencil with the Board of Ed, so they can keep it bright and pretty,” she says. Briel moved from Jersey City to Bayonne when she was 6. Currently at Rutgers, she misses her hometown. Her alphabet tree is a sign of things to come. “I want to work with kids,” she says. “That’s my goal.”
Ionna Rigos and Kennedy Christina are among the Scouts who have achieved the Silver Award. Kennedy, 14, moved to Bayonne from Seattle at age 2. She joined Girl Scouts in the fourth grade. “I started with a friend and enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” she says. At that point, she liked arts and crafts and “big and little sister activities.” She says, “There were older girls to look up to.” To achieve the Silver Award, a Scout has to complete 50 hours of volunteer work “in something that makes a lasting difference.” Kennedy, who is very interested in environmental issues, worked on an environmental rehabilitation project on the Mohawk River Trail in Upstate New York. But she wants her vocation to be electrical engineering. She’s currently in ninth grade at High Tech High. Her Girl Scout experience should help, no matter what career she chooses. “It’s a giant sisterhood, where we pledge to help and respect others,” she says.
(left to right) Ioanna Rigos, Briel Peters, and Kennedy Christiana
Ioanna Rigos, 14, has lived in Bayonne her entire life and has been a Scout for five years. She’s in ninth grade at County Prep in Jersey City. “I always wanted to be a Girl Scout,” she says, “the uniform, how they go out and help people. It’s very special to me, something I want to continue throughout high school.” Ioanna is of Greek heritage. Her project was to renovate an old classroom in her Greek Orthodox Church in Jersey City “to be used as a children’s room on weekends and after Mass, so they can take in a little bit of Greek culture, an activity room filled with Greek books and toys.” Her career goal is to be an anes thesiologist. “Girl Scouts taught me a lot about helping people and putting other people first,” she says.
AND ABOUT THOSE THIN MINTS Some people wait all year to see Scouts out and about, peddling their most famous product. Though folks could get cookies at the supermarket for less they know it’s for a good cause. “It helps the girls, and it gets the Girl Scout name out there,” Styles says. Styles says she’s often asked why she’s still involved with the Girl Scouts, even though her daughter no longer is. “One little girl will tell me that she loved camping or making ceramics, or being with her friends, and I realize how important it is that I stay,” Styles says. “If I didn’t do this, 10 girls would be watching TV rather than doing activities, working with others, and learning new skills.”—Kate Rounds
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WALCZYK TAVERN – Avenue F
On
TAP
JANET WALCZYK – owner
Capturing the friendliest places in town PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
T
o be clear, it’s far from last call for Bayonne’s many neighborhood bars. But with development mushrooming, new high rises going up, and waterfront improvements in the works, these iconic watering holes may be the first to go. Janet Walczyk of Walczyk Tavern says her customers “know what they’re getting into. It’s no frills, a shot and a beer.”
That may be true, but all you bar flies out there know that the corner bar is also a comforting place, where you can always find a friend to shoot the breeze with. Check out Victor Rodriguez’s photos of some of these much-loved establishments. Stay tuned. We hope to visit more bars in future issues.
PAT’S TAVERN – “The Best Kept Secret of Bayonne” – Avenue C
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EDDY’S – Kennedy Boulevard
H & H PUB – Avenue C
(See page 38 for more photos of Eddy’s Bar) from page 10
program provides chess instruction for youth, adults and seniors. There will be free meals available for youth. Bayonne Quilt Club, Story Court Senior Center, 4th Street and Story Court, every Wednesday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Anyone wishing to donate cotton fabric to the club can drop it off at the meeting room. Bayonne Book Club, Broadway Diner, 1075 Broadway, the third Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m. This group is for anyone who loves good books and great conversations. For information, visit meetup.com/BayonneBook-Club. 56th Street Senior Center Book Club, 56th Street and Avenue B, meets every
Thursday, 1-2:30 p.m. We read a variety of books which the library gets for us. You do not have to be a senior to join. Give us a try-new members are always welcome. For information, call Ralph at (201) 437-9608. The Bayonne Women’s Club, Grace Lutheran Church, 836 Avenue C, the first Thursday of every month, 7 p.m. For information, visit Bayonne Women’s Club on Facebook. Andrean’s Senior Club, Story Court Senior Center, 4th Street and Story Court, the first and third of every month. The Andrean’s Senior Club is looking for new members, 55 years old and over. For information, contact Dottie at (201) 858-4104. continued on page 27
My
is
Bank Anywhere You See NYCB! 45 convenient branch locations throughout New Jersey! For more information, call (877) 786-6560 or visit myGSCB.com Equal Opportunity Lender
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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S
eems like our four-legged friends love making an appearance in Bayonne. Here are more images of our friendly, non-taxpaying residents. Please remember to email your city critters to KRounds@hudsonreporter.com. Put “City Critters” in the subject line.
Turkey vulture by Donna Ostrowski
Yellow-bellied sapsucker by Donna Ostrowski
White tailed deer by Joan Brunner
26 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
Snowy owl by Victor M. Rodriguez
from page 25
Atlantic City Bus Trips to Resorts Casino, the first and third Thursdays of every month. The cost is $32: get back $25 slot play. Bus leaves from Mt. Carmel Parking Lot at 10 a.m. For information, call Eddie at (201) 437-5721 or Barbara at (201) 4370902. Cha-Cha and Line Dancing, 4th Street Senior Center, (201) 858-6129, bayonnerec@aol.com, every Thursday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Companion Animal Rescue and Education Adoption Days, PetValu, 307 Bayonne Crossing Way, every Sunday, 1-4 p.m. For more information, contact CARE at (201) 436-6595, or contact Pamela Lindquist at (201) 436-6484. Joyce-Herbert V.F.W. Post 226 Museum, 16 W. 9th St., every Saturday, 12-4 p.m. The museum seeks military history, military memorabilia and paraphernalia, and donations to support the museum. All items are either donated or loaned to our museum. Contact Commander Glen J. Flora and Director and Senior Vice Commander Joseph Kennedy. Umpire Certification Classes with Mike Lynch, classes begin January 5 through March 22 in Jersey City. Anyone interested in becoming a certified high school baseball or softball umpire should register with Mike Lynch at killtheump@aol.com or call (201) 747-4510. Hudson County Animal League Adoptions, PetValu, 307 Bayonne Crossing Way, every Saturday, 12-4 p.m. For information, call Charlene at (201) 895-0952 or Kathleen at (201) 8953874.
FEBRUARY 4 Mad Hatter’s Ball Daddy Daughter Dance, JCC of Bayonne, 1050 Kennedy Blvd., 7-9 p.m. Daddies, don’t be late for a very important date with your daughters. The JCC of Bayonne will be transformed into a magical Wonderland full of yummy treats, music and special surprises. This event is open daughters, ages 8 weeks to 6 years, and all of the special men in their lives—fathers, uncles, and grandpas. Admission is $20 per couple. Please make a reservation by Jan. 20 at the office.
vendors with a huge selection of items to choose from including clothes, kitchen items, home décor, vintage items, arts and crafts, toys, books and more.
MARCH 9
Young at Heart’s St. Patrick’s Festival at the Staaten, (201) 858-4104, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Featuring Mike Byrne (Irish tenor) and Green
Derby Band, a comedian, bagpipes and dancing. There will be a one-hour open bar, wine and soda during lunch. Transportation cost is $72. The bus leaves from 4th Street and Broadway at 10 a.m.
11 Kids’ Travel Club trip to Roller Skating, The Kids’ Travel Club is open to Bayonne residents,
boys and girls, ages 7-13. For more information, contact the Division of Recreation at (201) 8586127 or email bayonnerec@aol.com.
12 Phyllis & Adelaide’s bus ride to the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, (201) 339-4517, 10:30 a.m. The cost is $35 per person with a $25 Slot Play return and $5 food coupon. Bus leaves from continued on page 41
11 Kids’ Travel Club trip to Rebounderz Trampoline Arena, bayonnerec@aol.com, (201) 858-6127. The Kids’ Travel Club is open to Bayonne residents, boys and girls, ages 7-13.
12 Phyllis & Adelaide’s bus ride to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, (201) 339-4517, 10:30 a.m. The cost is $35 per person with a $30 Slot Play return and $5 food coupon. Bus leaves from East 35th Street, where we will have refreshments and raffles. Please purchase tickets in advance; all proceeds will benefit various charities in Bayonne.
18 St. Henry’s Church Flea Market, St. Henry’s Roman Catholic Church, 82 W. 29th St., (201) 339-0319, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Lots of Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Vince
VIRGA BY ANAND RAO PHOTOS BY CRAIG WALLACE DALE
I
was a little nervous when I was asked to work out with Vincent Virga. Never having trained with a triathlete, I was worried about not being able to stay the course, much less write a feature about it. I was relieved to hear that Virga started training only in June of 2016. But it soon became apparent that he’s a natural at it, and a fierce competitor. Within three months of starting training, he completed two triathlons: in Atlantic City in August, and Mahopac, NY, in September. “Find a reason why, and go for it,” Virga says. “I have never allowed my fears inside to dictate my life.” His first flying lesson was when a friend who owned a small plane let him take the controls midair. Virga is a businessman, triathlete, community leader, author,
radio host, and pilot-in-training. He’ll take on any challenge, however daunting. In addition to a grueling schedule through the week, he challenges himself with a controlled triathlon every Sunday at the New York Sports Club (NYSC) in Bayonne. Conquering fear, he tamps down anything that is even slightly negative or discouraging. We meet at the NYSC in the Bayonne Crossing mall on Route 440. After a brief chat, we hop on stationary bikes. I try to gather as much information as I can while I can still breathe normally. It also helps that Virga doesn’t need much coaxing to speak freely about his background and beliefs.
BAYONNE BOY Born and raised in Bayonne to Sicilian immigrants, Virga, 50, talks passionately about Bayonne’s potential. Currently, a member of the city planning committee, he’s previously been president of the Bayonne
28 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
Vince gives Anand a hand.
Chamber of Commerce. “The people of this town have been largely insular, which has hindered the city from realizing its full potential,” he says. He’s especially optimistic about the developments going up all over town. The love and concern for his hometown is an extension of his personal philosophy, which consists of four pillars: Business, Body, Bond, and Belief. “Everything I do involves taking care of my work, body, relationships, and faith,” he says. An investment banker in the 1990s, Virga has transitioned into a career in wealth management and entrepreneurship. He’s currently president of PFS Wealth Management. Based in Bayonne, PFS offers services in investment and retirement planning, health care benefits, and creative tax planning. A talented soccer player in middle and high school, fitness came naturally to Virga. He took pride in working hard and making his parents proud. When he started working with his personal trainer, Mike Stanlaw [See our story on Mike in the summer issue of BLP], in June 2016, Virga made up his mind to stretch the limits of one of his most important pillars, the body.
He is also an animated public speaker and radio host. He can be heard every Saturday morning on AM 970. “I have always been told I have a face for radio,” he laughs. As a John C. Maxwell Certified Speaker, he has been a seminar host for the last seven years. He draws inspiration from Madonna Buder, who completed the Iron Man competition at age 82, the oldest competitor to do so, and from his mentor, motivational speaker Tony Robbins.
Buoyed by these two role models, Virga is set to take on new challenges. As we finish a refreshing swim and hit the showers, Virga says that of all his accomplishments, he is most proud of marrying his high school sweetheart Camille (his wife of 25 years) and having raised two “wonderful” children, Jeremy and Rachel. One of my greatest accomplishments is just keeping up with him.—BLP
CARRYING HIS WEIGHT As the conversation continues, we move to the weight room and chat between sets of dumbbell presses, and some punishing leg-raises suspended from Roman rings. On the way to the pool, he hands me a book he wrote, “The S.M.A.R.T. Approach, A 5 Step Process to Life, Leadership and Investing.” In this slim volume he effectively summarizes his philosophy of life. Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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PHOTO BY ALYSSA BREDIN
On a sunny day in early November, Elvis arrives at The Hudson Reporter office unannounced, dressed to the hilt. His van is parked outside.
PHOTO BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Bayonne Elvis is all shoo k up Y
ou’ve no doubt seen it—or at least heard it: a white van cruising up Broadway, blaring Elvis songs from its speakers. Now that our office is on Broadway in Bayonne, this is an almost daily occurrence, but I was never able to flag him down. Until one day, when I’m coming out of Rite Aid on 22nd Street. He turns down the music, leans out the window, and pulls over. The first thing you notice is the black Elvis wig. “My hair is going gray,” he explains. He’s an older guy, a little scratchy and a little scattered, searching for a pen to
write his name and cell number on an old receipt: Carl Anderson, in squiggly letters. I’ve taken a lot of notes in my day, but this guy is a master of fast talk and flight of ideas, flitting from topic to topic and then skidding off into adventurous sidebars. This much I know: A retired truck driver and house painter, Anderson is 75 and a lifelong Bayonne resident. He lives on Social Security and has two sons in their mid-40s. Sadly, his wife died of pancreatic cancer about eight years ago. And Elvis is bred in his bones.
30 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
Elvis on the Hudson “Before I got married, I used to sing up at the Flamingo in Union City,” he says. (The Flamingo is long gone.) “They had talent night on Friday and Saturday nights. I could make $60 or $120—there were a lot of drunks up there.” After he married in 1968, his wife said he could give up the gigs or give up her. “She didn’t want me to be around other women,” he says. He was happy to bag the Elvis gigs in exchange for 25 years of marriage and home-cooked meals with him cutting
what you do.’ But you can’t go in and sell yourself. You’d get locked up.” If he weren’t able to drive around in his van, he’d watch TV. “But that makes you grow older faster,” he says.
The Elvis Era
PHOTO BY ALYSSA BREDIN
up ingredients for dinners of sausage, peppers, and potatoes. Without his wife to cook for him, he buys prepared food every day. “I buy something to eat today,” he says, “but I can’t save it in my fridge. I’ll just forget about it, and it will stay there until I can have a birthday party for it.”
Cops and the King
For about eight years, he’s been “riding around and talking to people” in his Chevrolet Astro Van emblazoned with the words “Blast from the Past,” “Remembering Our Favorite Oldies,” “Jesus-Elvis and You.” He says, “I make three or four passes downtown and uptown.”
But he seems to have a fear of being locked up by law enforcement, claiming that the cops and City Hall don’t want him driving around town in his van playing Elvis music. “They say I’m not supposed to do that,” he says. “But I’ve never been in trouble in my life. I’ve never spent a night in jail.” “I can’t afford to have them lock me up and take my Social Security,” he says, “and I can’t stay in court all day.” He says people tell him that they appreciate the music, which makes them feel good. Sometimes a person will shove a $20 into his hand. “‘For gas money,’” they say. “‘You ride all over doing things for people. We appreciate
“I grew up in the ’50s and sang rockand-roll,” Anderson says. “I watched American Bandstand, went to car hops, drive-ins, and dances. I grew up with a DA and boots. I felt attached to Elvis; He was like an idol to me.” “I had $10,000 worth of Elvis clothes,” he says. “I had every suit, red, yellow, white, and black; I had black pants and black shirts with music notes.” Back then, he says, “rock-and-roll was about music, getting along, and loving each other, not rap stuff.” Now, he says, kids “spray cars and houses with graffiti.” Anderson also sang Dean Martin and Perry Como songs. “A lot of them are dead,” he says. “They gave us good music. It was like a flower. You feel good. It gives me a reason to live. I’m going to sing until I die.” That’s Carl Anderson he’s referring to. “I didn’t want to go out and steal Elvis’s identity,” he says. “There’s one Elvis, and Elvis forever.”—Kate Rounds
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Photo by Joel Hannigan
A Regular Bayonne Guy Unsung hero has been flying under the radar
B
ayonne native David Watson has played backup for some pretty fancy musicians. The limelight and the spotlight seldom shone on him, but he was fine with that; he also loved teaching music at local schools. In the late ’70s he emerged from what was then Jersey State with a BA in Music Education. Right out of college he teamed up with pal Darryl Dixon to form the Chops Horns. Watson plays sax and flute. In the tradition of “Twenty Feet from Stardom,” they were hired by the likes of Savoy Records and hooked up with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, later touring with The Police in 1981 and ’82. They were the in-house horn section for Sugar Hill Records. Watson figures they’ve played every genre except classical: funk, R&B, soul, country/western, and gospel.
32 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
“We did studio work for the Rolling Stones,” Watson relates. “Mick [that Mick!] promised us a tour that never happened, but fortunately I had a teaching degree.”
Hello Mr. Watson “I said, let me do substitute teaching at Bayonne High School, the school I graduated from,” Watson says. “Lo and behold, they’d just fired their band director. I wound up not going back on tour, teaching full-time and doing session work on the weekends.” He thought he would stay for three years but stayed for 10. “I was in charge of the entire music program,” he says. This prepared him well for a later gig at Harrison High School, where he was the only music teacher.
PEOPLE POWER BLP
His own teacher at BHS, the late Zavan Mazmanian, had a “profound influence” on him. “Maz genuinely cared about us,” Watson says. “He would take small groups to Carnegie Hall to hear different music, help us with college auditions, and got us involved with summer camp at the Manhattan School of Music.” Maz was single and treated his students like his own kids. “I carried on the Maz tradition and emulated the things he taught,” Watson says.
Basking in Glory Watson’s career has been a satisfying mix of teaching and performing. The Chops Horns backed up most of the major Motown artists and toured with Alicia Keyes, who was introduced to them by Ray Chew, the musical director for the Apollo Theatre. They also did Dancing with the Stars gigs and the Prince Tribute Show in L.A., as well as the gospel celebration for Black Entertainment Television. They played behind Chaka Khan and backed up Whitney Houston’s last TV performance before she died. Despite all this backup, Chops Horns has found time to do its own recording, Chops n Soul, which dropped on iTunes in mid-November. Watson has lived in Bayonne since he was 5. He stays because it’s close to New York City, and he loves the park. He has no eyes to move. He and his sister bought a two-family house on 46th Street. He says, “As a freelance musician, I’ve done everything from local jobs”—he plays at the Chandelier— “to TV shows in L.A. But I didn’t have to move to California. “I’m part of the Bayonne fabric.”—Kate Rounds
Clockwise from top left: David Watson with Jennifer Hudson, Watson with Sting, and Watson with Alicia Keys. Photos courtesy of David Watson
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ON THE
JOB
WITH
Members of the sales staff (left to right) Jay Slansky, Tish Kraszyk, Toni Anne Calderone, Ron Kraszyk, and John Ward
Members of the editorial staff (left to right) Gene Ritchings, Rory Pasquariello, Marilyn Baer, Samantha Myers, Al Sullivan, and Caren Matzner
BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAX RYAZANSKY
I
’ve been writing for The Hudson Reporter for a few years, but not in the office. I do my part over email and telephone by pitching stories and doing interviews with notable locals for Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula , Hoboken 07030, and Jersey City Magazine. I work closely with Editor in Chief Kate Rounds, who polishes articles, but really, I didn’t know how the staff builds three magazines and eight weekly newspapers from concept to the final copies that hit my doorstep and yours. The new Bayonne office is only about 10 miles from the Hoboken bank building that was its headquarters for almost 25 years. Yet this location seems a world away from bustling Washington Street. It’s exciting that The Hudson Reporter is among the businesses and developers
capitalizing on Bayonne’s potential. The two-story Broadway building, where the company moved in May, stands out with a floor-to-ceiling front window that shows off a wood spiral staircase.
DOWNSTAIRS Past the lobby is the sales department. I’m greeted by Advertising Manager Tish Kraszyk. She introduces me to her team of account executives that includes her husband, Ron Kraszyk, Toni Anne Calderone, Jason Lay, Jay Slansky, and John Ward. This department sells ads that fund the publications. Once a week they have a sales meeting. “Since we’re all in different directions geographically, this is our time that we’re all together,” Tish Kraszyk says, referring to the fact that they each have a sales territory where they connect with local businesses. “We have a good working relationship,” she says. “In a lot of sales Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
35
ON THE JOB WITH BLP
Graphics Staff (left to right) Ines Rodriguez, Alyssa Bredin, Terri Saulino Bish, Editor in Chief Kate Rounds, Lisa M. Cuthbert, and Pasquale Spina
organizations, no matter what you’re selling out in the marketplace, there can be friction among sales staff. It’s never been like that here. To have that kind of relationship adds to the strength of our team.” “It’s just mutual respect for your coworkers, and our personalities gel,” adds Calderone as her coworkers nod in agreement. “On a typical morning you’re joking around here, and then it’s refreshing to go out to your territories with a smile on your face.” Ron Kraszyk says, “The leadership is a big factor, like Dave. Are you listening to this, Dave?” Co-publisher David Unger stands within earshot making photocopies. Kraszyk’s coworkers laugh and call him a brown nose. But Kraszyk is sincere. “Dave is always available,” he says. “It’s a good environment. His door is open.” Unger’s office is just beyond the sales department. He shares the role of publisher with Lucha Malato. The two purchased the company in 1999. “We’ve always tried to keep the environment fun,” Unger says. “Newspapers are very busy places with lots of stress.” Adds Malato, “You’re working with deadlines. It isn’t like we can just say, ‘oh, we don’t feel well, we’ll do it tomorrow.’” But the vibe is upbeat. “That’s our philosophy, to keep it friendly, welcoming, and an enjoyable place to work,” Unger says. “It must be, because we have many people who have been with us for a very long time,” adds Malato. “It’s a fun place to work.”
THE OFFICE An efficient office staff keeps things running smoothly. Bayonne native and Bookkeeper Sharon Metro has been on the job 17 years. She shares an office with Veronica Aldaz who, for six years, has been supporting the sales department. Classified Manager Ann Reilly has been processing those all-important classifieds for 22 years. She’s helped by Classified Representative Barbara Johnson,
36 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
who’s been at the Hudson Reporter for two years. “I like getting to know local people,” she says, “hearing what they’re thinking and feeling and learning about the neighborhood.” If it weren’t for the next two gentlemen, you’d never see the publications. Circulation Manager Roberto Lopez, on the job for 21 years, says he likes the fact that he distributes “Local news. It’s a forum for news that the bigger outlets don’t cover.” He works with Luis Vasquez who’s been with the Hudson Reporter for 25 years. “I’m very proud to be working with this company,” he says. “I also like making a connection to the businesses I visit. It feels like a friendship.” These loyal employees have been with the Reporter for a grand total of almost 100 years.
UPSTAIRS The upcoming issue of Hoboken 07030 is laid out page by page on a large conference table on the second floor. Publications are displayed this way so that the art and editorial departments can perfect the contents before the final draft reaches readers. “Sometimes a story can look right on the computer screen, and then when you see it in print, you notice an error that you didn’t notice before,” says Caren Matzner, editor in chief of the newspapers. The Hudson Reporter’s newspapers cover Bayonne, Guttenberg, Hoboken, Jersey City, North Bergen, Secaucus, Union City, Weehawken, and West New York. “Sometimes news breaks, like the train crash in Hoboken,” Matzner says. “Marilyn Baer is our reporter, and she was in Hoboken all day jockeying among the local TV stations to try to get a spot at the press conference. I was there too, and I posted some breaking news on the website.” Unger adds, “We’re in the process of redoing our web presence, and hopefully in the next several months you will see a new website.”
Stories get the onceover from editors Matzner, Rounds, and Managing Editor Gene Ritchings. Staff writers Marilyn Baer, Harrington Dia, Rory Pasquariello and Al Sullivan cover towns in their beats. Sullivan writes a weekly political column titled “Between the Lines.” “Reporters who have learned the craft of journalism from us have gone on to work at the New York Times and the Associated Press and have written best-selling nonfiction books and novels,” Matzner says.
A PICTURE’S WORTH… The art department lays out the publications, integrating ads and editorial. “Beautiful images and elegant, simple layouts can really make a piece come to life,” Rounds says. Terri Saulino Bish, Alyssa Bredin, Lisa M. Cuthbert, Ines Rodriguez, and Pasquale Spina make up the graphics staff. “We take all the pieces and put them together into the finished product,” Bredin says. “It’s like a puzzle.” “Combining the art of retouching and the science of color-correcting makes a great photo reproduce like a great photo,” adds Bish, demonstrating how the layout and artwork can enhance a story. “The publishing industry is not what it was 20 years ago,” says Cuthbert. “You can’t just think outside the box, you have to rebuild the box itself, and it’s our job to do that.” Spina adds. “But I think there are still people who want to feel that paper in their hands in the morning.” But Rounds, who is also editor of the Bayonne Community News, warns, “Unlike with online publications, if you make a mistake in print, it will be there forever, in the fossil footprint. We try not to make mistakes!” A transitioning newspaper industry was partly responsible for the move to Bayonne.
EMBRACING CHANGE “The Hoboken building was just way too big for us,” Malato says. “We had so much wasted space.” The company found a home in a city that is also transitioning. “This is a town that has a lot of potential, whereas in Hoboken I think that potential has been more than realized,” says Ritchings. “Bayonne is also a great news town to work in,” Rounds adds. “Buildings are going up, and there’s opposition to those developments; new, younger people are moving in, and there’s a burgeoning arts scene. It’s fun to be in a town and watch it change. But the old charm is still there, lifelong residents, one-family homes, mom-and-pop stores, and a deep community spirit.” Sullivan, whose beat was Bayonne for about 10 years, is happy to be back. “I missed its traditions, and I missed Broadway, so coming back was very familiar,” he says. “Now we’re back, and it’s like home again.”
THE NATURE OF THE BEAST The business of publishing has its own internal rhythms. “It’s not linear work,” Rounds says. “It’s circular. It never ends. You keep all the balls in the air, working on each publication in order, and then start again.” For writers, artists, and editors, creative thinking is where it all begins. “We have edit meetings, where we kick around ideas,” Rounds says. “You can’t make a good publication without a strong foundation of ideas that spark interest and engage readers. In the beginning, before those ideas coalesce, it’s a little scary. But then the stories are written, the photos are shot, the layouts are designed, and the product begins to emerge. ‘Product’ is an interesting word. We’re not making shoes, but we are making something tangible. The moment when you turn that first page can be exciting. But then, right away, it’s on to the next project.” —BLP
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HANGING OUT WITH BLP
AL SULLIVAN AND BRUCE DILLIN
Hanging out with...
BRUCE DILLIN BY AL SULLIVAN
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
S
ome people come in to Eddy’s Bar on Kennedy Boulevard around 5 p.m. on weekdays, knowing Bruce Dillin will be there after he closes up his shop, Dillin Tire Company. With the family business next door, Dillin doesn’t have far to walk. Dillin has been a regular for as long as anyone can remember. Striking a “Cheers” chord, he says, “I’ve been coming in all my life. Everybody knows each other in Eddy’s Bar.” Eddy’s is a classic corner bar, a place rapidly vanishing from the American landscape, as younger people seek out hipper, craft-beer bars. (See “On Tap” page 24). The dark interior is a perfect setting for the work-weary looking for a quick beer at the end of the day. But there are plenty of sports playing on the TVs above the bar. The place has a pool table in back and a bowling game in front; the walls are jam-
packed with photographs of sports stars and hunters, a POW flag, and other memorabilia. A news story about Dillin hangs on the wall, along with a photograph of him holding a very large lobster by the tail. Dillin says the original owner threw him out 40 years ago when he tried to come in at age 17. But that’s not why he was thrown out. “He said my hands were dirty and didn’t want me getting other people dirty,” Dillin says. Dillin has a ton of stories in the tradition of tall tales typical of barroom banter. Except they’re all true. They’re legendary. Never hesitant to tell old ones, he almost always has a new one to tell as well. Dillin comes in shouting. Being around him is like being in the middle of a hurricane, everything stirred up. “So what’s up with you?” I ask. “Oh man, I’m out of control,” Dillin says, as he strides up to the bar John-Wayne style and climbs on a stool. Bartender Kristi Martinez brings him a glass of beer. He later
38 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
BRUCE DILLIN
confesses that he used to sneak out with the beer glasses when the old owner had the place. “He came over my shop one day and found 20 of his beer glasses there and boy did he flip.”
WILD LIFE “We’ve heard all his stories,” says Martinez, who runs the place, and has been a bartender for 10 years. “The first time I met Bruce, I was working a Tuesday night, and he had snakes that got out of the cage all over the Boulevard,” Martinez recalls. “People kept saying, ‘It’s Bruce next door; it’s Bruce next door.’” “Over the years, I’ve played many, many pranks on the bar,” Dillin admits. “On one Friday night at about 5 o’clock I opened the door and threw a live rooster in the bar. The whole place went nuts, knocking beers off the bar, trying to catch the rooster. The patronage chased it until they caught it and then threw it back into Dillin Tire.” “We’ve had fish, we’ve had turtles, we’ve had chickens, we’ve had turkeys,” Martinez says. “He’s even put an alligator on the shuffleboard table. Any kind of reptile we’ve had in here with Bruce Dillin.” “On Fridays, we ring the bell for when Bruce comes in,” she says. “We hear about what kind of day he’s had and what got loose in the shop.” Martinez recalls the time Dillin put on a disguise to avoid being recognized on the security camera outside the bar. He dumped a large fish at the front door. The owner came in and dropped the fish on the bar. “Nobody knows where the fish came from,” Martinez says. The previous owner thought he knew and figured he could prove it. But when he looked at the video, it showed someone who looked a lot like Abe Lincoln. “He couldn’t stop laughing,” Dillin says. Last year, a new owner took over, and Dillin decided not to pull as many pranks. These days it’s more about the tall tales.
AL, BRUCE, AND KRISTI started Dillin Tire in 1964. I’ve been around about 28 years as second generation. My son has been working for me, a possible third generation.” Dillin says he didn’t intend to follow in his father’s footsteps. He attended Horace Mann elementary school and later Marist High School before attending the Florida Institute of Technology for two years studying environmental science. Because of his military background—he served in the U.S. Marines from 1975 to 1978—he’d done some deep sea diving near oil rigs, and the field intrigued him. “I’m more or less a self-educated man,” he says. “I went to school, but I never excelled.” But he did make the Dean’s List in college. He has since become a big proponent of education, insisting that kids pay more attention to their schoolwork. He didn’t continue his college education because his father told him he would close up the shop if Dillin chose not to run it. But Dillin continued to pursue adventures, doing everything from hang-glid-
ing to deep sea fishing. He attributes this quest for excitement to the action he saw in the military. “We did the first Lebanon evacuation, 4,000 American and European citizens,” he says. He has an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Next Up Over the years, Dillin has brought famous people, mostly sports stars, to the bar, giving him even more status as a local celebrity. But now in his mid-50s, Dillin says he’s in a transition phase. He doesn’t know what he will do in the future, but he wants to do something meaningful and has become more involved with charities. AIDS research; breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes awareness; and Friends of Special Children are some of the causes Dillin and his business have supported. “My theme is to encourage others to enjoy their lives,” he says, “so if I influence people, that is my accomplishment.”— BLP
The Origin Story Slowly sipping his beer, Dillin waits and then launches in. “I was born on the same street my whole life, East 42nd Street,” he says. “We moved from the end of the block to the middle of the block when I was 5 years old. My parents still live there. My father Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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Know-it-Alls Office on Aging has the answers
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
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hen you’re a senior with a problem or a question, your one-stop shop is the Bayonne Office on Aging. The city recognized the need for the office way back in the early 1980s, when Boomers were, get this, only in their mid-30s. Joyce Person-Perkins has been executive director for almost 13 years. She and her staff of six are headquartered in Room 17 of City Hall. “We’re a small division, but we work hard,” Person-Perkins says. They serve some 12,500 seniors. The watchwords are “active” and “independence.” If possi-
ble, seniors want to be on the go and living on their own. “We go to group meetings to tell seniors about services and advocate for them if there are changes or things they don’t understand,” Person-Perkins says. “Staying connected and knowing what’s available” are important. “We provide resources for them in the community on behalf of the city of Bayonne.” The senior designation starts in the early 60s, with some as old as 100. “They’re high-functioning seniors, too,” PersonPerkins says of the centenarians. “I tell them when I grow up, I want to be just like them.” “People tend to shun older people,” Person-Perkins says. “They say older people don’t know what they’re talking
(left to right) Joyce Person-Perkins, Executive Director; Dawn Herring, Case Management Supervisor; Meghan Luzzi, Case Manager; Teresa Troglio, Case Manager; Anna Gonzalez, Case Manager; and Maureen Conlin, Receptionist
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SENIOR MOMENTS BLP
Joyce Person-Perkins, Executive Director about, and it’s time for them to go into a nursing home. It’s a reflection of our culture.” But the Office on Aging helps seniors keep up with that modern culture. “The county offers a computer class twice a year to get basic skills,” Person-Perkins says. Older people often feel isolated as well. “A lot of seniors don’t have anybody,” Person-Perkins says. “Their family and friends are dead. They want to stay in the community they’re born
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East 35th Street where we will have refreshments and raffles. Please purchase tickets in advance; all proceeds will benefit various charities in Bayonne.
18 St. Henry’s Church Flea Market, St. Henry’s Roman Catholic Church, 82 W. 29th St., (201) 339-0319, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Lots of vendors with a huge selection of items to choose from including clothes, kitchen items, home décor, vintage items, arts and crafts, toys, books and more.
APRIL 5
into. They don’t want to go into an institution.” Person-Perkins wasn’t born in Bayonne, but she’s been living here for 16 years. “I love Bayonne because it has the community feel I had when I was a kid growing up in Jersey City,” she says. “Everyone knows everyone. They’re concerned about quality of life. They care about each other.” Her 13-year-old son also loves Bayonne. “He only knows Bayonne,” she says. “Our large population of seniors is a
population to be reckoned with,” Person-Perkins says. “They’re very proactive. They’re aware of what they’re entitled to. They come out and voice their opinions and ask for what they want.”—Kate Rounds Office on Aging City Hall 630 Avenue C Room 17 (201) 858-6119 bayonnenj.org
Playhouse, (201) 858-4104, 9:30 a.m. The cost is $80. Come enjoy the play Born Yesterday, lunch, the bakery, an unlimited dessert buffet and the boutique. The bus leaves from 4th Street and Broadway at 9:30 a.m.
15 St. Henry’s Church Flea Market, St. Henry’s Roman Catholic Church, 82 W. 29th St., (201) 339-0319, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Lots of vendors with a huge selection of items to choose from including clothes, kitchen items, home décor, vintage items, arts and crafts, toys, books and more.
Andrean’s trip to Hunterdon Hills Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017 •
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INTERVIEWS KATE ROUNDS
MEANS
BUSINESS
PHOTO BY CARYN LAGRECA
BAYONNE
DANCE WITH ME DANCE STUDIO 175 Broadway (201) 823-1233 dancewithmebayonne.com
D
ancing was in the stars for the sister act of Diana and Gina Castore. Both were age 3 when they started, and they’ve never stopped. Indeed, dancing became their life’s work. They grew up in Staten Island, moved across the Kill Van Kull to Bayonne and never looked back. “We both took dance lessons from a very young age,” Diana relates. “We trained in many, many genres in New York City at the Broadway Dance Center. It was a total obsession.” Diana was in an academic honors program in high school but still found time to join the dance club. She went on to the Fashion Institute of Technology, continuing her dance training throughout college. “All roads led back to dance,” she says. “I went pro right after college. I did commercial work for major recording artists in the New York City area.” By 2004, she says, “I was basically teaching everybody in the world, and my mentors were pushing me to start something of my own. It was not even a question that I would do it with my sister.” Their students range between age 2 and adult, mostly girls but some boys. Genres include tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, acrobatic, and pointe.
“As a trainer, you’re sharing your gifts to watch something come to life,” Diana says. “It’s just beautiful. Some have natural ability, but they don’t all walk in talented. It’s absolutely a work in progress.” The relationship goes beyond dance. “It’s a family,” Diana says. “Kids stay in contact with me from age 3 and then continue through age 24.” Bayonne has been a hospitable home for the dance studio. “I’ve loved Bayonne from the minute I got here,” Diana says. “It’s a little bit city, a little bit suburban. We’ve had tremendous success. The parents are extremely willing, and it’s just a melting pot of beautiful things. I can’t say enough good things about Bayonne.” Diana has continued her professional career, so she doesn’t worry about going to the gym. “I love Hudson County Park,” she says. Another plus for a dance trainer in Bayonne is its proximity to New York City, home of Broadway theaters and the New York City Ballet, among other great arts institutions. “There are so many commercial projects in New York City,” Diana says. “I love the fact that you can get in and out of the city so quickly.” Her colleagues in the professional dance world do “guest work” at the studio. “My dancers have access to the latest, most popular trends forming right here in the heart of the dance world,” she says.
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GINA AND DIANA CASTORE As a dancer and teacher, Diana’s days are full. “I work so much, I don’t have a social life,” she says, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The rewards are manifest. “There’s no better feeling than dancing,” Diana says. “Performing is addicting. There’s nothing out there like it.” Except maybe the rewards of teaching your craft. “As a trainer, you’re sharing your gifts,” she says. “You watch something come to life. It’s just beautiful. There are moments when you see a dancer about to make it, that’s probably most exciting. We’ve had hundreds of success stories.” The grueling hours are worth it. “You’re always practicing and always working,” Diana says. “Like anything else, there are challenges, but it’s your passion, so it’s really a labor of love.” Diana, who has published a children’s book, The Whimsical Secret Reveal of a Fairy Godmother: A Tale of Serendipitous, says, “A dance class is a powerful vehicle for any child. As trainers, we truly believe that the secret to success is never taking yourself too seriously. We believe positivity is another motivator in becoming a success in anything. For us, training dancers is inspiring. It’s magical to be part of a dancer’s journey.”
PHOTO BY ALYSSA BREDIN
HOW WE WORK BLP
ROCCO DiANTONIO, DMD 942 Avenue C (201) 339-1742 www.bayonnesmilecenter.com
It
was a handy, homegrown skill that brought Rocco DiAntonio into a rewarding dental career. “I was very good with my hands,” he reports. “In high school I did masonry work with bricks and pavers, and then I was offered a part-time job in a dental office.” He not only cleaned the exam rooms but assisted the dentist. “I took an interest in the work,” he says. “It made people smile. They were so happy, they’d leave the office crying. The dentist was a role model for his patients. He was friendly. They were friends, not just patients.” DiAntonio was hooked. “To work with my hands and have an effect on someone’s life seemed fun,” he says. He graduated from the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and did his residency at the VA Hospital in East Orange. A Staten Island native, he moved to Bayonne in 2010 and went into practice with Dr. August D. Pellegrini. In dental school, DiAntonio says, “Some of the smartest guys and gals drop out and go to medical school because of the clinical work with your hands. There’s a science to it. Not everyone has the creative touch.” His passion for “beautiful smiles” led him to membership in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. “Continuing education and training in these skills transforms people’s smiles,” he says. “Creating smiles is an art.” He cites a recent example of a patient who had been treated for throat cancer years ago. “The radiation treatment created chronic dry mouth, which wreaks havoc on your teeth,” he explains. “She never smiled. When she came in, she’d hide her teeth. We were able to do a cosmetic rehab of all her teeth. She was like a different person.” He told his staff, “The effect on her life was enormous. This is what it’s all about.”
ROCCO DiANTONIO, DMD But he’s still a general dentist, performing all services, including extractions, implants, fillings, and root canals. “I’m not pigeonholed. I do a little bit of everything,” he says. “It makes me feel good to fix a stained tooth, get someone out of pain, or rebuild a smile. A happy, healthy, good experience is what I want them to have.” DiAntonio also gives back to the community by participating in Donated Dental Services, which offers free dental work to seniors and others in need. He acknowledges that some people are afraid to go to the dentist. “I don’t have any nitrous,” he says. “I don’t sedate.” He uses a vibrating technology, which makes “injections virtually painless,” and he numbs children’s teeth
with a “wand.” He says, “They don’t feel a poke or a pinch.” DiAntonio’s upbringing may have contributed to his choice of career. “I was the oldest of four children and spent my childhood helping one person or another do something,” he says. “It came very naturally to me. I helped raise the small ones, who were dependent on me. That kind of helped in my career, to be patient and understanding, and to be able to listen is important.” If a patient is in pain, DiAntonio will come in on a Saturday night or Sunday morning. He recently married a Bayonne girl; they live nearby. “I treat everyone like family,” he says. “Like a cousin, aunt, uncle, or grandparent. There are no strangers coming
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Special Place
EDUCATION BLP
For special needs
(left to right) Cyril, Samaan, Henry, and Mr. Ruttler
If
your child needs a little help navigating through life, you’re in the right town. Bayonne has the compassion and capability to accommodate just about any special need. Just ask Sharon Colasurdo, supervisor of special services for the Bayonne school district for the past seven years. The office handles some 1,500 kids a year with multiple disabilities; learning, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities; autism; and other health challenges. They range in age from 3 to 21. The programs are located at the high school, Lincoln School, and Washington School. “Our biggest kudo is that we don’t send many students out of the district,” Colasurdo says. “We created an in-house program for students with disabilities to be educated with their peers in their hometown.” High-school students with special needs can also interact with the community. “We have a wonderful structured-learning program that brings students into the community to work at several job sites and receive vocational training,” she says. Participating companies include ShopRite, CarePoint Health, T.J.Maxx, and the New York Sports Club. Students from ages 16 to 21 spend three periods a day learning job skills. All the teachers are certified in special education and are given a number of teacher aides. Behaviorists and psychologists, and counselors are on staff. Therapists include speech, occupational, and physical; five child-study teams evaluate students and monitor their progress from year to year.
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Evelyn and Joshua
What’s So Special? “Special Ed is a challenging profession, but it’s always rewarding,” Colasurdo says. “It takes a lot more effort, work, and time to see results, but when you do, it’s more rewarding. Nothing comes easy to these students.” “Inclusion” is not just a buzzword. It’s a byword of Bayonne’s special services program. “Many students are in inclusive settings, educated in the least restricted environment with peers,” Colasurdo says. “We’ve more than doubled our inclusion classrooms. They’re not overshadowed. Inclusion means being able to go to college.” Inclusion classrooms are in every Bayonne school and in most grade levels. This cooperative learning environment also benefits the typical students. “They learn compassion, patience, and empathy by working with students who need a buddy to help pack their books or find the way to the office,” Colasurdo says. The results are inspiring. Colasurdo cites the example of a high-school student with Down Syndrome who won a medal for the Bayonne High School swim team. “He’d been swimming since he was a very young child,” Colasurdo says, “and was a regular member of the Bayonne High School swim team. He was proud to bring in his picture, which we hung up. It was thrilling for everybody.”
The “In� Crowd
as “Color Outside the Lines,� “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful,� and “A Kind Word is Never Wasted.� While the kids are cooking, we slip into the classroom. Ms. Karen has drawn animals, on which Mr. Ruttler has written messages such as “Class is Purr-fect.� The room is filled with learning aids, such as padlocks. The kids need to learn how to use combination locks before they get to their high-school lockers. Everything is bright and colorful, and that’s the way Mr. Ruttler wants it. “Decorations make the students feel comfortable and safe,� he says. “They look around and absorb what they see. It’s stimulating; they’re not just sitting and staring.� Back in the kitchen, meanwhile, things have gotten really quiet. That’s because the apple crisp is done. The kids have set the table and are eating their delicious creation, topped with chocolate and vanilla ice cream. We know it’s delicious because they sent us home with a doggy bag—Kate Rounds
“We give these kids a quality of life where they will be accepted by the community and familiar with the community,� Colasurdo says. They learn how to get around easily on public transportation to city hall, the post office, the bank, local vendors, and restaurants like Houlihan’s, where they have lunch. “It’s a great community for that kind of stuff,� Colasurdo says. “It’s small and centrally located. It can only be done in towns like Bayonne with public transportation.� A lot has changed in Special Ed since Colasurdo started as a teacher in 1979. “It was smaller, more restrictive, and not inclusive,� she says. “It’s evolved so much.� Special Ed kids are also included in gym and in the cafeteria. “The principals and Superintendent McGeehan have been so supportive about anything we ask for,� Colasurdo says.
Life Skills On the Wednesday after Election Day, photographer Victor Rodriguez and I visit Matthew Ruttler’s class for multiply-disabled kids at Washington Community School. His large life skills room is set up to simulate an apartment. The students learn housekeeping, social skills, and cooking, including how to measure, follow a recipe, and make something. As we approach the room, a wonderful aroma fills the corridor. We’re lucky to visit on a day when the students are baking apple crisp. It’s a perfect fall choice. The kids are peeling fresh, bright green apples. Laid out on the counter are sacks of flour and brown sugar, spices, and sticks of butter. You can tell right away that Mr. Ruttler loves his job. The kids—Antonio, Cyril, Evelyn, Joshua, Sara, Samaan, and Tito—respond to his enthusiasm and mastery of the teachable moment. Mr. Ruttler is helped by Ms. Karen and Ms. Mary Jane. The kids wear chef’s hats that they made themselves. Evelyn says she likes cooking with her friends. Cooking is no problem for Antonio, who makes eggs, bacon, and pancakes with his parents at home. Tito says he loves bakeries. This room and Mr. Ruttler’s classroom are filled with inspiring messages, such
Antonio
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HOW WE LIVE BLP
LUCY AND GENNARO ADDESSO PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
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WEST SIDE
hen we caught up with Lucy and Gennaro Addesso, the family had been in their new home for only about five months. When they were raising three small kids, they lived in a two-family house because they needed the rental income. But now, they’re really emptynesters: their son is in the Peace Corps in Tanzania, their oldest daughter got married in November, and their youngest daughter is at Stockton College in Atlantic City. Their daughters graduated from BHS; their son graduated from Saint Peter’s Prep. “The kids growing up played soccer, each and every one,” Lucy says. But with the kids grown and out of the house, the Addessos started looking for a one-family house. “We didn’t look for too long,” Lucy says. “We found the perfect home. It has everything we wanted and was in move-in condition. It was in the area we wanted, right in the middle of town.” It’s convenient for her to get to her job as an accountant and for Gennaro to get to his job as a supervisor with New Jersey Transit. They’re able to walk to favorite spots, such as Hendrickson’s, Walgreen’s, and Planet Fitness.
The property was sold by Linda Cantatore, broker/owner of Renaissance Real Estate of Hoboken. The three-story house was probably built in the 1920s, and renovated in 2011. “It has everything, original wood and pocket doors,” Lucy says. When you enter through the front door, you immediately notice the sage green walls. The door is oversized with original wood, and brass fastenings. On the night I visited, Lucy was bringing in a new piece of artwork for the foyer. The Addessos are still decorating. She likes antiques and dark wood. She needs new frames for their pictures and would like to buy some art. The living room, dining room,
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How We
and kitchen are an open plan. The floors feature rustic ceramic tiles, and the counters are granite. A neat, modern light fixture, almost like a chandelier, hangs over the granite island. The stairs and banisters are all original wood. On the second floor are four bedrooms with bamboo floors. The house has two full bathrooms, one with a bidet, and two halfbaths. Off one bedroom is a balcony overlooking the huge backyard with a shared driveway and parking for three vehicles. Below is a large deck, with everything you could want for outdoor barbecues, including an aboveground pool. They moved in a little too late to enjoy the wood porch, but they did give the pool a try and were grateful for the spacious deck that surrounds it, which accommodates the Addesso’s extended family. On the top floor is kind of an attic room. The Addessos aren’t sure what do with it, but the word “grandchildren” popped up a lot, so it could easily become a bedroom or playroom for kids. The best thing about the basement is the full kitchen, perfect for holiday parties or preparing snacks for football games. And those grandkids? Gennaro thinks it’s a perfect changing room for kids coming in and out from the pool. “We love Bayonne,” Lucy says. Gennaro is a
member of the Masonic fraternity. “We go to a lot of functions,” she says. In fact, Gennaro is involved with a slew of activities in town, including the Bayonne Youth Soccer Association. Says Gennaro, “We’re immigrants, life has been good to us, and I want to give back.” – Kate Rounds
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ENTERTAINMENT BLP Photo by Kim Sharp
A Test of
Faith
A BAYONNE RESIDENT PENS A PLAY FOR CONTEMPORARY TIMES BY AL SULLIVAN
W
hen Priya Sunder first steps on the stage as one of the leads in A Muslim in the Midst, you might dislike her. This isn’t because her liberal philosophy, along with that of her husband Raj Sunder, is wrong. It’s because she imposes her beliefs on others, setting the stage for what is a provocative, challenging, and in the end authentic theatrical study of one of the most significant social conflicts of our time. Critics have called this character “open minded, intelligent, and compassionate.” She’s also opinionated and forceful, becoming a symbol of western bias against traditional faiths, particularly the Muslim faith. The resulting clash forces audience members to take sides. The play accomplishes something that’s very hard in art and in life: Through the course of the play, the characters reevaluate their positions. Priya and Raj are an affluent Hindu couple, working as executives in U.S. companies in Bangalore. Their belief in liberal and enlightened western values is challenged when one night, three days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks on the United States, they give a ride to
Haneef Pasha and his pregnant wife, Shabana, who are traditional Muslims. Due partly to prejudice against Muslims and the fear generated by the attacks, cab drivers refuse to pick them up. This story, according to Bayonne playwright Anand Rao, is based on a real incident that happened to him and his wife, Swathy Sekhar Anand.
pang of their loss more than her husband does. The two are divided over whether or not to offer the traditional Muslim couple a ride. Amid news reports about possible local terrorists, the couple overcomes their fear—a true test of their liberal values—to offer the ride.
A COMPLEX CONFLICT
THE VALUE OF VACILLATION
The action takes place in Bangalore, known as the Silicon Valley of India. But the same conflicts are taking place right here in Bayonne, where a proposed Muslim Community Center has been met with strong opposition from many residents. People on both sides of the issue struggle to deal with prejudice and their own misconceptions about neighbors who don’t share their faith. For the packed house that attended the film’s premiere at New York City’s Thespis Theater Festival in September, a few days after the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, most of the sympathy was with the struggle of Priya and Raj to cope. The couple are not completely aligned over the tragedy. Priya strongly feels the impact of the attack because she worked with some of the victims, and feels the
To most people outside India, the Hindu and Muslim cultures share common principles. Still, the audience swerves back and forth, supporting then opposing Priya’s views. Each side seeks moral superiority over the other. In the end they come to a stalemate because neither side can win arguments that involve how people live, what gods they worship, and the roles women play in each culture. At one point Priya almost persuades the pregnant Shabana to stand up to her husband. For a brief but deciding moment, this rebellion verges on violence, as Haneef attempts to return his wife to her place in the traditional Muslim role. A Muslim in the Midst starts by establishing a moral pendulum that takes the audience out of its
48 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Winter 2017
Photo by Roger Gonzalez preconceived notions, sometimes seeming to alter its view, only to bring it back. The characters are so real and their beliefs so engrained that the audience judges them based on its own beliefs. But these beliefs are constantly tested, questioned, and at times contradicted. The play does not take sides; it presents evidence as if in a court of law, leaving the audience to support or oppose, and eventually pass judgment. While neither side claims victory, the action shows the vulnerability of a culture in which women do not have the same freedom as their counterparts in the secular world. The play makes us doubt whether or not the Muslim couple are terrorists, keeping the audience unresolved about the play’s social arguments and the likability of its characters.
AUTHOR! AUTHOR! A playwright and journalist, Rao debuted the play at the Hudson Guild Theatre in New York City, to establish a dialog that would clarify both sides of a
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complex issue. Rao said he originally wrote A Muslim in the Midst as a short story and later reworked it as a play. He held a reading in March 2016. “I remember looking back at the event and thinking about how little really happened, and yet so much did,” he said. “I’m a big believer in social justice and of inclusion.”
“Deep inside, we all want the same things.” Anand said. The story is about the struggle to find common ground. “Deep inside, we all want the same things,” Rao said. “Ultimately we all want to be happy.” Rao’s hometown struggles with many of the same issues as those revealed in the play: a battle for acceptance in a place where people sometimes misunderstand each other.
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Rao took the long way from India to Bayonne. Swathy lived in the United States prior to their marriage, but his arrival here was traumatic; he came straight from India to settle in Salt Lake City, where social life took some getting used to. Swathy worked for Goldman Sachs, while he worked as a freelance writer and consultant. As if one cultural disruption wasn’t enough, the couple later secured jobs in a suburb of Chicago, which in many ways mirrored the social isolation of a John Cheever novel, a middleclass American couple stranded in the cultural desert of a big-city suburb. “We hated it,” Rao said, and when an opportunity came for them to work in New York City, they jumped at the chance, finding comfort and space in Bayonne. “It is very near New York,” Rao said, “and we have plenty of room.” He loves living and working near one of the premier theater districts in the world. “We have a good life here,” he said.
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HELPING
A Real Stitch QUILTING FOR A CAUSE PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
T
he thimble-and-thread crowd is alive and well at the Fourth Street Senior Center on Wednesday afternoons. And they’re all the more heroic for not keeping any of the artwork they make; it all goes to various charitable groups. It’s a democratic bunch. There’s no president, so I get the lowdown from member Carol Kochanski, who’s been sewing with the club for about a decade. “It’s just a group of senior-citizen women sewing and quilting,” she says. “Everybody loves to sew.” Members also knit, crochet, embroider, and upholster. Among the items they’re creating are helmet hats for servicewomen to wear under their helmets, and items for longshoremen. The groups they donate to include the Bayonne
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Office on Aging; Head Start; Women Rising, a group for battered women; the Giving Hope Network, which supports foster kids, children with autism, and children in orphanages; and the Windmill Alliance, which serves the developmentally disabled population and has supported housing in Bayonne. “We were able to give a quilt to every woman in the facility,” Kochanski says. As much as they appreciate the act of giving, the women also love the craft. “I enjoy the artistry of creating different blocks,” Kochanski says. “I enjoy putting the puzzle pieces together.”
Pins and Needles The Bayonne Quilt Club is tucked away behind the stage at the center. At first, photographer Victor Rodriguez and I couldn’t find it, but then we heard the hum of sewing
Laura Jordan Dianna Roedel
Ruth Geraghty Betty Perrotta
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HELPING HANDS BLP
(left to right) Emmie Sotile, Betty Perrotta, Ruth Geraghty, Laura Jordan, Dianna Roedel, and Rosa Robinson ºmachines and murmur of voices. Once inside, the vibe is that of a really friendly group having a good time, surrounded by the colorful fruits of their labor. Quilts cover the walls. An antique one fashioned from men’s ties catches my eye. Right away you’re drawn to Laura Jordan’s work station. She’s using one of those vintage Singer sewing machines, black, with gold lettering. “It’s almost as old as you and me,” one woman quips, which sparks a conversation about the old “treadle” machines, before electricity. All the women relate that they already knew how to sew, but many learned quilting at the club. “At first I was afraid to use the cutter wheel,” Ruth Geraghty reveals, “but now I just zip through.” She indicates a bright yellow tool that looks a lot like a pizza cutter. She’s chosen a palette of brown and beige fabric. “I like the colors and such,” she says, “putting it together.” She also appreciates that the quilts are donated to those in need. “We never see the recipients,” she says, “but there’s a sense of satisfaction.” Betty Perrotta has a distinguished sewing history. She sewed bras, and later swimwear, for the fabled Maidenform Company, headquartered in Bayonne for many years. Today, she’s working with blue and red squares, which have a decidedly masculine feel. Someone suggests adding anchors to the design. Dianna Roedel started sewing for her daughter, when she was 3. Her daughter is now 41, so you do the math. “I still do quilts for her,” she says. “I like to experiment.” Dianna knows
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where the major quilt museums are. Quilting has a distinguished history, from Colonial and pioneer women creating folk masterpieces, to the secret messages hidden in handsewn quilts that told the story of the Underground Railroad. “But our club make its own history,” Dianna says. “I love it, love it. I can’t get enough of it.” For Emmie Sotile, quilting is a chance “to express yourself and do what you like. The finished product is pleasing.” But she also loves giving it away. “I don’t need it for myself,” she says. “It makes you feel good to give it to someone who needs it. It’s like working in a soup kitchen.” Today, she’s working with triangles and fabric imprinted with flying geese. “They fly every which way,” she says. Rosa Robinson is working alone in the backroom. She’s at that point in the design where she’s pinning on the squares and fastening the batting. “I like to match colors and challenge myself,” she says. This room is filled with colorful fabrics that look like abstract art when viewed from afar. It’s also filled with finished quilts. Check out Victor’s group picture above in this room, displaying their handiwork.
Quilting in the Computer Age “I learned sewing in high school and from my mom,” Kochanski says. “But it’s a dying art. My three daughters, they don’t know how to sew on a button.” She’s trying to remedy that by teaching her six-year-old granddaughter how to sew. “She sits on my lap at the sewing
Emmie Sotile
Rosa Robinson
machine,” Kochanski says. “I hope I’m instilling in her something she might do in the future.” Back in the days of “home-ec,” sewing was taught in schools. “They took that out of schools,” Kochanski says. “Everything in today’s world is technology. They all have iPads, video games. Everything is instant. I don’t think they want to take the time to do it.” Kochanski thought of one creative way to involve her daughter in a quilting project.
“I was cleaning house one time,” she relates. “One of my daughters was very active in high school clubs. She had T-shirts with the names of clubs on them. I didn’t want to throw them out, so I cut them up and made a quilt from them. She really loved it. You can make a quilt out of anything.” —Kate Rounds
Donations of fabrics and other supplies can be dropped off at the Quilt Club on Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. For questions about the club, call Pete Amadeo at (201) 858-6129.
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PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH
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his downtown favorite opened in 2007. For a decade it’s been serving fine Northern Italian cuisine, not just to folks in Bayonne, but to the many out-of-towners who have discovered it by word of mouth. It has a charming backstory. Owners Sal and Kim Martinez are restaurateur-lifers; their seven kids grew up “playing restaurant.” Two of
those kids are Sarah and Ellie. Sarelli’s was the name for their imaginary restaurant when they were kids. Now, the real thing stands in one of the most appealing parts of town. The “KP” was added in 2013 when partner Ken Poesl came on board. Most folks know Ken as the owner of Ken’s Marine Services, and a real Bayonne booster.
We visited on a rainy, late-fall day between the mega holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Specialties include margherita salad (arugula, mozzarella, sun dried and fresh tomatoes, and roasted pepper); seafood risotto; tortelloni quattro formaggi (green tortelloni in rich cream sauce); pollo scarpariello (boneless chicken sautéed with sausage, rosemary, garlic, and white wine); bistecca ai ferri (sirloin,
sautéed onions, and roast potatoes); stuffed eggplant appetizer; fantasia susanna salad (arugula, mixed fruit, dry ricotta cheese, walnuts, and raspberry dressing); pollo all livia (chicken breast with red pepper, Portobello mushrooms and mozzarella with balsamic sauce); and tilapia gorgonzola. We followed the chef’s advice and ordered lobster tails, and I couldn’t pass up the broiled haddock. We started with the fantasia susanna salad, and ended with tiramisu. Terri ordered a pumpkin martini, and I ordered my usual beer at the restaurant’s full bar, while Terri photographed the dining room with its warm, welcoming colors: mustards, reds, and soft browns, with pictures and paintings on every wall. She got a great shot of the gas fire that burned in the far corner of the room. A staff as welcoming as the
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EATERY BLP restaurant itself enhances the ambience. Josh Groban was singing “You Raise Me Up” in the background, but it’s possible you could visit on an evening that features live music. Terri loved the pumpkin martini, pronouncing it like an “iced latte, smooth, creamy, like pumpkin pie but light and not sweet.” We both highly recommend the fantasia susanna salad. The combination of greens with fresh fruit and a light raspberry dressing was superb. We noticed that lots of other folks had ordered it as well, along with sangria, which is apparently a Sarelli’s favorite. Terri says she orders lobster frequently, and these tails were prepared especially well. They came with rice and green beans amandine. I, meanwhile, order a lot of broiled fish. The haddock was beautifully light and flaky with an unfussy butter lemon sauce over a bed of rice. As for the tiramisu, I ate the entire thing myself. It was rich and light at the same time, a hard combo to accomplish. Sal stopped by our table so that Terri could photograph entrees that our fellow diners had orderd: a delicious-looking vitello saltimbocca and salmon over a bed of spinach. A table of Bayonne teachers— Mary Sue Stevenson and Trish Niland from the Walter F. Robinson School and John Bransfield from BHA—were clearly enjoying their evening out at Sarelli’s.
The restaurant also has a party and catering menu. And during the warmer seasons, try dining al fresco in Sarelli’s outdoor café. But we’re a long way from summer. On this late November evening, we were happy to be inside, in a cozy dining room, eating hearty Northern Italian fare.— Kate Rounds
KP Sarelli’s 241 Broadway (201) 858-0865 sarellisrestaurant.com
(left to right) Trish Niland, John Bransfield, and Mary Sue Stevenson
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D in in g L i s t in g s Broadway Diner 1075 Broadway (201) 437-7338 broadwaybistrobayonne.com The Broadway Diner isn’t just your normal everyday diner, but a destination diner. Offering “The World’s Best Pancakes”, they feature a wide variety of hearty breakfast dishes and a vast selection of lunch and dinner entrees that are made from the freshest ingredients. No matter what you crave, The Broadway Diner is the only place to find it! Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
reasonable that it is an affordable evening as well. The menu is surprisingly diverse with ample dinner specials, a wide selection of meat, chicken, and veal dishes, and of course, delicious pasta entrees. High-quality, fresh fish is one of the restaurant’s specialties. Buon Appetito is open for lunch and dinner and available for private parties.
The DaVinci Room at Mona Lisa 165 Broadway (201) 535-5050 thedavinciroom.com The DaVinci Room by Mona Lisa offers boutique-style catering with our intimate luxury events. Our attentive staff offers a
Broadway Diner 8th Street Bistro 226 Broadway (201) 455-8239 broadwaybistrobayonne.com Offering a delicious “All You Can Eat Italian Buffet” every Sunday between 3 and 9 p.m. The buffet features authentic homemade Italian delicacies and a great option for a traditional Sunday meal at an affordable price for the entire family. The Bistro also offers a gourmet deli featuring mouth watering Italian sandwiches, using only the finest ingredients in everything served. Open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Off premise catering is available.
Buon Appetito 906-908 Broadway (201) 436-0043 buonappetitoitalian.com This is one of those quality places that don’t intimidate you. The restaurant and bar provide a comfortable, pleasant atmosphere that makes you feel at home. The flavor, quality, and quantity of the food are exceptional, but prices so
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s g n i t s i L g n i n i D wide array of options in a beautifully appointed space. We have packages that fit every style and budget, with availability for daytime and evening events, seven days a week. Call our banquet director today for one-of-a-kind service.
KP Sarelli’s 241 Broadway (201) 858-4065 sarellisrestaurant.com Since its opening in 2007, KP Sarelli’s has been serving delicious Northern Italian cuisine in its cozy and charming downtown restaurant. Priding itself on the finest and freshest ingredients, KP
Sarelli’s offers a wide variety of fish, chicken, veal, and pasta dishes. Specialties include Seafood Risotto, Tortelloni Quattro Formaggi and Pollo Scarpariello. It’s a perfect choice for a romantic fireside dinner for two or to share a meal with your family and friends. KP Sarelli’s is open seven days a week and is available for private parties.
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 Guardiola Gourmet Pizza and Bistro 819 Broadway (201) 823-3389 laguardiolabistro.com With a full menu of unique and classic dishes, La Guardiola is not your typical
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D in in g L i s t in g s pizzeria. Whether you take out or dine in, this cozy eatery will not disappoint. It offers a wide variety of specialty salads, unique gourmet pizzas, homemade soups, focaccia, and pressed Panini sandwiches, along with traditional pizza and Italian specialties. The portions are hearty, but save room for dessert. LaGuardiola offers a full catering menu for your special event or party. Open six days a week for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday.
Leo’s Grandevous 200 Grand St. (201) 659-9467 leosgrandevous.com Since 1939, this Hoboken landmark has been tantalizing guests with old school Italian standards and contemporary specials. A variety of pasta, fresh fish, veal, and chicken dishes keeps the emphasis on great taste and homey charm. You haven’t been to Hoboken until you have eaten at Leo’s!!
Mona Lisa Pizzeria Ristorante 165 Broadway (201) 858-1812 bayonnemonalisa.com One of the best pizzerias you’ll find in Bayonne, Mona Lisa has been serving the Bayonne community for over 10 years. Famous for their specialty pizza, you must try the customers favorite, Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Whether you are in the mood for pizza, a classic Italian dinner or a quick bite, look no further. Mona Lisa serves up burgers, wraps soups, salads, seafood and more, including gluten free options. Open seven days a week for dine in, take out or free delivery.
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