Life o n th e P eninsula
BLAZING A TRAIL First Female Firefighter Captain Bayonne Bayonne Bridge Emergency! Rockin’ Out Wild Things
Summer 2015
2 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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FEATURES COVER
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BLAZING A TRAIL
First Female Firefighter Cover photo by Maxim Ryazansky
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SPANNING THE DECADES
The Bayone Bridge
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UNMASKING
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CITY CRITTERS
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KIN S A M
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Captain Bayonne
Captain Bayonne Bayonne’s Wild Things
PAINTING THE TOWN Murals in the City
Avengers Assemble!
E nt e r C a p ta in B a y o n ne
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CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR’S LETTER POINT & SHOOT
What the Heck is That?
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DATES
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WORKING OUT WITH
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HANGING OUT WITH
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ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS CORNER
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ON THE JOB WITH
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SENIOR MOMENTS
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EDUCATION
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ON THE WATERFRONT
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HELPING HANDS
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HOW WE LIVE
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EATERY
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WATERING HOLE
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DINING OUT
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What’s goin’ on Kenneth Kopacz
Judith Aurora Ryan Mark Stein Bowling
McCabe Ambulance Prime of Life
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPTAIN BAYONNE
Superman may be a more apt model for Captain Bayonne than Captain America. Captain Bayonne’s Jimmy Olson job is to work in admissions operations for Columbia University. But when he’s not at his day job, he’s seeking truth, justice, and the American Way in his hometown of Bayonne. A Jersey City native, Brian Rocheny has been living in Bayonne for 23 years. Rocheny, 43, has been working at various jobs since age 11. But there was a time back in his college days when he was studying to be an actor. That didn’t work out, but it may be the defining moment for his avocation as Captain Bayonne. That, along with some gigs as a standup comic in Manhattan. “I wanted to be an actor,” he says, “and being Captain Bayonne is like playing a role. It’s just natural. I have a creative mind and get bored very quickly. This character is something different, and I found it appealing.” But perhaps one of the most surprising things on his bucket list was to compete in the New York City Marathon. The first chance he had to do it was in the fall of 2001. “It was extremely emotional,” he says. “They weren’t sure that it would come off.” He continued to run in marathons, and it was while running on a hometown street that Captain Bayonne was born. “It was five years ago,” he says, “and I was running at night and almost got killed by a car barreling down Avenue A. The car managed to stop inches away from me; otherwise I would have gone through the windshield. It was then that I started to think of ways that I could stand out so that people could see me.”
He’s a constant presence at Bayonne’s many parades, festivals, and other events. And also on Facebook. That’s not a site where he’d planned on appearing, but two people who’d seen him around town started a Facebook page. In fact, they were the ones who dubbed him Captain Bayonne. Before that, he’d called himself Fat Flash Super Hero. “Now I’m on the Facebook page to respond to people who
DEPARTMENTS
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CONTENTS BLP
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All Saints Academy Mussel Bound
The Windmill Alliance Victorian Vibe Otaiko
The Vic Listings
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PHOTOS BY JOSEPH PASSANTIO
ask for any kind of help,” he says. He cites as examples fire victims, whom he has helped by raising money through the sale of Captain Bayonne T-shirts and mugs. Bayonne citizens gave him clothing, cribs, furniture, and electronics for the victims. He also helped the family of a Bayonne teacher who died in California to bring the body back to Bayonne. “I contacted senators in California, who contacted the coroner,” he says. When he’s at an event he’ll take “a little old lady shopping cart” and fill it with kids’ goodie bags stuffed with bubbles, pencils, toys, and clown noses. He gets his outfits on eBay. After the tragic events at the Boston Marathon in 2014, he is not allowed to wear his mask in marathons. “My goal is to help people and make people smile and laugh a little bit,” he says.
No t C a pt a in J ers ey C ity Brian Rocheny may have grown up in Jersey City, but Bayonne is definitely a better town for a superhero. “I’ve run through Jersey City a couple of times,” he says, “and it hasn’t gone as well. People have threatened me. One guy early in the morning went off on a rant, saying he would kill me and other stuff. I don’t get that kind of reaction in Bayonne. They take a picture, say hello. It’s a lot friendlier.” He also gets a good response from his Columbia coworkers. “A lot of them are very supportive and have bought T-shirts,” he says. “They get it. They have a sense of humor.” His wife is supportive, too, but he acknowledges that she has a hard time calling him “Captain” in public. “I always liked Bayonne growing up,” he says. “My mom took me to the park in Bayonne, and I was very fond of it. It’s a nice town, a good community with good people. They come together anytime somebody is in need.” Rocheny says he’s always in Bayonne supporting local businesses. His future plans call for creating a video declaring war on litter in Bayonne. “I’m out every week, and do what I can,” he says. “Everyone should pitch in an hour a week.” Aye, aye, Captain.—Kate Rounds Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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PUBLISHERS Lucha Malato, David Unger EDITOR IN CHIEF Kate Rounds GRAPHICS STAFF Lisa M. Cuthbert, Terri Saulino Bish Alyssa Bredin, Mike Mitolo, Pasquale Spina
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SUMMER 2015 Vo l u m e 2 • N u m b e r 1 A Publication of The Hudson Reporter
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Bayonne – Life on the Peninsula is a publication of The Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P. 1400 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 phone 201.798.7800 • fax 201.798.0018
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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TERRI SAULINO BISH
began her career as a graphic designer and digital artist. Expanding into the area of photography, she not only creates images but captures them with her camera. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Best of Photography. Her art currently includes digital paintings and photos that can be viewed at tbishphoto.com.
ALYSSA BREDIN TERRI SAULINO BISH ALYSSA BREDIN
is a graduate of Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, with a degree in graphic arts. She is pursuing a career in photography. Her work can be seen at tbishphoto.com.
NEIL CARROLL
is a former Hudson County Freeholder and former member of the Hudson County Schools of Technology Board of Education. A veteran of both World War II and Korea, he is a lifelong Bayonne resident, who remembers swimming in the Kill Van Kull.
CHRIS LOUPOS
is an editorial and commercial photographer. You can see more of his work at chrisloupos.com or stalk him on instagram at @chrisloupos.
RANDI ROBERTS
NEIL CARROLL
RANDI ROBERTS
is a food blogger and photographer, who studied art history and has a consuming interest in aesthetics, art, and most of all food. Her blog, “Foodie Ventures,” explores her food experiences with recipes, dining out, and her take on food trends.
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
has studied publication design, photography, and graphic design. “I’ve been fascinated by photography for 18 years,” he says. One of his jobs as a construction project manager is to photograph job sites.
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
C O N T R I B U T O R S
B L P
CHRIS LOUPOS
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
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 RYANZANSKY
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.
MAXIM RYAZANSKY
TARA RYANZANSKY
PATTY SMITH is director of the school-based youth service program at Bayonne High School. A Bayonne native, she recalls going to Uncle Milty’s back in the day and is still friends with grammar-school classmates. She loved growing up in the shadow of the Bayonne Bridge. 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.
PATTY SMITH
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AL SULLIVAN
PHOTO BY MARIE PAPP
EDITOR'S LETTER BLP
Season’s Greetings
22 nd Street
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When a magazine comes out only twice a year, you sometimes find yourself seasonally haywire. You’re tromping around in the snow, slipping on ice, and braving bitter winds for stories that will appear in spring and summer. Hats off to our photographers, who did yeoman work to get images that were not frozen in time. In fact, a couple of stories are quintessentially spring. Photographer Chris Loupos captured Hudson County Freeholder and Washington Community School principal Kenny Kopacz playing baseball with our writer, Randi Roberts, on the Pony League field. Behind them, in a postcard from Bayonne, huge container ships move slowly toward the bridge. Max Ryazansky shot Nestor Lenin Uraga in the act of painting a mural on a Bayonne building. The Bayonne Nature Club’s Joan Brunner and Patricia Hilliard shot some beautiful pictures of some of the city’s non-taxpaying residents for our wildlife photo essay, along with our own Victor M. Rodriguez, who has done scores of shoots for BLP. Other stories are evergreen. Tara Ryazansky was on the job with folks from McCabe Ambulance Service. Make no mistake. These EMTs have your back. On a lighter note, Tara came away star struck after hanging out at the Starting Point with astrologer Judith Aurora Ryan. By far, one of our most poignant writing teams was Patty Smith, collaborating with her Dad, Neil Carroll, for our retrospective on the Bayonne Bridge. She helped him marshal his memories of the city’s most iconic structure, as it goes through its massive raise-the-roadway project. You were no doubt struck by the compelling portrait on our cover. That’s Cailin Brodel, Bayonne’s first woman firefighter—and probably the last person you want to see at your door. Read about her and much more as we celebrate life on the Peninsula—BLP
B EST N EW P ROJECT 14 of 20 Our premier issue of “Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula” won the New Jersey Press Association’s Award for the Best New Project of 2014. Congratulations to our designers and writers, and thanks to our readers and advertisers for their ongoing support.
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Life just got healthier in Hudson County.
Jersey City Medical Center now part of the Aetna Network.
Ranked #1 in NJ
barnabashealth.org/jcmc 201.915.2000
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Blazing a Trail
A first for the BFD BY KATE ROUNDS
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PHOTOS BY MAXIM RYAZANSKY
pend just a few moments with Cailin Brodel, and you know why she made the grade. Women who are the first do to anything often are uber-qualified—and also very humble. That’s how she comes across: as a professional, gracious, goodhumored, straight-forward, take-charge kind of person who manages to be multi-talented and unpretentious at the same time. She had three formidable careers before joining the Bayonne Fire Department. She worked in the finance industry and was an EMT and a registered nurse.
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Bayonne Raised Brodel grew up on North Street downtown and attended a mosaic of Catholic institutions: St. Vincent DePaul RC Elementary School, Holy Family Academy, and Boston College. “I wasn’t specifically looking to go to a Jesuit College,” she says, “but I wouldn’t change anything about going to Catholic schools. I made great friends and had great role models.”
She points to Holy Family as an institution that honors “women of vision,” and Boston College, whose motto is “Men and women for others.” “I didn’t have a clear-cut vision of a job or career,” Brodel says. “I went to college with the idea that I’d figure it out.” Like a lot of students, she chose what “felt like the most marketable major.” In her case, economics. After college she got a job as a brokerage operations representative for an investment company in New York City. She lasted less than a year and then, not surprisingly, “I did not like working in an office 9 to 5,” she says. “I didn’t see how my role was impacting anyone positively. I started spending a lot of time trying to decide what career would allow me to feel emotionally, spiritually, and professionally fulfilled.” Right after she left the investment firm, she submitted an application for the Bayonne Fire Department civil service exam. Five months later she took the written portion of the exam, which involved word problems and some critical thinking. She also had to watch a short
video with vignettes of various scenarios. The applicant is asked to choose among different options for handling the situation. It seems, she says, as if the exercise was meant to test your ability to be a team player and remain level-headed.
Rx for Finding Fulfillment In May of the following year, she took the physical portion of the civil service exam, for which she had to wear a vest weighing about 45 pounds and go through “a bunch of obstacles.” She had to drag a hose and a dummy, lift a box of equipment and a saw, and carry a 50pound bag up and down a flight of stairs 12 times. “Lifting the weighted bag up and down stairs was the most difficult in terms of energy expended,” she says. “The test is extremely challenging. Whether you are in the greatest or worst shape, no one would find it easy.” Brodel, who is 27 and five-foot-nine, does not disclose her weight. She participated in sports throughout her educational life, including swimming at Holy
“The test is extremely challenging.”
Brodel said of the physical portion of the test.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAYONNE FIRE DEPARTMENT
As a “probie,” or probationary firefighter, Brodel will learn her job by watching and working with the experienced and skilled men who surround her. When we visited the new firehouse for the photo shoot, firefighters were in the modern kitchen, watching TV, talking about hunting, the cold winter just past— and fires. Bob made fried-egg sandwiches for his fellow firefighters. Soon, Brodel sailed in with two large boxes of cookies from Judicke’s. When I commented that the cookies were a nice gesture, one of the men joked, “They’re required.”
Family and playing on its volleyball team. She currently goes to the gym. “I work out, but not like crazy. I want to maintain my strength and improve upon it.” Meanwhile, a medical career seemed to be calling her, and by September 2011, she was enrolled in a 14-month accelerated nursing program at NYU. “When I decided to become a nurse,” she says, “I wanted to gain some experience in medical care, so I became an EMT and worked part time as an EMT at McCabe through nursing school.” [See our story on McCabe on Page 38] Soon after graduation she landed a job working at the NYU Langone Medical Center in the department of inpatient adult medicine. “I liked nursing. I had a lot of great friends and liked my coworkers,” she says. “Nurses definitely deserve all the credit in the world, but the difficulty of the job is underestimated. It’s stressful and challenging because there’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s rewarding.” Her department dealt with a broad range of illnesses and conditions. “I could have had a successful, happy career as a nurse,” she says.
Brodel graduates in 2014. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAYONNE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Fire! That is, until the Bayonne Fire Department called. She quit her nursing job in August 2014 and by Aug. 18, she was sworn in to the Bayonne Fire Department. She graduated in a ceremony on Oct. 30, 2014. When Brodel describes her first months on the job she sounds like the opposite of
NBC anchor Brian Williams, who exaggerated his exploits during the Iraq War. Brodel minimizes hers, using phrases like “providing support” and acknowledging that her first fire was already out by the time her company got there. Civilians usually look at the job in terms of the danger and the fear factor. “The only thing I’m afraid of is not doing my job correctly,” she says. “I’m not thinking about what is physically harmful or scary. I want to operate as safely as possible and do the right thing to mitigate the harm the fire is doing.” She says, “This is your job, you signed up to do it for the rest of your career, you get paid to do it, and the sooner you get accustomed to the danger, the better off you’ll be.” You’d think that her training as a registered nurse would come in handy on the job, but she says she’s not allowed to practice nursing interventions on people while working as a firefighter.
Proud Parents “When I first told my parents about taking the test, they supported it, because I don’t think they anticipated that it would ever come to fruition,” Brodel says. “Once I realized it was within reach, they got
“I’ve never had an issue being the first woman in the department,” Brodel says.
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Left to right are Jose Franco, Robert Ramaseur, John McGimpsey, Cailin Brodel, Captain Salvatore Gaetani, Robert Baran, and Captain Jack Lopez. nervous,” reminding her that she already had a great job as a nurse. Brodel told them, “I love you both, and I would appreciate your support.” From that point on, she says, they were “super supportive.” She emphasizes that they always believe in her and are proud. “I think they kind of hold back letting me know how nervous they are,” she says. “They don’t want me to worry for them.” Her mother is an administrative assistant for a law firm in New York City. Her father is a ship superintendent for Ports America’s Bayonne Auto Terminal at the Military Ocean Terminal. The company imports and exports cars. Brodel’s firehouse is the new one on Chosin Few Avenue at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, a stone’s throw from her father’s workplace. She tells the story of passing him when her company was on the truck on their way to a fire on the pier “in his neck of the woods.” A crew was “putting down asphalt on the pier,” she relates, “and the tar-heating truck caught fire and was completely engulfed in flames.” Brodel lives in Bayonne with her boyfriend, who is an officer with the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office. “He gets the whole civil-service frame of mind,” she says. “He has a dangerous job, too. We worry about each other, but we try to stay positive and support each other.”
If You Can’t Stand the Heat OK, so you have to be brave to enter a burning building, but what about braving the kitchen of a firehouse? Firefighters are notoriously good cooks, and everyone has to do apron duty. “I would not call myself an expert chef,” Brodel acknowledges. “I cook at home, but cooking for 10 hungry guys? That’s another ballgame, and I was stressed out.” Nevertheless, she stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and pulled off an Ash Wednesday shrimpand-pasta dinner that her fellow firefighters gave a “great” review. And that was no mean feat. Members of the Bayonne Fire Department took top honors last year and this year in the statewide Ultimate Fire Department Cook-Off. Brodel says she has had no problems whatsoever being the first woman in the department. “I’ve never had an issue,” she says. She shares a bunk room with the guys that has about 11 twin-size beds. There’s a curtained partition if she needs it. “They very nicely extended that courtesy,” she says, “but I haven’t used it yet.”
Recollections and Aspirations Many of us have had the sensation of remembering something deep in our childhoods and realizing in hindsight
that experiences from long ago can influence the here and now. Brodel’s mother’s first cousins were both Bayonne firefighters. “When I was a kid, I knew they were firemen,” Brodel recalls. “When we’d run into them at the grocery store, I’d jump in the truck and sit in the driver’s seat, and they’d let me pull the horn. This was my first interaction with firefighters.” Brodel was about 6 at the time and maintains she was too young to focus on being a firefighter herself. “I remember thinking that this is really cool,” she says, “and not something that was out of my reach but something I could do if I wanted to.” It’s hard to imagine that “pulling that horn” hasn’t been marinating in her subconscious for the past two decades. But it was Sept. 11, 2001 that may have clinched it. Brodel was a freshman at Holy Family at the time. “I was affected by it,” she says. “It became important to me to honor and emulate the firemen who lost their lives. The respect I had for them led me to want this job.” And excel at it. “I want to make the best of the career I chose,” she says. “I want to come at it full force, learn as much as possible, do really well, study for promotional exams, and one day become an officer. Of all the places I’ve been in my professional life, this is the first time I’ve felt at peace.”—BLP
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Spanning the Decades
Recollections of our iconic bridge
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAYONNE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
With the raise-the-roadway project, slated for completion in 2018, the Bayonne Bridge is going through a transformation never envisioned when it debuted in 1931. As it undergoes this massive change, we thought it would be a good time to call on one of Bayonne’s most revered citizens to share his memories of the bridge back in the day.
BY NEIL CARROLL AS TOLD TO HIS DAUGHTER PATTY SMITH
M
PHOTO BY AL SULLIVAN
y dad’s first memories of the Bayonne Bridge begin at the age of 4, in 1931. He remembers sitting on his grandfather’s front porch, listening to him tell of how that very house was picked up from its original site on Margaret Street and moved a few blocks to where it stands today, on John F. Kennedy Blvd., between Juliette Street and West 4th Street. The reason
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAYONNE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
PHOTO BY AL SULLIVAN
for this move was to make way for the entrance to the Bayonne Bridge. His own father’s reminiscences of the grand opening of the Bayonne Bridge are as grand as the opening itself. “My father was a motorcycle cop on the Bayonne Police Department at the time,” Dad relates. “He had the privilege to be one of the motorcycle escorts of the dignitaries as they traveled from Bayonne to the Staten Island side. The mayor of
Bayonne was the first passenger car over, driving his 1928 Rolls Royce. After a number of introductions and speeches, the day ended with the entire entourage having a celebratory dinner at the Bayonne Elks Lodge, where all the participants of the day received a commemorative medal for their efforts. I still have that medal.” At the age of 9 while attending PS1, now Henry Harris School, Dad recalled a visit from a special
guest. It was 1936, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt was running for re-election. On his way to campaign appearances in New York City, President Roosevelt passed through Bayonne in his motorcade and crossed the Bayonne Bridge. The entire school, along with bands and other spectators, lined the bridge entrance as the President, in his car with the top down, waved and flashed that FDR smile upon the people of Bayonne.
ICONIC CONNECTOR
Dad recalls that he and his Bergen Point friends spent a lot of time on Staten Island. For a nickel, you could walk across the bridge; upon arrival in Staten Island you were greeted by movie houses, stores, and the Staten Island Pool, where you could cool off in the summer months. If you didn’t have five cents, you’d hitch a ride with one of the motorists going over to the island. Despite its many attractions, Staten Island was still rural, with vast areas of farmland and open fields for picnics and playing ball. If you were energetic enough and walked a bit more, you’d come upon Clove Lake, and the Clove Lake Zoo. The Bayonne Bridge opened this entire new world to the denizens of downtown Bayonne and beyond. While to the right of the bridge, industry began to spring up, on the left side, from 1st Street to the Kill van Kull, were beautiful beaches. The best section of beach was from the bridge east to what is today known as Collins Park. There were “lifeguard stations” along the Kill, but the favorite was the one beneath the bridge, always manned by a lifeguard, where most kids in downtown Bayonne learned to swim. From time to time, the bravest of these swimmers would save the nickel and swim across the Kill to Staten Island. This was done with great caution and a knowledge of the tide charts. To go to the island, kids set out with the tide, from the bridge area. They’d arrive on the island across from what today is Brady Dock. To get back, they’d swim with the tide from the Brady Dock area and land
PHOTO BY AL SULLIVAN
near the bridge. Dad remembers a small diner called Cal’s in the vicinity of what is today 1st street and JFK Blvd.; the soda was always cold.
OCEAN AND AIR
In what is now Collins Park was Townsers Terminal, where tugs brought in old barges, no longer in service, for dismantling and scrap. As time went on, and the nation became embroiled in WWII, Elco Boat Works would test all the newly built PT boats before shipping out for service in the
PHOTO OF NEIL CARROLL BY AL SULLIVAN
20 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
PHOTO BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Pacific theater. Dad remembers hearing those big engines all over downtown, and the speed of them on their shakedown cruises was incredible. Just about that time, a guy who was a little older than Dad, and a bit of a local legend, threatened to do something daring. This man had his pilot’s license and promised to fly his plane under the Bayonne Bridge. He did not disappoint; on the date and time designated, he flew directly under the bridge. He went on to serve in the Army Air Corps during WWII. “He lived on 3rd Street, and just as he promised, he pulled off that stunt,” Dad says. “There was a lot of stuff like that in those days. Downtown Bayonne was always abuzz, always something to do, and the bridge area, 1st street and the beach area, was always alive.” My father recalls that in 1956, the Port Authority donated the land under the bridge at Julliette Street for a park, and in 1966, he recalled the collision of two passing ships, the Alva Cape and the tanker ship, Texaco Massachusetts. The fear at the time was that the bridge would be damaged by the heat and flames of the blaze. Another memory of great ships was the ocean liner Normandie, which had to be cut down to fit under the bridge. In 1942, it caught fire while being converted into a troop ship and could be seen being hauled to Kearny for scrap.
SEMICENTENNIAL
In 1981, while working for Representative Frank Guarini, Dad took part in the ceremony celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Bayonne Bridge. As it did some 50 years earlier, the day’s events ended with a celebratory
dinner at the Bayonne Elks Club. “It was exciting,” Dad says. “I remember exchanging stories and memories with everyone there. Each of us had our own fond memories, and mine were of my father and grandfather.” (Dad was named for his grandfather.) I asked my dad what he thought about the bridge and what it meant to him. The great arch adorns so many things here in town. Was it the symbol of Bayonne? Was it the engineering feat? It was for many years the longest steel arch bridge in the world. His answer speaks to a different time in Bayonne and in the world. “Life was simple back then,” Dad says. “We looked at the bridge like it was ours, it belonged to Bergen Point, and it was filled with lore—the daredevil pilots, and who could swim to Staten Island the fastest. We lived around the bridge, and nobody seemed bothered by it. We lived through burning barges, colliding ships, blasting and trenching the Kill. We watched huge cargo ships being guided deftly by tugs, and felt the excitement of seeing foreign flags attached to those ships as they entered and left our little slice of the globe. Nobody complained. Everyone accepted it and enjoyed it. I can see the bridge to this day from my front window. In 2001, I watched as the ever-present white lights became red, white, and blue. Many great memories I have.” It was Dad’s final thought that touched me the most. “If it weren’t for the Bayonne Bridge, I would have never met your mother over in Bayway in Elizabeth,” he says. “I never thought about that before, but that bridge was an integral part of my story. My story, one of many that evoke the iconic structure that spans the Kill van Kull—the Bayonne Bridge.”—BLP
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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U
A M N
G N I K S
Captain Bayonne
Avengers Assemble!
22 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPTAIN BAYONNE
Superman may be a more apt model for Captain Bayonne than Captain America. Captain Bayonne’s Jimmy Olson job is to work in admissions operations for Columbia University. But when he’s not at his day job, he’s seeking truth, justice, and the American Way in his hometown of Bayonne. A Jersey City native, Brian Rocheny has been living in Bayonne for 23 years. Rocheny, 43, has been working at various jobs since age 11. But there was a time back in his college days when he was studying to be an actor. That didn’t work out, but it may be the defining moment for his avocation as Captain Bayonne. That, along with some gigs as a standup comic in Manhattan. “I wanted to be an actor,” he says, “and being Captain Bayonne is like playing a role. It’s just natural. I have a creative mind and get bored very quickly. This character is something different, and I found it appealing.” But perhaps one of the most surprising things on his bucket list was to compete in the New York City Marathon. The first chance he had to do it was in the fall of 2001. “It was extremely emotional,” he says. “They weren’t sure that it would come off.” He continued to run in marathons, and it was while running on a hometown street that Captain Bayonne was born. After the tragic events at the Boston Marathon in 2014, he is not allowed to wear his mask in marathons. “It was five years ago,” he says, “and I was running at night and almost got killed by a car barreling down Avenue A. The car managed to stop inches away from me; otherwise I would have gone through the windshield. It was then that I started to think of ways that I could stand out so that people could see me.”
Enter Captain Bayonne He’s a constant presence at Bayonne’s many parades, festivals, and other events. And also on Facebook. That’s not a site where he’d planned on appearing, but two people who’d seen him around town started a Facebook page. In fact, they were the ones who dubbed him Captain
PHOTOS BY JOSEPH PASSANTINO
Bayonne. Before that, he’d called himself Fat Flash Super Hero. “Now I’m on the Facebook page to respond to people who ask for any kind of help,” he says. He cites as examples fire victims, whom he has helped by raising money through the sale of Captain Bayonne T-shirts and mugs. Bayonne citizens gave him clothing, cribs, furniture, and electronics for the victims. He also helped the family of a Bayonne teacher who died in California to bring the body back to Bayonne. “I contacted senators in California, who contacted the coroner,” he says. When he’s at an event he’ll take “a little old lady shopping cart” and fill it with kids’ goodie bags stuffed with bubbles, pencils, toys, and clown noses. He gets his outfits on eBay. “My goal is to help people and make people smile and laugh a little bit,” he says.
Not Captain Jersey City Brian Rocheny may have grown up in Jersey City, but Bayonne is definitely a better town for a superhero. “I’ve run through Jersey City a couple of times,” he says, “and it hasn’t gone as well. People have threatened me. One guy early in the morning went off on a rant, saying he would kill me and other stuff. I don’t get that kind of reaction in Bayonne. They take a picture, say hello. It’s a lot friendlier.” He also gets a good response from his Columbia coworkers. “A lot of them are very supportive and have bought T-shirts,” he says. “They get it. They have a sense of humor.” His wife is supportive, too, but he acknowledges that she has a hard time calling him “Captain” in public. “I always liked Bayonne growing up,” he says. “My mom took me to the park in Bayonne, and I was very fond of it. It’s a nice town, a good community with good people. They come together anytime somebody is in need.” Rocheny says he’s always in Bayonne supporting local businesses. His future plans call for creating a video declaring war on litter in Bayonne. “I’m out every week, and do what I can,” he says. “Everyone should pitch in an hour a week.” Aye, aye, Captain.—Kate Rounds Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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I
n a city the size of Bayonne you can still find vestiges of our rural past. In our parks, on our waterfronts, and even in ragged lots left vacant by demolished or abandoned buildings, you can find a surprising variety of wildlife. These images come from the cameras of Bayonne residents who have caught our untamed friends in the act of being themselves. We will be publishing more wildlife photos in future issues. Send yours to KRounds@hudsonreporter.com.
Groundhog by Victor M. Rodriguez
Feral cat by Victor M. Rodriguez
Rabbit near Alexan city view by Joan Brunner
Hummingbird by Victor M. Rodriguez
Snowy owl perched on Frank’s Theater by Joan Brunner
24 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
Turtles by Patricia Hilliard
Monarch butterfly by Joan Brunner
Squirrel by Victor M. Rodriguez
Yellow-crown night heron by Joan Brunner
Praying mantis at Rutkowski Park by Joan Brunner Male kestrel by Joan Brunner Possum by Victor M. Rodriguez
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Painting the Town
MURALS MAKE AN APPEARANCE BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAXIM RYAZANSKY
N
estor Lenin Uraga is painting the town red—and purple, orange, green, and shades of black and white. The first time Uraga picked up a can of spray paint, he was a teenager doing graffiti in his home country of Mexico. “I started when I was only 14 years old,” he says. “I got into trouble a couple of times, because people don’t really like when you do graffiti on their property, so I started to ask for permission.” When he no longer had to look over his shoulder, his art began to improve. “I was getting better because I had more time to prepare, mix the colors, and create the designs,” he says.
Painter Nestor Lenin Uraga at work
Uraga’s floral creation for Angela’s Mum
Soon building owners in Mexico were seeking him out to paint murals. He created designs for store owners and did work for private residents. Uraga moved to the United States at age 19. He felt isolated until he started working in the restaurant business and met Spanish-speaking coworkers. But he realized that spending time exclusively with other Spanish speakers wouldn’t push him to learn English and get his art out there. He took a job at the Broadway Diner and the Chandelier; today he expresses himself perfectly, and is especially eloquent when he talks about art.
WA L L TO WA L L
While working at the diner, Uraga met artist Fernando Fernandez, with whom he collaborated on art projects. From Fernandez, he learned about painting on canvas with mediums beyond spray paint. “It is very good for Bayonne to have a couple of Nestor murals,” Fernandez says. Uraga’s first mural in the U.S. was of an Aztec princess inside the dressing room of Classic Skate Shop on Broadway. Owner Gary Iannitelli has also commissioned Uraga murals at The Bridge Skatepark, in his own home, and behind the register at the shop. “I feel like the art popping up around town is beautiful and brings a new young image to our town,” he says. Uraga also has painted murals at El Aguila Dorada, a Mexican restaurant on Broadway and 38th Street.
Former boxing champ Chuck Wepner calls his mural “surreal.”
PA I N T I N G T H E TOW N H A P PY
PA I N T I N G T H E P U G I L I ST
In 2011 Fernandez opened an art gallery called Ferdez near the Broadway Diner. Though the gallery didn’t flourish, Uraga says. “The art community in Bayonne started to bloom.” Fernandez is now slated to do a mural in Bergen Point. A volunteer community group called Beautify Bayonne is working with NJ Transit to cover up the old Burger King sign on the overpass that spans Broadway at West Eighth Street. “It will brighten up the entry to historic Bergen Point under the trestle,” says group cofounder and local real estate agent Chris Piechocki. “This area of Broadway is in the midst of a regentrification and great things are happening.” Tracy D’Alessandro owns a full-service flower shop called Angela’s Mum on 34th Street just off of Broadway. Uraga’s work has brought all the floral beauty from the inside of the shop to the outside. “Customers tell me they purposely go up 34th Street, out of the way, to see the mural because it makes them smile,” D’Alessandro says. “Can you imagine if every block you turn up can make you smile?” D’Alessandro credits Jack Smith Attorney at Law, the building owner, for his consent and forward thinking. “Let’s paint the town happy,” she says.
Uraga’s latest project, a painting of Chuck Wepner in honor of the 40th anniversary of his 15-round fight against Muhammad Ali, is done on parachute canvas. Affixed to the side of the health food restaurant Andrew’s on Broadway, it towers over 33rd Street. Uraga and Nicholas Macchia were lead artists, heading a team of volunteers. The two had worked as volunteers on a 16th Street Park mural, painted by an artist known as LNY. “I didn’t realize it would be as big and imposing as it is,” Wepner says. “It’s three stories high. It was surreal.” Mayor Jimmy Davis is a fan. “All murals can tell a story, and I think that every city has a story to tell, especially Bayonne,” he says. “Bayonne is very rich in tradition and in its history.” Community Development Manager Samantha Howard headed the project. “Hopefully this mural will fuel the art community in Bayonne to get involved in or start future art endeavors.” Throughout the process, Howard tracked the progress of the mural. “It started off as a flat outline and rather quickly, layer upon layer of detail and color were added,” she says. “It was an amazing transformation to watch.” Keep your eyes open while you walk around Bayonne. You might find a sight for sore eyes.—BLP
Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015 •
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PONT AND SHOOT BLP
PHOTO BY TIMOTHY MATUS
A lot of folks have wondered what this strange thing is out in Newark Bay. We knew that photographer Timothy Matus shot a beautiful picture of it, but we didn't know what it was until an engineer who was born and raised in Bayonne, gave us the story. Apparently, the contraption was used by Electro-Dynamic Company. Sand was processed and stored in the container and delivered to the Company facility, where it was used to form molds to cast housings, for motors on navy ships and subs. Who knew?
28 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
D AT E S
Want your event listed? Please email us at bayonnemag@hudsonreporter.com and put “Bayonne Magazine calendar listings” in the subject line.
Ongoing Hudson Toastmasters Club Meetings, Bayonne Public Library, 697 Avenue C, side entrance. For information, contact Laura Healy Santo, District 83, Division G at lmvhs@yahoo.com. Meetings held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 7 p.m. The Bar at Polish American Home, 27-31 West 22nd Street. For information call (201) 3393902. Hours: Fridays 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturdays 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturdays Karaoke Night 9 p.m. Hudson County summer sports programs in the parks Residents can register online at hudsoncountynj.or g/parks or by calling Hudson County Division of Parks at (201) 915-1388. Monday through Friday schedule: tennis at Lincoln Park July 6-Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for kids ages 5-15; boys’ and girls’ basketball camp at Communipaw Avenue courts June 29-Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m. for kids ages 8-15; soccer July 6-Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m. behind the Little League Field, for kids ages 5-15. GFWC Peninsula Women’s Club Meetings, Senior Citizen Center, 56th Street and Avenue B at 7 p.m. For more information, go to njsfwc.org/clubsview.php?id=Penins ula. The group is a non-political, nonsectarian, non-dis-
criminatory organization that promotes civic and humanistic activities. Meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month. New members are always welcome. Bayonne Women’s Club meetings, Grace Lutheran Church Hall, 836 Avenue C at the corner of 37th Street. For information, call (201) 4377263. Meetings held on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
Our Lady of Assumption Parish Flea Market, 23rd Street between Kennedy Boulevard and Avenue C. For more info, call the rectory at (201) 4368160 or Zoila at (201) 823-4237. Held on the first Saturday of every month 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the parking lot. Vendors welcome. St. Henry Church Flea Market, 82 West 29th St. in the Pine Room/basement of the school, entrance via parking lot. Tables are $20 for one, $25 for two. Call Barbara Silvay at (201) 3390319. Held every third Saturday of the month 9 a.m.-3 p.m. National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Chapter 1490 Meetings, Senior Center, 56th Street and Avenue B. For further information, call Jean at (201) 339-3032. Meetings held on the second Wednesday of every month except July and August and unless otherwise noted. Andrean’s Senior Club Meetings at Fourth Street and
Story Court. Contact Dottie (201) 436-1923. For members 55 years and older. Group meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Over 40 Softball League, 16th Street Park. For more information or to join call Gerry Geiss at (201) 988-3009. Games weekdays at 6 p.m. from June until Labor Day. Sunday Morning Softball League is looking for teams in Bayonne. For information, call (201) 283-4891, ask for Frankie at (201) 471-1861 or email fundaysundaysoftball@gmail.com. Kick It For Nick Soccer Ball Donations. For further information, please contact Pete Amadeo at (201) 858-6129 or email bayonnerec@aol.co m. Donations collected by the
Division of Recreation, City Hall Room #13, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. FREE Family Caregiver Support Group, Bayonne Public Library, 697 Avenue C in the conference room on every second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Bereavement support groups for Surviving Caregiver s and workshops for Paid Caregivers such as Home Care Workers are also available. For more info, call Michelle at (917) 952-1420. Hudson County Animal League, volunteer opportunities, cut coupons and mail them to P.O. Box 3589, Jersey City, N.J. 07303 or P.O. Box 4332, Bayonne, N.J. 07002. For info, call Kathleen at (201)
895-3874 or Charlene at (201) 200-1008. Consider becoming a foster parent to a pet until a forever home is found. For information, contact Lorma Wepner at (201) 437-7263. Hudson County Pet Adoptions Events, Petvalu, 307 Bayonne Crossing Way, Saturdays 12-4 p.m. with the Hudson County Animal League. Call Charlene at (201) 598-0952 or Kathleen at (201) 895-3874. Sundays 12-4 p.m. with Companion Animal Rescue and Education (CARE) call (201) 858-3400 or email carenjrescue@yahoo.com. Joyce-Herbert V.F.W. Post 226 Museum, 16 West Ninth St. Open Saturdays 12-4 p.m. Contact Commander Glen J. Flora or the
Director and Senior Vice Commander Joseph Kennedy. The group also accepts military memorabilia either donated or loaned for display. Bayonne Quilt Club, Story Court Senior Center, Fourth Street and Story Court, on the second floor. Meetings Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The group accepts donations of cotton fabric. Young at Heart Meetings, Senior Center, West Fourth Street, on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 12:30 p.m. Prime of Life Club, Senior Center, 16 West Fourth St. on the second and fourth Monday of the month at about 12 p.m. at tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 unless
continued on page 33
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For F or D Details: etails: 732-562-1010 732-562-1010 ext.210 ext. 210 www.crl-inc.com/new_studies w w w.crl-inc.com /new_ st udies Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Working Out With—
KENNY KOPACZ BY RANDI ROBERTS PHOTOS BY CHRIS LOUPOS
K
enneth Kopacz was destined to be an educator. You might say that it’s in his blood. “Growing up in a house with two public school educators as parents, I think I was born a public school educator,” says Kopacz, 35, who has been the principal of Washington Community School for the last five years. His parents are career educators who have been serving New Jersey for decades. His older sister is an educator in the Jersey City Public School system, while his younger sister is a teacher at Bayonne High School. Kimberly, his wife, teaches first grade in Jersey City. Born and raised in Bayonne, Kopacz calls himself a product of the public school system, but his first teachers were his parents. It was his father who introduced him to baseball. “My father would come home from his second job as a machinist, and I would ask him to take
me to the schoolyard for a catch,” Kopacz recalls. These times together not only fostered a passion for baseball but also taught him valuable life lessons. “He has always been my best coach because he never worried about wins and losses or hits and strikeouts. He only cared about one thing: if I played hard.” Baseball became an important part of Kopacz’s life; he played at Bayonne High School and St. Peter’s University. “The coaches that I played for were so much more than coaches” he says. “They were mentors and guys I continue to look up to. They all saw the bigger picture.” Like his father, his coaches stressed the value of dedication and community. After college, Kopacz returned to the elementary school he attended, Henry E. Harris School, to teach 5th grade, while coaching basketball, baseball, and football at his high school alma mater. “Those years of teaching and coaching students are memories that I will hold with me forever,” he says. His experience as a coach and an athlete
30 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
has also influenced him as an educator. For him, the best part of being principal at Washington Community School is that he gets to touch the lives of 700 students instead of just the 25 he would have in his classroom. “I get a chance to work with a strong and dynamic staff,” Kopacz says. They live by the adage, “The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.” He says, “It is something we say to each other all the time. It’s like an unofficial motto.” In late June Kopacz was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Bayonne. He learned about volunteering from his mother who encouraged him and his sisters to make food baskets and anonymously donate them to families in need. “It is a tradition we have passed on,” he says. “A random act of kindness goes a long way.” Like teaching, he sees charitable work as a way of giving back to his community. Kopacz has served as the president of The Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic and as chairman of the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation.
“I challenge and urge all to get involved in volunteer and charity service as it is important to the cause, and the rewards are endless,” he says. Last November, Kopacz, a Democrat, was elected Freeholder for District One in Hudson County. He has a long list of goals and will “introduce some great new ideas” to improve services, balance the budget, and expand youth programs. As a freeholder, Kopacz has another outlet to serve his community, which, he says, “means more than ever now that I have a three-year-old daughter and a son on the way.” In keeping with his passion for baseball, he regularly turns up at Bayonne High School games or at the Little League field. “Anyone who grew up in Bayonne could tell you stories about playing on dangerous fields,” Kopacz says. “I am working toward securing funding that will allow our fields to be in the best condition.” Fielding a few ground balls, catching pop flies, or batting some fungoes, Kopacz is still good with the bat and ball. But he says, “I will always be a teacher and coach at heart.”—BLP
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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HANGING OUT WITH BLP
Judith (left) and Tara
Judith Aurora Ryan BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTO BY MAXIM RYAZANSKY
I
knew that I liked Judith Aurora Ryan’s style the moment she walked into the Starting Point Bar & Grill. Why? Because the astrologer and feng shui master was carrying a leopard-print purse nearly identical to mine. Did she bring hers because she had a premonition? While Ryan considers herself psychic, the matching accessory has nothing to do with that kind of phenomena. “It’s just Jersey!” laughs Ryan, who grew up in Edison and bought a home here in 2005. She was drawn to the area because it was convenient for her commute to area colleges where she used to teach courses in feng shui. It’s especially convenient when she works as a lecturer on cruise ships berthed in Bayonne. Ryan and I share Jersey-girl status, but the similarities end there. I have no psychic abilities, and while I do like reading my horoscope, I must admit,
prior to hanging out with Ryan, I didn’t know what feng shui was all about. “In feng shui you take the living space and divide it into different quadrants,” Ryan says. Each section represents different aspects of life like career or relationships. According to feng shui principles these areas are improved by introducing objects that are in harmony with the specific elements that rule each quadrant. Ryan facilitates “cures” to bring balance to her clients’ homes and businesses. “It’s something that will bring greater peace and more prosperity and health into the home,” Ryan says, adding that her services make spaces “balanced and more functional.”
Star Struck Her astrological charts and forecasts are designed to help clients find personal balance as well. Many clients consult Ryan before making major decisions in life. An astrological chart, she says, is “like a photo of where the stars were when you were born.” As with most professional astrologists, Ryan takes into account the
32 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
exact time, date, and place that a client is born. “If I do somebody’s chart I always ask them if there’ are specific things that they want me to go into,” Ryan says. People often ask what occupation they should pursue. “Your chart isn’t rubberstamped that you should only be in one career,” she says, “but it can help you see what to concentrate on.” Ryan gravitated toward this line of work because she grew up listening to her grandmother give psychic readings in her home. “I would just sit there and watch her when I was small,” Ryan recalls. “I was always sort of like her pet. I was always fascinated by it. When I was little I just assumed that everybody saw things and experienced things and had dreams that were very prophetic. Then I found out that they didn’t when I started going to school.” But astrology was in her blood. “When I was in my teens I wanted to study astrology because I wanted to understand myself better,” she says. “I went to college and did all of the quote ‘normal things,’ like taking liberal arts and business classes. I was always doing readings on the side. I had to decide what I wanted to do, which is it going to be?”
HANGING OUT WITH BLP Though Ryan thinks that there are a lot of misconceptions about psychics, she hasn’t encountered many problems with that. “It’s all caricatures. It’s their way of trying to make fun of something that they don’t understand,” she says of the way psychics are portrayed in the media, but she avoids that stereotype. “Whenever I lecture or teach I look professional,” she says. “I don’t look like I stepped out of the world of Shirley MacLaine.” from page 29 otherwise noted. Social hour includes bingo and refreshments. F.A. Mackenzie Unit 165 American Legion Auxiliary Dinner and Meetings, Catholic War Veterans Hall, 23rd Street and Del Monte Drive at 6:30 p.m., meetings at 8 p.m. For more information, call (201) 437-3992. Senior Advisory Group Meeting, 56th Street Senior Center, (201) 4377263 on the last Wednesday of each month at 12 p.m. followed by a public meeting at 1 p.m. Bayonne Farmers’ Market, 13-21 East 24th St. at the corner of 24th and Church Lane, 2-7 p.m. every Tuesday from May 26 through Nov. 24, rain or shine. Free energy audits and home improvements for qualified low- and middleincome households in the city offered statewide by New Jersey Comfort Partners, with financial support from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. For more information, or to find out designated dates, contact NYS Energy Audits at (201) 777-1420 or go to nysenergyaudits.com.
Ryan is sharp and witty, but she has trouble articulating what it’s like to have psychic talents. “It’s a knowing. I can’t really explain it,” she says. “Some people can hear better than other people musically; maybe I’m more fine-tuned like that.” She declines when I ask her to give me a reading on the spot. She says that we could always schedule something for a later date, but the loud bar isn’t an ideal place for a reading.
In the end, Ryan followed a path that has led her to exciting opportunities like international travel, television appearances, and radio spots. She also does readings for private parties. I’m no psychic, but if you ask me, her stars are in alignment.—BLP
Visit astrologybyjudithryan.com or call (201) 858-1689
Healthy Families, Pastor Victor Llerena, a licensed social worker, will host a series of free workshops on Tuesdays at the Polish American Home at 29 West 22nd St. Discussions will include conflict resolution, effective parenting, mental health, building stronger relationships, and more. Call (201) 339-3902. For men only – Spiritual Fellowship Luncheon, sponsored by Friendship Baptist Church, 4145 West 20th St., first floor. For information, please visit fbcbayonne.org. Every second Saturday of the month at 12 p.m. DiDomenico Municipal Pool, West 16th Street, west of Avenue A. Daily admission fees: $1 for children 12 years old and under; $3 for 13- to 64-year-olds; and $1 for seniors 65 and over. Seasonal passes available. Residents must provide city ID card or be charged $5; outof-town guests $10. Swim lessons available for a separate fee. For information, call (201) 471-7590, or go to bayonnerec.com. Bayonne Girl Scouts seek members and adult volunteer leaders. For more information, contact Jean Styles
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Rocking —
But Not in a Chair
achieved headliner status early and toured all over the world. Vanilla Fudge has influenced the likes of Deep Purple, Yes, and The Who and shared the stage with Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin. In the 1970s Stein took a hiatus from Vanilla Fudge to concentrate on his writing and performing. He did solo work and joined The Tommy Bolin Band and later Alice Cooper. He made recordings with Dave Mason, including work on the album Old Crest on a New Wave, where he sang with Michael Jackson. How did a rocker from Bayonne end up making music with the king of pop? “One night while in the studio circa 1980 in Hollywood, California, I was working on an album with Mason,” Stein says, “and Michael Jackson was working down the hall in a separate studio with The Jacksons. I went out for a break and saw Michael by the soda machine and introduced myself. I asked him to join me in the session to hear some tracks, so, low and behold, he did. We put up a track called “Save Me” which had a cool feel like something akin to the Off The Wall album he recorded. He totally got into it. Before you knew it, I got him to go sing on the mic and scat a bit. So there he was with the earphones on singing and grooving to the tune. You can hear me singing with Dave Mason and Michael Jackson, how crazy is that?”
The Bayonne Beat As a kid in Bayonne, Mark Stein listened to his uncle play the piano.
Mark Stein of Vanilla Fudge is still hangin’ on BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAXIM RYAZANSKY
I
n the heart of Times Square, B.B. King Blues Club is packed. Patrons cluster at the bar, and tables are crowded with die-hard fans who dance during their favorite tunes. Bayonne native Mark Stein wails on the organ, infusing “Ruby Tuesday” with the heavy rock-and-roll sound that Vanilla Fudge is famous for. Stein takes a classic song and makes it his own, displaying his
skills on the keyboard, the organ, and as a vocal front man. The band also plays its original songs. Stein shares the stage with founding members Carmine Appice, Vince Martell, and bass player Pete Bremy, replacing Tim Bogert, who retired. Together they evoke the Spirit of 1967, while galvanizing legions of today’s fans. In 1967, the band’s debut album, Vanilla Fudge, peaked at number six on the Billboard charts. The group
34 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
The musical journey that led to that moment is pretty crazy. “I used to listen to my Uncle Bill play the piano at his home on 31st Street and the bay,” Stein recalls. “I must have been 6, maybe 7 years old. I started to pick out melodies at an early age.” Music came easily to him. His family took notice of how quickly he learned the piano and encouraged him to broaden his scope. “My dad got me into the accordion, a popular instrument for the times,” he says, but he needed coaxing when it came to practicing. As much as his father loved the accordion, Stein hated it. “I got bored with it as my lust for rock and roll took hold of me,” he says. “When I was 11 a friend nearby had a guitar, and I used to pick it up and quickly taught myself some chords. To my dad’s dismay, when he got home from work, I wasn’t practicing accordion, I was singing and playing Buddy Holly songs on guitar.” Rock was thriving in Bayonne at that time, and for Stein, there was no
turning back. “The Jewish Community Center was a melting pot on most Saturday nights back in the early 1960s,” he says. “Kids blended there for a dance where local rock-and-roll bands from Hudson County would play. Bayonne was a great community, a good place to grow up.” He performed at the JCC and various Bayonne taverns throughout his youth. After gigs at the JCC, they’d go to Dido’s on 50th and the Boulevard for pizza. While attending Bayonne High School, Stein played in bands with fellow students before he founded Vanilla Fudge. “The Dynamics is a high school band that comes to mind,” he says. “Vinny Ochino on guitar, Ronnie Czarnecki on drums, Paul Golubiewski on bass, and Glenn Herrick on sax. Another band during senior year was the Valets. Also, Larry Morreale and Ray Block were kids from Bayonne High School that sang with me in various vocal groups like the Valitors along with the late Percy Fair.” Stein played the organ with The Dynamics. “We played at a college party at Yale University, of all places,” Stein says. “I was singing and playing guitar at the time, when Czarnecki, our drummer, spotted a portable organ on the side of the stage and shouted out to me to play it. I fired it up, everybody dug it, and the rest is history.”
Nothing Vanilla About It Vanilla Fudge came together soon after. Stein’s bandmates came from other towns around the New York area. Stein’s jams on the organ and magnetic stage presence captivated audiences. Vanilla Fudge’s psychedelic, hard-rock rendition of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” launched the band to fame. Their first single, it reached number 6 on the Billboard. Even as their popularity grew, Vanilla Fudge still made time to play in Bayonne. In March 1967, Bayonnites were excited to converge on Marist High School to see the hometown band that they’d been hearing on the radio. In the next year Vanilla Fudge would play on The Ed Sullivan Show and tour with Jimi Hendrix. Their second album would earn critical acclaim and many new fans. Stein wrote a biography called “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” that chronicles his life as a musician. He gives readers an in-depth perspective on rock-and-roll history that includes his personal recollections of time spent with some of his iconic peers. But the story of Vanilla Fudge isn’t over yet. The band has reunited and recorded
new music that was just released this spring. They have been touring to support the album and still put on an energetic show, with Stein commanding the room from behind his Hammond organ. “The new album, Spirit of ’67, is an effort of music we do best,” Stein says. “Great songs from 1967 interpreted in our own way. We’re excited about the arrangements and performances as well as the production.” The album is loaded with heavy-rock reimaginings of
classics from the past, but the final track is an original new song written by Stein called “Let’s Pray for Peace.” The moving piano ballad shows that despite Stein’s long career in music, he still has plenty to say, and fans in Bayonne are listening.—BLP For more information about Vanilla Fudge and Mark Stein visit vanillafudge.com, and markstein.com to order an autographed copy of Mark’s book You Keep Me Hangin’ On.
(left to right) Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Pete Bremy.
Stein’s original song, Let’s Pray for Peace,” was recently released
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
35
n w Do
M E M O R Y
Lyceum's 1953 team, which competed in the American Bowling Congress Tournament in Chicago. Front row, l to r: Ed Kotowski, Ed Zientek, Andy Sikora, Steve Sokolowski; back row, l to rJoseph E. Makowski, John Krajewski, Frank Senkeleski, Stanley Kaszuba, John Walczyk, and Wally Organek. Photo courtesy of the Jersey Journal BY KATE ROUNDS
T
hese days, Hudson Lanes, which straddles the border between Bayonne and Jersey City, is about the only game in town. But back in the day, bowling lanes were like corner bars; they were everywhere. Well, not quite. Donna Massa, secretary/treasurer of the Strikes R Us women’s bowling league, recalls 40 years of bowling. “When I was a kid, I started bowling at Assumption Lanes on 23rd Street between Kennedy Boulevard and Avenue C,” she says. “Where McDonald’s is now on 25th and Broadway was a Dewitt theater, and it also had bowling lanes. The Moose
L A N E S
BAYONNE’S LEGENDARY LOVE AFFAIR WITH BOWLING Lodge between Broadway and Avenue C had lanes. On 53rd Street where Value City Furniture is now was a bowling center. Knights of Columbus on 30th Street had six lanes, and Roosevelt Lanes was in Jersey City on Route 440.” She also recalls Bayonne bowling being mentioned in an episode of “The honeymooners.” That may or may not be true, but Ralph and Ed were members of the Order of Loyal Raccoons and did invoke a “Raccoon from Bayonne.” Massa’s father used to fix the machines at the Assumption Lanes. “I would go with him sometimes and bowl,” she says. In fact, for the Massas, bowling is a family affair. Both daughters bowl, and Massa’s husband bowls with the Mt. Carmel men’s league. Hey,
36 •Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015
she explains, “there’s not much to do in Bayonne.” The Strikes R Us women bowl every Monday night, September through May, from 6:45 to 8:30. After bowling, it’s off to the Starting Point for pizza. “We go from one end of Bayonne to the other,” Massa jokes. At the end of the season, they have an awards brunch at Winners.
Bowlers and Bus Drivers Mike Peregrin is an officer with the Lyceum Bowling League. He also remembers the Knights of Columbus and Moose Lodge lanes. He pegs bowling’s popularity to its “blue collar” cred. He, too, invokes Ralph and Ed. “They were bowlers—a bus driver and a sewer
worker—you can’t come up with a better example of the relationship between bowling and the blue-collar life,” Peregrin says. In fact, Massa’s husband, Emil, also has a connection to the bus industry. He manages the Broadway Bus company. “It’s a fairly cheap sport,” Peregrin says, “which also plays into the blue-collar side of it.” Peregrin emphasizes the fellowship of bowling. Lyceum bowlers are part of the Mt. Carmel Lyceum Catholic men’s organization, which is connected to the church. The bowlers are “practicing Catholics,” he says. Bowling is also popular, he posits, because it doesn’t matter how old or how good you are; as in golf, it uses a handicap system. It’s a social sport, too, with snack bars and booze. “Beverages help to encourage the social side,” Peregrin says delicately. “For the most part,” Peregrin says, bowling is “fun-natured and not a cutthroat situation, where you are getting upset with other people. We stress brotherhood. We’re there to have a good time and not forget the true meaning.” The Lyceum bowlers raise money for charitable events, scholarships, and contributions to the church. For years, it ran an instructional league for kids on weekend mornings.
SPORTS CORNER BLP
Bowling for Dollars Retired from the board of the U.S. Bowling Congress, Clare Schroder bowled at Snyder High School in Jersey City and now runs bowling leagues for kids. “I can’t remember a year when I did not have a disabled youth of some sort in the league,” she says, mentioning kids on the autism spectrum and a boy with brain damage. An adult in the Family Fun Youth Adult League is an excellent bowler, even though he’s blind. Kids as young as 2 can bowl with the help of a “dinosaur ramp” that allows them to push the ball, and bumpers that keep the ball out of the gutter. “Some kids are bullied because bowling is considered a sissy sport,” she says, “but it’s the only sport where kids can earn scholarships.”
Out of the Gutter John Rokicki, who was a past president of the Knights of Columbus league, laments what he says is “lost participation.” He blames—you guessed it—the digital age. “A lot of people in the computer era stay home instead of bowl,” he says. “It’s dying a little bit because of the internet and video games.” But there’s no death in his family. “Three generations in my family bowl together,” he says. Peregin agrees. “Recently I was bowling with my 11-year-old son,” he relates, “and an older guy pulled me aside and said that I was doing the right thing by spending time with my son and keeping him away from trouble on the streets. “It made me feel good because he was right.”—BLP
Photos bowling of the Strikes R league by Victo Us women’s r M. Ro driguez .
Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015 •
37
ON THE
JOB
WITH
9/11 Dispatch is a 24/7 operation.
McCabe Ambulance Service EMTs BY TARA RYAZANSKY PHOTOS BY MAX RYAZANSKY
W
hen I walk into the McCabe Ambulance Service headquarters Michael McCabe says that unfortunately it’s a slow day. Unfortunate for me, fortunate for Bayonne residents who are not in a 911 emergency. The service started as a mom-and-pop EMS, quite literally for Michael McCabe whose father, company president H. Mickey McCabe, founded the company. His mother, Judy, was an employee until her retirement six years ago. The elder McCabe saw a need for a full-service EMS operation in Bayonne so he went to school and became an EMT. The company was founded 43 years ago across the street from the current 41st Street location. The business was originally headquartered inside the McCabe home. A young Michael, who is now the Chief of Operations, grew up with an ambulance in his driveway. “We still consider ourselves a family operation,” McCabe says, despite the fact that it is partially owned by Care Point Health, “We subscribe to that ideology of treating everyone like they’re your own family member.” The company now has 50 vehicles and 140 employees, 75 of whom are Bayonne residents.
38 •Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015
“We know everyone in Bayonne, fortunately and unfortunately,” McCabe laughs, “I will walk into 7-11 and someone will yell to me, ‘Mike, they didn’t give Grandma a blanket when they picked her up yesterday!’” The company also does nonemergency transport, so it does get grandma comfortably to appointments.
All in a Day’s Work McCabe introduces Deputy Chief Richard Krysick, my tour guide for the day. Krysick has been at McCabe for around 18 years, starting in transport and moving up to head of Critical Care. This sector brings patients with acute conditions from one facility to another with a registered nurse on board. Krysick later made Deputy Chief. Our first stop is 911 dispatch, New Jersey’s only private dispatch center. Medical 911 calls made in Bayonne are routed there. A dispatcher views the address or cell phone GPS coordinates on a console near any of the 10 emergency lines. The 24/7 operation provides backup service to Hoboken and elsewhere when needed. The dispatch room holds a multitude of large screens that display information and security footage of McCabe’s ambulance parking lots. GPS tracking tells them if a truck is around the corner from an emergency. Dispatchers Casey McMahon and Frank Spina run through
ON THE JOB WITH BLP
This victim of a car accident is going to be OK. “She cut her teeth doing this in emergency services,” McCabe says, describing Brodel as an incredibly driven gogetter. The next stop is a parking lot on Avenue E and 21st Street that holds emergency vehicles. “These are for the what-if situations,” Krysick says, gesturing toward trucks, trailers, a fullsize bus, and a miniature ATV ambulance. Chief of Operations Michael McCabe. a sample call. The system uses question prompts to streamline the process during frantic phone calls. Spina reads the details that McMahon enters into the system and contacts the EMTs closest to our fake emergency.
Things Get Real Two real 911 calls come in within moments of each other. Krysick whisks us out of the room. It’s time for our tour to move on. Krysick pulls up in an SUV with the McCabe logo. The siren blares, and the radio crackles. Phrases like, “pedestrian struck” and “single vehicle” make my heart race as Krysick, running red lights, expertly navigates down JFK Boulevard. We cover the two miles in under four minutes. The company boasts an average response time of less than five minutes, three faster than the state average. When we arrive, EMTs are already at work. Michael McCabe is there moments later. Despite the chaos, and panic of the injured man, the McCabe team works calmly and swiftly. “It was a serious injury, but he’s going to be fine,” McCabe assures me.
The Big Stuff The smaller vehicles are for maneuvering through crowds or rough terrain; the bigger ones are for dreaded large-scale emergencies. “After 9/11, a lot of us weren’t prepared for the amount of people who needed help,” Krysick says. “After that the state, in conjunction with New York, put a waterfront strike team together, so that municipalities have all this mass equipment so you can be ready for hundreds of patients.” I looked inside the Medical Ambulance Bus, or MAB, which is equipped to treat 24 patients, with bunk-bed-style gurneys and an oxygen system. The MAB and other specialized units have seen action at multi-unit fires and in Sandy relief. It was used to evacuate Palisades Medical Center when a generator shut down. The trailers served as temporary shelter for EMTs, who handled 200 calls in six-hours. “They’re there when you need them the most,” Krysick says of these resources. The same could be said for McCabe EMS and its team.—BLP
The Right Stuff What does it take to do what McCabe employees do? “You have to be your best in the time that is their worst,” says McCabe. “It might be our ninth job of the day, but for them it’s their worst scenario. We look at ourselves as the third service; police, fire and EMS. It’s a smooth operation because we’re all tied in.” Many McCabe employees go on to work as cops and firefighters. In fact, Cailin Brodel, Bayonne’s first woman firefighter, worked as a McCabe EMT for a few years. [See our cover story on page 14.] Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015 •
39
PRIME OF LIFE A lively group
President Peggy Gilliland Flo Maciasek (left) and Alma Vasetkeif
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
A
s the members of the Prime of Life club gathered in early March, there was a general feeling of exhilaration that the terrible winter of 2015 might be drawing to a close. Ice, snow, and the Siberian Express often keep these club members inside—which is not where they want to be. As their name implies, Prime of Lifers have a real zest for living, and they want to be out socializing with friends and having a good time—“not staring at four walls.” That phrase came up three or four times as I chatted with the group at their afternoon meeting at the senior center next to St. Andrew church, where they gather every second and fourth Monday of the month. They meet in a spacious auditorium on an upper floor. There’s a stage with a table for the president and the bingo caller. Below are tables for the members. On one of the first warm, sunny days of late winter, about 20 members attended. President Peggy Gilliland says they usually have about 36, out of a membership of close to 50. Peggy acknowledged that “the stupid snow” had kept members away on many a winter day. Explaining today’s
absentees, one member yelled, “They’re at doctors’ appointments!” Obviously, medical issues can lead to some absenteeism, but no one wants to miss a meeting without a good reason. The first thing you notice is that the club is all women. Peggy explains that men who may have come with their wives, stopped coming if they lost their wives. Others became ill and could not attend. When we arrived, they were finishing up a drawing for donated gifts. Shirley, who had just won the prize, joked, “I’m going to strip now!” Shirley, who says she’s been a member “a while,” tells me in no uncertain terms that she has a beef with the Bayonne Community News, one of eight weekly newspapers published by our parent company, The Hudson Reporter. She doesn’t like it when we jump stories from the front to the back of the paper, breaking the story right in the middle of a word. This is not standard operating procedure. I did check. My unscientific survey revealed that we did in fact do that on at least one occasion. We will certainly keep it in mind! One member was hiding from the camera and did not want to be identified. Nevertheless, she says of Prime of Life, “It’s a wonderful club. You get out,
40 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
Helen Boyd
have fun, play bingo, talk, and share helpful hints on things like doctors and garage-fixing.”
DESSERTS AND DEVOTIONS Behind the president’s desk is a table with one of the club’s most important staples: cake. Every meeting someone bakes a cake for the occasion. Peggy made this one, which was a yellow cake with Cool Whip topping. It looked delicious. It’s served with tea and a large pot of coffee. I heard one member say that the coffee was too strong, which, to me, made it perfect. (We were graciously invited to share in the refreshments.) Marge, Linda, and Betty also are on cake duty. Before our arrival, the group performed its meeting rituals: They saluted the flag and then prayed for deceased members, people in the armed forces, disaster victims, and peace in the Middle East. On one wall was a list of special people to pray for, such as friends or relatives in the military, sick people, and people in the hospital. There was also a table displaying used paperbacks with steamy-looking covers.
A very attractive white-haired woman did not want to give her name because she is moving to Florida. She was dressed in colorful orange, as if she had already made the move to the Sunshine State. But she hasn’t checked out yet; we spotted her dutifully going around with the trash can to collect the paper cups and plates and plastic forks.
SENIOR MOMENTS BLP
FRIENDSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP Helen, Dottie, and Stella have been friends for 20 years. They live uptown, midtown, and downtown, but find themselves in the same spot two days a month. “We’re all widows, and this gives us something to do,” one of them says. “No senior should sit at home and be alone.” Florence Macisazek and Fran Piccolo have been friends for more than 50 years and members of the club for a decade. They give a nod to President Gilliland for her “extras and surprises.” One of the best advertisements for Prime of Life is that members like Marge Berger, Betty Percotta, and Linda Petvick met at the club. That says a lot about its success as an incubator for socializing and recreating. But by far, the biggest draw is—it begins with a “b” and ends with an exclamation point! “They love their bingo,” Peggy acknowledges. “It’s nice if you win a quarter and holler ‘Bingo!’” says one member. “It’s exciting when you win. Every penny helps,” says another. “The greatest goal for senior people is to move their fingers and brains,” says another. Prime of Lifers love the thrill of winning. Among their favorite trips are those to Atlantic City and the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They have the lingo down, referring to Atlantic City as “AC” and card games as “the tables,” though most play the one-armed bandit. One member lost a whopping $300 on a gambling excursion. Another says they really like the Pennsylvania casino because it has an enclosed outlet mall. “If you’re tired of losing money,” she says, “you can go to the mall.” As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.”—Kate Rounds
(left to right) Helen Sawicki, Nona McGinnis, Teresa Foran, Helen Urynowicz, Loretta Vergaretti, Evelyn Furlong
Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
41
Catholic schools openly discuss values and principles of right and wrong.
Take it on ALL SAINTS IS HOLDING ITS OWN PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
T
he Catholic Church has had a long history of service to the Bayonne community, which boasts a robust Catholic flock. It can trace its Roman fervor to the legions of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Latin America, and other bastions of Catholicism, or you can look to recent local history to grasp the depth of Catholic devotion. Facing rising costs and unmanageable debt, the city’s seven Roman Catholic churches are considering a measure that many parishioners find unsettling: merging or “linking” with other parishes. St. Andrew the Apostle has already linked with St. Mary, Star of the Sea. The Newark Archdiocese says it wants the parishioners themselves to decide whether mergers would solve the churches’ money problems. Rev. Peter Wehrle, parish administrator of St. Andrew the Apostle, told the Bayonne Community News, “What’s been hard is the people who are saying, ‘Will you have to close my parish?’ People in Bayonne have a strong emotional tie to their church.” These folks should look to the parents, students, and administrators of All Saints Catholic Academy, the grammar
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school which was formed in 2008 from the merger of four separate Catholic schools: St. Mary’s, St. Henry’s, Assumption, and St. Vincent’s, all connected to their respective parishes. The school is currently housed in St. Mary’s parish. “Each of the schools was suffering a decline in enrollment,” says Joe Moran, former principal of All Saints. “That’s a theme among Catholic elementary schools in cities. Rather than keep five or six schools with a hundred students, it’s a better option to consolidate into one.” The school, which also takes students from Jersey City, Staten Island, and Elizabeth, goes from pre-k to eighth grade, and enrolls about 500 students. “Anyone can come from anywhere,” Moran says. The students go on to Catholic high schools, such as Marist in Bayonne, St. Dominic’s and St. Peter’s in Jersey City, Notre Dame in Manhattan, or one in Staten Island. “A good percentage also go to Bayonne High School,” Moran says. Before the consolidation, Moran says, “There was some concern about how well the different communities would mesh and not think of themselves as St. Mary’s or St. Henry’s. That’s gone away now. Kids who have been here for seven years think of it as one school. It’s done well. It’s a good model for other communities.”
EDUCATION BLP
Professional educators are certified in academics, and trained in teaching the faith.
Why a Catholic Education? Jim Goodness, vice chancellor and director of communications of the Archdiocese, says, “The main difference between Catholic and secular schools is that Catholic schools discuss values and principles of right and wrong openly and reinforce them in all classes throughout the day. In public school you have to be careful about pushing one agenda over another. Catholic schools reference the faith and shared values that represent Catholicism.” “Religion classes don’t require students to convert,” Moran says, “and there have been no problems with any of the parents. We teach things that all religions emphasize: treating people with respect, doing
Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015 •
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EDUCATION BLP
the right thing, not stealing, and not harming others. Everybody can agree on those.” Non-Catholic students include Jews, Egyptian Coptic Christians, Baptists, Lutherans, and other Protestants, as well as people who identify as agnostics or have no religion. “You don’t have to pass a litmus test to come in,” Moran says. “Families are drawn to the sense of community, parental involvement, and lack of disciplinary problems at All Saints.”
Times Change
Rev. Peter Wehrle, as Juridical Pastor of All Saints Catholic Academy, proudly congratulates Sister Rita Fritzen on behalf of the entire ASCA community as she accepts her new role as school principal. Photo courtesy of ASCA
A C OL L E GE PR E PA R AT ORY S C HO OL
Be More. Be Marist.
Visit us during one of our upcoming events or call to schedule a personal tour.
201-437-4545 Open House • October 4, 2015 • 1pm - 4pm Information Night • October 20, 2015 -7pm
1241 Kennedy Blvd. • Bayonne • www.marist.org
44 •Life on the Peninsula ~ SUMMER 2015
The student body celebrates Mass and religious holidays, including Easter and Ash Wednesday, and a priest comes in once a week to teach a class. “There is a very visible presence of religion,” Goodness says, “It’s not like it was when many of us of a certain generation attended Catholic school, when Religious Sisters and Brothers were more the norm. Today, most teachers in Catholic schools are laymen and women. Our faculties are professional educators, trained and certified not only in academics, but also trained in teaching the faith. The people may have changed, but the basics of Catholic education haven’t changed.” The consolidation seems to have been a financial success. “We’re self sustaining,” Moran says. “We don’t get any money from the Archdiocese, though if we ran into problems, we would. Since the school started it’s been in the black. We’re in good financial shape due to careful budgeting, strong enrollment, a careful, active home/school association, and donations from fundraising, which we expect will continue.” The Archdiocese says it’s important that the public knows that the school is going strong. “Some may have thought that all Catholic schools went away,” Goodness says. “That’s simply not true. We’re here for the long term. In fact, our school is running out of space and looking to grow.” Moran says of his time at All Saints, “I like being with kids. It’s why I went into this business. I love their energy and their approach to life. It’s a cliché, but it keeps me focused and young and gives me a reason to get up and go to work every day.” —Kate Rounds
ON THE WATERFRONT BLP STORY AND PHOTOS BY AL SULLIVAN
T
he students from Tom Tokar’s marine science class moved down the path to the beach as if on safari. But these juniors and seniors from Bayonne High School had not come to pursue big game. Rather, they came to measure the growth of marine life in the once extremely polluted Newark Bay. They came with nets, waders, measuring devices, and equipment to help collect and evaluate the growth of mussels, clams, and other marine life and to study the biodiversity of the bay. The return of these animals to this historic waterway was evidence that the pollution that had fouled the bay for decades was on the decline. Their mission was to measure how much change had occurred since their last visit in the fall. Since the enactment of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972, Newark Bay has seen a rebirth of various types of marine life. Eastern oysters, which were a mainstay of the Bayonne economy in the 1880s, are reappearing. “The fact that they are back indicates that the water quality has improved because they can only grow in that type of condition,” Tovar said. Wearing waders, the students ventured into the water with a large net designed to snare fish, mussels, and other creatures near the bottom. Mussels are particularly sensitive to changes in the ecosystem and help to build a food chain that strengthens the ecosystem.
Who Needs a Britta? Like oysters, mussels are filter feeders that eat plankton and other microscopic organisms floating in the water. Mussels collect food by drawing in water, and then releasing it. The process benefits the environment by filtering out pollutants and expelling cleaner water. A mussel can filter 15 gallons of water a day. Mussels start life as larvae, with hairy cilia that allow them to swim. They might float for months looking for a place to settle. Shortly, they develop shells and, using strong
ropelike strands called byssus, attach to roots and other things, preventing erosion. Senior Anne Besante, who intends to pursue a career in marine biology and will attend Rutgers University in September, and junior Stephanie Bock, measured the mussels and compared their findings to those of last fall. “We strain the bags and take samples,” Besante said. “The fact that they are here shows improvement of the water.” Bock points to the silver sided minnow as a good sign. These small fish with semi-transparent bodies have been caught by the students in such numbers as to suggest that they are regulars in the local waters. “This again proves that the bay has increased its biodiversity over the years,” Tokar said. The students netted seaweed, along with soft-shell crabs, eastern oysters, and stones to which other marine life clings. Sea life that until recently had been seen only in New York Harbor have made their way back into Newark Bay. Blue crabs, which have been a staple in these waters for decades, provide other sea life with food, although they should not be consumed by humans. For most of the 20th century, waterways leading into Newark Bay, such as the Passaic and Hackensack rivers, were a dumping ground for industry upstream. Everything from heavy-metal waste to Agent Orange (the defoliant used during the Vietnam war) made it dangerous for people to eat anything they caught. Such waste came close to destroying all marine life in the river. But activists such as the Hackensack Riverkeeper and the Passaic River Conservancy fought to restore the watershed. These groups, along with stricter state and federal laws, have helped bring back many of the species that were once lost. “Even though any fish caught may not be safe to eat because of past mistakes of heavy-metal dumping,” Tokar said, “the fact that more and more species are appearing indicates a positive sign for the future.”—BLP
Mussel Bound NEWARK BAY BIVALVES ARE BOUNCING BACK
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HELPING
The Windmill Alliance Drawing with dignity
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Windmill Center Program Manager Kathy DeMaria
T
he parish hall at Trinity Church is bustling on this Thursday morning in late March. There’s a controlled din, and the energy level is high. This is when participants in the Windmill Center’s art class get to show their true colors. In keeping with the Bayonne tradition of caring for friends, neighbors and those in need, the Windmill Alliance has been protecting the dignity and human rights of people with developmental disabilities for the past three decades. This year it celebrates its 30th anniversary with a brunch at The Chandelier on Nov. 8. Jim Pustorino, director of the Victory Hall Drawing Rooms in Jersey City, spearheads the program. On this cold, blustery morning, his wife, Jill, is on hand with art teachers Ross Bonn, Kathy Scipione, and Joyce Zielaznicki. Dedicated Windmill staff members keep a watchful eye. With a kitchen off to the side, it looks like a spaghetti supper might materialize at any moment. In the main room, there’s a large coffee pot, coat racks, handwritten notices, long tables, and paintings propped on a table pushed against the wall.
Wayne is the only artist using an easel.
ARTISTS AT WORK Wayne is the only artist using an easel. He stands in the back, working in green marker. He says it’s a creature, and he has signed the picture with his first name. He reveals that he grows his own plants. Could that be why he is partial to the color green? For Nicky, maps are art. He loves them and has a book open to a spread of old black-and-white maps of the world. He shows me Neu Holland. Up close, the maps are informational. Step away, and they look like abstract works executed with charcoal. Speaking of abstract, one participant is working on an abstract pencil drawing, done in warm colors that look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Alan’s work reminds us that here, as in life, art is all around us and is manifest in things we see every day. His “spring crossword puzzle,” done in graphite pencil, taps the art of words and patterns, keys, and clues. Alan says he sometimes makes diagrams, plans, and abstracts. Wendy’s medium is watercolor, which is a good choice for her subject, a rainbow with colors bleeding into one another.
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Timothy uses colored pencils.
Michael’s crayon drawing is of a birthday cake with one very thick candle, but it is not his birthday. His birthday is a few months away, in November. Charles says his color-pencil drawing is of a nude woman. But I’m not so sure. Right next to his canvas is a postcard of Picasso’s famous “Boy with Horse,” which shows a nude boy. Ross, the art instructor, says that Charles is a Mickey Mouse fan. He displays a picture he’s drawn of the famous rodent. “He does interesting things with color,” Ross says. “He’s a natural at it.” Another artist has abandoned color altogether. Her pencil drawing is of a very dark cloud, as if a rainstorm is about to burst from her ominous creation. Marybeth has an apt title for her pencil drawing: “Smooth,” not an object but an attribute, and it seems just right. Marcello also has a great description of his work: “Shapes.” The image is of colorful stripes. If they were wider, they would look like a Mark Rothko; less colorful, like an Agnes Martin; more realistic, like a Jasper Johns. Louis has his iPhone out, and is making an accurate copy of a piece of artwork on his phone.
HELPING HANDS BLP Timothy corrects me when I refer to his artwork as a painting. “Color pencils,” he clarifies. The image is of a woman with New York City high-rises in the background. He shows me a postcard of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. He’s used the surrounding buildings as his model. If any of the artists need inspiration, there are books scattered about, including Degas Landscapes and Aboriginal Art and Spirituality.
WINDMILLS CREATE ENERGY The Windmill Alliance, which serves all of Hudson County, was instituted in 1985. Its Windmill Center oversees activities such as the Thursday art program. Kathy DeMaria is program manager for the center. One of the original staff members, she celebrated her 30th anniversary in January. The program was initiated, she says, because members of the parish had children who were developmentally disabled. It grew rapidly, eventually getting funding and certification from the state of New Jersey. “I love my job,” DeMaria says. “I love meeting the participants. They make you feel great. They say, ‘you look thin, you look young.’ They are always complimentary. I enjoy being there every day.”
RESOURCES the goal of participants gaining independence and community inclusion. Chris Babalonia, manager of supervised apartments, CBabalonia@WindmillAlliance.org
THE WINDMILL ALLIANCE Father Gregory G. Perez (201) 858-4460
THE WINDMILL CENTER This adult day center serves physically challenged as well as developmentally disabled adults. The program includes vocational and practical arts, daily-living activities, recreational activities, arts and crafts, and individual and family counseling. Kathy DeMaria, program manager, KDeMaria@WindmillAlliance.org, (201) 858-8706
SUPERVISED APARTMENTS This program features 15 apartments and 13 residents who share a community room for group activities. Trained staff offer 24-hour supervision with
HIGHWAYS THRIFT STORE AND SOCIAL SERVICES HIGHWAYS provides crisis intervention, counseling, employment training, assistance for homeless people, a food bank, battered women’s shelter, and services that promote self sufficiency. Its thrift shop offers low-cost articles, such as clothing, books, toys, furniture, and household items. HIGHWAYS provides holiday food baskets with turkeys and other food items. Andrew Balik, HIGHWAYS manager, ABalik@WindmillAlliance.org, (201) 471-2633
TRINITY AFFINITY The sponsoring parent corporation is the Episcopal congregation of Bergen Point’s Trinity Parish. Trinity’s Rev. Gregory G. Perez is president and CEO of the Windmill Alliance. He relates that 30 years ago the Trinity pastor realized that developmentally disabled adults in the parish needed something to do and a place to go. It was the artist, Wayne, who got the pastor thinking about it, when he asked, “What about us?” But participants wanted the program to go beyond arts and crafts. “Our participants felt like having a work environment and got jobs from different organizations in Bayonne: mailing, recycling, shredding,” Perez says. “They love coming in.” Caring for the flock is a big part of the Trinity mission. “We do what we can to help people in the community,” Perez says. The Windmill Alliance in an integral part of that mission. “I love the participants,” he says. “The people I come in contact with are beautiful.”— Kate Rounds
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Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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Victorian V ibe
How We
A look at two Victorian fixer-uppers
T
BY KATE ROUNDS PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
BERGEN POINT
he owners of this Victorian fixer-upper were engaged in a nearly 20-year saga before it became this Bergen Point gem. Judy Bielan, a Bayonne lawyer, and her husband Paul Somers, a Bayonne cop, bought the house in 1996. Bielan throws around words like dilapidated and money pit to describe their dream house, which occupies a double lot on the corner.
Judy Bielan and Paul Somers
Legend has it, according to a longtime neighbor, that the house had been in another lot and had been rolled on logs to its current location. Bielan says the house was filled with tiny rooms and pantries. She had trouble imagining it as a home for a growing family. “Every single thing had to be redone,” she says. “The basement used to have horse stalls, and there was a horse shower there. It was disgusting. The attic was beat up and unfinished.” But despite all this, she says, “My husband and father were visionaries, and the price was right.” So they bought it, but before they could move in, they had to wait for a bit of show biz to run its course. Talk
HOW WE LIVE BLP
show host Montel Williams was using the house as a location for his TV show, “Matt Waters.” Waters, played by Williams, is a retired naval officer who returns to his hometown to become a science teacher. Scenes from the show, which was cancelled after only six episodes, were filmed at Bayonne High School. The opening scene was of breaking down a wall in the bedroom of the house. “We put the wall back up,” Bielan says. By 2002, with the birth of their second child, the family was thinking of moving to another home. They looked at a number of places and then decided, hey, they could stay put if they built an addition.
They ended up with a four-story addition, attached garage, wraparound extension to the porch, and an elevator. Bielan says the elevator didn’t cost that much and turned out to be perfect for young kids and grandparents. After the renovation, the house had five bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a walk-in closet on the top floor, an office, playroom, four full baths, a pow-
der room, kitchen, dining room, living room, one gas fireplace, and furnished basement with another bedroom, pool table, and workout room. One of the home’s most unusual features is an in-ground swimming pool in back. Bielan has been living in Bayonne since she was two years old. Like many other Bayonne natives, she has fond memories
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of going to Uncle Milty’s amusement How We park. Now her family enjoys the pleasures of Bergen Point. Bielan has a law office on 8th Street. They patronize the businesses down there and enjoy a meal or two at Chris’ Corner. Victor and I visited on a splendid spring morning, which showed the house in the best light. It’s perched on a grassy hill with four Victorian-style lamps on either side of the front steps. A huge wraparound porch features white wicker furniture, a swing that looks like a large birdcage, and lots of little rabbits and other outdoor ornaments. We toured all four floors. On the first are framed before-and-after photographs of
the house. But Bielan left the best for last. In the master bedroom on the top floor are huge bay windows overlooking the Bayonne Bridge and the Kill Van Kull. This is truly a Bayonne cityscape to die for. Bielan’s 13-year-old daughter Jade said it all: “I like this house. I don’t want to live in any other house.”
AVENUE C This renovated beauty was built “before 1900,” according to owner, Dr. Jonathan Singer, a retired podiatric surgeon and photographer who lives there with his wife, Marcia, a retired art teacher at the Nicholas Oresko School. Together since 1973, they cohabit with two dogs, Phoebe and Daisy. The Singers are purists when it comes to architecture, but apparently the many owners who’d lived there before them
Jonathan and Marcia Singer
50 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
were not. “They needed more rooms and added on bedrooms,” Singer says. “With the additions, the house looked like boxes upon boxes; they didn’t care about style.” The Singers bought the house in 1980. “It had started to fall apart,” Singer says. “There were leaks, electrical problems, and in the basement, the beams were breaking.” Here was their chance to make the needed repairs while realizing their artistic vision. “We had to do something, so we took the house and totally renovated it,” Singer says. “We put its architectural components together to give it some style.” He says he called on is old friend, Frank Lloyd Wright, for inspiration. Singer of course did not know Wright, who died in 1959, but he loved Wright’s designs and sought to use some of his signature details.
HOW WE LIVE BLP
The house, which has five bedrooms and a finished basement, has lots of beams and stained glass, both of which are Frank Lloyd Wright characteristics. A sliding door from the living room leads to a deck, where the family enjoys summer barbecues. At night, the Singers sometimes light the house up, and folks walking or driving by often stop to have a look at this faithfully renovated Victorian. The lawn and driveway are neatly kept, and the house itself was redone in a kind of maple-sugar-candy stucco. The entrance has huge redwood-colored polished beams designed in an Asian motif. This and stained glass front windows say “Frank Lloyd Wright” before you even enter the house.
Also on the front terrace is a stainless steel sculpture done by a Brooklyn artist who exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In fact, art is the main attraction in this period home. Jonathan Singer, who is a well-known photographer, cuts a striking figure. He’s tall with a white ponytail and aviator glasses. He was wearing a leather jacket with emblems commemorating the exploits of General Jimmy Doolittle, famous for the World War II attack on Tokyo. Singer also modeled a beautiful
jacket like the one worn by General George Custer in his battle against the Sioux. The house has a number of hand-crafted natural wood tables, as well as paintings by graffiti writers. The Monmouth Museum’s Botanica Magnifica, Singer’s photographs of “the world’s most extraordinary flowers and plants,” was on display in the spin-off. His five-volume book of the same name was donated to the Smithsonian.—BLP
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Otaiko T
PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH
52 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
his Japanese eatery is not just a restaurant. It’s an experience. The name says it all: Otaiko Hibachi & Sushi Lounge. Walk in, and you’re enveloped in a spacious dining room divided into a kind of stage set with a bar and various areas and levels, separated by steps and curved dividers and columns and all manner of textured wall coverings. One raised dining area is for folks who want a quiet night out. On the Tuesday evening we were there, most of these patrons were in twos, including a pair of military men. Step down a level, and you’re in the sushi bar. Above it is a large flat screen TV that looks as if a waterfall is gently cascading in front of it. It was early spring, and the Yankees were playing the Orioles. Alex had managerial duties that night. He turned out to be a master at selecting the bon morsel. The first item to appear was a black pepper tuna on a
bed of greens with a zesty dressing. The tuna was rosy colored, with a sharp coating of pepper. Wait, before I go on, I need to say something about the presentation. Everything was a work of art, tastefully (pun intended) arranged on the plate. Next out—and I have to admit, this was my favorite—a delicate Chilean sea bass perched on a little mound of black rice that tasted a bit sweet, with just a hint of coconut. The sea bass is usually an entrée served in a miso glaze with mushroom, sugar snow peas, and asparagus. But this was a much smaller, appetizer-size dish. For anyone who is not into raw fish, this is a perfect alternative, perfectly cooked. For the next entry, presentation was at a fever pitch. It arrived on what looked to be a rolled-up bamboo placemat set at an angle with a large chunk of cucumber holding up
EATERY BLP the raised end. What looked to be a banana leaf (Google images to the rescue!) served as the pallet for four sizeable springtime rolls, made with fresh salmon, tuna, mango, and avocado. They were exquisite. For dessert, there were a number of American-style items, but we asked Alex to bring us something reflective of Japanese culture and cuisine. What appeared was green-tea flavored tempura ice cream. The rich green ice cream comes encased in what Alex called “cake,” but it had a slightly fried consistency and taste, just like the tempura for which it is named. An overlarge plate left plenty of room for an artful display of colorful sauces in decorative stripes. Across the room, in the hibachi area, is where all the action is. And, not surprisingly, there were a lot of families with young kids, who loved watching the hibachi chefs with their tall white hats cook up their sizzling meals right in front of their eyes. The substantial hibachi menu includes vegetables, steak, shrimp, salmon, lobster, and scallops served in just about any combination.
Our sushi chef was apparently fashioning some special creations just for us. But the standard menu is chock-full of choices, including a wide range of soups, salads, appetizers, sashimi, rolls, and noodle dishes, as well as traditional “kitchen entrees.” This misty mid-April evening was a bit chilly, but now that the weather is warm, you’re going to want to visit Otaiko and sit outside on the terrace, which offers a quintessential Bayonne view. To the right is the huge mound of earth which protects the gorgeous Bayonne golf course. Across a narrow inlet, you can see the lights and cranes of the GCT container terminal and beyond that the Freedom Tower, majestic in the distance. Enjoying an evening at this hibachi and sushi lounge you’re reminded that memorable experiences don’t always occur in the most obvious places. Don’t let anyone tell you that there’s nothing special in a Bayonne strip mall.—Kate Rounds Otaiko 125 Lefante Way (201) 339-3399/3392 otaikonj.com
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The Vic Tavern
WATERING HOLE BLP
Al
PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
Pasiechnik’s grandparents opened the bar in 1929. Pasiechnik, the current owner, says that that all those years ago there was a restaurant and catering hall in the back, where many Bayonne couples got married. And the big yard was a popular spot for summer parties and clam bakes. The business has been a family operation for most of its life. His grandmother gave out meals during the Depression. “She never let anybody go hungry,” Pasiechnik says. She also made 300 lunches a day for the many factory workers in the area at the time. There was a different menu every day. Typical fare included Thursday meatloaf and Friday fishcakes. When the grandparents, Tessie and Alex, died, one of Pasiechnik’s uncles took it over. After that uncle died, Pasiechnik bought the business. That was in 2002, but for various reasons he didn’t reopen the bar until 2013. Pasiechnik had some experience in the bar business. For a few years he co-owned Fratelli’s in Bayonne. “I liked it. It was definitely fun and challenging,” he says. “It’s a very peopleoriented business. I’m that type of person. I have no problem going out socializing.” Pasiechnik owns The Vic with his girlfriend, Nady Ramos, who teaches physical education at Liberty High School in Jersey City. “She’s an outgoing people person, which is good for business,” he says.
AL PASIECHNIK
The way the bar got its name may be the most improbable thing about it. Grandpa Alex was from Ukraine and somehow had developed a crush on England’s Queen Victoria. With all due respect to Her Majesty, it’s a little hard to fathom. Anyway, that’s how this Bayonne watering hole became The Vic Tavern. “We never got the full story,” Pasiechnik acknowledges. He’s made a few changes. The bar area is bigger, he did some varnishing and repainting, and preserved the original tile floor, wood coolers, and tin ceiling. “You don’t see that kind of workmanship or style around anymore,” he says.
54 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
Now the bar serves chips and hot dogs but is looking to open a full kitchen in the near future, with standard bar food, such as pizza and burgers, with “a couple of catchy items.” He also plans to rent out the back room for private parties, just like his grandparents did. Pasiechnik considers The Vic a neighborhood bar. “Folks from the old days come and have a beer or two and tell us stories about what went on and who used to hang here,” he says. Friday is music night at the bar. A music lover, Pasiechnik does something unusual for a local bar—he goes outside the area looking for talent. He wants to give his patrons something they haven’t heard, whether it’s country, Southern rock, classic rock, or rockabilly. On the night Victor Rodriguez took the pictures on these pages, the band Strange Days was playing. “It’s really starting to develop,” Pasiechnik says. “People realize they can hear bands they’ve never heard before. It’s geared toward the 30-to60-year-old crowd. It’s a relaxed atmosphere. Very nostalgic.” Speaking of nostalgia, Pasiechnik says that when they were renovating the building they found a bathtub on the top floor that he suspects might have been used for making alcohol during Prohibition.—Kate Rounds
The Vic Tavern 107 Hobart Ave. (201) 339-7900 thevictavern.com
DINING OUT 8th Street Bistro and Diner 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 every-
thing served. Open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Off premise catering is available.
Andrew’s 737 Broadway (corner of 33rd) (201) 339-0033 andrewsproject.com Since its opening in 2009, Andrew’s has maintained that one must eat healthy in order to live healthy. Vasantha Perera, founder and chef, has long been committed to using gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and organic ingredients
since he began what is known as Andrew’s Project. He is proud to produce what many deem to be some of the healthiest and tastiest gourmet cuisine in the greater New York City area.
Bella Sorrellas 1020 Broadway (201) 455-8844 bellasorrellas.com On Bayonne’s north end, Bella Sorrellas has deep roots in Jersey City. Owner David Rivera’s family has a long history of successful
Buon B uon uo on A App Ap Appetito ppe peet eti tit ito to Your Uptown Neighborhood Italian Restaurant 906 Br Broadway oad dway (cor. of 43rd St.) BAYONNE B AYONNE
201-436-0043 201-436-0043
Open 7 days for lunch & dinner
Available for private parties On and off premise catering Outdoor Dining Like Us On Facebook.com/BuonAppetitoItalian
www.BuonAppetitoItalian.com Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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DINING OUT downtown Jersey City eateries. Rivera’s head chef is Leonardo Compi, the renowned chef of the legendary Just Sonny’s restaurant. Compi’s genius is in bringing flair to classic dishes, making extraordinary what would be ordinary in other hands. The rich, complex textures and tastes will delight and surprise unsuspecting diners. All dinners are preceded with its signature salad, served family style and dressed to perfection.
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.
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 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 their intimate luxury events. The attentive staff offers a wide array of options in a beautifully appointed space. There are packages that fit every style and budget, with avail-
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DINING OUT ability for daytime and evening events, seven days a week. Call the banquet director today for one-of-akind service.
Hendrickson’s Corner 671 Broadway (201) 437-4955 hendricksonscorner.com For as long as anyone can remember, Hendrickson’s has been serving up juicy steaks and burgers, tender chicken, and fresh seafood to loyal Bayonne diners. You’ll definitely come for the food, but this historic building in the center of town is an attraction in itself. Loaded with rustic charm, Hendrickson’s Corner is reminiscent of a 19th century saloon, complete with stained-glass windows, exposed brick, and original wood paneling that will take you back in time. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and serving brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
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.
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 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. Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015 •
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DINING OUT LaGuardiola offers a full catering menu for your special event or party. Open six days a week for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday.
Andrew’s
Bayonne’s Ba yonne’ onne’ss Only Only Health Food Food Restaurant Restaurant
Mona Lisa Pizzeria Ristorante 165 Broadway (201) 858-1812 bayonnemonalisa.com 737 Broadway at 33rd St. • 201-339-0033
WEEKLY WEEKL Y SPECIALS & C CATERING ATERING
Fresh, Organic Fresh, Organic Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian with Veg V egan, V Veg egetar ian & Inter International national Men Menu u Large Items Lar ge Selection of Delicious, Gluten Fr Free ee Hearty Dishes Hear ty Soups, Cr Crisp isp Seasonal Salads, Sandwiches Sand wiches and More. So Much Mor e.
58 • Bayonne - Life on the Peninsula ~ Summer 2015
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.
from page 33 at Jean24@aol.com, go to gshnj.org, or call (908) 518-4422. No experience necessary, flexible schedule matching your skills, availability and interests. GSHNJ provides training. Jersey City Medical Center innovative Pediatric Asthma Case Management and Home Evaluation, program for Hudson County residents designed to help children and their families control and self-manage their asthma condition. For more information, visit barnabashealth.org/jcmc . Bayonne Ostomy Alliance, monthly meetings the second Wednesday of every month 2-3:15 p.m. in Conference Room 2B at Bayonne Medical Center. BOA provides mutual aid, education and advocacy for persons having undergone or will have Ostomy surgery (bowel or bladder diversionary surgery). Join with us in finding “HOPE” (Healing, Options, Peer Support & Education). For more information, call (201) 339-5251. Healthy Bones, Bayonne Library, every Monday that the library is open, there will be a class 10-11:30 a.m. upstairs in the gallery. There will be training for balance, weight training, and health and nutrition information. For questions, call (201) 436-1928. VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of New Jersey North seeks volunteers for hospice care. Volunteers visit patients and provide support. To register for a free volunteer orienta-
tion class or for more information, contact Barbara Adams-Plyer, VITAS volunteer services manager, at (973) 422-5343 or email Barbara.adamsplyer@vitas.com.
JULY 11 Wallace Temple AME Zion Church Flea Market, 26 West 16th St. For more information, call (201) 725-1040. Vendors welcome.
to Maryland / Washington, D.C. Aug. 21-23. Trip leaves Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. from 12th Street and Broadway and returns Aug. 23 in the evening. Cost: Double $390 per person; Triple $365 per person; Quad $340 per person. Payment Due by July 5. For information, call Dorene
Williams at (201) 875-8446.
SEPTEMBER 12 Gary La Pelusa Association Fall Festival, 12-4 p.m. at the Dr. David Morris Park on the corner of 47th Street and Broadway.
DINING
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Eighth Annual James Rentas Walk for Cancer Research, Stephen Gregg Park, 48th Street and Kennedy Boulevard. Registration at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. For information, call (201) 681-6600 or go to jnr5kwalk.com.
Bayonne Golden Ages Activities, trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. Five days and four nights. Single occupancy $624; double occupancy $465; triple occupancy $445. Passport required. Sponsored by Concerned Citizens of Bayonne. For information, call (201) 339-3956.
18 New Jersey Deathfest 7, Lot 13 at 169 Avenue E. Featuring a variety of bands, headlined by Putrid Pile. Age 21+. Single day pass $25, two-day pass $40. For more information, go to evensi.com/new-jerseydeathfest-7-lot13/151436234.
26 Phyllis and Adelaide are running a fun- filled bus ride to Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pa. Cost: $35 per person with a $20 Slot Play return and $5 food coupon. Bus leaves at 10:30 a.m. sharp from East 35th Street. Refreshments will be served on the bus and raffles will be held. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Phyllis (201) 33—4517. Please purchase tickets in advance. All proceeds will benefit various charities in Bayonne.
AUGUST 13 Summer Bash 2, details TBA.
21 - 23 Casino/Crab Feast Weekend Gateway, with Friendship Baptist Church, sponsored by GIO
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