Urban Agenda, Fall 2017

uRban agenda magazine

fa l l

2017

Fall 2017

Blairsden, Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center—Mansion in May Designer Showhouse 2014.

Photography courtesy of Turpin Real Estate, Inc.

The Gilded Age, Preserved: The Mansions of Somerset Hills

by ilene dube

In the decades following the Civil War, the United States experienced a period of tremendous economic growth. The railroad industry, mining, and finance gave new wealth to those who built them. andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, andrew Mellon, J.P Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry flagler, and others—the robber barons—built the core of the american industrial economy, as well as the nonprofit sector through their generous philanthropy, on the backs of the working class.

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Blairsden, Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center—Mansion in May Designer Showhouse 2014. Photography by Wing Wong/Memories TTL.

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hese captains of industry spent lavishly on the accoutrements beauty of the Somerset Hills and decided to build one of the largest of the aristocratic life, including large country houses in one or estates in the region. Blair was a grandson of John Insley Blair, the mining more of the exclusive “colonies”: Newport, Rhode Island; Bar and railroad baron who founded Blair Academy and was a significant Harbor, Maine; Lenox, Massachusetts; the Main Line outside donor to Princeton University (Blair Hall is named for him), C. Ledyard’s Philadelphia; the Hudson River Valley of New York; and the alma mater. The elder Blair was worth $70 million at his death, at age 97, Somerset Hills of the Garden State. in 1899.

The great country estates were, by design, examples of Both grandfather and grandson founded the investment banking conspicuous consumption and the pursuit of leisure, a blatant statement company Blair & Company. C. Ledyard also served as governor of the of the owner’s social standing, New York Stock Exchange, a according to historian W. Barry director of Lackawanna Steel and Thomson, co-author with the late the Green Bay & Western Railroad, John K. Turpin of New Jersey and was both commodore and vice Country Houses: The Somerset commodore of the New York Yacht Hills, Vol. 1 and 2. Some of the most Club. It took four years to build the prominent and influential architects 62,000-square-foot, 38-room Louis and landscape designers were XIII-style estate. commissioned to create opulent Before construction, a mountain estates in park-like settings. top had to be sheared off the site, Somerset Hills, in Somerset making way for the man-made County, includes the towns of Ravine Lake, a rower’s paradise.

Bedminster, Basking Ridge/ Completed in 1903, 12 large busts Bernards Township, Bernardsville, of Roman emperors lined the 300Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone. foot reflecting pool, which became One of the crown jewels in the home to swans Elsa and Lohengrin.

Mansions of Somerset Hills is The coach barn and stables cost Blairsden, considered one of $30,000 to build, and the barn had the finest examples of Beauxan elevator to the second floor.

Arts architecture in the United A funicular was constructed up States. Blairsden was designed by the steep incline behind the house architects Carrère and Hastings, to bring materials up the mountain.

View of house past terrace gardens, ca. 1903. Courtesy of Wikipedia. proteges of the McKim, Mead and Blairsden had electrical service, White firm, who went off on their elevators, a steel structure, concrete own to design Flagler hotels, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan floors, and the latest heating and cooling technologies. Every Thursday, Opera House interior, New York’s Grand Army Plaza, and the Henry Clay according to the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills, a “clock man” Frick Mansion (today home to the Frick Collection), among many others. would come all the way from New York to wind all the clocks.

Thomson, who frequently lectures on these country estates, grew The main driveway was more than a mile long, and the entrance doors up on the property adjoining Blairsden, named for C. Ledyard Blair, a were made of bronze with one-inch thick plate glass windows each weighing prominent investment banker and ambitious entrepreneur who saw the more than 1,000 pounds. Each of the 25 fireplaces had a unique mantel.

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GENETIC TESTING

FOR BREAST CANCER ADVANCES BRING NEW CHALLENGES B Y

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A N N E

L E V I N

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ith a mother and two paternal aunts who died of breast cancer, the two sisters knew it was important to get tested to see if they carried the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Should the test come back positive, their risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer would be higher than average. And preventive measures—most likely mastectomy and/or hysterectomy—could be in order.

Each breathed a sigh of relief when their results were negative. But less than a decade later, both had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The older sister was treated with a lumpectomy and radiation. The younger one needed more aggressive treatment, and had the double mastectomy and hysterectomy her doctors recommended.

Such a scenario is unusual, but it happens. Carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 doesn’t mean a person will get cancer; and not carrying it is no guarantee that a woman— or man—will not.

These days, genetic testing is more precise. It is also much more detailed, able to detect genetic data not only related to breast and ovarian cancer, but other forms as well. And therein lies the dilemma. Doctors have the information, but don’t always know what to do with it. Treatment hasn’t necessarily caught up with what advances in testing reveal.

“Advances in the last few years have been in the ability to test a wider selection of genetic mutations responsible for breast, ovarian, and other cancers,” says Dr. Erica Linden, medical director of breast oncology and cancer genetics at Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell. “Instead of testing just for BRCA1 and 2, we now have panels that test many at the same time. It can be a good thing and a bad thing. It has given us more information, but at the same time given us unclear information.”

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BY ELLEN GILBERT

THE PROMISE OF “LIVING DRUGS”

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T CELLS ATTACKING A CANCER CELL (CAR-T CELL THERAPY)

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ecent strides in the field of genetic engineering are generating tremendous excitement. Long in the works at university and company laboratories, the implications of this treatment are far-reaching.

The rapidly emerging immunotherapy approach is called adoptive cell transfer (ACT); it collects and uses patients’ own immune cells to treat their cancer. There are several types of ACT, but the star of the show right now is CAR T-Cell therapy, which made medical history this last August when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first genetic therapy for widespread use. Called Kymriah, it is being marketed by Novartis, a global healthcare company based in Switzerland.

While genetic therapies promise to treat many types of cancer some day, Kymriah was approved for the treatment of particularly challenging type of leukemia: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The FDA called the disease “devastating and deadly,” and said the new treatment fills an “unmet

need.”

“Novartis and other companies have been racing to develop gene therapies for other types of cancers, and experts expect more approvals in the near future,” noted New York Times science writer Denise Grady. “FDA Commissioner Scott Grady said that more than 550 types of experimental gene therapy are currently being studied.” Potential T-cell treatments for solid tumors like breast cancer are still on the horizon.

While FDA-approval is typically associated with specific medications, Kymriah and related gene therapies are not like drugs that can be dispensed by any physician. The process involves a proscribed sequence of procedures played out over days and weeks.

To customize Kymriah for individual patients, white blood cells called T cells are removed from a patient’s bloodstream at an approved medical center, and then frozen, shipped to Novartis in Morris Plains, N.J., for genetic engineering and multiplying, frozen again, and shipped back to the medical center to be dripped into the patient. That processing is expected to take 22 days.

Novartis said the treatment would be available at an initial network of 20 approved medical centers to be certified within a month (of pub date - October?), a number that would be expanded to 32 by the end of the year.

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Amedeo Modigliani, Lunia Czechowska, 1919. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Photograph by João Musa.

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Reality vs Reputation Setting the Record Straight on Modigliani

by EllEn GilbErt

“The exquisite-looking artist was often overshadowed by his Bohemian legend,” observed Jewish Museum Senior Curator Mason Klein at a recent press preview of the new Modigliani exhibit, “Modigliani Unmasked,” at the Jewish Museum in New York City through february 4, 2018. Images of amedeo Modigliani’s movie star quality looks and accounts of his tempestuous and brief (1884-1920) life have indeed tended to overshadow his accomplishments, though sales of his later paintings in recent years do not seem troubled by these considerations: his Nu Couché fetched a whopping $170.4 million (with fees) at a Christie’s auction in 2015.

Amedeo Modigliani, Hermaphrodite Caryatid, 1911-12.

Black crayon on paper. Paul Alexandre Family, courtesy of Richard Nathanson, London. Image provided by Richard Nathanson, photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates, London.

Amedeo Modigliani, Head, c. 1911. Black crayon on paper.

Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, Gift of Blaise Alexandre, 2001.

fall 2017

Amedeo Modigliani, Woman in Profile, 1911-12. Charcoal and pastel on paper. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The Joan and Lester Avnet Collection. Image provided

by The Museum of Modern Art / Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, New York

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Red-tailed Hawk

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Soaring BeauTy

The nJ audubon Montclair Hawk Watch

by Laurie PeLLichero

It’s an incredible sight to see each fall, flocks of birds making their way down south for the winter. One of the best places to witness the yearly pilgrimage of a variety of hawks and other birds of prey is the NJ audubon Montclair Hawk Watch lookout, a crushed stone-filled platform that sits on a basalt ledge high on a ridge known as first Watchung Mountain in Montclair, New Jersey.

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he site provides a panoramic view of nearly 360 degrees, including beautiful wooded areas and landmarks that are miles away, including the Statue of Liberty, the VerrazanoNarrows Bridge, the New York City skyline, the Palisades, and the Ramapo Mountains.

According to NJ Audubon, an official hawk count has been conducted at the Montclair site since 1957, making it the second oldest continuous hawk watch in the nation. Only Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania can claim a longer record. What makes the site especially unique during migration is the mix of both coastal and ridge flights.

“The positioning of the ridge at Montclair along the flyway, coupled with the great visibility and rich and lengthy history, make it a great place to view raptor migration,” said Brett Ewald, program director of both the NJ Audubon Montclair and Cape May Hawk Watches.

The Montclair Hawk Watch was formally organized in 1957 by three members of the Montclair Bird Club—Ruth Edwards, Suzanne Haupt, and Ruth Breck—who monitored the site from September 10 through

September 29 each fall. When the lookout was threatened by encroaching urban development, these women, along with other birders, worked to save it for future generations. The Montclair Bird Club was able to acquire the land, and gifted it to the NJ Audubon Society in 1959 to be preserved as a sanctuary. The stone platform was later constructed to allow use of the site by the many visitors “who appear as suddenly as the hawks arriving on the northwest winds at the height of migration,” according to NJ Audubon.

Ewald noted that the Montclair site is now covered seven days a week from September 1 through November 30, with counts done each day from sunrise to sunset. He said that they are in their third year of operations using Trektellen software, which also records weather conditions and provides a livestream of each day’s counts. Birders can monitor the Watch online to determine the best times to go to the Lookout and get amazing views of the hawks and other species as they fly by on their travels.

Ewald said that hundreds of birdwatchers come to the platform each fall to see an array of species including Sharp-shinned Hawks, Osprey, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, and Bald Eagles. Broad-winged Hawks are frequently seen, and often appear in small groups known as “kettles.” October is prime time at the Lookout, offering the greatest diversity of species including the Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Merlin, Red-shouldered Hawk, and the Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird in the world. Golden Eagles have also been spotted.

“The count gives us a great deal of information,” said Ewald. “We keep track of which species are going up and going down in numbers, so specific actions can be taken. The populations of Osprey, Bald Eagles, and Peregrine Falcons have rebounded a great deal since the banning of pesticides that were used in the 1960s and 1970s. Factors changing the counts each year also include climate changes, food availability, habitat loss, and other predators.”

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De st in at i on:

Clinton A Red Mill Museum

Hunterdon Art Museum

Q&A with Dr. Michelle O’Shea of Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center Describe your background and current specialty.

I am a board-certified general surgeon specializing in evidenced-based breast care. I was born and raised in Sussex County, N.J. I graduated from UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and completed my residency in general surgery at Saint Barnabas in 2001.

View Clinton’sI joined along the Raritan River After of residency Dr. Jan Huston at Summit Breast Care, which joined Mountainside Medical Group in 2016.

My achievements include recognition as NJ Top Doctor and Patients’ Choice Compassionate Doctor, 2015; the Project Self-Sufficiency Mosaic Award; and being named 2016 College of St. Elizabeth Distinguished Alumna.

What is evidenced-based breast care and why is it significant?

Evidence-based care involves making clinical decisions for patients based on the information we haveto-date as to the actual outcomes of that treatment, and not simply following common patterns. It prevents unnecessary testing for the patient. For example, while many patients believe removing a breast is the best treatment for breast cancer, the combination of lumpectomy with radiation actually offers a survival benefit that mastectomy does not.

Towne Restaurant

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william uhl

symbol of early American industry, Clinton’s iconic Red Mill still sits aside the Raritan River. Since its construction two centuries ago, the mill’s sleepy water wheel has worked with cloth, minerals, food, and electricity. Now, the mill is home to an array of galleries. Some house historical reproductions, some display pieces from international artists, and others hold fragments of local Clinton history.

Furthermore, it stands as the centerpiece of the Red Mill Museum Village, which also includes the Mulligan Quarry and the Bunker Hill Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse from 1860. The museum village hosts events like film festivals, blacksmithing exhibitions, and Peg Leg’s Paracon, which exhibits the historical and paranormal importance of the area.

Right across the Raritan is the Hunterdon Art Museum, similarly housed in a 19th-century stone gristmill. What it lacks in Red Mill’s vivid paint job and historical collections, it makes up for with art exhibitions that span forms and materials both conventional and eccentric. “The Art of Construction” uses drywall, PVC pipes, milk crates, and other construction site staples to challenge the viewer’s perceptions of common building materials. “Interconnections: The Language of Basketry” weaves materials like stapled paper and fabricated metal to expand the concept of basketry beyond a utilitarian folk craft. Just a bridge walk away from the Red Mill, each bank of the Raritan offers a different artistic experience – one looking back, and the other looking forward.

A bevy of culinary options complement Clinton’s rich cultural offerings, with just as much creativity and variety. Just a few blocks down from the Hunterdon Art Museum and still adjacent to the Raritan is The Clean Plate Kitchen. A local favorite, its menu is overflowing with treats like Yummus, Cut the Crab, and Not Your Grandma’s Meatloaf. A focus on healthy options, good service, and menu options off the beaten path makes The Clean Plate Kitchen a great choice for something new. If you’re lucky, a few ducks might visit while you dine.

If you’re just looking for a quick bite without compromising on the Please Breathbag cancer.

Clinton explain experience, the red testing neon rimfor of breast the Clinton Station Diner lights the study to night. predict presence of breast cancer in wayThe to a Breathbag good meal all day and True to its name, diners can choose patients was begun by the late Dr. Jan Huston at Mountainside Medical to eat in Biela, a train car from 1927, or simply watch model trains roll Center. is technology developed Dr. Michael andstaples Menssana by on a It ceiling-suspended track. Thebymenu ranges Phillips from diner like Researchand Inc.omelets to use breath screening as an initial test for women to then burgers to lamb shanks with orzo, stuffed grape leaves, and determine who move on to aeater, screening mammogram.

A woman cheesecake.

Andwould for the ambitious the Mt. Olympus—a 50-pound simply exhales into a mylar-type burger—is nearly enough to stop aballoon train. and then her breath is analyzed for For special Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Aprovides preliminary study, a more traditional dinner, Dora Restaurant a relaxing which included collecting breath of classics volunteers atmosphere to complement Clinton’s quaint the charm.

Italian like at and Mountainside Center among sitesPru in ravioli, puttanesca, flounder fillMedical the stomach and warm other the heart. the country, showed the analysis identified Thai offers Thai treats like Crying Tiger with a slew ofcorrectly spices, sauces, and seasonings. Ye Olde Sub Base serves up hot subs, with cold an cuts, and theof muchpatients without breast cancer accuracy 99.9 beloved Beer Cheese Soup, the be heart of historic Clinton.

Frank’s percent.

Weall willinsoon collecting breath samples from Pizza & Restaurant is more than pizzeria, offering Veal Parmesan, volunteers whoa simple are having screening mammograms in Chicken with Capers and Mushrooms, a wine garlic over pasta. the next study, whichand is now funded by sauce the NIH (National Towne RestaurantInstitutes has all the of a small-town, family-owned diner of charm Health). loved by locals and visitors alike, serving gyros, omelets, Pesto Chicken Focaccia, and more.

Finally, top a day out with treat, JJ Scoops gives Discuss thetorecent advances in agenetic testing for a much-needed sugar dose in a variety of forms. Their cones, floats, and breast cancer. milkshakes are enough to sate anyas sweet tooth. of better guidelines for Fortunately, a result If you happen testing, to be in more Clinton in late October when thegenetic darkness falls, insurances are covering testing don’t drive home yet—head back to the Red Mill. Each year, the Red Mill for inherited breast cancer. The two most well-known Museum Village runs a Haunted Mill fundraiser. Spanning nine acres of the genes are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations which museum’s land, it features mazes, hayrides, and a terror trail. Dozens of live give a woman a 60-80 percent lifetime risk of breast actors come together to transform living history into the living dead. cancer and a 20-40 percent risk of ovarian cancer. Not For what might seem like a sleepy little town, Clinton has variety in everyone should tested, however, as these genes spades—historically, artistically, and be gastronomically.

The variety might be only account for five percent of all breast cancers and overwhelming, but there’s always time. Regardless of whether you visit a the average population are only in one 1,000 week, a month, orinyears from now, that water wheelfound will still be in turning, people.

A Raritan gene mutation can be inherited from either pushed along by the gentle River. the mother or father. At Mountainside Medical Center, we have a Genetic Counselor available. Through genetic counseling, family history can be used to guide testing for other inherited cancers.

Red Mill MuseuM photo couRtesy of WikiMedia coMMons; hunteRdon aRt MuseuM photo couRtesy of yelp; RiveR photo by d. dogas; toWne RestauRant and the clean plate photos couRtesy of yelp.

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The Clean Plate Kitchen fall 2017 2017

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Q&A with Dr. Vanessa Parisi of Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Group Describe your background and current specialty.

I am a graduate of the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC) in Livingston, New Jersey.

While at SBMC, I served as administrative co-chief resident and am the incoming District III junior fellow chair of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, participating in community service, advocacy, and education of young physicians.

I was born and raised in New York prior to moving to New Jersey for residency. I am a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, so I have training in basic manipulation in addition to traditional medical practice. I am a graduate and former Global Health Academic Medicine Scholar from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.

While in medical school, I concomitantly earned my master’s degree in neuromusculoskeletal sciences from New York Institute of Technology and my master’s degree in public health from A.T. Still University’s School of Health Management.

I am active in my community, political action, and global health. I enjoy experiential learning and teaching, particularly through simulation. I enjoy delivering babies and operating, including minimally invasive procedures.

I spend my free time volunteering, traveling, watching sports, and with my friends and family. I am very excited to join Mountainside Medical Group.

What types of gynecologic services does Mountainside Medical Group offer?

I perform well-woman gynecological care (i.e. annual exams, PAP smears, STI testing, contraception, and pre-conception counseling).

I see women of all ages, including pre-teens as young as 12 years old.

I also perform minor procedures in the office including but not limited to: IUD placement and removal, endometrial biopsies, sonohysterograms, ultrasound, colposcopy, cryosurgery, and basic incisions and drainage. In the operating room. I perform a plethora of pelvic surgical procedures, both minor, major, and minimally invasive.

Talk about some of the unique features of the Mountainside Medical Center Maternity Unit.

Our newly-renovated Maternity Unit offers amenities for new moms and dads that include hotel-quality rooms with sleeper chairs, flat screen TVs, wireless Internet, and spa-inspired baths. We offer special features like mobile telemetry, allowing expectant mothers to move around freely during early stages of labor. We also have a newly-installed labor tub for laboring mothers, which is used for warm water emersion therapy and pain management. We also have a top-notch lactation program for new mothers who choose to breastfeed, staffed by certified lactation consultants.

Our nursery includes a level II special care nursery, staffed 24/7 with board-certified neonatologists. Mountainside Medical Center’s Maternity Unit is also unique in that we are early adopters of the OB/GYN hospitalists model—on staff physicians and Physician Assistants that partner with the patient’s affiliated OB/GYNs or midwives. This approach is known to improve patient safety. These hospitalbased OB/GYNs are available 24/7 and can provide emergency care, routine oversight, and assistance with affiliated OB/GYN or midwives deliveries, among other responsibilities.

Describe the importance of preventative gynecologic care for women of all ages.

Prevention and patient-centered care should be the focus of all medical providers. First and foremost, education is the most important element. In my short time of practice, I have realized how little women know about their bodies and their personal health. Whether they are taking care of their families or are developing themselves professionally, some women put off key signs of illness which should not be ignored. I always try to educate my patients on the nature of their condition, rather than use medical jargon, treat them, and send them on their way. I try to engage my patients. I am open to questions and encourage the patients to advocate for themselves. I encourage women to practice safe sex and attend their well-woman exams and testing as directed. In this country, most of us have the luxury of access to so many life-saving and preventive resources, and we should take advantage of them. I’ve seen firsthand where women have suffered from a serious illness which could have been prevented had they just gone for their mammogram or their well-woman visit. I want to establish the doctor-patient relationship and have my patient’s entrust their wellbeing with me, while also taking responsibility and advocating for themselves. I think this will drastically improve quality of life, productivity, and overall health of our society’s women.

fall 2017

URBAN AGENDA MAGAZINE

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De st in at i on:

Clinton A Red Mill Museum

Hunterdon Art Museum

View of Clinton’s along the Raritan River

Towne Restaurant

50

URBAN AGENDA MAGAZINE

william uhl

symbol of early American industry, Clinton’s iconic Red Mill still sits aside the Raritan River. Since its construction two centuries ago, the mill’s sleepy water wheel has worked with cloth, minerals, food, and electricity. Now, the mill is home to an array of galleries. Some house historical reproductions, some display pieces from international artists, and others hold fragments of local Clinton history.

Furthermore, it stands as the centerpiece of the Red Mill Museum Village, which also includes the Mulligan Quarry and the Bunker Hill Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse from 1860. The museum village hosts events like film festivals, blacksmithing exhibitions, and Peg Leg’s Paracon, which exhibits the historical and paranormal importance of the area.

Right across the Raritan is the Hunterdon Art Museum, similarly housed in a 19th-century stone gristmill. What it lacks in Red Mill’s vivid paint job and historical collections, it makes up for with art exhibitions that span forms and materials both conventional and eccentric. “The Art of Construction” uses drywall, PVC pipes, milk crates, and other construction site staples to challenge the viewer’s perceptions of common building materials. “Interconnections: The Language of Basketry” weaves materials like stapled paper and fabricated metal to expand the concept of basketry beyond a utilitarian folk craft. Just a bridge walk away from the Red Mill, each bank of the Raritan offers a different artistic experience – one looking back, and the other looking forward.

A bevy of culinary options complement Clinton’s rich cultural offerings, with just as much creativity and variety. Just a few blocks down from the Hunterdon Art Museum and still adjacent to the Raritan is The Clean Plate Kitchen. A local favorite, its menu is overflowing with treats like Yummus, Cut the Crab, and Not Your Grandma’s Meatloaf. A focus on healthy options, good service, and menu options off the beaten path makes The Clean Plate Kitchen a great choice for something new. If you’re lucky, a few ducks might visit while you dine.

If you’re just looking for a quick bite without compromising on the Clinton experience, the red neon rim of the Clinton Station Diner lights the way to a good meal all day and night. True to its name, diners can choose to eat in Biela, a train car from 1927, or simply watch model trains roll by on a ceiling-suspended track. The menu ranges from diner staples like burgers and omelets to lamb shanks with orzo, stuffed grape leaves, and cheesecake. And for the ambitious eater, the Mt. Olympus—a 50-pound burger—is nearly enough to stop a train.

For a more traditional dinner, Dora Restaurant provides a relaxing atmosphere to complement Clinton’s quaint charm. Italian classics like ravioli, puttanesca, and flounder fill the stomach and warm the heart. Pru Thai offers Thai treats like Crying Tiger with a slew of spices, sauces, and seasonings. Ye Olde Sub Base serves up hot subs, cold cuts, and the muchbeloved Beer Cheese Soup, all in the heart of historic Clinton. Frank’s Pizza & Restaurant is more than a simple pizzeria, offering Veal Parmesan, Chicken with Capers and Mushrooms, and a wine garlic sauce over pasta.

Towne Restaurant has all the charm of a small-town, family-owned diner loved by locals and visitors alike, serving gyros, omelets, Pesto Chicken Focaccia, and more. Finally, to top a day out with a treat, JJ Scoops gives a much-needed sugar dose in a variety of forms. Their cones, floats, and milkshakes are enough to sate any sweet tooth.

If you happen to be in Clinton in late October when the darkness falls, don’t drive home yet—head back to the Red Mill. Each year, the Red Mill Museum Village runs a Haunted Mill fundraiser. Spanning nine acres of the museum’s land, it features mazes, hayrides, and a terror trail. Dozens of live actors come together to transform living history into the living dead.

For what might seem like a sleepy little town, Clinton has variety in spades—historically, artistically, and gastronomically. The variety might be overwhelming, but there’s always time. Regardless of whether you visit a week, a month, or years from now, that water wheel will still be turning, pushed along by the gentle Raritan River.

The Clean Plate Kitchen fall 2017

Red Mill MuseuM photo couRtesy of WikiMedia coMMons; hunteRdon aRt MuseuM photo couRtesy of yelp; RiveR photo by d. dogas; toWne RestauRant and the clean plate photos couRtesy of yelp.

by