PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS DAY TRIP: AN OUTDOOR MUSEUM

The Hopper Goetschius Museum in Upper Saddle River, NJ

Are you a museum person........

the type who can spend hours wandering through a museum,

stopping to look at 

Every.

Single.

Thing?

Not me, nope. 

I'm aware that this admission 

detracts from my uber-hipster-urban-cultural image 😜,   

but I wasn't born with that museum-patience gene.

Don't get me wrong......

I LOVE and appreciate art!
I have enjoyed seeing paintings and sculptures
from some of the world's most famous artists.

It's just that.......

I 
want 
to 
 see 
what 
I 
want 
to 
see 

.......and then head right to the museum gift shop.

When I went to The Louvre in Paris,

I hightailed it straight to the Mona Lisa.

At the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, 

I made a beeline for The David.

In Rome, I had every intention of zooming straightaway to

Michelangelo's Creation Of Adam in the Sistine Chapel,

but was forced to walk through the entire Vatican Museum to get there

(I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it).

That's not to say that I don't enjoy spending time in museums........
I do.

I'm more likely to be "all in" when I head to a museum 

which depicts an historical event

such as Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Tel Aviv,

the 9/11 World Trade Center Museum in NYC,

or the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
And I do want to go back to Washington, DC specifically to go to the 
National Museum of American History,
National Museum of African American History and Culture,
and the Newseum.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to a museum 
of a totally different caliber near my home. 

It isn't a world-renowned museum housing priceless artwork,

or one commemorating a major historic event. 
It is tiny, in comparison, yet it plays a large role in preserving 

important history of the local area from as early as the 18th Century.
I can never remember the name of it,
so I just call it the Hop and Go Museum.

The Hopper Goetschius Museum in Upper Saddle River, NJ.
is an outdoor museum site that has a collection of 
historic buildings and artifacts from around the north Jersey area.

I'd driven by many times, yet I had never been.

It took a field trip with my photography class

to get me to there.

Hopper Goetschius House C1739 (possibly older).

The main house dates back to at least 1739, 

but it may have been built as early as 1713. 

 

It now serves as a museum, 
preserving household, farming and other assorted artifacts 
from the 1700s through the mid 1900s
and is maintained by the Upper Saddle River Historical Society.

An outhouse and out-kitchen are original structures,
and still sit on the grounds.

Other buildings were moved to the property over the years

from nearby areas, to save them from being demolished.
The VanRiper-Tice barn, 
perhaps the only remaining New World Dutch Barn (c1800),
had particular meaning to me,
as my parents used to take us to the Van Riper and Tice farms 
when we were kids every fall for apple cider and donuts.

VanRiper Tice Barn C1800

Ramsey Sayer Schoolhouse (C1820, left); unidentified building on right

Woodshed (C1896), with the schoolhouse behind it.

The museum wasn't officially open on the day of our trip,
so there was no docent to take us around and explain what we were seeing.
I had to rely my guide named Google, after the fact.

We spent about 2 hours, inside and out,

practicing our photography techniques.......

adjusting ISOs, apertures and shutterspeeds.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing technically,

but it was a lovely setting to work on my composition.

Sometimes the best day trips 

are a stone's throw from your backyard.

LINKING WITH:
Our World Tuesday
Cooking & Crafting With J&J 
Through My Lens  
Keep In Touch
Best Of The Weekend

 

A NATIONAL PARK IN MY HOME TOWN: PATERSON GREAT FALLS

Is there anything in particular that your home town is known for?

Is it the site of an annual mashed potato wrestling event, like Clark, South Dakota?
Can it claim to be the smallest town in America (population: 1),

like Buford, Wyoming? 
Does everyone in the town reside in a single building,
like Whittier, Alaska?

The city where I grew up (not where I live now)
actually has several claims to fame
(I'll get to those in another post),
though none quite as amusing as the ones above.
However, the fact that Paterson, NJ is home to the  
Great Falls National Historical Park 
is a source of civic pride for residents, both current and past.

The falls have been flowing for, oh, 13,000-ish years, 

since about the end of the Ice Age........a tad before my time.

Just 18 miles from midtown Manhattan,  
it is the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River, 
second only to its more famous sister, Niagara Falls.
And you thought New Jersey's national landmark
was the Vince Lombardi Rest Area on the turnpike!
Hah!
If there's one thing I hope to do via this blog,
it's to help change the negative image my little state wrongly endures.
We've got lots of natural beauty here in NJ,
but today, the Great Falls are front and center.

When I was a kid growing up in Paterson, NJ,

the Great Falls didn't have a national park designation.

That didn't make them any less spectacular, of course,

but when they were named as a national landmark in 1976,

we Patersonians were proud as peacocks.

 And then, in 2009, when the falls were designated as a national park,

well, to say we were bursting with pride would be a bit of an understatement. 

We always knew the Great Falls were a special spot,

but now, their splendor would be recognized nationwide.

Most importantly, the site would be eligible for millions of dollars in federal funds.

This was hugely important, because unfortunately, 

over the years, the area surrounding the falls had deteriorated badly.

The neighborhood was unsafe;

historically important buildings were literally crumbling, 

and a nearby stadium, which once held elite status,

was abandoned, and had decayed badly.

The Great Falls have an important place in history.

Alexander Hamilton.......
yes, THAT Hamilton........
the very same who is currently the hot ticket on Broadway, 

visited the area and was so impressed, 

he selected Paterson as the first planned industrial city.

The 77-foot waterfall soon powered local silk mills,

earning Paterson the nickname "Silk City."
My grandfather and great uncles worked in those very mills,

as did many of the area's immigrant population.

The falls also powered companies such as Rogers Locomotive, 
Colt (maker of the famed revolver), and the USS Holland submarine.

As kids, our parents would take us to the falls for picnics. 
Every Thanksgiving we'd go to the stadium next door for high school football games. 
But there was no denying that the area was in sad shape.

In the early 70's, many people I knew (friends, teachers, politicians) 
began a revitalization project to clean up the neighborhood,
and restore it to its former glory.
The goal was to make the Great Falls
as vibrant and attractive to visitors as it once was.
Since that time, the district has come a long way.
It's been cleaned up, and is safe to visit. 
A welcome center includes exhibits that explain the history of the area,
and........we've got our very own park ranger!

Although the falls are only about a half hour from where I live,
I hadn't been there in about ten years.  
When my photography teacher announced that our field trip
would be to the Great Falls, I was delighted!

This was the first time I'd be going back with a decent camera.
In the past, I could blame terrible pictures
on ancient photographic technology;
this time, I'd have to "woman up" and take responsibility for my shots.

So there I was, with my classmates, snapping away at the falls.
Did I feel intimidated taking pictures with a teacher 
who had a renowned career at Sports Illustrated?
Uh, yeah.....you bet I did. 
It would be one thing if the pictures I took 
could stay private between me and my camera.
 But, our assignment was to show a few of our best images in class. 
No pressure........nope. 😓

I took over 200 photos, and when I got home and scanned them,
I thought they were all awful. 
I took a deep breath, ate a bag of candy corn,
and gave the dog a bath.
I needed to put some space between me and iPhoto.

A couple of hours later, I took a closer look,
and this time, I found a few pictures that I liked. 
A little cropping here, a little enhancement there,
and I had some that I felt good about presenting in class.
Most of the photos in this blog post are the ones I showed.
I got some constructive feedback, but overall, they were well-received.
It was interesting to see how everyone saw the same scenery,
but captured it differently on their cameras.

It was wonderful to go back home and see 
all of the positive changes at the Great Falls since I'd last been there.
A lot of work remains to be done in the surrounding historic district,
and some of the same people I knew back in the day are still involved with the project.

Just around the time I visited, there was a poll on Facebook  
for a new slogan to help improve Paterson's image.
My friends and I all agreed there was one obvious choice:

Great Falls, Great Food, Great Future

It won.  

 

24 HOURS IN ASBURY PARK, NJ

Quick - tell me, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Asbury Park?

Would you say.............

1). The beach and boardwalk
2). Salt water taffy
3). Bruce Springsteen
4). I never think of / heard of Asbury Park.

Without a doubt, the first thing that comes to my mind is Bruce Springsteen. The boardwalk, beach, and taffy quickly follow, but The Boss is Boss.......know what I mean?

As a born and bred Jersey girl, perhaps I take it for granted that people equate the seaside town of Asbury with Bruce Springsteen. To many folks, the two go together like Bogey and Bacall.......paper and pencil........wine and cheese.  After all, his first album was called "Greetings From Asbury Park." 

I can't remember the last time I was in Asbury. I'm guessing that it was sometime in high school or college......yikes, maybe even earlier than that, when I was still in braces and pigtails! I did see Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes in concert -- was it at Asbury's Convention Hall? Possibly. Regardless, it's been so long that it felt like I was going for the first time. 

For many years, Asbury Park was not considered a go-to destination along New Jersey's 130 miles of shore line because........well.......to be blunt........it was seedy. In recent years, however, the town where Springsteen cut his musical teeth has seen a tremendous revival, and now regularly finds itself on many of NJ's "Best" lists. Don't be surprised if your uber-hipster friend from Brooklyn brags about the weekend she just spent in Asbury Park.

Our reason for traveling down to Asbury in late September was to attend a Melanie concert. Remember her from the 60s and 70s? 

 "I've got a brand new pair of roller skates.....

You've got a brand new key......." 

Or how about........

"Look what they've done to my song, Ma.......

Look what they've done to my song......."

If you recall those songs, I can guarantee that you'll be humming them for the next three days. You're welcome. Or I'm sorry.........whichever is more appropriate.

This little road trip came about in a funny way. Earlier in September, we walked by a restaurant close to home, surprised to see that Melanie was performing there on that very night. We stood outside, hemming and hawing about whether to get last-minute tickets. I'm not sure if the hems or the haws won, but we didn't go in.  Almost immediately, Mr. GS wished we had.  He fretted; I googled. Lo and behold, Melanie was appearing a few weeks later in Asbury Park. We bought tickets, booked a hotel room, and lined up the dog sitter.  

A week before the concert, I started tracking the weather. It put me in a cranky mood, as it looked like we were going to be in for a complete washout. Let's be honest, here. For Mr. GS, the priority was to see Melanie. Me? I was more interested in seeing Asbury (not that I wasn't looking forward to seeing Melanie -- I was!). But raining on my Asbury Park parade would put a real damper on our excursion.

We set off on a cloudy Thursday morning, and halfway down the Garden State Parkway, the skies brightened. By the time we arrived, the sun was shining, as was my mood. 😎

Our reservations were at The Asbury, a super-trendy new-ish hotel. Clearly, we're not the target demographic, but simply staying there would up our "cool" factor, no?

The friendly millennial who checked us in asked what brought us to Asbury Park. "The Melanie concert."  A weak smile and his unconvincing "Oh, cool!" response made me want to say, "Yeah, I'm old enough be your mother. Wanna see my AARP card? Huh? HUH?" There were some other baby-boomers milling about the lobby. They'd know who Melanie is, that's for sure. More than likely, that's why they were there.

This was not your grandma's hotel lobby.......

The hotel bartender probably cards you to make sure you're over 21 but under 40 to sit at the bar.

Kidding aside.......we felt totally welcomed and comfortable at The Asbury.

One might say the room was spare - others would call it contemporary.  Bottom line is, the bed was comfy and the bathroom was spotless. The rum body wash, peppermint shampoo and cilantro hair conditioner whet my shower appetite. Yum yum. Time for lunch.

You know me, guys........I was itching to get out and explore. The beach and boardwalk were only a block away, right at the entry to the renowned Asbury Park Convention Hall.

The interior of the Convention Hall houses a theater (Springsteen's band has practiced there), as well as a bunch of cute restaurants and shops.  My first order of business was to buy a box of the Jersey shore's world-famous salt-water taffy.

Carla Gizzi At The Beach is a fabulous store inside Convention Hall, stuffed to the gills with interesting items. I knew I wasn't going to leave without buying one of the plaques with Bruce's song lyrics. Trouble was, I couldn't make up my mind, because every one of them has been a part of my being for decades.  Ultimately, I decided on 'Cause Tramps Like Us, Baby We Were Born To Run, a line from my favorite Springsteen album. Ten seconds after leaving the store, I was sure I made a mistake. Should I have gotten When They Said Sit Down, I Stood Up? Or, Talk About A Dream, Try to Make It Real? Maybe I'll order another one. Or two. I still can't decide.

It was an unexpected treat to have lunch outside at Langosta Lounge on the boardwalk, considering that just yesterday, I thought I'd be sloshing around in my Hunter rain boots.  

The day was so unexpectedly lovely and mild, that we regretted not packing our beach chairs. The boardwalk's benches would do very nicely, though.

Ah, the ocean! Just to look at it does us a world of good!

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive."

As we strolled the boardwalk, I could feel Bruce Springsteen's presence everywhere.

"Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie

for tellin' fortunes better than they do...."

Even with its revitalization, echos of the past were loud and clear. The dilapidated Asbury Casino marks a ghostly end to the main section of the boardwalk.

 

"The boys from the casino dance with their shirts open
like Latin lovers on the shore."

  

The painted ponies have long been gone from the carousel house.

Just a block off the boardwalk is an area called The Circuit. Back in the day, it was known for hot rodders and motorcycles, but when we were there, it was pretty quiet.  

"The Circuit's lined and jammed with chrome invaders."

Some of Asbury Park's most iconic landmarks can be found along the circuit.......

The Wonder Bar, a popular nightclub and restaurant, has hosted musical legends like Bon Jovi, Clarence Clemmons, and of course, Bruce Springsteen. Had we brought Sadie, we could have taken her to Yappy Hour, where she could hang out with other pups in the large, outdoor fenced-in area. I wonder if she'd like a strawberry "dogquiri?"

Just around the corner is Asbury Lanes. It ain't just bowling balls......it's also a concert venue, and has a pretty cool diner, too. I regret not going inside to take a peek. Hungry? Order a pork roll waffle sandwich, and then engage in New Jersey's ultimate debate  -- do you call it pork roll or taylor ham (this NJ native goes with the latter).

The most famous landmark of all is The Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen got his start. It's been said that he still shows up there every now and then. Can you IMAGINE? I'd faint on the spot. Bon Jovi, the other Jersey boy, has played there, too.

With my mind filled with Springsteen lyrics, I almost forgot the reason we came! It was time for Melanie, and my brain switched gears as I got dressed to go.

Tim McCloone's Supper Club is an intimate venue, holding just a few hundred people. Melanie walked right by us, as she made her way to the stage.

The best part of the concert was when she talked about her experience playing at Woodstock. She later wrote a song about the famed music festival, which became one of her biggest hits.

Lay down, lay down, lay it all down,

Let your white birds birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown.

Forgive the terrible photo quality, but this picture is, in fact, the reason we were in Asbury to begin with.

In the morning, the weather was gloomy. We headed into the business district about a mile down the road, and had a cozy breakfast at Toast, before heading home. 

I know I say this about pretty much everywhere I go, but I felt such a strong connection with Asbury Park. I can't say that it would affect everyone in this way, but I felt Asbury. Maybe it's the Jersey girl in me; maybe it's some latent childhood memories that struggled to find their way to the surface of my brain; maybe it's Springsteen's lyrical references to Asbury that I know so well. I dunno. All I can tell you is that something about Asbury Park tugged at my soul. It felt like home. Is that weird?

Although one can feel the ghosts of its former days, I'm pretty sure Asbury Park's glory days lie ahead.

RESOURCES
The Asbury (Hotel)
Langosta Lounge (restaurant)
Carla Gizzi At The Beach (shop)
Tim McCloone's Supper Club (restaurant and concert venue)
Toast (restaurant)

LINKING WITH:

Best Of The Weekend

Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Cooking & Crafting With J & J