Mark your calendar. The progressive bingo prize at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Church is up to at least $1,400. Your next chance to win is tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 pm. The church is at 94 Pine Street in Montclair.
Alliance Repertory Theatre Company, which found itself locked out of Bloomfield's Liberty Theater last fall and which had planned to relocate in Montclair, finds itself opening its seventh season in Paterson church basement instead.
"It was going to be an outrageous amount of money to bring it up to code," managing director Jerry Marino said of the Montclair space. He's hoping Bloomfield audiences will travel the extra five or six miles to support the theater at its new home at St. Michael's Church on Cianci Street in Paterson.
Alliance Repertory's season starts with "Children of a Lesser God" in September. More information about its location and calendar on its website.
Sitting on our front porch, sipping our coffee, reading a Nick Hornby novel, and wondering what exactly that sound all around us really is. Pray tell us, gentle reader, what the insect is that makes such a racket on a summer morn, yet never shows its face. Name that buzz.
(For best sound, use headphones.)
You've heard the one about the Jesus statue in Hoboken that opened one of its eyes? Well, we got miracles too. Really.
Kudos to the Weird NJ guys who have managed to parlay their Weird vision to new and national extremes. On the History Channel (sneak preview tomorrow night; debut Monday at 10 pm), is Weird US . It promises to trace "bizarre and unusual stories of American history that have fallen through the cracks--and maybe were meant to stay there."
From reader Nancy Mehegan, a neat search feature that illustrates just how ubiquitous Starbucks has become and helps you find the chain wherever you travel this summer. The feature must be helpful to (or perhaps inspired by?) this guy. Where will the caffeine chain land next? Bloomfield? Verona? Iraq?
Head over to Montclair's Farmer's market today and catch chef Ryan DePersio of Fascino fame. He'll be dishing out free samples of something undoubtedly yummy from 11am - 12noon.
It starts tonight, (albeit not yet in Baristaville), and we can't help but be intrigued by The Aristocrats. We've never actually heard the joke that inspired the movie, although after some searching, we've gotten the gist of the raunchy riff that hails back to vaudeville days. Going to see stand-up to support my own favorite comic, I've been privy to some pretty dirty stuff. Reviewers, who explain that reading the joke isn't as funny as seeing it performed by hundreds of comedians (duh!), seem to like it. So, we're asking -- will you see it? And have you heard the joke?
The more we read about "acting" Governor Codey, the more we want to hang with him, especially now that we've learned he's thisclose with Jay-Z, according to USA Today.
It seems New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey and the music mogul, both huge hoops fans, were having dinner at a New Jersey Nets game and Codey boasted he could name the colleges of every player on the court.
I kicked his butt on it," he says.
When he's not hanging with celebs and mangling the word "bling," (he called it first bingle,then biggle) he's coaching b-ball and taking his "entourage" out for pies at Star Tavern. Dick, call us if you get to meet Beyonce; we'd be happy to join your entourage, or your "protection team" for that matter.
For the last few weeks, signs on the door had mentioned that Willie's Diner was simply closed for renovation. This looks like something more, especially since there was a major renovation about 10 years ago. Will devoted fans from Glen Ridge and Bloomfield make the switch to the Nevada? Is another Dunkin Donuts planning to infiltrate? Stay tuned...(Photo by Paul Zalewski)
Slog through today's Star Ledger's Munchmobile article and you'll find those non-stop eaters discovered Bloomfield, specifically Cosimo's. Of course, Barista was ahead of the curve here, eating there not too long after the restaurant won Bloomfield's best pizza honors.
Barista readers/fans of Cosimo's are excited that the eatery is getting its props. In our mailbox:
Today's munchmobile gives "top dog" honors to Cosimo's for outstanding Italian food. Loved learning the story relaying the history of the owners. This should send the bluebloods of UM running for a reservation.
Of course, there are always detractors. If you feel differently, add your comments here for posterity. Meanwhile, Bloomfield's newest addition is getting major rave reviews at Food.
From today's Jersey Journal, some hubbub yesterday when a robot was used to blow up a suspicious package that turned out to be full of clothing.
Gregory Borras Jr., a "former fire instructor with the former North Bergen Fire Department before it merged with north hudson regional fire" [are we confused yet?], spied the package and alerted authorities.
"We were crossing the bridge over the PATH trains (on Kennedy Boulevard) and saw this package wrapped very tightly in cellophane," said Borras, who now lives in Seaside Park. "What was inside the cellophane was black, so it looked like something else was wrapped up inside it.
"I have training in weapons of mass destruction, so I know what to look for," Borras said, adding that he took a three-day domestic preparedness class in 1999.
Montclair realtor Adriana O'Toole celebrated 30 years in the business by arranging for perfect weather, donning a green Montclair Realty baseball cap and inviting 100 or so of her closest friends to tonight's Jackals game. The Jackals, in turn, obliged Adriana with a 9-2 victory against the Can-Am Grays. Congrats all around.
Brian English, 19, a 2004 graduate of Bloomfield High School, died yesterday in an accident on Route 80 near Parsippany when a car his sister was driving crossed the median strip and was crushed by a bus in oncoming traffic. The 24-year-old sister, Jennifer, is in critical condition.
The accident briefly closed Route 80 in both directions. More details about the fatality in the Daily Record.
Or maybe not.
Stephen Sondheim's musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, who killed his clients and served them as meat pies, will be performed by students at six local high schools, including Montclair and Glen Ridge. It opens tonight at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls. Details here.
If you're tired of looking for a free table at either of Baristaville's two overbuzzed Starbucks franchises, or you'd just like to order a small cappucino for a change, we've got the Remedy for you. More on our food page.
And this one's from out-of-state, so it's really lost. From reader Linda Ippolito:
This morning I meet this family in Brookdale Park. They are from N.H., driving their daughter to school in Maryland. Their Shetland Sheepdog broke from his leash at McDonald's Brookdale Monday night. Taylor is one year old, tan & white. There was a sighting at the tennis court at Brookdale last night. Reward for lost dog, will answer to Taylor. Please call Diane @603--973-1278 or cell 603-569-1698. This family is heartbroken, hope you can post this so he can find his home.
NJ Transit announced yesterday that it now has 231 bi-level passengers cars on order for its commuter lines, including the Montclair-Boonton line. One hundred were already on order. The Bombardier double deckers, like the one shown in the picture, can be seen in detail on this page. They're set to roll out sometime next year.
We thought we had neighborhood hostility covered over here at Baristanet, but then we went over to the Montclair Watercooler and discovered that we'd only scratched the surface.
Seems there's a major suburban etiquette question going: is it ok to throw your trash into a neighbor's can? No way, says this poster.
Last Thursday - trash pick up day for us - I was driving out of my driveway, toward my receptacles on Grove St., near a DeCamp bus stop. At that moment, a woman, waiting for the bus, was casually depositing her banana peel in my emptied trash can, which was on its side. I pulled up to return my trash cans to their regular spots next to my house, and she just looked at me. Please don't use my receptacles, just because they're close to the bus stop! It isn't nice. I wouldn't like the extra fruit flies your UN-bagged banana peel would add to my garbage -- plus - I don't put raw fruit and vegetable scraps into the garbage. I compost them. I took your banana peel to my composter on the other side of the yard.
This person had it even worse. She lives near a baseball field and people throw pizza boxes and other trash right onto her day lilies.
Although is not exactly considerate to throw items (especially recyclables!) in homeowners' empty trash bins, it is much better than tossing it into someone's mulch.
Worse yet, this story from Ken Kurson, now a resident of Cedar Grove.
From 5:45 pm to 9:15 pm tonight, my home was without power. It seemed as if this problem affected my neighbor, too, but I'm not sure if anyone else on the street was also in the dark. Slacker mom that I am, I called PSE & G, lit some candles, then left the kids with a sitter and hightailed it out of there (it doesn't get dark until late anyway, I reasoned). Just wondering if anyone else had this problem?
The rumors circling are true! On one of the hottest days of summer, two out of the three Montclair pools are closed. The Essex Pool, located on Chestnut Ave, and the Mountainside Pool on Upper Mountain Ave are both closed today due to filter repairs. Both pools are expected to re-open in the early evening but that is just an estimate according to pool employees. Good luck staying cool Montclair!
Jimmy Wilson, the affable and eccentric railroad "foamer" with a 99-year lease on the Benson Street train station in Glen Ridge, ran into a heap of trouble last week, when cops charged him with drunk driving, resisting arrest and aggravated assault on a police officer. According to today's Ledger, Wilson was also charged with making "terroristic threats."
Wilson runs his private cargo line, New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad, from the station, as well as the so-called Erie-Lackawanna Railway Museum. He also tried unsuccessfully to operate a passenger line from Benson Street to Hoboken after that track was closed when the Montclair connection opened. The train station, meanwhile, is hanging on by a thread and the museum is little more than an intriguing junk heap.
We went by the station this morning as soon as we read the Ledger article and asked Wilson for his side of the story. His assistant was reading the story on the phone to somebody and laughing. "No publicity is bad publicity," she said cheerfully. Wilson, for his part, wouldn't comment except to say that he was planning to plead innocent to all charges.
In case you don't spend all day reading every last comment on our site, you might have missed Mr. Plofker himself commenting about the street closing in front of the former Marlboro Inn. Sounds to us like he enjoys negative attention. But who doesn't?
My apologies for the slow moving road construction. The proper and safe job requires that the street be closed until (hopefully) this pm.
Thank you to the posters who feel the need, possibly misguided, to defend me. I would argee with Ms's. R--- and I---------- that my name is mentioned too often.
I miss my old "foes" however. They were passionate and active and more fun to wrestle with than anonymous posters.
Although I might be inclined to further agree with all else said, Mr. Walleroo is incorrect in thinking I care what his (or his anonymous associates) opinions are. In the "communities" Bobbi and I try to be a constructive part of, people disagree- but take responsibility for themselves.
The only thing we "trumpet" is that Montclair is a great place. We try to help make it better. If this requires turning a deaf ear to people questioning our motives and integrity- no problem- it's suprisingly easy.
Posted by: steven plofker | July 27, 2005 11:40 AM
Five Egyptian nationals, living in Newark, have been detained on possible terrorist charges after Newark police received a tip Sunday afternoon. The police found $8,000 cash, New York City subway maps and two camcorders. A London-like transit bombing plot, or just some poor guy plotting his route to work? The Star Ledger story is here.
Speaking of terrorism and Ledger, the newspaper came under attack today in a Philadelphia Inquirer column for giving terrorists a blueprint in a story recently published with the headline "Terrorist targets sit in state's rail yards."
A pool thermometer at Mountainside Pool in Upper Montclair told the story yesterday: 100 degrees. More misery today, but violent thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening are expected to break the heat and humidity and leave us with dry air and temps in the 70's tomorrow. Local forecast here.
Meanwhile, the Barista is hoping that torrents of rain don't interfere with her first invitation ever to the Bradford Bath and Tennis Club this evening. We hear that it's no children night.
(Photo by Warren Levinson)
We're sure our readers and advertisers won't mind if we just hang up a going fishing sign next week. After all, it's "PC-Turnoff Week" and families nationwide are being encourage to unplug the electronic umbilical cord from Aug. 1 to 7.
"Give your kids the gift of boredom," the PC-Turnoff Organization encourages.
Let them stare at the ceiling for 30 minutes. There is far more brain activity going on while laying on the floor staring at a ceiling, than staring at some entertainment on the screen.
The keyboard (above) shows all the nifty things kids might do if their parents unplug the computer: fly helicopters, walk with canes, start fires. Sounds like fun. But just in case you and your offspring get tired of bungee jumping and ceiling staring, Baristanet will keep publishing.
Anyone planning to unhook?
Step right up, and see what's behind the curtain! They're strange, they're marvelous, never before seen in these parts ... they're voting machines without levers! That's right, you heard me, electronic voting systems! You'll be shocked and amazed! You won't believe your eyes! One day only!
We got caught in it yesterday around 5:30 and as a result our teenage diva was late for a rehearsal. An irate reader writes us about it today. It's the intersection of Grove and Watchung, former home of the Marlboro Inn, and roadwork (an entrance into the new development maybe?) is causing massive detours and delays in the area for the second day.
Why no story on the second day of Grove St. being blocked at Watchung by Plofker's crew? It's the second day of Decamp buses down Ridgewood Ave, and who knows how long the construction will continue?
Bloomfield native and swing vocalist Vickie Smith will channel jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn when she performs tonight with her quartet in Watsessing Park in Bloomfield. The concert, part of Essex County Concert Series, is free and starts at 7 pm. The location is the intersection of Cleveland Terrace and Llewellyn Terrace. Map here.
Clubbers at the swank Glen Ridge Country Club (not to be confused with the Glen Ridge Community Pool) had to avert their eyes last night during a swim meet, when a coach from the Diamond Springs swim club actually entered the establishment wearing denim. Denim is not allowed on country club property.
A little birdy tells us that one of the lifeguards was going to approach the sartorially-offending oaf and ask him to place a towel over his blue jean shorts, but another lifeguard told him to stand down.
Tsk tsk. This is how Western Civilization declines. What will they allow next? Harmonica playing?
Paperwork isn't the Barista's strong suit. Still, we managed to file our Homeowner Rebate Application yesterday afternoon -- a good two and a half weeks before the August 15 deadline. Filing is fairly simple, but not as easy as the old Homestead rebate. You have to find your 2004 tax return to get the amount of your gross NJ income (not previously required). It took us about 20 minutes to find the motivation to get up off our ass and look for the envelope from our accountant; just one minute to actually find it. You might be able to do better.
The way it works: homeowners who grossed less than $125,000 last year get a rebate of $350. Those who made between $125,000 and $200,000 get $300. If you make more than $200,000, they figure you're so rich you use hundred dollar bills for toilet paper. More details and discussion here and here. Online filing here.
So, what to do with your $350 when it comes in October? There's always the pre-fixe $350 sushi dinner at Masa. Sounds like fun:
While dining at great French restaurants like Daniel or Le Bernardin is like going to a special event, dining at Masa is like going to a secret clubhouse. Beyond a simple black curtain is an enormous wooden door. Push it open and you are delivered into a room that is quiet, self-contained and entirely dim around the edges. And when the door swings shut, New York is gone.
And so, we hope, is New Jersey.
Just what we always need -- more writers in Baristaville. Get some free tips from David Harris Ebenbach, winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and teacher of writing at Montclair State University and Gotham Writers' Workshop, at a free introductory workshop for fiction writers tonight -- Monday, July 25 -- from 7- 8:30 pm at the Montclair Public Library. Participants should bring pen and paper (duh!) as they will be guided through several writing exercises designed to jumpstart their own tales.
Montclair's getting a new cafe. The new eatery, Sistha, Sistha Cafe, will be serve up Caribbean-American favorites. Sistha, Sistha is located on the corner of William and Dey Streets, in the space that once was Elsie's Deli in Frog Hollow. For more about Frog Hollow, go to At Home.
As random bag checks start today, people weigh in on the Jersey Side...
I take the 156 or 159 [bus] every day back and forth from Union City to Port Authorty. Today when I was boarding the bus to come back to NJ I didn't see one cop or securtity guard or soliders in our terminal, a man with dark sunglasses a beard, trenchcoat and boots gets on the bus holding on to a bag for dear life. Some people asked the bus driver if he had been checked, I didn't hear his response but since I didn't see one cop or guard in our terminal or gate I doubt anyone checked him, today was about 95 degrees and I can't believe that such a suspicious looking person could board the bus clinging on to that Duane Reade bag for his dear life and no security to check him, I'm very disappointed, many people got off the bus because they were scared and us that stayed on the bus I think most of closed our eyes and prayed we would make it out of the Lincoln Tunnel alive. For once I feel glad to be driving to work.
Another Sunday in the city, from the Daily News. Here's hoping there's no one who looks suspicious on your DeCamp bus today:
In a dramatic sign of the city's edginess since the London transit bombings, cops evacuated buildings, shut midtown streets and forced about 60 terrified tourists to march off the double-decker bus, with their hands up, in the heart of Broadway.
Cops in riot gear handcuffed a group of apparently harmless South Asian-looking men with British accents after a jittery tour bus worker reported they seemed suspicious.
The men were forced to kneel on the sidewalk, with their hands bound behind their backs, between 50th and 51st Sts. in front of the Winter Garden theater on a sunny summer Sunday with the city packed with tourists.
"People were really scared," said Jill Sully, 29, of Saskatoon, Canada. "There were sharpshooters with guns pointed toward our bus."
"I was scared out of my mind," said another passenger, Amanda Pesanello, 20, of Coventry, R.I. "We don't have things like this in Rhode Island."
It's depressing as hell, but just in case you're at the wrong place at the wrong time, this could be a good idea:
It's spreading like Spam in inboxes, but it's a very real and serious idea. Cell phone users are being encouraged to list their emergency contact's phone number under the listing of ICE, which stands for "in case of emergency."
More on the ICE campaign here.
Unlike my dating life, the rest of the dating world has gone into hyperdrive. Witness the new ABC dating program “Hooking Upâ€
This 'almost reality' show follows a dozen single NYC women navigating the cyber dating universe. One has to wonder how an ad exec for Viagra (one of the women profiled) would ever have trouble finding a date, but there you are. Everyone has their own dating style. Busy, career types have something called speed dating, which has nothing to do with drugs. Rather, you meet 20 people in eight minutes and hope to score at least one phone number. Presumably, the second date lasts a bit longer.
Teenagers have a pack mentality and date in groups. Large groups. I think the last time my daughter went on a movie "date," she met nine other kids at the theater. I guess there is safety in numbers.
My dating style, however, is suffering. A recent spate of work and family commitments have left me little extra time for dating. And frankly, what I’d really like right now is People magazine, a bag of chips and a half hour to myself. But I guess I should take a look at this dating site -- a well meaning friend just emailed me. Just don’t tell ROC.
Sure, there's been a lot of bad shit going down in the world lately.
But hey, you know, we did catch a break with the weather this weekend. And when there's a breeze in the air on a summer night, a girl's thoughts run to Margaritas.
We bought this whopper of a Margarita Mix at the Millburn Shoprite the other day, after visiting the kick-ass Millburn municipal pool.
Now there's a town that knows how to cool off its residents in the summer. Vast, clean, plenty of grass, plenty of shade, classy-looking plastic Adirondack chairs and a 15-minute adult swim every hour -- all for $230 a year.
Actually, we've done quite a bit of pool slumming lately. Yesterday, we went to the JCC-Ewing, home to the famous (and historically landmarked) Trenton Bathhouse designed by 
Louis Kahn. Not as schnazzy as Millburn, but equally capacious, with a nice run-down comfortable vibe and green corrugated fiberglass canopies to deliver shade.
But we digress. It was Margarita mix we were talking about. You're supposed to fill this bucket with water and stick it in the freezer and just be able to dig out glass after glass of Margaritas for your friends. So what if we don't have nearly that much room in our freezer? A party in a bucket for under five bucks. How can you lose?
We know there'll be local news to report one of these days. Just not today. Meanwhile, what's your summer drink (or pool) fantasy? And if anyone has a cool pool for the Barista to try out, just give us a whistle.
Looking to play chess (or "chest" as my wee ones pronounce it)? Jonathan on the Watercooler is looking for players...
I'm Jonathan and I love to play chess. What I intend to do gather a coalition of the willing to meet up somewhere in town (Starbucks, Montclair bookstore, ???) on a regular night. No pressure, no fees. Just bring a set (if you can) and play. In fact, I'm thinking people can come just to learn how to play. I used to teach chess to children and I bet anyone who loves the game would be willing to sit with a beginner and help them out. Maybe if things get real big we'll have some lectures on chess theory and such or lessons on particular strategies, but that's not in scope right now. What I explicitly hope not to do is form a team or any kind of competitive vibe. Competition is fine, but I'm hoping simple love of the game will be the focus of this group. The only rule I will make (but not really enforce since I intend no formal structure) is that people not play for money -- Washington Square/Bryant Park style. Clocks and fast chess are fine, but the betting sets the wrong tone. Does that sound good to you? If so, let me know here on the board or via email. I figure if we can get 6-8 people we can start ASAP. I'll post a follow up in a couple of weeks once I see what the response is like.
No competition, no wagering? Alright, if you're interested (and not a member of the 'cooler), we'll pass your info on to Jonathan.
Arggh! Now it seems that even Starbucks isn't safe from solicitation. Is it really wise to mess with people en route to a caffeine fix? Our own Julia has the story...
Recently, my friend and I were about to walk inside Starbucks on Valley Road when two young adults accosted us, blocking the entrance to my mecca. They introduce themselves as Jess and Jesse; they work for NJPIRG, New Jersey’s Public Interest Research Group. Their mission? Trying to raise money to help NJPIRG ensure New Jersey’s air quality meets health-based standard for soot pollution which comes from diesel fuel.
A gesture of virtual peace from poster Mike M., who has found a "satellite" Montclair in North River, NY. After a couple days of grumpy-tense posts (his words), he thought we could use some zen.
Stay up late in front of the computer to download porn help charity? Apparently, there is such a thing. And more virtuous folks than us (a.k.a. Cootiehog) plan to burn the midnight oil and then some. Jaynee wonders how she will do it...
I've decided to participate in this year's Blogathon. It's a commitment by bloggers all over the world to post to their blog every 30 minutes for 24 hours to raise money for charity. Sponsors donate money to those commited to posting every 30/24. I did it a couple years ago with some success (about $250 in donations). Can I do an all-nighter again? Maybe I'll hook up the DVD player and watch Buffy and Alias and Angel episodes. This year's charity is Heifer International. Your money goes directly to buy specific things that needy countries require - whether you buy a cow to help provide milk or wheat to help provide food.
If you haven't heard, from AP at Yahoo...
Plainclothes police chased a man in a thick coat through a subway station, wrestled him to the floor of a train car and shot him to death in front of stunned commuters Friday. Police said the shooting was "directly linked" to the investigations of the bomb attacks on London's transit system.
Could it happen here? Well, over in Millburn, a new plaza, with the centerpiece of a clock donated by a local jeweler, has Mamacita seething. The 16-foot-high pedestal clock was donated to the township by what must now be Millburn's most well-known couple, Nancy and David Stone of Nancy and David Fine Jewels. The clock, situated on the corner of Main and Essex Streets, has four faces, all of which bear the names "Nancy and David." Here's the rant highlights:
Remember when there was such a thing as a true civic gesture? Remember when folks in a town, or a particular member of a town, donated some item dedicated to the public good? It could be a statue to commemorate war veterans, or the renovation of a landmark, or even a simple bench, donated to provide a place of rest. Perhaps you have such a thing in YOUR town. The donors of the item are usually recognized in a small, tasteful plaque. And these gestures, dear readers, are distinct from commerical naming opportunities.
Yes, naming opportunities abound in our society and accost us whenever we enter a dedicated hospital wing, enroll in a class in certain college buildings, attend a concert , or spend an afternoon at the ball park. Hard working fundraisers put these deals together to raise money for needed improvements to colleges and hospitals. Canny businesspeople put together sponsorship deals to keep their operations afloat and offer them to the highest bidder. But one variety of naming is clearly philanthropic and is recognized as a tax deduction while the other is a business promotion and comes out of the marketing budget.
So what is it when some canny business people offer to donate a clock "for the public good" while using it as an occasion to mount a permanent billboard?
Corruption really doesn't pay. From WNBC...
The state pension board has voted to slash retirement pay for a former Essex County official who served prison time after a corruption scandal.
James Treffinger, 55, will get only $6,000 a year instead of $35,000 when he begins collecting his retirement pay in 2010.
Treffinger pleaded guilty in 2003 to obstruction of justice and mail fraud and went to prison for 13 months.
The board of the State Employees Retirement System based Tuesday's decision on rules that say pension credit can only be given for honorable service.
Commuting today? Leave your extra baggage home. Just in case, you didn't catch this, bag searches are the order of the day after yesterday. From the NY Post:
Let us know if you get searched or if you see anything interesting. Those of us not commuting live vicariously through you...Hours after the latest London terror attack, the NYPD started random searches of straphangers' bags at turnstiles, in a stunning new counterterror move. In a bid to stop would-be bombers, cops will search the bags of people entering the subway system, city buses, LIRR and Metro-North stations - and those who decline to be searched will be ejected
It's just about weekend time, folks, and you know what that means? No, forget about the horrible amount of people scamming out of work tomorrow while you're stuck slaving away, it means it's thrills time. Fortunately, we at Barista of Bloomfield Ave. know what you need, and have just the place to find it - the Thrills page!
At the moment, the featured event for tomorrow night is Truth Serum (also known as Glen Ridge's own Paul Byrne and Daniel Kirk), who will be playing at Coffee Club Cafe in Montclair. They go on at 8:30 p.m. Be there or....
Dear Parental Units,
Now that I am at college, I have discovered a few things. You were wonderful when you bought me extra-long sheets that I will never need again after I graduate, and the new towels that match my shower shoes. I can’t thank you enough for the new clothes and the egg crate padding that makes my bed a lot more comfortable. And don’t think I forgot about all the little furnishings and gadgets on the college list of things to buy that Bed, Bath, and Beyond supplies with the 20% off coupons they sent to our house over the summer. But now I realized I need a few more additional things…
Continue reading "For Those of You with College Bound Kids…You Better Get Used to This" »
Twisted Sister, and a bunch of bands we've never heard of, are coming to Yogi Berra Stadium on August 21 for the arena's second rock concert of the year. It's being billed as Twisted Sister's last concert. More details here.
Take a look: there are three -- count 'em -- three lap lanes available at the Glen Ridge pool now, available from 10 am to noon, and from 6 to 8 pm. Two lanes, as usual, will be open the rest of the time. (And we didn't even realize the pool opened at 10 am!)
That's one outcome of last night's membership meeting. The executive committee is also going to try to reduce those expensive weekend guest fees ($21).
The big news is that 22 members of the pool didn't pay their pool dues this year, which means the pool has $14,000 less than it expected. Charlie Potters wants to organize a Tiki party to help fill the pool coffers, and we think that's a swell idea.
The executive committee is also thinking of keeping the temporary bathroom facilities, rather than building a real poolhouse, and re-arranging the trailers so that a shade tarp could be stretched from one to another to create a shade courtyard. We suggested painting murals on the trailers, and people generally thought that was cool.
Only 24 people attended the meeting, which was refreshingly civil.
Meanwhile in other pool news...
We Barista girls live for pizza wars. We were there for the Bloomfield Pizza Challenge last fall. We monitor all the pizza controversies on e-Gullet. And of course we followed the Nutley pizza war like it was the Superbowl.
So now comes a made-for-TV pizza war movie, set right in Miss Martta territory: Verona. The movie, Pizza My Heart, takes the Romeo-and-Juliet plot up to date with the warring families recast as competing pizzerias in Verona, NJ. Corny? Undoubtedly. Fun? Likely.
Pizza My Heart airs Sunday night at 7 pm on Channel 45 (Comcast), and again at 9 pm. If this isn't a good excuse for a Sunday night pizza party, we don't know what is.
A lawsuit to stop the eminent domain process in downtown Bloomfield was dismissed by a NJ Superior Court judge yesterday. The judge ruled that the lawsuit had been filed too late. Full report in the Ledger.
These terrorists are really getting on our nerves. Oh yeah, that's what they want. Commuters: what was the vibe in the trains, buses and tunnels this morning?
Graphic by HumorInk of Montclair.
Montclair Center and Montclair township's Arts Council are looking to pair visual artists and downtown merchants for an ongoing arts festival called Artfull Living to kick off Sept. 29.
The deadline for artists is July 30, and all the paperwork is available at Montclair Center's website.
Some merchants and artists don't need a matchmaking service: art is available at the Church St. Cafe's sidewalk on Sunday mornings.
Ok, RidgeRanger, it's time to step out of your screen name and into a swimsuit. There's a general meeting of the Glen Ridge community pool tonight. Since our post about the pool being closed one hot night for swim meet generated 58 comments, we're hoping some of those people might show up and complain (or volunteer) face to face. On our personal agenda: the usurious $21/person weekend guest fees. The meeting starts, at the pool, at 7:30 pm, giving us just enough time to do our laps ahead of time.
By the way, in case anyone was planning to get upset, the pool will stay open for swimming tonight till its usual time: 8 pm.
Liz, you didn't have to move after all. The hopelessly retro bathroom in your old house might have qualified you for a reality show. Spotted on Craigslist by the indefatigable Soprano Sue, a casting call for the country's ugliest bathroom:
Every time we drive up to the K-Mart plaza in West Orange, we look in the windows of the former Pathmark to see evidence of the much anticipated 55,430 square foot Whole Foods announced for the site. Drove there yesterday to stop into Staples and, again, saw no evidence of any activity: just the same FOR LEASE signs that have been there all along.
Visible progress or not, we have it on good authority that the Kings supermarket in Verona is running scared and planning a store overhaul to compete with the new Whole Foods.
What happens when your kid goes to camp with the daughter of a famous rock star? Montclair writer Deirdre Day-McLeod, who blogs over at My Life as a Rabid Blog, found herself sitting in the audience with a rock legend recently. Her son went to camp with David Bowie's daughter and Bowie was in the audience for the end-of-session show.
At first though even though I knew he was with David Bowie's daughter and David Bowie's wife, I refused to believe that the guy in the bermuda shorts and the yellow rugby shirt could possibly be the androgenous Ziggy Stardust. He had a bit of a paunch and some saggy areas. How could he be that chiselled faced glam rocker? But in the middle aged face it was possible to see the features of one of rock and roll's most talented beings.
Wonder what she would have thought if Mick Jagger had been in the audience?
Anyway, with the local news in a mid-summer slump, now would be as good a time as any to solicit camp stories, current or past. What happened when you went up for visiting day? Have any camper letters to share?
A Bloomfield woman almost drowned yesterday and is still in critical condition after being pulled from the ocean at Spring Lake. Rachelle Noble, who turns 41 today, was swimming with her 10-year-old son.
Lifeguards first rescued the boy, who asked about his mother after being pulled from the water. Noble wasn't visible, so the guards did a line search and found her under the surface. A family friend, along for the trip, did not need to be rescued. More details in today's Ledger.
Summertime, and the business is S...L...O...W....
The retailers of Montclair have taken that economic phenomenon known as SUMMER, dressed it up like a poodle in a tutu, and are trotting it around the internet, looking for takers. Somebody, please, go out and buy something. We don't know how many more pitches like this we can stomach.
First this from Village Radio:
Continue reading "Scent of Desperation Detected in Baristaville" »
Jaynee, better known in the blog world as Cootiehog, joins Baristanet as an occasional contributor. She lives in Bloomfield. Make her feel welcome, folks. She's going to help out later this summer so the baristas can take a vacation.
So yesterday was my first day of work at my new job in NJ. Since my move to the NYC metro area in 1997 I have been working Manhattan. However, a combination of events since moving to NJ in July 2001 encouraged me to find work closer to home. Events like 9/11, the blackout of 2003, giving birth to two children - you know, little things. It was only this past February that I got serious about the search for work in NJ.
A real brawl outside of Egan & Sons! The place is authentic after all! From today's Ledger:
A fight between pub patrons ended with the arrest of two Montclair men outside Egan & Sons on Walnut Street, police said yesterday.
At 11:45 p.m. Sunday, words were exchanged between some patrons after one man bumped into another, provoking a fight that ended when management asked two of the men to leave, said Police Chief David Sabagh.
Those two men, police said, later jumped the other two men as they left the restaurant.
The story goes on to say that the only injuries were scrapes and bruises.
Pub jokes, anyone?
An excuse to mention Karl Rove.
Seen last night at the Glen Ridge community pool: three grown men reading the new Harry Potter. One of them, Steve Sutton, had his disguised with another book jacket.
Anybody else hiding their Potter habit?
West Orange is almost one of the best places to live and we're not just saying that. Money is. The magazine came out with their list of best places to live and while West Orange wasn't one of them, it was listed as a contender. Other contenders include Montclair, Caldwell and Summit, and a whole bunch of others. New Jersey scored two spots in the top 10 with Moorestown and Chatham. While the bragging rights are nice, we don't think the rankings will do anything to stop future Jersey jokes. Thanks to WOphile Raymmondo for the tip.
Sometimes happiness comes in the mailbox. Hot off the presses, this week's New York Magazine's features TomKat on the cover, dressed in straightjackets for a cover story on "Celebrity Psychos." I've only skimmed it, but for your weird Tom Cruise fix, read past a lot of other crazy celeb stuff to get to the section on Cruise, which includes all the blog rumors (Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 and assorted others) and a post-red carpet assessment by Howard Stern.
A Newark-based brew comes back on tap, after being banished by Prohibition.
Wiedenmayer Brewing, one of more than 50 small breweries based in Newark in the early 20th century, is being reborn by Chris Wiedenmayer, great-grandson of the original owner, George Wiedenmayer.
This time around, the brewery will be based in Bedminster, but Wiedenmayer is preserving the old German-style festival brew the company used to make, as well as the Jersey Lager name that went with it.
Wiedenmayer is available locally at the Office Bar & Grill.
Montclair's new school scored an additional chunk of state funding; news on the new school and lobbying that landed the dough from the Montclair Times.
Intense lobbying has paid off for the Montclair Public Schools and local taxpayers as the state announced it will provide $4.8 million to subsidize construction of a new elementary school — $800,000 more than had been expected.
Schools Superintendent Frank Alvarez said the unexpected state funding for a new school, slated to be built on the north side of Washington Street near Elm and Fulton streets, is welcome news for the school district and the citizens of Montclair. He said the local lobbying convinced the state Department of Education to increase its funding for the new school.
He said the state will fund about 13.7 percent of the school’s $35 million cost. The $4.8 million subsidy “covers the full 40 percent of allowable costs as permitted under the School Construction Act,†Alvarez noted.
The DOE increased its funding to the Montclair School District due to an increase in its projected enrollment. While the school was originally designed to hold 550 students, a revamped design, which occurred after construction costs unexpectedly and dramatically increased due to the increased prices of steel and concrete and labor costs, now can accommodate 673 students.
For those of you who've ditched newspapers in favor of non-stop blog reading, this week's Carnival of NJ Bloggers is over at Sluggo's place.
It's a small world after all.
Attentive (or perhaps bored or geeky) readers may remember the Barista's long sad story of wireless woes a few weeks back. As you may recall, things were working just fine in the Barista household network until you-know-who moved onto the block. Then suddenly, we couldn't get a signal, even in our own living room. When you run an online publishing empire from the comfort of your own sofa, this can be quite a bummer.
We got a few helpful suggestions from our more technologically savvy readers, but frankly we were expecting more people to be reporting similar problems. After all, think of all the baby monitors, cordless phones, walkie-talkies and wireless routers now pulsing out their radio signals on our rather dense suburban blocks.
Well, whatever. Maybe the issue didn't resonate that much in Baristaville. It sure did online. After exhaustive research, we came upon a solution that made sense: just replace the incredibly ancient (one-year-old) wireless router we had with a new-fangled one. We searched, we read...
As if being single and dating wasn't enough of a challenge, try being a single and dating parent. Even worse, try being a single & dating parent of a teenager.
There is nothing quite so humbling as getting ready for a date while The Teen observes. “Mom, where did you get that lipstick? It looks really ‘80s†or “Mom, those earrings make your earlobes look really long†or “Mom, those pants look a little small on you- maybe you should wear the ones with the elastic waist.â€
This from someone who wears jeans with a half-inch long zipper.
What is truly weird is having your own child quiz you about what time they can expect you home. And then there is the big moment when they actually meet Mr. Potential. I had been dating “Ed†for a few weeks, and I invited him over for dinner. After he left, I asked The Teen what she thought. Well, he’s kinda quiet, she said.
Actually, she was dead on. I had been wondering why things weren’t quite clicking with “Edâ€, even though he was incredibly active, fairly attractive and he seemed to like me. He WAS quiet. I’m a talker. I need someone who isn’t stuck for an answer after Hello. It took The Teen exactly one evening to figure him out.
Still, no matter what she says, I’m not getting rid of that 80’s lipstick. Everything comes back in style eventually.
Cary Africk, writing on the Watercooler:
Subject: Fox Urine
I read about the suggestion for leaving fox urine up on the roof by openings through which a squirrel might enter.
I finally trapped a fox and am up here on the roof holding him with one hand and typing on my wireless laptop with the other, but for the life of me I can't get him to pee.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
The Garden State Parkway's Essex toll goes one-way at 12:01 am Sunday, with no tolls northbound and a 70 cent toll southbound.
"What's Your NJ Exit?" T-shirts available here. Nod to Shabe for showing us.
Good-tasting food doesn't have to look pretty, and the rippers at Rutt's Hut are the delicious proof. The deep-fried dogs with that special relish and the beloved hut itself made it on PBS' Hot Dog Program, a love letter to the best hot dog stands from coast to coast. Catch it tomorrow night at 7 pm, but be warned, program will induce cravings. If you haven't been, here's the menu. And don't forget to order these...
Not exactly a beach read, but a page-turner for any McMansion hater. In our mailbox, a press release for Sprawl Kills
Sprawl Kills examines a combination of interrelated topics that no other book has achieved. You can choose to ignore sprawl, but it will not ignore you. Readers will learn how to fight corrupt sprawl politics used by the sprawl industry, identify sprawl shills, identify true alternatives to sprawl, and kill sprawl, before it kills our country.
Books can change society, as proved by Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe At Any Speed,†and Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.†The tipping point for a revolution in the housing and transportation markets is within sight. Healthy active living can be promoted by replacing blandburbs with walkable real neighborhoods, designed on smart growth and New Urbanism principles. No matter what else you’ve read, “Sprawl Kills†gives a new picture of what American society can and should be. Learn how “sprawl politics†– aided by right-wing sprawl shills – have corrupted government and deprived Americans of housing and transportation choices, caused environmental damage and loss of greenspace, and harmed public health.
We're all for killing sprawl as long as we can still maintain a big spread. And we love the term blandburb -- so evocative. Maybe our own Debra Galant can set her next novel in the fictional town of Blandburg, loosely based on what other town?
Get them into art early, we say. Tomorrow, amble over to a blowout art sale with prices starting at $20! From 10:30 am to 5 pm, the sidewalk in fromt of Church Street Cafe will be a showcase of works by local Montclair artists. Unbelievable bargains are promised on original signed pieces, as well as a limited selection of art inspired by the Gates exhibition. Brought to you by...
Two new movies this weekend -- Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Wedding Crashers. The reviews are good to glowing on both, although we have trouble trusting any reviewer who chooses to denigrate the original movie/cult classic starring Gene Wilder. The word is that Depp is entrancing (albeit eerily Jacko-like) and that this version adheres much more more closely to the book.
Wedding Crashers is getting strong buzz as a summer's runaway comedy blockbuster, with Vaughn specifically stealing the show. I pretty much could watch Vince Vaughn read the phone book and he'd make me laugh, so I'm biased.
Let us know what you see and what you think...
Fair warning: The Glen Ridge community pool will be closed to general membership at 5 pm to make way for a teen party. $5/kid. Teenage pool members can bring their friends.
Jon Corzine's people e-mailed us last Friday, inviting us to a little telephonic sit-down with the Senator/gubernatorial hopeful. Unfortunately we, well, forgot. An item on Shabe's blog today reminded us, and links to you to Professor Kim's coverage of the Senator-to-bloggers conference call. Sounds like he pretty much talked about global warming, ethics and Darfur.
The thing that intrigued us most in Kim's report was this sentence:
Corzine got off line to take a call from US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
This is the kind of sentence that always gives us the heebie jeebies, and even as we write this we're hearing a succession of either very loud helicopters or low-flying airplanes above. Bloggers to Corzine: Forget global warming for a minute. What did Chertoff say?
Watchung Plaza was the place to be last night as concert goers enjoyed a little night music...
Chances are, if you liked Suzette's (Church Street, Montclair), you'll love the eatery's new incarnation as Cianci. Foodwise, it's basically a bigger, better Suzette's -- expanded menu with old favorites (crepes, salads, sandwiches, smoothies) in tact. The decor, however, is a major improvement -- everything is lighter, brighter, with more views of Church Street, more booths and an aesthetically appealing layout.
While open for business, final touches are still getting tweaked (the bathroom was not yet open yesterday, additional tables were not in place), but the food was yummy (try the chicken sandwich with mango, strawberries and avocado) and the service amiable. Meanwhile, if it's ice cream you're after, there's a new fix in town. We're not talking about Cold Stone Creamery, which opened this week and already has some readers bemoaning the singing for tips. For the new scoop in town, go to Food.
Moths have been declared a taboo subject on the Montclair Watercooler. It all started with a post entitled "Maniac Moths"...
What is going on with these crazy moths this year? I have noticed dozens of those big fat brown ones hovering around our screen doors and windows for the past week or so. With my kids practically holding the door open for them, several get into the house every day -- to the delight of no one but my cat who hunts them down and eats them. I did see a lot of catapillars (sp) at the beginning of the summer, but I have no idea if these are the same guys. Has anyone else noticed an abundance of these slow moving annoyances?
Followed by...
Yes, I've noticed the moths, too. In fact, my kids are skittish about opening the car door in the morning for fear that the ones flying nearby will make their way into the car. I wonder what's up.
We were recently on Martha's Vineyard where there seems to have been an infestation of some kind of caterpillar this summer. There were tons of trees with no leaves, or with leaves that looked like someone had madly taken a hole puncher to them. Fortunately, I haven't seen evidence of that around here.
Which prompted, of course, this...
Glen Ridgers who opened up their third quarter tax bills this week and had to be scraped off the floor: you'll be happy to learn that some tax relief is in sight. Glen Ridge found out yesterday that it received a $250,000 "extraordinary aid" grant from the state. The aid is for property tax relief, which Glen Ridge successfully argued it needed because of a loss in ratables.
Of course, $250,000 -- split 7,000 ways -- doesn't go that far. It comes to about $35 for every man, woman and child in the borough. The Barista just spent her share at CVS and got two lipsticks, two large bottles of hair conditioner, eye make-up remover and red nail polish. (Didn't know we were such a girly-girl, did you?) Actually, we could probably scrape up that much with a town-wide rummage sale.
Still, as Mayor Carl Bergmanson said, "It's better than a sharp stick in the eye, Deb." Ben Franklin couldn't have said it better.
Montclair and Bloomfield didn't apply.
Concert tonight at Watchung Plaza as part of Montclair's "Moonlight Nights" series. 7 pm. Same time, over at Yogi Berra Stadium, the Rock-n-Jock charity softball game, featuring personalities from WPLJ-FM and WABC-TV. Tickets are $8 and money goes to fight Huntington Disease. Other fun stuff, always, on our Thrills page.
It's also Bastille Day (as Cathar points out). If you see a French person, kiss them. Or just eat a crepe.
Citizen-journalist Nancy Mehegan went to Montclair's Town Council meeting Tuesday night and thought the bruhaha about chihuahuas would interest our readers. (Why would she think that?) She sent us this report:
Tuesday night’s Montclair Town Council meeting “went to the dogs†in a heated hearing concerning proposed ordinance amendment to establish a limit of 5 dogs per Montclair household.
The witching hour is almost here. Tomorrow night at midnight the latest installment in the Harry Potter series (how old is he now ? 23?) has its official release. Local muggles can celebrate starting at 11 pm on Friday night at Watchung Booksellers ($29.99 for the book), which will continue the festivities all day Saturday. You can save a few bucks by going to the party at the Clifton Commons Barnes and Noble ($17.99), which starts at 9:30 pm, but you better have a working magic wand to find a parking space. No party at Montclair Book Center ($26.99), but doors will be open at 8 am Saturday.
Meanwhile, everything Harry can be found at the Leaky Cauldron, a Harry Potter blog with all the news, including the inevitable story of books getting out before the official Friday midnight release time. This time, in Indianapolis.
According to a post on NJ.com's Bloomfield Forum, a Bloomfield kid on a camp trip to the Bronx Zoo actually got left there!
Hey Guys Haven't been here for a while. Today I heard that the Bloomfield Camp left a 12 year old child at the Bronx Zoo. (OH MY GOD!!!) My child works with the younger kids and he said that they do a count and call out names and make sure all the kids are there. I don't understand how the child was left? Who was supposed to be watching them? Who did the count? Who did the roll call? Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knows any information and if the child was found and are they ok?
It sounds to us like this story could be apocryphal -- where's the scariest place for a kid to get lost? the Bronx! -- but today's our Believe it or Not edition. If you've heard, let us know.
A 41-year-old Montclair man named Christopher Greene was arrested yesterday afternoon in Brattleboro, Vermont after his mother found an assault weapon in their apartment and plans to go on a shooting spree there. Greene's mother brought the weapon to Montclair police station Tuesday afternoon. Greene, who went to school at Marlboro College near Brattleboro, appeared to be planning a series of sniper attacks like the ones in Virginia and Maryland in 2002, and also had plans of the Brattleboro Amtrak station. But he was believed to be a scouting mission because he didn't have a gun on him at the time of arrest. More details in the Ledger story here.
When we read this story, the name Christopher Greene rang a bell, and sure enough it was a Christopher Green -- without the e at the end -- who shot up the Montclair Post Office on March 21, 1995. Four men died in that attack; one survived.
Continue reading "What Is It With the Name Christopher Green/e?" »
After touring the French Riviera for four weeks, Julia Segal is back in action In Glen Ridge involving herself in her normal activities of sleeping and driving around. However, after a week of nursing her jet lag, Julia realized she has no job and most importantly nothing to keep her busy. She is still searching for any part time and only remotely degrading place of employment willing to hire a college student midway through the summer for real American dollars, but in the meantime, her mother came through by setting her up with an internship actually relating to what Julia studies at Purchase College. A journalism major going into her junior year, Julia Segal will now be teaming up with Debbie Galant and her crew from baristanet.com to deliver news and sarcasm to all New Jersey locals.
They've been teasing it for a week, but it debuts today at Starbucks -- the green tea invasion. This morning at Montclair's Valley Road Starbucks, those other baristas were serving up samples of the new shaken iced green tea lemonade. A shaken iced green tea and the long-awaited Green Tea frappuccino also join the coffee-heavy lineup. Still, the drinks are hardly new -- folks have been slurping the green stuff in Asia's Starbucks since 2002 where they've been big sellers. Seems a green tea shortage delayed the rollout. Meanwhile, you can also find ice green tea at Panera. Is a 7-Eleven Green Tea Slurpee soon to follow? Here's the 411 on the Starbucks drinks...
The indefatigable Jerry Mosier is apparently fatigued. He's put the Montclair Unmoderated message board (formerly unmoderated by Kevin Lee Allen) up for sale. Price free:
Subject: I am weary.
List for sale. No cost. Become owner of unmod for free. Let me know who wants it.
Jmo
Looks to us that Unmoderated is all but dead, with just 20 messages in the month of July. And the Montclair Waterheater has been in a vegetative state for months, with just two messages posted since Memorial Day. Even deader, the Glen Ridge Yahoo Forum.
Guess that basically leaves us, the Watercooler, and NJ.com's Bloomfield Forum, and a Live Journal Montclair board (for the young 'uns) we found here.
Why bother with flowers when you can just decorate your lawn with signs? OK, we get it, you're getting lots of work done. We're appropriately impressed. Give us the location of the sign garden house connected to this lawn and we'll give you a bag of some Barista goodies. Meanwhile my own lawn is not nearly as well-endowed, but I have had a parade of men through my door recently. For the story, go Home.
Oh what a world, what a world, who would have thought a press release like this could destroy our perfect wickednesss.
We might have to wait a whole day to be invited to another photo op with the county executive!
Barista of Bloomfield Ave gets a hat nod in today's New York Times from columnist Peter Applebome, who writes in the "Our Towns" column about the regular Sunday "Carnival of the New Jersey Bloggers" -- a weekly round-up of blogging in the Garden State.
Of course many of the Barista's blog friends get mentioned too: Coffeegrounds, Cripes Suzette, Sluggo Needs a Nap and Mr. Snitch, just to name a few.
Applebome manages to make our ragtag little carnival seem almost transcendent -- who knew New Jersey was the coolest corner of cyberspace? -- but it's better just to read his words.
First, it's mom-to-mom combat over who gets dibs on the pool. Next, it's the competition for noisiest neighbor. Now, we see that one creature's right to defecate ends where another's yard begins. Seems to us that in the interest of neighborly love, somebody should look into the services of our new advertiser, In the Line of Dooty, the local poop picker upper. (The ad, by the way, is on our At Home page, where you can find ads for other home services and realtors, and learn what your neighbor got for their house.)
Today's Star Ledger reports today that bear sightings continue to spread into more suburban areas, the latest being in East Windsor.
But why just see a bear, when you can have a chance to name one... or two? There's a few days left in the Turtleback Zoo's bear naming contest for its two new cubs.
Meanwhile, let's find a name for the Glen Ridge Community Pool's swim team. We'll start. How about the G-Force?
It's summertime and the living is... noisy.
Complaints on both the Montclair Watercooler...
Does anybody know if the town has is any code about loud music. We have been lately bombarded by that, and we would like to do about it.
and NJ.com's Bloomfield Forum...
Q: Does anyone (factualy) know when it is permissible (by law) to make excessive noise on the weekends? ... landscapers: 7AM on a Saturday morning. -And I don't have central air, so the windows are open.
Anybody in Glen Ridge getting blasted by inconsiderate neighbors lately?
Why don't we create our own Baristaville-wide noise ordinance? Punishment for keeping your neighbors up late at night, or early in the morning, would result in four hours of forced listening to this.
Interestinger and interestinger. It turns out that there was an e-mail communication yesterday warning that the Glen Ridge pool would be closed between 5 pm and 8 pm last night. It didn't land in the Barista's e-mail box (we just checked our spam and deleted files, to make sure), but it did make it to the Barista's husband.
Glen Ridge Community Pool will be hosting our first swim meet versus the Diamond Springs Beach Club Team on Monday, July 11 from 5PM to 8PM. There will be no recreational swimming during the meet. The main pool will close at 4PM and the entire pool will close at 4:30PM. Please stay and support our team!
Now the mystery is why some people got this notice and others didn't.
Meanwhile, congratulations to the brand-new Glen Ridge Community Pool swim team, which beat Diamond Springs last night. Do you guys have a name? Are you Dolphins or Barracudas or anything? And had we not been so hot and miserable last night we might have stayed and cheered, or at least tried to figure out how you hold a meet in a pool whose maximum depth is 5 feet. Go Barracudas (or whatever).
And, in light of today's heat and humidity, why not talk about pools and swimming endlessly? Here's another story we just found, about a Wayne girl, Felicia Lee, who swims for the Montclair YMCA Dolphins, and may just be headed to the Olympics.
We just got back from the Glen Ridge pool, which we found closed for a swim meet. We're pretty disappointed, but not as disappointed as Ridge Ranger, who sent this note to our mailbox:
If you thought you'd like take a late afternoon dip to cool off on one of the hottest days yet this summer, FORGET IT! There is a swimmeet going on and the pool is closed for the rest of the evening. Crying toddlers being turned away in droves.
They claim they've alerted everyone (with a frayed 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper at the entrance) that this was happening but they're not doing a very good job of communicating. As usual. They also claim they've posted this on their website but there is nothing on the home page.
We fork out hundreds of dollars for basically 2 months of use and all they do is further limit our access to the pool. When I was growing up, swim meets were held in the morning when useage was at its lowest level.
Baristaville makes it to another reality TV show. This time, it's Rock Star INXS, premiering tonight at 9 p.m on CBS.
Viewers get to see and hear excerpts from the performances of all 15, including Neal Carlson, 29, a singer and administrative assistant from Queens who performs the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar"; Ty Taylor, 36, an actor-singer from Montclair, N.J., who looks like a cross between Usher and Mr. T; and Deanna Johnston, 36, a Canadian who summons the ghost of Janis Joplin on "Piece of My Heart."
Will Ty become Baristaville's next Anwar? Will producers try and get him to lose the mohawk? Stay tuned...
Snapped by Scot Surbeck, near Valley and North Mountain on Brookfield. We have to ask, was there something wrong with the term "speed bump?" Was it unclear in some way? And how is "speed hump" a better choice of words? We don't want to say what we think of when we think of "speed hump," but suffice it to say, it sounds more like a competitive sport of a blue persuasion. Let's hope the rabbits can't read.
Oh, those lazy hazy crazy days of summer…..why not find a lovely overly air-conditioned store in which to spend some quality time – here are a few hot picks for this week, and yet another chance to WIN BIG --
D’MONI is a welcome addition to Watchung Plaza, with mid-priced sportswear and those fabulous colorful tiered skirts that have become the “it†item of summer ’05. (Note to the amply-hipped: proceed with caution.) Watch for lots more designer labels such as Theory, Shoshana and Sevens into the fall.
43 Watchung Plaza, Montclair
WIN BIG - ONE LUCKY BARISTANET READER will win a $20.00 gift certificate to this lovely store. First to answer this trivia question takes it:
In what month and year did Nat King Cole’s Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer reach #6 on the pop chart (its highest ranking)?
For Rick Joanow, president of the Third Riverbank Association in Bloomfield, tonight's vote of the town planning board is personal. Proposed: 114 townhouses on a site formerly occupied by a business called Scientific Glass. At stake, according to Joanow, the property and safety of all the residents who live nearby, particularly on Lakeview Drive and Lakeview Terrace, which became rivers themselves during 1994's Hurricane Floyd.
During that storm, he says, his father looked out the window of Joanow's house, saw the water rising, had a stroke and died a week later. If the townhouses proposed by Leo Realty are built on the banks of the Third River, he believes future flooding would be even worse.
Third Riverbank Association didn't even organize until afer Hovnanian built its Greenbrook townhouses -- in a site adjacent to the proposed development -- and which Joanow says was built, illegally, on a flood plain. On 
Saturday, he took us, along with Bloomfield town council member Janice Maly, for a tour. In the picture (top) he demonstrates how the boggy wetlands is encroaching on Greenbrook's retaining wall -- just a few feet away.
We bow to Bloomfield's Josh Baer, who got himself into a Las Vegas Texas Hold'em with the likes of Jennifer Tilly and poker amateur turned phenom Chris Moneymaker. From yesterday's sports section of the New York Times:
Last March, Josh Baer sat before a glowing computer screen in his apartment in Bloomfield, N.J., and let tears roll down his cheeks. For a $160 buy-in, and after three hours of carefully calculated mouse clicks, Mr. Baer, then a theater major at Montclair State University, had achieved a dream: He had defeated 80 other online players in no-limit Texas Hold'em, earning a trip here and a seat worth $10,000 in the main event of the 36th World Series of Poker.Baer ultimately comes down to earth, but we do envy the experience. Any other poker players in Baristaville. Anyone up for baseball no peekies or Follow The Queen? How about getting a "friendly" game together...
This just in: the long-suffering Temple Ner Tamid men's softball team ended an eight-game losing streak this morning, by beating the Beth El squad in an 18-1 mercy rule drubbing. Their secret weapon: prayer.
The players for the reform synagogue in Bloomfield witnessed the miraculous power of prayer last week when they went into the 6th inning with a 5-4 lead against the Lubavitchers. Before coming up to bat, the Lubavitchers formed a prayer circle, chanted some power-inducing Hebrew phrases, and came back to score 7 runs and win the game.
We perhaps are taking parental involvement and support too far when we deliver two Rocky Horror Picture Show virgins up to be sacrificed at the Bellevue Theater in Upper Montclair on a Saturday night, going so far as to find Rocky Horror virgin websites on the internet, read an article on Rocky Horror etiquette aloud to them like something from Mother Goose, and then drive them there in the family car. A mother knows that she has really crossed over the line when she prints out a page of a Rocky Horror participation script for them to study on the way there, only to discover that it contains all the potty-mouthed language she has been trying to prevent for years.
At least we didn't sew up some little Rocky Horror bustiers to wear, or pack them little Rocky Horror totes filled with rice. And though it looked like a lot of fun, we didn't dare suggest we come along and watch too. We did kid about it, but they knew we were joking.
Face it, even she would look like an old lady in this crowd, and she was in it. Oh, to be young and wearing fishnets again!
We send condolences to Bloomfield, where folks are being asked to register their garage sales (scroll down for an official "approved" listing). Over in Montclair, free enterprise and funky treasures abound this morning; I scored some neat stuff (two vintage framed photos of upstate New York) before 10 am (161 Montclair Ave, shown here; click to enlarge).
If you've been shacking up with a dog or cat without the benefit of that all important piece of paper, Bloomfield wants you to make it legal. Today is a special "amnesty day" for pet owners with outdated or nonexistent licenses. From 11 am to 2 pm (room 111 of Town Hall), pet owners will not receive any summonses for seeking licenses for pets that were previously unlicensed. To obtain a license, you'll need to show proof of a rabies vaccination, valid until April 1, 2006. Spayed, neutered animal licenses are $8.20; unspayed/neutered licenses are $11.20. For more information, call 973-680-4024.
After today, the township plans to find unlicensed critters by performing a door-to-door survey. Anyone with an unlicensed pet will be found in violation of town ordinances.
Firetrucks rushed to Ferncliff Terrace in Glen Ridge Friday night to put out a blaze that started shortly before 11 pm, apparently caused by a downed power line. By midnight, firefighters had left the scene but PSE&G trucks had arrived. Residents on the north side of the block were without power. Major damage was not evident.
A source in Bloomfield (Mike M.) observed this speed trap, operating Wednesdays, from 9:00-9:30 am; other days possible. Here's how it works:
Unmarked white SUV parks on Hawthorne at Watchung Ave, facing Watchung Ave. This is the radar/laser unit that clocks eastbound cars going down the slight hill. Officer in that SUV then radios or phones 2-3 other officers down the street, standing in front of that small church at the corner of Watchung and Williams St. Officers in red vests wave over 5 or so vehicles; cop in white SUV drives down to join them. Drivers are issued tickets for speeding 42mph in a 25 mph zone. That's conveniently 15+mph over the limit, which carries 4 points and a fine of about $100 or so. After all are ticketed, white SUV returns to Hawthorne to clock and capture another group. On the 6th of July I saw three groups of 4-5 cars pulled over before the exhausted team of public servants packed up for the day.The next step, partly witnessed and partly reported by a reliable source, takes place in Bloomfield Municipal Court. A courteous prosecutor offers a deal: plead guilty to speeding and unsafe operation, receive no points (!), and pay $100 fine plus $290 or so court costs and miscellaneous charges. Then you face the judge and follow the script.
Is the Willowbrook Mall a gang hangout? We're still not sure, after reading about a recent survey of gang presence in NJ, reported in the Herald News...
Authorities in Wayne reported no gang presence, which state police define as any type of gang-related activity, including graffiti, drug trafficking and carjackings. In January 2004, however, a 16-year-old Paterson boy was stabbed in the back during a brawl between rival gangs outside Wayne's West Belt Plaza. A month later, the owner of a Hamburg Turnpike roller rink cancelled a private party on learning the Bloods had booked the venue.
"Our activity is minimal. It's there. We're not isolated," said Wayne Detective Capt. John Reardon Thursday. "You're going to find it down by the malls. If you're looking for them, that's where they are."
Doesn't minimal activity still constitute a "presence?"
From the Star Ledger, a Bloomfield officer known for his gambling habit has now been charged with doing double duty as a bookie:
FBI agents and state troopers on Thursday arrested a Bloomfield police officer on charges he operated an illegal sports gambling business. The officer, William Abendschoen Sr., collected debts while on duty in uniform and a wiretap revealed that he took bets by phone, according to a federal complaint filed by the FBI.
Abendschoen's lawyer, Timothy M. Donohue, said his client did have a gambling problem. "However," said Donohue, "he was never part of any gambling business. He was nothing more than a gambler, and there's no crime in that." He said Abendschoen attended Gambler's Anonymous meetings and that his performance as an officer has not been questioned.
Matthew Frankel is desperately seeking the owner of Mexicali Rose...
Since the now infamous mushroom quesadilla incident on Marion Road...I have tried to called Mexicalli Rose, hoping to get the name of the new owner so I could write him a letter explaining what happened. Without introducing myself or explaining why I was calling, in each case, the person answering the phone said they "cannot disclose that information." When I asked why, the answer I get is that's what the General Manager is directing staff to say that.
Will the real owner of Mexicali Rose please stand up? Show yourself now. Or at least have the courtesy to respond to these folks. You can do it right here, if that's easier. We're all curious as to how you plan to remedy the situation. Thanks!
A bunch of French exchange students are coming into Glen Ridge this weekend, and host families are still needed. If you can help out, e-mail Kathleen Kelly, the new coordinator of the program.
Lots of excitement over on the Montclair Watercooler, as developer Steven Plofker makes a rare appearance, to rebut the arguments of parking guru Garrett Morrison:
Mr. Morrison,your distortions discredit your intended message. normally i prefer to permit you to ramble on unopposed, but feel an alternative view of the matter might prove educational to our audience.
1. the town council only took action on the hahnes site after the owners missed every deadline and timetable they had set and were locked in litigation with their intended purchaser (herod).
2. the original plan by the intended purchaser was in my and john cali's opinion, terrible. that was our motivation for submitting an alternative plan as part of the town's request for proposals. this alternative plan maintained the street facade, put parking underground, and proposed a mix of uses for the two sites. this plan was apparently supported by some members of the community.
The flood watch starts around 3 am, when the torrents are expected to begin. Anywhere between 2 and 5 inches of rain expected. Full alert here.
The Department of Homeland Security has raised the security level to orange for transit systems, in light of today's terrorist attacks in London. Transcript of the secretary's news conference here. Nerves are taut. Even as we write, cops are checking out something at the Glen Ridge train station. Glen Ridge a terrorist target? You never know.
So, how was your commute today?
Or maybe you will.
You know, we were driving by the site just last night, watching all that brown mud draining off onto Grove Street during the rain, and thinking how much we missed the days when we all we had to do for a story was write something about the Marlboro Inn. And then, like a gift, in today's Ledger...
Hempstead at Montclair? That's what Phil Read says Steve Plofker is thinking about naming the housing development he's building there. Surely, Steve, you can do better than that.
NJ.com, which went offline Tuesday night after an electrical failure in Jersey City, is back. Alison Meyer jumps right in with the first comment on the Bloomfield Forum since Tuesday. Soprano Sue is also up to speed with her Bada Bing Blog.
In other NJ.com news, the site's Montclair blogger Christopher Castellani wrote us last week to let us know he'd given up that blog, although -- for now -- the archives of that blog are still up. Castellani will focus his other blog, Music Snobbery.
It's hard to try to scrape up our usual brand of snarky commentary this morning, although the Montclair Times's punning parade headline, "Catcher in the RIde," has us sorely tempted. Our attention, like everyone else's, is on report's of today's bombing incidents in London.
While we wait for the dust to settle, let's speculate. Was this attack timed to coincide with the Olympics bid? Would they have hit New York if we'd won the games? Is this London's 9/11 -- even if the casualties don't approach those numbers? Is anyone scared to go into New York today?
The rain is falling at a rate of two inches an hour, and there's a flash flood alert. Indeed. Having just made the trek to Little Falls, the Barista can report that flooding is especially severe where Upper Mountain Ave. turns into Long Hill Road, with the road about half submerged. Drive cautiously and courteously.
Here's the official word from EmergencyEmail.org:
Signs up around Lackawanna Center in Montclair, and a confirmation from Butch: the new Popeye's Chicken is open. Mmmm-mmmmm. Who needed those arteries anyway?
Now can we forget about stadium building and concentrate on something really important?
Cartoon by HumorInk of Montclair.
We're definitely picking up on some NJ.com Bloomfield Forum withdrawal symptoms today, what with NJ.com temporarily down. But some denizens of that chatroom have contacted us to let us know what they would have been talking about if the forum was up.
Alison Meyer is steaming because of a story she read in the dead-tree version of today's Ledger, about how Nutley is basically carding students to make sure out-of-towners don't slip in. She, and others, have been pushing for Bloomfield to do the same thing:
We don't know how we missed this story last week, but here goes. A Montclair woman was arrested last week for organizing a $30 million mortgage scam in Bergen County, but that's not the weird part. When 52-year-old Brenda Rickard faced the judge, she started saying her punctuation marks out loud.
Following her arrest early Wednesday, Brenda Rickard then acted erratically in court, addressing the judge through cupped hands as if speaking through a megaphone, and pronouncing the punctuation marks during her speech, such as "colon."
She told the judge she insists on speaking in "the true language," which includes odd punctuation and syntax. That prompted her lawyer to request a psychological evaluation of the 52-year-old woman.
Continue reading "We've Heard of "Air Quotes" But :This is Ridiculous" »
Throughout last night and as of 8:30 am today, NJ.com -- online home to the Star Ledger and the hub for many forums -- was offline, due to power failures in Jersey City. But it helps to have alternate website, and Bada Bing columnist Soprano Sue filed her report at her other online home, Soprano Sue Sightings.
We've been waiting for Acting Governor Codey to weigh in on Tom Cruise's pronouncements on chemical imbalances, Brook Shields's postpartum depression and psychiatry. Well, he finally has, in an interview with People magazine.
Tom Cruise knows as much about postpartum depression as I do about acting," said the politico, whose wife, Mary Jo Codey, has struggled with the illness. "He should stick to acting and not talk about women who need help."
Maybe Codey should have chosen his words more carefully. Isn't he the acting governor, after all? And what's this filmstrip thing on his official bio page? And if Codey does know something about acting, does that mean Cruise might know something about being nuts?
They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Maybe she was employing a little poetic license, but it sure sounds like Montclair writer Dierdre Day-Macleod had about the worst lead-in to the holiday weekend possible: a rabbit bite, a Jumbo Hand, family warfare up and down the eastern seaboard, a dead minivan and her rising kindergartener did not get into his magnet school of choice. But it least the week's dramas gave her children an opportunity to pull out some interesting cultural references:
Continue reading "Hold On, Deirdre, We'll Send Over Antidepressants" »
The Barista thought she'd woken up and been magically transported to California the last few days, what with all that perfect weather.
Well, no worries. It's still New Jersey. And the two things you can count on around these parts are humidity and taxes.
According to Sunday's Ledger, property taxes are going up in Bloomfield and sure enough residents who opened their tax bills this weekend almost had fainting spells, despite the perfect weather, to discover quarterly increases as big as $150. Keep that up guys, and Bloomfield will no longer be Baristaville's property tax oasis!
Of course the best part of the parade was at the very end, when we could finally sit down in the shade and start sucking the hard stuff. Strange things happened once Baristanet color sergeant Noah Levinson cracked open the balloons. Click on the picture for the real story of the Montclair July 4th parade. And please, don't tell us this is bad for us.
Yogi and his wife Carmen were the Grand Marshalls for this year's Fourth of July Parade. For more pictures of Yogi, and a parade journal, click inside.
Dunno, Liz. Can't imagine the strange purposes those people could have had in mind.
There's something very wrong when folks stoop to stealing shopping carts. What kind of sicko does something like that? Could it be petty vandalism, a teenage prank, or something a lot more sinister? Is someone out to remove all the carts from Whole Foods, merely to have the parking lot, perhaps even the entire store to themselves? Our tipsters tell us the mystery behind these hijacked shopping carts will become clear at today's Fourth of July parade in Montclair. See you there...
Enough with the labels already. The latest is a survey branding people who drive SUVs as anti-American.
Ninety percent of people in the market say that people who buy SUVs should not be called patriotic.
As someone who owns both a small SUV and a minivan, does that make me an unpatriotic soccer mom? Funny, when I stick my middle finger at jerks on the road, I always wave a little flag at the same time. Guess the only way to avoid people judging your love of country based on what you drive might be switching to a stereotype-free vehicle like this one...
In cyberspace, that is. Every Sunday, see what other bloggers in New Jersey are up to. This week, the carnival's hitched up over at Enlighten-NJ.
Word just in from downtown Montclair that the ugly blue plywood awning in front of Rascals is...gone! Hallelujah!
Pam Satran, the doyenne of the Montclair literati, launched a new book into the world this week. The ultimate middle-aged fairy tale, "Younger" is the story of a 44-year-old suburban divorcee who suddenly finds herself living the life of a 20-something Manhattanite. It's a lot of fun, and so was the way Satran celebrated: inviting 100 or so of her closest friends to a book party and serving a drink of her own invention: called, of course, the Younger.
Dear Betty,
I used to adore July 4th weekend, but this year I'm really depressed. This terrible war is dragging on, the Supreme Court is up in the air, Social Security is in jeopardy, we are losing our privacy, gay bashing is defended from the pulpit, environmental regulations are being loosened, the rivers are poisoned, the Democrats think it's okay to run an anti-women's rights candidate for the Senate in Pennsylvania, et cetera et cetera. I love this country, but lately I don't recognize it. Please offer a message of comfort that might help me feel the sense of peace that I used to feel on a beautiful summer weekend.
Thanks, A Flagging Flag Waver
Can the county executive pull a rabbit out of a hat?
The Star Ledger reports today that county's annual debt service bill will top $100 million for the first time in 2007.
The payments, which were as low as $63 million just last year, will remain high until 2014, when the annual debt service finally returns to this year's $83 million level.
But don't worry, says Joey D:
Essex County's fireworks show went on Friday night despite sudden downpours, and so did the block party right next to the park on Lowell St. in Bloomfield. There was a mad dash for umbrellas, and then they soldiered on. Thanks to Teri Gatto for the pix.
No worries for upcoming fireworks shows. The weather looks perfect for the rest of the weekend.
We knew Richie Cecere's was pricey, but there's been some recent changes, including a new cover charge policy. We're guessing the dancing girls demanded a raise. A poster on the Montclair Watercooler had this to say:
Anyone been to Richie Ceceres lately? Apparently they changed their cover charge policies without telling anyone. When we went last week we had a nice (very expensive) meal and good entertainment, but were hit up with a $15/head entertainment charge, and would have been charged another $25/head if we wanted to stay for dessert. I wouldn't have been upset if we'd been told up front, but we didn't find out about the first charge until we'd ordered, and were not told about the second round of charges until we were in the process of ordering desserts. (There is more to the saga- posted on the Baristanet.com restaurant review section- if anyone is interested). When we complained to management, they just said that was the new policy. Anyone else encounter this?
Since we've never dined and only done the occasional drink there, we're wondering if the cover charge extends to barflies, too? And are they going to cut back on the complimentary cheese and crackers?
Sure, we can wax poetic about Whole Foods all day long. But we were pretty impressed with A & P recently. No, it wasn't one in Baristaville proper. We happened to be over in Pompton Plains, where a mega A&P had beautiful produce, plants galore, a self-serve checkout and an olive bar. And apparently, employees take their job pretty seriously, as evidenced by this mirror/checklist in the bathroom...
If you were in Brookdale Park, or anywhere close by, the fireworks did happen. Kudos to the folks who didn't let a little rain scare them away. Meanwhile, I was surprised to learn I could view the whole show, from the comfort of my own backyard. If you missed the show, or want to see more, find more fireworks action on Thrills.
It's our daily dose of thunder, lightning and heavy rain in Baristaville. The folks at Essex County's public information office say they still don't have confirmation of a cancellation of tonight's fireworks at Brookdale Park. They'll keep us posted; and we'll post an update soon.
UPDATE: Fireworks are still on as of 5 pm; if the weather turns nasty and you need more info, call the Parks Dept. at 973-268-3500.
SECOND UPDATE: Still officially a go as of 6:30 pm (press 4 on the menu when you dial the phone number above), but we're hearing rumbles. The Barista bets against it.
It appears that today's the day -- the day that Montclair parents receive those all-important kindergarten assignments in their mailboxes. After carefully touring and reviewing the programs at Montclair's public elementary schools, not everyone is happy with the end result. A reader writes...
The kindergarten placement letters for the Montclair Public School system has been sent out...and not everyone got their first choice. (shocker!) The Superintendent told my girlfriend that "only 10 people didn't get their first choice." So, my friend didn't get her 1st choice (she got her 6th- Nishuane) , and I didn't get my first choice (third- Nishuane) - I was wondering who the other 8 are!? Could we possibly represent 20% of Montclair families with kindergartners? I doubt it.
So 'fess up and help Barista do the math. Did you get a letter today? Were you part of the select club who didn't get their 1st choice? For those who are disappointed, I know plenty of kids, (my son included) who ended up at Nishuane and couldn't be happier.
Meanwhile, other folks are hoppin' mad about the letter itself, which contains awkward grammar and phrasing as well as spelling errors, such as "successfully" with only one "C."
Is Barista going to have to start a bear category? From a reader who moved to Baristaville recently from Brooklyn:
My 7-year-old son came home from the Montclair Y day camp yesterday, talking about a bear that was sighted on the grounds. At first, I thought he was pulling my leg (you know, camp lore and all that), until he mentioned that he was among the group who actually saw it near the ropes course and that the kids had been told some bear safety rules: (1) don't look a bear in the eye; (2) don't run away from a bear; and (3) don't litter (because garbage can attract bears).
Can we give the kids any more safety tips? Scream bloody murder? Walk backwards slowly? Run down hill? Sing Kumbaya? Or better still, take a picture and e-mail us!
Keeping our fingers crossed that the fireworks following tonight's concert in Brookdale Park will not be cancelled due to inclement weather. The decision will be made around 3:30 this afternoon; check back for the news. Meanwhile, here's a flash back to last year, when the switch from the field to the open lawn (same plan this year) created some confusion.
Be a friend and share your best parking/viewing secrets. There is no rain date for the fireworks.
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announces retirement this morning; President Bush making a TV statement now, re: selecting new nominee...
What does it take to be a good barista?
We are looking for upbeat, reliable individuals, able to multi-task; must be open to learning about...
For the details, see Classifieds.
Have you been invited to any Fourth of July barbecues this weekend? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to show up with the perfect thoughtful and inventive hostess gift just this once?
1. Spice It Up market has the most wonderful array of gift-giving-goodies imaginable. Spice It Up, 229 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair
2. Chalk board coasters at the Montclair Art Museum. Totally adorable!
Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair
3. Cocktail napkins – it’s frightening how they excite us. Pick up great prints, along with a wicker holding tray at Semplice, 465 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
4. Spicy Chipolte Squeeze - you’ll never eat another turkey burger with mustard again; definitely worth the trip – you’ll thank me, I promise. Chef Central, 240 Route 17 North, Paramus
Start the caffeine habit in your children early, by making one of these nifty 
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