Getting To The Bottom Of All Those Internet Rumors

New York New York

Scallops with Chorizo atop Fresh Corn Purée at Yellow Plum Bloomfield

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head; Public Art In Clifton NJ

Looking more like something one would expect to find in Los Angeles, this bit of Freeway Art was spotted on Broad Street in Clifton NJ where the roadway passes under an ramp connecting the Garden State Parkway to Route 3. Simple stencils were used to create the umbrellas and raindrops - adding a bit of whimsy to an otherwise mundane piece of infrastucture.

Vamp! in Upper Montclair

Has Anyone Seen The Cheshire Cat?

A Little Visitor To The Garden

Sandwich Decadence ~ Starring Nutella

Peanut Butter ~ Nutella ~ Bacon ~ On Whole Grain Bread

Garden State Parkway Dilema

Why is it that we drive on a parkway, but park on a driveway?

Gonzo Takes Some Chicks For A Joyride

Coreopsis:Perennial Yellow In The Garden

Coreopsis are bright yellow star shaped flowers held aloft on a misty mass of green stems and leaves. In some parts of the US Coreopsis are called Tickseed.

Incredibly drought tolerant and perennial, I found Coreopsis to be a great border along the driveway where radiant heat from pavement leaves the soil extremely dry in the summer months.

The bloom period for these plants is early summer (ie now!) through autumn. The other briliant thing about Coreopsis is that they are perrenial. Each autumn the plants die back only to burst back the following season - resulting in minimal work to create a smashing garden!

Your Opinion Of Me Does Not Affect My Opinion Of Me

Marriott Autograph Collection "The MC" Hotel To Open In Montclair

The Pinnacle Companies unveiled plans today for The MC, a $35 million, 120,000 square foot, eight-story full service boutique hotel at Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road in downtown Montclair. When opened, the 148-room hotel will become part of the Autograph Collection, Marriott International’s exclusive portfolio of independent hotels.

“We’re thrilled that The MC will join premier hotels including the Algonquin in New York City as part of the Autograph Collection,” said Brian M. Stolar, president and CEO, The Pinnacle Companies, developer of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan known as CentroVerde, which includes the hotel. “The MC will be the first full-service hotel to open in Montclair since the Hotel Montclair, which closed in 1938, and will provide a new gathering spot for the community.”

The MC’s amenities will include a farm-to-table restaurant, a rooftop bar with city views and lobby library. Hotel and restaurant guests will be offered front-door valet parking from the hotel’s covered porte-cochere entryway to a new six-story full-service parking garage with solar power and an automated parking system. An outdoor plaza connected to a two-story round atrium with 30-foot-high glass walls will be open year-round to the public. “The hotel’s original, one-of-a-kind design – complete with an urban rooftop amenity that engages the skyline – will compliment Montclair’s organic street life,” said Chris Lessard, president and CEO, Lessard Design, the project’s master development architect. “The tremendous public spaces surrounding the base of the project are a culmination of the Township’s master plan to create a new gateway to downtown Montclair.”

For the rest of the story read Pinnacle Companies Announces "The MC Hotel" on DevilGourmet.com

Overbrook Hospital : Waiting To Be Discovered

A lone bench along the roadside at Overbrook Hospital is wating for visitors who may never come.

 The bucolic setting of the hospital and vast park like grounds made the complex one of the preeminent mental health facilities of the time. (and probably would be a great rehabilitation facility today if it were not allowed to decay)

In addition to mental health and substance issues, the property could serve as a weight loss boot camp too.

An Anglo - American Embarassment

Roughly 25% of all household food purchases

 made in both the US and United Kingdom

 goes right into the rubbish bin.

That unloved banana,

 the last few slices of bread,

 that freezer burned lamb chop

 - it all adds up really fast

Sexy Sadie (Vegan Cupcakes) at Sweet Avenue | Rutherford

Discovering New Jersey : Great Falls Raceway and Power System Paterson NJ

The Great Falls Raceway and Power System dates back to a time when Paterson was a major industrial city whose plans were laid out by Alexander Hamilton.



One of the more idyllic spillways along the Great Falls Raceway, this area has become home to a family of Canada Geese seen in the lower left of the image.






The Great Falls Raceway and Power System Paterson NJ is a recognized historic site. The raceways are a series of canals built above the Great Falls of Paterson that would divert water toward industrial facilities, primarily mills, that we located away from the river. Falling water would great a clean power source to grow Paterson into a major industrial center.








Looking down from the spillway, one can only imagine how many American dreams in the mill below were powered by faling water. Today many of the remaining buildings have been converted to offices, a day care center, and housing where a modern generation embraces the American Dream.




Walking along the wide paths that sit astride the raceways one can see remnants of the power system including the remains of locks, small power plants, and stepped falls. Some of the industrial buildings have ghost images of the original company names on them.













Although built for an industrial purpose, the raceway closest to the Great Falls in Paterson has become a bucolic setting to contemplate the power of green energy.








The Raceways now are home to ducks and small fish, the green material on the water is a plant species commonly called duckweed. Each plant is the about the size of an infants fingernail and has a small strand of roots that train in the water. Most people do not realize that duckweed can be a beneficial plant as it removes nitrogen from the water making it more hospitable to fish and less hospitable to algae.









Just below the Great Falls Raceway, some of the mills have been converted into office space. The iconic dome of the Passaic County courthouse can be seen between the buildings

The World Famous Tick Tock Diner | Clifton NJ

Dew Drops On Mock Orange at Fleur De Lee

The Montclair Farmer's Market Opens Today

Warren Bobrow Apothecary Cocktails at Watchung Booksellers

Tiny Elephant Cafe and Bakery Opens In Montclair via Devil Gourmet

NJ's favorite locally owned independent bookstore Watchung Booksellers is celebrating the Grand Opening of their new neighbor Tiny elephant Cafe tonight (June 6). The evening will also be a Grand Re-Opening of sorts for Watchung Booksellers.

Tiny Elephant is a bakery cafe that will occupy the space formerly used by Comfort Food Kitchen. Curated by Verona sisters Alison Meade and Dana Bachan, the cafe will serve breakfast and lunch. Cakes, cookies, and pastries will be available for dine-in or take away. Plus there's coffee.

For the full story "Watchung Booksellers Announces Tiny Elephant Opening" visit DevilGourmet.com Booksellers Announces Tiny Elephant Grand Opening

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Getting Ready For Dinner at Mesob (Ethiopian) | Montclair NJ

Ribbon Cutting Of The New Tuesday Montclair Farmers' Market

Ricardo and Rosalita : The Neighborhood Watch