Finding Beauty in New Jersey

OCTOBER 15, 2020 : I have spent the last few weeks with my daughter in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Except for two weekends with family in Boston, we have not left the neighborhood. Due to the virus, we avoid public transportation, so our outings are limited to anywhere we can walk to. So, it was a very special treat that my good forever friend Shari, picked me up yesterday for a day trip to New Jersey. I was in charge of finding where to visit. When I think of NJ, I think of what you see between Newark airport and Manhattan – very built up, very industrial, and very not pretty. However, NJ is known as the Garden State – there must be beauty somewhere. My challenge was to find beauty in NJ without driving too far from Manhattan. Turned out to be much easier than I thought.

Our first stop was Paterson, NJ – about a half hour ride away. We crossed over the George Washington Bridge and were soon there. As Shari said, when driving down Main Street – this place is a dump. I disagreed – yes, it was old, grimy, and neglected – but it was such a typical American small-town downtown – old brick buildings, small stores – that I was charmed. You could not mistake being anywhere else but in the USA from the look of Main Street.

At the end of the short Main Street, we reached the Passaic River. Paterson is built on the riverbanks of the Passaic and its history is intimately tied to the river. Near the river, we reached our destination – the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. Yes, in the middle of this dingy city, is a beautiful, large waterfall. And, as we soon learned, the reason Paterson is located where it is, is because of the waterfall.

The National Park Welcome Center and the Paterson Museum were both closed due to the virus, but I had found an app on the phone called the Mill Mile with information about the area. Unfortunately, the map on the app was very confusing to use and we got lost following it several times. When we did stumble across a site mentioned in the app, we heard an audio recording and got an excellent explanation of what we were seeing and learned much about the history of the place. It was a warm, sunny Autumn day and I was so happy that Shari enjoys these off-the-beaten track excursion as much as I do.

So, what did we see and what did we learn?

The most striking feature in the area is the waterfall. The Great Falls are the second largest falls by volume in the Eastern USA – only Niagara Falls are larger. Many years ago, in the late 1700’s, Alexander Hamilton (yes, the same Hamilton as in the play) saw the potential of harnessing the waterfall to create the power to fuel industries along the river. Hamilton understood that the newly created United States needs to become economically independent from British manufacturers. In carrying out this vision, the city of Paterson initiated the industrial revolution in America. Today you can visit the waterfall, see the building that houses the power plant, and understand that the many old huge brick buildings that line the river, were once the factories that prospered here.

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On the door of the power plant is says SUM and two dates – 1791 and 1914. SUM is the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (founded by Hamilton). 1791 is when the power plant was originally built and 1914 is when it was converted to a hydro-electric plant – which is still in use today.

We also learned that Paterson was the home to the NY Black Yankees. Before professional baseball allowed non-whites to join the team, the Hinchliffe stadium in Paterson was their playing field.

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After our visit in Paterson, we drove to West Orange to visit the NJ Shermans (both Shari and I are related to them through marriage). We found Sharon busy making etrog jam in the kitchen and enjoyed a short visit over a cup of coffee with her.

From there, we went to the nearby Eagle Rock Reservation thinking to go for a short walk in the woods. We found there so much more than we had expected. Upon reaching the place, we literally had a WOW moment. From the parking lot, without a cloud in the sky, we had a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline. It was stunning.

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On 9-11, many of the residents of nearby communities gathered here and watched the horror taking place in New York. This makes it a fitting place for a memorial in honor of those who died.

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The grounds of the reservation also include many hiking trails. We went for our walk in the woods. Surrounded by autumn trees, we felt in the middle of nowhere, although we were only minutes from civilization.

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We had skipped lunch and walking gave us an appetite. Nearby was a small, well-rated Mexican restaurant (4.8 stars in Google Maps) and we went there for an early dinner. Shari introduced me to Chiles Rellenos – Mexican cheese stuffed peppers. Delicious.

All in all, a very nice and memorable day. Thank you Shari!

P.S. There is beauty in New Jersey!