Asphalt crossing

While walking through the woods, I followed a dirt path off a main trail, and found myself staring at this railroad crossing sign with no railroad in sight.

Thinking of the old New Jersey West Line, I started snapping photos. Maybe this was a leftover relic of a railway of yore!

As I clicked away, an older gentleman (who’d been sweeping a nearby back porch) called out and asked me what I was doing.

I explained— blah blah, local photoblog, blah blah blah.

Since I had his ear, I asked if he knew the origins of this crossing sign.

“Yeah,” he said, “one of the guys found it somewhere and put it here a few years ago. We’re hoping to rewire it, get the lights working, and actually get a gate going one of these days.”

As he spoke, I read his shirt:
THE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB

I’d stumbled into the backyard of the local Model Railroad Club! Of COURSE they’d have a railroad crossing sign in their parking lot!

I didn’t really have time to go inside and get a full tour at that moment, but I really have been meaning to check out their offerings for a while (because, as we all know, I am a giant nerd). One of these days…!

In memoriam

If you happen to pass through Lenape Park in Union, you might notice a tree wearing a white hat.

If you look a little closer, your amusement might turn to sadness.

Although the hat alone tells you pretty much all you need to know, Segundo Padilla was smoothing the path here when his roller toppled off the edge of a shallow embankment (presumably the one near this memorial).

The ink on the hat is fresh, and it’s my guess that the hat was just recently nailed here in memory of the one-year anniversary of his death.

It’s a tragedy, any way you slice it.

Bein’ green!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you missed the parades, there’s still a chance tonight to don your greenest clothes, show off your shamrocks, and get drunk at local bars!

Martini’s Bistro and Bar in Millburn is one of the bars preparing to celebrate tonight. Apparently their “O’Tini” is a frighteningly fluorescent green cocktail.

If fluorescent green cocktails aren’t your thing, a lot of places offer green beer, which (as my coworkers and I found out after hours last night) is a drop or two of blue food coloring + normal yellowish beer. It’s loads of fun to make it yourself!

What a big heart you have!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Spotted outside New Providence Florist.

Historicalness!

I’d been postponing this post (ha), because I kept hoping I’d come up with something clever to say about this incredibly boring photo. I’m still waiting for inspiration to strike, unfortunately. So what the heck, let’s do this thing.

Here’s what the sign, on Main Street in downtown Chatham, has to say to you:

CHATHAM HISTORIC DISTRICT

Scene of Washington’s headquarters and massing of Continental troops prior to march on Yorktown August 27-29, 1781.

Morris County Heritage Commission
New Jersey Register of Historic Sites

For those of you who forgot high school history (like me), the Battle of Yorktown was “a decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War.” Troops started marching on August 19 in Newport, RI; they hit Philly around September 2; and they finally got to Yorktown, VA on September 26 or so, where they kicked some serious @$$. Eventually.

Thus: somewhere between Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, Washington was like “Chatham New Jersey! What a nice place to hang out for a couple days.” And so they did.

Dabbawalla

First, a nosy and irrelevant question: Did you, fearless reader, come here via Facebook? If so, via whom or what? I’ve been getting a lot of Facebook referrals lately, and they’re not from me, and I’m curious.

Moving on:

Dabbawalla is an Indian restaurant in downtown Summit.

A “dabbawalla,” the namesake of the place, is (from what I can tell) a person (in India) who delivers your lunch to your office for you, and returns the empty canister to your home at night, so you don’t have to carry it.

I have never been inside this restaurant, so I can’t comment on the food; I’m not much for eating out.

Here is what I do know:

This is not the front entrance.

No stopping or wisteria.

Luckily, this is kind of a busy street that doesn’t lend itself well to stopping or standing ANYWAY, but geeeez, you can’t see that sign.

…The wisteria are pretty, though. They seem to spread like weeds in this corner of town.

History and an emblem.

Even though Berkeley Heights has only been called “Township of Berkeley Heights” since 1951, it’s been its own township since 1809 (as evidenced by this banner). But back then, it was called “Township of New Providence.” So when you’re reading about “New Providence” in historical texts, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether the writer meant “Township of New Providence” (Berkeley Heights) or “Borough of New Providence” (modern-day New Providence).

Even so, before 1951, the community was KNOWN as Berkeley Heights, so the new name will still pop up from time to time. It was possibly named after the Berkeley of Berkeley and Carteret… but the origin is really obscure, so don’t take my word on that.

The official town seal, seen here on these two-year-old banners in town, was designed by an 8th-grader in 1960:

In the spring of 1960 the Berkeley Heights Township Committee sponsored a contest in the schools to select a township seal. Patricia Jean Taylor, an eigth grader at Columbia School, designed the winning seal, which is used on official vehicles, uniforms, stationery, and the township flag. Patricia’s central symbol is the dogwood tree, which is native to this area. The test tube, the quill, and the arrowhead represent the importance of scientific research, education, and the heritage of the Lenni-Lenape Indians in the growth and development of the township of Berkeley Heights.

So there ya go.

 
Reference:

Troeger, Virginia B. (1996). Images of America: Berkeley Heights. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. 6.

M is for the Mall in Milburn

…also known as the Short Hills Mall. (Short Hills is a subsection of Milburn.) It’s very posh, and it’s a 5-minute drive from New Providence.

…okay, maybe 10 minutes.

Municipal center

Not much to say here. This is the New Providence Municipal Center (obviously). It’s right by the library and police station. Is that the case in every municipality? I know that’s how it is where I grew up.