Category Archives: General

Dining, General

Jersey City’s Surf City -Bringing the Jersey Shore to Our Backyard

River View Observer’s “Best Pick”-  Mini Vacation for an Afternoon or Evening

Your sitting there cool drink in hand, a warm breeze coming off the water, you stop and think for a moment-“Where Am I?” The Jersey Shore, A Caribbean Island and you realize I’m in Historic Jersey City, I’m at Surf City, one of the newest and coolest places to open in JC in a very long time.

If you want waterfront views, outdoor dining, cool cocktails and a place to hang with family and friends -this is the place for you.

Located at 1 Marin Blvd. Jersey City 201-516-6000 http://www.facebook.com/surfcitybar#!/surfcitybar

Check out our  photos of Surf City and look for a restaurant VIEWS feature on Surf City in our print edition of the River View Observer  coming soon. Continue reading Jersey City’s Surf City -Bringing the Jersey Shore to Our Backyard →

General

Jersey City to Celebrate the 52nd Annual Puerto Rican Heritage

Festival and Parade as part of the City’s ‘Tapestry of Nations’ Ethnic Festival Series

– Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, the Municipal Council and the Division of Cultural Affairs proudly announce that the annual Puerto Rican Heritage Parade and Festival, being held as part of the City’s ‘Tapestry of Nations’ Ethnic Festival Series will take place on Sunday, August 5, 2012.

The Puerto Rican Parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. from Lincoln Park at Kennedy Boulevard and Belmont Avenue. It winds its way along Kennedy Boulevard to Montgomery Street, and then along Montgomery Street to the reviewing stand at City Hall.

The Puerto Rican Heritage Festival will be held at Exchange Place from 12:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Each year, the Puerto Rican Heritage Parade and Festival showcases and celebrates the rich heritage of the people of Jersey City that represent Puerto Rico. This exciting and fun event for all families and ages to join in on as the Puerto Rican community is honored for the greatness that they instill on this city. Continue reading Jersey City to Celebrate the 52nd Annual Puerto Rican Heritage →

Celebrity Interview, General

Mob Wife’s Counter Punch Drita D’Avanzo of Reality TV’s “Mob Wives” Debuts New Cosmetics Line

 By Sally Deering       Photos by Sally Deering

 Reality TV star Drita D’Avanzo of Mob Wives VH1 sometimes talks like a thug on camera but when it comes to cosmetics she’s a a girlie-girl.

 On Thursday, August 2nd,  D’Avanzo greeted fans and took to the stage at the Staten Island Mall to unveil her new line of make-up, “Just Me.” A former fashion model, D’Avanzo isn’t just lending her celebrity to sell lipstick to the masses. She actually went to school to study skincare and make-up and starting her own cosmetics line has been a dream ever since she was a tomboy growing up in the Projects. For those of you unfamiliar with Mob Wives (VH1, Sunday nights at 8) the show’s title tells all. D’Avanzo and her co-stars married men who aren’t 9-to-5ers, but rather, wiseguys with connections to crime families. For D’Avanzo, she was still a newlywed when police arrested her husband, Lee, and sent him to prison for five years. Like other women who have had to pick up the pieces after a life-changing event, D’Avanzo went to school to study cosmetology. When a friend suggested the idea for a Reality TV show, D’Avanzo signed on.   

At the Staten Island Mall, customers lined up to buy lipsticks and lip plumpers and with just an hour to go before premiering her products, D’Avanzo took a few minutes to talk with the Riverview Observer about her new life as a Reality TV star and cosmetics designer.

 RVO: Hi Drita, can you share with our readers how “Just Me” came about?

DD: I used to model and watch how the make-up artists did my makeup and I was amazed at how they made me look. When Lee went to jail, I took a job in a high-end department store. I worked all the counters. I loved selling and dealing with everyone’s makeup. I knew I wanted to make high-end products affordable.

 RVO: What makes your cosmetics different or better?

DD: I am big on scent and I hate sticky. What makes it different? A lot of cosmetics are created by professional make-up artists. Nobody was behind the counter like I was. For seven years, I listened to a lot of women and what they wanted. All these things give me a lot of leverage.

 RVO: Will you be working your new cosmetics into the show?

DD: Yes. The makeup artist for the show uses my lipsticks. Big Ang (another Mob Wife on the show) loves my lipsticks and Carla (also a Mob Wife on the show) loves my lip plumper. My main goal is to have a beautiful, cool store with a DJ, and a  place for girls to get their make-up done and hair styled.

Continue reading Mob Wife’s Counter Punch Drita D’Avanzo of Reality TV’s “Mob Wives” Debuts New Cosmetics Line →

General

Jersey City to Celebrate Bolivia’s 187 Years of Independence with 12th Annual Bolivian Parade

 Parade Showcases the Rich Heritage of the Bolivian People

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, the Municipal Council and the Division of Cultural Affairs proudly announce that the annual Bolivian Parade and Celebration will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 4th to mark 187 Years of Independence. The parade will kick off at 12 p.m. in Hamilton Park, located on Pavonia and Jersey Avenues, and will proceed to City Hall, 280 Grove Street for the festival which is scheduled to last until 6 p.m.

Continue reading Jersey City to Celebrate Bolivia’s 187 Years of Independence with 12th Annual Bolivian Parade →

General

Inside Bayonne -Happenings in Bayonne -Music, Theater

The Muppets to Play at the Bayonne Public LibraryRelease Date: 07/31/2012

 
On Wednesday, August 1, at 1:00 p.m., the Bayonne Public Library will present The Muppets in its Movies at the Library series. The Muppets is a 2011 musical comedy. In the film, the Muppet characters reunite. With the help of three fans, the Muppets plan to raise $10 million to save their old theater from destruction by a greedy oil tycoon. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The film is rated PG, and has a running time of 103 minutes.
The Movies at the Library films are presented in the O’Connor Gallery, which is located on the second floor of the library. The building is located at 31st Street and Avenue C.
Summer Sounds by the Bay Concerts to Feature Cliff Perkins & Soul Generation, and JazziqueRelease Date: 07/31/2012

 
Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the City of Bayonne’s Summer Sounds by the Bay concert series will continue on Wednesday, August 1, weather permitting. On August 1, sit back and enjoy the smooth, sultry sounds of Cliff Perkins & Soul Generation, then get up and move to hot 70’s dance hits performed by Jazzique.
The concert site is the amphitheater on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park. The concert will start at 7:00 p.m. Audience members are asked to bring their own chairs.
In the event of rain, the City of Bayonne will attempt to reschedule concerts for later dates that will be announced. On concert days, in the event of inclement weather, please call 201-471-7590 after 4:00 p.m., or visit www.bayonnerec.com, to check on the status of that night’s concert.
The City of Bayonne would like to thank BCB Community Bank, Inserra Shop Rite, and Kenrich Chemicals for sponsoring the concert series. The City would welcome additional sponsors for Summer Sounds 2012 and future special events.
Concerts are scheduled every Wednesday through August 22.
General, Hudson Then...Again

Hudson Then Again…Hudson County Liquor Businesses in Early Days of the 20th Century

by Maureen Wlodarczyk

 Over the years, I’ve heard any number of men including my husband describe the benefits and healthful effects of drinking beer. Just this past week, my husband shared a printout of “The Buffalo Theory” with me. That piece of wisdom, attributed to the TV show “Cheers” and a conversation between bar regulars Cliff and Norm, equates survival of the fittest in buffalo herds to a similar process whereby beer drinking results in the death of one’s weakest brain cells, thus leaving the drinker with a more fit mind as a happy side effect of imbibing.

Long before Cliff and Norm entertained us on the small screen, Hudson County liquor distributors had advertised the important health effects to be derived from beer, especially for women. In 1911, a local liquor distribution company ran an ad in a Hudson County newspaper titled “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World,” featuring the image of a young mother gazing lovingly on her infant as she rocks the baby in a wicker cradle. The caption stated the following:

“The ever increasing strength and power of our Great American Nation depends largely on the physical condition of our children. Not only the strength, but also the very life of the child depends upon its proper nourishment in infancy. Good, pure, clean beer more fully supplies just the correct nourishment – in every sense of the word – that mothers require.”  Continue reading Hudson Then Again…Hudson County Liquor Businesses in Early Days of the 20th Century →

Business Views, General

Business Insight-SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION VISITS BAYONNE IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES

River View Observer Best Bet for Businesses

Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith with Small Business Administration District Director Al Titone walked Broadway in Bayonne talking with store owners

BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY –

 Mayor Mark Smith, U.S. Small Business Administration District Director Al Titone, and a representative of Senator Lautenberg’s office toured local businesses this morning, listening to business owners’ concerns and answering questions about programs to assist them.

 ”We thank Senator Lautenberg for bringing this support to the small business community in the City of Bayonne,” stated Mayor Mark Smith. “My office is, and will continue to be, committed to growing this critical and vibrant part of our community, and we look forward to continuing to bring the resources of the U.S. Small Business Administration into our City.”

 This walking tour was held as part of the City’s efforts to streamline and strengthen the support that is provided to businesses to help promote local shopping. Other initiatives being put forth by the Administration of Mayor Mark Smith include increasing the online presence of the City of Bayonne and its business community, initiating the City’s first ever Farmer’s Market, and providing for more direct interaction between local business and the City. Continue reading Business Insight-SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION VISITS BAYONNE IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES →

General

Jersey City Receives $175,000 Grant from North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to Study the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Public Transportation within Liberty State Park

 

JERSEY CITY — Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy announced today that the City of Jersey City has received a $175,000 grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) to complete the Liberty State Park Circulator Cost-Benefit Analysis.

The purpose of the study is to analyze a range of options for mass transit circulator service throughout Liberty State Park that would serve destinations within the park and existing and future adjacent residential development and businesses. The study will evaluate a range of route and modes, including rail and rubber tire options, using a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria. The final product will include the identification of a range of feasible concepts for further study.

 

“We believe that a circulator service will support tourism and enhance the multi-modal mass transit network for park visitors, residents and workers in the vicinity,” said Mayor Healy. “Jersey City has a high transit-dependent population and was identified by the NJTPA in 2007 as an Environmental Justice community. Because 40 percent of Jersey City residents are without access to a car, many residents rely on public transportation to access park facilities.” Continue reading Jersey City Receives $175,000 Grant from North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to Study the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Public Transportation within Liberty State Park →

General

Bayonne NJ Born Batman Exec Producer Michael Uslan Earns Comic-Con’s Highest Honor

 

Uslan Joins Ranks of Industry Legends

River View Observer Staff               Photo Wikipedia

Michael Uslan, Originator and Executive Producer of the Batman film franchise, joined industry giants Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Charles Schultz when he received Comic-Con International’s highest honor: the Inkpot Award.

The award recognizes lifetime achievement in the comic book and film arts industries. It came as a surprise, says Uslan, who was presented it during the recent San Diego Comic-Con International, the largest such event in the world.

“I am beyond thrilled!” he says. “I did not know that I was to be awarded with The Inkpot, and to be included with so many of the industry’s heroes is truly humbling. I particularly want to congratulate my fellow 2012 winners!”

In a manner of speaking, Uslan grew up in the Gotham Universe and, since childhood, his dream was to have the world see his favorite superhero as he saw him. Despite many obstacles, Uslan held fast to his dreams as he methodically worked toward his goal, including teaching the first accredited college course on comic book folklore in 1972 and earning his law degree four years later.

His journey is documented in his new memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman (www.theboywholovedbatman.com).

Continue reading Bayonne NJ Born Batman Exec Producer Michael Uslan Earns Comic-Con’s Highest Honor →