Tag Archives: Hoboken

Cover Story, Sally Deering

OL’ BLUE EYES IS BACK ! SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON Celebrates Sinatra’s Centennial

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Music & Memorabilia at Library for Performing Arts NYC

By Sally Deering

Sinatra Library of Performing Arts NYC Exhibit
Frank Sinatra

Hoboken’s ‘Native Son’ Frank Sinatra grew up in a town quite different from what it is today. There were no Starbucks or even PATH trains when Sinatra was born in 1915. And when he was old enough, the ‘skinny blue-eyed kid’ began singing in his parents’ saloon. That’s where Sinatra learned his trade, crooning to locals at Marty O’Brien’s saloon.

That’s where the Frank Sinatra legend begins at the exhibit SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON now on view through September 4th at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts. Sinatra sang in the studio and performed onstage for more than 50 years, recording hundreds of songs, and performing thousands of shows. Jam packed with memorabilia, music and all things Sinatra, this exhibit is both a loving tribute and a peek into the complicated life journey Sinatra took, from small time Hoboken street kid to saloon singer to concert and film star and in his later years, show biz royalty. Continue reading OL’ BLUE EYES IS BACK ! SINATRA: AN AMERICAN ICON Celebrates Sinatra’s Centennial →

Music Views

Guitarist Walter Parks performs in Hoboken, NJ for Guitar Bar Concert Series

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Walter Parks River View Observer Walter Parks is scheduled to perform at Guitar Bar Jr. in Hoboken, NJ on Saturday October 25. Veteran blues and jazz guitarist Walter Parks has built an international career as the lead guitarist for Woodstock legend Richie Havens, as half of the folk-duo The Nudes, and as leader of the neo-southern rock group Swamp Cabbage. Inspired by the swampy gospel blues that wails from storefront churches and roadhouses in and around the southeast Georgia low country, Park’s performance is full of guitar picking tunes that explore matters of the soul and spirit, built upon a foundation of jazz, classical and folk.

Continue reading Guitarist Walter Parks performs in Hoboken, NJ for Guitar Bar Concert Series →

Dining

McLoone’s Restaurants Announces a Spring 2014 Opening of “Pier House” in Hoboken, NJ

New venture marks McLoone’s tenth restaurant

 

McCloone's new pier house restaruant in hobokenHoboken, NJ (December 5, 2013) - McLoone’s Restaurants is thrilled to announce that they will be opening a new “Pier House” restaurant at The Shipyard, a mixed-use community of luxury residences and upscale retail space located on Hoboken’s northern waterfront facing midtown Manhattan.  This McLoone’s restaurant will expand the very successful “Pier House” concept to three locations; adding to the original in Long Branch (2005) and National Harbor, Maryland (2010). The Hoboken location will offer McLoone’s “upscale dining for the entire family” with New American cuisine, neighborhood signature dishes, an extensive wine list and specialty drinks. Renovations are planned for the 7,000 square-foot venue, owned by Ironstate Development Company, since it is an existing restaurant space with many interior architectural accents. McLoone’s Pier House boasts soaring ceilings, vibrant features, and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline that will debut in Spring 2014. Pier House will be added to an impressive list of ten restaurants owned by McLoone’s hospitality company. Visit www.mcloones.com for all restaurant locations.

“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create a new restaurant located in the iconic city of Hoboken. The Shipyard is a great community”, cheers Tim McLoone, president of McLoone’s Restaurants. “With an exceptional waterfront location just steps from a New York Waterway Ferry Terminal and convenient Valet Service, we expect to attract patrons from throughout New Jersey and Manhattan”. Tim is known throughout New York and New Jersey as a celebrated musician, entertainer, athlete, restaurateur, entrepreneur, humanitarian and renaissance man. His interests and core values have cultivated a unique company brand that has been a successful formula for over twenty years. Continue reading McLoone’s Restaurants Announces a Spring 2014 Opening of “Pier House” in Hoboken, NJ →
General, Live On Stage, Local Happenings

LIVE THEATER -A FROG, DETECTIVE AND HAMLET, TOO!

   Kooky Characters Come to Life as Local Live Theaters Begin New Seasons

 BY SALLY DEERING

 

Clay and Sandy Cockrell Production Director at J CITY Theater rehearse a scene from APARTMENT 3 A
Clay and Sandy Cockrell Production Director at J CITY Theater rehearse a scene from APARTMENT 3 A

Culture flourishes in Hudson with art, music and dance performances happening throughout its cities. We also have some terrific live theater groups putting on shows for adults and kids and the new season is now kicking off, like J CITY Theater’s production of APARTMENT 3A. Along with J CITY Theater, the Attic Ensemble in Jersey City is celebrating 43 years as a community theater and the Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken opens its season with a wink to the kids in its production of the Broadway play A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD.

Here’s a closer look at some local theater companies and their upcoming shows. Why not check out a performance or two? You’ll be supporting local theater and those artists who may work in the cultural milieu of New York City and who also nourish the cultural fabric of Hudson’s  community

CRAZY DOES IT ON LIVE TV

Producing Director of the J CITY Theater Clay Cockrell and his wife Sandy Cockrell, who is the company’s Artistic Director are thrilled to be back on the boards after almost a year-long hiatus brought on by Hurricane Sandy. (See our interview with Clay Cockrell following this story.)

This marks J CITY Theater’s 8th season of presenting popular and contemporary plays on the stage of the theater which is located in the basement of St. Michael’s RC Church facing Hamilton Park in Jersey City. The company recently opened its season with APARTMENT 3A, a romantic comedy about a public television employee who loses her faith in God, men and public broadcasting.  As the heroine takes a ride on the romance rollercoaster, she eventually has an on-camera meltdown during a pledge drive which leads to pandemonium and hilarity. The play runs through Oct. 26 and features Sandy Cockrell, Stephen Hope, Randall Marquez and Clay Cockrell. Stage Manager is Jack Vandewark and Tech Director is Nick Probst; Jacquelyn Bird is choreographer. Continue reading LIVE THEATER -A FROG, DETECTIVE AND HAMLET, TOO! →

Best Picks of the Week, Education

Your Charming Child:Cool Charm School – Donna Bostany and Lisa Butowsky Teach Kids about Manners and Social Interactions

 Your Charming Child Workshops begin  this  August in Hoboken

By Sally Deering

Donna and her sister
Sisters Lisa Butowsky and Donna Bostany teach etiquette to children, from good talble manners to fighting off bullies.

Teaching children how to behave in social situations runs the gamut from handling a salad fork to a nasty bully.  And that’s just what Donna Bostany of Union City is prepared to do as she launches her new business, Your Charming Child, an etiquette training program for children 4 through 12 that her sister Lisa Butowsky started a year ago in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Bostany and Butowsky are Certified Etiquette Consultants trained at the International School of Protocol in Hunt Valley, Maryland, who teach manners and social skills to kids so they can become good citizens of the world. The sisters started teaching the classes to children in the Bucks County area and are now branching out to towns in Hudson.  On Mon, Tues, and Wed, August 5, 6, and 7, at the Hoboken Man salon, Bostany will teach her first series of etiquette classes to local recruits.

“Good manners help you make good decisions when dealing with other people which leads to respect for others as well as self-respect,” Bostany says. “By having good social skills, one does not need to engage in risky behaviors, but finds that popularity comes from being a good listener, a good friend and someone who makes other people feel at ease.”

Continue reading Your Charming Child:Cool Charm School – Donna Bostany and Lisa Butowsky Teach Kids about Manners and Social Interactions →

Dining

Calling all Foodies! Hudson Restaurant Week and A Taste of Hoboken invite Foodies to Feast

 By Sally Deering

GP's Restaurant located in downtown Jersey City. One of the 35 restaurants participating in this year's Hudson Restaurant Week.
GP’s Restaurant located in downtown Jersey City. One of the 35 restaurants participating in this years Hudson Restaurant Week.

It’s January and the winter blahs are knocking on the door, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit home with another Lean Cuisine. Why not skip the frozen dinner, throw on your overcoat and head out for some yummy neighborhood dining during Hudson Restaurant Week and a night of yummy delights at A Taste of Hoboken. Both events are a terrific way to spice up these cold wintery days – and nights.

 On Tues, Jan. 22, A Taste of Hoboken, the Hoboken-North Hudson YMCA’s annual gala fundraiser celebrates its 22nd anniversary. It will be held at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Canavan Arena in Hoboken with 40 restaurants, bakeries and cafes participating. These eateries will be offering tasty bites from the dishes on their menus and some chef surprises, too.  And for the first time since A Taste of Hoboken started all those years ago guests will have the opportunity to sample beer and wine from all over the world.  Continue reading Calling all Foodies! Hudson Restaurant Week and A Taste of Hoboken invite Foodies to Feast →

Cover Story, General

Hoboken’s New Reality Stars – A&E’ “Storage Wars: New York” stars Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton of The Frayed Knot

By Sally Deering    

Photo of Tad Eaton and Chris Morelli in front of  The Frayed Knot by Sally Deering

Tad Eaton and Chris Morelli in front of thier furniture and bric-a-brac emporium in Hoboken, NJ
Tad Eaton and Chris Morelli in front of thier furniture and bric-a-brac emporium in Hoboken, NJ

Move over “Cake Boss”! Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton, owners of The Frayed Knot, a vintage furniture and brick-a-brack emporium in Hoboken are fast becoming the new darlings of reality TV. Friends and business partners, Morelli and Eaton star in “Storage Wars: New York” an A&E TV reality show that follows an eclectic group of ‘treasure hunters’ from the Metropolitan area who search for hidden bounty in repossessed storage units. It’s like a twist on that old game show “Let’s Make a Deal”. You get to see what’s behind Door No. 1 but you don’t know the true value of your deal until you rip open the boxes and pick through the spoils.

 

The cast of Storage Wars: New York
The cast of Storage Wars: New York

Photo Courtesy of A & E TV

Making its January 2013 debut with six episodes, “Storage Wars: New York” is a spin-off of the “Storage Wars” franchise which also includes “Storage Wars: Texas.”  The New York cast features Joe Pauletich of Queens, Candy Olsen and Courtney Wagner of Brooklyn, Mike Braiotta of the Bronx and Morelli and Eaton of Hoboken. Auctioneer is New Yorker John Luke. 

In the debut episode, “Beg, Borough and Steal” several cast members including Morelli and Eaton bid on and buy goodies inside three separate storage units. The girls unearth several pairs of high-heeled shoes and possibly a pole dancer’s costume; Joe ‘P’ discovers some interesting art and photography; and Morelli and Eaton excavate a brand new gas grill and two French chests called commodes they bring back to their shop, paint bright red and put out for sale in one of The Frayed Knot’s splashy showrooms. Continue reading Hoboken’s New Reality Stars – A&E’ “Storage Wars: New York” stars Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton of The Frayed Knot →

General

HOBOKEN CHOIR BRINGS THE GIFT OF Cantigas’ Winter Concert

Features Music from Around Globe on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

 

Hoboken Choir gives concert December 15, 2012 in Hoboken
CantigasChoirDec2011

Hoboken’s all-women community chorus, Cantigas Women’s Choir, presents its 11th annual winter concert entitled A GIFT FOR THE SEASON: Songs from Near and Far on Saturday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Trinity Church at 57 Eighth Street (at Hudson Street) in Hoboken, N.J. The suggestion donation for the concert is $15 ($5 for seniors and students).

“Our theme ‘A Gift for the Season’ was chosen well before Hurricane Sandy devastated our community,” says Joan Litman, Cantigas founder and director. “In light of all of the damage and loss Hoboken suffered, more than ever, music is truly a gift — and unites us by bringing hope and healing.” Continue reading HOBOKEN CHOIR BRINGS THE GIFT OF Cantigas’ Winter Concert →

General

New Jersey National Guard soldiers helping Hoboken residents -Afermath of Superstorm Sandy

Spc. Jesse de la Cruz, center on truck, assists in evacuating a toddler at a rescue mission at Hoboken, N.J., Oct. 31. New Jersey National Guard soldiers from Foxtrot Company, 250th Brigade Support Battalion, were the first company from the NJNG to arrive in Hoboken. They successfully completed more than 25 missions, which included rescues and delivering food and water to local shelters. In addition, de la Cruz rescued a pregnant woman going into labor, who was held up in her home for two days without food, water, and electricity. The unit immediately transported her to the shelter hospital for medical treatment. (U.S. Army photo by Chaplain (Cpt.) Andre Ascalon/Released)