New Jersey
Hurricane in Hoboken: My Story
Sorry, I’d tell another disappointed visitor on the Hoboken House Tour, the Yankee Ferry wasn’t open today. It was Sunday morning, I was doing a volunteer shift for the Historical Museum, and the nearby house boat’s owners were too busy battening down the hatches before the coming storm. (I’d never used the term “batten down […]
Tri-State Etiquette
Earlier this evening, I was walking down 6th Avenue in Manhattan, just above 45th Street, when suddenly, I sneezed. The following brief exchange took place. Male voice to my left: Bless you. Me: Thanks. (I turn to see a short, 50ish, tough-looking guy.) Guy: You don’t hear that in New York, do ya? Me: No […]
I’m Walkin’ Here
For some, walking is a pedestrian activity. But not me, brother. I love it. And though I can pinpoint the genesis of my current wanderlust to July 5, 2010, the truth is that I’ve always enjoyed a nice long stroll. I associate them with adventure. Around 3rd grade in suburban California, my buddy Chris and […]
Hey, Look, Another Article About Music, and This One Is Longer
Here’s a profile of the twee-pop band the Marshmallows that I wrote for the Jersey City Independent.
I Wish More People Would Pay Me To Write About Music
Here’s a short piece on the band The dB’s that I did for the June issue of New Jersey Monthly.
E-Z Does It
I’m a classic late adopter: DVD, cellphone, smartphone, Chinese baby. So maybe 15 years for me to finally sign up for E-Z Pass is not so bad. I was curious when the system was launched in New Jersey in 1997, but I was skeptical. In the summer of 1999, my forward-thinking friend Maia was imploring […]
Salt on Hands
Sunday night, my hard drive died. I wasn’t overly concerned—I have an external drive and something called “Time Machine” that supposedly backs up my data. And cost wasn’t an issue; after much effort (including zooming in on an upside-down photo of the bottom of my computer to read the serial number) I learned that my […]
Goodbye, New Jersey Nets
I was aware of the New Jersey Nets from the very beginning, but wasn’t a fan. Their entry into the National Basketball Association in 1977 coincided with my first year as a sports-card collector. But my family lived in the Bay Area, so the only team I cared about was the Golden State Warriors, with […]
Back in the U.S.S.R.
I just read a beautiful essay by my friend Maria, whose family emigrated from Russia to the U.S. when she was quite young. Maria wrote about a recent return visit, and the flood of fractured memories it brought back. The essay summoned memories of my own. Not of a childhood geographic upheaval—my own family’s emigration […]
Jack Silbert, curator