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End of an Era: Rosebud’s
Being allowed to walk home from school by yourself if a big step when you are a kid. For me it was around fourth grade. After crossing Passaic Ave. from School 7, I would regularly stop at what was known as Rosebud’s Sweet Shop for penny candy and Swedish Fish (the big ones, separated by… Continue reading
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Italian Heritage in New Jersey: Bucky Pizzarelli
COVID-19 has certainly left us devoid from us this year. We’ve lost family, friends, and others we admire. One of those wonderful New Jerseyans of Italian heritage we lost to the virus is John Paul “Bucky” Pizzarelli. Born in Paterson in 1926 to the owners of a local grocery store, Pizzarelli picked up the guitar… Continue reading
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Italian Heritage in New Jersey: James Gandolfini
When many people think of Americans of Italian descent, they often think we are all in the mob, or “connected.” Many movies such as The Godfather add to the stereotype. Add to that shows like Jersey Shore, Housewives of New Jersey, and The Sopranos, and well… While many depictions in New Jersey and mob movies… Continue reading
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Italian Heritage in New Jersey: Msgr. Joseph Granato
If there is anyone who should be the first individual I highlight for Italian Heritage Month, it must be Msgr. Joseph Granato. Msgr. Granato borders on rock star status at St. Lucy’s Church in Newark, home to the National Shrine of St. Gerard. He served St. Lucy’s for 54 years. It was the only parish… Continue reading
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Class Action Park
“Shake it off…” That was the phrase I heard regularly growing up. Whenever I came home with a scraped knee, a bruise on my arm, or even if I was upset about something, I regularly heard that phrase. What is now often referred to “free range parenting,” was just called “playing outside” when I was… Continue reading
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Belleville Loses a Favorite Son: Tommy DeVito
Music is a huge part of the history of New Jersey. The Boss. Bon Jovi. Southside Johnny. There is another part of music history that goes back a little further. Those greats include Francis Albert Sinatra, Bucky Pizzarelli, Connie Francis, and The Four Seasons. Straight from Essex County, and more specifically, my hometown of Belleville,… Continue reading
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The Official Jersey Bucket List – Part Two
After the publishing of my “Official Jersey Bucket List,” I received many requests for a part two. I will admit as soon as I published it, I continued to come up with more ideas. There is so much to see in New Jersey, it is almost impossible to include it all in one list. Let’s… Continue reading
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Remembering a Selfless Doctor
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread and take the lives of people we love, I want to share with you the story of someone special to me – Dr. Michael G. Giuliano. On Saturday he lost his life to COVID-19. Dr. G. was my doctor since I was 20 years old (trust me, that… Continue reading
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Five Tips to Surviving Coronavirus – Jersey Style
So we’ve all been hearing about the expansion of the Coronavirus around the world on a minute-by-minute basis. A lot of people are in quarantine – either by choice or government mandate; others are following curfews. We are all social distancing and every school in New Jersey has been switched to remote learning. For the… Continue reading
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Jersey Music and Down the Shore: Perfect Together
As it is now Memorial Day Weekend and many of us head down the shore, we often can’t help but think of our youth. Our first car, driving down after prom, windows open, and music blasting. We have great pride in this state; especially pride for our music. Whether you come from the era of… Continue reading
This Is My New Jersey 