Not many towns can boast sweeping panoramic views of the New York City skyline. In fact, only four towns in New Jersey can claim a proper view. And one of those towns is West New York, which is slowly becoming a “destination location” for people to live and visit.
If one sets aside the obvious allure of the view, the waterfront and the areas along Boulevard East are essentially places of reflection and (relative) solitude. At most times during the day, folks can be found lunching, talking, photographing or just staring at the majestic Hudson River. Further inside are scores of hard-working, dedicated people of many ethnicities and backgrounds who are busy decorating their homes, toiling at work or sitting inside one of the many small ethnic restaurants among the scent of frying meat.
Recently, the Reporter took the first in a series of walks around West New York to see what the residents and visitors are thinking. This week’s walk started at the town’s northeastern section, beginning at 67th Street and Boulevard East and moving west towards JFK Boulevard.
Visitor from Florida
One of those relaxing on the grassy waterfront last week was Mike Shah, a resident of Pensacola, Fla. who was visiting friends in West New York. Shah was enjoying a smoke and staring at the New York City skyline. He admitted that this was his first visit and said he was awestruck by the view.
“I live on the beach, so I get to look at the blue water, but you don’t get to see all these beautiful buildings down there,” said Shah. “This is really nice.”
Further inland were quaint neighborhoods dominated by well-kept row houses (the closest architectural parallel would be Philadelphia’s rowhomes) constructed of brick of many different shades. The majority of the homes sported window-mounted flower boxes or small gardens.
It appears that many of the residents of this neighborhood have taken an almost “suburban” tack in how they choose to adorn their homes. A good number of the homes in the area were decked out in all manner of Halloween decoration, from the usual pumpkins and witches to fake police tape strung across porches, warning, “KEEP OUT – THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED”.
Sitting on the front porch of their 67th Street home watching the world go by were Edward and Lillian Tomney, residents of West New York for 38 years.
When questioned about the number of changes he’d seen in all his time in West New York, Edward, an Army Infantry Veteran, noted that a lot of different nationalities had populated the town. (The West New York area has the second largest Cuban population in the country.)
Lillian said, “I enjoy it. It really is a nice town. We like living here.”
Said Edward, “It could be worse.” But he wasn’t so happy about the parking authority. He added, “They give me a handicapped parking space here in front of my house, but they give me tickets when I can’t move my car fast enough. How young do they think I am? I’m not a young man anymore.”
Edward did give the town credit for keeping the streets clean.
As he spoke, a man came walking by and the two exchanged greetings in a mix of Spanish and English, both somewhat broken, but pleasant just the same.
“He works at the car wash on Dewey,” Edward said. “We see him every day. I remember when that car wash [the Martin Car Wash on 66th and Dewey Street] was a gas station.”
Leaving town
Elizabeth Bodunos was loading her car while parked in front of her 64th Street home. Assisting her was her 4-year-old daughter Maria, who, while a bit on the shy side, was nonetheless excited about helping her mother move various items.
Bodunos was in the beginning stages of moving. Said Bodunos, “Our moving has nothing to do with West New York. We’re moving to Fairview, as we’ve bought that home and we also own one in Totowa.”
Bodunos’ West New York home was one of the most stately in town, all white stone and marble. On a street populated mainly by rowhouses, Bodunos’ stood out. Her mother spoke into a telephone in Greek on the porch, telling Bodunos that she had a phone call waiting.
“Who is it?” shouted Bodunos in her native tongue.
“I don’t know,” said her mother.
“We’ve been here for four years,” continued Bodunos. “Everything is really convenient with Bergenline Avenue [the shopping district] right here. And getting to New York City is a snap, if you know the back roads. I’ll miss it.”
When asked for her opinion, young Maria simply hid behind her mother’s leg, but the look on her face betrayed her excitement at all the commotion of moving.
Silence and laughter
65th Street, dominated on its west-end by the Gothic grandeur of St. Joseph’s of the Palisades church, possesses one thing that is in woeful short supply in Hudson County – silence. The only sounds other than silence were the far away (and unfortunately constant) drone of the police helicopters patrolling the Hudson River and children laughing.