The Coaster » Reviews

Customers Show Their Creative Side at The Annex

Coaster — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:44:40 +0000

By PAUL BOOTH
It was a crowded Saturday night at Annex, the hide-away bar located next to Brickwall on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park. There was the expected drinking and socializing of course, but also, amid the DJ- spun music and 1920’s furniture, some unique and unexpected artistic expression was happening as well.

Thanks to chalk made available by the staff, the bar’s crimson walls have become the preferred canvas for many of the customers.

About a month ago, Christine Busch, manager of Annex, said she thought it would be a cool idea to allow customers to draw on the wall. They have been doing it ever since.

“It’s part of trying to give people a different experience,” said Busch, who is also an artist and helped design the Annex with design partner Freddi Vilardi.

Kevin Lawrence, 27 of Shark River Hills, was one of the first to to draw on the wall Saturday. His drawing, which he titled “Ancestral Channeling”, would be four feet by four feet before he was through, requiring him to stand on a chair to finish it. It explored the Hopi Indian migration by boat.

“This place is amazing, it’s like being in the city,” Lawrence said of Annex (which shares a wall, phone number, and owners with Brickwall), in between describing why our ancestors would never have migrated here via a land bridge through Alaska.

“Who would make that kind of walk,” he asked. “No one. They took a boat here.”

His drawing, his second at Annex, depicted that very opinion. Lawrence, who works in construction, said he likes to draw and paint in his spare time.

Saturday was Zach Wilson’s first night at Annex. An art teacher at Rumson Fair-Haven, he helped himself to a piece of chalk. Inspired by Lawrence’s drawing, he continued with the water theme and drew an underwater scene complete with sea bass, stripers, a great white and a sea monster.

“It’s very chill here, I like it a lot,” said Wilson, 33, who had eaten dinner at Brickwall and was checking Annex out as a possible venue for his upcoming rehearsal dinner.

Much of the evening went on this way. One person would build off a previous artist’s contribution, or simply add their own, and before midnight rolled around almost every available inch of the bar’s 10 foot by 30 foot wall was covered with an array of chalk art; flowers, animals, self portraits, outlines of hands, it was all there for all to see. And, as part of the ephemeral experience, they remained mostly unsigned. The artwork is washed off at the end each week.

Asbury Park resident Jack McNamara who was there Saturday night and added to the wall, likes the idea.

”It’s a good conversation piece,” he said.

It is also a good representation of the vibe at Annex, which has shed the character of the typical bar experience in favor of a forgotten era. The bar was closed for several months and reopened on Dec. 5, the anniversary of prohibition being repealed, a historical fact not lost on its designers.

With the 1920’s speakeasy in mind, designers Busch and Vilardi have filled the space (long and narrow) with an eclectic array of furniture and artwork, most purchased at flea markets and estate sales. There is only one television and it plays black and white movies on a loop. Most of the bar’s ambient light comes from candles.

Away from the bar, which offers microbrews and specialty cocktails, are “pods”, areas that sit five to six people and have the feel of a study. There’s even a table, off on its own, elevated and in the window for the exhibitionists in the crowd.

“We’re trying to offer a different atmosphere. So you don’t have to go to the city when times are tough,” said Busch. And though times may well be tough, at Annex, it seems, it’s still the Roaring 20’s.

Coaster — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:16:56 +0000

By BOB DEERIN

Gone but never to be forgotten was the way Joe Eckeart, a lifelong resident of Bradley Beach and close friend of George and Kathy Barry answered the question as he and hundreds of others packed Barrys, the popular Bradley Beach tavern last Thursday.

The patrons were there to say goodbye to Kathy and her husband, George, who opened the business 34 years ago.

It was the last day the old fashioned landmark would be run by the beloved couple.

Its an end of a era. The passing of the baton to new owners was the way Joe McLaughlin of Ocean Township put it.

John Mohrhauter of Avon may be one of the very few that can lay claim to being in attendance at Barrys the first day it opened and has been a loyal patron ever since.

Im going to miss the quality. No one will ever match the quality and youll never find a place with more heart. They were of the old school. They oversaw every aspect of their business. No general managers, assistant managers. They were a team working together seven days every week. From millionaires that came here to the working guys who could just about pay for their beers; it was the place to come, Mohrhauter said.

The last day party, as some described it, got an earlier than expected start. I arrived about 5 p.m. and found I was in the midst of a large group of Barry Tavern supporters and close friends of George and Kathy.

Eckeart, 74, a lifelong resident of Bradley Beach, and a retired math teacher at Middletown South High School, was surrounded by old friends who all came to pay tribute to the Barrys for providing them with so many wonderful times. When asked what hell miss most about the Changing of the Guard at the tavern he said, I hope I dont have to miss anything because I have so many friends that come in here all the time.

Eckeart and George Barry were in the US Marine Corps together. Upon his retirement Eckeart painted houses.

I guess I painted the Barry house about 10 times, he commented.

Time seemed to pass quickly and seats at the bar were becoming harder to find as more and more friends entered. Music was playing, voices were getting louder and happy faces were everywhere.

Seen amongst the happy revelers was Phyllis Quixley, business administrator of Bradley Beach, and another resident proud to say she was born and raised in Bradley.

Ive known Kathy and her husband for 30 years. They are very kind and generous and have been an asset to the borough she said.

Joyce Fleming of Brooklyn, a retired nurse who has been spending her summers in Bradley Beach, had this to say about her visits to Barrys.

I do not get the chance to visit often. However, I always feel melancholy when I do because it reminds me of similar places in Brooklyn. I love it.

As one who has enjoyed having lunch at Barrys for many years the statements of those I spoke with are all too familiar. Often, Kathy and I would chat about politics. What added significantly to the enjoyment of my visits happened when one of her nephews or niece would be tending bar. When Cathy, now studying law at Seton Hall Law School, or Patrick or Jerramiah, both Jersey City firefighters, were on duty the increased level of enjoyment for everyone was evident.

Kathys brother, Jerramiah Healy, mayor of Jersey City, would drop in occasionally. I had the pleasure of meeting him and enjoying his company.

No one I talked with had any doubt the tavern/restaurant will continue to flourish under its new owners.

We wish the new owners well, was typical of comments made by the patrons.

Crocs: Ugly and Wildly Popular

Coaster — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:34:03 +0000

By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI

They could easily be called the ugly duckling of footwear, but for people who like to be good to their feet, they are the only way to go.

They are Crocs and they come in all colors in all shapes and sizes, and they are becoming the shoes of choice for many people whose professions keep them on their feet for long hours.

Health care workers in particular have made them part of their daily work uniform.

Dr. Jocelyn Carlo, an OBGYN at Jersey Shore, was wearing bright pink Crocs with her scrubs while walking her dog near her home on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park.

“I wear them for work and play,” she said. “They’re comfortable and they wash easily.”

Referring to her colleagues in health care she said of the clunky shoes, “They’re all over the hospital.”

Last week Registered Nurse Amy Sapp was taking a break outside JSUMC sporting a bright pink pair with her white scrubs.

“Oh yeah, I have pink, orange, yellow, purple. Today I had pink socks clean so I’m wearing pink,” she said.

Sapp, who has worked at the hospital since 1997 said, “They are very, very, very comfortable. They are more comfortable than anything else I’ve tried, even sneakers. It feels like you are walking on little marshmallows.”

She added, “I have heal spurs, and they don’t bother them.”

Sapp also said she wore a pair when she went hiking in Arizona.

I put them in the washing machine with some bleach. You can put them in the dishwasher too, but I dont do that.

Sapp said she likes the fact that they are made of antimicrobial material.

“Bacteria doesn’t breed on them,” she says.

Seresa Paterson, also of Cookman Avenue, has worked at Starbucks for eight years and ended up with Crocs after trying other shoes for work.

“I’ve tried every kind of footwear, including workman shoes and Sketchers. I’ve tried 20 different pairs, these are the best, I wash them with soap and water.”

Although they are available online, Fitness Lifestyles in Asbury Park is the only store in the immediate area which sells the resin shoes.

Owner Leo Clark said the resin material, called Croslite, Crocs are made of has been trademarked so if people buy knockoffs (those without the round crocodile emblem) they may be disappointed.

He and manager Stan Koper said one customer told them she could buy the same shoes for $12, but she soon came back looking for the real thing.

“They were rubbery,” said Clark. “They are ugly to begin with, so if you start wearing knockoffs, that’s not going to be good.”

Clark said fitness is seasonal, with most people coming to a gym during the winter months, but having the Crocs brings in a whole new line of customers for the spring and summer.

Koper said he had one woman come in to buy red Crocs for her entire family, who were all going to Spain for the ‘Running of the Bulls’ in Pamplona.

“We happened to have red in every size she needed,” he said.

There are also off road Crocs that have a large orange strap around them for more strenuous activities.

“They have more support and the material is less squishy,” said Clark.

Children’s Crocs are identical to the adult versions, but kids get the option of decorating their Crocs with jibbitz, small decorative studs that they snap on through the holes in the shoes.

Jibbitz come in all shapes and sizes, including turtles, sunflowers and pigs, along with letters for those who want to put their names on their shoes.

Adults can also buy the letters or other Jibbitz to personalize their Crocs.

According to a company e-mail, the Croslite material enables us to produce soft, comfortable, lightweight, superior-gripping, non-marking and odor-resistant shoes.

I cant imagine what more anyone could want from their footwear., especially those who like to be good to their feet.

The B Plot

Coaster — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:14:33 +0000

Asbury Park residents participated in last years Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride March in New York City.

By RICHARD VIRGILIO

For the second year in a row, Asbury Park will be represented in the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride March this Sunday in New York City, marching under the theme Diversity by the Sea.

It is a huge deal for us to be participating in the March. Huge visibility. Huge accomplishment. Immensely wonderful. Demonstrating both our positive progress and our community pride to hundreds of thousands of people from, literally, around the world.

Regardless of whom you sleep with, if you plan to be in New York City this Sun., June 24 or are just looking for an experience of a lifetime, go be part of the Asbury Park contingent.

The point of the float is that Asbury Park is founded on a diverse and inclusive community. Prove the point, ride the float, wave at the boys and girls. Undress the hot ones with your eyes.

Last year, there were more than 750,000 participants in the parade. Twenty wonderful neighbors represented Asbury Park.

Attention newbies, parents and general observers – this, the 38th Annual Pride March in New York, is absolutely, positively, unequivocally not all about topless women on Harleys and guys in rainbow sequined thongs tossing glitter over their shoulder. Amen.

Michael Brim and Brett Lowell, float coordinators, both had the same most memorable moment from last year. They describe the minute when the announcer introduced the float and the spectators went crazy happy cheering and screaming as amazing.

Support the town and join the Asbury Park contingent on Sunday it is free, fun and fabulous. Meet the group at West 56th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue in New York City – the designated starting point – by 11:30 a.m. or meet at the Asbury Park train station for the 8:51 a.m. train.

FYI, the Groups float is sponsored by what I have been told was a generous donation from Metro Homes development The Esperanza, the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone and Asbury Park Marketing Funds Road Trip 6.

Tell me or ask me something interesting neat gossip, fun questions, great upcoming events. Anything about you and our city. Email me ASAP at TheBPlot@yahoo.com. Include your phone number.

They Love a Parade

Coaster — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:17:33 +0000

Coaster Photo
John and Becky Cannatta, of Weehawkin enjoyed the Memorial Day Parade in Bradley Beach with sons Austin and Brennen and family friend Amelia Osborn. The family is spending its third summer in the borough.

Coaster — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:07:12 +0000

Coaster Photos
Joseph Satterfield stands outside the B&B he operates on Sixth Avenue in Asbury Park. The house features period furniture (below) in the living room.

By ED SALVAS

Sitting on the wrap-around front porch of the Sixth Avenue House Bed and Breakfast in Asbury Park and looking east, one has an unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean and can also feel the cool breeze from the ocean as it blows down the wide avenue.

This inviting atmosphere sealed the deal for partners Joseph Satterfield and Gerard Kuenze when they decided to buy the house and fulfill their dream of owning a bed and breakfast in the city, now experiencing a rebirth after years of decline.

But Satterfield and Kuenze had a rude awakening after buying the house in 2002 with plans to start work converting it into a B&B. There was no city ordinance permitting bed and breakfast establishments. Without an ordinance, they couldn’t proceed. But they were determined to open and forged ahead working with the city to create an ordinance, and in 2004, the City Council passed an ordinance covering B&B’s and the pair set to work on their project.

Built in 1894 and originally known as Berea Manor, the nine bedroom house at 305 Sixth Avenue had remained a single family house while many other large houses in the city had been converted into apartments. It was also in fairly good condition according to Kuenze.

“Even vacant the house was beautiful,” he said, adding “It was always a very active house and didn’t have many owners. One family actually owned the house for 65 years.”

The Bed & Breakfast has six bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms as well as a separate apartment for Satterfield and Kuenze who have been partners for seven years. It’s also located in northeast Asbury Park, one of the city’s more stable neighborhoods, where many of their neighbors are long time residents.

Kuenze and Satterfield are also happy to see other home improvements taking place with a brand new three-family house on one side and a garden apartment building that’s been converted into condos on the other. The house briefly operated as a rooming house in the past, and during the renovation the owners discovered a 1959 advertisement for the Berea Manor that listed rooms for $2.50 a night.

Each of the six bedrooms in the Sixth Avenue House has been individually decorated by Satterfield and Kuenze, who said the furnishings came from a variety of places from local antique dealers, dealers in New York and Pennsylvania and furnishings inherited from family members.

One room in the house has a bed that belonged to Kuenze’s grandmother. During the renovation period, Kuenze and Satterfield found a way to store furniture they were considering for the house. For a while they operated the Back Porch on Fourth Avenue behind Studebaker’s Antiques where they sold furnishings that for one reason or another didn’t fit in the house. The house already had central air which had been installed by the previous owner.

In addition to the interior, the exterior of the Sixth Avenue House has also had extensive work. They’ve installed a new front walk, planted grass and perennials and uncovered the driveway which had been completely covered over by grass. Satterfield and Kuenze say the ordinance created for their B&B carries a number of stipulations and restrictions on the operation of such businesses within the city, including the number of rooms permitted and the locations where they can be opened. They are not permitted in the Urban Enterprise Zone, which means guests pay the full 7 percent New Jersey sales tax rather than the 3 1/2 percent tax charged by businesses in the UEZ.

The Sixth Avenue House opened earlier this year and has already been featured on Asbury Park House Tours. Satterfield and Kuenze say business has been good so far with a minimal investment in advertising.

“We’re the only game in town right now,” according to Satterfield, who adds that “local people are referring people to us.” They are also using the internet and are working with B&B owners in Ocean Grove who have referred people they can’t accommodate. And both say they relish the opportunity to be part of Asbury Park’s redevelopment.

Guests at the Sixth Avenue House can take advantage of several amenities offered during their stay, including free beach badges, wireless internet access and off-street parking. The Sixth Avenue House is also “smoke free” and does not allow children or pets. Take a virtual tour of the house at www.sixthavenuehouse.com.

Coaster — Thu, 17 May 2007 19:22:18 +0000

By Bob Deerin

To all you wonderful mothers I do hope Mothers Day was all it is meant to be, and I apologize for being a week late in congratulating all of you—married, widowed, divorced once, divorced more than once, whatever.

When I think of my mom who passed away many years ago, I remember a woman who had all the characteristics of greatness, exercising them in a quiet and humble way, such as Im sure all moms do.

I recall when I was about 10 years old getting so angry because my mom would not let me buy a pal of mines well used bike for $3, that I actually threatened to leave home. My mom said, Is that so? Well, dont forget to write me a letter when you get to wherever youre going.

It was during the depression. I got as far as 10 houses from home when I began to feel a little unsure of myself. It was January and I was getting pretty cold. I returned home, still a bit upset. Boy, that was a short trip. Tell me all about it.

She then sat me down and gave me a lesson in the value of money, and how hard it was to come by during those days. No scolding. Just the approach she often used when family problems surfaced as they frequently did during the tough depression times families were living in.

Another tool my mom used to keep us all in line was to threaten us that as soon as our father got home from work she would tell him of something we did that would make him very upset. Truth to tell, I dont think she ever told and I dont think the hard workingman cared to know. He had enough problems supporting his family of five kids, his mother-in-law and aunt, neither of which cared a lot about my dad, mom and himself.

I do believe all we kids, and my dad also, had an abiding faith in the knowledge that mom would solve all the familys problems, provide the care and love we all needed and received, and do everything without expecting any accolades. I believe this to be a wonderful trait common to all mothers.

I sometimes wonder how todays moms, many holding jobs and having to care for their kids, get through every day. Is it harder than in my moms time? I would not know but I marvel at how well my daughters-in-law juggle the responsibility.

In closing, I would like to include a favorite prayer that I believe is relevant to my remarks on mothers, and I guess on all the rest of us.

Take my hand, O Blessed Mother, hold me firmly lest I fall. I grow nervous while walking and humbly on thee call. Guide me over every crossing; watch me when Im on the stairs. Let me know that youre beside me, listening to my fervent prayer.

Bring me to my destination, safely along the way. Bless my every undertaking, and my duties for the day. And when evening creeps upon me Ill never fear to be alone.

Once again, O Blessed Mother, take my hand and lead me home.

Happy Belated Mothers Day!

A West Side Story Retold

Coaster — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:38:09 +0000

New book details Asbury Parks rich history

By HELEN PIKE

For years she was simply a little girl in a crowd of people, held high to see the Elks parade on Springwood Avenue in a photograph that has come to define the heyday of Asbury Parks West Side for African Americans.

Today, a grown-up Madonna Carter Jackson has stepped out of that picture with the first book in what she hopes will be a series of historical flashbacks captured on more than 5,000 negatives she is archiving from the studio of her late father, photographer Joseph A. Carter, Sr.

I see this as a workbook I’m using to gather more information, Carter Jackson said of the diary-like format that invites readers to pen their memories as they are stirred by the 244 pages of photos in Asbury Park: A West Side Story.

The book was released in December by Outskirts Press, Denver. It retails for $29.95 and is available on Amazon.com.

Photos stimulate emotions about ones past that I feel should always be remembered and shared with family, she added.

The initial 200 photos speak volumes of a post-World War II community that brimmed with promise and progress: Newarks then-mayor Sharp James is shown making a donation to the West Side Community Center; Althea Gibson, the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon appears at a church-sponsored banquet as a motivational speaker; New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell speaks at a VFW dinner; Ray Charles plays a concert at Convention Hall with the Raynettes.

Carter, according to the written words of his daughter, captured Black History every day of his life through his photography.

For those looking for Asbury Parks connection to Fort Monmouth, they are there. Exotic dancers at Cubas? Theyre there, too. Springwood Avenue with thriving retail stores lining its sidewalks? The Asbury Park-Neptune NAACP march in Trenton? Family portraits some known, some not are there with lines inviting readers to help remember the forgotten.

Joseph A. Carter Sr. took thousands of photographs of Asbury Park, many of which are captured in a new book by his daughter.

My father did work for people all over Asbury Park and surrounding cities, recalled Carter Jackson whose mother, Lenora Niblack Carter, just celebrated her 90th birthday in the family home on Bangs Avenue and to whom the book is dedicated.

He was a respected photographer by all races. [He] was the official photographer for the annual boat show at the Convention Hall. He worked for several law firms, doing field photography that documented the visual evidence of negligence cases.

He began with a sidewalk-level studio on Springwood Avenue after arriving here from Florida in the 1940s. Despite his studio left unharmed by the 1970 riots, Carter moved to 715 Mattison Avenue above the Klitzman, Klitzman and Gallagher law firm. When her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Carter Jackson persuaded him to let her take most of the negatives from his East Side studio for safe-keeping. The move was prescient: In 1978 the building was destroyed by fire. Today it is the site of a parking lot opposite Bistro Ole.

I do not want the West Side to ever be forgotten, said Carter Jackson who has for two years contributed a regular column to the Shore African American Magazine. She sees the communitys hidden treasures that existed prior to the riots of 1970. Those assets, she explains, were the people of the West Side of all nationalities.

Retired from Florida Atlantic University, Carter Jackson has lived in South Carolina since 2001, and currently owns a small enterprise called My Little Office, which offers administrative assistance to small business owners. In the less than two months that A West Side Story has been in print, Carter Jackson has communicated with readers from as far away as California, Indiana and New York.

My father captured people living life lovely, she said, and has left wonderful memories.

A Bat, A Lady Junkie On Local Stages

Coaster — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:07:16 +0000

Two out-of-the-ordinary plays; one a musical, are currently on view on area stages.

NENA Productions is presenting Bat Boy, the Musical, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove. Don’t be mislead: this isnt Son of Batman, the costumed hero of comic-book flights of fancy. In this musical an under-achieving young hero, as played by Nick Anastasia, is looking only for love and acceptance in Hope Falls, West Virginia, population 500. Let Me Walk Among You, as he sings in Act Two, is all he desires.

The setting is a revival meeting, with the Rev. Billy Hightower (Anthony DAmato) holding forth in grand preacher fashion. Meredith Parker (Tania Wills), a Hope Falls maiden, holds out the first act promise of something more to the bat boy in the scores A Home for You.

In the second act Meredith gets more specific with the tune Three Bedroom House, in which shes joined by Shelly Parker (Katie Revier). Shelly later croons Inside Your Heart with the Bat Boy himself. All of this is accompanied from time to time (as the program warns) by strobe lighting, gunshots and fog.

Story and book of Bat Boy is by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming, with music and lyrics by Laurence OKeefe.

In The Speed Queen, a woman on death row tries to set the record straight in this one-woman drama now on stage at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch.

The lone performer is the author, Anne Stockton, who adapted the play from the novel by Stewart ONan. Stockton, as a captivating Marjorie Standiford, speaks from an Oklahoma prison into a tape recorder, describing her descent into drug addiction, robbery and murder—and the misery that followed. The misery includes an endless wait for what, apparently, will be her last meal.

The Speed Queen director is Austin Pendleton, an actor and playwright (his third produced play is now enjoying an off-Broadway run). The NJ Rep production runs Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 through Nov. 12 at the Lumia Theatre, 179 Broadway, Long Branch.
R.F.C.

Coaster — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:06:19 +0000

By JOHN JARVIS

This weeks column is for restaurant owners.

Many restaurants now have glass or enameled table tops. Theyre easy to clean and more sanitary. The problem comes from the help cleaning the table. This came to mind last week when I was in a restaurant in Long Branch.

The couple at the next table left, the table was cleared and then the bus boy sprayed the table (our way!) With an ammonia cleaning solution! In a second my Caesar salad tasted like ammonia. I cant tell you how many times this has happened to me. Im glad I have a column now to give some helpful advice.

For one thing, spray away from another table. But why spray at all? How about spraying into the towel in the back room (not the kitchen) before cleaning the table. And skip the ammonia.

Another tip, for restaurants and bars, if you have live entertainment or play music, Turn it down! Ill never understand why entertainers think it has to be so loud.

Ive walked into many restaurants for dinner over the years and changed my mind when I heard the music blaring. After How are you? and maybe a drink, Im out the door to find a quiet place to dine.

If you have a tip or question you can email me at unclejohntips@gmail.com.