a.k.a. Shawn Honnick specializing in wonderful since 1968
*also Chipotle pictures, NYC adventures, and little known safety tactics like fake hand washing.
**If you're a disgruntled employee, do something about it (no, it's not a pyramid... THIS is the PYRAMID) or just sit around and grumble like everyone over at the disgruntled employee forums.
Posts tagged: new jersey
(via 5oh7, troubleeveryday)
Dirty Jersey… greasy fries and Nathan’s dog on NJTP.
Only 451 miles to go!
today’s flandora is another WTF
When I made this pipe, I knew the image output would likely consist of nothing more than randomness, so I don’t know why I try to figure out how the images and descriptions relate to anything from my Pandora stations.
So, today’s image is Cooper Chair Mill - Bergenfield, NJ by tschopper and here’s some interesting info he wrote up about the image (my first trip to Bergenfield was in the 70’s:)
David Demarest originally purchased the site of the chair factory. The Demarest family first arrived in America in 1663. They were Dutch Huguenots and settled in Staten Island before moving to northeastern New Jersey. This site was under ownership of the Demarest family until 1758.
Between 1785 and May 2, 1840 the property changed hands several times until it was sold to Richard Tunis Cooper and his wife Effie Huyler. The seller, Fredrick Mabie, had developed the site in the early 18th century and had constructed a gristmill on Long Swap Brook, a frame house, and a barn. Richard Tunis Cooper by trade was a chair maker and continued his trade at the site.
On January 2, 1849, Richard’s son, Tunis Richard Cooper bought the property from his father and developed a very profitable chair making business. He converted the gristmill into a saw mill. The business flourished between 1859 and 1863. Besides the site in what is now Bergenfield, the Coopers’s had a nine story warehouse and showroom at 442 Pearl Street in New York City. The chairs were shipped through out the east coast.
In 1860, the Cooper Chair Factory was the largest industry in Hackensack Township employing 25 workers. The business started to decline in 1863 when the New York showroom closed. Some contributing factors for the decline may have been the economics of the Civil War and suspected embezzlement by Tunis R. Cooper’s son-in-law, Peter Banta. Peter Banta was drafted during the Civil War but never returned and is believed to have gone west to avoid scandal.
The manufacturing of chairs ended in 1894, seven years after the death of Tunis R. Cooper. The entire property was divided and his son, Henry Cooper, inherited the section with the factory. In 1897 Henry Cooper sold the property to Oscar Martin, a toymaker. Oscar Martin remained the owner until 1908 when he sold it to a piano maker, Amos Bergman. Mr. Bergman died in 1948 and left the property to his housekeeper, Daisy Coringrato. In 1949 she sold it to Alec and Catherine Marchbank. Alec Marchbank, a New York City wool importer worked to preserve the property because of its historical significance. In 1995 he was able to place the property on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
When Alec Marchbank died in 1997, the Borough of Bergenfield would not allow this important part of American history to go the way of development. In 2004 the Borough of Bergenfield was able to purchase the property and four remaining buildings. It is the intent of the Borough of Bergenfield to restore and preserve this important part of American industrial history.
The property is listed on the National & State Registers of Historic Places. Currently the site is not open to the General Public due to the condition of most of the buildings. Plans are to stabilize, to eventually restore, and maybe create a Welcome Center for the Begernfield Museum Society so the site can be opened for limited tours.
The Welcome / Museum Center would provide the public with information detailing the development on manufacturing in Bergen County and the history of the Tunis R. Cooper Chair Factory. The Borough of Bergenfield will work with the Bergenfield Museum Society and Bergen County Museum to establish displays of interest to the public. Long term planning seeks to create a Living Museum on the site.
While in Manhattan over the weekend, I parked illegally (by mistake) and was towed. As luck would have it, I just happened to look up and notice the tow truck towing my car as I was finishing up my shopping. I broke into a very fast run… in my newly purchased an hour earlier Mephisto Shark Sandals.
I felt like the cop in the classic movie scene, running across moving traffic, pointing at cars to let me cut in front of them (not unlike my driving) and, as I reached the other side of Broadway, I leaned into the turn as I ran faster to follow the NYPD tow truck.
Suddenly, in a sort of surreal slow motion as though I were watching myself in a movie, my fast, angled run turned into a sideways skid, flop and thud. My left knee skidding across asphalt followed by my chin and finally, my nose smacking flat into the curb.
Without a pause and with passersby at a full stop, staring at what must have looked to be a seriously injured person, I jumped back up and began running (like T2) after quickly picking up one sandal that had been torn from my right foot and my wallet a few feet away. This may have been more adrenaline than embarrassment but there was a nanosecond of “did anyone see me do that” as soon as I realized I was still conscious and started chasing the tow truck again.
Running (now, in one sandal), I saw the NYPD tow truck was stuck behind a line of cars. It was obvious that he was not going to move in the next 30 seconds. I had him! Now all I had to do was talk to the guy and get my car back. I shouted, “Hey, that’s my car!”
He looked over and his facial expression became quite serious as he said, “Oh, I’m sorry I made you run” and he handed me a handful of paper napkins. My upper and lower teeth had cut the insides of my lips, my nose was dripping blood and I had a laceration on my chin.
Good times.
So, I asked him to let me have my car. He couldn’t. Once the towing has commenced, the car has to be processed.
Regulations. Nice.
I asked what I had done wrong. I was only gone for an hour. I thought, after looking at dozens of parking signs, that this one, like many others read “No Standing 7-4” but, as it turns out, this one had actually read, “No Standing 4-7” and I had parked there at around 4:08. I thought I was so lucky when I found that spot!
Not only could NYPD Tow Truck guy not let me have my car, but he also was not allowed to give me a ride to the tow yard. So, what ever happened to the serve par of protect and serve?
I had been on my way to meet up with a friend and head over to NJ for dinner, so I put my other sandal back on and almost fainted, then I called him. No answer. I sent a text message and started walking.
After only half a block, I came across a police precinct. A Lieutenant was standing in the doorway, so I walked up to him and he asked if he could help me with something.
Sweating, wiping away the remaining blood and still very out of breath, I relayed a surprisingly calm and objective account of what had just occurred. I mentioned that I was in some pain and was unsure where the tow yard was or how to get there and asked for a ride. He said he would give me a ride over but I would have to wait a while.
It was more than a half hour later that I finally reached my friend. I was still in the precinct, waiting for my ride to the tow yard. My friend said the exact thing had happened to him (the towing, not the face flop) and that he knew how to get to the tow yard. I told the Lieutenant thanks but no thanks for the ride and walked to my friend’s job site.
I got in his car and drank a Red Bull as he drove us to the tow yard. $185 and about 15 minutes later, I had my car. I still have a $115 ticket to pay, so this was a $300 mistake.
My foot pain ended up being a broken (swollen, black and purple) little toe and twisted ankle (no swelling just pain). My nose still hurts but seems unbroken. My teeth are intact and I only bit my fat lip once at lunch today. My chin looks like I was attacked multiple times by a dull razor shaving. I have road rash on my right hand, left leg, knee and arm.
And I (still) Love New York
PS: You can get your vehicle back and pay the fine over on the West Side Highway. I don’t know the address, but there’s a blog about it here.
Also, rates to get your car back here and more information from NYPD on towed vehicles.
