The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

I can’t believe I missed this little announcement, but it is now abundantly clear that New Jersey isn’t even trying to stop making itself the butt of jokes.  And to think, according to the article we just missed being home to the Southpole Dome or Rocawear Arena!  I suppose it could be worse – we could see the Jets and Giants playing next door in Zubaz Stadium.

Anyway, see you next year at IROC-a-Thon ’08!

Nevermind that other list the Vatican published last summer – here are the Ten Commandments for anyone getting behind the wheel in my beloved Garden State:

1. Thou shalt slam on thy brakes within 1,000 yards of a police car, even if thou art not speeding and the police officer hath already pulled someone else over.
2. Thou shalt drive at least 15% faster than the posted speed limit or thou shalt get out of the way.
3. Thou shalt forget everything thou learned about driving when the first raindrop hits the road.
4. Thou shalt drive as if thou art the only one on the road if thou drivest a limo.
5. Thou shalt slow to a crawl to rubberneck when even the most minor fender bender occurs.
6. Thou shalt ignore all Merge signs when there is a traffic backup, because getting 20 feet ahead will totally make all the difference.
7. If thou art female and under 5’4″, thou shalt drive the largest SUV thou can afford.
8. Thou shalt wait until thou art pulled up to the toll booth to start digging for change.
9. Thou shalt only drive while using thy cell phone in an emergency. Or a non-emergency.
10. Thou shalt use thy brights and fog lights at all times, and ensure that thy regular headlights are improperly aligned.

That’s right, kids, our look back at Ye Olde New Jersey is finally at an end! And since one of the main purposes of this little photo essay was to show just how much the state has changed over the last 50 years, perhaps few slides illustrate it like this one – Broad Street in Newark.

…keep digging View-Master’s 1957 New Jersey – 7 of 7

Asbury Park, NJ was once known as the “Jewel of the Jersey Shore,” but started going seriously downhill around the 1970s. After it had ceased to be a popular tourist destination, it became primarily associated with Bruce Springsteen, who developed a lot of his early following at the famous Stony Pony club. His first album was even called Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (even though he actually grew up in nearby Freehold, NJ).

The second act to come out of Asbury Park was the appropriately named Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. They never achieved the fame and success that Springsteen did but still have a rabid local following. Something tells me it’s got awhile to go before it returns to the faded glory of the above View-Master slide.

Apparently the town has been undergoing some long-needed revitalization during the last few years. I was never much of a Jersey Shore person so I’ll just believe what I read on that account.

This is a shot of the RCA Laboratories building in Camden, NJ. I know there’s a lot of history for RCA and this particular location, but to be perfectly honest I can’t stop focusing on the parking lot full of sweet, sweet cars. Of particular note is that lovely red and white Buick wagon in the foreground. Sadly, my knowledge of old cars (or new cars for that matter) is lacking so I can’t really tell what other models are in this picture. Any guesses?

Here’s a scene that a lot of people (smartasses, anyway) don’t associate with New Jersey – the sorting of vegetables. Believe it or not, the Garden State does actually produce something other than corrupt politicians and bad Italian-American stereotypes. This scene is from Seabrook Farm, which still operates out of southern NJ. According to their website, they produce 150 million pounds of frozen vegetables a year.

I don’t know how you grow frozen vegetables in a state that stays above freezing for most of the year, but apparently Seabrook has found a way. But never mind all that – dig those sweet vegetable-handling outfits! I wonder if the frilly, pink apron was standard issue. Bonus points to anyone who can identify just what food those women are working with.

If this looks vaguely familiar, it should. It’s the George Washington Bridge (identified on the reel as the George Washington Memorial Bridge). What probably stands out is the fact that there is only a single deck here. The second deck wasn’t added until 1962. Since this is in the New Jersey set of reels I guess this shot was taken from the Fort Lee side.

The GWB opened on October 25, 1931, making it real old. It connects the aforementioned Fort Lee, NJ to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan – crossing the Hudson River. It held the distinction of being the world’s longest suspension bridge until 1937, when the Golden Gate Bridge was opened. According to Wikipedia (which is never wrong), it is now #14 on the list. The current top dog is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, which is slightly more than 3,000 feet longer than the GWB. I don’t have any View-Master slides of that though, so the GWB is cooler.