Lincoln Highway road trip minus 1: Jersey City.
Here are some more pictures of Jersey City taken several weeks ago (in late April) – I went over there on the PATH (the local BART-like system connecting New York and New Jersey). The Lincoln Highway (the former Hudson Boulevard, now Kennedy Boulevard) passed right through the historic cultural center of Jersey City at Journal Square.
The two grand theaters, the Stanley and the Loew’s, have survived, but the years have not been all that kind to this area. Supposedly it is on the mend but it seems to me it will still take a few years. (It is not as devastated as parts of the Newark central city are, and it seems like there is a lot of promise. The best analogy would be the uptown Oakland district.) The Loew’s Jersey Theatre (1929) was saved from destruction and still operates as an entertainment venue. Look at the architectural detail! Demolition plans had already been announced when it was saved. Nearby is the other movie palace, the Stanley Theater (1928). It’s a meeting hall for the Jehovah’s Witnesses these days. I had a nice chat with the two people out front – they asked me to take their picture. I asked if they had saved any sinners so far that day, but apparently not, it had been a slow work day. Nonetheless they were in a fine mood and really wanted to talk.
Last but not least, the statue of the great Jackie Robinson right at Journal Square. Why Jersey City? In the long gone minor league ballpark in Jersey City, Roosevelt Stadium (demolished 1985), on April 18, 1946, Jackie Robinson played his first game in organized professional baseball when the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers minor-league team, played the Jersey City Giants, then the top farm system affiliate of the New York Giants. I stopped to reflect and pay my respects.
The plan is to leave on my drive tomorrow – there’s a slight problem with the TT – nothing major – and I am hoping my new mechanic here in Brooklyn can help with it in the morning. Worst case, I get it fixed on the road (not mechanical). The joys of owning an 11 year old car. I will probably take the Verrazano Bridge and head for Elizabeth NJ as my first stop.
I got some shots of the Holland Tunnel on foot back in April and also did a Newark shoot then as well, and I will post those tomorrow.
