February 8th to February 27,2012 River View Observer

Volume 16, No. 2

February 9th - February 27th 2012 FREE PUBLICATION

riverviewobserver.net

201-349-4336

Pg. 2 On the Cover Beds Pg. 5 The Lava Gang

Pg. 9-14 Bridal Guide Pg. 15

NY Giants Parade

Pg. 16

Restaurant Views

Pgs. 19 & 20

The Gift of Jewelry See page 12

Jewelry & Watch Repair

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By Sally Deering

W

edding dress designer and owner of La Belle Boutique, Virginia Calabrese of Jersey City says brides are going elaborately traditional and the hottest dress color for a 2012 bride is Ivory. For bridesmaids, the bright, bold “Tango Mango” is this season’s hottest color and for the maid of honor, it’s not the color but the style that’s hot. That elegantly simple yet divine dress Pippa Middleton wore as she carried her sister Kate’s train – and stole the spotlight – at the Royal Wedding is

PERMIT NO. 955

a big trend for 2012.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you know what that means. Lots of guys will be bending to one knee to ask their best gals to marry them and as they do, they’re usually opening a little velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring. If the gal says yes, then it’s time to plan a wedding. con’t pg. 2

on the cover .

And then, well, as Cole Porter once wrote, “Anything Goes!”

Brides-and-grooms-tobe seem to be taking all sorts of routes to their altar of choice. It seems some are planning traditional, elegant affairs while others are going non-traditional: walking down the aisle with robots; carrying bouquets made of jewelry and personal mementos; wearing brightly-colored sneakers with their gowns and tuxes; hiring their favorite food truck to serve their favorite curbside dish; installing candy buffets where guests bag their own treats to take home; and putting up photo booths for guests to dress up in costume and record video messages.

..

By Sally Deering

Elegance Reigns

When dressing the 2012 wedding party, elegance and tradition are still the trend, says Virginia Calabrese whose mother opened La Belle Boutique bridal salon on Danforth Avenue in Jersey City back in the 1940s. With her years of experience, Virginia reads brides like a psychologist as she helps them find the perfect dress and she’s attuned to what’s popular and where trends are headed by her customer’s choices.

“We are seeing a trend for a more elaborate dress,” Calabrese says. “Strapless is still a trend. Soft materials, the softer materials for the spring and summer weddings, like a softer organza, chiffon, and then there’s the silk and satin which

are very pretty. That’s your bridal standard, more or less. Dupioni silk is becoming a little more popular. People like the silk satins. Beading is coming back. And for veils, we’re selling a lot of Mantillas” like the Flamenco dancers wear.

And brides are not wearing stark white dresses this year but instead are going for ivory – hues that are warmer and softer whites. And surprisingly, the style of wedding dress worn by Kate Middleton when she married Prince William in 2011 is not so popular with today’s bride.

Instead, Pippa’s dress is the star.

“Nobody asks for the princess dress, but we sell a lot of the sister’s dress for the bridesmaid,” Calabrese says.

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con’t from pg. 2 And as for the mother of the bride, Calabrese says those old frumpy dresses are out.

Today’s mother-of-the-bride is looking for very elegant styles with a little sexy, too.

“The mothers of the brides want to we have elegant dresses,” Calabrese says, “more fitted silhouettes, lower necklines – dresses that are sexier.”

Calabrese says there have been a few times when she was asked by the bride to create some custom adjustments to her gown: Many years ago a bride asked to put pockets in her bridal gown and she wanted them for her cigarettes.

We gave her what she wanted.”

Then there was the time she had to deal with a bride’s mother who was extremely superstitious of pearls.

Superstitious of pearls?

“This beautiful gown was covered in pearls,” Calabrese says, “and the mother was superstitious and we had to take every single pearl off and replace them with rhinestones – and every pearl was sewn on.”

Calabrese designs her own line of wedding gowns and looks at all the brides-to-be who come to her store to try on gowns as fashionistas she gets to dress up for their special day.

“I think of them as my Barbie Dolls,” Calabrese says.

Diamonds are a Groom’s Best Friend

bands,” Lenardo says.

“Women want a traditional diamond and everybody wants certified diamonds. That means the diamond is certified by an independent company. It’s like the fingerprint of the diamond.

It tells you the quality of the diamond and it’s an independent source certifying the diamond, not us. That’s what we sell.”

As for wedding rings, men go for the plain white-gold band. They keep it very simple, Lenardo says. And some couples engrave their wedding dates inside their matching bands; some don’t.

“It’s about 50-50,” Lenardo says. “Some engrave; some don’t.”

Lenardo has been selling engagement and wedding rings for 30 years and he has had some unusual requests.

“Big unusual rings were being done in the 1980s and 1990s,” Lenardo says. “The last big crazy engagement ring we made was a double sapphire. It had two sapphires crisscrossing each other and it came out beautiful. Everybody was happy.”

And even though we’ve gone through tough economic times, engagement and wedding ring sales are still going strong.

Lenardo says 2011 was one of his best years yet. And Calabrese agrees the tough economy has not affected her bridal business.

You know that Marilyn Monroe hit “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend?” Well, when it comes to engagement rings, the diamond is still a groom’s best friend. According to Anthony Lenardo, owner of Hoboken Gold & Diamonds on Washington Street in Hoboken, brides-and-grooms-to-be are looking for engagement rings with traditional cuts like the round and cushion cut.

Couples also want a custom ring that’s unique. Many couples come to his store with a design in mind. They bring in photographs of diamond styles and settings and Lenardo uses computer modeling to create the ring’s casting.

“Women are looking for more delicate looks in engagement rings and wedding River View Observer – Page 4

“People are still going to get engaged and married,” Lenardo says. “The tough economy hasn’t hurt us. In fact, our engagement ring and wedding band sales have gotten better the last few years.”

Hi-Tops, Robots and Wacky Ways to Get Married

If you’re planning your engagement and wedding and you want to take an alternate route to the altar, surf the internet and you’ll find lots of unique ways to say “I Do,” like the couple who had a robot walk them down the aisle and another couple that had a food truck serve their favorite sandwiches. Couples have had photo booths at the reception stocked with funny costumes where the guests can videotape messages to the bride and groom; post wedding-cake coffee bars with donut pops as stirrers and candy buffets for kids of all ages. Brides and grooms can host postreception karaoke parties with live bands; and to go with their wedding gowns and tuxedos, can choose footwear like cowboy boots and brightcolored hi-tops. And instead of flowers, some brides are carrying bouquets of jewelry, treasured mementoes and other keepsakes that can be passed down to future generations.

Whether you’re traditional or whimsical, planning an engagement and wedding

can be lots of fun. And isn’t it great to know that on these bumpy financial roads we’re traveling, it seems there are still optimists out there who believe in happily ever after with a twist.

Sources: La Belle Boutique 154 Danforth Ave. Jersey City, NJ (201) 434-4143 Virginia Calabrese, Owner

Hoboken Gold & Diamonds 115 Washington St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 659-0486 www.hobokengoldand diamonds.com Anthony Lenardo, Owner

Hudson Then...Again

by Maureen Wlodarczyk

difficult for law enforcement to arrest and incarcerate uper Bowl them. One of the worst of Sunday did not disappoint these Jersey City gangs was this year as Big Blue did the Lava Beds, also known Jersey proud. For Gang as the Featherstone gang, Green fans, there’s always which operated in what was next year. Speaking of then the Sixth Ward, a poor gangs, I want to tell you immigrant neighborhood. the story of a very different The Featherstone boys gang of men, the criminal were the sons of Michael kind, that roamed the streets and Catherine Ivers Feathof Jersey City in the 1800s. erstone, born in Ireland in While New York had its the 1830s. Survivors of the infamous gangs like those Irish Famine, they arrived depicted in the memorable in New Jersey in the 1860s film, Gangs of New York, its and were parents to six sons neighbor was no different. and a daughter. The famIn the 19th century, Jersey ily lived in rented rooms in City was home to many Jersey City in the 400-block gangs who claimed specific of First Street. streets and neighborhoods as The seven Featherstone their turf. These hoodlums children cut their teeth instilled fear in residents in that tough Sixth Ward and business owners, comneighborhood and nothing mitting robbery, burglary, good came from the lessons assault, extortion and even they learned there. The older murder. Those they victimFeatherstone boys were ized were afraid to testify petty thieves before the age against them, making it of ten and soon graduated to

S

The Lava Beds /Featherstone Gang of Late 1880s Jersey City Gang operated out of Downtown JC

robbery and larceny. In their mid-teens, the four oldest boys became the heart of the Lava Beds gang.

James Featherstone In 1880, when the census-taker made his way down First Street interviewing each family, most of them, including the Featherstone family of nine, were headed by Irish immigrants.

Michael Featherstone Sr. was listed as a laborer and his wife as “keeping house.”

Sons James, 18, and

and Michael Jr., 16, were listed as “in Reform School” at Jamesburg.

The Lava Beds and other gangs in Jersey City created a pervasive climate of fear in poor neighborhoods.

Mothers were afraid to let their children play outside for fear of violence or their young boys being recruited by gang members. Women were accosted on the street and became victim to lewd remarks and even sexual overtures and assaults by these brazen gang members, making it unsafe to go out alone even in the daytime hours. The Lava Beds, like so many criminal gangs before and after them, operated in their own backyard . . . literally . . . preying on and brutalizing their “own kind,” ethnically and economically. Utterly without a moral compass or conscience, they passed the time and amused themselves

by stealing socks one minute and beating a pregnant woman nearly to death the next.

Jersey City Police Dept.

Circa Late 1800s Police raids, repetitive arrests and incarcerations notwithstanding, the Featherstone boys rode the revolving door of justice like a carousel, moving in and out of the judicial and prison systems time and time again. They no sooner were released than were back at it again – thieving, breaking and entering, assaulting, vandalizing, extorting businesses and the like.

Cont’d on page 7

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Hudson Then...Again Cont’d from page 5 The New York Herald followed the escapades of the Lava Beds and the Featherstones, describing them as the “most persistent and notorious gang of law breakers that the Jersey City police have to deal with” and saying that although half the gang was then in State Prison for crimes including highway robbery and burglary, “they manage, however, to recruit for their ranks and fill the places made vacant by the retirement of the veterans to prison.” By the late 1880s, the Featherstones had been terrorizing the Sixth Ward for the better part of a decade and reportedly had no “home,” just drifting around the neighborhood, living as squatters in vacant apartments.

In the succeeding decade from 1889 on, the headlines kept coming, even as the four oldest Featherstones passed through their twenties, thirties and early forties. Assault, battery, burglary, larceny, robbery and all manner of mayhem were recounted in newspapers of the day. After that, the trail goes cold and I found no trace of the Featherstone “boys” in local census or other public records. Persistent, pernicious predators, they may have fled the area to avoid arrest or ended up as non-descript dead in the streets and alleys they haunted, falling victim to the excesses of their wasted lives.

Maureen Wlodarczyk is a fourth-generation-born Jersey City girl and the author of three books about life in Jersey City in the 1800s and early 1900s: Past-Forward: A ThreeDecade and Three-Thousand-Mile Journey Home, Young & Wicked: The Death of a Wayward Girl and Canary in a Cage: The Smith-Bennett Murder Case. For info: www. past-forward.com.

Planning your new kitchen - renew or redo?

(ARA) – Upgrading the kitchen is on many homeowners’ “to do” list. And for good reason.

A minor kitchen remodel ranks fourth on the list of the top 10 home improvement projects that deliver return on investment, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2010-11 Cost vs. Value Report.

But whether you’re in it for the investment, or just to freshen up the space in your home where people spend the most time, a new kitchen look could be a fun, impactful improvement to your house. Some may start with a weekend project and a $40 can of paint, while others will jump into a $50,000-plus remodel. Either way, one thing is for sure – you can’t go wrong with a beautiful, highly functional kitchen.

If time or budget restraints point you in the direction of changing a few basic elements of the kitchen, focus on things that make the most impact. Even a novice do-it-yourself homeowner can complete many of these items on their own: * Paint the walls. * Change out the faucet. * Add new accessories like pillows or wall art.

“Faucets in the kitchen are much more than what they used to be,” says Kevin McJoynt of Danze, a manufacturer of decorative plumbing faucets and fixtures. “They play an important role in setting the decor and focal points of any kitchen.”

While a contractor is recommended for most of these projects, make sure you’re involved in exploring the options that will help you use this space as smart as possible.

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Page 9 Winter Bridal 2012 River View Observer

Bridal Guide Winter 2012 How to Plan a Small Wedding Reception

By Smita Pandit Wondering how to have a small reception? Here are some small reception ideas to give you an insight on organizing a small wedding reception. Start by making a wedding reception checklist and tick along as you move ahead.

Wedding Reception Venue

The most important aspect would be to select the venue.

If possible, you could plan your wedding in an off season and save a lot of money.

Book the venue in an off season.

Prepare a guest list and select a venue that could accommodate your guests well. So don’t make delays and book the wedding reception venue in advance.

Decor

Once you have decided on the venue, you need to decide on the wedding theme and consider what options you have as far as decoration is concerned.

(Cont’d on page 12)

Page 10 Winter Bridal 2012- River View Observer

(Cont’d from page 10) Decide on the color scheme and don’t forget about bridal flowers. Details like seating arrangement have to be looked into. Select the flowers as per the color scheme and the wedding reception theme and make sure you have flowers for every table.

Food Menu:

Wedding reception menu will depend on what time of the day you plan to have a reception. So, if you are holding the reception in the morning or early hours, you could have a menu consisting of breakfast or brunch food items like tea, biscuits, muffins, sandwiches and yummy appetizers. This will surely help in cutting costs. In case, you are holding a reception in a hotel, you can choose savory appetizers and dishes which are not very expensive. Make sure you select a great looking and delicious wedding cake. Don’t go on a cost cutting spree when it comes to the wedding cake. Read more on reception food ideas.

Music:

A wedding reception would be incomplete without good music. You need to find a good band or a DJ so that guests can enjoy dancing.

Wedding Favors:

Don’t forget about the wedding favors for the guests. Wedding favors serve as a token of gratitude to the guests for coming over to celebrate this special occasion of your life.

These gifts are just to express your sentiments. Buy inexpensive and useful gifts like photo frames, scented candles and candy boxes.

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Page 12 2012 Winter Bridal Guide River View Observer

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BRIDAL GUIDE WINTER 2012

Make Your I Do’ Last Forever

(NewsUSA) - In between the guest list, the flowers and the perfect three-tier cake, it can be hard to find time to shop for your wedding rings.

However, it is important to remember that most of the wedding details are fleeting and gone after a few hours of enjoyment, while your rings are enjoyed forever. So, whether you are having a smaller gathering or a more traditional affair, this important to-do on your event checklist should not be overlooked, especially since your rings mark your commit

ment to one another and will last a lifetime.

Jewelry and style expert Michael O’Connor has a few tips that are sure to help you find matrimonial bliss when it comes to ring selection: * Create a budget.

There are many details to consider when planning a wedding that can quickly drain your budget. It is important to set aside money for a lifelong symbol like your wedding bands. Not sure how much to budget? Consider that in 2006, couples spent an average of $2,079 on wedding bands, according to the CN American Wedding Study.

And since the age-old rule for purchasing an engagement ring is to spend two months salary, plan to spend one month’s salary for the two wedding bands.

Page 14 Winter Bridal 2012 River View Observer

*Plan ahead: Don’t wait until the last minute to go shopping for your wedding bands, they’re simply too important. Plan to start shopping for your rings six months prior to your “I do’s.” Not only do you need time to research and shop, but you also need to allot time for custom orders, sizing and engraving. * Invest in quality: Because you want your ring to last a lifetime, it is important to put thought into the quality of metal you choose.

Platinum 950 is the most durable precious metal and will last a lifetime.

And since the age-old rule for purchasing an engagement ring is to spend two months salary, plan to spend one month’s salary for the two wedding bands.

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Giants Super Bowl XVLI Celebration Feb. 7th, 2012

Photos by Steveamack.com

See More Photos @riverviewobserver.net

Page 15 River View Observer

restaurant VIEWS

The Lisbon Bar & Restaurant

A Paulus Hook Bistro serving Fine Portuguese Cuisine the many dishes on the menu, the Lisbon has a wine list that features wines from Portugal, Spain, Italy, California and more.

Cont’d on page 17

By Sally Deering The Paulus Hook section of Jersey City located downtown near Exchange Place is a mix of old and new brownstones and hi-rises, small and big businesses, and restaurants and bars tucked inside the nooks and crannies of this beautiful neighborhood. One charming and cozy bistro is the Lisbon Bar & Restaurant on York Street, a tiny gem of a restaurant that serves traditional Portuguese cuisine to its neighborhood clientele and regulars who have been dining at Lisbon since it first opened around the corner on Warren Street 20 years ago.

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When the lease ran out on their space on Warren Street a few years ago, the Lisbon re-opened its doors around the corner on York.

That seems to be the only big change, says Joe Cunha, Lisbon’s manager. The menu has pretty much stayed the same, traditional and modern Portuguese and Spanish cuisine featuring seafood, meat, poultry and pasta dishes using fresh

ingredients and flavored with the spices of Portugal and Spain.

The restaurant is warm and welcoming with a busy bar partitioned off from the dining room which seats around 40 guests at tables covered in burgundy and white linens. The service is impeccable – friendly and efficient – with dishes briskly cleared between courses. And along with

Cont’d from page 16 The house Sangria is a delicious mix of Merlot wine, brandy and fresh fruits like strawberries and apples, spices and seasonings.

As soon as guests are seated in the dining room, the waiter brings over a basket of hot and crusty Portuguese bread that is absolutely delicious and hard to resist. I used some of it to dip into the balsamic vinaigrette dressing served over the Lisbon’s hearty house salad of greens, onions, tomatoes and olives. For an appetizer, I tried Shrimp in Garlic Sauce – fresh crunchy grilled shrimp seasoned just right and Stuffed Mushrooms, which were stuffed with crabmeat and very tasty. For an entrée, I tried the Shrimp and Chicken Francaise served over Linguini and this hearty dish was so big, I had to take half home in a doggie bag.

Here’s a sampling of the menu: Appetizers include Shrimp in Garlic Sauce; Shrimp Cocktail; Fried Calamari, Sauteed Portuguese Chourico; Stuffed Mushrooms; Clams Casino with Bacon ($9.95).

restaurant VIEWS Fish dishes include Fried or Broiled Filet of Sole; Stuffed Flounder Filet; Fried Seafood Combination; Broiled Red Snapper Filet; Broiled Sea Bass and Grilled Salmon ($14.95$19.95).

Shellfish dishes include Paelha Marinheira (lobster, shrimp, clams, scallops and mussels); Twin Broiled Lobster Tails; Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp; and a Grilled Shellfish Combination or Parrilhada de Marisco ($16.95$39.95).

Pasta dishes feature Linguini with White or Red Clam Sauce; Cheese Tortellini with Garden Vegetables; and Mussels or Calamari over Linguini or Ziti ($13.05-$14.95.) For Steak lovers, there’s the 18-oz. Filet Mignon cooked “On the Stone” where the chef cooks the steak on a hot stone right at your table ($28.95).

Other Steak dishes include Roast Prime Rib; Flame-

Grilled Shell Steak; Grilled Sirloin Steak Lisbon Style and Boneless Sirloin Portuguese Style with Ham and Fried Egg ($17.95$24.95). Pork dishes feature Grilled Pork Chops in Garlic Sauce; BBQ Spare Ribs with a piri-piri sauce; and Sauteed Pork with Clams – a specialty at Lisbon ( $13.95-$15.95). And there are Veal, Lamb and Chicken Dishes like Grilled Veal Chops ($24.95); Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb ($24.95); and Chicken Francaise ($13.95).

Lisbon Bar & Restaurant

100 York Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 (201) 432-9222 www.thelisbonrestaurant.com Open 7 days; Kitchen is open Sun-Thurs from 11:30 am – 10 p.m.; Fri and Sat. until 11 p.m.

There’s a lunch menu, specials and desserts like the homemade Flan which was the best I have ever tasted.

At the Lisbon Restaurant & Bar, the service is fine and the food divine. Next time you’re looking for a cozy bistro, visit Lisbon for some of the best Portuguese cuisine in Hudson.

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Movies Page 18 River View Observer

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