Patricia "Pattie " Romano Your HomeTown Realtor 609 312-9043

This coming year I want to wish upon you these things. As you pursue that which is important to you in life I want to wish upon you provision on your journey. I also want to wish upon you the prosperity that comes when you pursue what is important.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

PatriciaRomano , Janis Olson& Beatrice Ogule

Ring in 2009 at First Night Ocean County with the family on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights. For a cost of $5.00 per bracelet you and your entire family can enjoy a day filled with entertainment starting at 11am with a musical variety show by Yosi, performances by the Give and Take Jugglers, and an illusion show with John Bundy & Morgan.

There will be children's shows, face painters, balloonists, and caricature portrait drawings in each of the participating arcades along the boardwalk.

All are required to purchase bracelets that entitle them to all entertainment, free carousel rides and entries into a drawing for two gift baskets one for children and one for adults that are valued at over $ 250.00

The winning passport will be drawn at 5:00 pm and the winner does not have to be present in order to win. After the drawing the night will come to an end with a spectacular fireworks show at 5:30 pm located on the beach in-between the two amusement piers.

For a full list of events click seasideheightstourism.com/.

A perfect way to bring in The New Year

Why would I move there?

"It's an all-round state. We have swimming, fishing, skiing; Shopping & Casinos, and it's between New York and Philadelphia, which makes it very convenient." Add to this some long-established seaside resorts and one of oldest university towns in the country. Although it is the most densely populated state in the Union, much of New Jersey is also unexpectedly rural.

Most of our visitors are from all over the world, They are attracted to the Jersey shore: 127 miles of Atlantic coast with a mixture of lively resorts and sandy beaches. Most northerly is Sandy Hook, popular with city dwellers wanting a day by the sea and swim with a view of the New York skyline in the background. Towns were settled by various different groups, giving many of the locations an individual character. Ocean City, was settled by Methodists and it has remained a town where sales of alcohol are prohibited (although the official spin is that it is a "family resort").

The Barrier islands, including the Barnegat Peninsula, shelter much of the mainland shore. At the southern end of the peninsula is Long Island Beach State Park, a protected area of dunes and marshes with a number of bird colonies. There are no amenities but it is a lovely spot for swimming and hiking.

There is a minimal charge ranging form $3.00 a day to $ 35.00 a season for a family of 4 to use most of New Jersey's Pristine beaches during the summer season, which extends from late May to Labor Day in early September; beach tags are usually available from Beach badge collectors, which are usually the local neighborhood kids on the shore. There is no charge at Atlantic City or the Wildwoods, a group of beaches down on Cape May. Many of the resorts are seasonal and outside summer pretty much everything closes down. But Cape May, at the southernmost tip of the state, is a year-round destination.

What will you find there?

New Jersey's oldest seaside resort is one of the most delightful spots on the eastern seaboard. It's a charming Victorian town with a historic district full of beautifully restored houses built in the 19th century, when this was the place to spend the summer. What makes the place different from others on the coast is its atmosphere. "The people are so friendly, and there is a small-town feeling. It's the quaintness of the town that really makes it different." I recommend the beach, as well as the town itself. "Enjoy the ocean -

.

South End of The Shore is Cape May and is easy to walk around, but a good way to view the houses are to take one of the trolley tours that depart regularly ,enjoy the History and Mystical tours. To get more information you can go to The Washington Street Mall in the town center 609 884 5404; capemaymac.org), and which cost $10. A variety of architectural styles, from Carpenter's Gothic to Colonial Revival, is on display. Many of the buildings have wrap-around verandas, designed so that the inhabitants could show off their guests to the outside world. Others had bathrooms added to the side of the house and built on stilts, a sign of one-upmanship that was sure to impress the Victorian neighbors. One of the largest houses, the Emlen Physic Estate at 1048 Washington Street, has been turned into a museum and is open for tours, which cost $10 per person.

If you want bigger and even more excitement?

Then it's Atlantic City, is different from everywhere else on the Jersey shore. Like Cape May, it started out as a seaside resort. It became renowned for its boardwalk, a four-mile wooden walkway above the beach built so that visitor could enjoy the sand without trailing it into hotels and railroad cars afterwards. Atlantic City is the home of sand sculptures and a chewy confection known as salt-water taffy. What's more, the original game of Monopoly was based on Atlantic City's streets. But its reputation changed in 1976 when gambling was legalized, allowing the city to turn into a kind of Vegas-on-Sea.

Almost every big hotel in town has a casino, although it is perhaps more accurate to say that every large casino has a hotel attached. Gambling is the main activity here, and even if you don't play the tables it is impossible not to have your senses bombarded by the noise and lights of thousands of slot machines.

The Borgata has a new, young, retro feel this one of several casinos located on the bay rather than the boardwalk (1 Borgata Way; 609 317 1000; theborgata.com).

A jitney service - a kind of cross between a taxi and a bus - operates 24-hours a day up and down Pacific Avenue, linking the casinos for a one-way fare of $2.25. An alternative form of transport is the rolling chairs. These are, as the name suggests, two-seater chairs on wheels that are pushed along the boardwalk for a negotiable fee.

For anyone looking to spend their winnings, the best boardwalk shopping area is the Pier Shops at Caesar's - two floors of upmarket retail outlets, including Tiffany's, Coach, Gucci and Burberry, as well as more affordable stores such as Banana Republic and Levi's

Where can you stay?

Some of the most attractive accommodation in the state is in Cape May, where many of the Victorian homes have been turned into upscale B&Bs, with comfortable accommodation in elegantly furnished rooms. These can be booked through Cape May Lodging (001 609 884 0080; capemaylodging.com. However, the best hotel in the town is Congress Hall at 251 Beach Avenue 1-888 944 1816; congresshall.com), which has doubles from $160. It started life as a boarding house for early seaside visitors; now it is a stylish hotel with luxury facilities.

In Atlantic City, the new Chelsea Hotel, at 111 South Chelsea Avenue (thechelsea-ac.com) boasts that it is the first non-gaming hotel to open in the town for 50 years. It offers elegant boutique-style accommodation from around $250 per double; a new salt-water spa will be opening in April. Another stylish offering is the W, which is opening in Frank Sumatra's hometown, Hoboken, in February (starwoodhotels.com). Campsites and cabins feature in several of New Jersey's park and forests (njparksandforests.org), including Bass River State Forest and Allaire State Park.

Inland highlights?

Most of the west side of New Jersey is bordered by the Delaware River, which divides the state from neighboring Pennsylvania. There are some charming towns along the river, including French town, Stockton and Lambertville. These once industrial places have now been gentrified; many of the former factory workers' house have been turned into gallery space for the artists, jewelry makers and antiques stores that have moved into the area.

Further north is a stretch of river known as the Delaware Water Gap, an area of stunning scenery that is popular for hiking and water sports. Beside it are the Kittatinny Mountains and High Point State Park, which has a cross-country ski area based at Lake Marcia (001 973 702 1222; njparksandforests.org) as well as a 70-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail, which links Georgia with Maine.

Wharton State Forest, in a flat, sandy part in the south of the state known as the Pine Barrens, has its own hiking route, the Batona Trail, which cuts through beautiful wilderness renowned for its flowers and birds. This area was once part of the industrial heartland of New Jersey; iron, and later glass, were produced here, and it was an important supplier of munitions during the Revolutionary War.

All that remains of that time is Batsto Village, a historic site where many of the old buildings, including the mansion house, general store, mills and barns, have been preserved. The grounds of Batsto Village 1-609 561 3262; batstovillage.org) are open from dawn till dusk daily; the Visitor Center opens 9am-4.30pm daily. A $5 parking fee applies in summer.

At liberty to shop

The Capital Trenton Date in Union December 18th -1787 Flower Violet Motto "Liberty and Prosperity" Nickname Garden State

Land of the free

Two of the major attractions usually associated with Manhattan are easily reached from New Jersey - the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where many of the nation's immigrants arrived, and which now houses a fascinating museum. Boats to both attractions depart from the old railroad station at Liberty Park.

Shop till you drop?

If you want clothes, New Jersey is the place to come, because no sales tax is levied on anything classed as a "necessity". There are outlet stores all over the state, including at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth (jerseygardens.com), where there are 200 shops under one roof and the newest mall in Tinton Falls or the mall at Short Hills (shopshorthills.com), whose department stores include Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue. It a short distance form Staten Island/New York areas, so keen shoppers might consider a late shopping blitz. With so much to offer, we at the Garden State WELCOME you with Open Arms-

Why would I move there?

1. The subway, bus and the trolley were only a thin dime to ride, and if you are really old, you'll remember a nickel a ride.



2. Schools were the showcase for the whole country.

3. Tuesday night was fireworks night in Coney Island put on by Schaefer Brewing.

4. There was very little pornography.

5. There were the bath houses: Stauches, Bushman Baths, Steeplechase Baths, Washington Baths, Ravenhall, and Brighton Beach Baths.< B R>
6. There was respect for teachers and older people in general.

7. There was almost no violence.

8. The theme of the music of the times, even when it became rock and roll, was love not anger
9. A great day was going to the beach at Coney Island,





or Brighton.
10. People made a living and, rich or poor, people all knew how to have a good time no matter of status.

11. There was no better hot dog than the original at Nathan's in Coney Island And no better French fries than the Nathan's thick ripple cuts.



12. There were few divorces and few "one parent" families.

13. There were no drugs or drug problems in the lives of most people.

14. The rides and shows of Coney Island were fantastic: Steeplechase Park:

the horses, the big slide, the barrels, the zoo (maze), the human pool table, the Cyclone Roller Coaster,





the Tornado Roller Coaster, the Thunderbolt Roller Coaster, the Bob sled, the Virginia Reel, the Wonder Wheel, the Bumper cars, the Tunnel of love, Battaway, the loop the loop, the bubble bounce, miniature golf, the whip, the many merry-go-rounds,
the penny arcades. Luna Park, the Thompson Roller Coaster, the Parachute jump,



Fabers Sportsland and Fascination, toffee and cotton candy stores, custard stands, Pokerama, Skeeball,





prize games, fortune tellers guess games, hammer games, the Harlem revue, the freak shows, the house of wax, the animal nursery, restaurants, rifle ranges, push cart rides and parades.

15. The fruit man, the tool sharpener, the junk man and the watermelon man all with the horse and wagon








16. Sheepshead Bay was Lundy's Restaurant and fishing.






17. Only place for pizza and only whole pizzas was Joe's Bar and Grill on Ave U. Then in the mid-50's, a pizza explosion: you could buy it by the slice for a dime at many places. By the late 50's it was a whole 15 cents a slice! A tuna fish sandwich or a BLT were 45 cents. A small Coke was 7 cents, a large Coke was 12 cents. Remember Vanilla Cokes when th ey pumped real vanilla syrup into the glass before adding the Coke?


18. There were many theaters where every Saturday afternoon you could see 5 cartoons and two feature films. The Highway, the Avalon, the Kingsway, the Mayfair, the Claridge, the Tuxedo, the Oceana, the Oriental, the Avenue U, the Kent, the Paramount, the RKO Tilyou, the Mermaid, the Surf, the Walker, the Albemarle, the Alpine, the Rugby, the Ambassador, the People's Cinema, the Canarsie, the Marlboro, the Avon and the Globe.

19 Everybody knew all the high schools in Brooklyn.

20. Big eating and coffee hangouts: Dubrow's on Kings Highway, also on Eastern Parkway/Utica Avenue, Famous on 86th Street, and Garfield's on Flatbush Avenue.

21. Ebinger's was the great bakery. loved the chocolate butter cream with the almonds on the side, Boston Cream pie, and the Blackout cakes!

Bierman's was terrific also.

22. Kings Highway stores had their own ornate glitz as far as style goes.

23. There were many delicatessens in the 50's -- very few today. The best? Adelman's on 13th Avenue and Hymie's on Sutter Avenue. The food was from heaven!







24. Big night clubs in Brooklyn were the Ben Maksiks' "Town and Country" on Flatbush Avenue and "The Elegante' " on Ocean Parkway.

25. There were no fast food restaurants in the 50's and a hamburger tasted like a hamburger.

26. There was Murray the K, rock and roll concerts at the Brooklyn Fox and the Brooklyn Paramount. You had to go the night before to get good seats.

27. Quick bites at Brennan and Carr , Horn and Hardart Automat,




Nedick's, Big Daddy's, Chock Full o' Nuts, Junior's, Grabsteins or Joe's Delicatessen. Junior's, you'll be glad to know, is still in the same place, and the cheesecake is still fabulous.

28. Knishes were great at Mrs. Stahl's in Brighton or at Shatzkin's Knishes. Remember the knish guy on the beach with the shopping bags?






Mrs. Stahl's Knishes is Now a Subway






29. People in Brooklyn took pride in owning a Chevy in the 50's; there was nothing better than General Motors then. The cars would run and run and run, no problems.

30. You bought sour pickles right out of the barrel -- for a nickel -- and they were delicious. By the 60's, they cost a whole quarter.




Anyone remember Miller's Appetizing, on the corner of 13th Avenueand 50th Street?




31. The Brooklyn Dodgers were part of your family.





The Duke, the Scoonge, Pee Wee, Jackie, the Preacher, Campy, Junior, Clem, Big Don, Gil. They were always in a lot of our conversations. Remember Ebbet's Field and Happy Felton's Knothole club? For a nickel, you got into Ebbet's Field and saw the Dodgers play. For Brooklynites it was -- and will always be -- a shrine.

32. You come from Brooklyn but you don't think you have an accent. To you Long Island is one word which sounds like "Longuyland."

33. You played a lot of games as kids. Depending on whether you were a boy or a girl, you could play: ringaleaveo, Johnny on t he Pony, Hide and Seek, three feet off to Germany, red light-green light, chase the white horse, kick the can, Buck, Buck, how many horns are up?, war, hit the penny, pussy-in-the-corner, jump rope, double-dutch, Stories, A, My Name Is, box ball, stick ball, box baseball, catch a fly, dodge ball, stoop ball, you're up, running bases, iron tag, skelly, tops, punch ball, handball, slap ball, whiffle ball, stick ball, poison ball, relay races, softball, baseball, basketball, horse, 5-3-1, around the world, foul shooting, knockout, arm wrestling, Indianwrestling. And then there were card games like canasta, casino, hearts, pinochle, war and th e unhappy game of 52-card pickup.

34. You hung out on people's stoops or in the Courtyard.







35. You learned how to dance at some girl's backyard or house

36. You roller skated at Park Circle or Empire Blvd. skating rinks in skates with wooden wheels. You had roller skates at home with metal wheels for using on the sidewalks, and you needed a skate key to tighten them around your shoes. Those metal wheels on concrete were deafening!

37. The big sneaker was Converse. Also Keds and P-F Flyers.

38. The guys wore Chino pants with a little buckle on the back, peg pants, and the girls wore long wide dresses. Remember gray wool skirts with pink felt poodles on them? The poodles had rhinestone eyes.







39. In the 50's rock and roll started big teen styles for the first time.

40. Everyone went to a Bar Mitzvah even if you weren't Jewish.

41. Everyone took their date to Plum Beach for the submarine races.

42. There were 3 main nationalities in Brooklyn in the 50's: Italians, Irish and Jewish. Then there was a sprinkling of everyone else. The Scandinavians and Greeks in Bay Ridge, the African Americans in Bedford Stuyvesant and the Polish of Green Point
43. The only way to get to Staten Island was by ferry from the 67th Street pier in Brooklyn. It was a great ride in the summer time for a dime.






44. In Brooklyn, a fire hydrant is a "Johnny pump."

45. Rides on a truck came to your neighborhood to give little kids a ride for a dime. The best one was the "whip," which spun you around a track.





You got a little prize when you got off, sometimes a folding paper fan, sometimes a straw tube that you inserted two fingers into, that tightened as you tried to pull your fingers out again.

46. As a kid you hit people with water balloons from atop a building, you shot linoleum projectiles from a carpet gun, you shot dried peas from pea shooters, and you shot paperclips at people with a rubber band.

47. You shopped at EJ Korvettes, Robert Hall, Woolworth's, Mays, McCrory's, Packers, A&P, Bohack, A&S. Barney's was Barney's Boys Town back then, and not a luxury store. You bought your shoes at National and Miles, A S Beck. When you got married you bought your dishes at Fortunoff's under the "el."

48. NBC main production studio was on Avenue M.and E.16 St. The Cosby show was made there.

49. Everybody lived near a candy store and a grocery store.

50. The first mall comes to Brooklyn at Kings Plaza.

51. Bagel stores start popping up everywhere in the 60's.

52. Went to Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor with a big group and had the "Kitchen Sink." If it was your birthday (you had to bring your birth certificate), you could ge t a sundae free.








53. Everybody knew somebody who was a connected guy.






54. We used the word "swell"; that's past today.

55. In the summer we all waited for the Good Humor, Bungalow Bar, Mister Softee or Freezer Fresh man to come into our neighborhood to buy ice cream. In the early to mid 50's, the Good Humor man pushed a cart



instead of driving a truck. Remember the bells? A pop was 15 cents. A large cup was 15 cents, a small cup was a dime And a sundae -- remember licking the chocolate off the back of the cardboard top? -- was a quarter. (Movie stars pictures on bottom of the Dixie cup lids).






As a kid growing up in the 1950s we would spend our money on bubble gum baseball cards, candy and ice cream. A pack of baseball cards (complete with a stick of bubble gum) and full-size candy bars were 5 cents each or six for a quarter. In the summer the In those days there were lots of interesting coins still in circulation. Dimes and quarters we still made of silver. The oldest Roosevelt dimes were not yet 15 years old. It was not uncommon to find Mercury dimes or worn out Standing Liberty quarters; and Buffalo or Indian Head nickels were common too. Most pennies were wheat-backs; they didn't get the familiar Lincoln Memor ial on the reverse until 1959. With luck it was even possible to find an occasional Indian Head penny in your change. But the most coveted find (for us kids, anyway) was the unusual 1943 steel penny.

56. Many of us would sneak cigarettes and hide them when we got home.

57. When we talked about "the city" everyone knew we meant, Manhattan.

58. The Mets in the 60's became our substitute for the Dodgers. But they never did, and never will, make up for the Dodgers leaving.

59. In the 60's we were ready to drive and hit the night life scene. With the car came the girls.

60. We are all in a select club because we have roots in BROOKLYN.

Most of These Places are still with us in Brooklyn, and Will always be in my heart

Patricia " PATTIE" Romano
REALTOR® Associate
RE/MAX At Barnegat Bay
31 North Main Street ( RT 9 )
Manahawkin,NJ 08050
www.soldbypattie.com
609-978-4046
Direct cell-609-312-9043
eve: 609-978-5985 - till midnight
Toll free-(888) 860-9177

It would be hard to find anything really good in the current economic crisis that is affecting nearly all of us whether it is directly or indirectly. However what has happened or will happen is an appreciation for the simple things in life like having a job, roof over your head and food to eat.

I have heard many people in the past few weeks say they are just happy to have a job and
they don't even care that some of the perks that might have gone with that are gone.

Is it possible that we will learn to live with less and in the end not worry about trying to keep up with others but be content with what we do have? Only time will tell but we are heading in that direction, not by choice but by necessity.

As long as people have a few dollars they will spend during the holiday season but the great unknown is what happens after it's over.

Retailers just don't know what's around the corner and have no idea what to expect for the first part of 2009. There really is no manual to read to tell you how to survive and most people I have spoken with said their greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. If we have not hit rock bottom yet you almost want it to get here as soon as possible so we can at least begin the slow process of recovery.

On a more uplifting note is the fact so many people really do care about their neighbors and we always seen at our best when times are at their worst.

We hear, read and see all about the bad because that's news but there are an amazing number of people from all ages who go out of their way to help others. Whether its donating food, clothes, toys or money we do have large hearts even when we have small pockets because in the back of our mind is the knowledge that so many have less than we do.

So was we approach this holiday season I chose to focus on the good things we do for one another rather than the bad because the difference between thriving and surviving is not as great as you might think and the gap can narrow very quickly.

There is no doubt that the state of the economy is having a major impact on
Non-profit organizations that depend on the generosity of companies and individuals. Going even further it's making it very difficult for organizations like food banks and the Salvation Army to meet the growing demand for their services and it's only going to get worse. That's why it's vital we do what we can to support the many campaigns and drives to help those badly in need which is magnified during the holiday season.

The Gamer's Arena is working in conjunction with Ocean County Hunger Relief to collect and distribute food to families in the Toms River area all during the month of December. Anyone who brings a non-perishable food item into their store on the corner of Route 37 and Hooper Avenue will receive 20 minutes of free game time on the system of their choice, including XBOX 360 or Wii. Sounds like a nice way to help yourself and others at the same time.

The Salvation Army, Ocean County Citadel is in desperate need of new unwrapped toys as they attempt to bring joy to as many families as possible.
The demand this year is greater than ever and you can drop the toys off at their location on Route 37 East in Toms River. or Give me a call and I will personally come pick it up from you and deliver it on your behalf.

It's always a great feeling to GIVE then to Receive