Perth Amboy: Diamond in the rough.

One of our past contributors of the Amboy Guardian was Tracy Jordan. Tracy was not born in Perth Amboy but seems to be the type of person who would be active in  any community in which she would reside. In one conversation I (Katherine) had with her, Tracy described Perth Amboy as: “A Diamond in the Rough.”  But the diamond needs “polishing.”

Perth Amboy is a unique town. Many residents often feel that we can handle our problems and don’t need the help of “outsiders.”

Sometimes it takes an outsider to see a different perspective on how to solve problems than people who have lived here all their lives.

Tracy was an “outsider” who became an “insider,” and in turn was one of the assets to our town. She revitalized part of the train station by opening up a successful coffee shop/café (Raritan Bay Coffee Shop) which featured open mic, artists and musicians. Tracy wanted to help bring out Perth Amboy’s native talents and showcase them. By doing so, other “outsiders” were drawn in to see talent that was showcased at her venue.

A second individual not born here (but her father was) is Carolin Pozycki. Pozycki  is the Chair of the Perth Amboy’s Art’s Council created months ago. They had a successful  Art’s Festival on Sadowski Parkway on Saturday, May 23. The Arts Council was the brainchild of Pozycki. She had been an advocate of Perth Amboy for many years. Every time she has come to a Council Meeting to talk about the City, she has never uttered a negative word.

I remember one time when she came up to speak about the Train Station and one thing that Caroline doesn’t do is compare apples to oranges. When she talks about a vision for Perth Amboy, she will use a city that has similar attributes to what part of town she is talking about. She spoke about murals in Orange, New Jersey, where old fire houses were converted to art galleries.

As we walk past the Historic Buildings on High Street with overgrown shrubs and trees, you could still see the beauty of their exteriors. This is especially so in the springtime when the buds on the trees start blossoming. This makes a beautiful frame and backdrop for the architecture of the building.

We acknowledge some of the negative comments said about the Waterfront, especially where there are broken lights near the Yacht Club, and garbage polluting the beaches. Yet the Waterfront is still beautiful.

Someone had made a comment at a recent Council Meeting that our Waterfront was disgusting in comparison to the Waterfront in Hoboken and another one down the shore. I (Carolyn) have never been to either of these waterfronts, but I’m sure those two waterfronts took a big hit from Superstorm Sandy just like ours did.

In comparison you have to remember that our Waterfront had suffered damage from two major storms a few years apart prior to Sandy. Just ask the owners of the Barge and Armory. The Waterfront is one of the most important assets that Perth Amboy has.

After the May 23 Arts Festival, I decided to take a walk by the Barge  and Armory Restaurants. The parking lot along Front Street were filled. I could not find one space available. So I say if Perth Amboy’s Waterfront is so disgusting, why were there so many people there?  I guess a lot of people didn’t get the memo.

In addition Perth Amboy is still trying to get out from a huge financial burden. Those storms didn’t help. I (Carolyn) remember about 15 years ago, I was on the bus coming home from New York. I heard a conversation between two passengers. One said to the other, “You know that Perth Amboy is the sewer of New Jersey.” My heart dropped into my stomach. How could these people say such a thing? I wanted to ask them why, but I couldn’t muster the courage.

For some reason, especially in the springtime, if I see a piece of property or a home that has been neglected, and my eye is always drawn to something that is beautiful growing on that property. It could be a flowering tree, flowers or a beautiful  bush. Mother Nature takes care of her own. I imagine what these properties could become with a little TLC.

Coming from Sewaren into Perth Amboy (in outer State Street) there are still many old and abandoned buildings. In the meantime while we wait for those properties to be sold and redeveloped, someone should plant some kind of shrubbery to beautify the area.

Unkempt property is not everywhere. Let’s face it, some parts of town are more pleasing to the eye than others, but every single neighborhood has a hidden treasure. Start from City Hall Circle and walk the length down High Street all the way down to Sadowski Parkway. The homes and properties are stunning, even the ones that are unoccupied. When I (Carolyn) walked down that street, sometimes I would love to knock on the door of those homes and ask if I could take a tour. I was fortunate one time when my dream came true and I was able to take a tour of the Wilentz home on High Street. About three years ago, I was walking past that property, saying to myself I would love to see the inside of that house. Suddenly I heard someone call out my name. The house was being renovated and the person who called me happened to be working on the renovations. He took me on a tour inside and I was stunned to see there was an elevator inside.

The Garden Club runs tours of some of the houses on High Street and Water Street. I would urge anyone to take those tours to do so. It’s worth every cent that you pay.

To see beautiful landscaping on a private home is not unusual, but I notice that there are more commercial properties that are beautifying their establishments. Surprisingly the most beautiful landscaping are the gas stations.

You can just walk down the street and see why New Jersey is called the Garden State.

A majority of the town is conducive to walking. Many residents don’t own a car and can easily get from one part of town to the other, even by walking. When I (Carolyn) was growing up, there was more diversity of stores in Perth Amboy. There were two movie theaters in town (circa 1970) that I can remember. I wonder why we can’t at least bring one back. I have gone to other towns where there are movie theaters doing good business, such as Morristown. Rahway has a venue where there are stage plays and well-known performing artists appearing there.

How do you bring these people here? We need outsiders to come and spend their money here.

Besides Tracy Jordan and Caroline Pozycki, there is another Perth Amboy resident who was originally from Fords who is an integral part of putting Perth Amboy in a positive light. Vilma Novak brought the ship, the Peacemaker here twice to Perth Amboy. The Peacemaker was brought in so the residents could take advantage of a sailing vessel with a working crew. The first time the Peacemaker made its visit it docked down the Waterfront in Front Street. The ship came back two more times and the schools even brought their students down for private tours.

Its activities and events like this that will draw outsiders to come to Amboy again and again.

Our festivals have been enjoyed by residents and outsiders alike. Recently the Greek Festival featured Channel 12 News. Other festivals are coming down the pipe: Italian, Ukrainian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, etc.

We as residents have to take responsibility for ourselves for the image that Perth Amboy projects to others. No town is spotless – image-wise or otherwise. We residents have in our power to show the outsiders what we insiders already know – what the true Perth Amboy can be.   C.M. & K.M.