Of course, I have written about Perth Amboy ,Middlesex County, and New Jersey before in my blog, but never enough of a very memorable nostalgic city. I took them from a mix post to have them alone in a post of their own, worth it me think, This was and is my first City in the USA with the challenges facing a new family arriving from Madrid Spain! All positive experiences that enrich my intetelect and keep fond memories. Therefore, here is my take on curiosities of Perth Amboy NJ, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Perth Amboy was settled by Europeans in 1683 and incorporated as a city in 1718. It was founded by English merchants, Scots seeking religious freedom, and French Protestants, who sought to make use of Perth Amboy’s harbor to its full potential. Downtown is the main commercial district, and is centered on the Five Corners (see pic), It also has a lone mixed use skyscraper now called ‘Amboy Towers’, 10 stories tall, located at Five Corners, the intersection of Smith Street, New Brunswick Avenue and State Street (It was known in my time as simply the Perth Amboy National Bank building), The 5 Corner Cafe circa 1980’s at the corner of State and Smith Streets ; this is the one I went to , then in the 1990’s was the site of Palmer Video. At the latest I heard ,it is the site of a Dunkin’ Donuts. The Five Corners is the intersection of Smith Street, New Brunswick Avenue and State Street.
My car that took down to Florida for my university studies while living in New Jersey was the venerable 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a 305ci V8, A bit of automobile memorabilia tells us that is was launched by Chevrolet in 1970, The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was originally a car belonging to a new segment, that of inexpensive “personal cars” , Its bodywork stands out by a very long bonnet, a short trunk, small vertical rear lights housed in the fenders, In 1977 ,the Monte Carlo was produced in a rather baroque neo-retro style. The grille is more massive in appearance, the side moldings very accentuated. Bulkier , its chassis is improved in order to give it a road behavior as efficient as that of the Mercedes. New front axle settings, stabilizer bars, radial tires as standard , and a revised grille with smaller segments featuring the Monte Carlo “knight’s crest” emblem that changed to a vertical hood ornament and taillight lenses , The 1977 Monte Carlo, which was the last year for the 1973 vintage design before the introduction of a scaled-down 1978 Monte Carlo. The base engine for 49 states was the 142 hp (104 kW) 305 2-barrel V8. The Turbo Hydra-matic transmission was standard equipment. Interior trim received only minor revisions this year with upholstery choices including cloth, velor and vinyl in base and custom trim, This model year marks the only time in history that an intermediate model was larger in all dimensions than a full-size model, The Monte Carlo also weighed more, Lots of wonderful times in it for five years !!! Even lasted the sand of Daytona Beach !! And the snow of Perth Amboy lol !!
Nitza Villapol. Cocina al minuto / Cooking In A Minute. Easy, Fast Recipes with a Cuban Flair, was a Cuban cooking book done by Nitza Villapol (1923–1998), a cooking teacher, food writer, and television chef, was at one time as well known in Cuba as Julia Child was in America. She was born in New York, but when she was nine her Cuban parents moved their family back to Havana. Interested in food from childhood, she went to London while still in her teens to study nutrition. When she returned to Cuba, she began working in restaurants and teaching cooking classes. Eventually, Villapol went on to host a cooking show called Cocina al Minuto, which concerned itself with time, and money-saving techniques, furthering her status as a resourceful, and patriotic cook. It stayed on the air for more than 40 years !! Although Villapol’s first book, Cocina Criolla (1954), quite scarce, is still one of the most sought and treasured Cuban cookbooks; her second book, Cocina al Minuto (1958), an offshoot of the television show, was immensely popular in its day. It was a best-seller and venerated among Cuban nationals and the diaspora. The popularity of Cocina al Minuto led to a fair number of reprints, many of them without Villapol’s permission and without acknowledgement of her contribution. It is one such that my dear late mother Gladys was offered as a gift from her friend Juanita in Perth Amboy in 1974, This paperback was published in 1970 by Ediciones Cubamerica without Villapol’s name attached. It is in Spanish, I still have it going 51 years in the family !!!, even my dear late French wife Martine learned to cook from it, Cuban food of course.
The city of Perth Amboy:https://www.perthamboynj.org/
The State of New Jersey tourist office on Perth Amboy: https://visitnj.org/nj/perth-amboy/attractions
There you go folks, a walk of nostalgia from my very earlier life and later visits of my life in the USA. The wonders and memories of Perth Amboy, New Jersey dear to me will remained forever no matter where in the world I will be. Again, hope you enjoy the post on curiosities of Perth Amboy, NJ, part II as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 