Glad you agree the Skyway looks good! General Casimir Pulaski is beyond the scope of our newsletter but his story is pretty interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski
Love the Skyway, love the photo (and the reflection in the manhole puddle)! Love(d) the Sopranos… must watch again. Then, whenever the titles roll, we can think of YOUR image, rather than the other way round… SCB x
Thanks Steve! The Sopranos did such a great job with its locations, really true to the area and so authentically filmed - we'll get into all of that in the next newsletter! We've just finished season 5, one final season to go... so so good.
Thanks for including the Sopranos video at the end. It was the first thing I thought of and guessed it might have featured the parkway. It is indeed an impressive structure. Growing up on the South Shore across from Montreal, bridges were a lifeline for us. The oldest of three we used regularly was the Victoria Bridge, only 1.9 miles long across the St. Lawrence River, but it was opened in 1859 making it one of the engineering marvels of the world at the time. One only need to look at the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to get a sense of how important these bridges are. They are certainly worth closer inspection and your pictures do them justice. I particularly like the image directly above the title The Black Pearls of North Jersey, a catchphrase which I love. The image captures the majesty and industrial economic nature of the bridge. People often find fault with industrial heartlands. Yet those who live there know the landscape more intimately and can rightly feel proud of where they come from. My family toiled for generations in the Durham Coalfield of Northern England. A hell on earth if ever there was one, and yet, there is great pride in my family coming from there. Remember New Jersey fondly. For how it nurtured and sustained you.
Thank you for your comment, John! Great to hear what this newsletter brought up for you. I enjoyed looking up the Victoria Bridge - I recommend checking out Noah Kalina's newsletter today for another old bridge that is worth looking deeply at. Have you seen the film "The Miners' Hymns" about the Durham coal miners by Bill Morrison with music by Jóhann Jóhannsson?
And thanks, I also love that wide shot of the bridge with the power plant, both ancient, both still functioning. More on The Sopranos from me next week... stay tuned!
Another interesting newsletter. Subscribed. Thank You.
I haven't seen Bill Morrison's film, but I've heard about him. And now I've watched the trailer. Yup. Those are my peeps. Will try to catch the film if I can. My great grandad was a union man. Had his picture on a couple of those banners they still carry through the streets each year. My old man's old man escaped it all by coming to Canada to be a minister. Check out this rare 1979 video by Nobby Clegg & The Civilians, called "Me Dad"
It kind of sums up the good, the bad and the ugly of the coal life, mostly gone now, at least in England. It might just be my favourite song of all time. Pretty darn cool video too.
That's a great song - lyrics are so powerful with amazing visuals to go along with it too. Pretty amazing to have that history, and for it to be documented so well too. Beamish Museum is worth a visit if you haven't been - it's in County Durham and you can have the experience of going into a pit mine and exploring a 1900's era pit village - it's so interesting! There's also some great fish and chips cooked in beef drippings, like the old days! Just writing this I really want to go back again.
My wife and I were at Beamish in 2010. In the pouring rain. It was perfect. We had the place to ourselves. One of the highlights of our trip to England. Took lots of pictures.
I'm a transplant since 1995 from the Balto / Washington DC area. I always go to bat for NJ. Love the quaint towns and the diversity of landscapes throughout the state.
Although, I've never traversed the Pulaski Skyway.
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment and for subscribing too! You must put a drive on the Pulaski Skyway on your to-do list when you're in the area - I'll be waxing poetic about it in our next newsletter. Might be more relaxing as a passenger so you can really take in the views, but it's a fun drive behind the wheel too.
I love those old bridges. I suppose nowadays people call them "overengineered". But so fun to look at.
I'm not from New Jersey, but do have family there, and the one thing that pops in my head when I hear New Jersey is the jug handles. OMG. My husband always had to drive when we were out there because I would have lost my mind trying to navigate those roads. We always stayed in downtown Philly when we went to visit family, and had to cross the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to get to Palmyra. You couldn't just turn right on to the bridge; you had to wind around some counter-intuitive direction and make a bunch of non-logical turns to finally enter the bridge.... it was so confusing, but I'm used to driving on a grid in Phoenix/Tucson so yeah... when I hear New Jersey my anxiety definitely spikes thinking about the road system. 😆
Les, thank you for your comment! Haha, I hear you on the anxiety-inducing New Jersey roadways! What's fascinating to me is that jug handles are almost non-existent in the Northeast corner where we are - I know of maybe a couple of them that I've used regularly. But then traveling more south and more central in New Jersey, they are all over the place and I find it really weird! That access road to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge sounds pretty ridiculous but now that I think about it also seems totally normal, isn't everyone used to curving around like you're on a helix while jostling for position for which lane to get into?
It DOES look good, you’re right. Worth all your efforts. Who was Pelaski? Maybe that’s for next time. s
Glad you agree the Skyway looks good! General Casimir Pulaski is beyond the scope of our newsletter but his story is pretty interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski
Love the Skyway, love the photo (and the reflection in the manhole puddle)! Love(d) the Sopranos… must watch again. Then, whenever the titles roll, we can think of YOUR image, rather than the other way round… SCB x
Thanks Steve! The Sopranos did such a great job with its locations, really true to the area and so authentically filmed - we'll get into all of that in the next newsletter! We've just finished season 5, one final season to go... so so good.
Thanks for including the Sopranos video at the end. It was the first thing I thought of and guessed it might have featured the parkway. It is indeed an impressive structure. Growing up on the South Shore across from Montreal, bridges were a lifeline for us. The oldest of three we used regularly was the Victoria Bridge, only 1.9 miles long across the St. Lawrence River, but it was opened in 1859 making it one of the engineering marvels of the world at the time. One only need to look at the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to get a sense of how important these bridges are. They are certainly worth closer inspection and your pictures do them justice. I particularly like the image directly above the title The Black Pearls of North Jersey, a catchphrase which I love. The image captures the majesty and industrial economic nature of the bridge. People often find fault with industrial heartlands. Yet those who live there know the landscape more intimately and can rightly feel proud of where they come from. My family toiled for generations in the Durham Coalfield of Northern England. A hell on earth if ever there was one, and yet, there is great pride in my family coming from there. Remember New Jersey fondly. For how it nurtured and sustained you.
Thank you for your comment, John! Great to hear what this newsletter brought up for you. I enjoyed looking up the Victoria Bridge - I recommend checking out Noah Kalina's newsletter today for another old bridge that is worth looking deeply at. Have you seen the film "The Miners' Hymns" about the Durham coal miners by Bill Morrison with music by Jóhann Jóhannsson?
And thanks, I also love that wide shot of the bridge with the power plant, both ancient, both still functioning. More on The Sopranos from me next week... stay tuned!
Another interesting newsletter. Subscribed. Thank You.
I haven't seen Bill Morrison's film, but I've heard about him. And now I've watched the trailer. Yup. Those are my peeps. Will try to catch the film if I can. My great grandad was a union man. Had his picture on a couple of those banners they still carry through the streets each year. My old man's old man escaped it all by coming to Canada to be a minister. Check out this rare 1979 video by Nobby Clegg & The Civilians, called "Me Dad"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c2opsMVD6g
It kind of sums up the good, the bad and the ugly of the coal life, mostly gone now, at least in England. It might just be my favourite song of all time. Pretty darn cool video too.
That's a great song - lyrics are so powerful with amazing visuals to go along with it too. Pretty amazing to have that history, and for it to be documented so well too. Beamish Museum is worth a visit if you haven't been - it's in County Durham and you can have the experience of going into a pit mine and exploring a 1900's era pit village - it's so interesting! There's also some great fish and chips cooked in beef drippings, like the old days! Just writing this I really want to go back again.
My wife and I were at Beamish in 2010. In the pouring rain. It was perfect. We had the place to ourselves. One of the highlights of our trip to England. Took lots of pictures.
Love the imagery!
I'm a transplant since 1995 from the Balto / Washington DC area. I always go to bat for NJ. Love the quaint towns and the diversity of landscapes throughout the state.
Although, I've never traversed the Pulaski Skyway.
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment and for subscribing too! You must put a drive on the Pulaski Skyway on your to-do list when you're in the area - I'll be waxing poetic about it in our next newsletter. Might be more relaxing as a passenger so you can really take in the views, but it's a fun drive behind the wheel too.
I love the one with the factories and smokestacks in the background.
Thanks, Kevin! It's such an impressive view to me today in 2024, it must have amazed people in 1932.
Great post. Love the combination of the history and the photography. What’s the book?
Thanks, Josh! The book is called The Last Three Miles by Steven Hart - more about the book here --> https://newsletter.pappasbland.com/p/opening-up-the-sopranos-time-capsule
I love those old bridges. I suppose nowadays people call them "overengineered". But so fun to look at.
I'm not from New Jersey, but do have family there, and the one thing that pops in my head when I hear New Jersey is the jug handles. OMG. My husband always had to drive when we were out there because I would have lost my mind trying to navigate those roads. We always stayed in downtown Philly when we went to visit family, and had to cross the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to get to Palmyra. You couldn't just turn right on to the bridge; you had to wind around some counter-intuitive direction and make a bunch of non-logical turns to finally enter the bridge.... it was so confusing, but I'm used to driving on a grid in Phoenix/Tucson so yeah... when I hear New Jersey my anxiety definitely spikes thinking about the road system. 😆
Les, thank you for your comment! Haha, I hear you on the anxiety-inducing New Jersey roadways! What's fascinating to me is that jug handles are almost non-existent in the Northeast corner where we are - I know of maybe a couple of them that I've used regularly. But then traveling more south and more central in New Jersey, they are all over the place and I find it really weird! That access road to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge sounds pretty ridiculous but now that I think about it also seems totally normal, isn't everyone used to curving around like you're on a helix while jostling for position for which lane to get into?
The area and era are certainly as big of characters as Tony Soprano himself. I love this deep dive and artistic view of the Skyway.
Thank you so much Lois! So appreciate your comment and couldn't agree more.