Raritan Avenue

Raritan Avenue Watercolor Sketch

If you have been to Route 27 also known as Raritan Avenue, you will know there are usually tons of cars. I used photos from a few hours before the 2009 Memorial Day Parade, when the street was clear of cars.

Blossom Reflections

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“Weekend Reflections” rules are simple:
1) Post a photograph taken by you that contains a visual reflection.
2) After James posts his Weekend Reflections photo, add your name, country and link to MckLinky
3) Be sure that your link goes directly to your Weekend Reflections post.
4) Link Weekend Reflections to your post so other will know where to go if they want to join
5) Comment on other Weekend Reflections participants’ blogs.

Feel free to be creative. Remember this meme is for any type of reflection photographs.This meme runs Friday 11 am EST through 11pm Sunday, so feel free to link your post anytime within that time frame. Join the fun!

Windows of Roberts Florals

These photos were taken in June at a Random Acts of Fun night on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park, New Jersey. Stores show off their wares in a fun way, and at this night there was a concert and face painting, too.

A friend once remarked you can buy flowers for cheap at the supermarket in Highland Park. Or you can buy a stunning, custom bouquet at Roberts Florals.

For more window views, visit:

Ruby Tuesday: Red Signs

I found these red signs in my photo archives while I was looking for something else. I took them last fall, and now I am sharing them for Ruby Tuesday. I probably photographed them with Ruby Tuesday in mind. The top one with the snow I find especially cooling on this warm June day.

For more photos with a lot of red or a little red, visit Ruby Tuesday:

Ruby Tuesday White Flowers and Red White Blue Parade

Who can tell why I am posting white flowers for a Ruby Tuesday post? The answer is very red.

In honor of memorial day, here are three pics from our local parade down Raritan Avenue. The motorcyclist is so un-me (the clothes, the motorcycle, the whole look), but I liked the photo and wanted to share it.

My friend is the leader of this Girl Scout troop. I used to march when I was a Cub Scout Leader.

To me, this picture says “Memorial Day.” We have so much to thank for, living in this country because of those who fought for our freedoms. May those who lose their lives fighting for freedom be remembered and cherished.

For more photos with a little red or a lot of red:

Window Views: Store

This shop on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is called Centerpiece. I photographed the store window during the annual street fair (see slideshow).

Here’s the sign for the shop, giving you a flavor for the store:

View more Window Views.

Street Fair on Raritan Ave 2009

I used a plugin called WordPress Gallery Slideshow to create this slideshow of the annual Highland Park Street Fair on May 17, 2009. There was also a 5K Run in the morning that ran close to my home; you can see one tired friend who did a great job of running pictured in his lime green t-shirt in the slideshow. The run was in memory of Riki Jacobs, a Highland Park resident and social justice advocate who died of Lou Gehrig’s disease.

One advantage to slideshows as opposed to posts of individual pictures is that sometimes you don’t have a lot to say about each photo, but you have a lot of photos to show. See if you can find the photo of me squinting at my daughter who has taken the picture. Raritan Avenue was crowded and diverse, as it always is on Street Fair day.

I liked the booth of paint your own bags the best. For $3/for a plain white canvas bag, kids painted the bags with acrylic paints. More on the paint your own bags booth in a coming “Guess what it will be” post soon.

Sky Watch: Urban Drama

I would prefer just to be writing about the sunset my daughter and I saw on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park earlier this week. When we got into the car and I took my camera, she made me promise not to photograph any flowers on our trip. But she didn’t say anything about sunsets.

Unfortunately, there is too much urban drama going on in the home city of photo blogger magiceye. As I type this post, I am wondering about the safety of the Chabad rabbi and his wife, trapped by terrorists in the Nariman house in Mumbai. (Update: Chabad Rabbi and his wife in Nariman house reported killedtortured and then murdered, and more than 125 too many reported dead in Mumbai). Thank you to Dina in Jerusalem for posting about this. To use Twitter for updates, go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23mumbai or click http://hashtags.org/tag/mumbai/. For updates on Chabad, http://search.twitter.com/search?q=nariman (Nariman is the name of the Chabad house in Mumbai).

An upsetting post about the Taj by an eyewitness

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’ll say I’m thankful that there is an America.

For more Skywatch participants, please visit:

Sky Watch on Raritan Avenue

As a continuation to the My World post on Raritan Avenue, this week I’m featuring a Sky Watch on Raritan Ave. Above is a glimpse up South Third Ave in the center of Highland Park.

A street scene between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, one can see a Bradford pear tree with its red fall foliage (now gone and bare).

Here’s an ambulance from Woodbridge zooming along past my favorite toy store, Over the Moon Toys. We are fortunate that two excellent hospitals, Robert Wood Johnson and St. Peter’s, are just over the bridge from us in New Brunswick.

While standing in front of the supermarket on Raritan Avenue a few days ago, my daughter and I were privileged to view this sunset.

For more Skywatch participants, please visit:

My World: Raritan Avenue

My World is a meme played by people all over the planet. For more information and to see other places and wonders, visit My World.

Raritan Avenue is the main street that runs through our little borough of Highland Park, New Jersey. It is a state highway, Route 27, so its name changes when it crosses the bridge over the Raritan River into the larger city of New Brunswick.

One of the nice features of Highland Park is that it is a walkable town. When my son was a toddler (he’s now 14), we used to walk to Raritan Avenue to see the trucks. The above photo was taken on Veteran’s Day; that’s why there are lots of American flags on display.

At one end of Raritan Avenue are some auto businesses. Some of the leaders in Highland Park would like to see these businesses go elsewhere (to Woodbridge Avenue), so that retail shops can be opened here. It is a subject of controversy.

Construction and fixing of something or another is a common sight.

There’s an Available sign in this now closed Corner Confectionery shop. Businesses come and go; too many of these For Lease signs.

See my favorite toy store on Raritan Avenue
View the Memorial Day Parade down Raritan Avenue