2022 – Photo stroll through Hackensack 5-18-22
(ignore April 30, 2017 publish date – this was published on May 27, 2022)
I used to do more of these, but it’s getting too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer and has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I may have accidentally gotten a bit older (of course not, Bob – who would think such a thing?).
So I headed down to Main St to see what I could see that I haven’t already seen a million times (or photographed panoramically). Click most of the pix to enlarge (NOTE: a few will take 2 clicks, but then you’ll need to scroll laterally).
First stop: the intersection of Main (on the left) and Berry (on the right) streets. Whatever’s going to be built here may possibly block some of my views. The one I’m most worried about is the World Trade Center. We’ll see what happens.
Took a one-block detour over to State St to photograph the City’s municipal complex:
Dunno what was going on at the HFD’s HQ:
As you can see, I took that last picture while standing by the RR crossing on State St. I didn’t know that Hackensack held corncob festivals on the tracks:
Headed down to the Bergen County Courthouse complex on Court St (useless facts: The second version of the courthouse was burned down by the British in 1780. This is the sixth version).
This is a nice wide shot that includes the First Reformed Church – better known as Church on the Green (The Green being the small park that I’m standing in front of) and its cemetery.
By the stop sign, you can see a monument with a statue on it that’s facing to the right. That’s Revolutionary War General Enoch Poor, who’s buried in the cemetery. His funeral at the Church was attended by Generals Washington and Lafayette.
I moved across Main St about a block west to take this shot that includes the Green, which played a part in Washington’s retreat from Fort Lee:
If the subject interests you – and rather than me having to write a lengthy history about it – look up the following: “The Bridge That Saved A Nation”, Washington’s retreat across New Jersey to Valley Forge, Crossing the Delaware (twice) and the Battle of Trenton.
The Bridge That Saved A Nation (why we don’t all speak with British accents these days) is about a mile north of where I live. The next stop after that for Washington and his troops was The Green in Hackensack.
See the new red(ish), white and blue building just to the left of the American flag? In 1776, another building stood on that Main St corner called The Mansion House. While his troops slept on The Green, Washington stayed in the Mansion House. The street you see in front of the new building is called Washington Place.
On a lighter note, I took this picture from the center of The Green. I was holding the phone sideways as I took a PANO shot from bottom to top. I must have hiccupped or something while panning to make the courthouse collapse on itself:
Also on The Green is this cannon – part of the Soldier and Sailor War Memorial. But what caught my eye was the man on the crane who was working on the outside of the still-unfinished building on Washington Place:
Across Main St from The Green and the Courthouse is Court Plaza – a professional office complex that is fairly photogenic and also offers interesting views of its surroundings:
That last picture also shows the southern end of Main St (which – numerically – is actually the beginning of Main St) where it meets Essex St.
I had to take a break. I’d been at it for two hours and still had to walk a mile back home, so I parked myself on that circular structure closest to Essex St and faced the T-intersection.
You’ll never believe what I “saw” and photographed from there!
(couldn’t resist)
As I started walking back up Main St, I saw a man on a bicycle who was turning onto Court St from Main. I had to get to the PANO setting quickly and shoot/pan. It came out a little strange, but was kind of interesting.
I got a block north and saw the same guy coming my way after having ridden around the block. Another quick set up/shoot/pan…………..and this one came out very weird.
So I combined them:
Slight detour onto Atlantic St where I took what may be my favorite PANO/vehicle shot of the day:
“Auto Zone” – which I didn’t notice until I saw the picture – is an almost perfect background for this shot. It could only be made better if another word was inserted into its name and became “Auto Twilight Zone” (bonus: I somehow got the courthouse dome in the shot).
Back on Main St, guess what store used to occupy this location:
Another slight detour onto Mercer St got me this shot:
Did a 180 back to Main, headed north and stopped as I was crossing the RR tracks. Turned west toward State St, took a 180 PANO shot and finished up facing Moore St (and east):
(next time, I’ll have to take this shot from the middle on Main St instead of from the sidewalk)
After I crossed the street at the next light (Salem St), a Hummer turned onto Main:
(another rush job, but it’s passable)
When I got another block-and-a-half north, I saw a guy on a unicycle coming toward me in the southbound lane. After a quick switch of the panning arrow, I thought I got a great multi-image shot of him and his wheel, but alas………..’twas not to be.
Somehow, I only got one image of him. I didn’t know it when I was shooting, but the guy saw me, turned and pointed, which kinda makes it a cool shot, but what I can’t figure out is why the pan didn’t work on him. I know it was working because I also captured a car in the opposing lane that got scrunched, which it was supposed to do when I’m panning right-to-left:
That’s it – no more PANO shots! I’m close to home and I’m tired.
And then I spot a window display I’ve never seen before. It was cute and cuddly and a nice way to end the adventure:
I wish I could do this more often. Can’t the weather be 65º ALL year long without me having to move to San Diego?
Aloha Cuz!
Great shots! I need a Hackensack refresher. I should know all these areas but I have been away longer than some of these buildings have been around in their current appearances and colors.
Mahalo Bob!