The Spot

      Thursday, May 18, 2023: After I browsed and bought a few things at Twice Loved Treasures, I went shopping and browsing at another place: The Spot at The Ave., 618 East Landis Avenue, Vineland (Cumberland County), New Jersey (856-839-2825). First, this place has been labeled as a “shopping mall.” Second, forget about those shopping malls that opened up in the 1950s through the ‘90s because this “mall” was a shared market where different vendors rented a space and sold their merchandise on consignment. From my point of view, I took one look in here and one word came to my mind: Wow! The Spot looked like it was four or five times larger than Twice Loved Treasures—and then there was a lower bargain basement floor. As for the merchandise, some of it was new, and much of it was handmade in clothing, jewelry, arts & crafts, soaps, candles, decorations, and so on. One area that especially interested me was an area selling rocks, minerals, crystals, ceramics, and incense. Some of the rocks and crystals looked like they were in their natural state and others had been set in jewelry. Meanwhile, many vendors sold used items in the form of clothing, jewelry, and accessories, as well as furniture, books, toys, CDs, DVDs, decorations, sewing supplies—including fabrics, and countless other antiques and collectables. Although some of the vendors placed their goods strewn about on shelves and boxes in a slipshod way, others took the time to showcase their items for sale. In some areas I felt like I was in a decorative arts museum—except this art was for sale. Anyhow, this is a not-to-be-missed place. Even downtown Vineland made for an interesting walk with its other stores and some places to stop and eat. The town officials call this part of Landis Avenue “The Avenue.” 

Twice Loved Treasures

      Thursday, May 18, 2023: For this day, I did a bit of shopping. Twice Loved Treasures, 20 West Park Avenue, Vineland (Cumberland County), New Jersey (856-507-0400), has been located in a strip mall between a Forman Mills store and a U Save Outlet, plus a Family Dollar store was nearby. Therefore, if you were looking for bargains, this shopping area might have something that you wanted or needed. Nevertheless, if you especially shopped at Twice Loved Treasures, you would be benefitting Inspira Health. Once inside, I noticed that this store contained a vast amount of second-hand merchandise in clothing, books, and furniture, as well as household goods, artworks, toys, jewelry, holiday decorations, 45 RPM records & LP records, CDs, DVDs, etc. In fact, the sign above the store read “Thrift Shop.” (The Twice Loved Treasures sign is located above the front doorway.) Unlike some other thrift stores, this place looked similar to a regular retail store. It didn’t look like some discount stores with a warehouse atmosphere and bins or shelves of junk that one had to root through to find the treasures. Believe me, in most cases, you would find something to buy here! Thus, if you are in the Vineland, NJ area, it is worthwhile to stop in, and besides finding bargains, you could be helping a worthy cause.     

Bayside Center

     Sunday, May 14, 2023: After seeing East Point Lighthouse earlier in the day, I spent the afternoon seeing a different side of life near the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County, New Jersey: The Bayshore Center at Bivalve, 2800 High Street, Port Norris (856-785-2060). Unlike the lonely existence of a lighthouse keeper, living in the Bivalve section of Port Norris was very active—at least during the latter part of the 19th century and for most of the first half of the 20th century! To look at it currently, it looked remote, but when I visited the museum at the Bayshore Center, I learned a lot more about life around here, especially for those who worked in the oyster industry. At one time Bivalve was the “oyster capital of the world,” and in the museum, one of the rooms displayed the equipment people used to keep the oyster industry going. Other areas of the museum covered boat navigation, the conversion of the oyster boats from sails to being motorized after World War II, and about the natural life in the area. In addition, other exhibit areas had exhibits about African-Americans working in Bivalve (Many of whom got convinced to move here from the Chesapeake Bay area.), and about everyday life during the heyday of Bivalve. I also watched few videos that covered similar subjects to the ones shown in the museum. At the end of the day, I learned more about the oyster industry and about the lives of those who worked and lived in this area.   

East Point Lighthouse

 

     Sunday, May 14, 2023: It was a long time ago since I had seen the Delaware Bay side of the New Jersey Shore. Nevertheless, I decided to visit a place that I’ve never been to along the Bay: East Point Lighthouse, 10 Lighthouse Road, Heislerville (Cumberland County) (856-785-0349). This 1849 lighthouse was the second-oldest lighthouse in NJ (after Sandy Hook Lighthouse), and after buying tickets at a nearby gift shop, a very enthusiastic guide walked with us to the lighthouse and showed us the ground floor and upper floor. (I could also go to the top of the lighthouse, but I chose not to.) Furnished in a Victorian 19th-century style, the ground floor showed a living room and kitchen along with pictures and photos of former lighthouse keepers and their families. Meanwhile, the upper floor included bedrooms and a few other rooms. Our guide also mentioned to us what the daughter of a former lighthouse keeper said: “It could be a cold and lonely life, especially in the winter.” Located at the mouth of the Maurice River (The locals pronounce it “Morris.”) and the Delaware Bay, this place still served as a navigational aid in addition to a museum. Outside, the views of the bay looked good, especially with the flowers in bloom! Therefore, I noticed some people taking nature walks. Overall, if you wanted to see a more quiet area along the NJ Shore and study history or nature or both, this is the place.  

Village on High

      Friday, April 14, 2023: After being at the Vineland Flea Market earlier that day, I headed to another shopping area in another town in Cumberland County, New Jersey: Millville. In this case, I didn’t expect bargains because Village on High, 501 North High Street (856-765-0404) included close to a dozen shops, and inside those cottages, the vendors sold art, jewelry, and accessories, as well as candles, soaps, and other boutique merchandise. I mostly browsed and bought a smoothie at the vegan café. While in this village, I felt as though I was in a museum area looking at art in different forms--except that this art was for sale! Anyway, I was glad that I looked around, but I’d most likely do most of my buying at flea and farmers’ markets. 

Vineland Flea Market

     Friday, April 14, 2023: I’ve been a sucker for flea and farmers’ markets! Therefore, I decided to check out the Vineland Flea Market, 2896 South Delsea Drive (Route 47), Vineland (Cumberland County), New Jersey (856-362-5393). Although I was there on a weekday and saw about a dozen tables occupied with vendors selling everything from produce to antiques to pure junk, some of the people there informed me that on the weekends, especially in the afternoon, almost all of the tables were usually occupied. Altogether, this place had around seven rows of pavilions containing dozens or more tables each—and that’s not counting the outside tables and food trucks. Nevertheless, the few tables I saw had a variety of merchandise: produce, furniture, and household items, as well as clothes, jewelry, and other stuff too numerous to mention. Therefore, I ended up buying a few things. Get here early if you want a good parking spot, and if you want to be a vendor, get in touch with them.      

Gibbon House

      Thursday, April 13, 2023: During the latter part of the 1600s and into the 1700s, Greenwich (pronounced “green-witch” not “gren-ish” as in Greenwich, England or Greenwich Village, New York City) in Cumberland County, New Jersey was a very busy port town along the Cohansey River off of Delaware Bay. Years later, due to other forms of transportation, Greenwich, NJ lost a lot of its population. Currently it has been a mostly quiet town containing a sizeable number of buildings dating back to the 18th- and 19th-centuries. The Cumberland County Historical Society has owned a few of the attractions that have been opened to the public in this town. After seeing Wheaton Art Center in Millville, I headed to the headquarters for the Cumberland County Historical Society in the Gibbon House, 960 Ye Greate Street, Greenwich (856-455-4055). Here, I met a very enthusiastic guide who explained the history of the area and about this 1730 house as she showed us the different rooms inside. The ground floor included the following rooms furnished with items and furniture from the 1700s and 1800s: hallway, parlor, dining room, and a kitchen with a walk-in fireplace. On the upper floor, I noticed the master bedroom and other rooms with different exhibits. One of the rooms contained one of the largest collections of Ware rushed-seated chairs, and other rooms exhibited toys, clothing from the 18th- and 19th-centuries, as well as tools used in different crafts, including spinning & weaving, and other things donated by people living nearby. On the grounds, I glanced at a red barn from 1930 and a 1650 granary. Overall, I learned quite a bit about this area of Cumberland County!   

WheatonArts

      Thursday, April 13, 2023: Since I last visited here in the early 2000s, this place was known as Wheaton Village. Nowadays, those in power renamed this place Wheaton Arts, 1000 Village Drive, Millville (Cumberland County), New Jersey (856-825-6800). Upon arrival, I entered my favorite place in this village: The Museum of American Glass. In a Victorian-gingerbread interior, this museum exhibited American-made glass in both fine and decorative arts from the 18th century into the 21st century. When I was there, I looked at two special presentations: works by glass artist Amber Cowan and the history of Wheaton as a tourist attraction. In the first special exhibit area, Amber Cowan made fine art out of broken glass and glass scrapes by melting and sometimes glassblowing into different shapes. Many of her artworks looked very elaborate and colorful! The other special area, via text and pictures, covered the 50 years of Wheaton as a glassmaking area and a favorite attraction in NJ.  Therefore, the next place I entered, the Glass Studio, glass makers demonstrated glassblowing and other techniques in their quest to make different items: pitchers, paperweights, and other, mostly, decorative and practical glass items. Meanwhile, a guide explained to us what each glassworker was doing in detail. This building was a copy of the 1888 Wheaton Glass Factory, and in another section, other glassworkers were using flame work to make smaller glass objects: beads, marbles, jewelry, etc. The final section in this building showed potters making their share of items with clay: pots, pitchers, plates, cups, and so on. On the other side of the village street, I viewed the Down Jersey Folk Life Center that presented temporary exhibits about the different kinds of people who lived in Southern NJ. When I was there, I saw costumes from the Latino cultures. The rest of this side of the street included stores where you didn’t need an admission ticket to enter: an arts & crafts gallery, a paperweight shop, and an old-fashioned (circa early 20th century) general store. At certain times of the year, Wheaton plays host to special events, but no matter what time of year, it is worth your while to visit.     

Greater Bridgeton Amish Market

      Thursday, March 16, 2023: Maybe seeing a sports museum earlier that day got me in the mood for food. Nevertheless, I found a bit of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County, New Jersey: the Greater Bridgeton Amish Market, 2 Cassidy Court, Bridgeton (856-497-9810). I would not recommend walking through here on an empty stomach because you would most likely end up buying more than you intended! With around a dozen vendors, and most of them selling food, I’d suggest eating first, and then walking and browsing & buying. As for the eating part, you have a choice of the full-service restaurant there, or buying something to eat from some of the food vendors and eating at the tables around the market. Among the foods sold here, I noticed produce, candy, and cheese, as well as baked goods, deli, wine, barbeque, soft pretzels, etc. The few non-food vendors were selling crafts, furniture, and outside structures of sheds, outdoor furniture, swing sets, and so forth. (Yes, there are some Amish working here.) I found most of the people friendly and the prices moderate. 

All Sports Museum

      Thursday, March 16, 2023: I have not been a very big sports fan, but this museum sounded interesting: the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey, 8 Richie Kates Sr. Way, Bridgeton (Cumberland County), NJ (856-451-7300). Here, a very friendly staff member took us on a tour of the museum as he explained many stories and antidotes about the people behind these exhibits of texts, pictures, and different items. Except for a few things on display, almost all of the stuff in this place has been donated by several people. All of it had to do with athletes who had some connection with Southern NJ! The All Sports Museum exhibited items from several sports: baseball, football, and hockey, as well as basketball, boxing, golfing, tennis, bowling, etc. The most valuable item displayed was Willie Mays’ 1960 Gold Glove Award. Even the street name, Richie Kates Sr. Way, has been named for the late boxer. (Yes, the museum did have items of his presented.) Overall, this museum, in about a half-dozen rooms, had displays and display cases packed with a lot of items: sports uniforms, other clothing, and sports equipment, as well as trophies, metals, plaques, pictures, news clippings & articles, etc. Even if you are not a big sports fan, I’m sure you will find something of interest here.         

Cohanzick Zoo

      Thursday, March 9, 2023: From “America’s First Defense Airport” to New Jersey’s oldest zoo, I finished my day by visiting the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton City Park, Mayor Aitken Drive, Bridgeton (Cumberland County) (856-453-1658). Opened in 1934, this zoo contained around 200 animals that included many mammals and birds. While some of the animals had been kept inside because the day I was there was a bit chilly, I did see a pretty good number of them while I walked along some wooden walkways and other areas of bamboo that tried to give an Asian effect. The creatures that stayed in my mind were a pot-belly pig, a porcupine, and a marmoset, we well as a fishing cat, cougars, gibbons, tigers, a black bear, leopards—including a black leopard, river hogs, and wallabies-including an albino wallaby. I also looked at some birds such as owls, vultures, hawks, and so forth. Meanwhile, the zoo exhibited some statues of animals as well, and I saw peacocks that had the run of the place, ducks in the nearby lake, Canadian geese, and in the trees, I noticed turkey vultures. (They gave me the creeps, but nothing bad happened!) In addition to the zoo, Bridgeton City Park in its 1,100 acres offered other things to do: walking on nature trails, fishing, and a splash park (summer), as well as a playground, basketball courts, miniature golf, picnicking, and so on. During warmer weather, this city park has movie nights, concerts, and other events.     

Millville Army Air Field Museum

      Thursday, March 9, 2023: The Millville Army Air Field Museum, 1 Leddon Street, Millville Airport, Millville (Cumberland County), New Jersey (856-327-2347) honored many military personnel in the different branches of the service: army, navy, marines, and air force (the former army air corps). From World War II to the Gulf Wars, the museum honored those people by way of displaying pictures, texts, and exhibit items, especially uniforms, badges, and medals. This place first served as an air base that gave advanced training to fighter pilots during WWII using P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes and P-40 War Hawk fighter planes. Nowadays, this area contained many building dating back to WWII, and many of them showed murals painted on their sides presenting different aircraft. I also noticed some full-sized aircraft and parts of other aircraft that the museum displayed outside. Inside, the friendly staff were on hand to answer any questions I might have had as I looked at the show cases of exhibits, the models-sized aircrafts hanging above me from the ceiling, and the model-sized ships, as well as a Link flight trainer simulator, some recreated army bunk beds, commemorative items (I especially remembered seeing items from the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing!), etc. Some of the museum’s theme areas covered servicewomen, Black servicemen, and family life during WWII: relationships, marriages, and family life. (I liked seeing the wedding dresses.) If you are in the area, I’d suggest a visit to here. Meanwhile, throughout the year, this place played host to different events, including the Wheels & Wings Air Show. More than 10,000 men and women served at the Millville Air Field, one of “America’s First Defense Airports.”        

DDV03I03

 

DOTTY'S DIMENSIONS - A travelog of science fiction conventions, sight-seeing attractions, and other things.
I published these newsletters from the years 2000 to 2006.

VOLUME 3    

⤓ ISSUE 3 contains these reports:
a weekend in Washington, DC; a media-science-fiction convention called Shore Leave 2002;
some short trips to different places:
New Jersey; Pennsylvania; the Hudson Valley and Long Island in New York; Delaware; and Maryland.

01 - HIRSHHORN MUSEUM
02 - RENWICK GALLERY
03 - SHORE LEAVE 2002
04 - WHEATON VILLAGE
05 - LANDIS VALLEY MUSEUM
06 - SPRINGWOOD,FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT'S HOME
07 - SUNNYSIDE, WASHINGTON IRVING'S HOME
08 - LONG ISLAND MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, HISTORY,AND CARRIAGES
09 - OLD WESTBURY GARDENS AND WESTBURY HOUSE
10 - NEW CASTLE COURT HOUSE MUSEUM
11 - WINTERTHUR
12 - BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART
13 - MARYLAND STATE HOUSE