HaverstrawLife.com

Delicious food, fine art and world renowned musicians are pairing together Friday night, June 1^st from 5pm to 10pm at Bella Rose Café in Haverstraw. The fine art is by Maureen Plainfield, a local photographer who sat in the front window of Bella Rose from 8am-5pm one day and photographed the world inside and outside Bella Rose.  Appropriately enough, that is the name of her exhibit “Bella Rose – inside and out” and her photography will be on display and for sale Friday evening. But Maureen admits that as much as she loves photography, she also appreciates fine food and likes to rave about the Bella Rose cuisine. “My absolute favorite at Bella Rose is the calamari prepared to a golden brown with Fra Diavolo sauce, if you have not tasted it, you must,” said Maureen, who added that the burgers and soup are also some of her favorites. (more…)

The following guest post is authored by Jonathan M. Solis, a Haverstraw Village resident and local entrepreneur. Jonathan created Local Roamer, a local business discount platform, and NutraSol Natural Center (a health food center); Jonathan hopes to eventually open a branch of NutraSol in the Village.

I’ve always said that Haverstraw is a gold mine and it is evident with the amount of new businesses arising in the area.  Entrepreneurs are beginning to see the potential in this little village just north of New York City and it is our responsibility as residents of Haverstraw and Rockland County as a whole, to support these businesses and buy local.  However, I sometimes feel that we take these local mom and pop shops for granted.   Sometimes we overlook the importance of these businesses and the role they play in the lives of local residents in the area.

Just think of the convenience these local businesses offer the Village of Haverstraw.  Whether you need to buy some groceries at the local Bodega, need to take your kids to the doctor, or you have to pick up your prescription from the local pharmacy, everything you need is right there close-by and all in walking distance for those who live in the village.  Now imagine how much harder things will be for the locals if those businesses didn’t exist.   It would be more difficult and more expensive to have to travel a farther distance to get the goods and services elsewhere. (more…)

Believe it or not, HaverstrawLife.com has been up and running for five years! The blog went online back in February 2006, just as the revitalization in Haverstraw Village was gaining steam. Together, we’ve been through some great and hard times. A new neighborhood has blossomed on the South End and we’ve welcomed a number of new residents to the Village. We’ve also struggled through the Great Recession, hopefully re-emerging stronger than before. The future remains bright. We have a lot to look forward to over the next five years, such as a new ferry terminal at the base of Main Street, new restaurants and shops, a streetscape renovation, and the commercial and residential growth of our downtown and waterfront. If you’re a regular reader, feel free to contact me with suggestions or ideas for future HaverstrawLife posts. Keep reading and stay engaged!

View from Ossining Ferry Landing - A Constant Shore

And through the ages of Impermanence
Through nations: rise and fall
Through long and short winters
The taste of Constancy has riddled our tongues

We have built our cities on a Constant Shore
We’ve driven the moorings deep
We’ve hung the heavy doors
Of Civilization, of Art, of Sanctity

Yes, we have built our city on the shore
So sure the waves would only offer sleep
Sure our White Cliffs offer support
And what’s more than the waters of the shore?
Seem to slowly creep to the feet of our beds

Creep into our lungs
Creep into our heads
Our cliffs fall into the sea

And what’s more than the waters of our shore?
As constant as the exhalent the neighbor seethes
As midnight black as the Back Country of Pennsylvania
Of Bethlehem, strong as steel
Of New York or London, weak-kneed by the soot

Main Street straddles the waterline
This is fine, of course, as long as there is Sanctity.
And the Maples have gone north to find their sanity
And the taste of constancy has gone quite awfully sour

We have built our cities on a Constant Shore
And by the end of the shortest winter of them all
The ocean licks the feet of our beds

Mariella’s Pizzeria, owned and managed by Allessandro Gambino and his family, has been serving oven-hot slices for almost two years now, and in that time the restaurant has become a Village staple. Mr. Gambino came to the U.S. in 1969 from Palermo, Italy on the island of Sicily. “I came when I was 16 years old,” he said in his heavy Sicilian accent. Subsequently, Gambino has been in the Italian food business for over 33 years. He has over five restaurants and pizzerias under his belt, and there are several “Mariella’s” restaurants still operating to this day, including the famed restaurants in New City and the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens. In total, there have been 9 Mariella’s Restaurants opened by Gambino; the Haverstraw location is now the only one owned by the Gambino family. (more…)