Coming Home from the City

Here's the Westfield NJ train station. The building has a lot of old character, and when you walk downstairs in order to get to the NYC-bound track, you can read about the history of Westfield on ceramic plaques that feature historic photos and information.

An interesting feature of this NJ Transit station is fully enclosed bike lockers, which are located at the platform level on the westbound side.

The Westfield train station is conveniently located at the edge of the dining and shopping district downtown, with commuter parking on both the North Avenue and South Avenue sides.

When you get off the train from your long day in the City, you walk right into the fun center of Westfield. With the station behind you, this is the view down Elm Street, which is lined with restaurants on the left side. Ferraro's Restaurant takes up the first block on the right side.

Lenape Park

Lenape Park, which extends from Cranford through Westfield NJ to Mountainside, is a raised linear walking path flanked on either side by forest and wetlands.

It reminds me of the Old Croton Aqueduct in the Rivertowns of lower Westchester County, which is also raised and linear.

In addition to the walking trail, Lenape Park features bird sanctuaries and a lake with a fountain.

It's very peaceful, a good place to fish or simply enjoy some time in natural surroundings.

They Won't Forget

Numerous towns in the metropolitan NY area have contemplation gardens to memorialize those who never came home on 9/11. Westfield's is located near the underpass at Broad Street and North Avenue, with a soft green luminous obelisk surrounded by a stone for each person lost.






I walked from there up the path to the train station platform, and there I came upon a smaller monument that was no less touching for its modest size and location.



Sweet and utterly heartbreaking, it reads:

September 21, 2002, "A Walk for Dads",
A gift from the schoolchildren of Westfield in memory of those lost September 11, 2001, Dedicated November 15, 2003.

A Sunny Day in Mindowaskin Park in Westfield NJ

There were lots of shutterbugs out on this sunny Saturday at Mindowaskin Park in Westfield NJ. Everything was so lush and colorful. Fountain spritzing, geese waddling, gentle breeze wafting.