Before the George Washington Bridge
Edgewater, New Jersey
Except the two years while I was in the U S Navy, I spent the first 28 years of my life at 31 Glenwood Avenue; Edgewater, NJ. I can describe much about Edgewater while looking at the photos below:
Before the George Washington Bridge
Snow On The Ground
George Washington Bridge Under Construction
Glenwood Avenue is the road in the foreground going down towards the Hudson River. Thirty-one is at the top of the hill. I would have been too young to be one of the kids sleigh ridding in the snow covered picture since the bridge is not completed and opened in 1931. The truck in the picture is a coal truck which you do not see much any more. Most people used coal to heat their homes back then. I remember in the 4th grade we were concerned that we would be running out of coal in 80 years. Will oil turn out to be the same hype?
Edgewater is three miles long and for the most part only two blocks wide. Two roads run the length of the town, Undercliff Avenue, which you see here coming off the hairpin curve, and River Road running along the river. River Road can barely be seen in the above pictures. Undercliff Avenue continues again off the lower leg of the hairpin curve. Undercliff Avenue did not always go up to the hairpin turn as you see here, this was added earlier.
Looking at the top picture again, along the river and about half way up, you will see a three story structure. This is the Buna Vista Hotel. It was torn down while I was going to high school. Just south of the Buna Vista Hotel, North Street comes into River Road. This is where would to walk to to pickup the school bus to high school.
If you continue up Undercliff Avenue, as you see it here, about one mile you will come to George Washington School, my grammar school. Mom would cross us over to the far side of Undercliff Avenue and we could walk all the way to school without crossing any more streets; there were no streets running up the Palisades. At the school there was a crossing guard. We would come home for lunch everyday. If it was raining, Mom would pick us up in the Model A Ford.
Let's take a "bird's eye" trip up Undercliff Avenue and a "bird's eye" tour of Edgewater.