I was born in Hoboken, NJ and grew up a few miles up the road in a town called Fairview (made famous for being where Mary lived in Springsteen’s song ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’). I went to high school in the next town over called Cliffside Park. Two of its claims to fame are being the place where much of the films ‘Big’ and ‘Cop Land’ were shot.
But this morning, my pride level swelled as the story of Eliot Spitzer, the hooker and the ring continued to unfold. Aside from being happy that this disgrace of a public figure finally stepped down–but disappointed that he was not in handcuffs–a little tidbit about the ring caught my ears.
Apparently the now infamous Emporer’s Club was run by Cecil Suwal, a 23-year-old girl and Mark Brener, a 62-year-old widower out of their apartment at the swanky Briarcliff building in Cliffside Park, NJ. What impressed me more was how this old timer was bunking down with a young chickie and managing high-end hookers. Talk about multitasking. Go Raiders!!
In the end, after all the talk of money, passports and MySpace pages begins to fade, one fact will remain. For all of you cocky New Yorkers who think Bergen and Hudson Counties are just ‘Jersey’ and not really a part of New York, remember that this is where your ‘perfect’ Governor’s shame resided.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel … and it is New Jersey.
Oh wait, I almost forgot another claim to fame. The 1962 hit song ‘Palisades Park’–written by Chuck Barris and recorded by Freddy Cannon–was a tribute to Palisades Amusement Park which was also in Cliffside Park, NJ. I remember the kiddie rides and the day the roller coaster burned down. So sad.