... and then it happened

Newark!  What the hell do I know about Newark except abandoned buildings, ignorant Negros and crime? Heck a relator tried to get me to move there by calling the neighborhood Ironbound.  Supposed to be chic and trendy; the SoHo of NJ.  Riiiight!  

Outside of the 1967 riots, of which I know little, and the backdrop of my favorite mystery crime novels, Tamara Hayle series, by Valerie Wilson Wesley, I know diddly squat about Newark.  My impression of it – someplace you don’t want to be at night, especially, if you’re driving a nice car!  The capitol of carjacks and gang related violence.  Morgan Freeman was not going to lend me a hand, nor a shoulder to lean on.  Nope.  Don’t even want to drive through the city on my way up my mountain to the safety of my condo on top of the world. 

Okay, so now I have to go to school in Newark.  Yikes!  Well, if I pay the extra $200 to park on campus at least my car should be relatively safe.  And I can take daytime classes.  Night classes will require an army to walk with me to and from the car.  I should be relatively safe if I plan ahead.  Don’t forget, stick to the main streets as you zip past the rift raft and head to the highway while escaping the zombies.  So far, so good.

Fine, you wore me down, an occasional entertainment at the local theater or gallery.  Can’t be too bad it’s on the main street and who wants to hurt art?  Geez.  I got to go pick up a New Yorker from Penn station to bring them up to my Mountain.  I wish they’d stop taking the path and pay for NJ transit so I can collect them at my local station.  Don’t they understand Newark is not like any other city?

And so I lived my life -- blissfully ignorant of culture, nor neighborhood vibes, other than that which existed in the stale air of my Condo’s complex or the traces of my former New York existence.

Well, you know what they say… you make plans and God laughs.  He must be having a good belly full right now.

Not only am I going to school in Newark, I have three, count them 1, 2, 3 classes where Newark is the central topic.  But book learning isn’t enough for these scholars.  No!  They want me to experience the city first hand. 

Big sigh!

I will be getting to know the various neighborhoods, at the very least University Heights and the Downtown area, okay, I'll throw in Ironbound just because it was introduced to me as a possible relocation spot.   This Blog will document my journey.  I will post pictures (photo journalism class) that I take in and around town, including NJIT as well as some news beat (for my journalism class) and some history and literature (for my capstone class, Newark Narratives.)

Wish me luck.  Better yet, Safety as I conquer my fears all while getting an A!!!!

I welcome all comments and any suggestions to improve my writing and research.

I hope that you will at least enjoy Newark Vibes Through My Eyes!

HCL