What do we love most about Montclair?

• Slurpin’ a hot bowl of porky noodles in the uncomfortable chairs at Ani Ramen

• Catching Jim Gaffigan’s stand-up show in the 5th row of the Wellmont Theater – so close, I can throw popcorn in his hair

• Maple bacon doughnut from Montclair Bread Company – I think that speaks for itself…

• Watching the morning parade of all the kids in town walking to school in Glen Ridge

• Free first Thursday night at the Montclair Art Museum which has a fabulous Native American Art & Crafts exhibit

• BEST wings ever.  Egan’s on Walnut Street – seriously I mean it

• Watching my 9 year-old nose to wing with a beautiful butterfly at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens on Upper Mountain Avenue

• Driving up and down Upper Mountain, North Mountain and Park Street on a cold December night, counting the number of giant holiday light displays on the streets

• You know, that house on Hillside in Glen Ridge where the entire yard is spring daffodils?

• Montclair State University’s Talented and Gifted program – a great place for summer camp and school year classes for your kid that needs a little more stimulation

• Sitting at the service bar at Turtle & Wolf – their burrata & shishito peppers are to die for (service is impeccable, too)

• Montclair YMCA – Best. Y. Ever. (gym and pool are excellent)

• Circling Brookdale park on a Saturday afternoon with my favorite dog on a leash

• Edgemont Memorial Park – the fountain, the pond, the lawn…

• Post work Happy Hours at Fitzgerald’s

• Street fairs galore all over town (Walnut Street one is a favorite)

• Another weekend, another birthday party - Kidville on Valley, here we come!

• Local fruits and veggies galore at the Montclair Farmer’s Market (tomatoes the size of softballs) – betcha didn’t know that Jersey is 17% farmland?

• Montclair Film Festival…Montclair Jazz Festival…Montclair Food & Wine Festival (more festivals please!)

• You can rent the Glen Ridge Senior/Community Center for parties – did you know that?

• Enjoying sports history at the Yogi Berra Museum on the Montclair State University Campus

• Church Street shopping and dining – total East Village style stretch of the cutest curio shops and hip eateries – who misses the City now?

• Highly ranked public school districts – speaks for itself

• Watchung Booksellers always has the best authors speaking there

• So many train stations…Glen Ridge, Bay, Walnut, Watchung, Upper Mountain, Mountain Ave, Montclair Heights, Montclair State University… easy peasy commutey city!

• Nauna vs. Mr. Dino – the debate rages (haha, I like Ah’ Pizz!)

• Cheering for the Mounties Friday night at Woodman Field (you know, by the ice rink?)

• Avocado toast on thick yummy bread at The Corner

Only 12 miles from NYC, is Essex County’s True North. It is an architecturally impressive and town-centered 6.3 square miles, with multiple business districts, beautiful parks, tree-lined streets, easy train and bus commutes and big-city amenities, including dozens of restaurants, art-film theater, art museum, live music venues and a stimulating Montclair State University campus (now ranked by Forbes as the #1 public university in the state, with nearly 20,000 students) with multiple performance arenas and community opportunities galore.  

This proudly eclectic, truly unique town of nearly 40,000 is nationally known for its commitment to diversity.  A favorite destination for Manhattanites and Brooklynites, as well as big-city dwellers from around the world, Montclair offers a compelling “Freedom of Choice” magnet-school program, as well as dozens of arts groups such as the 500-strong MEWS (Montclair Writers & Editors), Jazz House Kids, The Write Group and Parents Who Rock. The town is now home to the Montclair Jazz Festival, the Montclair Film Festival and the Montclair Food & Wine Festival.

A list of notable residents, past and present, defies expectations: Yogi Berra and Larry Doby; performers  Kal Penn, Christina Ricci, Frankie Faison, Vincent Irrizarry, Judy Blazer, Olympia Dukakis, Margaret Colin, and Steven Colbert; writers Jonathan Alter, Ian Frazier, Neil Baldwin, Benilda Little, Harvey Araton, Jonathan Alter, Ian Frazier, Dorothea Benton Frank, Valerie Wilson Wesley and the late New York Times writer David Carr, and the list goes on; cosmetics entrepreneur Bobbi Brown, jazz bassists Reggie Workman and Christian McBride, jazz songstress Melissa Walker, songwriter Jimmy Webb, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, footballer Michael Strahan, tapper Savion Glover, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Note: Upper Montclair and Montclair are one municipality, divided in half by two zip codes, joined by six train stations, one municipal authority and one public school system.

Go to www.baristanet.com  and http://www.montclairarts.org/montclair-links-arts.asp for more information on the town.