Downtown Paterson

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Pictures of Main Street

Downtown Paterson is a great exa

Unfortunately, many upper stories of buildings on Main Street are vacant like this. Hopefully, the city can convert these vacancies into artist lofts or offices. Perhaps the state can subsidize them so investment is brought into the downtown area.

Public Transportation is a common way of getting around for many Patersonians 

Everyone in Paterson knows the dollar bus. They take you from one part of Paterson to another as well as the mall or New York City at a cheaper rate than NJ Transit buses. The best part is these buses stop every five or so minutes. This is unlike NJ Transit buses that run once an hour or thirty minutes.

An NJ Transit bus on Market Street.

Passengers getting off a stop at Main Street.

     

Unique Thrift Store is to Paterson what Macy's is to New York or what Harrod's is to London.

Unique Thrift Store, was once home to Woolworth's. Today, Unique offers a wide assortment of goods---all at a discount experience. From DVDs to furniture, Unique has it all. This is one of those bargain stores typically found in dense cities like Paterson, where at the floor level, you will find used books lamps as well as people having their own stands selling food or flags.

This dress only costs 10 dollars. I see these dresses In more upscale and artistic cities,they charge 3 times the price.  Of interesting note, I also women's shirts that go for 5 dollars.

A view of Main and Market during the Christmas Season

Before the malls, like Willowbrook Mall in Wayne and Garden State Plaza in Paramus, Downtown Paterson was the shopping destination for the entire Passaic and Bergen County region.

Even though this is no longer the case, Main and Market Streets are filled with customers and stores are busy. You can especially during the Holiday Season. 

sPeople come from other towns because it is affordable to shop here.  Even chain stores like Foot Locker offer discounts not available in other stores outside of Downtown Paterson.  Some stores along Main Street are known for their good customer service.  The staff in many of the stores will go out of their way to assist you in what you need.

More shots of Main Street.

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Giovanni Pizzeria, on Ellison Street, off of Main. It is a must if you want really good pizza.

Masjid Jalalabad. fortmer site of Orpheum Theatre

Bangladeshi mosque.  This was once a porn theatre and now it is a mosque. There are twelve mosques in the city of Paterson.

Also on Van Houten Street, is this small Bengali store called Al Amin Grocery

A vendor on Main, selling churros, a staple in Peru.

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A man on a wheelchair on Main Street.

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The sign reads "Why is it so difficult to love one another when we say we know God? Come close to me, I need you..."

Pics of Market Street

This is one of the first pictures I have taken in 2004.

One of my photos was featured in El Especialito.

Since I put this particular photo on Wikipedia, it is in the public domain.

A view of City Hall on Market Street, heading eastward.

  

One of the major commercial arteries in Downtown Paterson is also Market Street.  City Hall was built in 1896 and was modeled after the City Hall of Lyon, France. Many buildings in Paterson are built under the Beaux Arts style of architecture, which orignated in that country.

 

Here stands a statue of Garrett Hobart. Hobart ran a successful law firm in Paterson and was one of our country's first vice presidents. 

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More beautiful Beaux Arts Architecture!

Costa Marina

Costa Marina offers quite possibly the best ceviche in town and for a decent price.  Where else can I find great tasting ceviche for ten dollars?  I have tried ceviche in other Peruvian restaurants.  Not only was I tremendously disappointed in those restaurants but I had to fork over more money than the food was worth.

One time I was at a Peruvian restaurant (not in Paterson) that served terrible ceviche and ordered a bottle of water for 17 dollars at another place.  Needless to say, when I went to this restaurant I was so happy I ate great cebiche at an affordable price.  And I almost felt like I was in a typical restaurant in Peru.

This is easily one of the best Peruvian restaurants in the entire country. If it is great by Paterson standards, it is great Peruvian food by national standards, as well.

Estrellita Del Sur

This was the first Peruvian restaurant I ate at in Paterson in 1999.  I was with my grandma, dad, as well as my big sister.  I remember that day like it was yesterday.  It was a Friday and my sister was worried because she was going to have a social gathering at our house that night.

This place, like Los Inmortales and other Peruvians restaurants in New Jersey's third largest city, makes you really like you are in the Andean country.

 Television programs from Peru are displayed on the flatscreen in the back and I even saw a guy sitting on the edge by the window wearing a chullo hat selling CDs and DVDs of Peruvian musicians.

The food here is great. They always start you off with cancha (small bits of toasted corn). You could try them with the green aji (hot sauce) that they give you on the side!

Their ceviche, like the one in Costa Marina, is excellent.

Ballet Folkorico Peru, a group that introduces Peruvian ballet to the Northern New Jersey region, has hosted events here.  

In 2004, this was the Church Street Cafe.  It got replaced by Colt Street Cafe.

I am not aware if it is under new ownership or whether they just changed the name of the cafe.

Circle Cafe on Washington Street.

Nothing brings different races together like a bar in Paterson,  

Broadway

Casa Dominicana on Broadway. The Latino presence is everywhere in Paterson, even near a traditionally black area.  There is also a Dominican consulate on Market Street.  To the right is Broadway Electronics, a very good electronics store. 

Washington Street Mall, off of Broadway.

This is an outdoor marketplace just north of Broadway, east of Main. 

Places like Paterson always get labeled as "food deserts."  I don't think Paterson really qualifies as a complete "food desert." Not only does Paterson offer fresh food in places like Paterson Farmer's Market, there is also Washington Fishery at the Washington Street Market. It isn't the official name of this small but interesting 

Washington Fishery

I did not know that Paterson has such great fish markets. 

Recent redevelopment in Paterson - Center City Mall

 Center City Mall

Center City Mall was the first mall opened in the city of Paterson in 2008.

This has brought in chain stores into downtown Paterson including Modell's, Children's Place, Marshall's, as well a a movie theatre, Fabian 8.  Dining options include IHOP and Hamilton and Ward Steakhouse, a very good restaurant.  There is also an arcade called Planet 301.  The owners are planning to have a sports arena on the upper floor of the mall. 

Fabian 8 Movie Theater. There is also an arcade called Planet 301 in the mall.

Hamilton and Ward Steakhouse

In the mall, is a very popular steakhouse called Hamilton and Ward. 

Note: The sign on the right says Penas Criollas are played every Sunday at 5 PM.  Pena Criollas are Peruvian music venues.

Around the area

Passaic County Court House

taking a picture of this building made feel like I was back in Holland.

The Passsic County Courthouse.  It was modeled after the Haarlem Market in Holland. Paterson, like much of the surrounding area including New York City, had a large Dutch population.  Today, this is one of the last vestiges of the Dutch community here.’

This glass building is the Alexander Hamilton Plaza.  According to Emporis, it is the tallest structure in the city.  On the 12th floor is the Peruvian consulate, not to be confused with the Peruvian embassy.

U.S. Social Security office, Paterson branch.

The tall building second to the right is the YMCA building.

My dad used to live in the YMCA. when he immigrated from Peru in 1969.  There were many Peruvian immigrants there at the time.  He also told me Paterson had a lot of Yugoslavians at the time, as well as Irish, Italians and African Americans.  He also told me that this was when they were starting to build the newer buildings in this part of town. 

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