South Paterson, NJ: Daycation to Damascus

© By Lisa La Valle-Finan, MA



Older and less understood than other Arab cultures in South Paterson, the Syrians have an ancient story to tell. And much like the Road to Damascus there is an “ah hah” pay off at the end. It is Bible-speak for the mother of all epiphanies paved with the magnitude of St. Paul's transgressions, including his attempts to wipe out Christianity, in which all was forgiven. One just might need an epiphany to figure… Continue

To a certain tribe of residents known as the “Suburbanites” who live in neighborhoods with “good schools”, South Paterson is the “lower east side.” The archetype for hardscrabble, east coast towns, typified by dicey neighborhoods, mom and pop bodegas, and abandoned brick factories. The East Side High of North Jersey in need of some serious discipline and cleaning up. Once an epicenter of industrial revolution producing cotton, silk, trains, and iron it’s hard to imagine anything eloquent about… Continue