About this column:
It's that time of year again ... when we look back on what was and look ahead at what's about to be. From now until 2011, Patch will be rolling out a series of Top 10 lists. If we missed anything, please let us know!Phew! It's been a very hectic time since the launch of Montclair Patch exactly six months ago today. Over that period, we have brought a site to life that combines news, features, sports, opinions, and columns — tentacles reaching into every aspect of town. We wanted to outline our picks for the top news stories over the summer and fall as the year draws to an end. See if you agree. If not, tell us what you think. We will start with what we see as the most "minor" of the major stories — and end with what we consider to be the top news story of the year, based in large part on reader comments…
Word on the street is that a few of our local restaurants are struggling and, so, why not celebrate New Year's Eve with an amazing meal at a Montclair eatery? Of course, do so before or after attending First Night celebrations. This year, the scaled-down version still boasts a variety of acts including the Big Apple Circus to Go at Hillside School Auditorium, with performances at 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:45 p.m. To get tickets for First Night, go here. Meanwhile, here are 10 restaurants open and ready for action on New Year's Eve: 1) Montclair Station is open on New Year's Eve for dinner, as…
If you had the opportunity to pick up the phone and ask anyone in the world over for Christmas dinner or drinks — and be assured they'd accept — who would you ask? Have you always wanted to pick President Obama's brain? Or just stare mindlessly at Jon Hamm? So many choices!? But choose you did. And so, without further adieu, here are just a few of the folks 10 Montclair-area residents would like to break bread with... Alma Schneider: "Who else but Jon Hamm of Mad Men?!" Alison Bauer: "I'd like to have (several) drinks with Maira Kalman, Roz Chast, and Nora Ephron...the trifecta of witty New …
Presenting ... drum roll please ... the most popular Montclair authors of 2010, as well as the 10 best-selling books of the year in Montclair. And, if that weren't enough, below are our Patch staff picks for the most amazing reads of the year (in case you are still in need of a few holiday presents!) And so away we go... According to Rosemary Schweighardt, manager of the Montclair Book Center, the most popular Montclair authors of 2010 are: Ian Frazier, author of "Travels in Siberia"Jonathan Alter, author of "The Promise: President Obama, Year One" And, according to Margot Sage-El, owner of …
Although mostly the talk around town has been about businesses that have shuttered their doors, a lot of wonderful businesses have opened in 2010 as well. Here's a look (below) at 10 of them. Of course, it's also been sad to say sayonara in 2010 to a wide range of establishments around Montclair that included Orbis, Chef's Lab, Life is Good, Charlie Brown's, Well Appointed, Taro, Cisco Station, Minnow, FrameMart, Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies, among others. Meanwhile, we say welcome to 10 of our new Patch faves and we hope all of them stick around for awhile: 1) Rock Paper Scissors opened in May at…
