HOME |
BLOG |
BACKBAR |
JUKEBOX |
PUBLICAN'S
PERCH |
AD
INFO |
ABOUT |
CONTACT |
FREE
SUBSCRIPTION |
COCKTAILS |
GOING HOME TO SAY GOODBYE | ![]() |
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS POH
|
My
first encounter with the regulars at this snug trackside tavern was
some time around the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese. My
brother-in-law, Jim, who was not that far removed from in his own time
in country, and I wandered in during one of our well orchestrated
planned Saturday afternoon breaks from visiting the family. The typical
modus operandi consisted of a claim that we were running low on beer,
cigarettes or the maraschino cherries needed for my mom’s manhattans,
and that we would gladly be willing to go on the hunt for provisions.
On that particular day we would forgo our normal tap side stools down
the road in favor of breaking new ground at the MILL LANE TAVERN
in Rockaway, New Jersey.
My recollection of that afternoon is limited: drab décor, stale tobacco, bottles of Miller High life and a number of older eyes questioning the presence of these young interlopers. My next social call to the MILL LANE TAVERN would come some thirty four years later under sad but similar circumstances. In an effort to evade the obligations of family protocol, Jimmy and I slipped out of my mom’s wake to seek the solace of the nearest saloon. This second, by chance entry would leave me pleasantly surprised. |
![]() THE MILL LANE TAVERN IN ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY ![]() THE BAR ROOM IS NARROW, BUT THE WELCOME IS WIDE |
ACTIVE FREIGHT LINE TRACKS CROSS THE CHURNING ROCKAWAY RIVER. CAN'T YOU ALMOST SMELL THE CREOSOTE SUFFUSED OZONE? |
The
less than cheery atmosphere of the old place had been replaced with
a handsome finely crafted interior, warm and welcoming patrons and an
enlightened choice of libations. During the ensuing hours friends and
family gathered at this sheltered oasis to provide support and to share
their own memories of my mother’s life. Their kindness along with
several pints of Railbender Ale would prove to be
the perfect antidote
to a difficult day. But here I am again standing on the banks of the river that refused to yield a single Brown trout to this once young aspiring angler; and for which this charming pre-Revolutionary community was named. As I had so many years ago, I wandered the tracks that metaphorically represented an escape from the constraints of adolescence. Now those same tracks deliver me to the comforts and amenities of middle age found at the MILL LANE TAVERN.
|
![]() RAILBENDER ALE ![]() POTBELLY'S RIVERSIDE CAFE NEXT TO THE MILL LANE TAVERN |
![]() |
MILL LANE TAVERN 8 MILL LANE ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY 07866 (973) 627-9798 no website DIRECTIONS |
AMERICAN PUBLIC HOUSE REVIEW text, images, and music © 2007-2009. All rights reserved. |
All content is subject
to U.S. and
international copyright laws. Email: ed.petersen@americanpublichousereview.com
for permission before use. |