GOING HOME TO SAY GOODBYE

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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.

Bob Law, owner of Mill Lane Tavern in Rockaway, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

AFFABLE OWNER, BOB LAW

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, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

THE MILL LANE TAVERN IN ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY

The Bar at Mill Lane Tavern in Rockaway, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

THE BAR ROOM IS NARROW, BUT THE WELCOME IS WIDE

tracks and Rockaway River as seen in American public House Review

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.

Since that occasion I’ve returned to the MILL LANE TAVERN several times. My fondness for the establishment has grown with each visit. And I must admit with some amount of trepidation that I am very surprised by my willingness to return to the town of my youth. I normally ascribe to the Thomas Wolfe point of view that says you can’t go home again.

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.

Still from the MIRAMAX film: THE STATION AGENT as seen in American Public House Review

AN ACCLAIMED AND AWARD-WINNING MIRAMAX FILM; THE STATION AGENT USED THE MILL LANE TAVERN AS A SETTING FOR THE MOVIE'S BAR SCENES. THE ENGAGING MOTION PICTURE WAS FILMED IN AND AROUND ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY. IT WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY NEW JERSEY NATIVE, THOMAS McCARTHY. IN THE SCENE ABOVE; FINBAR McBRIDE PLAYED BY PETER DINKLAGE SAVORS A BEER AT THE MILL LANE'S BAR WITH EMILY PLAYED BY MICHELLE WILLIAMS.

When I was a child this tavern was thought to be nothing more than the old man’s bar next to the candy store. Today that candy store has become a popular eatery called Potbelly's Riverside Cafe, and MILL LANE TAVERN has become a safe harbor for the young of heart of any age. As I reflect upon this setting, it is easy to understand why New Jersey born writer and director, Thomas McCarthy chose this town and this tavern for a number of scenes in his highly acclaimed film, The Station Agent. Here is one of those rare instances when one can go home again - and the reality of the present exceeds the memories of the past.

railbender Ale tap handle at Mill Lane Tavern in Rockaway, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

RAILBENDER ALE

Potbelly's riverside Cafe in Rockaway, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

POTBELLY'S RIVERSIDE CAFE NEXT TO THE MILL LANE TAVERN

Mill Lane Tavern in Rockaway, NJ as seen in American Public House Review

MILL LANE TAVERN

8 MILL LANE

ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY 07866

(973) 627-9798

no website

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