THE MYSTERIOUS TEDDY BEAR ON THE EDGE OF THE HUDSON RIVER

Who placed this mysterious Teddy Bear on top of this rock? Looking at it, it makes me quiver and a bit sad.  Is this the Teddy Bear of a child who loves this place but died lately? Was this placed here by a loving parent because this is the favorite spot of their child? I do not know. I hope that this Teddy Bear and the one who placed it here is now at peace. 

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It was one of those sunny days in May when we decided to tour the Edgewater Borough at Bergen County, New Jersey.   It was my first time to go to Edgewater and I was a bit excited to see how it is compared to other places in the U.S. I was also reminded of my own hometown in Bacolod City, Philippines because my home address is Edgewater Street.
As our vehicles slowly maneuvered the traffic towards the streets of the borough I noticed that sometimes we have to drive up and down the roads.  Then I saw various sign boards like Riverside, Mariner, Weehawken, Bergen County, Fort Lee, and many others.  The other signboards were names of places, hotels, apartments, condominiums, restaurants, markets, shops and many others.

 

 We were on a "running tour" so to speak.  Trying to figure out where we can stop so that my grandchildren can play.  So, we drove slowly to the side of the road where a signboard said something like "Fort Lee Historical Park"?  But it also said, it is closed.  So, we drove further until we consumed the whole morning roaming around the town.

When we reached the River Road, I saw a few helicopters flew in the blue sky.  They came from a far distance in New York.  From where I stood,  was the New Jersey side of the River Hudson and had a good view of the skyscrapers of New York City which can be seen from a far distance.  On its side of the river, a cruise ship was docked.  Its hugeness made me wonder how it maneuvers the high seas and what makes her passengers enjoy the ride.  I never experience the cruise to any point of destination, let us say, the Caribbean.  So, I took several pictures of this cruise ship which I will keep to remind me that someday before I die, I must go on a cruise.  Most probably not in the Caribbean but maybe, on a NatGeo Cruise to the South Pole.  I can dream, can't I?

When it was lunchtime, we searched for the Mitsuwa Marketplace.  As the name suggests, Mitsuwa is a Japanese Marketplace with a grocery store, souvenir shops, bakeshop, and food court among others.  It was one of the most orderly and cleanest marketplaces I have seen so far.  As we passed by each counter in the food court we searched for the best menu and something that looked delicious.  We finally decided where to buy our lunch.  I chose a simple menu consisted of seafood in sauce with vegetables, steamed rice, and soda.  I like Japanese food because I used to cook Shrimp Tempura and I know how to prepare its dipping sauce. 

I think we were a bit lucky because we were seated at the corner located near the road and then it was Hudson River and at a distance is New York City.  I really enjoyed my meal at Mitsuwa and the view of New York City from this place.

On our way to the parking lot, I turned myself around several times to see the surrounding buildings as if familiarizing myself with how that place looked.  We drove past several high-rise buildings, a few apartments, and condominiums, restaurants along River Road, a solid rock cliff with houses on its top.  I also saw a railway that leads to a tunnel.  As to where it will go, I do not know because there is no one to confirm it to me if it was going to New York or it came from New Jersey.   A few distance was a bus station.

Our search for a park has ended when we reached the Weehawken Waterfront Recreation Park.  I understand that Weehawken is another community.  So, we dropped by, and my grandchildren were excited to play.  We strolled the whole area as much as we can.  Indeed, it was an exercise after a meal, haha.

When we reached the shore of the Hudson River, I saw this solitary stuff toy, a bear, sitting on the huge flat rock.  On its front, as if serving to stop it from leaning, was a small rock.  I began to wonder.  Was there an accident on this part of the Hudson, let us say, a child drowned here? And this little thing placed here to remember that child?  Or did someone found it floating on the river and just placed it on the rock to dry, and for children to see?  What was the intention of that someone who put that bear there?  It caught my grandson's attention.  His body language was to climb the fence and I read that as his desire to get closer to that teddy bear.   I told him that someone owns it and he will come back to get it, maybe, later.  So, we left and continued our "exploration".  But the mystery of that Teddy Bear haunts me.  To entertain myself I just thought that the stuffed toy was named after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt when he saw the bear and did not shoot it during that hunting expedition, many, many years ago.  So, the stuffed toy sold in American stores were then called "Teddy's Bear".

I have lived in New Jersey for quite some time, but I have never been to this area which is called the Edgewater.  People living in New Jersey who works in New York found it good to ride the boat or ferry service to save time or to avoid the traffic.  Others take the boat because they found it difficult to find a parking spot in New York.   From Edgewater, the docking areas of Cruise Ships and fast crafts that ply the New Jersey-New York routes can be seen from the distance. It is shown in the second photo below this one here...

Since there are a number of fine restaurants and bars along the coast of Edgewater area, tourists and visitors dine here and enjoy the good view of New York City at night.

My grandchildren really enjoyed running, jumping and walking the well-manicured grass at Weehawken Waterfront Recreation Park.  Children love to run endlessly even if they stumble, they fall and scratch their skin against the weeds or grasses.  When it was long enough, we decided to leave the park and said goodbye to Edgewater and Bergen County.  Once again, we consulted Mandy, the woman in the GPS, on what roads to take back home.  Mandy, I think is getting old because there are moments when her directions are confusing.  Just my thinking, in fairness to Mandy, perhaps a new GPS is needed...haha...

If you are planning to explore the Edgewater area you can visit their website for the address which you can use for your GPS.  We used the Mitsuwa Marketplace and its address is 595 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ 07020.

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All photos by Henry C. Libo-on, the Touristang Pobre.