Viva La Revolution!

The SeaStreak boycott and email campaign worked. Thanks to all who participated and stuck it to the man. And for all those people who laughed at us and didn't want to stand up to be heard - you can buy me drinks all June with the $77 you're going to save monthly now.

From : Contact,Seastreak
Sent : Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:44 AM
To : "Contact, Seastreak"
Subject : Letter to Monmouth County Passengers

Dear Passengers:

First, let me say thank you to those of you that took the time to e-mail me. Your comments have helped me to understand your concerns and we will be making some changes during the next week or so to improve our service to you.

We appreciate the loyalty of our regular riders and effective June 1st SeaStreak will reinstate the 120 trip book at $1,517. This effectively is a $77 per month savings over our current 40-trip ticket book price.

The top deck will be open for your enjoyment on afternoon departures beginning this Friday afternoon, May 27th.

The 11:00pm E. 34 St. and 11:15pm Pier 11 departures will be returning daily on Tuesday, May 31st. This service will operate Monday – Friday initially throughout the summer.

We will be working on a number of other on-board improvements and additional concession offerings and will advise you as they are introduced.

We are in business to provide you a safe, fast and comfortable daily commute and hope that you continue utilizing the SeaStreak ferry service.

Regards,

Geoffrey Ede

Ciao Bella

It's been a while. Let's see what's shakin'...

Team Holland began it's rowing adventure in AH last week and is hoping to make it to Europe in under 55 days. How does one prepare for a trip rowing across the Atlantic? By grabbing some late night Chinese food. On my way home after stepping off a late ferry last Thursday I saw four tall, blond guys in track suits having dinner at Cheng's Garden and popped in to wish them good luck and a fond farewell. Wheaties may be the breakfast of champions but General Tso's Chicken is apparently the dinner of champions.

There's talk of merging the Highlands and Atlantic Highlands school districts. The topic has been raised at Board of Education meetings in both towns but it doesn't seem like there are any concrete plans as of yet. The idea was also explored 15 years ago according to the Asbury Park Press but never gained momentum.

Forget Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, watch out for Episode II: Attack of the Clones Hawk.

SeaStreak commuters received an email from Geoffrey Ede, Managing Director of Hoverspeed, a division of SeaStreak's parent company Sea Container based in the UK. Mr. Ede attempted to make nice with SeaStreak passengers after the second fare increase in 5 months by offering a free round-trip peak ticket for every 40-trip book bought in June. The free-ticket offer was to make up for not giving commuters ample notice to purchase a monthly book before the new fares went into effect. Whoop-dee-doo. Mr. Ede wrote:

I am aware that many of you are unhappy with the fact that the recent price increase was communicated to you with no more than a two-day notice to purchase your ticket books at current prices.

Sea Containers pride themselves on a superior level of customer service and this short notice did not live up to the company's expectations of how our valued passengers should be treated.

In order to make amends for our shortcomings, I would like to offer all our passengers who purchase a 40-trip ticket book during the month of June a complimentary peak round trip ticket. This should make up the difference of the increased monthly book price for the month of June.

I invite Mr. Ede to take a trip across the pond to chat with passengers about SeaStreak's customer service. Sea Containers may pride themselves on their "superior level of customer service" but they certainly can't pride themselves on internal corporate communications - riders have been complaining about SeaStreak management for years. Perhaps Mr. Ede will take me up on my invitation. I've seen a few UK-based ISPs visiting the AH Muse for a couple of weeks now - whoever you are maybe you can talk to Mr. Ede and tell him to hop on a plane one of these days to chat with his valued customers.

Ede goes on in his letter to inform us that "SeaStreak is working on a number of on-board improvements that will enhance your trip and you will see these launched this summer." I can’t wait!

If you didn’t detect the sarcasm of that last line you may have injured the prefrontal lobes of your brain.

Check out what's going on in the Jersey blogosphere at The Carnival of The New Jersey Bloggers. I've always wanted to be carney folk! Woo-hoo!

Don't forget that this Thursday all your friends and neighbors will be at the Fireman's Fieldhouse for a Q&A session with the engineers hired by the NJ DOT to present plans to redevelop the harbor. I hear that either Jerry Springer or Vince McMahon will be emceeing.

Shaggy, Scooby and I solved the mystery of Bel Vesuvio. All it took was some Scooby snacks and a phone call. Look for Bella's to open this June. As described to me, Bella's will be a bistro style restaurant with a raw bar. Mmmmm...raw bar. Ciao Bella's!

Now if we could only get a decent pub in town.

Mmmmm...pub.

I'm About To Find What I'm Looking For

The countdown is on! U2 at the Brendan Byrne Continental Arena! May 18th! It's Guinness time!

Speaking of U2, Jersey blogger ShoreThing ran into Bono in an elevator today. How effing cool is that! And speaking of running into Bono, Mrs. Muse and I like to play a version of lottery fantasy called "Let's have Bono over for dinner." It's a game where we pretend how exactly we happen to run into Bono and just how cool he thinks we are. Well one thing leads to another and we say, hey Bono, how about coming over for dinner? Nothing fancy. And he says sure and we have some steamers, beer and burgers and we proceed to hang out and become lifelong friends. Usually my wife throws in a part about him strumming a few acoustic tunes and serenading her and I have a part where we go shoot pool a dive bar.

We're not too excited for the show tomorrow.

As I'm boycotting Seastreak this week I can't tell if the "rideout" has been successful so far or not. I do know that there are a lot people searching the Internets for "seastreak boycott" and "boycott seastreak" and "seastreak protest" and they are landing at the AH Muse. So, if anything a statement has been made, even if only by me and a few others (hopefully about 100). Seastreak won't get my $1.50 for the liquefied product which has been injected with caffeine (aka "coffee"), or my $6 for a plastic container of beer, or my $6 for what amounts to an ever so small and teasing tiny swig of scotch. At least this week damnit.

While I'm not happy with the fare increase, it's Seastreak's complete lack of customer service that I'm boycotting the most, as are most people. (Hmmm...can you boycott something that's lacking or doesn't exist?) The idea (obviously) is not to run Seastreak out of business but to make them actually write a business plan, think strategically and long term and to stop screwing Monmouth County riders. Anyway, steady I say.

Did I mention how the coffee sucks, and how a good number of boats are consistently late and how they'll hold a boat if a woman running in heels yells "wait" but when I'm running and yelling "oh for the love of God please wait and I shall present you with riches and rare treasures more wild than you could ever imagine" the crew pretty much waves to me, smiles, and says bon voyage? Steady. Indeed, you #$%&*@ stupid #$%&!#.

Comedy, conspiracy theories, love, learning and even campfire songs...it's all on the Atlantic Highlands Herald Forums.

Let's Play Jeoporady!

A: The Bayshore Courier
(I'll wager it all Alex)
Q: What is the worst newspaper ever in the history of newspapers?
(correct answer!)

Here's a sick case of yellow journalism. For the past two weeks the Courier has featured the efforts of local police, especially Keansburg, and their efforts to combat local pedophiles. Can't argue with that. However, then the Courier exploits the case of Megan Kanka, the seven-year-old whom Megan's Law was named after, by using it an an elaborate stupid scheme to try and tell people that Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina's political rival, Freeholder Amy Handlin, is "quiet on anti-pedophile bill support." (Of course you know that Azzolina owns the paper).

Here's what the Courier has to say about Handlin:

Meanwhile, Handlin has refused to state her position on the anti-pedophile legislation. She did not return calls placed to her office by press time, asking if she would support this legislation if she is elected to the Assembly in the fall.

Azzolina did not respond to his rival's failure to comment on the legislation.

So, Handlin did not return a phone call from the Courier (who could blame her) and the Courier goes and drums up the headline Handlin is Quiet on Anti-Pedophile Bill Support. But the best part is that Azzolina is the bigger person here because doesn't feel the need to respond to his "rival's failure to comment," and apparently implied position of being pro-pedophile.

He doesn't need to comment, he lets his dirty paper do the dirty work as witnessed by the fact that the Handlin story was on inside front cover of the newspaper last week (with the lead story about combating pedophiles on the cover) and that the Courier website has the Handlin article on the homepage. Because she didn't return their phone call.

Are these people serious?

Support local art and go see Invasion for Flesh and Blood.

So it was Day One of the Seastreak Defectors' Boycott. Anyone ride the boat today? Notice any more available seats?

Rock 'N Roll?

The PNC Arts Center will be rocking this summer. That is if they add rocking chairs on the lawn and stage for all the old people playing and buying tickets.

• 6/04: Stevie Nicks and Don Henley/Free admission if you were a black cape
• 6/10: Judas Priest/I’m your turbo lover/better run for cover/no kidding
• 6/14: Santana/Hey, he's cool
• 6/18: Steve Miller/Abra-abra-cadabra/I want to reach out and whack ya
• 6/22: Tom Petty/Yeah, I got a soft spot for him
• 6/25: James Taylor/Sponsored by Ambien
• 7/01: Earth, Wind and Fire/Sure, get your groove on
• 7/16: Johnny Cougar Mellencamp and John Fogerty/Oooh, wild nights are callin'...
• 7/23: Another freakin' Evening with Loggins and Messina/Sponsored by Viagra
• 7/26: OZZFEST featuring Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden/What happened to the no more tours tour?
• 7/30: Duran Duran/Over over
• 8/06: Donna Summer/Dunno
• 8/12: Brian Wilson/Want to know how to get a lot of people really angry? Tell them the Beach Boys were overrated
• 8/14: Motley Crue/Crue, don't go away mad/crue just go away
• 8/23: The Allman Brothers/I can dig it
• 8/24: Megadeath/Megasucks
• 8/26: Journey/(ed) to my garbage can about 15 years ago
• 8/27: Meatloaf/I would do anything for love, but won't go to a Meatloaf concert
• 8/29: Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick/I want you to write another hit
• 8/30: Daryl Hall & Johnny Oates (with Tears for Fears)/I don't go for that, noooo

I feel bad for the kids. What do they get to see? Jack Johnson and Avril Lavigne? Is the state of rock n' roll and pop music in general so sorry that PNC can't sell out a few shows that appeal to people who listen to new music? Do local officials not want to deal with rowdy crowds so PNC is forced to book acts whose fans will probably nod off toward the end of the concert? Do ticket prices need to be so expensive that PNC is forced to book acts that appeal to people with "disposable income?"

I've seen some great shows at PNC, including some classic rock bands. But I also saw some contemporary acts, for lack of a better term. It's a great venue, and I have a lot of fond memories of tailgating and seeing some great shows, but PNC has become one of the last exits before you hit rock n' roll oblivion.

Some people are trying to save the Stone Pony from rock n' roll oblivion or, worse, demolition as it was named a New Jersey Endangered Historic Site.

So, speaking of sex, drugs and rock n' roll - don't miss tonight's Borough Council meeting.

Where none of that fun stuff will be happening.

At least not on the dais.

Bau-chica-bau-bau.

You Talkin' To Me?

So the Chairperson of the Harbor Commission, Helen Marchetti, wrote to the AH Herald to "set the record straight" on the rebel band of commissioners who wrote to the NJ DOT criticizing the proposals re: harbor redevelopment (without seeking debate or consensus with the rest of the harbor commission). She wanted to make sure that residents understood that these three commissioners had not formed an ad-hoc committee and were not narrow minded in their criticisms but rather were simply part of a "special committee" that handles these types of things. To which I replied on the AH Forums, "well, isn't that...special." And in return I get, "Why don't you go back to the place you made better when you left!" Which, judging from the fact that an exclamation point was used rather than question mark means this was not a question but fightin' words. Kind of like when you ask tell someone "why don't you take a stick and shove it up your @$$!?" Sheesh. Not only will I need lightly buttered popcorn and some cold brewskis for the NJDOT meeting on 5/26 but now I'm being forced to schedule a consultation with Trachel Inc. to organize my security detail. Which is just as well as the carney folk are coming soon and we need to come up with a game plan to secure the town.

Meet Assemblyman Sean T. Kean Tuesday, May 10th at Borough Hall @ 7:00 pm.

Our town webmaster has outdone him/herself this time. Click here to visit the homepage and then read the IMPORTANT EVENTS.

I encourage anyone who reads the AH Muse and commutes to NYC on Seastreak to consider boycotting Seastreak the week of 5/16. I know any change to your commuting schedule is a bummer but even if Seastreak doesn't feel a financial pinch for a week's worth of not riding you can at least make a symbolic gesture. The company suffers from unbelievably incompetent management and will continue to raise fares regularly while continuing to cut service as long as they feel they can get away with it. I know there is some good support behind the boycott effort and more updates will be posted tomorrow. I also know that "seastreak boycott" is a pretty popular search term on Yahoo and Google these days as the Muse has seen a big bump in website traffic from people using search engines and ending up on the site.

Read Lynn Azzolina's restaurant review Gianni's: Exotic Creative Italian Cuisine in Cozy Ambiance. Sounds pretty tasty, anyone know where Gianni's is? Is it the sister restaurant to Gianna's? In the review, Chef John Mandica decided to mix it up with Julia's by saying, "I'm no chef of the stars but I provide my guests with quality, quantity, and authentic Italian cooking." Let's see how the Julia's crew responds. Maybe John Valentin will show Mandica that he's still got a pretty good swing with his Louisville Slugger.

Harbor Enlightenment

Get thee to the Firemen's Fieldhouse at 4 p.m., Thursday, May 26th. McCormick-Taylor, the engineers commissioned by the New Jersey Dept. of Transportation to study our harbor and come up with some redevelopment plans will be holding a steel cage match Q&A session for residents re: the three plans presented a couple of weeks ago. Boy am I going to need a tubby of popcorn and 12-pack for this one. There will also be a survey for residents to fill out. Am I the only person who loves filling out surveys?

Congratulations are in order to Atlantic Highlands Elementary School Superintendent/Principal Martha H. Wallauer, who has announced her retirement. Not only did Marty, as she's apparently known, spend her entire 33 year career at AHES, beginning as a kindergarten teacher but she also attended AHES as a student. All that time spent in one building has apparently had a couple of negative effects on Marty as she has a fondness for the color purple (which by her request is featured throughout the new addition to the school) and she's moving to Florida.

Anyone else hear that we're losing the Bel Vesuvio pizzeria and gaining an oyster bar? It's true. And that Scenic Liquors was sold to KFC? That's a lie, relax ya stewhounds.

I usually drink my beer straight from a growler but on those occasions when I enjoy a bubbly Chimay I know my wife tells me to use a wine glass. She's right. The Beerman confirmed it for me.

The pirates at Seastreak are stealing more of my booty again. Click here if you want join the boycott.

PSA: Seastreak Boycott

From : pedersen@att.net
Sent : Wednesday, May 4, 2005 10:05 AM
Subject : Seastreak walkout updates:

Dear Seastreak Defectors:

A couple of updates: The walkout is the week of May 16th - it was earlier stated the 17th.. we apologize for the confusion - The target date is going to stay the 17th- Make sure you let people know. We need to get as many supporters as possible - so please let people know on your boats and have them email us at to show their support and to get on the email list and so we can measure who is actually doing this.

Also, I've gotten complaints from my co-workers that regularly ride the NY Waterway boats that the "Damn Seastreakers are there already and taking up all the parking" - if people are defecting early because of ticket books running out, make sure you email Seastreak and let them know you've left and why. The email address is: joanne.conroy@seastreak.com also cc: ferryfriends@hotmail.com as they are posting letters on their website and filtering letters to the press. Also bcc us: seastreak_defectors@att.net. Also note that the lot is getting fuller, so you might want to try to be on a boat before 8 AM.

For you eloquent letter writers feel free to CC: Asbury Park Press: rbergmann@app.com.
So far no response from Seastreak on the increase, and we're talking to NYWW about different incentives for former Seastreak riders. NYWW seems more open to discussing things than Seastreak.

Thanks for the support and see you in Belford!

Wassssupppp?

First I'd like to thank Ed Kelley for taking over the AH Muse last week while I was enjoying sunny San Diego with my family. While I didn't stay completely out of the loop thanks to the amazing Internets, I did miss out on quite a bit of chatter and, apparently, the "official" start of the campaigning system.

Obviously, the hot topic is the harbor. In order to put all the pieces to the puzzle together I'm going to need to schedule a visit to Borough Hall to view the town's master plan and how the NJDOT presentation from a couple of weeks ago fits into it. Between the NJDOT's large files, the mater plan's sketchy renditions online and all the bickering on the AH Herald Forums I've no idea what's going on or where to start to form an opinion. I will say this again - the harbor and the borough are one in the same and people need to start thinking that way. Our little band of musketeers on the Harbor Commission and their cuneiform letter (page 1 and page 2) to the NJDOT is just as ridiculous as before I left on vacation. I remember learning something called constructive criticism when I was in kindergarten - the chiseled stone tablet they submitted is all criticism and nothing constructive. In the coming days I hope to dissect this ridiculous letter point by point, or maybe I'll just simply ignore it because the whole saga is annoying and silly.

I'm sure I'll have much more to say after my field trip to Borough Hall on the future of our town. Right now I gotta find a copy of last week's Bayshore Courier so I can see what the controversy about Mayor Donoghue's column is all about. I also need to catch up on the progress Bishop Gordon is making on ridding the world of all those crazy Marxists here in New Jersey and beyond.