Record stores have undergone a necessary transformation over the last decade, as the entire music industry has changed. At first, the CD revolution in the early 1990s disrupted the vinyl record segment (and buried cassette tapes). Vinyl became fringe, the refuge for punk and alt-rock bands looking to distinguish themselves from the standard issue, but the cost of manufacturing became prohibitive and extinction loomed. In a way, the best things to happen to vinyl were the ascendance of the MP3 and new models (like Apple's iTunes) for buying music over the Internet. The backlash from …

We know many Patch readers have been taking the column to heart and have been making visits to our suggested destinations. But some of you haven’t. Well, that cannot stand. So, for this week’s entry we’re sending the whole lot of you to jail ... to be more precise, you’re going to the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site in Philadelphia. It's our "Day Tripper" pick of the week. DAY TRIPPER DIGEST Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes Why it’s Worth the Trip:  How many times can you say you went to prison and were released the same day? How about adding in a visit to a historical …

New Jersey sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to events that occur across the state; a situation that is completely without merit. Oh sure, we’re not as big geographically as our neighbors to the north and to the west, but we have two (count ‘em) two state fairs. Patricia Buchanan is a PR representative for the one coming up soon: “This is State Fair Meadowlands, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford from June 22 thru July 8. (The other "state fair" you’re thinking of is what’s also known as the Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, held in August up in Sussex County),” she wrote. Going …

Continuing the theme of festivals and outdoor events, this week’s Day Tripper destination finds Peddler's Village (Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, Pa.) readying the 20th edition of its Fine Arts and Contemporary Crafts Show. This juried outdoor exhibition features original artwork including paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, jewelry and contemporary crafts with cash prizes being awarded in three categories: "Fine Art," "Contemporary Crafts," and "Photography.” Eve Gelman, public relations manager for Peddler’s Village, wanted to make sure people understood this was not merely an insider’…

Brooklyn's known for being hip - artists and performers are drawn to it and fans are drawn to them. This summer, as in years past, it happens again with the Celebrate Brooklyn summer-long festival, now in its 34 year. Located in the Prospect Park bandshell, the events, opportunities and shows offer a diverse slate of entertinament. Among the attractions: The "Music and "Movies" series, which pairs iconic films (projected onto the festivals huge outdoor screen) with live music performances. A 35th anniversary screening of "Saturday Night Fever" (Tony Manero costumes welcome!) will get an …

When is a balloon festival not (just) a balloon festival? That’s a tough question, especially when a huge yearly event is billed as such (I mean, it's called the Festival of Ballooning, after all) and there certainly are plenty of hot-air balloons to be displayed. Still, the Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning — in its 30th year, running from July 27 through 29 at Solberg Airport in Readington — is also part amusement park, with a healthy number of rides, an arts-and-crafts emporium, a yoga and Zumba demonstration, and lots and lots of food. Of the 30 years, Quick Chek has been a major sponsor …

To be fair, adults viewing the television commercials for Six Flags Great Adventure can't be faulted for thinking their favorite rides from their youth have disappeared. After all, the Six Flags company prides itself on being one of the most current amusement park chains, fully leveraging its partnership with one-time owner Warners, Inc. through rides that feature characters from its properties: Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern. These are all great thrill-rides, and Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn as well as many Cartoon Network icons dot the park. But what if you’re feeling nostalgic? There …

Michelle Greco Falcone, the communications manager for Visit Bucks County, recently emailed Day Tripper and asked, “Have you visited Bucks County, Pa. lately?” Our collective reply was, no, we haven’t. But maybe that would be a good idea. Falcone send us a short list of things to do and see in the county, and we’ll be looking into several of them as weeks progress. But we did note that this year is particularly significant for the area, as it is Fonthill Castle and Moravian Pottery & Tile Work’s 100th anniversary. The buildings, along with the Mercer Museum, tell the story of Henry Chapman …

Live music almost always makes for a worthwhile day trip, and two unique opportunities are arriving soon. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra will make an appearance in Monroe Township (at Monroe High School, 200 Schoolhouse Road, Monroe Township) May 12, courtesy of the Monroe Arts Committee, and returns to its home auditorium the next day. "In fact, our regular Classical Series concert in May, Spun Beauty, takes place Sunday, May 13 at 4 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton," Meredith Laing, spokeswoman for the orchestra, said. The program includes "Disquiet" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, "…

New York is up to its eyeballs in superheroes. You can’t walk down the street without tripping over one of them. New Jersey has only one superhero, Toxie, and that’s enough for us. Toxie, or "The Toxic Avenger," is the titular character of the cult film featuring New Jersey’s first superhero, borne from the mutative effects of toxic waste, or more precisely the iconic, psychotic, (Tromatic?) Troma Entertainment. In the tradition of small-budget studios from the 1950s through the 1970s, Troma wasn’t out to make art-house fare, peppering its movies (often corralled under the “exploitation” or “…

New Jersey and the institution of the diner just go together so well. Is it any wonder? A diner merges the convenience of fast food with the feel of sit-down dining. You can have either a large meal or just a cup of coffee, with a party of many or a party of one. So for this week’s Day Tripper, we’re looking at two different diners with a couple things in common. Both are in Monmouth County, but we may get an appetite for checking out diners in other parts of the state in later installments as well. The Roadside Diner in Wall has been an area institution since the 1940s, at the intersection …

New Jersey can often get a bad reputation, if not by the amount of suburban neighborhoods, then by the industrial compounds that line the Turnpike. And yet, there are still so many regions that have acres of natural beauty to be explored, provided you are respectful in your approach. Respectful was a key description of Jacques Cousteau, a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqualung, pioneered marine conservation, and became the face and name for …

America's financial fortunes and its place in the world are, in many ways, thanks to products that didn’t innovate as much as they made it easy to move innovations from one place to the next. Think about the ease with which products are transported by roadways and over bridges. That convenience is attributable in part to John A. Roebling and his children. Roebling was a German-born American civil engineer. He is famous for his wire rope suspension bridge designs, in particular, the design of the Brooklyn Bridge, during the construction of which his toes were crushed, debilitating him and …

You are tired. So is your significant other. You both need a getaway, but can’t afford to go too far away, and it’s kind of an off-season time to take a traditional vacation anyway … what’s there to do? Here’s a thought. The grandparents say they don’t get enough time with their grandkids, so wrap them and their iPads and X-Boxes up, and head for Princeton’s Nassau Inn for the weekend. Lori Rabon, the general manager of the Nassau Inn (located at 10 Palmer Square in Princeton), has plenty of reasons why you’d want to shake off the late-winter blues at her establishment. “The Nassau Inn has …

Being a gamer isn't what it used to be. Video games have become so personal and portable, you could play them with a nation of people and never know their real faces or names. The controls are seven buttons or more, and bloody deaths are rendered with pixel-perfect precision—which can wear a little thin, even if it doesn't gross you out entirely [don't click that link if it does]. That would explain why the sign on Broad St. in Red Bank was causing such a stir. Soon to open in what was once the Red Bank mini-mall [at the corner of Broad Street and Monmouth Avenue] is Yestercades, a retro-…

Founded in 2009, Keno Auctions on 127 East 69th St., Manhattan, brings in many different types of visitors. Some have come specifically for an auction event, some to get a better understanding of the items the firm specializes in: fine art, jewelry, Asian art and furniture items. Others come to see if they can catch a glimpse of the auction house’s founder and president, Leigh Keno. Keno, with brother Leslie, have been fixtures of the perennial PBS favorite “Antiques Roadshow”for 15 years as volunteer appraisers, offering valuation on furniture both rare and, sometimes, not so rare. Recently…

This week, we're going to turn two preconceptions around. The first deals with the area of the Bronx. You know, the Bronx. The Yankees, the Bronx Zoo, @BronxZoosCobra ... and a lot of unflattering Hollywood portrayals. The second concerns the “travelogue” television show style, which can be pretty awful. Such programs often send dull hosts to faraway places where you'll never get to go, and serve them expensive foods you probably couldn’t afford to try. All the while, the hosts hyperventilate over the opulence and splendor. And all the while, the viewer feels inclined to doze off. That's not …

Nestled in the shadow of the Tappan Zee Bridge, along the Hudson River in Tarrytown, N.Y., lies Sunnyside, the home of renowned author Washington Irving. The property, a registered national historic landmark, was purchased by Irving in 1835. Originally a two-room stone cottage, the writer, best known for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," served as his own architect in expanding and remodeling the house to include many of the styles he admired during the 17 years he spent in Europe. A Spanish tile roof and tower, Tudor-style clustered chimneys, Dutch stepped gables, and …

Last week brought several days of dark clouds and rain, and even though summer is beginning to wind down, it is time to consider an indoor activity just in case. This week, that activity is the Raritan Valley Community College’s Planetarium, which seems to be offering something for everyone during these last weeks of August. Jerry Vinski directs the Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium, located on the campus at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg. Alongside the educational aspects of the Planetarium’s offerings, the RVCC is also presenting a series of shows that are strictly for fun. “We…

In a few days, summer will officially descend upon New Jersey. But we’ve already experienced summer-like heat, and all reasonable expectations suggest more to come. What to do about it? Some of the best options have something in common: large wading pools with their slides and rafts. But for parents of small children, that’s not an acceptable choice. Splash Zone Water Park in Wildwood has been specifically designed for the entire family, said marketing director Lisa Fagan. "Splash Zone is a fully gated, fully enclosed park for families with young children," she said. "All the pools in the …