It's not fair to charge a fee for use of a public park as if it's some kind of country club. You point out that this would need to be enforced. Use these enforcement powers not to charge fees and ensure that they've been paid, but to enforce rules to keep the park clean by fining people who litter.

What I do is to walk my dog before taking her into the park to let her relieve herself. Then, because she feels the need to mark everything, I keep her away from the grass and vegetation on the way to the dog run. I don't think it's fair to have dogs pee all over the nice grass where people picnic.

Ideally, some people would be willing to carry their trash out of the park. I don't mean dog waste, since that's a bit much, but food waste. I know some state-run parks have few to no garbage cans and signs asking the public to please take their trash with them. Maybe that's a budget thing, but people seem to comply. So let's see...We could keep the garbage cans we have and encourage people who litter to use them, and we could ask some more progressive people to carry out their trash. They would bring it home rather than simply dump it just outside the park.

If you happen to be near Hamilton Park right now (Saturday 3:45 pm) and have a hankering for lemonade, a cookie, a scone, or other baked good, Made With Love has a table set up at the 9th St. entrance.

I just passed by and bought a scone. They said they'd been out there for about 20 minutes.

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I think that's a great idea. No, I didn't see the mess, but I wasn't right in front of the court. I'm just thrilled that people are getting enjoyment out of the park, including the basketball players. And if they're asked to get involved in cleaning up, maybe they'll have more respect for the park.

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I was just walking near the park. I didn't get too close to the courts, but from what I could see they weren't "completely trashed." There was maybe one plastic bag floating around.

The trash bin on the way out of the park on 9th concerns me. It was filled to the rim.

I couldn't find the previous thread on this store.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... mith-chang-general-goods/

I always pick up my dog's poop and never throw it in other people's trash cans, BUT I wish the city was more diligent about emptying the public trash bins we do have. This morning I was about to throw out a poop bag but noticed that the bin was literally stuffed to the rim and flies were buzzing all around it. Yes, an over abundance of poop--on the sidewalks or left to sit in the bins-- leads to a hefty fly population. Luckily there was another, slightly less full bin across the street.

Let me just clarify. I probably should have specified _downtown_ JC, and that I was _unimpressed_. As in, when I'm looking for a bite within walking distance, it's tough to come up with something that's better than just decent.

Most of their menu is stuff that you could make at home, but that's the appeal. It's home cooking when you just don't feel like doing it yourself.

Went to the Hamilton Inn last night, and I really liked it a lot. I've complained before about the lack of quality in a lot of JC restaurants. Last night, Hamilton Inn was a cut above. I particularly enjoyed the French onion soup dumplings, which were smothered in lots of gooey cheese. (This was an appetizer.) We were told they wanted to offer a range of price points, from hamburgers to steaks. They have the expected items that most JC restaurants seem to have (poached salmon, hello), but also a few that are a bit more creative. The food is delicious, and the prices are fair. I will definitely go back again.

The place was pretty crowded, and the service was slow, but I think the staff is still figuring out how to handle the flow. Our server was very friendly, and the owner's wife came over to our table (all the tables) several times to chat. There are TVs, but they're smaller than the old ones and at first I didn't even notice them. The music was on, but it wasn't too loud. The people pretty much drowned it out. I should say that the way the place is designed is very attractive, but as with most newer restaurants, there's very little to absorb sound (all hard surfaces), so it gets loud in there, with conversations competing over each other. But that's no different than Ox or many other restaurants in JC.

I sent mine in a while ago and today received a second form. According to Census.gov:

Why did I receive a second questionnaire?
Answer


Second mailings are automatically scheduled for delivery if we do not receive your first questionnaire by April 9. We?ve found that we can save millions of dollars in taxpayer money during the 2010 Census if we mail a second form when we haven?t received the first questionnaire rather than send a census worker to your house. So please fill out the second questionnaire and return it in the envelope we provided.

Q. But won?t I get counted twice that way?

A. No, the Census Bureau has procedures to eliminate duplicate questionnaires. There is an ID associated with each household?s questionnaire. This prevents us from counting you more than once.

You hit the nail on the head. The city is right here, so I guess JC doesn't attract great restaurants. But it would be nice to have some exceptional places right here.

I feel like so many JC restaurants serve the same food. Poached salmon, mac and cheese, sliders, filet mignon.... I wish there was something more eclectic out there. I'm not necessarily talking about ethnic food (I love Saigon Cafe and Komegashi), but eclectic, creative food in general. Something where it's like, "I wouldn't have thought to put THOSE foods together" or "I wouldn't have thought to prepare this like that." Maybe it's because I used to live in Portland, Maine, where you can't walk a block without encountering an excellent restaurant with a chef that wants to show off, in a good way. Is it just me? Someone school me and prove me wrong.

Is Hamilton Inn open yet? If so, anyone have any reviews they'd like to share?

If you want to know what teachers make, you can look here:
http://php.app.com/edstaff/search.php

(This is for last year.)

I am a dog owner, and I don't mind pets being _walked_ on leash in the park, but I do mind off-leash pets outside the dog runs. First of all, if your dog isn't well-socialized enough to be in a dog run, then it shouldn't be off-leash outside of a dog run either. This park is mostly for the people, and some people are afraid of dogs. Sure, walk your dog all over the park (or if they have pet areas, then walk the dog there), but please don't let your dog run free in the park. It's not fair to others. I believe VVP has the same rule.

(I used to walk my dog in HP until so many off-leash dogs ran up to her that she developed leash reactivity. Now my dog can't be in that park.)

Can anyone tell me why there is a firetruck at 9th and Coles right now? Just wondering. Does it have to do with flooding, or...

I'm concerned because the house where I'm babysitting has sprung a leak. Wish I could go home and see if my house is still sealed! What a storm.

I've got a weak stomach but ate there once and didn't get sick. And I enjoyed the food.
The tabbouleh place, on the other hand... good food, didn't make me sick-sick, but just gave me indigestion both times I ate there.

When I collected unemployment I found the whole experience humiliating, depressing, and scary. I went to the unemployment office and was treated like a number rather than a human being. Like the DMV, they have you sit and wait until you're called. Then you talk to a humorless person who lectures you to make sure (rightfully so, they need to make sure) you're trying to find a job. Then your check comes in the mail and it's a fraction of what you were making at your job. I just couldn't wait until I found a new job. It's no fun collecting tiny checks from the government, but it is necessary. I could have been homeless without having it to supplement my savings.

I was under the impression that the amount one collects in unemployment is based on their salary. Although there is a cap, it's a percentage.

When I was laid off in 2001, I collected $164 a week. So a $50 cut would have been pretty devastating.

You're probably right, but realistically, I'd never take the PATH to go on a Trader Joe's run, because I always end up with more bags than I can carry. And I never, ever drive into the city. But yeah, that's probably what they're looking at.

It's true that TJ's Edgewater is only about 8 miles from downtown Jersey City, but it takes 35-40 minutes to get there in traffic because you either have to go through Hoboken or the Heights. TJ's corporate probably sees 8 miles and thinks we're right near TJs. That's why I mentioned that Edgewater is 40 minutes away when I wrote my request.

I think every fairly large grocery store outside of Manhattan needs parking. A lot of people aren't going to think of going to a place to stock up without having a car that allows them to lug their groceries home. Also, like it or not, JC is largely a car town. A lot of people drive from place to place. It's sort of urban AND suburban. And I think that if TJ was going to consider a location, they'd probably want to have a parking lot to attract more customers. Maybe it would even help JC's small businesses by bringing in people from other towns.

It's just one idea. It's close to the PATH, too.

Wherever it is (if it ever happens), it should have parking and would ideally also be close to public transportation.

BTW, if you shop at Trader Joe's and they ask for your zip code, be sure to give it. That's one way they determine where to put new locations.

If B&N in Hoboken is closing, what about there? Maybe Trader Joe's could buy or lease that public parking lot next to it.

I've never been a waitperson, but I've worked retail. In my opinion, slow or inept service can sometimes be excused. Slow service is sometimes not the fault of the person who is actually serving the customers. As for making mistakes, we're all human, and we have bad days, migraines, exhaustion, etc. Everyone has bad days at work. The problem is that when you work a service job, you have to face the people it affects. And when you make a mistake, a lot of customers will assume you're just stupid and will treat you as such for the rest of the transaction.

There's absolutely NO excuse for rudeness, and that goes for everyone-- servers, customers, your toll taker, your neighbor, your boss, etc. Being pleasant to your fellow human beings is simply a social skill that everyone should have. When I worked retail, there were days when I literally was mourning someone's death, or suffering from the flu. But I never took it out on my customers, because they didn't deserve it. Even the rude ones. Part of my job was to be kind and pleasant and helpful. Some people came in and dumped all their sh*t all over me because they were having a bad day. They'd talk on their cell phones at the register or get my attention by snapping their fingers, or just yell at me for no reason. I always smiled and tried to be extra nice. Sometimes they looked at me like I was an idiot, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let that person ruin my day. And by the same token, they should have known better than to be rude to me, because just because I was being paid to serve them didn't mean I didn't deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

They painted "Hamilton Inn" in the window.
Guess there's no turning back now.

I guess I've been wrong all these years, but I always tip 15-20%. They're not waiters, but they've had to drive in the rain and traffic or whatever to get to you. To give them a few bucks for all that time on the job just seems wrong.