I have been in this situation a few times myself. I got tired of forking over the deductible every few months, so at the advice of I lowered my deductible for vandalism. Increased my premium only a few $$$, but the next time someone hits my car or breaks my windows, I will only be paying $100 instead of $500, much easier to swallow.

Of course I just wish people would have enough respect for other peoples property not to hit cars, and if they did to leave a note.

I?m on vacation for the first time in a while and have been reluctant to respond to this thread for a number of reasons, not the least of which, will be the obligatory sarcastic retort from rabbit. However, a number of posts distort the behavior of run users and/or the origins and purpose of the Van Vorst Park dog run.

Before this run was built, there were no legal spaces within a public park downtown to let your pets play unleashed. This run was a compromise between those of us who were trying to provide a passive Victorian style park (which is how VVP was deeded to the city of Jersey City by the family of Van Vorst in the 1860?S) and the growing number of dog owners in our community. Off-leash use within the park was destroying the newly planted lawns (1999) and making it difficult to maintain our 19 gardens.

After a number of false starts to resolve these issues, I asked a number of pro-active dog owners to meet at my home to try and work out something that would benefit all concerned. It took a year?s worth of research, community input, city cooperation, private fundraising, and justifiably skeptical public reaction, but the VVP dog run was formally completed in May of 2007.

This run was not built to provide a space for all the dogs in downtown, but a starting point and template to be used for other public spaces within Jersey City parks. VVP is only two acres and to designate 4,000 sq. ft. for dog use only, certainly seemed equitable, when initially, no such facility was ever planned for the park.

Is the run perfect? No. The city took shortcuts from the original design for the drainage (which still pisses me off) but I think you still have one of the most attractive places to exercise your pets, surrounded by roses, lavender, and other foliage, donated and maintained by a non dog owner just trying to make this park useful for as many people in the community as possible.

As far as the complaints about dog walkers in the run, I can tell you that the three, who frequent the run most, are very responsible when it comes to keeping on eye on their charges. Two of them frequently help maintain the surface of the run by responding to the request posted, by raking and shoveling and knowing that this run is community maintained. All three have donated money (and should), to help provide waste bags to others who do not do so. One walker sometimes does bring more than 3 dogs in at a time and should not do so. One smokes (I think it should be banned in the run and children?s areas) and if there was an ordinance against it, I would certainly find a space for another sign. But I can unequivocally say that all three clean up after their client?s pets, are not on cell phones and thereby miss what deposits are being left, they respond to barking from these pets, and are very protective of your dogs and theirs.

It seems this thread started from a misunderstanding or someone just having a bad day; perhaps all should be happy to have at least one place (with hopefully more to come) to let your pets have a space to run off leash and you to socialize with your neighbors.

See you next week,

parkman

In Saudi Arabia or Nigeria, these "thugs" would simply be killed for their crimes. I'm not in favor of the death penalty, but why not lock these criminals away for life

I would consider only 2 times in 4 years pretty good (depending on the damage). Between JC and New Brunswick I can't even count the number of times my car has been hit in the past 4 years. The most recent was fairly bad damage within the 10 hours prior to security cameras being installed which would have caught the person who hit me. oh well... such is the life of parallel parking.

Definitely a big fan of JC A&P over Shop Rite. I live closer to A&P, but I'm near SR enough and a vehement couponer.


What SR has going for it:
-Definitely has a better selection on things like fish... you won't find shark or swordfish or mahi mahi at A&P but they have them frozen at SR, plus at least a couple of kinds of salmon. A&P usually only has your basics.
-A&P doesn't accept internet coupons. I stopped printing them out, but when I used to go to SR in central jersey, they took these.
-Shop Rite brand is better than America's Choice, I think, and they have more store brand items.
-More produce, I think. Like, more varieties of apples and loose onions and such.


Where A&P really wins:
-Everything tends to be clean and in stock all of the time, and yet they aren't blocking aisles stocking things. I tried to buy a Sunday paper at SR this week and there was only one copy left and it was all torn up. A&P always has a handcart sitting there with reserve supplies.
-People aren't dragging their stupid too-wide BJs carts into Shoprite and blocking entire aisles from 2-way traffic. Hooray.
-Better parking. With Linens and Things closed there's always parking.
-Self checkout! Even if there are only 4 cashiers open, there are 4 more registers. I've never had to wait more than 5-6 minutes in line.
-Excellent cheese selection. I like their bakery as much, or better, than Shop Rite's.
-Carol Lugo is a cashier there! (look on nj.com for America's Got Talent)

I have to say that their front-page loss leaders tend to be equal in quality and rotation.

If you insist on shopping at Shop Rite but hate the JC crowds, you can take the light rail pretty close to the Hoboken Shop Rite which is pretty darn nice.


And for the great price comparison... from their online shopping carts, here's a rundown of some basic items

1 gallon whole milk
Shop Rite store brand - 3.79
A&P store brand - 3.39 (win)

Palmolive dish soap 25 oz
Shop Rite - 2.99 (win)
A&P - 3.29

Loaf of Pepperidge Farm bread (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 3.99

Ben & Jerry's pint (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 3.99

Stove Top stuffing 6 oz (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 2.19

Charmin Ultra Soft Mega Roll 6ct (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 10.19

Hershey's miniatures - 12oz bag
Shop Rite - 3.49 (win)
A&P - 3.69

Tyson Buffalo Chicken Strips - 25oz (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 8.99

Sore brand corn oil 48fl oz (tie)
Shop Rite / A&P - 2.99

For the $1 or $2 it's negligible for me, since they actually have their sale stuff in stock and thus save me more money in the long run. Plus, being close to Target, if you know that their regular prices on milk and frozen foods are cheaper than non-sale prices of the supermarkets, you have that option.

But if you're paying full price for groceries, you're silly. If it's not on sale at Target, Shop Rite, A&P, CVS, Pathmark, or a dollar store, then you have a good excuse to go to the Trader Joe's in edgewater or union square.

Someone's gotta be filling in for Vega, etc here. Healy can't possibly be living off $98k/year salary. I would guess with all the hoopla, it shouldn't cost you more than $6 or $7k to get that variance. Just set up a "lunch" out of town and hand over some "coupons" you have in an envelope and it'll be variance schmariance....

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You will need to use their modem. What you connect the modem to is up to you.

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What's wrong with Lipton? I think it's a good deal for the size of the box & amount of teabags...

was thinking about a surveillance camera of some sorts. it's quite frustrating having to deal with it twice with this same car now.

For the love of god, please have decent tea and you will have my eternal gratitude! Bagged is fine for people who don't know any better but the loose leaf is better by far. The closest "real" tea place is in Montclair so you'd have a corner on the market. (It's called Cha Ma Gu Dao, I strongly suggest check them out). There is a forum called teachat.com. They have a subforum for people who are operating or thinking about opening tea places. The folks there can probably direct you towards some great wholesalers.

Thanks, but what about evening parking. About 6PM - 8AM?

In addition, can anyone recommend some inexpensive ethic restaurants around the hotel ? Reachable by walking or Path ?

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psssssst....it's a car.

You should try locking it securely to a nearby fence with multiple u-locks or chains, but not structures like parking meters or light poles; thieves can sometimes easily lift it over the top of the structure.

An even better option would be to park it inside, if you have room. You can buy special hooks to hang it from the ceiling.

This is so frustrating, taking a hit on insurance and paying money out of pocket for something that some irresponsible person did. I've asked neighbors and all of them are either inside or at work when it happened, I wonder if anyone saw it happen. I filed a police report and a claim with my insurance company.

I just wish there is some kind of video around. Sigh....

Any suggestions?

I am looking into replacing Comcast with Verizon Fios for internet and tv. Currently I have a powerful wireless router that allows me to to connect to the internet from any room in my apartment. My understanding is that I will need to use Verizon's wireless router if i switch to Fios. Does anyone have any experience with their router? Any idea what the range is? I have gotten conflicting responses from Verizon.

Hey Johnny,

Another suggestion to accompany the envelope, offer to hire the sister, granny, & throw in that you'll even hire their dog too, you'll have your business up and running in no time.

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How right you are NewHeights. Johnny is not up to speed on the local greed.

Herr Burgermeister, now that you sense the FBI and the villagers getting closer you are coming up with all the gimmicks you can think of so we forget you done naughty things.

Johnny

have you not seen whats gone down in JC recently. There is only one real way to get a variance and I wouldnt go there right now. wait til things cool off....capiche?

An envelope stuffed with cash should do the trick

I went to Edgewater today to do some shopping and decided to stop off at the Pathmark there. Whoa! That place is awesome! They had this great cafe and a gelato station. I couldn't believe now nice it was compared to all of the supermarkets in JC.

Does anyone know how difficult it is to obtain a variance? I am interested in changing a residential four-story into a commercial property. The building will largely remain unchanged. Is this something that typically is granted in downtown Jersey City?

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not to nitpick, but what did you expect would happen if you bumped into someone who im guessing is larger and tougher than you without saying 'im sorry'? ive bumped into people at clubs and actually said sorry, and ive gotten an earful - i cant imagine what would have happened if i chose to blame them instead.

next time a quick sorry instead of trying to place a blame might save you from something worse than a shouting match.

while i dont support such a response from someone at shoprite after being bumped into, im not 100% surprised by it either.

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What do you want from me? All my apartments have current green cards, I even yell at the tenants not to block the stairwell & fire escape with crap. I don't want a death on my conscience. I also put fire extinguishers in the hallway on every floor, even though that is not required, it's just common sense.

If you want some gas on the fire (is that a poor choice of words?), I'll say the lax and corrupt inspection situation in the city attracts sleazy landlords like flies to shit, just like the rent control does. There's no excuse for unsafe housing. Period.

Rezoning and putting them on the tax rolls would only be acceptable if they are up to safety standards, which many aren't capable of meeting mostly due to these egress issues. Here's a shocker for some of you: a room can't be called or used as a bedroom if it doesn't have a window and is 50% above ground.

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Mocking a dog run for being too small is like mocking a condo or apartment for being to small - if it works for some people, but not for you, then that's your preference, it's not a "fact." Lots of people trade square footage for beauty and location, whether here or in NYC. That you have different priorities does not make your opinion a fact, regardless of how high an opinion of yourself you might have.

You say dog runs are about exercising, others say dog runs are about socializing their dogs with other dogs. Some runs are better for one activity and not the other. Again, it's subjective, it's not "fact."

Funny how the Great Dane my dog plays with at the VVP dog park doesn't seem to complain much about the run being too small for him. Then again, Rosie is one of the coolest dogs I've ever met.

I love the new run in Lincoln Park even if it's a pain in the ass to get to. And I didn't realize there was a dog run in LSP. Where?

Vig, I guess my question to you is: why do you care? If it's not to your liking, don't go. But don't trash it for everyone else. Especially those of us who obey leash laws and play by the rules, thus making LSP nothing more than a gorgeous place to take a dog for a looooooooooong walk... on a leash.

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Don't worry, it's all yours. Yay!

Yes, plenty of room for you and Jenny and maybe your dogs. I commend Parkman but that run is waaaay too small. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. If you wanna exercise your dog in JC the best places are LSP, Lincoln Pk or HP if it ever reopens.

Excellent ad placement to combat the negative reviews, well done Google!

Tell him Jenny.

Also, people should be reminded the name of this town is NOT

Jersey FARMS; but it's Jersey CITY.

The size of the VVP dog run is very ideal, particularly considering the size of the park. Parkman has really extended himself to enhance its presence to integrate well with the rest of the other purposes for which people use the park. Yay parkman.

If you're going to be such a hater maybe you may want to consider moving.