So I see that the fence in front of the school on Bright Street (between Barrow & Grove) was torn down...I'm assuming this entire building will be torn to make way for something new...(condos I'm assuming)...anyone have any dirt??

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Good eye. I didn't even realize.

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Actually - this wasn't even the steam table place. This was the Payless. Steam table place is still vacant - I think.

I think they might have another restaurant somewhere which may be how they got the liquor license.

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As a fan of thai, I look forward to trying the restaurant. My indicator dish is the chili & lime marinated grilled beef, often called nur yum.

If you like tom yum, you can actually buys jars of it at Stevens Market on Newark. I mixed the tom yum paste with a thai BBQ sauce I bought there and marinated chicken breast in it before grilling. It was unbelievable!

Quote: Guys: I feel that this is another worthy fight for our community. Regardless of the actual location of your domicile in reference to Powerhouse Arts District we will need permanent locations for the Arts in the ?future Jersey City?. I do not live in the district but I do have access to it and would like to see it become a thriving Art Scene. Please join PADNA and donate to their legal fund. Thanks, DTG

I picked up a delivery menu when I walked by on Saturday. I'm really excited about the good reviews. And I'm surprised that they have a liquor license. It seemed like more of a storefront kind of place. But I haven't been inside it since it's last incarnation as a steam table kind of place.

Well, I wish it luck and I will try it as soon as possible.

Never a good idea to be walking around cemeteries at midnight IMHO.

I was also happy with my experience. The chicken/tomatoes curry and the yum noodles with chicken and shrimp were both very good. Papaya salad was good although it came on top of mixed greens which was sort of unnecessary.

While the atmosphere is not exactly my style, I do like the fact that they set the dining area back from the street somewhat and use shades and lighting to deemphasize the location - because let's face it, if you're spending more than $8 on dinner you don't want to be looking at Newark Avenue.

What does the future hold for Jersey City? Fat pay raises & pensions for the civil service employees and politicians!

Are they, the ones who should be working at City Hall today, using a vacation day or personal day for this?
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About 25 people were in the tiny courtroom, including Healy's wife, Maureen; former Police Chief Robert Troy and his wife; city Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis; Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini; two of the Healys' children, and the mayor's sister, who owns the bar/restaurant where the mayor had been attending a party that night.

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Hey there, Alex!

I've had:

Entrees:
Spicy Lemongrass Chicken (ordered extra spicy)
Chicken with String beans (actually - my friend had that)
Chicken Panang Curry

Apps:
Thai Steamed Dumplings
Vegetable Spring Rolls

All were excellent. I can't say enough about how perfectly they cook their string beans. Al dente - yum!

As experienced by others - the curry was very light. Sometimes panang is overwhelmingly rich and somewhat oily. Not this one.

Shrimp Pad Thai will be next. I saw it served to others and was jealous.

I got take out on Friday. Fish Cakes were very good, the spicy shrimp salad was good too, but they used mixed greens. In Thai cooking the salad greens are shreded cabbage and iceburg, not arugula and spinach. Kind of weird. Fish cakes and salad with nice shrimp= $20

The future is in the hands of developers, corporations and big business.
All we can hope for is that they do the right thing because we have an inept government and all the services they provide have no 'balls' or a blurred idea on what should and shouldn't be done for JC without having a biased opinion that benefits themselves.

I had a similar experience. I ordered delivery and it came within minutes. fresh, hot, not greasy...it was tasty. i hope they stay around

Hey xtine,

Can you list the other meals that you've ordered?

Thanks,
Alex
( yeah, that's me - I visit Metropolis all the time with my daughters to shoot the breeze w/Mark)

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it's almost scary, isn't it? Went there again on Saturday night (actually ate in). Service was great. Entree came out a little quick after apps but that's better than the other way.

Does anyone know if the menu is online somewhere? It's not listed in www.hudsonmenus.com

Thanks!

I ordered delivery from Sawadee on Friday night which was apparently their first night delivering. I must say that i was shocked when my order arrived no later than 15 minutes after i placed my order. As a bonus, the delivery guy was very extremely nice (almost too nice).

The food was good, the portions were large, and the prices weren't high. I will definitely order from them again soon.

i am mostly concerned with typo's that typically ruin the enjoyment of your rag. spell check and we will all be better off.

Steve Fulop is asking assistance from an operational view. Getting the JC MUA to fix the flooding and sewage backing up into people's homes when it rains. They're pleading poverty but then they cut North Bergen a sweet heart deal at our expense.....

I'm asking people to contact the following people:

US Attorney Christopher Christie
US Attorney's Office
970 Broad Street, Room 700
Newark, NJ 07102

Attorney General Stuart Rabner
State of New Jersey
PO Box 080
Trenton NJ 08625

Public Advocate Ronald Chen
State of New Jersey
240 West State Street, 16th Floor
PO Box 851
Trenton, NJ 08625

Assemblyman Brian Stack
3715 Palisade Avenue, 3rd floor
Union City, NJ 07087


Just a quick note asking them to investigate the JC MUA deal with North Bergen, which the taxpayers of Jersey City will be subsidizing. Processing North Bergen's waste and rainwater will add approx 24% to the JC load, which the system can't handle as it is. Plus we have thousands of new housing units coming on line in the next 2 years as it is....

The North Bergen deal will hurt us financially for generations as well as make our quality of life worse....

Mia

The subprime mortgage world has been reduced to rubble with no lasting impact on another, larger, credit market dancing on an equally fragile precipice: high-yield corporate debt. In this fast-growing arena of loans to business -- these days, mostly, private equity deals -- lending proceeds as if the subprime debacle were some minor skirmish in a little known, far away land.

How curious that so many in the financial community should remain blissfully oblivious to live grenades scattered around the high-yield playing field. Amid all the asset bubbles that we've seen in recent years -- emerging markets in 1997, Internet...Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, say "we're seeing the same thing in the credit markets" that set the stage for the fall of the subprime loan market."

Moody's Issues Subprime Reminder - In the earnings reports last week from Lehman Bros. (LEH 79.07), Goldman Sachs (GS 226.19) and Bear Stearns (BSC 150.09), it was readily apparent that their fixed income businesses weren't all they could be due to the problems in the subprime mortgage market. Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on the subprime woes that calls specific attention to a Moody's downgrade on Friday of 131 bonds backed by pools of subprime loans. The reporters were careful to point out that the downgrade affects only $3 billion worth of bonds out of the roughly $400 billion in subprime mortgage-backed bonds issued in 2006.

Looking For Home Lender? Be Prepared Borrowers Shouldn't Get Too Aggressive With Mortgage - When lenders compete, borrowers might not always win...In fact, borrowers could lose big.

One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

Jersey City Magazine wants to know how you think the construction boom will affect Jersey City in the long run.

The magazine?s new investigative series, ?Beyond the Boom,? is taking a look at all of the ways the city will be changed by the ongoing construction boom, and feedback from residents will be an important part of that series.

The last issue of the magazine looked at how the boom might impact the city?s schools, transportation, parks, economy, politics, and reputation.

Which area do you think will be affected the most? And what can be done to prepare for those changes?

E-mail your concerns ? and your ideas on how to fix them ? to jcmag@hudsonreporter.com . The best letters will appear in the magazine?s next issue, which is set to appear in September.

The latest issue of Jersey City Magazine and the first article in the ?Beyond the Boom? series can be found at www.jerseycitymagazine.com .

BM-
Please forgive my ignorance, but why is subdividing the embankment bad?
Will it make it easier to get it re-zoned?

I am against development of the embankment and would like to speak at the meeting but just want to make sure I'm informed.

Thanks!

I got a calendar with info about the JC Summer Fun program, and it had a list of pools with hours. I called the number listed there for "more information" and of course no one has called me back - any of the three times I've called.

Does anyone know anything about the pools available - not Pershing Field, but they had Dickinson High School listed, and I also saw that the former JC YMCA's pool is managed by the Dept of Recreation. I want to lap swim locally but can't get any info!

Subject: CHAIRMAN OF NEWMARK KNIGHT FRANK ALIGNS WITH PADNA TO PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF ARTS NEIGHBORHOOD Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 22:50:51 -0400 From: "PADNA COMMUNICATION" <padna.communication@gmail.com> Subject: CHAIRMAN OF NEWMARK KNIGHT FRANK ALIGNS WITH PADNA TO PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF ARTS NEIGHBORHOOD P R E S S R E L E A S E For Immediate release: For more information contact: Monday, June 18, 2007 Rich Tomko 201-536-8779 www.padnajc.org <http://www.padnajc.org/> Chairman of Newmark KNIGHT FRANK aligns WITH PADNA TO PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF ARTS NEIGHBORHOOD PADNA (The Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association) of Downtown Jersey City is pleased to announce an alliance with Jeffrey Gural, Chairman of international real estate powerhouse Newmark Knight Frank. Mr. Gural's holdings include 150 Bay Street, a 19th C industrial building recently partially converted to residential use in the Powerhouse Arts District. Jeff Gural, who also owns property in SoHo and DUMBO, two similar type neighborhoods, is shocked that Jersey City is contemplating amending the PAD Redevelopment Plan to accommodate a development proposal by Philadelphia-based "McMansion" developer Toll Bros. Toll Bros, through their subsidiary 134 Bay Street , LLC, purchased the Manischewitz Matzoh factory last year. Subsequently, Toll has taken possession of the adjacent "Caputo" lot to the East. Toll has been informally vetting a proposal for both lots with Jersey City politicians and officials. PADNA is against this proposal because of its negative impact on the neighborhood: ? Demolition of Two Historic Buildings ? Destruction of Cobblestone Streets ? Double the Density Currently Permitted Under Law ? Plunge 4 Occupied and Actively Used Historic Warehouses into Permanent Shadow ? Gut the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan, perhaps the only Jersey City redevelopment plan developed with the Urban Land Institute and broad public input "We took great care in following the requirements of the PAD Redevelopment Plan. Now we have a landmark building that is home to a thriving community of artists, professionals and families. We saw what happened with DUMBO, and we understand the value of a thriving arts district. Anyone attempting a proposal of this nature [what Toll is proposing] would be laughed at by City Planning in New York," said Mr. Gural Jeff Gural has stated his intentions to "do what it takes" to prevent another amendment to the plan. He supports to the PAD Redevelopment Plan and he supports PADNA's efforts to keep existing law 100%. Mr. Gural marked the beginning of his relationship with PADNA with a $10,000 contribution to the PADNA legal fund. The PAD is home to over 350 residents with more than $125 million invested in the neighborhood. PADNA has over 150 active members, supports the current Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan, and strives for a transparent city government that supports its residents .

Once again the victim is alone and its late a night - learning curve takes a little longer for some. I hope he is ok, but this is the reality of JC

Man gets punched in face, robbed
Monday, June 18, 2007

A 25-year-old man told cops he was punched in the face and robbed of his Blackberry while walking near Bayview Cemetery on Saturday night, reports said.

The victim told Jersey City cops he was at Danforth and Garfield avenues Saturday about 11:30 p.m. when two men walked up and one, without warning, punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The two men then snatched his wallet and Blackberry and fled.

He was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center and treated for a cut lip, reports said.

Anyone with information should call (201) 547-JAIL.

CHARLES HACK

Let it be told: It was his way or the Skyway

Sunday, June 17, 2007
By JIM BECKERMAN
RECORD COLUMNIST


The three-mile ribbon of steel, rivets and concrete known as the Pulaski Skyway is now a minor Jersey celebrity -- thanks to its appearance at the start of each "Sopranos" episode.

In the past it's done other walk-ons: in the 1938 Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast (Martian machines bellied up to it) and in Alfred Hitchcock's 1943 thriller "Shadow of a Doubt" (an establishing shot of North Jersey).


Now it's the star of its own tale of intrigue.

"The Last Three Miles: Politics, Murder and the Construction of America's First Superhighway" (New Press) tells a story as harrowingly as Hitchcock, as dramatically as Welles. And at its center is a boss who makes Tony Soprano look like a Sunday school teacher.

"This is a story that has everything," says author Steven Hart, a Hasbrouck Heights native who grew up in Saddle Brook and is now a Middlesex County resident.

"It has political skullduggery," he says. "It has murder and mayhem. It has traffic engineering. Everything you want from a good story."ON THE WEB

stevenhartsite.wordpress.com


Hart's saga of the construction of the Pulaski Skyway, his first published book, was partly inspired by years of working in Hoboken (he's a reporter for a business magazine).

Driving to work on the Skyway, he had occasion to ponder what many other motorists have wondered before and since: Who designed this crazy thing? Why is it so narrow and steep? Why are there no shoulders? Why do access ramps open – illogically, dangerously – in the center of the roadway?

"It's equal parts roller coaster and demolition derby," says Hart, 49. "I started my research with the idea, 'I'm going to find the nut cases who designed this thing.' What I ended up realizing is that this is the work of some of the most talented and visionary engineers of their time."

At the center of the story is the chief booster of the Skyway, Frank Hague (1876-1956), the Jersey City mayor whose name was once a byword for ham-fisted, lead-pipe machine politics. There were many in the 1930s who considered him America's bush-league Mussolini.

"He tapped phones, he opened mail," Hart says. "Anyone who criticized him was subject to any number of penalties, ranging from having his property tax valuation quadrupled overnight, to getting beaten up by his police."

When Life magazine published an unfavorable profile of the mayor in 1939, Hague's police made sure no Jersey City newsstands carried the issue.

His political clout even intimidated FDR, says Hart. The president despised Hague, but needed his votes; he allowed the mayor to skim off Works Progress Administration projects that enabled Hague's Hudson County Democratic machine to survive the Depression.

Hague was a Jersey City-born brawler who had risen from a long-vanished Irish slum neighborhood called "The Horseshoe."

"He was a very intimidating guy, his rages were legendary," Hart says. "He was not a guy you ever wanted to be on the wrong side of."

Named -- after the fact -- for Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski, the "highway of the future" was meant to ease the traffic congestion in Jersey City caused in 1926 by the opening of the Holland Tunnel.

Both cars and roads were still in their infancy in the late 1920s. There were no precedents for the proposed "superhighway" (itself a new word); railroad infrastructure was the only model. Many of the Skyway's shortcomings can be traced to the fact that it was designed by a railroad engineer, Fred Lavis.

"They didn't take account of the safety concerns of highway design, because highway design did not really exist," Hart says.

Eight people were killed in the first nine months after the Skyway's opening in 1932 – testament to its unfortunate design. But the scandal of the Skyway's layout paled beside the scandal of its construction.

"The War of the Meadowlands" is the name newspapers gave to the pitched battle between the union forces, backed by Hague enemy Teddy Brandle, and the anti-union forces, backed by Hague. More than one of the 14 people who died during the construction of the $21 million Skyway were the victims of labor violence.

Hague deserves wider recognition today, Hart believes – if only because he makes today's dirty politicians seem like amateurs.

"He's one of the key players of 20th-century American politics," Hart says. "If you're interested in politics, especially Jersey politics, he looms."

As for the Skyway, the highway of the future that became obsolete the day it opened, it also looms -- beautiful in an ugly way, inefficient and dangerous, but still necessary to traffic in North Jersey. Plans were floated this year in Trenton to replace it. New Jerseyans had better not hold their breath, Hart says.

"The last estimate I saw for replacing the Skyway started at about a billion dollars," he says. "That thing is not going away any time soon."


Hart will speak and sign books at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Barnes & Noble, 465 River Road, Edgewater; 201-943-6130.

E-mail: beckerman@northjersey.com