As a side note on PATH cards, why is it now impossible to buy more than 10 rides at a time?

I first noticed this after getting a new PATH card in October, so I'm not sure whether this limitation is a feature of my new card or if it's true for all riders. Can anyone enlighten me?

You mean Bridge-ette Anne Kelly.

bjay, yes, I noticed it, too. What's up with that? Does he just mean that Fulop is on his hate list, too?

Here's a link to the emails themselves. Interesting reading. http://dng.northjersey.com/media_serv ... b/port_authority_2014.pdf

Intriguing: I notice that David Wildstein emailed Bridget Anne Kelly on Sept. 7 to say, "I will call you Monday AM to let you know how Fort Lee goes." She responded, "Great. I called you yesterday to talk PATH."

I would really like to know what they were discussing re: the PATH. Could be perfectly innocent, of course.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Wow.

And would this new rule apply to dirt bikes like the one being ridden on the sidewalk in the Heights yesterday? It was basically a mini-motorcyle.

Late yesterday afternoon in the Heights, a friend of mine encountered a teenager on a dirt bike riding offroad in Mosquito Park and on the sidewalk on neighboring streets. The biker drove right between a couple of people on the sidewalk unloading a car. Really dangerous, although fortunately no one was hurt. My friend asked the biker not to ride on the sidewalk; the kid was belligerent and ended up threatening him: "I know where you live!" The police, when called later, gave a pretty lukewarm response.

Just putting this out there as a warning to other pedestrians: Watch out for idiots riding dirt bikes on the sidewalk.

(And I can't help thinking the biker is a big wuss for not taking his mechanized vehicle into the street....)

Where exactly in McGinley Square is this development supposed to be?

Stopped in at WORD on Monday. The space isn't huge, but the store offers a nicely curated selection of books. I found 3-4 books that I hadn't heard of before that I wanted to read. Took one home with me: instant gratification.

That's what you don't get on Amazon.

Looking forward to it!

The other problem is that you really need a car in order to drop off your household hazardous waste at the Incinerator Authority. First, because the JCIA is located on 440, and second, because the drop-off is set up as a drive-through. What are people without a car supposed to do?

I had to hire a cab when I needed to take the HHW from my old house downtown to the JCIA; it cost me $25, which struck me as a pretty steep price to pay for getting rid of old chemicals. The option of just pouring them down the drain instead was VERY tempting.

In the interests of eliminating that temptation and keeping our sewer system toxic-free, what about having neighborhood HHW Dump Days? Two or three times a year, the JCIA sends a truck to a neighborhood and sets up a collection point where people can drop off HHW for a couple of hours on a Saturday. Much more convenient for residents--perhaps not for the JCIA, but on the other hand, I bet they'd see increased HHW collections, which would be a gold star for JCIA with whatever regulatory authority tracks these things.

Agreed, Friends of the Loews has more than earned a place at the table, preferably the head of the table. The group not only saved the building in the first place, they built the theater into a vital part of Jersey City's burgeoning local arts scene. Perhaps the theater hasn't reached its full potential as a venue yet--but imagine what could be done if the ongoing renovation were fully completed, with air conditioning allowing year-round programming.

A professional management company would mean higher ticket prices for events. Are there enough theater- or concert-goers in Jersey City willing to pay $35, $50, $75 for a ticket? NYC audiences will do that?but first you have to get them to cross the river....

Good point. Let's hope Jersey City doesn't get somehow transported to the Midwest.

TIME just published a really interesting excerpt from the new 2012 campaign book DOUBLE DOWN by Mark Helperin and John Heileman, covering Romney's vetting of Christie as a potential running mate.

As TIME puts it: "During the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney ranked Chris Christie among the final contenders to be his running mate. That is until the Republican nominee started digging into the New Jersey governor?s record."

http://swampland.time.com/2013/11/02/the-hunt-for-pufferfish/

("Pufferfish" was the secret code name assigned to Christie by the Romney vetters. The article doesn't say why.)

The crowds at the Vesey corridor/Church St. crossing were especially bad this morning. Took me two changes of the light to get across the street. It would help a LOT if the construction fences along Church St. were moved west slightly, restoring a city street lane that could be used as a sidewalk by pedestrians exiting the Vesey corridor and heading south on Church. That would drastically reduce the number of people trying to cross Church at that intersection. Quite possibly there would be no need for crossing guards to yell at commuters every day.

From what I can see through the gate at the Vesey/Church intersection, there's plenty of space within the construction zone. Maybe having that Church St. lane was more important earlier in the construction process, but not now. Other big construction sites in the city seem to manage fine without having to encroach on city streets.

When my cat was dying of cancer last year (lungs filling with fluid), I didn't want to take her to the vet--which of course she hated--for that one final visit. My vet at West Side Animal Hospital was willing to pay a house call to administer euthanasia, but could only do it on a weekday. When my cat's condition worsened over the weekend, I called Pet Requiem (http://petrequiem.com/), and Dr. Wendy McCulloch came to my home on a Saturday night to euthanize my cat. It wasn't cheap, and to be honest, my cat wasn't thrilled about having a stranger appear in her house to give her a shot, but Dr. McCulloch was very gentle and sympathetic, and overall I think it was a much less stressful end for my cat than having to go to the vet.

Pet Requiem also handles aftercare, which included removal of the remains and cremation by Hamilton Pet Meadow. I chose individual cremation and got a box full of ashes shipped back to me ten days later. Agreed, there's no way to know if I got the right ashes--but I basically decided not to worry about it. You can also choose simple cremation, in which the remains are cremated with those of other animals and buried at Hamilton Pet Meadow.

Whole Foods is coming . . . to Newark.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2 ... hole-foods-in-newark.html

I took out a mortgage with Investors three years ago and refinanced 18 months later. Both times, the bank offered me a good rate and was easy to deal with.

One small point: Although I was told that Investors usually does not sell off its mortgages, it did sell both of mine.

As someone who lives near St. Peter's, I agree with mc56 about McGinley Square's positives and negatives.

One additional plus: Some (not all) of the architecture in the neighborhood is quite good. A lot of houses currently swathed in aluminum siding have stained glass windows, turrets, etc. and could be made stunning with some loving restoration.

Good thought about the pepper spray, but it's not an option available to those of us have a daily commute into New York.

For those posters who are dismissive of the OP's experience, it's a pretty terrifying experience to be physically grabbed by a stranger who's stronger than you. I think the OP showed a lot of presence of mind and handled a frightening situation well. It's VERY disturbing that her call to the police evoked such an inept response.

The lawyer I contacted about an appeal advised me not to do it this year.

I agree with the poster who said it's unlikely that a reval would lower my taxes...but one can hope.

I have to say I'm disappointed, too. There are huge disparities in property taxes even within my condo building near McGinley Square: My next-door neighbor pays $2000 a year less in property taxes than I do, even though our apartments are similar in square footage and condition. I would very much like to see these differences ironed out--and perhaps pay less in taxes as a result.

That said, the now-terminated reval was a joke. It was announced in spring 2010 and was supposed to take 18 months. Three years later, it still wasn't finished. In the interim, market values have fluctuated widely in different neighborhoods. How you could get consistent valuations for homes through such a drawn-out process was a mystery to me. Here's hoping that Fulop does a new reval and does it right.

The woman cop cheering us on at Lincoln Park was fantastic! (She popped up again in Journal Square, too.) Also thanks to the very helpful bicycle cop who helped get my bike chain back on after it slipped off at the start.

I have to agree with the comments about the distracting police sirens, though. The police car sirens were tolerable, but the motorcycle sirens were significantly louder and almost unbearable. And yeah, although the band at the finish (They Live!) was excellent, all in all there were a lot of decibels for what was supposed to be a relaxing Sunday bike ride.

What about giving riders the entire width of the street--as NYC does with bike tours--instead of just one half? That way, the tour might be more compact and there would be less need for motorcycle cops to have to keep racing ahead of the pack.

I got the same error message when I submitted the registration form: unable to send an e-mail. I hope I'm registered!

St. Paul's Church in Bergen, an Episcopal parish in Jersey City, welcomes a new rector, the Rev. Thomas Murphy, this Sunday, May 12. Our service begins at 10 am, and includes a Mother's Day Tribute and Praise Dance--followed by a potluck lunch at 11:30 am.

All are welcome!

St. Paul's is located at 38 Duncan Ave., between Bergen and Kennedy. Free parking is available during services at St. Dominic's (Duncan Ave. and Kennedy). http://www.stpaulsjc.org/

A Jersey City native, Tom taught history at St. Peter's University and was a parishioner at St. Paul's before completing his M.Div at New York's General Theological Seminary. He returns to St. Paul's from Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, NJ, where he was a priest associate. We're very excited to welcome him back at a time of renewal and growth at St. Paul's. Please join us to celebrate!

Anyone know anything about this Jersey City Comedy Festival that's now trying to raise funds on Kickstarter?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/c ... rsey-city-comedy-festival

The dates are April 1-6. It's described on Kickstarter this way: "The JC Comedy Festival will be a week long event held throughout Jersey City featuring some of the east coast's best comedians and performers. Jersey City plays host to many regular comedy shows all year long, and this festival will be a showcase for both the local comedy talent and the city itself and it's burgeoning arts, culture, and nightlife scene. Over the course of 6 nights, the JCCF will be hosting about 20 different comedy shows, in nearly a dozen different venues, with over 75 different comedians performing."

The organizers hope to raise $5,000 by March 15. $571 so far.

Can't believe they're moderating their position on guacamole. What's next? Fajitas??

Just a reminder: Pancakes, music, and more tomorrow night at St. Paul's, 38 Duncan Ave. in Jersey City.

Shrove Tuesday PANCAKE SUPPER 2/12 at St. Paul?s Church in Bergen
$5 admission covers pancakes, toppings, sausages, coffee or tea or cold beverages.
Jazz! Pancake race!

All are welcome.

Beginning 6 pm on Tuesday, February 12
Parish Hall, St. Paul?s Church in Bergen, 38 Duncan Ave. (between Bergen and Kennedy)

Hey, the new door really does look great.

Isn't that the same house whose owner started tearing down the landmarked facade on a weekend until the historical preservationists and the city stepped in?