Didn't notice the quake, but my building shakes all the time when trucks drive past anyway.

Surprised to hear so many emergency sirens and see police cruisers and fire trucks flying up and down Jersey Ave earlier.

Quote:

Actually, I think the parking lot at the Metro Plaza Shop Rite is regularly crawling with many more zombies than anywhere else in the state.

Walked by today and it was open, so I bought a cupcake. It was sweet and tasty.

I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt here, and I felt bad that people referred to them condescendingly as "yuppies."

Then I read the part where she complained about not having enough money for the kids' fencing lessons.

Fencing lessons.

Now, I really have heard it all.

Quote:
Good start!

But you'll know Jersey City has truly made it when we get a Pinkberry and a Red Mango to set up shop across the street from one another.

Quote:


The Buffalo Fries are basically Disco Fries, but with buffalo sauce instead of gravy. The blue cheese is mixed in with the hot sauce, so that may not have been obvious if you didn't eat it.

I ordered the buffalo fries to dine in, and even fresh from the counter they're kind of a soggy mess. I can't picture any universe where they would be even remotely appetizing in a delivery order. (But that's the fault of Park & Sixth for delivering them in the first place.)

Better to get them with the buffalo sauce on the side and dip the fries yourself--even when eating there.

Nice to see somebody who truly appreciates what Dames is doing with coffee--and seems appropriate it's a person who chose "wine_theif" [sic] as their nick.


The first week Dames was open, while waiting for my Americano I made the mistake of merely inquiring if they ever serve flavored coffee.

The barista responded with a friendly two-minute lecture on why flavored coffee isn't fit for any coffee drinker who truly appreciates their java. I like a good cup of coffee as much as anybody--probably more than the average Joe--but please don't make me feel like a peon because sometimes I enjoy a hazelnut brew. You think that added flavors ruin a coffee? I feel the same way about adding milk, so...to each his own.

I see that there are those folks who are true purists and appreciate a real high-end espresso or latte. But once the baristas begin to come across with the same snooty attitude as a Park Avenue sommalier, remember: You're serving this drink in a paper cup! This isn't a Chateau Lafite bordeaux. It's a cup of coffee.


I will freely admit I don't understand why one would prefer a digital grinder (I like my coffee analog, thank you very much) or how a "gram" scale and a pressure release on the grouphead will make a better cup. But I do know this: I drink my coffee black, no milk, cream, or sugar. I don't order lattes and only rarely get an espresso after a nice restaurant dinner. I buy my beans whole, keep them fresh in an airtight container and grind them in a burr grinder right before brewing single cups in a special press with hot water at a precise temperature. So what do I really know about coffee? Not enough, I suppose.


Hopefully I don't come across as too bitter. I respect what Dames is trying to do and I'll certainly be back for more coffee. The last time I ordered a drip coffee there, the barista explained that she didn't feel comfortable serving me from a pot that was brewed over 90 minutes earlier. So she prepared a fresh cup from a Melitta single-serve brewer, and it was fabulous.

Keep up with the great service--just don't let the uptown attitude turn away your downtown customers.

Great map, Brewster! I always wondered if it was actually any closer to cut through the mall to get to Newport from Hamilton Park. Interesting to see that it isn't.

Also, depending on where you live, you can also cut through Metro Plaza to stop at Bed Bath & Beyond (if there's time.)

Quote:


Ummm... have you heard about the internet before? Complaining is what the web, and this forum in particular, are all about.

I think we all understand that it's too late to do anything about this. But that doesn't mean can't sill vent about it.

Lighten up, k?

Work has been continuing on the memorial, but I still can't see this as anything less than a total embarrassment on the part of Liberty State Park and Jersey City.

Let's take a look, shall we?



That's the "money" shot where you're supposed to be able to see the silhouette of the towers where they once stood. But it only works from this one, exact angle.

The memorial is called "Empty Sky," apparently to signify the empty spot in the skyline left vacant from the collapse of those buildings. But what about the new 1,776-foot tall tower rising in the background? Ignore that! Focus on the buildings that are MISSING.

Let's look from the other side:



Ah, yes! Giant steel towers. How beautiful. See how it fills the empty sky? Oh wait, we're looking from the wrong side. It doesn't really signify anything from this end.

Moving around to look from the north, and we get the worst view of all:



See that beautiful building peeking out the back? That's the old Central Railroad Terminal, where millions of immigrants traveled to all points west after landing at Ellis Island. A major part of our nation's proud history. It's no longer visible from the north thanks to this obnoxious monolith.

And what does it look like (besides a giant steel wall)?

Here's a quote directly from the 9/11 Memorial's web site (http://www.nj911memorial.org):

"The length of each wall is exactly equal to one side of the former World Trade Center Towers as the height of the wall reflects proportion of the former buildings if they were lying on their side." (emphasis mine)

Really? A memorial for office buildings that collapsed in an act of terrorism, and you saw nothing wrong with making it look like the twin towers LYING ON THEIR SIDES?? They're even embedded nicely in that grassy hill that runs along it. Bravo.

This whole thing is an abomination. A boondoggle. A catastrophe. A decidedly embarrassing fabricated gaffe! (See what I did there?)

And it was all created with almost zero public input or chance for contention. Once again, we celebrate the destruction of WTC at the expense of everything else that makes NYC and the Jersey City waterfront a beautiful place.


This is not the way to remember the 745 poor New Jerseyans who lost their lives on September 11th.

There is a new sign up in the location of the old Philly Soft Pretzel Factory. I believe it's advertising "Something GREEN In The Neighborhood - Coming Soon."

Can't really tell what it is--could be a florist, an organic foods shop, or maybe a Kermit The Frog specialty retailer.

The signage at the old Stockinette space at 581 Jersey Avenue in Harsimus Cove has been updated. Dames Coffee & Espresso will be moving in soon!

They already have a location in Hoboken:

http://damescoffee.com/

Prime Food Market has opened in the old space of Hamilton Park Market at the corner of 10th St & Manila Ave.

I noticed this place was open yesterday so I stopped in for a look. It's a small-sized grocery store (smaller than C-Town, bigger than Tendershoot) with a deli and good amount of quality foods. The place is well lit and doesn't feel cramped or dirty like a lot of the bodegas in town.

Prime seems geared toward the Indian market but they certainly aren't limited to just that. They have fresh fruits and vegetables of all sorts, a nice selection of cheeses, and a large freezer section. I didn't try any of the hot food but there were nice looking lunch options as well.

Best part? Open 24 hours! Nice to have when everything else in the neighborhood closes at 5pm on Sundays.

Quote:

I too bought the LivingSocial deal for Parkside Bistro and tried to use it only a day or two after getting it. We presented the coupon to our server, and a few minutes later the manager came over to our table. He explained that he had not agreed to the terms with LivingSocial and that the deal should never have been posted in the first place. He would not offer us the same discount ($20 off) but would offer 20% off our entire check as a show of good faith. Of course we also had the option to just leave.

We decided to stay and had a complete meal, starting with the Mediterranean sampler appetizer. Overall it was very good--especially the jasmine rice served with the entrees. We'll likely be going back.

This photo has absolutely no relation to the article:

Whoa... JUST saw this couple a few minutes ago! He was pushing her in a BJ's cart the wrong way down Erie Street near Torico's. She was flopped on her back with her feet sticking out the front, and looking completely out of it.

If only the JC Pimp was pushing them both, I could have completed my downtown JC Bingo card with one sighting!

All this back and forth seems to be covering the extreme ends of the HP and VVP neighborhoods.

You could always split the difference in Harsimus Cove and get the best of both.

Quote:

I saw a couple of kids splashing around in the fountains at Hamilton Park over the weekend. So there's always that to bridge the gap until the splash area opens.

Quote:

Obviously this person has never heard "Alice's Restaurant!" First rule of garbage dumping is to never let it get traced back to you.


On a related note, I saw a couple of kids walking back from school today toss an empty plastic bottle in the general vicinity of a trash can. It missed and they just kept walking. I was about to shake my fist and scold them when I realized that I probably shouldn't do it while sitting on my stoop. Shame that the fear of retaliation prevents me from trying to educate the masses in proper garbage disposal.

Okay, so the paving effort on Columbus Drive is underway, and ironically the milled surface is actually a lot smoother than it was when it was actually "paved." But now there's a new hazard--manhole covers that stick out several inches above the road surface. I've heard a number of cars have struck them and been damaged as a result.

Drive carefully...

With the nice weather comes an annual pest--ants!

There are hundreds of them crawling all over our front stoop and smaller numbers have been showing up in the kitchen. We do our best to keep things clean and not leave any food or crumbs out, but the little buggers are still all over the place.

Have you found any good means of keeping them at bay? The baited traps don't seem to work that well on the tiny ants. RAID spray kills them quickly, but the stuff is toxic and I don't like to use it near our pets and plants.

I suppose they'll run their course within a month or so anyway, but it would certainly be nice if we could keep them out of the house until then.

Agreed that the U-bolt locks are a good compromise if you don't want to lug a heavy chain. They are slightly more limited than a chain in that you need a narrow pole or bike stand to attach them to, but they are very secure when used properly.

I have the "Brute Mini" from OnGuard, which is considered more secure than a standard U-bolt because it doesn't leave as much space for a thief to insert a pry bar. Of course, this makes attaching it to a thicker pole that much more difficult, but I find it's the most secure lock for its size. Mine also came with an additional cable that can be used to loop through the seat and front tire if necessary.

Let's be fair here. It's likely more common for a cat to protect a toddler than it is to attack one. Witness this video (it's a little longer than the others, but the payoff is worth it.)

The NY Times web site has used the census data to create a map of the race data for every block in the country.

Check out Jersey City:

NY Times: Mapping America (07302)




First impressions, according to the map:

1. There are almost no white people in Bergen/Lafayette.

2. Asians completely control Newport. (They are also the most geographically spread race across all of Jersey City.)

3. Hoboken is whiter than Rebecca Black.

Set up a free account on http://www.traffic.com/.

You can configure various "Drives" (specifying where you get ON and OFF certain roads) and the site will send you alerts (via email or text) if the traffic is over a certain threshold for your route.

It's even smart enough to let you know about alternates, so you can configure one drive as "Morning via Pulaski" and another as "Morning via Turnpike Extension" and it will let you know if one route is better than the other. You can also do the same for your evening commute home.


It's not perfect and sometimes the warnings don't come until it's too late, but at the least it can give you a heads up if there is a major issue.

The mobile site at http://mobi.traffic.com works great from a smartphone as well and can display a quick page with all of your customized drives.

Not about Jersey City, but the entire video for "Obsessed With You" by The Orion Experience was shot in downtown JC. See if you can spot the locations!

I believe she did grow up in Portland, but the location specified on her music networking sites is generally listed as Jersey City.


http://www.reverbnation.com/esperanzaspalding

http://www.myspace.com/esperanzaspalding

Congratulations to Jersey City's Esperanza Spalding for winning the Best New Artist Grammy!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme ... s-this-esperanza-spalding

The woman is an insanely talented bassist and a phenomenal songwriter, and her latest album Chamber Music Society is clear proof of why she was so deserving of this award.

Quote:

Yep, looks like offices. I peeked in the window from the Erie St side, and from there you can see a floorplan taped up on the opposite wall. Almost the entire space will be segmented into smaller rooms.

Bummer.

The city of Boston has a few new ways to combat potholes, including an update pothole-patching truck and an iPhone app that can automatically report the location of bumps in the road:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mass ... n_the_battle_vs_potholes/