What a shit show! Was driving north from North Carolina after visiting my folks. My traffic app took me into Staten Island and onto Bayonne Bridge to avoid this mess. Glad its back open.

They changed the way the signals work at that intersection a few years ago. Cars going north on Grove used to have a protected left turn onto Columbus, or a delayed green light. It was much safer then. Now, it has become a crazy free for all intersection. Marin and Columbus is just as bad. The city needs to look into smarter traffic signals and control on these streets. Grand and Grove Grand and Marin also needs attention.

I was able to buy a street parking pass for five years in a row when I moved here.

When I tried to renew last year, the parking authority sent back my check with a hand written note saying "sorry, your building provides parking". They do provide parking at $200 plus, per month. I contacted the parking authority to find out what changed, and they did not get back to me. I contacted Candice, on the city council and she forwarded my email to the head of the parking authority.

They simply responded, "the building provides parking". Apparently, the parking authority made a mistake issuing me a street permit five years in a row. Sort of strange. It was a bummer, but since I leave for work everyday at 7AM and dont get back until 6, I can still park on the street with an expired pass. They dont seem to enforce over the weekends or after normal work hours.

When I sign and resign my lease they never mention I am not eligible for a street pass.

This is the place for ranting; dont feel bad! Just curious, do you have a block or neighborhood organization? It might be somewhat helpful to have a meeting with your neighbors once a month or even once a quarter to discuss problems and come up with some solutions. Im sorry you are picking up after pigs, but its like the broken window theory. The better a block looks, the less likely people are going to feel entitled to trash it.

I love these cute articles about JC.

Here is what I experienced on Cinco de mayo living around Newark Ave.

I walked up through the pedestrian plaza around 9:30PM going to to Newark and Coles to check in on a cat. I was cat sitting. Already at that time there were drunks all over the pedestrian plaza.

On my way back to Mercer and Marin, where I live, I walked down Columbus hoping to avoid the drama on Newark Ave around 10:30pm. On Columbus, I ran into a woman, bursting out of her clothes, vomiting all over the sidewalk. Her boyfriend, or guy she was with, ran away from her and into traffic on Columbus and almost caused an accident. Great guy.

I get back to my apartment to find two guys in sombreros pissing on the side of my building. They could have gone into Krispy Kreme and urinated there into a proper toilet.

The neighborhood has become like a college town. I get that it was cinco de mayo and whatnot that night. But please... The drunks on Newark ave are spilling over into the surrounding areas. Now with Uber, these people are coming into town from all over the place and have no respect for the neighbors.

Things seem to be feeling more and more like Hoboken. I'm not trying to sound like a crotchey old F^&%, but I see way too much puke on the sidewalk these days when going to work!

I hope the project stalls for a long time. We are over-developing.
If you think trains are packed already heading into grove and onto the city, just wait until all of these new projects in Journal Square are filled with people. More people with no new infrastructure.

The only time the murals bugged me was the Monopoly Board on Newark Ave. It was a cool idea but just looked cheap and the paint did not seem to stick well on the street. The content did not bother me as much as some others. It just looked a bit cheap and crappy to be honest.

I would agree with some review, but not for content, but just artwork and skill of the artist.

In other words, make sure the artist are talented and bring great work. I see awesome stuff around the Holland tunnel. There is is a stay puff dripping away and the veins and crap are underneath. Its great work, but perhaps would not fly on a building right downtown or really anywhere kids would be freaked out, I'm not sure how to police that, but its awesome work.

The problem with a review over content is that you will always find someone offended by something. If that's what it turns into, then few great murals will be thrown up in the city.

Oh my, people act like pigs. Leave nature alone!

Not surprising around Montgomery on that end of downtown. The post states "downtown" like its a shock, but there are still rough pockets / project housing in that area.

At the end of the day, I am happy its just chalk and it washes away. No matter what the message, would you rather have someone spray painting the same thing? Why the worry over chalk? One storm and its gone. People could be painting these messages on the side of your house.