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Here's the key to getting the best out of John's: start with the Marinara pizza and build from there. I completely agree with you that the regular Margarita has way too much cheese and is too greasy. The Marinara has no cheese. If you want cheese, ask for a Marinara with FRESH mozzarella. Instead of globs of the shredded rubber stuff that goes on the Margarita, you get thin slices of the real stuff in modest quantities. It makes all the difference.

Generally speaking, there is no GREAT pizza in JC. Sad but true, folks. Still, a John's Mariana with fresh mozz and sausage is as close as we can manage, and frankly, it's really pretty good. Of course, you need to eat it there. Thin crust pies like this don't travel well, and even if you're picking it up and walking only a few blocks home, the few minutes will really kill the pie.

My wife and I were not impressed with Paulus Hook Pizza. Sauce was too sweet. Crust was spongy and undercooked. Sausage was the thin-sliced grayish brown kind (aka, CHEAP and NASTY). Fresh Mozzarella was ok, but that was the only good part of the pizza. We won't be ordering from them again.

We are definitely of the opinion that John's is still the best Pizza in (down)town (not perfect, but far superior to any other offereing), with Buon Appetito bringing in second place (a serviceable, if flawed pie, bolstered by the fact that this place has great cannoli!).

Mine was stolen from the parking garage under the Majestic Theatre apartment building in downtown JC. Thief was caught on video. He waited outside until a car exited the garage, and then before the door could close, he ran in, walked over to the bike racks, and walked away with my bike. Sily me for thinking I didn't need to lock it up once it was in the garage. I learned my lesson, and now it's locked up with a Kryptonite "NY Chain" wherever I leave it.

FYI, the thief was actually caught! He returned to the scne a few days later (presumably to nick another bike), but was caught in the act. Fortunately, he was drunk enough to keep distracted until the cops showed up, upon which time he was arrested.

I don't own dogs (I'm a cat person actually), but I love public dog runs and am happy to have my tax dollars go towards the creation and maintainance of dog runs (I even gave money a few years back to help support the VVP dog run's creation). There are many public benefits dog runs confer on the community at large, regardless of whether or not you own dogs yourself. Here's two:

First, when dog owners have a place to take their dogs for exercise, there is less dog waste deposited elsewhere in the community, especially in parks, which are used by everyone and made much more pleasant by the absence of dog doo doo on public lawns (more dog runs at parks = dogs pooping in the runs, not on the lawns).

Second, dog runs are an additional ammenity in the neighbohood that demonstrates that the city takes an interest in the lives of its citizens. The more public ammenities the better, I say, as well-made and well-maintained public spaces can only better the neighborhood in the eyes of prospective residents. In other words, dog runs are, in the long term, just as important as sidewalks and trees for portraying the public face of who we are in Jersey City.

I know the park renovation will be an inconvenience, but I am quite glad it's being done, dog run included.

I've been doing the JC to Lower Manhattan bike commute for going on three years, and I've done it with full size and folding bikes, and on both the PATH and the Ferry. Most recent commute in was yesterday (yes, it was Sunday - I'm just happy to still have a job!). It's a great way to get to work. Here's my 2 Cents:

1. Ferry is definitely the easiest and most civilized way to go. Even with a folding bike, you're still dealing with turnstiles and stairs on the PATH, which can be a pain. With the Ferry, you just ride right up to the dock, wheel your bike on, and you're done. Also, as was noted in an earlier post, there are no time restrictions, so you can bring a full size bike on during the morning rush, which you can't do on the PATH. Finally, riding the boats is just a nice way to get to work - outside, wind in your face, sunshine, etc. Much better than being underground.

2. Downside to the Ferry is cost. As of last fall (last time I took the Ferry), it was $4.85 + $1.00 for the bike ($5.85 total) one way from Paulus Hook to the World Financial Center. That's $4+ more each way than using the PATH.

3. Folders are also fine if you decide to go the PATH route. Don't skimp on the bike, though. I bought a Dahon Piccolo when I first moved to JC, and the little thing rattled apart after a week of JC and Manhattan street riding. Get a bigger Dahon, or even better, a Brompton, if you're serious about using the PATH + folder method. And get it from a good shop that includes free tune ups (I'm a big fan of Gotham in Tribeca) - you'll need them between JC and Manhattan roads! Full size bike is definitely better than a folder for riding around this town.

We've been using Doggies' Playmate for two years now and they are great! John and his staff are some of the most responsible professionals in any industry.

www.doggiesplaymate.com

I'm one of those guys mentioned in the article who arrived in JC post-Schundler. Having been here now for 2+ years, I can say that I agree with a lot of the sentiment in this article, namely, that this place has come a long way, but perhaps not as far as it could or should have. Here's my question: is this Schundler guy another Bloomberg, like the article seems to suggest? Can he be trusted? Is this JC's man for mayor? Let's hear from some people who lived through the Schundler years.

For what it's worth, I love Taqueria. Not sure about the "attitude" you experienced - we've only ever had great service and friendly treatment there. I also think the food is great (particularly the barbacoa [lamb] tacos) - always fresh, always delicious, and my wife and I can stuff ourselves without cracking $25 for the both of us, including a couple of Tecates. Glad to hear about another good Mexican place, though, even if it is in Bayonne.

Hadn't been in about 2 years, but my wife wanted guacamole last night, so we went (last time that craving struck, we ended up at Baja Fresh on Montgomery by O'Connels -- ugh; that's why I was ok with Hard Grove this time). To my surprise, the food was pretty good - much better than I remembered. Yes, the service was slow. Yes, I had to ask three times before my beer order made it to the table. On the other hand, it looked like they only had one waitress handling the whole dining area, so she was doing the best she could. Also, she was really friendly, so although the service was slow, it was not bad. Anyway, I'd go back, which is as good a review as any restaurant can expect, right?

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Gotham's a great bike shop. I've been going there for years, and have bought several bikes there for me and my wife. They know and love the folding bikes, too (I used to own a Dahon Piccolo, which they serviced for me on a regular basis -- see previous post in this thread, I'm not a big fan of Dahon build quality, and no longer own one).

Without a doubt, it's John's on Sussex. Been there three times since they opened and it's been great each time.

If you're talking top-shelf, high priced, wear a jacket to dinner Italian, Felidia is still the best. Took my wife there for her birthday last year and it was, as always, amazing.

Not to be missed, though, is Apizz! (pronounced Ah-beets), on Eldridge and Stanton on the Lower East Side. Get the meatballs, they are unbelievable. Not pasta and meatballs - just meatballs. Two enormous meatballs made from veal, pork and beef with a little bit of ricotta cheese in the center of each, smothered in red sauce. Oh my god, they are good. Apizz! is much more casual than Felidia, but still a very nice place and not cheap by any means. Still, cheaper, and as I said, more casual than Felidia. It's great. Been there 8 or 9 times. Want to go there now. Yum.

Any update on when John's is going to open? We can't wait for decent, local pizza. Headed to Hoboken for Grimaldi's last night. It was good, but John's will be a welcome addition to the local scene.

For a simple closing on our apartment, we used Nino Falcone, 7807 Bergenline Ave., North Bergen, NJ 07047, (201) 861-5300. If I recall correctly, in '06 he charged us a flat fee of $800 plus about $150 in copying, faxing, etc. charges. Not the most responsive law office I've ever dealt with (sometimes had to call several times before a call was returned), but he got the job done properly with no complications (these types of closings are definitely his bread and butter, so he does know what he's doing) and we got our apartment without paying huge legal fees.

My wife and I just ate there for the first time on Friday night. It was really very good! Vennison sliders at the bar rank among the best burgers I've ever had -- seriously good food. Friendly service, good selection of beers on tap (Hazed & Infused! Been a long time since I've seen that one on tap), and all of the food we had was great. We're both NYC foodie snobs, and so we're not easy to please. This place, though, easily holds its own with anything in JC and anything in its class in Manhattan as well.

I had the same idea when we first moved to JC - I work in Manhattan and when we lived down by Battery Park, I used to ride my bike to my office in Midtown. So I bought a Dahon Piccolo (the smallest frame Dahon makes, and one that came highly recommended for city commuting because of low weight and small size when folded), thinking it would be good to take on the PATH, even during rush hour, and I'd still get to have my riding commute to work. It didn't work out as well as I thought. First, Dahon quality has really gone downhill. On my first three rides, I got a flat tire (VERY cheap Chinese innertubes are stock on the bike), had hub/shifting difficulties (stuck gears, etc.), and finally had the chain snap on me. It was also a lot heavier than I expected and unlike a Brompton, doesn't have built in rolling wheels to roll it around like luggage when folded. The Dahon was also really a pain to fold and unfold for the PATH. Between the weight, the difficulty, and the quality problems, I sold my Dahon on Craigslist within a month of purchasing it.

I did find a solution, though: I just continued riding my regular Cannondale, but instead of taking the PATH, I switched to the Ferry. Yes, it's a more expensive commute, but they let you bring your FULL SIZED bike on even during rush hour, and there's no need to compromise with a folder.