I can vouch for Mark Blanchard a.k.a. the Catman @ The Cats Meow Services, permanantly owns a key to my house and has an alarm code. That's how much we trust him! Have been using him for about 8 years now.

I think the idea with stealing seats is that you'll leave the bike there longer, possibly overnight, since you can't ride it. That gives the thefts a chance to work on the lock and eventually steal the whole thing. Just a theory my husband came up with after his seat was stolen too. He took the bike with him and had me pick him up in the car because he didn't want to leave the bike there any longer.

I messaged Steven Fulop on Facebook and received a message back the same day asking if he could call me to discuss. My question was basically, "Why should I vote for you because I am still undecided?". I sent him my number and within 30 seconds my phone was ringing. We had a great conversation, I challenged him on a few issues and rumors. He had a direct answer for every single thing that I asked. I have no doubt that Steven Fulop would make a good mayor and point Jersey City in the right direction.

Residents in the neigborhood, even across the street have been given lifetime discount cards to Zeppelin Hall for their patience. So at least the bar has acknowledged to the residents that they might be a disturbance at times and attempted to make them happy.

If you are willing to drop a book in the mail every now and then and register yourself online- www.paperbackswap.com is a site where you can actually swap old books for ones you want. Free membership, you pay to ship books out, but not to receive. Typically about $3 to mail a book.

There was a thread on this some time ago worth reading. I no longer bring my pets to Downtown either, (I explain in the thread below). I now go to Westside. Good luck!

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... =ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

I like the Corkscrew on Congress St., it's in walking distance from my place. By no means is it 'upscale' but it is a good place to have a few beers and play pool or Buck Hunter. The bartenders are friendly and there is a good local vibe there.

Where are there shelters, etc. in Jersey City where we can make non-perishable food donations or volunteer our time?

from MoveOn.org:

"Barack and Michelle Obama have a request for us: Spend this coming Monday?Martin Luther King Day?volunteering to serve the urgent needs in our communities.

In this economic crisis, food banks are struggling to keep up. Homeowners need help weatherizing to keep out the cold. Schools are crumbling.

Some folks have been hit harder by the recession than others, but we're all in it together. We've all got to roll up our sleeves and help each other out. And volunteering is always a great experience?in just a few hours, you can help make a huge difference in the lives of others."

Word to the wise? they are towing like crazy when you park at PepBoys, BJs, Shoprite to go to Newport Mall right now- Merry Christmas! I got towed last night, along with many others. Just a warning! Pay the $ to park at the mall (even though it's ridiculous that a mall charges you to park!) Trust me, it's better than paying the scummy tow company $150 like I did last night. (Plus cab fare to get there).
On a side note, I wonder if the guys at Pep Boys get a cut for snitching? I mean, someone is tipping off the tow company and making them a lot of dough! The cabbies benefit too, for sure. What a sleazy business to be in. It's a horrible feeling to spend all of your $ on Christmas gifts in the mall, and come outside only to find that your car is missing and you have to spend another hour and $150 to get it back.

I was a client of the Animal Infirmary of Hoboken at 6th and Adams for 4 years, which is the same establishment as Downtown Veterinary Associates. I can tell you that I believe that the care is good overall but that I have had one serious misdiagnosis which led to unnecessary suffering for my cat Johnny because his condition went untreated for months. When I brought him back in dire pain, he was then diagnosed correctly and Michael Tudor operated on him. The surgery was very successful. That was 3 years ago.

On a more recent occasion, I had my cats get checkups in March 2008. It was discovered that my other cat Misty has many missing teeth and a few loose ones too. The doctor at the Infirmary recommended that I bring her back to have all remaining teeth pulled. This would cost me about $500. Sounded a bit extreme so, I decided to get a 2nd opinion. I brought Misty to the JC Animal Hosp. on Westside Ave: I was informed that the cat has gingivitus and thus her gums had significant inflammation for which a round of antibiotics were prescribed. Cost for visit + meds: $61, and they asked that I bring the cat back for a followup in 3 weeks. I asked if she might eventually need the teeth pulled and they said NO that they would hate to put the cat under anesthesia unless absolutely necessary and that it should be a last resort.

So from this point forward, I plan to bring both of my cats to the JC Animal Hosp. on Westside Ave. I feel that they are more honest and that they truly care for your pets? health. I believe that the Animal Infirmary is a decent place, and I am very thankful for the successful surgery that Johnny received there. But I have long suspected that they want to charge you as much $ as possible, and are less concerned with the pet than they are with how much $ you spend w/them. My recent experience has proved that to me further. I hope that my experience can be of some help to you in your future decisions for your pets? health.

The food is very cold-weather appropriate and very delicious. And YES, incredibly great values, like $2.50 for a hearty serving of borcht- delicious! The stuffed cabbage and stuffed peppers are also faves of me and my husband's.

Don't get me wrong, Dr. Tudor performed a successful surgery on my other cat in 2005 @ the Hoboken office. They just seem to charge a lot of $, and to want you to spend, spend, spend more when you're there. Like the mechanic who finds 12 other things wrong with your car when you bring it in for an oil change...

There is a Goodwill near Journal Sq that will take old computers. We brought ours there a few months ago. We were going to try to have it recycled and were misinformed that the incinerator on 440 took them. Well, my husband drove all the way there at 8:30 am on a weekday only to find out that they don't recycle computers there! So they suggested Goodwill, and Goodwill was happy to take it. Good luck!

I have a 5 yr old cat that had some loose + decaying teeth. This was discovered during a routine checkup at the Hoboken Animal Infirmary on Adams St., where I have been going for 4 yrs. I took her to the Jersey City Animal Hospital on Westside Ave for a 2nd opinion, and the results might surprise you:

Hoboken Animal Infirmary: Advised that I have all four teeth pulled because one is rotting, one is loose, and the other two are decaying. This procedure would require that I put the cat under anesthesia and it would cost $450-$550. There is a flat fee to have any dental surgery + they charge per tooth. The vet could not tell me why the cat's teeth are in such bad shape.

JC Animal Hosp. on Westside Ave: Was informed that the cat has gingivitus and thus her gums had significant inflammation. A round of antibiotics were prescribed for the inflammation. The vet said that the loose tooth will eventually fall out on its own. One was so loose that he took it out of her mouth with his two fingers on the spot. Cost for visit + meds: $61, and they asked that I bring the cat back for a followup in 3 weeks. I asked if she might eventually need the teeth pulled and they said NO that they would hate to put the cat under anesthesia unless absolutely necessary and that it should be a last resort.