Thank you. Sadly, the company just informed me that Jersey City is out of their service area.

We live in a wood-sided house in the Heights and need to do some repair and replacement of some planks, painting,etc. Anyone have recommendations for a reliable carpenter/contractor who will not try to convince us to go vinyl or stucco? Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately if your company is based in NY you are not eligible for anything NJ offers. I believe NJFLA offers 12 weeks not 6. (Not to rub it in or anything).

Any recommendations for an inexpensive tree person/arborist, etc? Thanks!

I would also recommend the guy with the bikes for tune-ups, etc. He did a nice job on a beaten up vintage bike I brought to him.

What if folks dont want these cats back? I love animals and all, but the FOUR cats living in my backyard have turned it into a huge kitty litter box. During the last snow I went out back with my three year old to make snow angels and he ended up with cat waste on him. And dont even get me started on the (song) bird carcasses they leave on the lawn. Feral cats are a major health hazard, spayed or not. If anyone has any advice on deterrents/keeping them away please share. I have already tried black and red pepper, that cat stay away powder and one of those expensive "cat stop" sound devices.

Awesome! What will the store's normal hours be?

Future Generations on Palisades is another great option. It is on the Heights/Journal Square border. We send our son there and really like it.

Actually, Jersey Journal says that the 99S Express, which runs from Bayonne to New York, will continue to operate on its current route. Isn't that the Palisades Ave. bus? I guess the JFK bus is the one that is being rerouted.

That really sucks. As if riding the 99s wasn't slow and unreliable enough already. This is really going to through the drivers for a loop too. I have been on two morning 99s buses in the last month where the drivers did not know how to get into the hov lane or how to get into port authority.

Yes. We just moved our 16 month old son to Future Generations from Baby Einstein. Since your child is three, they are probably eligible for the free abbott program there, which is supposed to be great

We really like it, and more importantly, our son seems to as well. He really misses the staff of Baby Einstein but there is more structure, awesome outdoor play areas for them (they get outside alot) and fun activities/visitors (zoo, visiting pony for pony rides, visiting hula dancers, etc). The staff seem great at F.G. as well. Email me if you want to talk more about it. sam264w@aol.com

Hi Erin. You are near Congress, right? The 99s stops at Congress and Palisade, across from the Fire Station. It also stops at Paterson Plank and Palisade and that gives you the option of the 123 if it comes before the 99s. Like I said before, the 99s is great when and if it comes and it is most reliable before 8 am (I think it hits Congress around 7:50 but you should check schedule to make sure). You can catch it on the fourth floor of PA. Fare is $3.

Hi there. I live in the Heights (on Congress) and work on 8th and 37th. On a good day it can take me 25 minutes from the Heights to PA on the 99s (if I am lucky enough to get it) or gypsy bus. Bad day about 40 minutes. The 99s is fast when you can catch it, and the best time to get it is usually before 8 in the am. After that the schedule is unreliable. Schedule is much more reliable on the way back and it takes about 20-25 minutes in the evening.

The Heights has some good restaurants on Central, the Corkscrew is great, and it is easy/fast to get to restaurants and shopping in Hoboken.

HI there. Just wanted to respond about Heights day care and schools. We are in the Heights and send our 1 year old Hank to Baby Einstein Learning Center on Webster and Ferry and are happy with it. I know other parents (with toddlers) have had some issues with staff there but we like the place. It seems to be far superior to the other day care centers I have checked out in the neighborhood.

There is a new pre-school that just opened on Central across from Washington Park called Park Prep or something like that. The space is great, curriculum/activities seem awesome and the two women that run it are recent Bank Street graduates. They mentioned that they plan to open a (private) elementary school in three years.

I also know a few Heights parents who are really happy with St. Anns for k-12.

We would prefer to send our son to public school in the Heights when he reaches school age but it's nice to know there might be options if the public schools aren't promising.

My son (Hank) is 11 months and is starting full time there next month. He has been going on Fridays for about five months. Since I work from home on Fridays I am able to stop in randomly to pick him up (and check up on the situation). I really like it there - the caregivers are great - conscientious , really seem to love the children and engage them alot. I can't wait until he can start doing yoga with Michelle (so awesome that they do yoga with babies!)

Hank is happy there, although I am nervous about him starting full time(nothing to do with the place though). Not sure what price they are quoting you. I know they charge more if you opt for a lower child to caregiver ratio (3 to 1 vs. 4 to 1). We were going to do that, but decided against for now. You can email me at sam264w@aol.com if you want to chat.