I've seen them rifle though stuff and then not put the remaining clothes in the charity bin: that's the primary reason I just quickly get my stuff in the bin and don't let them take anything directly. They - like everyone else - need to go through the proper channels to get access to donated clothes (especially if they are going to just leave what they don't want on the ground).

I now only go with my husband because one time it got pretty ugly with them putting their hands in my trunk and I had to scream, 'back the f&*k away' - I think I got fed up - and concerned for my safety - and drove away.

My husband and I went from 6-7:45 last night but it may have gone as late as 10 pm - would be interested in how it ended for those there.

Hyman's lawyer (Donato) who, ahem, 'timely' sent those letters to residents, began by providing an overview of the history of the legal situation, with a primary message being that her client has been unfairly treated and her hope is that with this council, they will do the 'right thing.' She said that this is not about whether the area should be a park or condos, but is about whether the Embankment is legitimately a landmark and, subsequently, whether her client should have the right to use her property as she sees fit.

We stayed through the first witness, an architect who would be the one who'd convert the embankment into condos (so, clearly, no bias there, right?) who presented 1) his resume/background 2) his firm's expertise in refurbishing old buildings in a way that fits in with the neighborhood and surrounding aesthetic 3) his opinion that the embankment is an eye-sore with no intrinsic aesthetic or historical value (leveraging a JC-sponsored study from 1998 for validation) and that it's a barrier in the middle of HP.

Some highlights/loopholes:

- He's biased... if this was truly a neutral architect, I'd be more inclined to believe his testimony.
- The Berlin wall ain't exactly pretty but it has meaning to those who live near it or visit it; who is he to say what has meaning to the residents of JC....
- Donato said this wasn't about condos or parks... yet his whole opening diatribe was about his firm's expertise in making condos and parking garages fit within the neighborhood, almost a play to the residents to say, 'hey, see, this won't be that bad...'
- He mentioned only his expertise with buildings, not necessarily with a structure similar to the Embankment....
- Quasi-high rise condos won't be a barrier in the middle of HP?


This was the first of 3 or 4 sessions to plead their case and the Embankment Preservation Coalition - and the lawyer representing them - will have opportunities to present the alternative view. I believe the public will have their opportunities as well; it wasn't clear if that occurs at each session or in a final session but I'm sure the Coalition will post updates on JCList and via their e-mails.

Not rocket science... but I think it's critical: if you're against demolishing the embankment, our strongest arguments are NOT that we just simply DON'T want condos or WANT a park but that we want to preserve the embankment and the reasons for that. Simply 'not wanting condos' will just make Donato/Hyman say, 'well, too bad, this is my property' but explaining why 'keeping' the embankment and the historical importance and/or meanings it has for us (whether it's uniqueness, slice of history, watershed) is key.

Yes, if at all possible, please try to attend tonight @ 6 pm. I'd love to see a similar energy in the community around this as we had for the pipeline meetings.

It seemed the community was gaining traction with avoiding it being turned into condos, but that's not the case now. The months of living with development will be a nightmare let alone the rumor that the 1000-1500 units of condos may be 7-10 stories tall.

The only way that someone's property should be reassessed is if it's a new construction or it's been a complete renovation/addition, right? So if ppl are getting these bills that seem high, it should be because they had their property re-assessed. So they should have had a heads up about the re-assessed value and subsequent tax implications? (I'm a recent homeowner and trying to understand the logistics myself).

With Skin Organix gone, I was looking for a new facial place and was eager to try Walker's. I went Sat and gotta say, I was disappointed. The actual facial was good but I'm 99% sure it only lasted about 45 min (I recall the times when I turned off/on my phone) and that was with her leaving for 10 min. Anyone else have this? I didn't bring it up after cause I didn't feel like getting into it and because I knew it came so highly recommended. But a 60-min facial I expect to last 60 min.

We've used Rolando @ Clearflow several times. He's responsive, reasonable and trustworthy. We had tried Kook but found them incredibly expensive.

http://www.clearflowllc.com/services.html

My one question/concern, unless I missed something, is that the FERC seemed to make it clear that this part of the process is about assessing environmental impact about the pipeline being in JC.... the project manager who kicked off the meeting explained that while everyone's opinions about the pipeline overall are important and will be captured, they are specifically interested in environmental aspects. I'm not sure what constitutes an environmental impact.... 'sorry we killed 10 ppl, but at least the trees were salvaged?'

It just may be good for those of you who want to voice your concerns - and you can until August 20 for THIS part of the process - to emphasize issues related to environmental impact or make the connection between how those issues are related to the environmental aspects.

To give an update, currently at meeting... Really good turnout, maybe 250 or so.... Healy and Senator Sandra Cunningham spoke artiulately and passionately, demanding an alternate route.... There is strong audience engagement. A few have signs with 'no pipeline' on them...

Good call - I made 30 copies at work and should be home by 4:30 to start posting (I'll start near where I live on 5th/Monmouth and post around the HP area and Newark Ave). Hopefully we can get some people aware when they get home from work.

Yeah, there is. It's not really that well-marked. You pass the Brownstone Diner at the corner and then the Hospital on the right. Keep going past the light rail tracks and you'll see a break in the bushes with a wood-plank path.

Personally, depending on how long you want to run, my advice would vary. I find running around the streets of downtown a bit stressful so I walk to inside the park and start running on the path where the boats are docked (you'll see an entrance to that area on the left side of the path). I do 3 miles roundtrip and wind up ending near the Brownstone and then walk home. It's about a full 60 minutes. But if you typically run longer, the area isn't bad leading into the park... it just smells something awful.

We have to replace our dry wall and pretty much everything except the studs in our basement (thanks flood 2010!) for the bottom part of the wall. Any additional recommendations of contractors for a job like that. Thanks!

My then-boyfriend and I used to park in JC (near the current Grove Pointe) when going into NY when we lived in New Brunswick. We'd also go to Uncle Joe's a ton where he played in his band at the time.

When we decided to move in together 5 years ago, we only considered JC. We rented a 2-bedroom on Jersey, near 6th, which we loved. Then last year we got married (at the Loew's) and bought on 5th st, near Monmouth. We avoid the topic of where we'll go next...for now, we're just excited and consider ourselves fortunate to live where we do.

Paul Sorvino and Lily of the Feast movie filming downtown, supposed to be at Pecoraro bakery today at 4.

http://www.wireimage.com/ItemListings.aspx?igi=431550&nbc1=1

Could we maybe move this entire thread to the 'not JC' topic area given the ironic interest in JC by those past and soon-to-be-past residents...

1st and Newark near the Tattoo parlor between Coles/Jersey.

Just wanted to give a plug to this bar if you haven't already tried it. It's not clear to me why they still put up brown paper during the day and remove it at night, but my husband and I have been there a couple of times and had a good time. The space is beautiful, the bartenders attentive and they have a really, really nice garden area out back. I'm not sure what the deal is regarding whether they are still in a soft opening 6 mos later (only open Thur-Sun) or serving food, but I recommend you check it out.

Husband and I went there last night; we wanted to avoid the weekend so soon after opening. We're admittedly 'foodies' so we tend to be a bit harsh. Overall, we thought the experience was good. The place is absolutely beautiful as most posters have said. The ambiance was very nice; I think they addressed the loud music issue of previous posts.

Service: they are still trying to find their way and deal with the cadence - eg, bread was given to another table before ours despite us arriving first, etc. - but the waiter was attentive so overall no issues with service for the long-term as they continue to enhance.

Food: Husband had the burger, he thought it was good. I had the pastrami sandwich. Neither of us thought the cost/portion/quality for the menu was off. My only complaint was that my sandwich was a bit dry. They seem to use quality ingredients and it was as described but my only feedback was to use thinner bread...not a bad small critique from a food snob. The waiter asked how I liked the sandwich, I gave the constructive criticism and he seemed to really appreciate it.

All in all, we'll definitely return and recommend you give it a try - really nice addition to HP area.

Seems like It's Greek to Me is for sale:

http://www.theavantigroup.net/commercial/listing_ag16.html

We are... backup pump died about 15 min into use. Husband is trying to quickly move water to the front sump pump while more flows in from the back. Homeowner adjuster supposed to show today as well for previous flood....ironic.

At least now we know that water in the back is part of the issue (for the 3/14 flood we weren't home to diagnose). We should have trusted our home inspector who said the drainage in back was suspect...now we know.

Yeah, tonight is looking like another round of heavy rains, especially in the early morning hours (4 am timeframe). They keep shifting the forecast from heavy rains/wind to just rain/wind - regardless it won't be fun.

HarryK, that sucks about your situation. We had our flood adjuster come last week and regular homeowner's tomorrow. We put some sandbags out and got a back-up sump pump just in case. Hope this isn't as bad as 3/14 for everyone...going to be a long, restless night. Looking forward to the warmer weather later this week!

We used Willow Ironworks - they were responsive, on time and did good work.

We had a gate and a window installed - both were about what PBW said, about $700 total but the window was less (under $300 I think).

(Reposting to this relevant thread) I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for someone to build about a foot high concrete waterproof barrier at our basement entrance to prevent water flow from the sidewalk as well as someone to put the sump pump drain/pipe under the sidewalk. I see PMJ come up often - any others who have done this type of work and can recommend someone?

Thanks!

Has anyone ever used one of the flood cleanup emergency crews and know how much they cost? They pumped out our water, dropped off humidifiers and fans, put all of our wet crap in our backyard and then mopped/cleaned the floor over the course of 3 days. We are starting to assess damage/costs and getting return phone calls isn't always easy. Thanks!

I just wanted to put a little plug in for the Kanibal store on Montgomery. I'm in no way affiliated with the store.

I've bought a few items in there, a necklace, couple of gifts for Christmas and most recently a chair. They have a mix of unique apparel, jewelry, home goods and restored vintage furniture, which are really interesting. I think they may even do restoration of your own furniture.

We got flooded this weekend and everything in our basement, including the new chair, was ruined. I called Kristen at the Kanibal store and asked if they had the other matching chair and explained the situation.

She went above and beyond what I'd expect anyone to do....Not only did she agree to put the chair on hold for a few days, she also said she'd look into whether the other chair was salvageable. I emailed her some photos and she had one of her furniture restorers look at it. She asked some follow-up questions and they said the cost of fixing will likely be more than the chair. But she also gave me good tips on how to air it dry well and clean it to help lessen the stains.

But what was most gracious, she offered 10% off the other chair.

We not only need more businesses like Kanibal in JC, but also more people like Kristen. That situation has been a nice uplifting part of an otherwise f&*ing crappy week.

We are first time flood 'victims' - just came back from a wedding for the weekend and had a foot of water, but it was 3 feet (so we're thinking the sump pump gave out). Even the guy who came to get the water out was like, 'Jeez.... I need more equipment.' They are coming back first thing in the AM to take care of it. We're obviously pursuing the insurance claim route as everything is ruined.

Any advice from others on what we may want to do once it's all cleaned up - we know it's important to get dehumidifiers and such. This is our first house (just bought in Oct) and first water issue so any advice or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm contemplating canceling my gym membership now that the weather may be getting warmer and supplementing running with classes at the Grassroots Community Center and the new yoga place on Monmouth.

Has anyone ever taken a class at the Grassroots place? They have a pretty solid schedule of a mix of activities, including yoga, bellydancing, etc. as well as more art-related classes.

http://grassrootscommunityspace.com/ical/month.php

Yeah, we tried that but the space is too small and because it's a gas connection we're a bit concerned about what sorta havoc we may create.

I see recommendations on here for new appliance installation and repairing of existing, but our situation is a bit different. We have a dryer on top of a washer with no stacking/brackets connecting them and therefore the dryer starts to fall off the washer when in use (aka, bad installation).

From calling several places, they don't support that (it's not broken and it's not new/under warranty). Someone suggested calling a plumber so I will try that - anyone else have any suggestions of who would do this work?

I also recommend John Moss/Inspex. We just closed on our house in JC this week and he inspected it about a month ago - very thorough, very quick-turn around and honest. He charges about 300-400 for the standard inspection.

Can someone recommend a bakery for wedding cakes (red velvet is strong preference) that's not Carlo's or Made with Love? Doesn't have to be JC though the wedding is local.

I e-mailed the recommended Cynthia but it seems the Cupcake Salon is no longer at the mall so not sure if she's still around.

Thanks!