As always, there is so much news to cover in our home of Hudson County. This past week has seen nearly every local headline imaginable, from several new openings to opportunities to donate locally to a fire ravaging Jersey City. Keep reading to discover all of the news you missed this week in Hoboken and Jersey City.
There’s Still Time to Enjoy the Ultimate Local Self-Care Guide to 2020
Businesses in Hoboken + Jersey City have all come together to make sure your fitness, health, and beauty resolutions are kicked-off the right way, whether you’re just wanting to ramp up your gym membership, commit to self-care, or just treat yo’self — with limited-time deals in our 2020 local self-care guide.
Fitness, beauty, wellness, and beyond — it’s all here to make you feel amazing, inside and out. Local businesses are sharing exclusive offers for Hoboken Girl readers, and all you have to do is mention “Hoboken Girl” or follow the instructions below to redeem.
We’ve made it simple — the business listed, their IG handle to check them out, the deal, how to redeem, and the website. Check out the full post on our Guide to Local Self-Care in 2020 here. {But note, all deals expire after Januar 31st, so be sure to take advantage of them ASAP}.
Hoboken Girl Helps Now Collecting Formalwear Donations for Our March 28th Community Sale
Got some old formalwear laying around? Hoboken Girl Helps is now hosting a Prom and Formalwear Drive in preparation for our March 28th community sale. Donation drop-offs for the fourth annual Formalwear Drive and Community Sale can be found at the following locations: Hudson Family Rehab, Downtown MedSpa, WestSide Realty Group, JaneDo Hoboken, Boutique Realty Hoboken, Boutique Realty Jersey City, and Athleta. We’ll be accepting all kinds of formalwear — from gowns and cocktail dresses to men’s suits and NEW/unused beauty products + gently used jewelry.
The Community Sale will be held on Saturday, March 28th, 2020 at the Multi-Service Center in Hoboken at 124 Grand Street on the 1st floor in the Senior Activities Center.
For more information on the community sale, check out our full post here.
Former Hoboken Resident Eli Manning Announces His Retirement
{Photo credit: Instagram}
Eli Manning is saying goodbye. The former Hoboken resident — oh, and not to mention two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP of the New York Giants — announced his official retirement on Friday. The retirement announcement comes after a 16-year career in the National Football League with the same team since he was first drafted by the NY Giants in 2004.
“For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant both on and off the field,” said Giants’ president and chief executive officer John Mara. “Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history. He represented our franchise as a consummate professional with dignity and accountability. It meant something to Eli to be the Giants quarterback, and it meant even more to us. We are beyond grateful for his contributions to our organization and look forward to celebrating his induction into the Giants Ring of Honor in the near future.”
Curry Up Now Officially Open in Hoboken
Formerly the home of Wok to Walk, Curry Up Now has moved into the previously vacant space at 91 Washington Street where it is now serving Thali platters, ghee makini bowls, burritos, and more. And it’s finally open as of Thursday, January 23rd. Congratulations on the opening, Curry Up Now! To read more about the restaurant and to find out what’s on the menu, check out our full tour here.
Pasta e Vino in Hamilton Park Permanently Closes
Sadly, Jersey City has lost another Italian eatery. Pasta e Vino, located at 136 Newark Avenue in the Pedestrian Plaza of Hamilton Park, known for, of course, its pasta and wine, has closed its doors.
Pasta e Vino mysteriously closed their doors on January 1st, 2020. Now on their website is a message about the unexpected closure: “Pasta e Vino has been permanently closed as of January 1st, 2020. We would like to thank our staff for 4.5 years of service and loyalty. We would also like to thank the people of Jersey City for their support and patronage. We wish the next business coming soon all the best and hope that 2020 is a great year for them.”
Before Pasta e Vino was an Italian eatery, it was Raval – a Spanish tapas spot. Raval opened in 2015, unexpectedly {but temporarily} closed in 2016 for renovations, and eventually closed its doors for good by the end of 2017. Soon after closing, Pasta e Vino moved into the space.
O’Bagel Scores Time Out New York Shout-Out
{Photo credit: @obagel_family}
O’Bagel’s $135 bagel — aptly named the Jumb’O Bagel — was enough to recently grab the attention of Time Out New York, which published a feature all about the car-tire-sized breakfast food.
Now the Jumb’O Bagel isn’t always $135 bucks. It ranges anywhere from $40 to above $100, but that depends on add-ons. The standard Jumb’O Bagel comes on either an everything, plain, or sesame bagel and can feature add-ons like bacon, egg, cheese, turkey, and sausage.
Should you want to mosey on over to O’Bagel to try the Jumb’O for yourself, the headline-baking bagel shop is located at 600 Washington Street in Hoboken.
Congratulations, O’Bagel, on being featured in Time Out!
Jersey City Promotes Six Firefighters to Captain Rank
Jersey City has promoted six of its firefighters to the rank of captain. At a ceremony held at Jersey City City Hall on Monday, Dave Budinick, Jeffrey Walter, Daniel Dornacker, David Myers, Nicholas Vecchio, and John Bellezza were honored with promotions.
“It’s a feeling of accomplishment. I feel honored to do this for the city. I’ve worked with the same guys for the past nine years in the same house. It’s bittersweet. It’s a good day, but you’re leaving your buddies to venture off into something new,” Budinick said.
At the ceremony, Mayor Steven Fulop hailed the City Council for providing appropriate funding for the firefighters.
“When we came into office, every single night there were four companies that were ground out and it put people at risk and more or less the city was crossing its fingers that we were going to be able to respond in a proper and expedient and fast way,” Fulop said. “We also committed to hiring more firefighters and promoting more firefighters because we wanted to do more than just speak about our commitment to public safety, we want to show it with our actions.”
Hoboken PATH Station and 33rd Street Line Experiencing Closures This Weekend
All stations along the 33rd Street PATH Line — Christopher Street, 9th Street, 14th Street, 23rd Street, and 33rd Street — have been offline from 12:01AM Saturday, January 25th through 5:00AM Monday, January 27th. If you’re looking to head into Manhattan this weekend, your best bet is to utilize the Newark-World Trade Center line from until Monday.
These PATH closures may be inconvenient AF, but they sound like they’re for good reason. According to the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York, these closures are due to “signal-related equipment installation and relocation.”
There are a few more closures you need to know about as well. The Hoboken and Newport stations will also be closing to “replace temporary signal equipment” with permanent equipment. Because of this equipment change, Hoboken and Newport have been closed since 12:01AM Saturday, January 25th and are expecting to reopen 7:59AM on Sunday, January 26th.
For more information on these closures, check out our full post here, download the RidePATH app, or log onto www.panynj.gov/StayOnTrack.
Fire Sets Off 3 Alarms, Claims 2 Jersey City Homes
A fire that set off three alarms early last Tuesday has claimed two homes in Jersey City. The fire erupted at 82 and 84 Orient, between Martin Luther King Drive and Bergen Avenue, around 7:40AM on Tuesday morning. Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione confirmed to NJ.com that an off-duty firefighter, who was on his way to work, saw the smoke and reported the blaze, even helping to initiate evacuations of both buildings.
After 10 minutes, the two-alarm fire had set off a third alarm. No injuries were reported, but the fire did destroy the two multi-family homes.
Little Hoboken Studio Celebrates Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
{Photo credit: @littlehoboken}
Little Hoboken Studio — a parenting headquarters and resource for local moms and dads — has officially opened its doors and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla showed up to the ceremony, held at 702 Clinton Street, to honor Cassie Mascari and Melissa Wise, the creators of Little Hoboken
Also known as Hoboken’s Parenting Headquarters, Little Hoboken will also serve as a photography studio, retail space, and a place where local businesses can host retail pop-up shops. But more than that, Little Hoboken strives to be a resource of local family-related info and a safe space for mothers.
Looks Like Bayonne Could Be Getting a Direct Ferry to NYC
It’s looking more and more like Bayonne could be getting a direct ferry that services Bayonne riders across the river to New York City. Last week, City Council voted in favor of a 10-year lease with Monmouth County ferry company Seastreak. According to Patch, this would result in direct ferry service from Bayonne to Manhattan. Stay tuned for more information on this developing story.
New Indian Eatery Called Nukkad Opening in Exchange Place
A new restaurant with a specialty in serving Indian food is coming to Exchange Place in February. Nukkad is planning its grand opening for February 3rd and comes from owner Garima Kothari, who posted about the new eatery in a local Facebook group. Congratulations on the impending opening, Nukkad! More details to come as they become available.
LITM In Jersey City Now Closed
{Photo credit: @litmjc}
Unfortunately, there was another closure in Jersey City this week. LITM, a local + popular hub for art and drinks located at 140 Newark Avenue in JC, has officially closed its doors as of this past Thursday. According to NJ.com, Jelynne Jardiniano Morse {the founder of LITM} had put the business up for sale a year ago and has finally “reached a deal to sell it.”
In a Facebook post, Morse and general manager Andrea Morin announced the closure with a heavy heart. The post read:
“Dear friends and family of LITM:
With a full and grateful heart, I say farewell.
Since 2003, LITM has been a neighborhood destination for individuals to connect and build community. For many, it became their home away from home. I have been fortunate to know most of you and to see so many of your stories unfold. After seventeen years, the LITM story has come to an end.
We created many grand memories over the years but as much as I cherish those, so do I cherish our simple everyday conversations that sealed our friendship. One such conversation was with a former staff who told me that I was like a big sister to him. He pursued his passion, like I did when opening LITM. I was surrounded by such people following their heart. I suspect this will always be the case, and I believe that the best is yet to come for all of us.
As we wrap up in the next few days, LITM will unfortunately not be open for business. Our final farewell party will not take place at our space due to time constraints. We want our chance at a proper goodbye, and will endeavor to make that a reality. It just won’t happen at 140 Newark Ave.
Artists and service providers: we will be contacting you to make arrangements, and will be available to serve you beyond the closing of our space.”
LITM served as a staple for the JC community for the last 17 years and will be certainly be missed.
Hoboken Resident Appears on Wheel of Fortune
This week, Hoboken resident Brian Davis appeared on Wheel of Fortune. Brian’s journey to the show began back in 2015 when he first began auditioning for the show. Then, in 2018 finally got on the show. Fast forward to 2020, and Brian’s episode aired on Tuesday, January 21st.
Plus Brian didn’t just go on the show for fun, he did it for a good cause — he donated the profits from his winnings to the Hoboken Shelter. Read more about Brian’s WOF journey here.
Congratulations, Brian and thanks for being such an awesome member of the Hoboken community!
New Jersey Adopts “Zackhary’s Law” Following the Death of a Man from a Hit and Run in Hoboken
A new alert system called Zackhary’s Law was rolled out in the state of New Jersey and “will establish an alert system to facilitate the apprehension of someone who knowingly flees the scene of a motor vehicle accident that results in another person’s death or serious bodily injury,” according to HudsonCountyView.com.
The bill is aptly named after Zakhary Simmons who at 21, died after being the victim of a hit and run in Hoboken in June of 2016.
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