Happy Sunday, Hudson County! This week has been yet another busy one around Hoboken and Jersey City. We’re eagerly awaiting the opening of Yaso Tangbao in Jersey City {soup dumplings FTW}, Hoboken parking woes yet again, and CHOC∙O∙PAIN’s two-month-long art gallery featuring a local Hudson County artist we all know and love. All this and more below for your weekly HG roundup. Read on to find out stories you missed in Hoboken + Jersey City this weekend.
Rooftops Opening at The Ashford and Six26 in Jersey City
{Photo courtesy of Instagram}
It’s almost time for rooftop weather — and Jersey City’s latest bar-restaurant additions are prepping for those warmer temperatures. On Saturday, March 23, the 6,500-square-foot rooftop at The Ashford — which has a capacity of 250 guests — will open up to guests including its open kitchen and raw bar. The rooftop space will open promptly at 3:00PM.
The Ashford’s sister lounge Six26 is following suit. Also on March 23rd, Jersey City’s newest LGBTQ+ destination will open its rooftop. Adjacent to the Ashford’s rooftop, Six26’s rooftop opening also functions as a grand premier preview party with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:00PM. Tickets are $8 if bought in advance, $12 at the door. You can purchase tickets here.
Little City Books Presents Hoboken Literary Weekend
Local bookstore Little City Books is hosting Hoboken Literary weekend from April 5th to April 7th. The three-day event features different authors, speakers, and storytellers. Tickets are available for purchase at HobokenLiteraryWeekend.com.
Manhattan Neon Taking Over Urban Consign + Design
The former Urban Consign + Design space on Newark will no longer be vacant. Manhattan Neon — owned by Hoboken resident Peter Tomasso, who has lived here for more than 20 years — is coming to the 650 Newark Street location soon.
“I’m going to make a splash in this town, but it’s already lighting up,” Tomasso tells Hoboken Girl in an email.
Manhattan Neon plans to make neon on site, a very rare art in service sign shops. There will be old signs, neon on-site, and more.
Yaso Tangbao’s Soup Dumplings Coming to Jersey City
{Photo courtesy of Instagram}
New York’s own Yaso Tangbao is set to open in mid-April in Jersey City.
Yaso Tangbao is a Shanghainese street food eatery that specializes in soup dumplings, baos, and noodle and rice dishes. Dumpling options include blue crab + pork soup dumplings, chicken soup dumplings, and more.
Yaso Tangbao is coming to 30 Hudson Street later this spring in the Goldman Sachs building.
Hoboken Residents and Business Owners React to ‘Dynamic’ Parking Pricing
Hoboken rolled out a series of changes to local parking around the city this past week {read the full rollout of initiatives we shared on Monday {3/4} here}, and many residents and business owners are up-in-arms about the changes and major price increases for metered parking. This dynamic pricing has affected many blocks of metered parking, with the previous pricing around 25 cents per 15 minutes now ranging from 60-90 cents per 15 minutes.
Many local businesses owners have shared with Hoboken Girl their frustration with the new rates, already citing an outcry from customers about the new pricing. “It’s unfair to local businesses,” a local business owner shared with HG {asking to remain anonymous}. “They [City Hall] thought they’d be increasing parking spaces, but instead they’ve added more burden to consumers and business owners. Who wants to park in Hoboken for a few hours and spend over $10? It’s going to really affect businesses city-wide.”
^$12 for 4 hours of parking on Grand Street on Saturday
A Hoboken Girl reader, who lives in the suburbs {but comes to Hoboken frequently on weekends to shop and dine}, sent us screenshots of parking on 2nd and Grand Street on Saturday morning [above] — and the pricing was around $3 per hour, up from $1. “It would cost me $12 to park for 4 hours. I’m going to come to Hoboken a lot less because of this.” It appears from social media and the dozens of messages our team has received, that this is the consensus from residents and business owners so far.
To help get more cars off the street, the city has reduced pricing for short-term parking in Garage B, D and Midtown, and discounted parking to Hoboken business employees. hMag also shared an article about pricing increases and the responses, which can be read here.
For a closer look at the dynamic pricing, click here or view the map above. Leave a comment below if you’ve been affected/share your thoughts.
Taste of Ireland Events Around New Jersey This Month
Throughout the month of March, various Jersey-state restaurants are celebrating the luck o’ the Irish with Taste of Ireland events. The Winston in Hoboken is one such bar, which is offering a “Taste of Ireland” cocktail class that features a menu of Irish-themed cocktails. The class is sponsored by Jameson and tickets are $35.
Other highlights throughout NJ include Red Bank celebrating Restaurant Week from March 4th to March 14th; Biddy O’Malley’s in Englewood; and the 4th Annual “Taste of Ireland” at 17 Summer in Lodi.
Hoboken Police Confiscate Pound of Marijuana at Traffic Stop
More than a pound of marijuana was seized by Hoboken officers at a traffic stop earlier this week.
On Monday, patrolling officers near 2nd and Jackson Streets in Hoboken pulled over a 2016 GMC that went through a stop sign. After dispatch confirmed that the vehicle’s registration was months past expired, police pulled over the car. Trevor Vaughn, 39, of Weehawken was the driver. Officers cited smelling “a strong odor of burnt and raw marijuana” from the vehicle. Officers also allegedly saw a brown cigar from the window of the car.
Once Vaughn stepped outside the vehicle, officers saw a clear plastic bag filled with marijuana in plain view. More than $1,600 in cash and 500 grams of marijuana were found inside the vehicle. Vaughn was put under arrest.
Jersey City Theater Center Looking for Original Pieces
JCTC is looking for music, poetry, spoken word, mixed media, dance, and performance art inspired by the submission topic: Privilege. According to a press release, selected original pieces will be performed at the closing of the gallery, a showcase event entitled The Box: Privilege on Friday, March 29th.
If you’re interested in applying, you can email submissions to maxdarkroom@gmail.com. Selected performers will be called to participate in a tech rehearsal on Tuesday, March 26th.
CHOC∙O∙PAIN Hosts Two-Month Long Art Exhibit
{Illustration courtesy of Ricardo Roig}
CHOC∙O∙PAIN is kicking off its two-month art exhibit with an art reception featuring local artist Ricardo Roig.
The French Bakery + Café will present a selection of the Hudson County artist’s hand-cut prints. They will hang at the uptown Hoboken location in the Hudson Tea Building. Light refreshments, champagne, and wine will be available for attendees.
The reception will take place on Wednesday, March 13th from 6:00PMto 8:00PM at the Hudson Tea Building at 1500 Hudson Street.
Hoboken Waterfront Groups Lead March and Rally to Oppose Dry Dock
New updates in the ongoing case of the Union Dry Dock. Local residents and the Fund for a Better Waterfront led a march and rally on Saturday in the hopes of securing the Union Dry Dock site for a public park instead. The march and rally was organized with the goal of encouraging Governor Murphy to relocate the proposed ferry maintenance and refueling facility elsewhere.
Fund for a Better Waterfront — read our interview with its Executive Director Ron Hine here — led the march and rally. The organization strives to save the waterfront, protect its unique and ecologically vital site. The march was also co-sponsored by Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse and Resilience Paddle Sports.
“The multi-year effort to make [the Union Dry Dock site] an integral part of Hoboken’s waterfront park would be forever lost if it should be the home of a ferry maintenance [and] refueling facility,” a statement read. “This industrial use is incompatible with the kayaking, fishing, skateboarding, jogging, cycling, and other public recreational uses at this site, as well as the residential housing nearby.”
Northwest Resiliency Park to Undergo Updates
{Photo courtesy of Google Maps}
Concept Design for the Northwest Resiliency Park has been approved and Preliminary Design Documents have been completed as a result. The Final Design shows a complete transformation of the now asphalt-covered park into a green-filled park with amenities for the community.
The park will feature filtering and storing stormwater infrastructure and manages a balance of nature, culture, athletics, and play as its main purposes. You can check out the full plan here.
Domino’s Appears to Be Reopening in Hoboken
If you’re a Domino’s lover, you are in serious luck. The pizza chain appears to be coming back to Hoboken, if its new sign {outside the old Domino’s location, mind you} tells us anything. While we haven’t confirmed official details of opening, the signage and number for hiring have definitely tipped most off. The new {old} location will be opening on 462 Newark Street {for all those late night-pizza cravings, even though there are 30+ other pizza spots in town, NBD}. We’ll have more updates as we know them.
Project Sculpt is Close to Opening in Hoboken
Project Sculpt {owned by JC local Chris Almazan} is getting closer to opening in Hoboken. Almazan’s new gym is set to open at 319 Washington Street above Sephora, and will offer a unique group training experience for guests. Chris shared exclusively with Hoboken Girl that the gym aims to be open April 1st — and is moving right along on schedule.
Chili Cookoff Fundraiser for True Mentors Announces Winners
Jesse Kolodin and Estee K. {pictured} were two of the winners of the annual chili cookoff and craft brewing contest held this weekend, which housed over 20 different recipes for attendees to sample. The event was held to help raise funding for True Mentors, a non-profit of volunteers dedicated to providing mentoring services to the children of Hoboken. Congrats to the winners — and to all those who participated. It was quite the fun day!
Ohlala Dessert Bar and French Kitchen Opens in Jersey City
{Photo courtesy of @ohlaladessertbar}
Jersey City has a brand new French cafe and dessert bar locale calling the city home in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood. Ohlala, located at 690 Bergen Avenue, has a menu that boasts a melted Belgian chocolate espresso, matcha lattes, delicious quiche options, and more. Swing by for a savory or sweet treat Wednesday-Friday from 3:00PM-10:00PM, Saturday from 12:00PM-10:00PM, and Sunday from 12:00PM-8:00PM.
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