Happy Sunday, Hudson County. Today in our weekly news roundup, we’re kicking things off with a friendly reminder that today is the Hoboken Arts + Music Festival. {See more on the 26th annual festival below.}
Earlier this week, we covered Coup De Coeur, a newly renovated boutique in Hoboken. Today, we have updates on Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla’s plans to install protected bike lanes throughout town, a new Taiwanese place that opened up in Newport Centre, and details on a missing Brooklyn teen who was spotted in Hoboken over the summer. Keep reading for more headlines you missed this week!
Don’t Forget — Today {Sunday} Is Hoboken Arts and Music Festival!
We’re kicking things off with a reminder: Hoboken, don’t forget! Today is the 26th annual Hoboken Arts + Musical Festival on Washington Street. From Observer Highway to 7th Street, the Mile Square will be decorated with over 300 artists, vendors, and more. From 11:00AM-6:00PM tonight, you’ll also find tons of family- and kid-friendly rides, games, crafts, activities, face painting, and even sand art.
With three music stages, Hoboken will be treated to performances by Remember Jones, the Swingadelic Big Band, The Schramms, Cliff Westfall, Maxima Alerta, Manouche Bag, The James Calleo Band, Gregory McLoughlin, Elevator Pitch, Jerry Pearce {Sinatra Singer}, Songs for Seeds, Rockness Music, Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band, the Garden Street School of the Performing Arts, and more.
Special features include work by fine artists {oil paintings, watercolors, acrylic, sculpture, mixed media, drawings, and photography}, kids’ activities {face-painting, sand art, rides, games, and live performances}, handmade crafts for sale {pottery, metalwork, jewelry, wood items, blown and fused glass, quilts, home decor, candles, soap, body products, dried flowers, teas, hot sauce, and more}, food {Thai, Indian, Greek, Mexican, Italian, Cajun, and French}, and more.
The Future of Protected Bike Lanes in Hoboken + Community Meeting
It looks like the City of Hoboken is moving forward with a long-awaited plan to install protected bike lanes throughout the Mile Square. Modeled after the bike lanes of Jersey City {pictured above}, Mayor Bhalla recently announced a plan to install over two miles of protected bike lanes on Clinton, Grand, Jefferson, and 11th Streets.
To hear any comments or concerns residents may have, all members of the community are invited to join a community meeting on Thursday, October 3rd at Wallace School. At the meeting, the community will go over proposed designs for the bike lanes presented by Hoboken’s Director of Transportation and Parking. Community members will be given the opportunity to offer input on the proposed plans. As of right now, it looks like installation will start as of 2020.
If you’re interested in attending the community meeting, you can head to Wallace School {at 1100 Willow Avenue in Hoboken} on Thursday, October 3rd at 7:00PM. All are invited.
New Jersey City Ordinance Pushes Food Trucks Off Waterfront
A new Jersey City ordinance could mean a drastic change for local owners of food trucks. Typically, food trucks park on the Jersey City waterfront on Grand Street, but last week marked the final week before a new ordinance kicks in, forbidding food trucks from parking along the water.
This ordinance now pushes the trucks onto other surrounding JC streets, where they will have to pay to park on the daily.
To park on Sussex Street in JC, it will cost $40 a day. The prices, of course, go up the busier the street. For example, the cost of parking on Montgomery Street in JC is $200 a day.
“Two hundred dollars a day to stand on Montgomery Street is a lot of money,” Jocelyn Alabana of Bubby’s Burito’s On Wheels told CBS New York. “Taking pretty much 50 percent of our profits and besides the other 50 that we make, we need it to buy ingredients for the food, gasoline, gas. You know, we’re a small business. It’s not like we make a huge amount of money.”
Other food truck business owners were equally distraught by the new ordinance. However, Stacey Flanagan, Director of Health and Human Services in JC, says the free parking on Grand Street was part of a free pilot program. The program’s goal was to drive businesses to the waterfront. Now, the concern has become that the trucks are taking away business from brick-and-mortars located on the waterfront.
“We are trying to equal the playing ground of new business owners that are investing in [the] community,” Flanagan added.
Mile Square Resident Wins $57K on Wheel of Fortune
Hoboken resident and instructor at The Bar Method Hoboken, Julianne O’Connell, recently won $57,000 on Wheel of Fortune. After living in Hoboken for six years {and of course, watching WOF nearly every night}, Julianne decided to send in an audition tape at the urging of her grandma. Julianne originally applied in 2018, was selected as a game show contestant, and finally got the opportunity to tape her episode in July 2019.
As for her winnings, Julianne says she’s considering putting some of her Wheel of Fortune fortune toward a local biz. “My original plan was to save it all for a rainy day,” Julianne tells Hoboken Girl. “But, since Margherita’s still isn’t open, I’m considering underwriting the rest of their construction so the people of Hoboken can get the penne vodka they all deserve!”
For more on Julianne’s impressive WOF winnings, check out our full interview here.
Jersey City Ranks as One of the Worst Cities in U.S. to Drive
A recent study by Wallet Hub examined the best and worst cities to drive in America and perhaps not shockingly, our region did not fare too well. Though New York City definitely took the cake {coming in at 9th worst}, Jersey City and Newark were also recognized for their not-so-great driving conditions.
The study took into consideration factors like infrastructure, traffic, gas prices, and even the annual amount of hours commuters spend in traffic. Regionally, Newark was 5th worst for car drivers, New York was 9th, and Jersey City came in at 20th worst.
Where we fared the worst, however, is in the tri-state area’s cities from the total traffic and infrastructure data. In this data set, Jersey City was 98 out of the 100 largest places, Newark was 97, and New York was dead last: 100.
Curry Up Now to Open Hoboken Location
{Photo courtesy of Curry Up Now}
Established in 2009 by Akash Kapoor and his wife Rana, Curry Up Now is opening in the Mile Square. The location is coming soon to 91 Washington Street, which you may remember as the former home of Wok to Walk, a chain stir fry joint that closed its doors about a year ago.
“Hoboken has always been my second home, so I’m very excited to introduce Curry Up Now’s unique and innovative Indian food to the diverse population and customers in this city,” said Pritesh Benjamin. “We secured a prime location in the Historic District that is close to the train station where many people pass through every day. We have full confidence that Curry Up Now will be an exciting, convenient option for commuters and quickly become an integrated part of the community.”
Curry Up Now started as a food truck in 2009 in California and now operates three food trucks, and seven total brick-and-mortar locations nationwide. With the addition of the Hoboken location, Curry Up Now operates two New Jersey outposts, with a total of five locations already secured. A Newark location is projected to open shortly after this Hoboken one does.
“We are super excited to be opening in Hoboken and Newark thereafter,” said Kapoor. “This is just the beginning of Curry Up Now’s East Coast expansion. Our real estate team in the New York TriState area, headed by Raj Whadwa at Newmark Knight Frank, is aggressively seeking sites for future Curry Up Now locations. Additionally, there’s some solid interest from franchisees in Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan and southern New Jersey.”
Hundreds of Volunteers Participate in 1Day Hoboken
{Photo courtesy of Hoboken Grace}
Yesterday was 1Day Hoboken, an annual community event hosted by Hoboken Grace, in which hundreds of Hobokenites volunteered to go the extra mile for their city. This year marked the 8th annual 1Day, which saw nearly 500 expected people.
“We are excited to work with 16 different non-profit and civic organizations [this year], who make an impact throughout the year inside our neighborhoods,” says James Sproule, Director of Engagement. “1Day Hoboken is our chance to come together and serve those organizations while building relationships throughout the community.”
Throughout 1Day, volunteers gathered in small teams to paint, clean, and do clerical works. Schools, local facilities, outdoor parks, and beaches all got upgrades.
“At the end of the day, we will have made a visible difference by painting classrooms and planting new flowers. However, the real hope is to have a lasting impact through new friendships and relationships,” adds Sproule.
Taiwanese Cuisine Place Opens in Newport Centre
{Photo credit: @baobykaya}
New to Newport Centre in Jersey City is a Taiwanese food spot called Bao by Kaya. Classified as a casual Asian eatery, Bao by Kaya started in 2014 as a food truck in Manhattan and specializes in Taiwanese cuisine such as GuaBao, a meat + steamed bun-filled dish. Here you’ll also find classic bubble milk tea, duck, pork belly, chicken, tempura, vegetarian, and cow baos. Sides include vegetarian spring rolls, kung pao chicken dumplings, sesame noodles, and popcorn chicken.
“We are delighted about the opening of Bao by Kaya at Newport Centre,” said Jill Daniel, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Newport Centre. “The attentive staff and deep passion for authentic Taiwanese food will provide an incredible food offering for the Newport Centre shopper.”
You can find Bao by Kaya on the third level of Newport Centre’s Dining District. According to Bao’s official Instagram, they also have Urban Space locations at Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue in New York City.
A European-Style Market Might be Coming to Hoboken Terminal
Is Hoboken getting a European-style market by the path? The potential project was just featured in the Jersey Journal as taking some steps forward, so we did a little digging to see what the deal was. According to a rep from City Hall, “The rendering pictures that appeared in the Jersey Journal about the potential market are only proposals by the developer — one concept out of many that can be considered. The final design and amenities of the Hoboken Yards Redevelopment Plan will be negotiated by the Mayor and the administration.”
In recent years, the idea has been thrown around a lot and has been called everything from a European market to the Hoboken Terminal Market to the Lackawanna Market. In a model similar to New York’s Chelsea Market, the market in Hoboken Terminal would bring a new shopping destination, a place for small businesses to grow and thrive, and even strives to give businesses an opportunity to avoid restrictive zoning laws and high rents.
As it stands now, the Hoboken Terminal houses more than 100,000 square feet of potential retail space. With 60,000 commuters traveling through on the daily, experts envision built-in customers to shop the kiosks and stands, ranging from everything from gourmet food and drinks to mom-and-pop retail stores and creative arts sellers. Let’s hope it comes to fruition!
Brooklyn Teen Who’s Been Missing More Than a Year Recently Spotted in Hoboken
A missing teenage girl from Bushwick, Brooklyn was seen in Hoboken as recently as June 4th. Jaylene Jimenez, 14, of Bleecker Street, BK, has been missing for over a year. Last seen wearing yellow pants and a white sweater, Jimenez is described by Fox5 as 5 feet tall, 160 pounds, with a heavy build, light complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair that’s straight.
As a result of this recent sighting, the New York Police Department is hopeful that releasing this information will end with Jimenez’s safe return home.
If you have any information regarding the missing Brooklyn teen, please call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS {8477}. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 {CRIMES} then enter TIP577. Tips can remain anonymous.
3-Alarm Blaze Erupts on Skyline Drive, Leaving Two Attached Homes Damaged
Two homes at the end of Skyline Drive in Jersey City have been left damaged after a three-alarm blaze erupted Wednesday afternoon. After about an hour of trying to regain control of the flames, more than 70 firefighters finally extinguished the blaze around 4:00PM, according to Jersey City Fire Chief Steve McGill.
The homes were attached, which as you can imagine, makes it all the more difficult to control a fire.
“We have to be careful,” McGill told NJ.com. “We cut inspection holes to make sure it didn’t spread.”
While the fire department could not speak to what caused the fire, officers could determine that it started on the top floor of 2 Skyline Drive before then making its way up to the rooftop of 4 Skyline Drive. The damage to 2 Skyline Drive was described as “extensive,” whereas 4 Skyline’s damage was said to be “moderate.”
For the time being it looks like the families in each of those homes are currently displaced. However, no injuries were reported and a cat was rescued.
Margherita’s Restaurant in Hoboken to Re-Open Soon
Back in April, we reported that Margherita’s Restaurant posted a photo update of their renovation. Fast forward to today and it looks like the restaurant might be opening soon, according to its owners. The eatery, located at 740 Washington Street, has debuted new signage. According to the restaurant’s Instagram account, they’re simply waiting on final inspections and walk-throughs before re-opening the doors. Although the official re-opening date is still unknown, it’s great to see a local fave going back into business. Penne vodka, we’re ready for you.
Artichoke Pizza Opening in Hoboken October 7th
The long-awaited Artichoke pizza is finally opening in Hoboken on October 7th. This week, the company issued a press release that confirmed the opening date. Located at 96 Hudson Street, this will be the first New Jersey location to open of the NYC-based pizza restaurant. Locals can expect to be served slices like its namesake Artichoke Pizza, along with Crab Pizza, and more.
New Wedding Venue + Restaurant, Hudson House, Opening in Jersey City
{Photo credit: @hudsonhousenj}
Jersey City is getting a new waterfront restaurant and wedding venue called Hudson House thanks to Landmark Venues. The newest venture from the company is located at 2 Chapel Avenue and feature a rooftop deck, waterfront views, and of course, food. The news of Hudson House was originally announced in August 2018, and since then their Instagram account has documented the space’s construction process. The locale will also serve as a wedding venue for any brides- or grooms-to-be. Stay tuned for more info on this new JC spot.
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