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Youth City Challenge Taking Place at Liberty State Park
On Saturday, July 29, the Youth City Challenge Race will be taking place at Liberty State Park. This is a great opportunity for children ages 6-12 to get active outdoors and achieve a sense of accomplishment. They will have the opportunity to conquer obstacles like a 20 foot cargo net, military tires, and a water jug carry. There will be music and games, plus all finishers will receive a medal, a banana at the finish line, and serious bragging rights. The Youth City Challenge Race supports The Friends of Liberty State, a 501c3 charity founded by Sam Pesin. To sign up or get more info about this all-around awesome event, click here.
O’Bagel Serving Up Tire-Sized Bagels
Here in the New York City area, we pride ourselves on having really good bagels. Well, Hoboken’s O’Bagel turned it up a notch with their recent creation: the jumbo bagel. Weighing between 25 and 35 pounds, this behemoth can feed up to 30 people and is the size of a car tire. It’s made to order, but their most popular version is the The Ridge Diablo: the giant bagel topped with over 30 scrambled eggs, melted pepper jack cheese, Taylor ham, pickled jalapeños, crispy hash browns, and house-made chipotle aioli. It’s served much like a 6ft. sub would be, cut into individually sliced sandwiches. O’ boy, your friends are going to love you for this! {Sorry, had to.}
New Jersey State Shutdown Affecting Fireworks in Liberty State Park
Thought you were watching fireworks in Liberty State Park? Think again. Due to the New Jersey state shutdown, all state parks, historic sites are closed until further notice. Mayor Fulop announced that fireworks and the #JC4th fest are both now relocated to Exchange Place {basically the festival is from the PATH all the way down Montgomery to Hudson Street — and the fireworks will then be over the water but closer to Exchange Place}. Click here for more information — we’ll update as we know more.
Pre-Leasing Expected to Start at Luxury Rental Complex in Jersey City
Vantage, the new 45-story residential building comprised of 448 upscale rental homes, is slated to begin pre-leasing next month. It’s located at 33 Park Avenue in Jersey City’s Liberty North neighborhood, with views of the Statue of Liberty in one direction and Manhattan in the other. The spacious layouts were designed with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, wooden cabinetry, quartz countertops, and an abundance of closet space. The property also offers luxury amenities, including a 24-hour concierge, outdoor zero-entry swimming pool, cyber café, and full court basketball.
Adoption Event at Liberty Humane Society
Liberty Humane Society has partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to host a 4th of July themed adoption event. Their goal is to bring loving families together with shelter pets who are waiting for their second chance. The event kicked off yesterday, and continues today and on Tuesday {July 4th} from 11AM – 4PM at 235 Jersey City Blvd. In honor of Independence Day, all dogs over 40 pounds will be available for the reduced adoption fee of $17.76 {love it}. If you are interested in helping animals in the pursuit of forever homes, check out their site for further details.
Walmart Allows Jet to Bring Back Thursday Evening Happy Hours
Last year, the Hoboken-based startup Jet.com was bought by Walmart for over $3 billion. Following the acquisition, Walmart put the kibosh on Jet’s regular, in-office Thursday happy-hours. As you can imagine, employees were disappointed so Walmart compromised and allowed the company to pay for off-site happy hour at Wicked Wolf and other local bars. According to The Wall Street Journal, many stopped attending after the party was moved out-of-office, and so Walmart eventually reversed their decision. In recent weeks, Jet brought back Thursday night happy hour as it once was.
Tidal Poke Co. Opens at 337 Grove Street in Jersey City
If you’ve read our guide to eating at Harborside Financial Center, then you know the poke pop-up goodness that is Tidal Poke Co. Lucky for us, they’ve opened a second brick & mortar at 337 Grove Street — so now you can get a bowl closer to the pedestrian walkway. Owners Boris Kouptsov and Jon Mo started Tidal Poke to focus on poke bowls {featuring organic veggies and fresh/wild-caught fish}, ano found they were getting mostly corporate work-day clients since the building was closed on weekends. Now, at the second shop, their focus will be more for the locals — with daily hours of 8AM-10PM seven days a week. Their menu will be more expansive and includes Hawaiian coffee and some new smoothies/bowl add-ons. Excited to check it out!
Lyft Gets Fancy With Lux and Lux SUV
Looking to impress your next date or business client? Don’t pick them up in any old cab. Now you can go the extra mile by getting into a Lyft Lux or Lyft Lux SUV. Lyft just unrolled these two options in NJ, and select other places, on Thursday. The available vehicles include BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tesla, Rolls Royce, and more. You can easily find the option for Lux or Lux SUV when setting a pickup location the next time you use the app.
NJ Transit Sued By Family of Train Crash Victim
Fabiola Bittar de Kroon is the 34 year old Hoboken woman who was tragically killed in September’s Hoboken terminal crash when the train came into the station at twice its permitted speed. NJ.com reports that her family has filed a wrongful death suit against the transit company because they failed to take precautions that would have prevented the crash. Among several other allegations, they’re charging that NJ transit should have installed a technology known as positive train control, which automatically slows a train that’s exceeding the speed limit on any given stretch of track. Others who were injured that day have notified the agency of their intent to sue, as well.
Parking Tickets Being Issued Every 20 Minutes
If you park your car on the streets of Hoboken, it’s likely you’ve received a parking ticket at some point. Well, that puts you in good company. Last year, 144,335 parking tickets {which bring the city millions of dollars each year} were issued, according to NJ101.5. City parking officials actually have a policy requiring their workers to notify them if they go 20 minutes without issuing a ticket, because infractions are so common. Juan Melli, spokesperson for the city, says that Hoboken has acquired land to build a new parking deck in an effort to relieve some of the problems. This year, they are also expanding the hybrid permit/meter zones, which allow visitors to pay for parking for up to four hours on streets where residents with permits can park for free. These, and other improvements, are based on recommendations from a 2014 parking Master Plan.
Devotion Yoga Studio Hosts Yoga Celebs for a Special Event
On Thursday, downtown’s Devotion Yoga Studio received a visit from two internationally celebrated yogis, Rodney Yee and his wife, Coleen Saidman Yee. The two taught a 90 minute class, followed by a book signing of Colleen’s book, Yoga for Life. The event sold out within a few days. “This event is truly special because we have never had teachers of this level visit Hoboken! Plus, it is rare for students to experience a class with Rodney and Colleen in such an intimate space where they can get individual attention,” said Liza Bertini, Devotion’s founder and director. Keep an eye out in the fall for classes by ISHTA’s Alan and Sarah Finger, other revered teachers in the yoga community.
Hoboken Auctioning Off Abandoned Bicycles
In the market for a bicycle? Try taking a look at govdeals.com. The city is auctioning off abandoned bikes using this website. The auction started this past Wednesday, and will continue until July 17. Once you’re on the site, click “searches” then “location search,” type in Hoboken’s zip code {07030}, and click “Hoboken” under the “seller” column.” Hey, with all the parking tickets being issued, maybe it’s a good time to consider these new wheels!
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And that’s the latest Word on Wash! Have any news tips? Email hello@hobokengirl.com to let us know!
