Grove St. NJ Vs. Grove St. NY

1 Bedroom: $1500

1 Bedroom: $2595

Hoboken Hobos Write Poetry

Homeless folks from one of Hoboken's shelters are encouraged to write Poetry.

Hoboken To Let Young People Walk All Over Old People

Hoboken's most likely City Council president may be the city's youngest if Christopher Campos ascends from the position of Vice President. Meanwhile, the Jersey Journal is desperately seeking real news.

HSBC Heads To Jersey City, Hoboken

HSBC bank opened its first New Jersey bank in Hillside with plans to expand into a half dozen other communities this year including Hoboken and Jersey City.

The spokesman for HSBC has a choice quote:

"Competition for real estate is pretty stiff,"

MTA Gives Thumbs Up To Smaller Station, Flips Middle Finger To PATH Riders

The MTA has announced a further reduced tranportation hub on Fulton Street, connecting under one roof multiple subway lines and the World Trade Center PATH station. The original plan had called for a massive 'Downtown Grand Central Station' with natural lighting and platforms connecting the PATH and the numerous subway lines through the area.

"A proposed link between the Cortlandt Street station on the R and W lines and the World Trade Center terminus on the E has been scuttled. A concourse under Dey Street, connecting the trade center site to the west with the subway depot to the east, will be narrower than initially planned."

WTC Tower Unveiled, Again

With the World Trade Center a major entry way to New York for many West Hudson Coast residents, the finalized plans will have a major impact for Jersey City and Hoboken. The newest rendition of the Freedom Tower was unveiled today incorporating new security concerns. The plans for the World Trade Center site will not only effect transportation, it will also offer a major alteration to the skyline from the Hudson Water front and play a major roll in the regional economy.

It seems so far though, that the Freedom Tower will not be offering much competition to Downtown Jersey City office space. So far the only organizations to agree to move into the building is the Port Authority and state government offices. So a large amount of unused office space could bring down rents throughout lower Manhattan and on the Hudson coast. The biggest selling point for future tenents of the Freedom Tower is not location, but prestige. Jersey City probably does not offer the same prestige as the Freedom Tower, and so are probably not competing for the same tenents.

More likely, a building of this size would simply mean more residents for Jersey City and Hoboken as tens of thousands of jobs return to lower Manhattan. Completetion of such a large amount of office space may ease the fall of the residential real estate market which appears inevitable in the coming years. The building would be occupied by 2010. While the real estate bubble is expected to pop eventually, for now things are going strong. But five years from now may be a very different story, and with the new jobs a 5 minute PATH ride away, Jersey City property values may hold their value even as places like Brooklyn or Queens see new lows.

There are of course a few alternatives, but none that are being taken seriously.

It was not clear whether the new Freedom Tower design will change the new planned PATH station.

Hoboken Is Like No Other Place

Maybe its in the water. Maybe those people are just a little weird.
Philly2Hoboken tells us how it is with his Quirks About Hoboken

"1. Born and Raised Hobokenites (known as BnR's) hate all newcomers.

2. BnR's have an hierarchy based on how long your family has lived in Hoboken. The longer your family has lived in Hoboken, the more valid your "rights" are in town. Even snotty teenage BnR's who haven't been on this earth as long as YOU have lived in town get this attitude."

With 37 more, even Martin Luther would be proud.

Residents Shocked To Learn Mayor Recieves Contributions From Developers

Developers gave $126,000 dollars to Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts and local party organizations. Shocking! Astonishing! Stunning! Are you really?

Light Rail a Burning Hell

The light rail through Jersey City was interrupted for 20 minutes yesterday because of a brief fire. In other news, the headline is more exciting then the post.

Fan Club, European Tour Expected Soon For Local Park

We're continually amazed at the popularity of Van Vorst Park. While a tranquil place to relax, its not a particularly unusual urban park. Its rather small compared to its larger cousin, Hamilton Park. And compared to Central Park in Manhattan, its down right tiny. So whats all the fuss about?

Websites run amuck:

Van Vorst Park Association
Friends of Van Vorst Park
Van Vorst Dog
Van Vorst Park Online

There are major cities in the midwest with fewer websites dedicated to them then this park.

The Snitch Gets Gawked

We love when bloggers west of the Hudson get picked up by bloggers east of the Hudson. Mister Snitch! has been gawked for his post about a soulless, institutional landlord. Soulless? Landlords? Heresy! Someone will be burnd at the stake for sure.

Around the Blogosphere

Mister Snitch! has added another bit to his continuing series of Hoboken Politics

Mike of Genius Lessons is quite excited to be moving downtown, though he may be dissappointed in his quest for late night pizza.

Meanwhile, the corporate whore blog The Jersey Side has added us to their blogroll. This means we are officially irrelevant. Or horrifically popular.

And just in case you missed it last week on Philly2Hoboken, there seems to be a burgarler on the loose.

Making Love to The PATH

A few weeks ago we directed you to a site dedicated to the Light Rail with more photographs than most train buffs dream of. We came across a similar train porn album for the PATH. The best part is, these photos are all contraband, so looking at them is like sneaking italian salami past customs at Newark Airport.

Views: Grand Street, Jersey City

Hoboken Audit Late, Still Can't Pay For Dinner

Hoboken spends money like a teenage girl with a credit card. Or maybe it doesn't, but we wouldn't know since they're habitually late with their audit.

Parades Are Fun

Yesterday we had a little bit about Manila Ave as sort of recompense for missing the Filipino Parade on Sunday. Well if you are like us and were too busy doing laundry to find time to wander downtown for the parade, Dojo-Mojo has captured the event on film. Not only are the pictures well taken, but they have captions. Captions, people!

Manila Ave Love Fest

Perhaps you were in attendence at Sunday's Philippine American Friendship Day Festival which included, briefly, a parade. Or maybe you weren't. In either case, if you missed all the fun, you might want to check out this site [Caution: popups] dedicated to Manila Avenue and the Filipino-American population.

Condos + City Council = Protests

More Condos are coming. More protests ensue. Worth noting for this choice quote:

"Another resident alleged that all new housing being built in Jersey City is condominiums, and that the council is preoccupied with turning the city into a "New York West."

We're thinking this resident probably won't be reading our blog.

2,000 Letters To Be Ignored, Walkway Still Not Complete

The waterfront walkway along the Hudson River connecting Jersey City and Hoboken was supposed to be completed years ago. To the surprise of no one, the Port Authority has lagged behind completing their 190 foot section between Hoboken and Jersey City. Residents recently sent 2,000 letters Congressman Bob Menendez, who actually doesn't control the Port Authority, but would probably very much like to.

Shit Happens, But Not In Van Vorst Park

Van Vorst Park will soon have a dog run for pet lovers to walk their dogs, while the rest of the park will be dog free, as per a recent vote held in the park. Nothing is better than seeing "number two" in reference to steamy piles of dog shit published by a semi-reputable paper.

Grand Street: Foundations Laid

In what is a reoccuring theme, more vacant land is getting what looks to be the foundations for new row houses. We're not really sure, but based on the footprints, we're thinking there will be about 8 apartment units going in across the street from the Brownstoner diner. These units would be a brisk walk from the Grove Street path, but also a block from the light rail.

Morgan Point And Other Developments We Missed

We mentioned a few weeks back about the Columbus Plaza filling in some vacant land and making the area a nicer place to walk. Now it seems that one block to the north will be another new complex, filling in the vacant land.

That's not all. Jersey City Vibe has several more developments listed in the area that we were unaware of. Those developers got one by us, but don't think we'll be letting this happen again.

W Hotel Mystery Returns

During our first week, readers asked us about the mysterious W Hotel, with which we responded with the eloquence of a school girl. In either case, its back on our radar as The Bergen Record Reports: "In North Jersey, the W Hotel plans to build a 25-story waterfront tower in Hoboken that will have 225 guest rooms topped with 40 condos."

Protests and Condominiums: Perfect Together

417 Market Rate Condominiums planned for Greene Street near Exchange Place were granted 20 year abatements by the city council. Does anyone is this city pay propert taxes?

Blogtastic: More Local Blogs

You probably thought by now we would have grown tired of blogging about blogging. But we haven't, and we won't. The first of today's blogs is about the area, the others are written by bloggers from the area.

Dojo-Mojo
My New Jersey
Genius Lessons

And in our never ending quest to find new blogs, we'll beg again for you to send us your url: theinformation -at- newyorkssixth.com

Here Comes the Bulldozers

Today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing local city officials to take private property through eminent domain, even in an area that is not blighted. The tool has been seen as essential for urban redevelopment by cities looking to boost tax revenues with retail and office space.

This ruling could be seen as a threat to many of Jersey City's brownstone neighborhoods as developers push for higher density towers. More than likely though, the actual effect will simply mean faster redevelopment of areas already slated for high rise towers and for easier redevelopment of the cities former industrial sites and blighted neighborhoods.

Your Congressman Is A Slumlord

U.S. Representatives' financial dealings were release by Congress last week. Hudson County Congressman Bob Menendez revealed earning thousands from rental properties. At least when the toilet backs up, you really can blame the government.

Views: Essex Street, Jersey City

Liberty towers looms over essex street row houses.

Has the Bubble Burst?

Everyone is waiting for the real estate bubble to pop. With dozens of unused Open House signs cluttering this alley off of York Stret, we are left wondering when. The apocalypse is now.

Santa Clause Does Hoboken

Mister Snitch! points us to some video's showing quite a unique perspective of life in Hoboken. Our personal favorite includes the short video of dozens of Santa's storming Washington Street "A surreal night on Washington Street features a Santa gang putting the 'HO!' in Hoboken".

Breaking News: At least One Man in Handcuffs at the Corner of Wayne and Jersey Ave

Our first breaking news story ever! This is NewYorksSixth.com first, and likely, at least for some time, a last.

At least one man was in handcuffs this evening at the corner of Wayne street and Jersey Avenue. At least a dozen police vehicles crowded around the intersection and crime scene tape blocked part of Wayne street. Traffic wss in chaos as additional police units arrived. One eyewitness reported a defibulator being pulled onto the scene as ambulances joined the snarled mess of first responders. Dozens of neighborhood residents lined the streets. If we spoke spanish, we may know more.

Just remember, you saw it first on NewYorksSixth.com; we'll be waiting for our pulitzer.

UPDATE 6/23/05: According to a post on JClist, a suspect stabbed his partner in a incident of domestic violence. Still no coverage from the main stream media.

UPDATE 6/24/05: The Journal reports a woman was slashed with a steak knife by her boyfriend.

Even Bribes Can't Revitalize Journal Square

Journal Square, the heart of Jersey City 75 years ago, has seen better days. Redeveloping the area may hinge on a family owned real estate company. The last time they proposed redeveloping the area, they had support from former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski and developer Charles Kushner, and still the deal fell through. Janiszewsky and Kushner are both in jail relating to bribery scandals they were involved in. If bribery can't save Journal Square, we're thinking the only thing left is seven plagues.

Parallel Parking: There's A Reason The DMV Tests You

So we understand many local residents may be suburban transplants where vast Wal*mart parking lots and quarter mile driveways allowed you to park in any haphazard way. Or, maybe you are a former Manhattan resident and didn't even own a car. But let's get one thing straight: parking is in short supply.

We've come up with a little graphic to help demonstrate what we're talking about:



Next time, it could be you circling the block.

And You Thought Hoboken Was Pricey

Forbes has calculated the most overpriced places to live based on data from 2004. This probably isn't the best list to be on, but we're thrilled anytime Jersey City makes the cut. Jersey City has been ranked 10th, just below Manhattan at 9nth.

Forbes: Most Over Priced Places

Blog On Blog Love: Linkola

We've been searching for local bloggers to give a shout out too. As it turns out, some of them found us, and didn't even bother letting us know. But our detective work has unearthed them. Keep in mind, these are local bloggers, not necessarily blogs about the area, a subtle but important difference.

Where is the Remote
Buttons and Zips
Heidiologies

Are you an area blogger? Email us: TheInformation -at- newyorkssixth.com

Eat Me: Retaurant Week Comes To Hudson County

So yeah, we're posting this about month early since restaurant week doesn't start until July 25. But we think you should probably clear your schedule now, start dieting, and get ready to eat out.

Lunches: $15
Dinner: $30

Visit the list of restaurants and enter it into your palm pilot now.

The Heights Is The New Hoboken

Brooklyn is the New Manhattan. Queens is the New Brooklyn. And all along we thought Jersey City was the New Brooklyn. While we wait for somebody to sort all this out, the Heights is becoming the New Hoboken. Liberty Realty is opening a new office to cash in on the Heights Real Estate bubble. Did we just say The Heights and Real Estate Bubble in the same sentence? The world is all Turned Upside Down.

Hamilton Park Kidnaps Farmers, Forces Them To Sell Vegetables

Hamilton Park apparently now has a farmers market on Wednesdays from 2pm to 7:30pm. Farmers will be selling vegetables through October.

Ancient History: Hudson Terminal Closes

Before the World Trade Center PATH station, "The Tubes" terminated at the Hudson Terminal in lower Manhattan. This all may fall under the "more than you wanted to know" category of things the internet has to offer.

Abandoned Stations: Hudson Terminal

Photographic Love

Carol Van Houten has a nice collection of photos, mostly of Jersey City. Highlights include the Colgate Clock and The Old Powerhouse.

Enzyte Makes Light Rail Longer

Double car trains will replace single car trains on the "Bayonne Flyer" route of the light rail. Thousands expected to flock to Bayonne.

Hoboken Tea Party

Tenants of the Hudson Tea Building have been facing higher rent increases over the last few months as the Toll Brothers, the buildings new owners, have pushed to convert the rentals to condominiums with million dollar price tags. The building was formerly rent control exempt under a plan to encourage more rental units in the area. If converted, the building would fall under rent control leaving some residents wondering if they are being forced out now, before the building falls under rent control. Ten tons of tea will be dumped into the Hudson River in protest.

Television Adds Ten Pounds

Mister Snitch! points us to a few interesting bits about Hoboken's portrayal in television including Bugs Bunny: "Hoboken? I'm dyin', I'm dyin'"

Off, Off, No, Really Off Broadway

Theatre on our side of the Hudson:

The Management Company, the first resident company at Victory Hall in Jersey City will be presenting their inagural show "Aloha Say the Pretty Girls," a play by Naomi Iizuka. "Aloha" will run from July 14 through the 31, Thursday to Sundays at 8pm. They will also be holding a fundraiser tomorrow between 1 and 6pm.

Aloha Say the Pretty Girls
Tickets: $12 / $10 Students
July 14 to July 31 At 8pm
Victory Hall
186 Grand Street
Call 212.772.6562 for reservations.


Mile Square Theatre Company of Hoboken will be putting on their 3rd annual "7th Inning Stretch: 7 10 minute plays about baseball" on Saturday at 8pm. "7th Inning Stretch presents premieres of baseball plays from some of America's best playwrights."

7th Inning Stretch
Tickets: $25 / $15 Students, Seniors
DeBaun Auditorium
June 18 at 8pm
Mile Square Theatre

Film Students Invade Hoboken

The documentary "Fatal Mistakes will be shown Saturday at 8pm at the Symposia Bookstore. The documentary was filmed by two students and is presented by the Hoboken Digital Film Society. Tickets are $5.

Via Asbury Park Press

Blogging about Blogging Never Gets Old

We know, you'd love us to post 7 days a week. But we need weekends off, so to keep you busy until monday morning, we have some more local blogs for you to read.

Martha Knows Everything
Hoboken Rock City
Views from the Waterfront [defunct?]

Are you a blogger from the area? We want to know about you. Send us your url so we can check you out: TheInformation -at- newyorkssixth.com

Hamilton Park To Get Face Lift, Nose Job

Hamilton Park is headed towards a makeover. Area residents will face several ballots over the proposed changes which include restoring the circle-and-spoke design removed in 1977. The city is willing to spend $1.3 million.

Review: Rachel

A good measure of gentrification is probably the density of cafés. Just a block down the street from Beechwood Café & Market is another little coffee house named simply Rachel.

The interior is decorated in a typical fashion with mismatched antique tables and chairs and a big window seat. All of this looks very inviting and staff was quite friendly.

However, when it comes to the pastries, there is still work to be done. For instance, the chocolate croissant could have had some, well chocolate. The puff pastry was excellent: flaky, moist, and crisp on the outside. But the chocolate filling was just two thin spines on either side. Maybe, had we been eating it with butter or cream cheese, it would have been fine, but to eat it as is was not a particularly good experience.

The cheese Danish suffered from a similar problem. The pastry itself was great, but the cheese to dough ratio was simply to low. It could have benefited tremendously from an overall smaller size.

All this is not to say Rachel’s is without some redeeming offerings. The coffee is flavorful, distinctive from what you could easily brew at home. The same is true of the cappuccino, though perhaps the price was a little high. And the mint lemonade, we are told, is excellent. We don’t tend to like mint lemonade, but our better half has been back many times just for that.

Rachel’s is a nice addition to the Grove Street retail district, but is not probably a place we’d be likely to recommend to friends. It is however, a nice place to sit and talk with friends, even if the pastries aren’t that good.



Rachel
251 Grove Street
Between Montgomery and Mercer

Mercer St., NJ vs. Mercer St., NY

2 Bedroom, 2 Bath: $4,000

2 Bedroom, fireplace: $1,925

Can guess which one is in Jersey City?

Hoboken Gets Lucky, Still Can't Pay for Dinner and a Movie

Lucky Magazine, the shopping magazine for women, has a one page bit on shopping in Hoboken with store recomendations and a map. Like, totally, a Map! We swear, we don't normally read lady's magazines, but how could we refuse a shopping guide to Hoboken?

Robust Roberts Rebounds: Really, Re-Elected And Other Words That Start With R

Hoboken Mayor David Roberts was re-elected in the "we didn't get it right the first time" election held last night. 3 of Robert's council candidates were also elected, bringing his supporters an 8-1 majority on the nine member council. Meanwhile, Roberts is still hoping the city wins the Mega Millions Jackpot.

Garlic Toting Motorcyclists To Invade Holland Tunnel

The Holland Tunnel will be swarmed with 2,000 motorcycles, warns the Port Authority, as part of the annual Gooch's Garlic Run. Motorcyclists travel Morris County to Little Italy to raise money for children with "catastrophic illness." In Short: avoid the Holland Tunnel entrance tonight between 7 and 9:30 since several lanes will be closed. Vampires are also warned to stay away as the motorcyclists will be carrying garlic gloves. Tic-Tac anyone?

Train to Xanadu Promised In Just 2 Years, Xanadu To Follow Decade Later

Hoboken will be getting a new train line by 2007: the Meadowlands shuttle. Decades after the complex was first built, a train link will finally be constructed to the facility even as the Jets, Nets, and everyone else is getting ready to leave. Two years from now, the spur will stop at the complex, Secaucus Junction and Hoboken connecting all but the Atlantic City line to the sports complex.

All this is in preperation for the Xanadu facility that has been talked about for several years, broke ground this spring, but it is still uncertain whether the project will ever be finished. In either case, Hoboken residents will soon be only a train ride away from Giants games.

Cars Cause Traffic Jams, Other Obvious Things To Be Announced At City Hall

Tonight at 6 p.m. Jersey City will announce the results of a transportation study regarding improvements to "regional access to destinations of major significance." The only thing the study doesn't examine is yachting.

If this sort of thing interests you, the meeting is tonight:

6pm
Council Chambers
City Hally, 2nd Floor
280 Grove Street

Million Dollar Homes

A dollar doesn't go as far as it once did. Neither does a million.

4 unit Brownstone, Van Vorst Park:$1.8M

1,700 Square Foot, Hoboken condo: $1.2 M

2 Unit, Hoboken Brownstone: $1.4M

Review: Hard Grove Café

This kitchy little bar on the corner of Christopher Columbus and Grove Street serves up ‘authentic’ Cuban dishes alongside standard diner faire. Don’t be fooled by the daytime family friendly atmosphere, this is also a fun place to drink.

Whether you go for dinner or for breakfast, be sure to get some Spanish sausage. We like it in the morning, served up next to our eggs. Or you can always try the sausage sandwich. At first it may appear to be like any sausage and pepper hero roll. But instead, inside you’ll find Spanish Chorizo sausage.

And there is the Cubano sandwich, a mix of turkey, ham, and pickles on a toasted roll. We’re disappointed that the French fries are extra, but of course this means you can order something else, such as plantains instead.

If you’re thirsty, order a generous glass of the house wine; more than two of these and you’ll have to worry about the hang over in the morning.

If you are looking for more than a sandwich, Hard Grove offers full dinners too. The servings are generous. The food is sometimes over powered by the sauces, and the sauces have a little too much oil. But if you are looking for a filling meal in a casual setting, we’d definitely recommend the Hard Grove Café.



Hard Grove Cafe
Grove Street and Christopher Columbus
Across the street from Grove Street Path.

Elevated Rail Parks The New Hotness

Jersey City's Sixth Street former elevated rail line recently got approval from the city council to be turned into a park. Some park advocates have suggested building an elevated park similar to a plan in New York.

Curbed reports that federal authorities have given the green light to turn Manhattan's elevated rail into an elevated park and trail. We mention this since converting elevated rails into parks is not exactly something you see in every city, and no doubt some sort of similar bureaucratic green light would be needed in Jersey City.

One big difference between the two projects however is that in New York, the elevated line is still largely intact where as Sixth Street no longer has overpasses connecting the elevated sections. Building a park on the platforms would require reconnecting them.

We think that an elevated park would offer an interesting twist on the traditional urban landscape. But given that money will be in short supply, we doubt any park at Sixth Street will be elevated given the cost of rebuilding the overpasses.

Hoboken Gets Second Chance: Vote Today

New Jersey is one of the few states that sends voters to the polls so frequently. With our governor and legislature elected in odd years and Federal officers elected in even years, there is a general election every year. And a primary.

And then there are school board elections in April. And of course, since that isn't enough, May municipal elections like those in Hoboken and Jersey City. And since our founding fathers wanted to squeeze just one more election into the year, they gave us the Run Off election, by demanding a candidate win at least a majority of the votes.

Hoboken voters had a large field of candidates to choose from four weeks ago when they narrowed it down to two: Mayor David Roberts and Councilwoman Carol Marsh. The only thing we are endorsing in this election is voting. But if you want to vote, find your polling place and do so before 8pm.

Everything Old: Maps

We aren't just interested in the future of our city, but also the past. Rutgers University has a collection of maps showing parts of Hudson County at various stages of development including Bergen City [Journal Square area of Jersey City] and roads like JFK Blvd when it was Hudson Blvd. We especially like that Paulus Hook was once called "Powles Hook."

What's The West Side Stadium Mean For Us?

It seems the West Side Stadium in Manhattan may finally be dead. All the media could talk about for the last six months, the West Side Stadium has been Mayor Bloomberg’s baby. Advocates have said they hoped it would spur the development of better subway service in the area and bring the Olympics to New York City.

Undeniably, the east coast of New Jersey would be just as affected by the stadium and the Olympics as Manhattan, and not just because the Jets would be leaving Giants Stadium.

The Stadium for instance, would only be a 25 minute PATH ride [plus an extra few minutes for a subway depending on where you get off] away from the waterfront. Already Mets and Yankees fans park on this side of the Hudson and ride the trains into the stadiums—and those stadiums are at least twice as far. Sunday afternoons in the quiet neighborhoods of Jersey City and Hoboken would likely be filled with football fans parking on the streets and riding into the game. We think it’s great that people would take mass transit to a major sporting event, but we don’t really have parking to spare.

Large conventions held at the new expanded convention center might bring more people to hotels on our side of the river, but more likely New York’s hotel industry could easily swallow up the overflow for all but the largest.

Then there is the Olympics. The death of the West Side stadium is pretty much a death blow to New York’s Olympic bid, especially after the problems in Greece during last years games. No one wants to award the city the Olympics and then not have a place to play.

Killing the Olympic bid is certainly good for our side of the River. With most of the games happening in New York, New Jersey would see very little revenue from tourists. But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t also see day trippers driving in and parking in the neighborhoods or pay for parking lots. Hourly parking rates will almost certainly see a spike during those two weeks. As much as we’d like to see the Olympics in New York, we don’t really want to be here to witness it first hand.

The end of New York’s West Side Stadium is probably a good thing. But then again, nothing in this area is ever dead.

Because We Need More Readers

A new residential tower, Montgomery Greene will soon be offering new condominiums downtown. Their taglines read "The Life. The Style. The Big City." and "The River. The Skyline. The City Lights." So we're thinking that their demographic target might be people who like us. Our only real complaint is there doesn't seem to be any retail at street level.



Montgomery Greene

We Feel Safer Already

On the PATH train, something interesting is always happening. Sometimes, its what you overhear.

Some Day, You Too Could Be A Slum Lord

Hoboken Students were given a career day organzied by the Toll Brothers where students learned how to build sub standard houses and sell them for twice their assessed value.

Sixth Street Park Closer To Being Real

With the City Council Voting to buy the sixth street embankment from Conrail, park advocates are closer to getting what they want. On the other hand, with the continued rise in the price of housing, and the proximity to existing Hamilton Park, not to mention the threat of lawsuits, we have to wonder how much of this space will actually ever see grass.

Making Love to The Light Rail

We really like trains, and have found this great collection of photographs of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail. Also included is a very detailed map of the track system, though we still like ours.

We Like Blogging About Blogging

We've found a few other blogs about the area, that at the risk of losing our two faithful readers, we're going to suggest you take a peek.

Mister Snitch!
Philly2Hoboken
Small Fish, Big Pond

Signs: We aren't Talking About A Mel Gibson Flick

Call us crazy, but we find homages to mundane things like signage fascinating. Plus, there are plenty of pretty pictures.

Hoboken is dotted by specimens of street sign designs past. Though most corners in town are marked by standard green and white street signs.. there are some remaining porcelain/iron signs around town, complete with the iron arrow-shaped one-way signs that were purged in the boroughs at the start of the 1960s.
From Forgotten NY

Via Mister Snitch!

One Week Later

Well its been a week-- a short week, since our official launch was Tuesday-- and we're still here. But really we've been posting since last Friday. So we'll say after our first 7 days, a few things come up:

Comments
Comments will return in a week or two. We think comments are an important part of an online community. After the flurry of publicity surrounding our initial launch, most of the comments were nonsensical, base, not constructive and failed to contribute anything meaningful to a dialogue. We know this is the internet, and since any five year old with a keyboard can log on, our expectations were pretty low; and then we were amazed that even those expectations werer too high. We don't have a problem with criticism, and we'd even encourage it, but we'd like to think that the dialogue could remain at least as civil as a Hoboken council meeting.

Expanded Reviews
We know most of our reviews have been concentrated in and around Grove Street. And there are a few more coming from there too. But what we'll say is this: we're working on it. We have a small budget for this site: that is to say, zero dollars. And while we'd love to order five items on a menu to sample them all at once, serve up a delicious review, and head out to the next place, that's unrealistic. We're in the process of growing, so grow along with us. You're local dive is next, we promise.

More Neighborhoods
Some people have pointed out that we have excluded certain areas like the Heights, or that we've lumped their neighborhood together, like Harsimus Cove. Unlike our peers across the river, we don't have a staff, or a budget, or even interns to beat. Its just us and a digital camera. We picked certain areas we feel we can give a certain amount of attention to at the present time, and that by combining certain areas together, it helps streamline the whole process. If we had a staff the size of the New York Times, we promise you we would label every lot.

History
We love history, and think its fascinating. We have every intention of posting articles about the history of the area. But of all things, these sorts of stories take the most amount of time, especially when you don't want to simply rehash a wikipedia article. But we will, we promise, post interesting articles about the hisotry of the area.

And Still More
We're exploring more ideas of things to expand into. Arts, Op-Eds, Events-- these are all possibilities. We're trying to build a well rounded blog. But all these take time. We do like tips, suggestions, links, and other things of interest to come from you. So keep it coming, along with your hate mail to theinformation -at- newyorkssixth.com.

Closets Start at $200,000, Windows Extra

Another new tower on the waterfront is set to rise with condominium units starting at $200,000. The building will be adjacent to the lightrail and Washington Blvd. New towers tend to excite us, but this one doesn't exactly make us tingle since it looks alot like, well any other building.



Inside A

New York Times Condemns Old Neighborhood to Future Filled With Hipsters

There is nothing like a NY Times article to herald the coming of hipsters. Lafayette may for now be off our radar, but we suspect that will change very soon.

Not to mention we appreciate the sentiment: "there's no shops, there's no Starbucks," he said. "So the infrastructure is not yet in place." Clearly, Starbucks is as essential as 'infrastructure' like roads, power lines, and sewer pipes.

The best way to sum it all up: "It's a very Brooklyn feel." Well, forgive them, they are the NY Times.

All Talk

Hoboken's city employees have had some fun talking on the phone. At $230,000, this cellphone bill surpasses even a 12 year old with text messaging.

UPDATE: And another $300,000 from Jersey City. We're beginning to think the only thing city employees do is talk in the phone.

W Stands for When

Several readers have emailed us with questions about the proposed W Hotel in Hoboken. [Yes, a few readers had something other than hate mail to send us]. Well, we can’t say we know that much more than you.

However, Starwood Hotels, the corporate parent of W Hotels offers some contradictory information. Their website has a press release dated from last summer heralding the coming of the hotel, yet, their listings of upcoming hotels mysteriously lacks any mention of a future hotel in downtown Hoboken. Since they seem to list coming hotels through 2007, we can expect that this hotel thing is not happening anytime soon, or they are just trying to mess with our heads.

Hoboken would however fit in with the profile of other W Hotels around the world. Other than the fact there are already five W hotels in Manhattan, Hoboken has a lot of attractive qualities for a new hotel. So in either case, we cannot confirm whether a W Hotel is coming until we see the giant “W” hanging off the side of a new tower.

Barrow Street, NJ Vs. Barrow Street, NY

1 Bedroom Apartment:

$2,100 Or $1,100

Can you guess which is which?

Washington Mutual Heads Downtown

The American Mattress and Furniture Warehouse on the corner of Barrow and Newark Ave is holding a going out of business sale and according the exterior sign soon will be replaced by Washington Mutual’s first downtown branch. Washington Mutual already is in Hoboken and Journal Square. Banks are important to revitalizing retail districts since it allows customers easy access to cash to spend at local stores, and we think this is another sign that Newark Avenue is headed towards higher end retail in the very near future.

Review: Beechwood Café & Market

We’ll admit right from the start this is only a partial review. Why? Well the first time we went into this place, we were ignored by the staff for fifteen minutes before we decided a pint of Ben and Jerry’s was going to be just as fulfilling as anything they served us. [We don’t like being ignored].

The second time we went in, we got a simple coffee. The computerized register proceeded to crash confounding the girl behind the counter. At least they gave us the coffee for free.

In either case, the Market half of the café is nice enough. We had plenty of time to window shop while we were being ignored. The market has the sort of boutique products we might find useful to give as gifts at a distant relative’s wedding. But the market items are somewhat overpriced as these things go and could probably be found just as easily at Pier 1 or the Pottery Barn or any good hotel gift shop. But we do like the interior design and while we think the products are overpriced, it won’t stop us from admiring them.

Eventually we’ll go back and actually order some food—if of course we aren’t completely ignored. We’ll hold out for an hour if we have to.

It seems for now that the Beechwood Café and Market is simply the next yuppie hangout, like many of the new downtown stores.



Beechwood Café & Market
290 Grove Street
Jersey City
[Corner of Grove and Mercer]
beechwoodcafe.com/

Our First Hate Mail

is that "New York's Sixth" as in "New York's Sixth Borough"? haha. you wish.

what could you possibly write about? i mean, anything that anyone would
care about?


Oh, what were we thinking? You're right. Only the banal here.

Vacant Lot To Become a Shiny Tower

Last week this new glass cylinder opened up as an eastern entrance to the Grove street path.



We sort of wondered why, since the other two entrances are only a block to the west. But then we saw this:


[enlarge]

Yes, another shiny new tower. The construction of this building will help in making a pedestrian friendly link between the downtown waterfront and the Grove street area. At best, the walk is at present "sketchy," and at its worst, shit your pants scary.

But with that many residences being constructed in close proximity to the financial district, there might actually be people there on the weekend. Now of course, there are just a few stray dog walkers and the occasional jogger. Not to mention we're hoping the retail units will contain some necessities like Starbucks.

If You See It In The Times...

We recieved our first tip today. Boy are we excited to find something other than the hate mail clogging our inbox.

Our reader points us to a New York Times Slide Show from last August focusing on Hamilton Park. Of course with the way the editors at the times work, we're lucky the pictures are actually of Hamilton Park and not just stock photos from their archives.

Finally, Our Algebra Teacher Proven Right

Kudos to our 9nth grade math teacher; we finally used that algebra stuff she was talking about. The NYTimes is bragging about New York's decrease in violent crime, and the reduction of the citywide murders. Jersey City went down too, from 24 murders in 2003 to a mere 23. Unless our math was wrong, we're dissappointed to learn New Yorkers are safer then we are:

New York: 7 murders per 100,000
Jersey City 9.5 murders per 100,000

Of course, maybe we didn't do the math right, since we were never very good at it. In either case, we contend all that crime happens in those dark corners of the city we don't even talk about here.

FBI Crime Stats [pdf]

Mercer Street, Jersey City