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I don't want to turn my site into a political blog, but I have to say this...

Tuesday is the election. If you are registered to vote, it only takes 15 minutes to vote for local elections, and I urge you to vote for Zimmer and her slate. It's going to be a tight election (don't get swayed by all the endorsements for Cammarano, it's a political strategy, and they are panicked by the Zimmer threat).

Just remember that of all the Hoboken voters, only 33% of them voted in the last election, and Zimmer came in 2nd place by 84 votes. Mason, who came in 3rd place, endorsed Zimmer for Mayor...and the HDCO machine has come out in full force with their "endorsements" because they are freaked out by the idea that Zimmer could actually rock the boat and bring change to City Hall.

I read the "endorsements" that Peter Cammarano is getting, and it doesn't say to me that we have people who are really concerned about Hoboken, but people threatened by the idea that Zimmer could win. We have police, firemen, unions and developers backing Cammarano. What does that say to you?

Says to be that we have people who are interested in things remaining the same. People who are afraid that Zimmer will actually do the right thing and bring Hoboken in-line with the rest of the country. Examples?

Well in Manhattan, they have 1 supervisor for every 5 cops. In Hoboken? We have 1 supervisor for every 2 cops. The police would fret "We need more cops" rather than saying "Hey, maybe we have too many supervisors! Maybe instead of paying one supervisor $165,000 a year we could hire three patrolmen at $55,000 a year. "

Wow, what radical thinking!

I have (or had, depending on how you look at it) friends who were firemen and cops and are furious that I dare to blog such ideas. I wrote many times before that it is a question of compromise, and i'm not the only person who says that Hoboken police and firemen's salaries and benefits are above the average when compared to the rest of the state.

City Hall spends 80% of its budget on salaries and benefits. When we ask where our taxes are going -- they are going straight to our first responders and city hall employees.

Of course it is in the best interest of the police and fire department to endorse Peter Cammarano. He, and his slate, represent the "Entitled Hoboken". The entitled Hoboken are the people who have benefited by city councils and mayors sympathetic to their issues. They are the ones who made back office deals to give away our waterfront like at Maxwell Place or the W Hotel. They are the ones who think it's ok to extend PILOT agreements for Church Towers.

Example #2: Did you know that Church Towers has 402 units and pays $463K in taxes? That would mean an annual property tax payment of $1152 per unit. How does that compare to YOUR tax bill? The city council voted 6-2 (with Cammarano and Zimmer who were the dissenting votes). The funny fact is that those against Zimmer blast her for voting against this, but keep forgetting the fact that Cammarano also voted against it. Don't let facts get in the way of things, folks!

One last blog post for you, to give you and idea of what we are up against.

I went yesterday to vote for Longean, and while voting I hear one of the people
who work at the desk talking to someone about why he was voting for Cammarano.

I step out of the polling booth and it's a man doing the talking, with long
grey hair, and tattoos. Sort of looks like an old biker, with missing teeth and
glasses. He rides around in a old person scooter, sort of like those that you
see on late night TV "the freedom to do anything you want!"

Anyhow, he is talking to four people. A mom & dad and their two kids (who look
about 18-20), were at the polling station voting for the governor. I stop to listen to what he says, and he starts with the "Well if Zimmer and Mason didn't call in the state supervisor our taxes would only have increased 7%, not 43%!! Zimmer wants to fix this town overnight! I like that Peter represents 'Old School Hoboken'."

I stopped him and said, "You know what. You are correct. That's true, and a problem with the Cammarano campaign. He is telling you half-truths. It is true that if Judy Tripodi didn't come in, we could have raised the budget only 7%, but we still did owe the money that is reflected in the 43% increase. Where would it go? Into debt. So one way or the other we had to pay that money, and someone had to get our books in order, for years we haven't been doing it right. That is 'Old School Hoboken's' fault for the last eight years."

He starts to sputter and gets more irate with me. He then quickly changes subjects, "Well did you know Zimmer wants to build a wall around the projects?!"

I reply, "Say what?"

He starts tapping on his cell phone, saying "Yes! It's true! I have her phone number, call her and ask her, she said she wanted to build a wall around the projects!"

I replied, "OK, I don't think that is true, but i'm not going to call her to ask. Is that what's important to you in this election? A wall around the projects? I thought we were talking about the taxes and budget..."

He got more animated, waving his arms, while I was calm. The family was standing there, watching this, and I was countering all of his stuff easily, because they were absurd statements. I finally told him "Look, we are both concerned about the same thing, but Cammarano isn't the answer, he is supported by ex-council members and developers who basically gave Hoboken away for free with their pilot agreements on the waterfront. It's sad because you are telling people what you think and you are clearly misinformed. At the very least, do some research before you begin to tell people these half-truths, rather than passing on to them things that were just "told" to you."

Then another worker walked over and nicely said, "You can't continue this discussion here, both of you (to me and him). You can't talk politics in a voting area."

I wasn't about to argue the fact that the other guy, the one working at the polling station, started the discussion - so I said "No problem." and walked out.

The four people followed me out, and they got my attention, by saying "Hey, wait up...". I spun around, and saw them waving to me, and the first my first words out of my mouth were, "Now, do you believe a guy like ME or a guy like HIM?"

The guy smiled said, "No, no. We are Zimmer supporters. We just got to talking about the state election and that's when he started up about the local election."

They were very nice, all four of them (including the kids) were voting Zimmer in the run off. We talked for about a good 20 minutes about the election, and I told them a few things they weren't aware of. It was fun and also really disheartening because a guy in the election booth was so adamant about Zimmer being the devil that he basically didn't want to listen to anything I said.

That's my story. Here's a video from Dawn's campaign. We don't have the big developers or the PAC groups to support us. Everything has been a grass roots campaign. I donated to their cause, and if you can, I encourage you to, too:

This is one of those cheap posts where I kind of ramble a bit. Some people like it and some get annoyed. I hope you are the former.

I kind of want to get a dog. I wrote about this before. The main thing stopping me is the whole "walk" part of owning a dog, and specifically - MORNING WALKS. I'm just terrible at waking up, I just love sleeping and it's mentally painful for me to get up early to do anything. So tell me, if you own a dog and aren't a morning person, did you get used to this? Remember I don't have a back yard - I have to walk the doggie.

I kind of want to buy a car. Been kicking it around forever. I think since 1996 been saying how I was going to buy a BMW, but kept putting it off - saving my money to buy a home. OK, so I have the home...time for the new ride? Lots of factors are in this decision which in no particular order:
a. I drive, perhaps, 3,000 miles a year. I don't *need* a car. But having family in Philadelphia and Washington DC - makes renting a car very annoying for holidays & special events.
b. I have lived without a car in Hoboken for my first 4 years. I was miserable. Yes, you purists who don't have a car - GOOD FOR YOU! But when the zombie / robot uprising finally happens at 3am in 2010 I will be driving my car into the hills of PA to begin my resistance movement (a la "Red Dawn") while YOU will be next on their menu!
c. My current car, the 1993 Volvo, has been a (mostly) reliable friend since 1999. 10 years, 28,000 miles and only a few minor mechanical hiccups. It's reliable but isn't FUN like my Jeep. Car owners who SMILE when they drive their car know what i'm talking about. My Jeep was a joy to drive, part of me thinks about getting another one, but then I start to think: is this a midlife crisis kind of car? I looked at buying a Jeep again, but they are ridiculously expensive (and I like the old square headlights better!). For the money to buy a new Jeep I can get a used 2007 BMW instead. That's the problem with American automakers, they should be making Jeeps in the $18,000 range, not $28,000 range.
d. As someone who overthinks everything, part of me wants to lease a car. A BMW 328i or Mercedes C300 is only $350-400 a month, and that's in my affordable range. Only problem is that i'll spend $18,000 over 3-4 years and then...nothing. At least buying a car, I will have some return on my investment.
e. My main "issue" is justifying the expense of about $400-500 a month on a car that I use so infrequently. $6,000 a year on the car...another $2,220 on parking, $1500 on insurance...who knows how much gas...$10,000 a year for the luxury of owning a newer car...my current car, albeit older and not as exciting as a newer car still gives me about $6,000 extra a year that I can spend on...other things.

I had the last week off from work. Nothing of merit happened. I'm fine with that. After many years of looking over my vacations and travelling, I am most happy when i'm not doing very much. Beaches are always a favorite of mine. I can lie on a beach all day. Swim a bit. People watch. See, instead of spending $6,000 a year on a new car, that is only part of money I could use to go to Club Med Turkoise, instead.

I got to meet Dawn Zimmer the other day. Her team actually wanted to meet the Philly2Hoboken Philadelphia sports fans (part of the Phillies and Eagles clubs I run). She came with her council to Mulligan's and we had a nice, if small, crowd of fans there to meet her. It was great to meet them, and can only hope that she is successful in a few weeks. If not, then we keep fighting the "good" fight against the "connected" folks in City Hall. It's the Newcomers & the Born and Raised together vs the people in City Hall who make back office deals to protect only a few people.

I have no problem with a budget of $90 million for Hoboken. I will pay more taxes. I am 100% fine with it. Lets compare the structure of our Fire and Police departments with other regions and see how they are able to streamline their workforce to keep salaries, pensions and benefits down. We can't just throw up our hands and say "Oh well. That is how we have been doing it since 1978! Taxpayers pay up!" It seems like the word out of most of what I read from Cammarano says that taxpayers aren't going to get any breaks if he is elected and things are just going to stay "as is". I don't want to see firemen or cops lose their jobs. Not one. I simply want to do an analysis of other cities, compare their structure and salaries and compare it to Hoboken. If the results of that analysis says that Hoboken is in-line with what the rest of the major cities do, then i'm all for paying for good first responders. If the analysis comes back and says "We need more cops or firemen" or "We need to pay them more". I am 100% for that. But if the analysis comes back and says "You are overpaying your cops and firemen" or "The structure of your police force can be changed, if compared to the way that 'City X' does it..." Then why wouldn't we look at logical, rational views to be fiscally responsible, while protecting our citizens? I think our police and firemen do a thankless job. As the grandson of a Philly cop, I have respect for our first responders! Suffice to say I can only hope that change is coming to City Hall. I remember what happened to Philly in the late 1970's, and how they strangled their populace with taxes - and drove them out of the city. The same can happen in Hoboken, if we aren't careful.

Enough serious stuff. Been enjoying my Phillies this season. Crossing my fingers that we get some pitching help. I'm hoping some of the new prospects we have in the farm system show up this year and maybe we can find a diamond in the rough. Antonio Bastardo, Carlos Carrasco and Kyle Drabek are the three pitchers that you need to start brushing up with, if you are a Phillies fan. Gotta love that our team has the offensive firepower to roll over teams even if pitching hasn't been great. Remember - EVERY FRIDAY IS PHILLIES FRIDAY AT MULLIGAN'S. Tell your friends who are Phillies fans. :)

As you may or may not know, I often review restaurants on the blog or back in the day on Hobokeni.com. I read others in town who write restaurant reviews and it always makes me think about my five rules I always try to stick to:
1. Never "review" a restaurant when it first opens. It doesn't make any sense. Kitchens are learning their routines. The owners are on their best behavior and the new staff who are on bad behavior have yet to be disciplined or fired. Wait about three months.
2. Never tell a restaurant you are reviewing them until after you eat.
3. You should never get a free meal, and if you do it should be written in the review.
4. Bring friends. Have everyone order a different dish. Have everyone sample and give you feedback.
5. I personally prefer to eat at a restaurant three times before I write a review.

If you want to write a "first impression" about a new place, that's fine. But it shouldn't be damning or praising. Save that for a formal review of the establishment after multiple times eating there after it has been open for many months.

People often ask about my condo, since this marks my 2nd year owning my own place. My minor regret is that if I only held out 2 more years, I would be in an even better market to buy! I knew this was coming, but I expected mortgage rates to skyrocket when the market crashed, much like they did in the late 80's. So much for history repeating itself. But otherwise i'm super thrilled with my own home, and have two "projects" on the backburner. One is a minor renovation of my bathrooom. The other is a hardwood floor project. I already have a friend lined up to help with the bathroom, but if anyone knows anything on hardwood floors...i'm all ears. Email me if you have any good info.

Otherwise, I have no "summer plans". No Bradley Beach this year. My buddy Chris wasn't going to do it, and he was the main reason why I did it last year. I did make some new friends last year, and toyed with the idea of doing the beach house again, without Chris, but ultimately decided against it. Maybe I will try to get in a few day trips to the beach here and there this summer.

I finally paid off my PSE&G bill after many years of paying $100 a month extra to pay it off. The condensed story is basically PSE&G was estimating our bills for about 10 years at my old apartment. I fought and lost (well, I did get a slight reduction), and owed many THOUSANDS of dollars to the electric/gas company. Jon & Kristen did pay me, but when I asked my old roommates, who moved out, to pay what they owe, they basically said "Screw you, it was your fault - you pay.". I wonder if my old roommates have an ounce of remorse for sticking me with that bill. I doubt it. I hope that Karma just deals with them.

I'm looking forward to the 4th of July fireworks. I want to get a tripod for my camera and get some night time shots. Anyone recommend a good tripod for a digital SLR? I'm looking for lightweight and compact, I hate to lug something around that is unwieldy.

I guess that is mostly it. I hope this summer to get out in Hoboken and review some new places and upload some new pictures. I have the summer with a lot of time on my hands, so why not?

With April 23rd as the "official" opening date for the W hotel, here's a few pictures I was able to obtain last week. Enjoy.

I read this article in the NY Times about Yankee Stadium and the problem they are having with large sections of premium seating left open.

Here's what I would do if i'm the Yankees or Mets:

1. Speak to Premium Seat holders and offer the "Open Seat Plan". First, you have to enroll. Those who don't want to enroll don't need to bother with the next part of my plan.

2. Those that do enroll, get these benefits: If you haven't shown up by the 4th inning, the Yankees or Mets will offer $25 per seat credit back to that premium seat holder. It won't cover the cost of the seat, but at least you get something if you can't use your seats. Also the "payback" is at the discretion of the Yankees or Mets. So they may not buy back seats for every game. There's no guarantee that if you miss a game that you will get $25 back. The seat is bought back by the Yankees or Mets.

3. If the seat holder plans to make the game after the 4th inning, they can email or call the box office to "hold" their seat. If you are "in" the plan and haven't made it into the stadium before the 4th inning, then your seat will be bought back by the Yankees or Mets organization, for that game.

4. That means any seats in the premium sections are now owned by the Yankees or Mets. The Yankees or Mets (using the ticket scanners they have at the gates) will know which seats are "open" and if they are enrolled in the plan.

5. Then the Yankees or Mets will do a lottery. Season ticket holders in non-premium seats will win the chance to sit in premium seats. Think of it like when you get to the airport and there are business class or first class seats - and you get an upgrade by the airline for your patronage. Maybe 20-30 people win, total, and you will have the Yankees or Mets who hand out vouchers (special ticket stubs) for those seats. The fans can then walk to their new seats and enjoy the game.

6. Wouldn't that say THANK YOU to all the season ticket holders who can't afford $2,000 seats? Per game, what are we talking about? $750 that the Yankees or Mets are spending to reward their loyal fans? They don't have to do it every single game, maybe they do it once a week (but truth be told, don't you think when paying ballplayers hundreds in millions in salaries, they can afford $750 a game?).

The only problem with the plan is when some jerkoff premium ticket holder does show up after the 4th inning and didn't email or call the box office. The solution can be a bit more tricky. If the premium seat holder is enrolled in the plan, they have to agree to the rules. If they show up late and claim they did call or did email to hold their seats, then the lottery people would have to give up their seats.

Maybe some kind of consideration would be given to those lottery people, like the "next game" they do the lottery they can sit in the premium seats (so instead of 30 tickets raffled, they raffle 28 tickets and hold 2 for those who were bumped).

It won't be easy, but it is absolutely doable with our technology today.

We all have been affected in various ways by the recession. One of the benefits of working at Corporation X is that I have been at my job since right out of college. Coming up on 15 years. Corporation X has fairly solid fundamentals, and there won't be mass layoffs anytime in the near future.

I think.

But that still hasn't stopped me from trying to make small changes in my life to make my dollar stretch further. I have been doing a few things to be more "fiscally responsible", if you will. But it also doesn't mean that i'm going to completely stop spending my money!

1. Body Balance Discounted Massages: I reviewed the massage therapists at Body Balance, and think they are outstanding. Sitting in a chair & typing all day and running on a treadmill take their toll on my body, and this is my gift to myself on a bi-weekly basis. They have some excellent discounts on their website, and I bought a package deal to help save some money.

2. Refinanced my mortgage: Good time to look for loans, if you can get it. I was able to offset my property tax increase with a lower mortgage payment. I still say now is a good time to buy if you are in a stable job and can get financing. Many of my friends have refinanced at 4.5% on 30 year fixed loans in the last few months.

3. Coffee! Mmmm. I bought a coffee maker from Amazon, and recently bought a coffee grinder, too. I tried Illy coffee from Italy and it's excellent. Considering that a large coffee at Dunkin Donuts costs $2.50-3 up here, the money I save is great. I bought a large metal thermos and bring my coffee into work.

4. Slow-Cooker: Also known as a crockpot, it's about taking food, cooking it while you are at work, and then walking in the door to a meal waiting for you. I have yet to use this, but just got it a few weeks ago. Need to figure out what to make first, i'm guessing some kind of beef stew would be nice. It's always a good idea to save some cash by making more homemade inexepensive meals.

5. Pre-Party: This is as old as my college days, but easily the smartest move. Grab a few red bulls & A bottle of Belvedere Vodka. A six pack of Yuengling. Captain Morgan and a bottle of Coke. Having a few drinks at your house before you go out is classic college move, but damn smart in this economy. Heck, invite a few friends over first and have a pre-party and then go out. Bars are barely affected by the recession, but your wallet is. Always a good idea to limber up before you excercise and just as smart to liquor up before a night of drinking that can save you a ton of money. With the extra money you are saving, use it to grab brunch the next day.

I'm a small corner of Hoboken. A writer with a voice, and for this election, I wanted to at least publicly endorse someone who I felt strongly about, and did the title just for flourish.

I'm endorsing Dawn Zimmer for mayor of Hoboken in 2009.

I average about 200+ daily readers here. About 200 registered friends follow the Eagles and Phillies from my Google Groups and are also registered voters. I sincerely hope they also vote for Dawn Zimmer in the upcoming election.

My Phillies and Eagles friends have saw what the power of a few people can do in a city like Hoboken. We went from me sitting in the Farside bar on Sundays saying to my Eagles friends, "Why don't we band together like those Steeler guys?" (Thank you Steelers Club for that inspiration!) to a ridiculously large following every Sunday at Mulligan's Bar. We organized. We grew. We overcame a lot of people who told us "no".

I encourage all 400+ people who do read this site and my club members that that they visit and read what all the candidates have to say. Beth Mason & Peter Cammarano offer plenty of good ideas and solutions, and you should read what they have to state.

But after reading what they have written and those that they surround themselves with as council people, Zimmer is my vote. I feel she AND her team have the best chance to bring fresh, new voices into a city hall that often gets accused of cronyism, shady back office dealings and favoritism.

These are the issues that are important to me, and I believe that Dawn and her city council candidates are our best chance at seeing it happen:

1. Independent Review Of All City Departments. Hire a company from the outside to look at how we structure our police and fire departments. They would gather independent information about pay scales and state averages for city employees and to base our contract negotiations on that, not on cronyism and outdated contracts from the 1970's.

2. Property Tax Reassessment. My taxes went up 42%. Ok. I'm paying my fair share. But is the rest of Hoboken? Some people live in enormous homes and pay extremely low taxes. Some new Homeowners are taxed much higher. That's not fair, and we should have an independent analysis of what everyone is paying in Hoboken for their taxes and raise/lower/even everything properly. I'll my taxes at the increased 42% rate, as long as the rest of Hoboken is paying their fair share.

3. PILOTS. Understand them better. Make sure the public is informed. If we are giving government breaks to places like Church Towers - then shouldn't that "waiting list" be public, along with who owns the tower? Church Towers is one of many upcoming buildings where they are reviewing PILOTS. If my taxes increased 42%, why aren't building owners that rent units paying their fair share, too? I don't advocate increasing costs to subsidized renters or senior citizens. But there are lots of people living in Church Towers making plenty of money that can afford a rental increase to cover their fair share. They use the same public infrastructure that I do.

4. Modernization. Hoboken's city records are archaic. A better, modern system of record keeping, paying parking tickets online, and a 311 call center.

I have reviewed what Peter Cammarano and Beth Mason have said and wrote from various online websites. I was torn between Beth Mason and Dawn Zimmer, but I think at the end of the day i'd rather get people into public office like Ravi Bhalla and Dawn who are trying to sweep away the various scandals, mismanagement and political dealings of old Hoboken to bring new ideas, leadership and inspiration to a city that simply has been disappointed for many years by the Russo and Roberts administrations.

Encourage your neighbors to register. Every vote counts in this election.

As many of you know, I run the Philadelphia Eagles Club of Hoboken, but I also run the Philadelphia Phillies Club, too.

This is our 3rd year in Hoboken, and i'm looking forward to our season. To those Phillies fans in Hoboken, if you want to come out and watch the game we gather on FRIDAY nights , here's the schedule at Mulligan's for the season:

Friday, April 17 San Diego at Philadelphia, 7:05 PM

Friday, October 2 Florida at Philadelphia, 7:05 PM

It's a loooong season. And just remember that Friday nights are Phillies nights at Mulligan's. We will have the same specials that we have for the Eagles club, $2 Yuengling and $2 Bud Light drafts during the game, along with $10 buckets of Bud Light bottle.

I'm throwing another gathering at Mulligan's bar. Expect the tempo to be high and the beer to be cold.

Mulligan's will host the Villanova Wildcat Alumni on Saturday 4/4. Those rooting for Villanova will get $2 Yuenglings and Bud Light drafts, along with $10 buckets of Bud Light bottles.

The sound of the game will be on in the "Pool Room" and the rest of the bar will be showing the game on the 8 other HDTVs with music playing. Tip off is at 8:47 PM EST, and I would suggest showing up EARLY if you expect to get a seat. Note that the "back bar" is hosting a private party, and public entry will be for the front bar.

Still wracking my brain for a "good thing to write about". Nothing incredibly new since St. Pats, so a day of quick hits...random thoughts, etc...

My brother turned 40 on Saturday.

His wife arranged a surprise birthday party in DC, and my whole family arrived at a restaurant called "Marrakesh", along with some of his friends and his wife's family.

It was an interesting Moroccan restaurant, with belly dancers and traditional fare. I liked the food, and discovered a very good beer that they had called "Almaza". It was ice cold and I drank three of them in quick succession. Gotta see about grabbing a 6 pack for my fridge around here.

Back to the gym

I somehow had a strange injury to my chest that was driving me nuts. I was on anti inflammatories from December to January and stopped with all workouts since late October.

I haven't gained "more" weight, but definitely feel the effects of not working out and eating badly. Feel...flabby. Not like I was rock hard before, but you start to notice the change with clothes not fitting the same.

Well, been back on the treadmill in my condo gym for about 2 weeks. Just slowly getting myself back into cardio shape and then will see about going to Club H in April. I hate lifting again after a long break. Back to struggling with low weight barbells. Sigh.

Villanova to the sweet 16!

I hated the fact that when I went to Villanova, it's social scene was terrible. From what I heard it's much better today, and often get quizzical looks from recent graduates when I tell them how much I hated it.

But I did love the basketball program, and have followed it since I graduated. Looking forward to Duke vs Villanova on Thursday. Very cool to see so many Big East teams representing this year.

Xbox players: Buy Fallout3

Was told about this game by Brad. Bought it. It sucked me in and I was playing non-stop for every free moment I had for about 2 weeks until I finished the game. You need to like RPG games with first person shooters to get into it. Lots of exploring, fighting and the ability to either be good or evil as a player. I liked this a lot.

Trying to figure out a vacation spot

I want to go on vacation, since I won't be going to Bradley Beach this year. I'd like a vacation that's warm, prefer a beach. Prefer not incredibly expensive. Prefer not to be isolated or on some island where it's all couples (read: Aruba). I always liked Las Vegas, but I am leaning towards just doing something...different. If there was a fun Caribbean island like Vegas or a Miami hot spot or a place in Mexico that's fun for someone in my situation (read: single, a guy, looking for a fun time, but not a frat party).

Any ideas? I wonder if there's some Greek party islands like Kos, Ios, Mykonos, Crete...but closer to America. Seems that most islands are for couples celebrating. Thought about doing Club Med Turkoise, but not 100% sure if that's for me.

Open to suggestions, you can email me at philly2hoboken (at) gmail.com.

Scotch Tasting?

Everyone has wine tasting in Hoboken, and I was toying with the idea of doing a scotch tasting in Hoboken. Been kicking that idea for the last two years, since I got turned on to scotch. Seems to me that a more sophisticated crowd is replacing many of the younger kids in Hoboken, and with that tastes have become more discerning.

I'm not a scotch expert, but would love to try to put something together, where you get 8 "tastes" of scotch from varying regions of Scotland. Was trying to figure out costs and logistics. Paul from Mulligan's offered me his bar, so that's good. But also have to figure out if it would go over well. I'm sure people ARE interested, but how far does that interest go? With the economy and many people in Hoboken being frugal, not sure if I can get 20 people to pay $35-45 each to try 7 good scotches and 1 superb scotch.

Would you do a scotch tasting? What would you pay ($0 isn't an option)?

Hoboken Mayor Race

Lots of strong emotions in this race for mayor. Right now i'm leaning towards voting for Zimmer. People point to her lack of experience, but everyone voted in Obama for President just a few months ago, who was also just a community organizer only a few years ago.

The key to Hoboken is the facts. We have many people all clamoring to get paid. The police, firemen, city workers and other city costs. We have taxpayers crying about paying too much money. We have a system that needs to be corrected.

We need to look at state averages for salary. What does a police officer in NJ get paid? What does a firemen in NJ get paid? Hey, my grandfather was a cop. I'm pro-police and pro-firemen. I'm all for paying my taxes to have the proper force in place for our safety.

We need insiders and outsiders to look at our structure, the employees, and say "Does this make sense" for a city of 1 square mile to pay $35 million a year (nearly 1/3 of our budget) in payroll and retirement to our first responders.

But i'm also someone who thinks with logic, that we need to be fiscally responsible with the city workers and with our tax payers. We need to understand why people who have been living in their house since the 70's pay taxes from 1970 and people who have new construction pay the "new taxes". There needs to be a reassessment of all property taxes, for everyone with transparency for all to see.

We need to end PILOTS now, and any new renewals need to be stopped. We have plenty of people who want to live here and lots of available housing in Union City, Weehawkin or Jersey City for those who don't want to pay the premium of living in Hoboken. We can't put the burden on just homeowners, the renters in PILOT buildings need to start paying their fair share, too.

What can you do?

Simple. Vote. In a town of 40,000 people only 4,000 actually vote. When I was renting I voted, too. Sadly, I voted for Dave Roberts, thinking he was so much better than Russo. Dave was just a criminal in a different form...paying all his cronies and friends with hidden funds that he pushed forward for us to pay today.

They say that the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn.

Ironic saying, now that we have Dawn Zimmer running for mayor. If you can, take the time to get to know all the candidates and make an informed vote.

St. Patrick's Day was this weekend in Hoboken. It's my 14th year in town, and every year it seems that more and more young people come into town to celebrate.

Personally, I don't care about the kids having fun. I guess that's because i'm not married and don't have kids and still care about having F-U-N. Most of the people that are against banning the parade are the same people that 10 years ago were throwing up or pissing in the alley, but now that they have kids they are typically selfish yuppies who want the world to revolve around them.

Hey, I don't care if the kids want to have a good time. If people in your building trashed your courtyard, maybe YOU should take responsibility and have your condo board or building management make swift decisions banning parties on holidays. My condo board was smart enough to deliver fliers to each resident saying basically "Have fun but if you bother any neighbors, the cops are coming and you will be fined by the condo board."

Surprise, surprise - our 100 unit building was on lockdown and everything went just swimmingly.

This year for the parade, I wasn't bartending. I stopped working at Mikie Squared last April, since I had a shore house at Bradley Beach & just didn't pick up a new shift when the summer was over.

I skipped taking pictures of the parade this year. I figure I wasn't missing anything new that I didn't have from 2007 or 2008. I went to a few parties, met a few friends, and around 4pm, wandered over to my 'local' - Mulligan's.

Over the years, if you know me, I have had a few locals. Hennessy's, Farside, Moran's, Dipper's were all my homes away from home at one point of time in my Hoboken life. Now it's Mulligan's. The bartenders are great, the owner is always kind and the people I meet there are the down-to-earth kind of people that I enjoy hanging out with.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that my Eagles and Phillies clubs operate out of the same bar.

I went over to the bar, and talked to Paul, the owner, for a bit. We chatted, and he says "Hey, did you have your bar card?"

Now to those who don't know, in Hoboken to work in a bar you need a "bar card". I wrote about it a bit before, but it's basically a license to work in a bar in Hoboken. Or as I call it the "Bartender Tax" because you need to renew it every 2 years and pay over $100 for the renewal.

I had my card at home, which is a few blocks away, and he asked me to get it. I figured that he needed me to help for a bit, and I grabbed the card and came back.

Paul said, "Ok, here's the deal. I had another bouncer working here but he was an idiot and started to accept money from patrons outside trying to get inside and circumvent the line at the front door. The shift is until closing and i'll pay you XXX dollars."

I was fine with that. I figure i'd help out Paul who has been great to the Eagles & Phillies club and some extra money never hurts. I was hoping it was only going to be a few hours and not the whole night, but whatever.

It was pretty easy work, but ran into a few issues, which I will just list in no particular order, with how to deal if you are in this situation (in reverse):

1. On a parade day you get a lot of grief as a bouncer. I don't know everyone, especially VIPs (friends of the owners or regulars) - so I got a bunch of people giving me grief when I wouldn't let them in. I'd just send them over to the head bouncer and if he said OK, i'd let them in. That was the first annoyance.
How to deal: Ok, you are Joe VIP, personal friends of someone. Just ask me when i'm free to go inside and ask Paul or whoever if they know them. I did that on a few occasions if they asked nicely enough and in some circumstances got "yes" or "no" if they should bypass the line. It's not the bouncers fault they don't know you.

2. Secondly, you get plenty of people from out of town who get separated from their friends, who are inside, and then they give me a sob story (usually chicks) about how "All my friend are inside and I CAN'T GET IN!!!". I tell them they have to wait in line and pay the cover. I usually get more grief from them over this.
How To Deal: Really this is a bit more tricky. One person was a complete bitch to me, and I gave her my full wrath, which really shouldn't be reprinted here. Another little Indian girl was all alone, pouting and she waited a good 30 minutes outside until I finally broke down and let her in. She wasn't necessarily nice about it, but she was persistent and didn't try to berate me.

3. People who came up to me with "Hey man I was JUST IN THERE can I get back in." Um, no. They all got shot down unless I, or someone else, remembered them leaving. It was hard to remember everyone, but I did my best.
How To Deal: I had people admit to me, when I shot them down, that "Yea, dude, i was lying, sorry....but can you let me in anyhow?" - They still didn't get in. Wait in line, pay the cover.

4. Someone was dumb enough to get into a fight. How? Well, they brought INTO the bar a can of beer. Opened it right next to the bouncer (not me), which sprayed all over the place and into the bouncer's face. Not only was bringing the beer in a no-no, but the fact that the bouncer got doused in beer didn't help matters. The offender was escorted out, but started to lean back and give the bouncer trouble, and then the offender's friend jumped the bouncer. Melee starts at the back door, and who is standing right there? Me. Once again...I just grab one of the dudes, and put him into a Three-quarter nelson, like I did a month ago, except this time I have my arm around his neck in a choke hold. He struggled with me at first, but I released some tension when I heard him start to have trouble breating and since my head was next to his just whispered in his ear, "Calm down dude, i'm the bouncer."
How To Deal: Ya got 5 bouncers outside a bar, the way to deal is back down. He did & we let him leave without stomping his head into the pavement.

5. You don't know anyone working at the bar. You want to bypass the line. How?
How To Deal: If you are a girl, cute, and have cute girl friends, you really shouldn't have to wait in line - most smart owners or bouncers will just let you in. If you are a guy - bring cute girls to the bar. One lone dude was outside the bar and asked if his girlfriend and her friend could get in. I asked "Are they hot?". He said yes and pointed them out. Easily they two hottest girls in Hoboken and they were all inside in a heart beat without paying a cover (Yes, I was given the approval to do this ahead of time). Why? It's good for the bar. You want cute girls in the bar. I couldn't help to think about the club scene from the movie "Knocked Up" while I was doing this.

Quick segue: My buddy told me a story a few weeks ago. His wife had a bachelorette party. She was going to get 15 of her girlfriends, in their late 20's up to the city and wanted to go out to a bar. She knows a few promoters, made a phone call - and they were set up. All 15 were going to a popular club, provided with free table service & booze, and they don't wait in line or pay a cover.

I shook my head. Must be a wonderful city if you are a girl and know how to play the game.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful. A girl did come up to me and say "You are that guy...right...the blogger...philly to hoboken, right?" - not sure how she recognized me, but that made me chuckle.

Also, I did get to hook up a few of my friends, which is another side benefit to bouncing. Like I wrote about the VIPs, there are the VIPs in my life, who take care of me and I take care of them. I saw them in line, picked them out of the line, walked them up to the front and into the bar to the chagrin of the rest of the people waiting.

This was my guide in 2008, and still relevant for 2009. Repost from last year, and a few edits. Good luck this weekend, and have fun!

This may be your first parade or maybe your 30th, and here's some advice from little old me, a resident of Hoboken for the last 14 years.

Hoboken St. Patrick's Day Parade from 2008:

1. Please read my Bar Etiquette Guide. The basics for that day is that every round you order should get a tip ( if you order five Guinness throw down a $5 bill - maybe a little more if you are adding shots). I wouldn't suggest a bar tab on a parade day, unless you really know the bartender well. Buybacks on parade day definitely happen, and I always look for good customers (The customers who say, "Please", "Thank you" and not "HEY PAL!" or "CHIEF" while waving money) & good patrons (the customers who are putting money into our register & also our tip jar) to throw them an extra round.

2. Get in the spirit. Nothing is worse on St. Patty's day to see the two guys wearing black leather coats and sipping their Coors Lights in the corner like a bunch of stooges. Ya gotta have something green to wear in your closet - wear it! Who cares if you weren't born Irish - everyone is Irish on St. Patty's Day!

3. Have fun, but don't be an fool. I can't stress this enough. You can be an idiot drinking for most of the other 364 days of the year. If you have been living under a rock, here it is again: Hoboken has a zero tolerance policy on open containers on parade day. Result? $1,000 fine. No second chances. I'm sure that their zero tolerance will also apply to many other wonderful laws like public urination, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. If you can't handle your drink, stay at home on parade day.

4. You want to drink like a pro? Follow my easy advice: 1 pint of water for every 2-3 drinks of alcohol. Yes, hard to remember when you are getting bombed, but most of my friends know to do this. Don't worry about snide remarks from your douchebag friends. When they are kneeling to the porcelain God at 9am Sunday morning, you will be in much better shape, I swear.

5. Do not, under any circumstances combine painkillers (Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, etc) with alcohol. It's a nice way to destroy your liver at an early age. Far too many newbies pop two painkillers before bed after a day of drinking, and don't realize that they are doing even more damage to their liver & stomach than drinking does alone. It's like eating french fries and drinking a cup of grease. To avoid hangovers, you must hydrate and follow rule #4. If you forget to drink during the day, drink two large pints of water before bed. You may wake up at 5am to pee (if you do, have another pint of water), but it will definitely help the hangover (until you turn 32 and the water remedy starts to fail).

6. The following songs must be banned from St. Patrick's Day: House of Pain, "Jump Around"; Black 47, "Funky Ceili". I'm sure there are more. I moderately tolerate Metallica playing "Whiskey In the Jar". Anything by the Dropkick Murphys is allowed. Playing even Irish Folk music sounds great to me versus some of the old, tired rock songs that only show up on St. Patty's Day.

7. If you are attending the parade, just realize that the "height" of the parade is from about 12pm to 4pm. If you are smart, just find one bar and stay there. Waiting for an hour in line at a bar during the prime time hours is a terrible idea. You should call all your friends now and choose a local pub NOW. Get there at 10am, and get in line (don't be those people who are on the street at noon and whining about the lines). When the bars open at 11am, get inside, and stay there. Around 4pm you can leave the bar, get some food, recharge a bit and then drink some more. I know lots of bars in town that are selling tickets or having private parties because there are far too many stupid kids from out of town on Saturday, and they don't want the headaches from dealing with them.

8. Most bars basically die out around 10pm on Saturday. In years past only the hard charging pros were able to drink all day and night. So don't expect to go to a house party in the day and then drinking in Hoboken that night. Just not gonna happen. The real party at bars in Hoboken is in the afternoon.

9. Take public transportation if you don't live in town. Parking in Hoboken is a bitch. On a day like this, it's beyond bad, and you can be looking to park for an hour while your friends are sending you text messages from the bar.

10. This is a great day to meet people. Go out. Be social. Buy someone a drink. Smile and say hello to everyone. Be friendly with the bartenders, old people, dogs, cats, turtles, policemen and policewomen. Having a good attitude will reap huge benefits on days like this. No one wants to talk to the angry guy or primadonna girl. Don't posture like you are those "tough guys" from D'jais on njguido.com. Also a good day to have your rejection hotline number handy for the creeps! Don't know it? The number for NJ is (201) 808-6011. New York City is (212) 660-2245.

Bonus for 2009: Don't forget that this Sunday "morning" at 2am the clock spring forward to 3am!

It's a snowy Monday, and here are five places that deserve a brief write up...

Sweet (343 Garden St): I have a fairly big sweet tooth. Love me some chocolate Juniors by Tastykake. My second favorite treat are the cupcakes at Sweet. Even if you are on a diet, you are allowed that one "cheat day", right? Make sure you cheat here. Try the Red Velvet cupcakes, you will thank me even if you curse your waistline.

Vito's (806 Washington St): Every Saturday I walk over there and grab a London broil with mozzarella (mutz!) sandwich - it's a 10 minute walk for me from Newark and Clinton, but so worth it. The trick to this sandwich is going no later than 2pm. The London broil dries out a bit when it's sitting all day. If you get there by or before noon, it's perfection. I have been to Fiore's on Saturdays multiple times for their roastbeef. I keep finding myself wanting the London Broil for Vito's more. Luca Brasi's, which is 2 blocks from my condo, is woefully average when compared to Vito's or Fiore's.

Napoli's Brick Oven Pizza (1118 Washington St): Before I begin, pizza is like talking about cars. Some people like sportscars. Some like SUV's. Some like luxury cars. The same is true about pizza, everyone has an opinion on slice thickness, sauce flavor, cheese, etc. So it will be hard for me to convince people that this is the "best" pizza in Hoboken. But I can only thank Hoboken411 for writing about it. I would have never discovered this gem. Excellent, thin, brick oven pizza, and far better than Grimaldi's.

Energy Kitchen (96 Hudson St): When I start feeling guilty for eating cupcakes and pizza, I will head over here to make myself feel better. Love the turkey meatloaf, with low sodium marinara. Usually add some spinach and lentil soup to complete the meal. Super protein power punch meal, perfect for a post-workout meal. It doesn't come cheap, but i'm someone that is willing to pay a few extra $$ for a nutritious meal versus saving some money and buying a Subway sandwich.

First Street Cafe & Deli (263 1st St): Mustafa! That's my man behind the counter and he's always in a good mood. Love grabbing a breakfast sandwich from him on Sundays, and he's a super nice guy. I stopped going to Bagel Smashery, and been his regular customer for a year now. The Bagel Smashery people could learn a lesson or two from Mustafa and his casual, kind attitude.

There you go. Try those places if you haven't been there yet.

Well things are going to hell in a hand basket for Hobokenites. The HUMC (Hoboken University Medical Center) appears to be hemorrhaging money. Taxpayers are demanding union givebacks. People are clamoring for a property tax revaluation, claiming the system is uneven.

408 years ago, Shakespeare wrote "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", and I think the same could be said for our city today.

Rather than bore you with details, I will stress again, we need to analyze where Hoboken's money is coming from and where it is being spent. We need more transparency. We need to use national averages as a tool for negotiating contracts, not contracts that were written up behind closed doors by friends and family members on both sides of the negotiating table.

Taxpayers are concerned, and misinformation is rampant. I think we all need to realize that we are in a huge mess here and the old ways of doing things isn't going to work anymore. If we continue down this road, you know what will happen? Hoboken declares bankruptcy. The 'collective bargaining agreements' that the unions hide behind become moot, when old contracts can become invalid (a state judge decides this).

Vallejo, California voted (the city council did this, 7-0 by the way) to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy did this in September 2008 when police, fire and public employee contracts became a problem.

Remember, people. Its revenue versus income. If you are on the side of public employees, then we have to reassess our city property taxes for everyone. If you are on the side of taxpayers, then we have to analyze where the money is being spent - we have to ask how did our budget balloon to $121 million? Vallejo spent 74 percent of its $80 million general fund budget on public safety salaries, which was significantly higher than the state average.

I'm on both sides, even if my friends don't see it that way. I feel for those city workers who have families to feed. I feel for the taxpayers. But we can't continue down this road with the "same old" Hoboken philosophy. I don't think we are at the point where we need to declare Chapter 9. But if we keep doing nothing, then we will.

Hoboken has a fiscal crisis. We went from a budget of around $50 million to around $120 million in a very short period of time. It's not like we didn't know this was coming.

This needs to be fixed.

What will fix it?

I'm not sure. I am not a member of city council. I'm not a fireman. I'm not a policeman. I'm not a city worker. I'm a taxpayer. I'm a homeowner that was paying his taxes last year for services and amongst the other taxpayers who are paying up to 84% more in taxes. We have to address this tax burden.

Something is wrong with that.

I don't know what the solution is, i'm not an accountant. But, I think it is in the best interest of everyone within Hoboken, from taxpayer to city worker, to analyze our current fiscal situation. Then, we need to come up with solutions that make sense for everyone. Everyone, being the taxpayers and the hard working employees of our town.

We need to review the following:

1. Are we taxing properly?
Are the city taxes (property, commericial, industrial) in line with where we should be in 2009? Or are taxpayers still getting taxed like it's 1979. We need to review this.

2. Are we utilizing our taxes properly?
We need to review where the money is going. To all departments and services. We need to use national averages and other cities as an example to get proper baselines for the use of our funds. We need to make sure there is proper use of our subsidized housing to ensure the right people are living there.

That's all. How this will affect everyone, from taxpayers to city workers, should be done in a fair, logical, but compassionate way. There are people, from taxpayers to city workers, who are rightfully concerned about this situation.

But something has gone massively wrong in our town that I have lived in for 14 years. We can't look at the budget today and think that a 100+% increase is normal. Something must be done.

A new year approaches and I figure it's time to update the site with a new design. What do you think?

I know some of of my readers check this site daily and some just check in from time to time. But here's the entries I wrote over the last year, and think you should check out if you missed it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Also I updated my site. Try to comment if you can...I think they have been fixed. If not just email me and I will keep trying to fix it.

Body Balance Review: I wrote this last year, but they have new owners and a special until 1/3/09, $59 for 1 hour massage and $80 for a 1.5 hour massage. You should really treat yourself and get a massage here. It's great!

Omaha Bedding Company: Bed lumpy? Not getting a good night's sleep? My bed is redunkulously awesome. Check these guys out.

Put Up Your Dukes! - I'm many things, but I don't back down easily. Another amusing story about the trouble with alcohol.

St. Patrick's Day Advice - Good even during Christmas. I'm still hoping one day to meet that girl in the pink shirt and fedora.

Ego & Self Worth On The Internet - Do you read Hoboken411 or any other site with heavy commenters? Tell me that this entry doesn't sum up all those commenters.

Good Manners In The Big City - a friend and I were trying to understand what's the problem with the world and I think it's just that Generation X doesn't have any consideration for anyone else. It doesn't matter if you are single, married or a parent with a behemoth baby stroller...too many assholes that don't care enough about each other.

Snacks For the Active Hobokenite - I know this is the time of the year for diets...read this. Seriously. Small changes in your diet with great food = keeping the pounds off. I know far too many people who change to a radical diet, it lasts three months and they are miserable again. My key word is "moderation".

Vera Gets Serenaded - our neighbor at Bradley Beach was never the same again, after my singing performance to her.

Top 5 Rules For Shore Roommates - one year at the shore, and i'm already making rules. I had a good time at Bradley Beach this year, I should be back next year. Now is the time to plan for those things!

Top Five Casual Restaurants That Would Own in Hoboken - I stand by all of this. Problem with most restaurants in Hoboken is that they are woefully average and often inconsistent with the quality of their food.

World Series Game 5 Video At Mulligan's - if you haven't seen this video, it was taken at Mulligan's right at the moment the Phillies won the World Series. Easily one of the favorite moments of my life, it was a sea of joy and happiness. The song that comes on is Queen, "We Are The Champions". Great job by the crew at Mulligan's to play the song and hand out bottles of champagne for us to spray the crowd.

Blogging Is Dead. Long Live The New Facebooking! - Do my descriptions sound like anyone you know? :)

I went to a local pub yesterday and sat down after work. I wanted to try their food there, and figured i'd have a beer and relax at the bar. I chatted with the bartender a bit, since I knew her when I was a bartender at Mikie Squared.

The food was good pub grub, and the Yuengling draft went down smoothly. I enjoyed watching a bit of CNN and ESPN on the flat screen TVs, while I chatted her up a bit, catching up on old times.

I was finished eating and I whipped out my card, asking the bartender to put my tab on the card. She turned to the register, checked my tab and turned around, with a half-smile / half-frown of someone about to tell me something I didn't want to hear and said: "Hey, Sean, sorry we have a $20 minimum purchase rule here with credit cards."

Minimum purchase?

I was fairly sure, but not positive, that, to ask for a minimum purchase it was violating their contract agreement with the credit card companies. I started to tell her about it, but she shrugged her shoulders saying, "The owners makes the rules, and they give me grief if I try to charge anything less. Sorry."

I didn't have any cash on me. They had one of those cheap ATM machines in the bar, and the closest "normal" bank (and not my bank) ATM was a few blocks away. The bar ATM or the local bank would charge me $2 per transaction. Plus, it was just inconvienent for me.

I wasn't about to get her in trouble over this. I know the owner, not very well, but I am on a first name basis, and I don't know if he will even care enough to do anything if I complain to him. I could report his business to the credit card companies, but I don't know if I even want to bother.

It wasn't the $2 fee. It wasn't even getting up, using the ATM. What happened to the customer coming first? Is the poor bar owner really going to cry over credit card fees when the markup on drinks is ridiculous*?

*Quick segue: Think about it. The price of a 1/2 keg of Coors Light, as an example. It costs $73.99 for us "regular people", and i'm sure a bar owner gets a better rate because of bulk discounts from distributors. So maybe it is $62 a keg. A keg holds 124 pints (16 oz.) of beer. Lets do the fun math. $62 for a keg, divided by 124 beers = .50 cents a glass. Remember that next time you are drinking a $4 glass of Coors Light at your local pub, and the owner makes $434 profit per keg (124 x $4 glass minus $62 cost per keg...not including spillage) .

What would you do? Feel free to email me at philly2hoboken at gmail.com and tell me!

The Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri procession on Sunday September 7th, 2008 marches in Hoboken.

Fleet Feet
604 Washington St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 533-1200

I started my interval training, and I noticed that my shins (in both legs) were getting very sore by the fourth week of running. I made sure I was stretching right, targeting my hamstrings, quads, glutes and calves before and after each run. Yet, I still found that I was plagued with shin splints, and remembered that when I ran track (briefly) in high school that the same thing would happen but eventually they would go away.

Of course that was 20 years ago, and it didn't seem to be getting better as I ran. I took the last week off from running, and did some on line research. Aside from HOW I ran, and HOW I stretched, many sites also mentioned that your running shoes could be the culprit.

My Nike shoes were in good shape, but I bought them about 4 years ago when I first joined Club H, and really just didn't do much research into the shoes. I figured they were by Nike, they were running shoes, and they cost over $100 - so they must be good.

Little did I realize that there are many factors that go into buying the correct running shoe, and we all have different biomechanics and foot shape that affect what shoes we should wear. There were online sites that had various recommendations to guide me, but most said the same thing: "visit a biomechanics expert or experienced shoe retailer" when choosing a good running shoe.

I orginally wanted to just figure it out myself, and buy something online, and asked a friend what were his running shoes. He said "Asics. I buy them at Fleet Feet, I think they take the time to fit your foot properly...my wife swears by them, plus it's a small business in Hoboken providing something different, I like to support that stuff."

Last night, I stopped by the store, which was located on 6th and Washington to see if they could help. I was greeted by the employee, and he asked if he could help - and started to talk to him about running, my running style and what I was looking for (including my problems with my shins). He listened to what I had to say, and I told him that I was interested in Asics (Nimbus-10 to Cumulus-10), and he agreed that Nimbus were a good brand to look at, but first said we should measure my feet and see how I walked.

I have always been the same side shoe over the years, but what I didn't take into consideration was the flexibility of my arch. A "normal" foot has an arch, which also gives (flexes) when you put weight on it. Some people have flat feet, which is when there is no arch to the foot, and others have high arches.

There's also pronation, which is the rolling motion of the foot from heel to toe and you can determine pronation by the wear on the rubber sole of your shoes. Neutral is an even roll, Underpronation is when the outside of the foot absorbs more weight and overpronation is when the inside of the foot takes the majority of the weight - and the wear of the insides or soles of your shoes will help determine this.

These were things that I never really considered when buying a running shoe. I figured shoes were shoes, and it was a bit of an eye opening experience. After working with Shawn, who later I found out was the owner of the store, he knew which shoes would work for me, and we tried on a bunch of shoes from Brooks, Asics and Mizuno. He showed me one model of each maker which were the "intermediate" shoes and one model which were a bit more "advanced".

I had six pairs of shoes in front of me, and I tried on each shoe, feeling how the length and width of the shoe fit my foot. I found that the Asics were a bit more narrow than I liked, but very soft on my feet. The Brooks were good, but I wasn't super impressed. By the time I tried on the Mizuno, I felt like my feet were leaping off the ground and ready to run.

I was even encouraged to try a "test run" with the shoes, and I walked outside, and ran a half block down Washington street, stopping at East LA. The shoes felt really good, and I wanted to go running right away!

I went back to the store, and asked Shawn that they felt good and he told me a few things about buying from Fleet Feet.

First, if you buy them and in the next few days find that the shoes are uncomfortable, you can always come back and return the shoes for an exchange of something new. I really liked that because I was afraid of buying shoes and making the wrong choice. For example, the Asics felt great but they had a more "cushiony" feel to them. The Mizuno were more "springy" to me, as if they propelled me forward with each step. So I was happy that I bought with Fleet Feet versus buying from an online site that may not have such a flexible return policy.

Second, they keep track of your purchase history at Fleet Feet, and once you spend $250 at their store, they send you a $50 gift certificate. That's a nice way of rewarding customer loyalty.

Third, Fleet Feet isn't just some faceless corporate entity. The local running clubs HoHa and The Mile Square Running Club include Fleet Feet & other locations in Hoboken as their local starting point. Both clubs are co-ed, social and always looking for new members of various ages and running paces.

I was really impressed after leaving the store and happy with my new purchase. I was glad I went to a local store to get properly fitted, rather than guessing at a shoe from an online store.

On my way home Saturday night, after bartending at Mikie's, I stopped in Junior's Papaya Grill for a late night snack.

It is a new business in town, and just starting to get their "legs". I tried the sliders last week, and they were very good, with a fresh bun, juicy burger and yummy sauteed onions. The french fries, with cheese, were a bust for being undercooked and bland.

When I walked in, I saw the employees in there and "A Someone".

I put "A Someone", because it was clear as soon as I walked in this had to be a manager or owner, just by the way they were acting. I ordered my food, sat down, and waited a bit, while I sat in the mostly empty lounge at 2am on Saturday night.

After watching the Someone, and seeing him pass by my table, I blurted out, "So, are you a manager or an owner?"

He turns and sheepishly says, "I'm the owner."

I started to chat with him a bit, asking if he read his reviews on Hoboken411, and the comments by the people. He said he had read the site, and asked if I owned it. I explained that I knew the owner, and I merely contributed some of my content from philly2hoboken.com to their site.

I asked if he knew about the negative comments about his french fries. I told him that the french fries were too inconsistent, some people said they got them well done and some said (like me) that they were undercooked. I told him that one of the most important things he needs to stress with his employees is having a consistent product - from hot dogs to burgers to french fries. I mentioned that people may dislike many things about McDonalds, but the consistency of their product is key to their growth.

He agreed, and asked what I ordered. I told him I got the sliders and cheese fries again, and he called back to his employees to make sure the fries were "well done".

We spoke a bit more, he explained that his business partners were "friendly" with the Grey's Papaya people in New York City, but it wasn't associated with them.

Also went on to tell me that they are thinking of doing a Saturday & Sunday brunch. I told him that ever since mid-town Diner shut down that the mid-town would love to have a greasy spoon kind of diner back again. I said that an idea he should think of is having breakfast available, along with the regular menu, on late-Friday and late-Saturday nights for the late night revelers.

The owner was nice enough to throw in a sample of his fried perogies, and gave me a cup to sample his fruit beverages (papaya, pina colada, orange cream). I thought the fruit beverages weren't bad at all, even if the papaya was a bit weak (he explained that someone must have mixed it wrong).

I thanked him for his time, and told him that I thought once the word got out there that he would draw a good late night crowd. I brought the perogies down to Mulligan's and had Tommy the bartender & his pals try them out, along with me. The perogies were a hit, and i'll probably order them next time I get over there.

Monday night, myself and other tenants from my condo gathered in our fitness room (which serves as our temporary conference room), to listen to Dean Marchetto (Architect) and representatives of Trammel Crow Residential (Developer) present their vision of developing land where the Neumann Leather Building is located at 300 Observer Highway.

If you haven't heard, they are In Contract. I decided to make this in a FAQ form, for easy understanding of what they told us, and what I can remember the residents asking. There were lots of questions and Mr. Marchetto and the representatives from TCR were extremely considerate, patient and forthcoming with their answers.

But I also added in a new element with The Spin Doctor, who will remain anonymous, contributing to my story. I planned to just write a FAQ, but the Spin Doctor, an avid reader of my site, saw it when I posted it and feared I was misled. So, I have the (Q)uestion, (A)nswer, and Spin Doctor (SD) comments. The answers were what the tenants were told at the meeting. The spin is what The Spin Doctor says about my answers (which are basically what TCR representatives Rich Murphy and Tricia Gutowski told me).

Spin Doctor: TCR and Marchetto are coming to Jefferson Trust seeking support because they are not getting it from inside the Neumann community or from key decision makers in the city. Many others who have seen the TCR proposal are against their plan to demolish the entire historic Neumann property, removing all buildings and existing uses in an unimaginative and destructive way. The Neumann Leather Tenants Association and Observer Highway Redevelopment Advisory Committee are working on plans to redevelop and revitalize Neumann Leather without destroying it.

Q: WHAT? The building is SOLD?!
A: Not sold yet, under contract. Under Contract means that TCR has made and offer and deposit on the property.
SD: Under contract also means if TCR can't come to a consensus on a plan to develop the site in whatever it considers a timely manner they can decide to take their losses and move on to the next project without paying the full purchase price for the Neumann Property.

Q: Oh great, another monstroustity is getting built? What are the details, man?
A: TCR claims it will be a 5 story building. They said that the building that's going up at the Municipal Garage, would dwarf this project. The city currently allows for larger buildings that line Observer Highway and they could have proposed "a 12 story design", but TCR was aware of the residental backlash against the urban sprawl currently going on in town and loves us, the people, so much.
SD: The city zoning code does NOT allow for 12 stories on the Neumann Leather property. 415 Newark was built through zoning variances, not current zoning. Neumann is currently zoned industrial, which allows buildings no higher than what you see there today. 12 stories is NOT currently allowed for the Neumann triangle.

Q: They are extending Clinton Street? That sucks!
A: TCR claims this is not correct and a "misperception of many residents". They aren't creating an "extension", it will be for pedestrians only and blocked for use by any vehicle traffic. Designed with cobblestones, trees and artisan street lamps, it will be more like a Italian plaza-esque design for the extension of the first floor commercial customers. It would be similar to what was done at 11th street at the Maxwell project.
SD: Do not fall for the line that Clinton Street will not be extended through the new project, because it will. TCR and Dean Marchetto can say they don't "plan" on it being a through street, but they know Hudson County is likely to insist on it if the city allows TCR to clear the entire Neumann property for development. Planners at the county and city level have been talking about connecting Newark and Observer via Clinton for decades. Newark and Observer are county roads and the type of redevelopment TCR is proposing at Neumann cannot be done without a county permit. When TCR applies for the permit, the county will tell them to drive the road through the property. Marchetto knows this, and this is why I believe he designed the project this way. One of the reasons given for the "need" to extend Clinton is to allow ambulances to get to Hoboken University Medical Center faster via a straight shot down Clinton. If it looks like a road, it's a road.

Q: That area is in a flood plain, anyone who buys there is so screwed.
A: That's true, it is in a flood plain and the architect and developers are well aware of this. First they plan to make a "Green" building, using many enviromentally friendly measures. The first floor will only have commericial zoning, or the garage. Dean Marchetto developed 300 Newark Street, which is across the street.
SD: Nearly all of Hoboken is in a flood plain. Lots of developers are saying they are building green buildings, but Dean Marchetto is also the architect of Dean Geibel's Metrostop building with all the "Think Green" ads you see. The truth is Metrostop is not even close to being a green building according to LEED standards. Don't just take a developer's word that they are building a "green" building. Ask for their LEED certification information.

Q: Are they condos or rentals? How many?
A: 275 Rentals. TCR is well aware of the current market and plans rental units. If the housing market changes, they may change that, too.
SD: This is what they say today, but as history shows us developers in Hoboken often start with plans that have a tendency to get bigger as the years go on.

Q: What will be on the first floor?
A: They have a (approx) 375 car garage, designed for 1.5 cars for every renter. They are fully aware that not every renter will own a car, but also very aware of the terrible parking situation in Hoboken, and are designing a building with easing street congestion.
SD: A 1.5 parking spot-per-renter ratio would be frowned upon by the city's planners. Besides, just because there are parking spots for every renter doesn't mean the new residents will use them. There are more than enough spots at the Archstone at 77 Park, but many renters balk at the $225 a month fee and just park on the street, adding to congestion.

Q: Wait! What if they have extra parking there? What will they do? Daily space rental? Monthly rental?
A: No definite plans with that action, but they were leaning against daily rentals.
SD: They will likely lease the parking to a contractor like Central Parking or Little Man, who will manage daily and monthly rental operations. Don't let them tell you otherwise. These are the economics of parking facilities in Hoboken.

Q: Any plans for a park or green space??
A: No plans for a park, but the rooftop will be a "green roof", with real grass rooftop. Neighbors looking down on the Neumann Leather building will see this.

Q: But Neumann Leather has STARVING ARTISTS!!! What of them?!
A: Actually, there is a plan to create a seperate building (it's located near the corner of Newark and Willow) which will be 5 stories and only house studio space for artists, which will be rented at below market costs.
SD: We are heaing TCR is reaching out to artists groups outside of Hoboken to supplant the artists who now have studios at Neumann. Their plan appears to be to remove everyone from their Neumann spaces, destroy the building and start anew. This will take several years, and people currently in Neumann may be unlikely to return if TCR turns the keys over to a "new" artists building to an outside group.

Q: What? That's bullshit, TCR wouldn't do that.
A: TCR reps made it very, very clear that the community angst was their main reason for the low building height, the artists studios (at below market prices to assist those current, real starving artists), the green building materials, and the Clinton Street pedestrian walkway.
SD: You were probably right the first time.

Q: What about the industrial people in Neumann Leather, what about them?
A: Sadly, there wasn't a plan to accomodate the industrial tenants.
SD: TCR has no plan to accommodate any existing tenants of Neumann Leather at this time, not just the light industrial tenants. No existing tenants have signed on with the TCR plan.

Q: What kind of commerical properties will TCR allow on the first floor? I don't want a McDonalds there! I don't want a nightclub/bar there! I don't want a restaurant with a liquor license there!
A: TCR stressed they were on the same page and weren't going to allow something like McDonalds, but would be amenable for something like a Starbucks (which I think is great). They would be interested in restaurants, but not interested in a liquor license variance. Maybe something like a gym could be located there (Wouldn't it be cool to have a Crunch Fitness located there? I think so. They wouldn't need a pool, they would have one instantly when it rains)
SD: If TCR says they are interested in providing space for restaurants there is nothing they can do to stop anyone from bringing a liquor license there. Any restaurateur who leases space in TCR's building could buy one of the available "pocket" liquor licenses and place it at Neumann. Hoboken has a 500 foot rule that bars restaurateurs from getting liquor licenses, but the next bar is far from Neumann Leather.

Q: If they allow commericial projects what about trash? We don't want litter all over the streets like Garden of Eden did on Bloomfield!
A: There are two internal loading docks designed in the building, unlike GoE which didn't have one. The one entrance will be on Willow between Newark and Observer Highway. The other will be on Newark, between Clinton and Grand. The design of the loading docks will be to minimize noise and parking issues that trucks create on such streets like Washington.

Q: TCR should just buy the land and make one big park!
A: TCR was farily blunt, but direct about their intentions. They aren't going to sugar coat it, they are a company that develops projects like this across the country. They designed this property with the intention of making most of the people happy, but realizing that not everyone in Hoboken is going to be happy. They are a company that, like any company in America, wants to realize a profit. They don't make money in litigation, they don't want to get tied up in a courtroom over this project. They want to make a project that will make their company money, and keep the surrounding residents content with their project.
SD: Which is why they are selling their project so hard to immediate neighbors, because it is not going over well with others in town.

Q: Couldn't you just keep the building intact and build rentals inside it like they did with other buildings in town?
A: Neumann Leather building is very old. It isn't up to current construction techniques that protects against earthquakes (yes, this is a law for our area). There's also enviromental contamination (asbestos, industrial chemicals that have been used there over the years), and when doing the demolition, they are very aware that they will be EXTREMELY careful about this. They won't implode the building, they have a plan for a controlled removal of the structure, to minimize dust and contamination.
SD: If an Earthquake hits Hoboken we are all in trouble. This is a non issue designed to obfuscate. As for environmental contamination, the extent of it is unknown at this point, but not considered to be significant. Neighbors would likely face greater jeopardy in the demolition of the site than they would from the rehabilitation of historic structures. This is a smokescreen.

Q: Do you have pictures?
A: They have pictures and floorplans. It isn't final yet, and I hope to get it up here soon.

Q: Who will manage the building?
A: TCR will have an on-site management company.

Q: Hoboken should stay like it did! Change is bad!
A: Yea, that's just not going to happen. TCR claimed that the city collects about $125,000 in taxes from the Neumann Leather site? With the new plan they project the city would collect about 10x in yearly taxes from the rentals and commerical customers. With our current fiscal situation in the city, this will contribute to helping Hoboken generate revenue.
SD: First of all, that $125k number does NOT come from the tenants. It comes from the property taxes paid by the owner of the property. The tenants themselves contribute millions to the Hoboken economy by employing people and being a part of the community they work and in many cases live in. These are your neighbors. As for the potential to bring in "ten times" the revenue to the city, studies have shown for every dollar in new residential ratable tax revenue gained, municipalities spend more than a dollar to provide essential services (trash/police/fire) for the new units.

Q: Why is TCR approaching the neighbors of this project? What's in it for them?
A: TCR is trying to learn from the mistakes of other developers and design a project that the majority of residents will find suitable, but also realizing that "you can't make all the people happy all the time". They want to create something that makes them a profit (This is America, folks), but also doesn't have the entire community up in arms over their project and trying to get it blocked (This is Hoboken, folks).
SD: That's a nice sounding story, but others believe they are approaching neighbors after receiving lackluster and negative responses to their plans from others who want to see the Neumann Leather complex fixed up and revitalized, not destroyed and replaced. The NLTA and OHRAC are working on alternative plans that they look forward to sharing with the residents of Jefferson Trust and the entire City of Hoboken.

Q: Why your condo building? How many people live in your condo?
A: We have 100 tenants (renters/owners) that live across the street at 300 Newark. TCR said they are meeting with neighbors about this, and had met Observer Place residents last week about it. In our building we had flyers put up in the hallways and at the elevators for days. About 15 residents showed up on Monday night at 7pm.

Q: Do they plan a similar public forum at City Hall?
A: We didn't ask this, but from the Spin Doctor, i'm sure they won't.

The owners of Mikie's decided that they will also throw another Halloween party for Wednesday October 31. It will be 1/2 priced well drinks and spooktacular beer special! Jello shots will be out again, and there will be a shot special. Hopefully there won't be a 6'6 cousin of Sasquatch in a Pirate outfit at the bar this time.

It was only a matter of time before he came back.

The man. The myth. The legend. Chris Schiraldi is back behind the taps, and here to serve the public.

You may remember Chris at Dipper's bar, serving you for years. He took a break from bartending, and it was like a scene from the Godfather: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in..."

He's back, and if you may not have met Chris behind the sticks, you should.

Easily the quintessential Hoboken bartender, with service, personality and charm that exude from his persona, and now he is a bartender at O'Donohughes on 1st street between Garden and Park.

Available on Thursday nights, his specials are $1 Yuengling drafts and $2 Coors Light Bottles.

Let me repeat this.

ONE DOLLAR YUENGLING DRAFTS.

Hello? One buck? Where else in town, on a Thursday night, can you get a beer, a good BEER like a Yuengling for ONE DOLLAR?!

Come down to O'Donohughes, have a beer, watch some baseball and see Chris in action.

This was written by a friend of mine, who we will call "Trish". She asked to write this for my site...please just remember someone else is writing this...lol...:

I know I am selfish. I know that I can barely keep my cats and myself alive, so I have no business getting a dog, or having a baby. In fact, I am fairly certain at 29 that I will probably be too selfish to have a child of my own ever. Maybe someday I will grow up, but I am not counting on it. At least I am self aware.

Children do not belong in bars, crowded or otherwise. Be responsible as a parent, or risk losing your children period. Next time I see something like this, I am going to say something, and then I will consider contacting the authorities. Grow up, or do not have children.

I usually check the Philly Pretzel Factory website "locations" list every few weeks, trying to see if someone was smart and and steal my million dollar idea...

Just open up a Philly Pretzel Factory in Hoboken, approach every bar in town about buying a box for football Saturdays and Sundays and rake in your money.

I'm telling ya, it will be gangbusters.

Well imagine my surprise, but we have one coming to town, thanks for Dave and Chris Chalmers. I don't know them. The address says "2 Newark Street", but I know that address and isn't that at the end of the block between the post office and the cigar store? Would be a good location, but I just can't see it being there and think it was a temporary address (or I could be wrong...)

Anyhow, very much hope they open very soon!!

Hobokenites often lament that our town is losing its character and charm to every new chain store, bank and real estate office that seems to spring up on Washington Street every few months, but there are charming new businesses if you know where to look, like at 720 Monroe Street, home to The Cheese Store.

It is owned by Chung Park, whose passion for the dairy culinary arts began because of fate. This passion began with a job many years ago at specialty store, Todaro Bros, in New York City. He was assigned to the cheese department by the management, and where he started to learn his craft for over a year. Then, reading the New York Times one day, he saw an ad for a six month apprenticeship at a Goat Cheese Farm in Jeffersonville, New York, near the Catskills. It would not only enhance his knowledge, but it was free room & board, too. He jumped at the chance, and after learning what he could, he came back to New York City to work at Murray's for about five years. After Murray's, he worked for importers / wholesalers and would consult various businesses on what cheese they should buy - and why. Then Chung realized that he could be that business. He had the knowledge and the interest to start his own business in a field which he was an expert.

The long winding road brought Chung to Hoboken, where he offically became a cheesemonger on July 19th 2007, only 4 days after the birth of his first child.
He chose Hoboken, because of the people who live here, people who would be receptive to the variety and depth of his product. At his store, it isn't only about cheese - he has cured meats, olives, walnuts, dried apricots, pate, sausage, yogurt, milk and cultured butter, and baugettes.

But I do have to take a moment to mention the fresh sandwiches. Upon my visit to the store, I walked in, and looked at the ever present chalk board, which has the daily written specials. I chose a sandwich with French Ham, Gruyere, lettuce, dijon on a baugette from Baltazar's Bakery. It was simply, my friends, worth the walk alone. He tells me that the sandwiches change often, but has made a "signature sandwich" from mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinagrette and fresh basil leaves and it was also just as exquisite as the first.

After sampling that, Chung took the time to explain the various process of cheese to me, from understanding how you can have artisan, farmhouse, dairy and industrial cheese makers who all produce an enormous wide variety of cheese for the international consumers. Much like in the world of wine, you have specific vineyards who are renown for their wine, you also have specific cheesemakers who are renown for their cheese.

Chung is able to wade through the quagmire, to bring a great selection of cheeses, which he classifies as: Hard Ripened (those that age and become dense), Soft Ripened (those that age and become, well, soft), Washed Rind (rubbed with brine at a young age and allowed to age) and Bleu Cheese (those that age and have mould on the outside or inside). Some customers will walk in knowing exactly what they want, and others are curious.

Chung tells me that he has a motto: "Whatever they are curious about, I encourage them to taste."

He does so without hestiation, often using a cheese slicer on the hard cheeses, or a small spoon on the soft cheeses, to let the customers try what is behind the display case. Much like a sommilier, Chung can guide the consumers towards what may interest them. Unlike going to a wine store, where it is nearly impossible to sample a wine before opening it, the customers at The Cheese Store, are welcome to sample everything that strikes an interest.

My knowledge of cheese is very basic. At a young age, I knew only of swiss, cheddar and mozarella. As I got older, I was exposed to gouda, brie and havarti. There can just be a dizzying array of cheese out there, and Chung has an amazing selection. We tried Fromager D'Affinois, Humbolt Fog, Delice De Bourgogne, Foglie Di Noce (Tuscan pecorino wrapped in walnut leaves, and my favorite I think!), Abbaye De
Belloc. I found that upon tasting that I liked the hard ripened more, and didn't enjoy the briny taste of the Washed Rind as much. But I found myself learning and enjoying everything that Chung was teaching me about this experience.

What The Cheese Store has is exactly what is missing from other competing stores in Hoboken - someone like Chung Park. If you walk into Garden of Eden, certainly they have a large cheese selection. Who would you rather describe to you the cheese you are interested in, a teenage employee who is working there part-time or someone who has the experience of Chung Park? Will that store open the cheese up for you, and let you sample it? Are the prices as competitive as The Cheese Store? I doubt it.

I absolutely encourage everyone to expand their horizons. Go out there and try new things. Take an hour out of your day, and just try something new. Say hello to Chung, he is a great guy and so was his father Peter, who was helping behind the counter. We need more establishments in Hoboken like The Cheese Store, places that restore our faith that Hoboken isn't losing its personality, but gaining them, if you know where to look.

I was getting off the PATH train yesterday when a local restaurant had people handing out flyers & promoting 1/2 priced sushi on Monday nights. I cringed when I saw that. I knew full well never to order fish on a Monday.

There certainly are places you can dine that will have excellent fresh fish every day of the week, because they are taking the extra steps necessary. Restaurants that order "Day Boat" fish, are those boats that get the fish the same day and sell it to restaurants. There's also "Top Haul" which are the fish recently caught by non-day boat trawlers (for deeper sea varities like Tuna and Swordfish), and refers to those fish which sit at the top of the haul in the boats hold. Flash-freezing is a new technique by boats which they catch the fish, freeze it on the boat, and it keeps the fish fresher, longer. Only problem is that this is good for certain types of fish, and not great with others.

Usually there is a premium price tag associated with this, and would be found at the three to four star restaurants - not the restaurants selling sushi at half price.

Anthony Bourdain wrote In "Kitchen confidential", his tell-all memoir of working in NYC kitchens:

"You walk into a nice two-star place in Tribeca on a sleepy Monday evening and you see they're running a delicious-sounding special of Yellowfin Tuna, Braised Fennel, Confit Tomatoes and a Safron Sauce. Why not go for it? Here are the two words that should leap out at you when you navigate the menu: 'Monday' and 'Special'.

"Why doesn't he throw the left-over tuna out? The guy can get deliveries on Monday, right? Sure, he can ... but what is preventing his seafood purveyor from thinking exactly the same way? The seafood vendor is emptying out his refrigerator too! But the Fulton Street fish market is open on Monday morning, you say!! He can get fresh! I've been to the Fulton Street market at three o'clock on Monday morning, friends, and believe me, it does not inspire confidence."

Certainly refrigeration of fish is important, but Anthony also described how the fish is in a fridge that is packed with other foods over the weekend. The refrigerator is opened and closed countless times while the kitchen workers are grabbing items from it - which harms the fresh fish.

Even if a restaurant is getting a fresh fish delivery on Monday, you know that they are trying to get rid of old inventory over new inventory. I'd be very squeamish about ordering fish on a Monday in New York City, let alone Hoboken.

But for some people their wallets come ahead of their health.

What do you think? Would you order fish on a Monday in Hoboken?

Opening up last weekend at 157 First Street, was Premier Soccer Shop, catering to fans & players around Hoboken & northern New Jersey. I had a chance to stop by and speak to the owners, who told me that they will be the place to shop for everything soccer. They have videos/DVDs, soccer balls, turf shoes, bags, referee equipment, shorts, t-shirts, shinguards, outerwear, socks and any other accessories you may need. Featuring such brands as Adidas, Nike, Puma, Diadora, Lotto, Sells, Sondico, Umbro, and more. Premier Soccer Shop have team jerseys from the American to European leagues. Are you jonesing for that new Barcelona Thierry Henry jersey? Sorry Arsenal fans!

When I spoke to the owners, asking why open a soccer shop - it was simple really. While in college, studying for an MBA, they felt the demand was strong in our area for such a store. They first pointed out how far someone from our area had to travel to find a good soccer store. Secondly, the owners played in the Hoboken Adult Soccer Leage, which has 800 people alone, and doesn't include all the various schools, NJ leagues and enthusiasts who love soccer - and concluded that Hoboken was ready for such a store.

Where else would you build a soccer store (or should we say "football"?), but next to the best soccer bar in Hoboken - Mulligan's, which has plenty of fans watching various American and International Soccer. The owners of Premier Soccer Shop are partnered with the New York Red Bulls, and plan on having player appearances and cross promotions in the coming months.

The store is very large, bright and has a beautiful plasma TV showing GoalTV all the time. When I walked in I was greeted by employees wearing soccer jerseys, and asked a few questions, to which they were very helpful and interested in answering. I have to say that one of the grestest strengths of the success of any business are the owners AND the employees, and Premier Soccer Shop certainly will make you feel welcome no matter what skill or knowledge level you may have.

They have also partnered with Sound Soccer Academy, which develops soccer players of all skill levels, from recreational/intermural to ODP, College and perhaps even the future professional. The owners stressed that they really want to develop and encourage the love of the sport and hope that their store will become the one stop shop for everything soccer related. They can discuss team & league packages, and you can also inquire about how Premier Soccer Shop can be your club's official sponsor. They are always open for suggestions and comments, and can be contacted at info@premsoccershop.com.

In life there comes a moment when we all need a little help from our friends.

This is one of those moments.

No, I don't need a kidney. My heart is ticking just fine, thank you. I'm not in dire need of money, my cashflow is fine even with evil PSE&G taking $100 away from me per month.

What I need are bodies. Lots and lots of bodies.

Evil genetic experiments? No.

Porn shoot? I wish.

Stop the evil developers of Hoboken? Yep!

Yes folks, I need you to stop the sprawl. Developers in Hoboken are looking to make a seven story building at the corner of 1st and Clinton. It is currently the site of The Jefferson Trust Bank Building.

I'm all for the renovation of the bank building, and think there are lots of uses that the building can be used for, but we don't need more luxury condos in town. Developers are flooding the market to meet a supply that just isn't there.

A strong show of support against this would be a great way of helping me and my fellow residents of this neighborhood. How can you help?

Look, it's simple, i'm only asking for an hour of your time. There are two meetings:

June 12th at 7pm (Historic Preservation Committee) and June 19th at 7pm (Hoboken Planning Board) at City Hall.

Even if I can get 5, 10, 15 extra people to these meetings to show that we are against this development, it would be a huge help and I would absolutely appreciate it. You can email me for details or questions.

Thanks again.

Last Friday, I got off the PATH train, and was flagged down by Steve, sitting outside Texas Arizona and watching The Parade. It was Friday, I didn't have nuthin' to do, so I said, "Fuck it".

Sitting down, he introduces me to the 3 girls at table sitting next to him, Jen, Kelly and Carrie. Kelly and Carrie are new 24 year old transplants to Hoboken, and brimming with questions.

One question was, "Where can we go to DANCE?"

Steve and I collectively rolled our eyes and I laughed because it was such a 24 year old question of a girl to ask. Yes, I know the fairer sex likes to dance, but I have noticed that the desire to find a place to dance lessens over the years with Hoboken women (oh, if dancing is doing on - any woman of any age will partake, don't get me wrong).

My answer to their question was that i'd suggest Willie McBrides, Whiskey Bar or O'Donohughes for live music. I'd suggest The Madison or The Bar at 10th and Willow for a DJ.

They asked, "What about Black Bear - is that fun?"

Steve and I both groaned and gave a very similar answer, "Sure, its great when you are a 22 to 26 year old frat boy who likes to stand elbow to elbow in a packed bar. I stopped going there 10 years ago, but you are 24 so maybe you like that scene."

They asked, "How about Bahama Mama's?"

We answered, "You can't be seriously considering going there? They put the 'ass' in 'class'. We wouldn't be caught dead in that bar. Plenty of better bars to choose from."

Our suggestions were Green Rock or Black Bear, taking into consideration their age and what they were looking to do.

Then that got me to thinking. I have lived here quite some time and maybe I should add my .02 cents out there about what I think about local Hoboken bars, and what I think you can expect from going there. So, here's the Philly2Hoboken list of bars, and my commentary...

2007 - Hoboken Meetings

Combined
May 10, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
May 14, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
May 15, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
May 16, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
May 22, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7

June 5, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
June 6, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
June 11, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
June 12, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
June 14, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
June 19, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
June 20, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

July 1, 2007 City Council Reorganization Meeting Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
July 3, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
July 9, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
July 10, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
July 12, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
July 17, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
July 18, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

August 7, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
August 8, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
August 9, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
August 13, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
August 14,2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
August 21, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor

September 4, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
September 5, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
September 10, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
September 11, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
September 13, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
September 18, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
September 19, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

October 2, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
October 3, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
October 9, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
October 11, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
October 15, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
October 16, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
October 17, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

November 5, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
November 7, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
November 8, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
November 13, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
November 19, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
November 20, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
November 21, 2007 City Council Monday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

December 4, 2007 Planning Board Tuesday Regular Meeting 7:00
December 5, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7
December 10, 2007 Shade Tree Commission Monday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
December 11, 2007 Historic Preservation Tuesday caucus 6, meeting at 7
December 13, 2007 Planning Board Thursday Sub Committee
December 18, 2007 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor
December 19, 2007 City Council Wednesday Caucus at 6, Meeting at 7

January 15, 2008 Zoning Board Tuesday 7:00 Conference Room City Hall -ground floor

With my move, I have decided to get out and explore a bit more. Two friends of mine suggested I try Fiore's Deli, located at 414 Adams St., saying how incredible their famous Roast Beef and Mozzarella heroes were.

But they warned me. First - They only sell this on Saturday. Second - I needed to be aware that they run out of this very fast, and I needed to be there early. Third, there could be lines outside the door. Fourth, they were very no-nonsense there and even likened them to the Seinfeld episode of "The Soup Nazi". I have to admit I wasn't that interested in going to a deli to get yelled at, but the prospect of this roast beef compelled a visit.

I got to the store at 11:30am on a Saturday. There were about 6 people in line ahead of me, and I casually looked around, trying to watch how others were ordering their food. It didn't seem very tense, and even the workers there were joking with what appeared to be "the regulars".

There was a tall blonde girl ahead of me, listening to music on her Ipod. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ok, i'm new here what's the deal?"

She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. I clarified.

"You know, the whole "ordering process" like The Soup Nazi. Do I have to do anything special when ordering, like have my money ready or shuffle left?"

She laughed, and so did an older italian couple to my left who were finishing up with their order.

The older italian man said, "I saw that episode last night!"

The girl replied, "No, it isn't that bad. Just first choose your bread - the hero or the roll - and go up and order what you want."

I was a bit relieved, this place seemed ok to me.

I grabbed a long, fresh italian bread from the dispenser and waited. I love the italian bread in Hoboken - is it the water? - something that Hoboken and Philly always did right was their bread. I only wish someone up here made Fresh Soft Pretzels (Whoop! Whoop! Million Dollar Idea - someone franchise a soft pretzel factory in Hoboken, make millions then thank me...could you imagine owning a place that that, approaching every bar in town on Football Sundays to see if they want an box to sell...trust me, it will sell...), like home.

I get up to the end of the line, and make my order quick, like I know what i'm talking about, "Roast Beef, Mutz, Light on Gravy..."

The guy listened to the point where I said "Roast Beef, Mutz..." and started to talk with a regular customer, so my "light on gravy" intertwined with their conversation. I wasn't sure if he heard me, and didn't want to push my luck by saying, "LIGHT ON GRAVY!" or something. I hate a mushy sandwich when the gravy soaks into the roll and ruins everything into a sloppy mess.

I turned waited to the right, and the worker, lead me to the side, so he could finish the order. That's where I decided to push my luck. I asked him if he could hold up the sandwich.

"What? You want something to remember it by?", he joked.

The old italian couple laughed at this.

I explained I wrote for a local website. I was going to write an article about "My day I went to Fiore's..."

He nodded, and reached into a pan, and quickly handed me a slice of fresh Mozzarella, saying "We have the best in town."

I tasted the slice of mutz, and felt the milky creaminess mixed with a salty brine, overtake my senses. It had a great consistency, not too firm and not too soft. I was already looking forward to my sandwich.

I scurried home, sandwich in hand and quickly realized something.

I may have ordered too much.

Hey, i'm an eater. I can wolf down lots of food, but my first mistake was picking a long italian hero. This was enough sandwich for two people (look at the picture!). I remember at the store they did ask me, "You want a whole italian hero?" and I was confused at the question and said, "Yes?"

I think they sort of knew I was biting off more than I could chew (no pun intended.....ok, maybe a little). In retrospect, I think they would have sliced the bread in half for me, if I asked.

The roast beef was on the rare side, the way I like it. When I was at the store the older italian lady did ask them for "Not-so-rare-roast-beef", so you can order that if you like, if they have it.

The gravy was added perfectly, there was a bit of "mush", but the buttery goodness of that roll, the mutz and the hero created a symphony of delight in my mouth. It was that rare time when i'm eating and thinking, "Man, this is so good."

I finished half of the sandwich and was DONE. I felt bad that I couldn't share it with someone else, but now I can. Get down to Fiore's this Saturday. Order the Roast Beef and Mozzarella. Remember the rules:

Then email me or post a comment about what YOU think. I have been in Hoboken for 12 years now. This is written for those people, like me, who need to get out and adventure, and try new places in our town.

I got this from a friend of mine, and I will be attending. Interested? Come along for a good cause.

Please join us for a night of wine, beer and dinner from local
Hoboken restaurants including:
Baja, 10th and Willow, Liberty, Quays, Garden of Eden, Lounge 11, Court
Street, Luca Brasi, Hudson Gourment, Biggies, El Flamboyan, Tutta Pasta,
Salad Works, Gas Light, Luca Brasi's, Ganache, It's Greek to me, Qdoba,
Dominoes, and Starbucks.

Come bid on auction items including....
Andre Aggasi signed ball and cap, Martha Stewart signed autographed
book, Hockey Puck by Devil's player #21 Brad Lukowich, a poster signed
by Jets John Vilma and Giants Eli Manning,Tiger Schulmann month of
classes and uniform, Club KO gift cert, one night stays from several
local hotels such as Sheraton, Marriott, Doubletree, and Candlewood
Suites.
Baskets by Good Kleen Fun, Flowers by Diane, Zip Car, Lucy's, Soley
Ours, United Media, and Starbucks. Symposium puppet show tickets,
dinner gift certs from Margheritas, 10th and Willow, Harbor Bar, Casual
Thai, Shannon Lounge, Sushi Lounge, Lolas, Carlos Bakery, Casual Thai,
and Panera. Makeovers and Clipp One Salon certs, Dr Brayton, and Zen
Touch.
Other sponsorsed items from Big Jeff Music, Rita's Ice, Johnnie Walker
Blue, Hoboken Golf, Budweiser, Inko Tea, Story Land, Botanical Design,
and Secret Chef.

Proceeds benefit Hoboken's Jubilee Center, a safe haven for children
from public housing to participate in tutoring, extra curricular
activity, and a daily meal.

Tickets $50 in advance / $60 at door
Purchase tickets through Shelly Ferguson at
Remax Gold Coast
56 Newark Street, Hoboken
or via email shelly@hobokenproperties.com (Shelly)
or caltberger@gmail.com (Cindy)

I'm relatively new to Hoboken (I've been here since last June). Things have pretty much settled down with my job and all, and I see that I have some free time a couple nights a week. Also, being completely self-sufficient in Hoboken at age 23 isn't financially easy. Couple those with the fact that I love bars, and I thought it'd be a good idea to pick up a couple of bartending shifts per week, not only for the cash but because it's something I enjoy (I've worked down the shore for years as a barback/bartender).

Obviously, this was much easier in my head than in practice. It's impossible to get a bartending job around here! How did you do it? Do you know someone, or did you get lucky, or what? I'd love to know, since this search is driving me nuts. Also, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I got that letter in my gmail account, and figured that it would be a good thing to discuss on here, especially for other readers who were interested.

Even with experience, I think it is very hard to get a job bartending in Hoboken. I got my job due to my friend Joe. Dipper's was a new bar and Joe was going to manage the place and needed "guys that he could trust behind the bar".

That's the first rule of this service industry. Trust. The problem is that in our industry it is very easy for people to steal from the owners. Stealing by giving out too many free drinks, stealing money that should be going into the register by putting it in your tip jar (also known as "tipping the tills") and other nefarious ways. So if the owner or the manager sees a guy walking in off the street, and asking to bartend...that doesn't happen very often.

Also you have to consider that guys are a dime a dozen in bartending. The draw for most guys in a bar is their ability to keep the customer happy with good service or with good communication skills. They aren't there for their good looks.

Lots of women, on the other hand, are also very much judged on that special "third factor" - their looks. Quite simply, it helps the bars business to have a good looking woman behind the bar. A good looking female bartender will keep guys sitting at a bar for hours. Trust me, I have seen this first hand. I have seen guys walk in the bar, say, "Where's Susan?" and then spin around and leave when they find out that she isn't working that night. I know that the guy wasn't Susan's personal friend, he was a guy who simply liked to watch Susan work while he sipped his beer.

To get a job, i'd follow my old rules about Hoboken. Find a "local". A "local" is a local pub that you frequent at least once a week. My current local would probably be Court Street, since I go there for dinner about once a week. Moran's is also a local, but that was something I established years ago, and don't go there every week, but the bartenders all know me and we get along well enough. Mulligan's can be considered a local for me, because of my Eagles club.

Find a bar where you get to know the bartenders. Pubs are easier than some of those lounges in town. Find a bar where they don't have an entrenched staff - like people who have been working there for 10 years. Lots of "new" bars are opening up like "Four L's", for example. If I were in your shoes, i'd go there every Friday. Make yourself a regular. Get to know the owner and the staff. Tip well. Get a feel for who is working there. Is it the owner? Who are the bartenders? Maybe they need a barback or a waiter.

Get your foot in the door. Doesn't matter what you are doing. Just get the foot in there, and mention to the owner that you have bartending experience and would be happy to "fill in". "Fill in" is just as it sounds, you fill in if a bartender calls out sick or something. The owner knows he can call you last minute. Also i'd get a bar card, just in case. They cost $100 and last for 2 years. Then the owner will know that you can legally serve, too.

I simply got lucky over my job. I was fortunate enough to be a regular at Farside, and knew my friend Joe through the bartenders there. Joe and I became friends, and when the chance happened at Dipper's, I got my shot and never looked back. When Dipper's changed hands to Mikie's, the new owners re-interviewed everyone on the staff, including people off the street. I was the only person hired from the old employees at Dipper's. That's when the chances happen, if a new bar opens they interview staff. Established places already have their people and only luck or if you know someone will be the chance you get a job there.

Find a place as a local, preferably a newer place. At Mikie's we only have 2 people working there from the original 10 that started last year. I'm one of them. Turnover happens. People quit or get fired. The guys I have seen move into the ranks of bartending were either recommended by someone who worked there, and in some cases we took waiters & barbacks and turned them into bartenders.

Now that's my advice for guys. Women, a whole new rule set applies to them. Read on, if you dare...

At Club H, I took a spinning class on Wednesday. I didn't mean to take the class. I was at the gym, like normal, working out. I wanted to run for about 25 minutes, as part of my workout. But most of the treadmills were occupied. So, I decided to go into the spin room and just ride the bikes for a bit. After 10 minutes, a few people started to enter, including some very cute girls. I asked a guy next to me if a class was starting, and he told me that one was starting. He also said if this was my first time I better get a large bottle of water and a large towel from the locker room. He said that I will dehydrate really fast and sweat a lot.

I was cheerful about it, so I ran out and grabbed a water and a towel. I got back inside and more cute girls were in there and I was very aloof about the whole thing. I figured I had been working out for the last 3 years and wasn't terribly scared about the class. I figured it was going to be hard, but I would be able to keep up.

Did I mention i'm 35? Did I mention that I had fairly major leg surgery 2 years ago? Did I mention that my highschool yearbook pegged me as "Most likely to die from laziness"? I kid about the yearbook.

My friends, let me enlighten you. Spin class was first designed in 1818, by the Germans and lead by the aerobic instructor Karl von Drais. He was no pansy, folks. The dude knew how to whip those krauts into shape. Its true! I swear!

Not much has changed since then, and the class is basically sado-machoism on a stationary bike. They play music, the instructor I had was Robert from Club H. Has anyone seen the movie The Fifth Element? Remember the character played by Chris Tucker, "Ruby Rhod"? Ok, imagine a more fit, muscular version of him leading this class. I told Robert in the beginning of the class that I was new. I think he translated that into, "Fuck with the new guy".

I tried to keep up with them, but couldn't. I had to take a few breaks and I downed the entire liter of water. After the class I wasn't too bad, but wondering how sore I would be the next day.

My groin was killing me. My thighs were very tight. My lower back was a bit sore, but not too bad. My friend Tina laughed at me over email and told me that I was basically an idiot for taking the class and if I expected to take more, that I should get a gel seat cover for the bikes. It helps.

Thursday was a tough day at work. I was very sore. I tried stretching a few times, to the amusement of my co-workers. It really didn't help.

I had a gift certificate to Spa H. It was given to me by a friend for my birthday, and it was for an hour long massage. Perfect day to use it, I thought. I called the spa, and scheduled an appointment for Thursday night.

I have been to Spa H before, but it was 18 months ago. I really haven't been back, because of their prices. I usually go to Body Balance because it is cheaper, here's a comparison of prices with also the higher cost sports massage from Spa H, also:
30 minutes: Spa H: $60 (sport $65) / BB: $45
60 minutes: Spa H: $90 (sport $100) / BB: $75
90 minutes: Spa H: $125 (sport $130) / BB: $100
2 hours: Spa H: n/a / BB: $130

Even with my 10% discount from Club H, Body Balance is still cheaper. I reviewed Marma Day Spa, also. Marma was about the same price as Club H. Interestingly enough, and what I didn't know, is that Spa H charges more for deep tissue (sport) massages.

I get to Spa H, and it was just as I remembered. They did change a few things. Gone was the shower & changing room. Before, they had me change into a robe and go into the room. This time, I did my changing in the massage room. I found that rather clumsy, for such a steep price. I liked having a private changing room, rather than just dumping my clothes on a chair in the massage room.

The massage was really good. The massage therapist, Samantha, was a petite woman with a very good touch. I really enjoyed the massage and found myself dozing off a few times during the hour.

Once it was done, they didn't have (or offer) the shower to use. I missed that. So I put my clothes back on, and tipped Samantha $20 for the massage. She offered me a glass of water, and I drank it while I went outside to give them my gift card.

The receptionist rang up the card, and asked how I felt. I felt great.

The interest in my massage quickly turned to interest in my payment. The person at the desk informed me that there was a problem. She said that the person who bought the card for me paid for a 1 hour long swedish massage, not sports massage. The second problem was that the person was charged $81, not $90, based on the idea that since I was a member of Club H that she could get me a discount. According to the receptionist, this wasn't right.

So, I owed $20.

$9 extra for the difference of the 10% discount that was voided. And $10 more because it was a sports massage. Also taxes made the cost $107, but she was a bit frustrated with the whole thing and was like, "Oh just give me $20."

Now I didn't go to Spa H in the last 18 months because of the price. An hour long massage I saved $12.50 with Body Balance, which doesn't seem like a lot, but to me it is the principle. Now here I was, at Spa H again. Up until that point I was really impressed with everything (albeit slightly disappointed I couldn't have the post-massage shower, and walk home with moisturizer sticking to my clothes).

I wrote before that you never have a second chance to make a good first impression. This was my second time at Spa H. Their first impression was good, but not great. The prices were a bit of a put-off. I was back again, and after my experience with the receptionist (she could have been the owner), I don't think I will be back there anytime soon.

I think Spa H needs to do two things:

1. Lower their prices.
2. Learn the essential art of making a customer feel welcome.

I think they fail on both counts. In my humble opinion what she should have done was just say that a mistake was made, but not have me pay for it. The gift card was a BIRTHDAY GIFT. I certainly don't expect them to know that, but normally when someone is given a GIFT CARD, it was for something special. Like a birthday, an anniversary, for a job well done - or to get over something (like an accident, a breakup, a funeral).

Both jobs I have in my life, my Manhattan job and my bartending job, customer service is our #1 priority. Nothing gets under my skin more when I hear someone had a bad experience with a coworker of mine at either job. I take pride in my work. I take pride in where in work, also. I want people to either get off the phone with me or walk out of the bar with a good experience.

In the bar, I can give buybacks. If a customer didn't like their wine, i'll pop open a new bottle and of course not charge them for the first glass of wine they had. If a customer doesn't like the food, its going to be off their check. That's customer service. That is a lost art in today's day and age.

When I was leaving I asked them if they ever read my first review of their establishment, and they didn't know who I was or that I ever wrote anything about them. When i'm done with this, i'm going to email them both of my reviews. I figure that they should know what someone out here thinks of their spa.

Another year, another Arts Festival. This one was different in which a "real" band was booked (We love you Nancy Sinatra, really), The New York Dolls. Some may say that maybe if this were 1980, it would be more of a buzz, but if you ask me, they sounded fantastic on Sunday. After listening to them today, i'm definitely going to buy their CD. Some cool shots I got of the band, the naked cowboy and some other things that caught my eye:

I just wish that Hoboken would bring more HOBOKEN BANDS into the music festival. Just set up one stage for local talent, is that asking too much? I know plenty of bands that get denied each year to play by the powers that be. Very annoying.

Last night I was walking uptown on Washington Street, when I saw a familiar face. It was the red and white striped awning of a Rita's, serving their famous Italian Water Ices, Gelati and Custard.

If you aren't familiar with Rita's, let me introduce you. It was founded in 1984, by the Tumolo family in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Bob Tumolo used his mother's recipie, to create a smooth and delicious "Italian Ice" (Or as those in Philly call it "Italian Water Ice". "Italian Ice" is a fruit flavored frozen treat, made with slushy water, real fruit and fruit flavoring. It was a huge hit around the Philadelphia and South Jersey area, and Rita's expanded their operations until they eventually franchised their name and were bought out by Pittsburgh-based McKnight Capital Partners in May 2005.

Today, Hoboken gets the 400th store in their chain, owned by brother and sister, Shereef and Laila Hammad. I met with them both last night and we talked for a good 30 minutes about their store and their excitement to be part of the Hoboken community.

Part of that excitement includes a Grand Opening Celebration on Wednesday, September 20th. The CEO of McKnight Capital Partners is arriving to kick off the opening, along with Mayor David Roberts and the store is hosting an Italian Ice Eating Contest at 11:30am! There will be 400 free Rita's shirts given out, along with 400 free Regular sized Italian ices.

Shereef and I talked about Hoboken411's article about Rita's about a week ago. I asked him about the high costs of renting on Washington street and would this be a major obstacle in his store making a profit. He said that certainly the costs are a concern, but he and his sister have many years of experience in operating their mother's Rita's store, and know exactly what they are getting into. He feels that his experience will be the difference in making this a successful venture.

Rita's is more than just water ice. They have old-fashioned frozen custard, which is so amazingly sinful and delicious. Try the frozen custard. Then try any ice cream store on Washington street. You will absolutely see how Rita's is so delicatable. Want the best of both worlds? They also have "Gelati", where they alternate layers of Italian ice and their custard and create a tasty frozen dessert. Maybe in the mood for a cool shake? They make "Misto Shakes" which is a blend of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard and your choice of Rita's Italian Ice or Cream Ice. Oh, what's "Cream Ice"? For those with lactose intolerance, this might be the treat for you. They use a non-dairy creamer to make a tasty treat "without that heavy feeling". Plus, they have a sugar-free Italan ice on the menu for those looking to moderate their caloric intake. They also have soft pretzels and bottled water, along with Rita's Squeezers - a 6 pack mixture of of the italian ice (Cherry or Mango) and creamy vanilla customer swirled together in a easy to eat package.

Shereef and Laila were interested to hear that I was from Philadelphia, and they expressed shock about how many Hobokenites weren't familar with their brand. I told them that was the same shock I had when I moved to Hoboken when people didn't know what a "Tastykake" or a "Hoagie" or a "Yuengling" were. Only over the last decade have Philadelphia-based foods and drinks have made inroads to Northern Jersey. There are a lot of ex-pat Philly natives around here who are very familiar with Rita's, but they certainly want to get the word out to those who aren't familiar with their product. I watched over the night as Shereef and Laila explained to each new customer their menu, and offering free samples to people.

I joked with Shereef that it was like the old anti-drug commerical from the 80's. "At first you give it our for free, and then they come back to buy more." We both laughed about that, because we know that once Hobokenites start getting hooked on this they will love it much like many Philadelphia natives loved growing up eating it, too.

If you haven't tried it, why not go down to the store today? It is located on 121 Washington Street, 201-880-1767. You can email them at ritas.hoboken@gmail.com.

Summertime brings out all sorts of new folk into Hoboken. Lots of them aren't locals, and you can tell this because most yuppies in town order 90% of the same drinks or beer: Jack and Coke, Stoli and Club Soda, Bud Light. Those are the standards. But, every once in a while you get the strange orders from customers, and they all fit into a stereotype. Here, for your pleasure, is the drink and stereotype list for Hoboken customers:

Budweiser: You are a teamster or belong to the local union. Have a strong preference to wearing flannel and rooting for the Jets.

Long Island Iced Tea: Still working on that GED, huh? Every person who orders this drink is on a quest to get as fucked up as quickly as possible.

Manhattan: 'Old Man River' will be the kind of guy who orders this. One drink and then off to watch some 'Matlock' at home, with a tall glass of prune juice.

Cosmopolitans: 'Sex and the City' is off the air, and you really shouldn't be ordering these anymore, honey.

Guinness: Anal, opinionated white people order this. The know-it-alls. They always tip exactly $1 per pint.

Sex On The Beach: People who order this drink are idiots. Airheaded girls or foreigners always order this drink. Yea, sure, it was popular sophomore year in college when you were making them at the Tri-Delt house.

Blue Moon: This is the "beer of the moment". Every beer goes through phases. When I first moved into town, like in 1995, Amstel Light was what everyone ordered. Then, Sam Adams. Then Yuengling. Then Stella. Now it's Blue Moon. I'm not saying its a bad beer, but its like EVERYONE orders it now.

Red Bull and Vodka: Your leased BMW is illegally parked, your "boys" are all at Lua or Lounge 11, you made sure you didn't wear your wedding ring and you are out of cocaine and need your fix.

Scotch, neat: The Alpha Alcoholics. All other drunks tremble in their presence. I pee in my pants a little when a customer orders it.

Martini, dry: International Law Of Bartenders declared in 1978 that anyone asking for it "Shaken, not stirred" is subject to a slap to the face and public humiliation. But anyone else who orders this is either over 40 years old or some jackass Gordon Gekko wanna be who works in a boileroom and wants to appear sophisticated in his $600 suit and $85 shoes.

Jim Beam: Beam drinkers are always the frat house guys. I'm not talking about Jack drinkers or Maker Mark drinkers, just Jim Beam. They are either in a frat, or when they order one - thinking about the days of Penn State and getting wrecked on Beam every weekend. Beam drinkers are fun people to hang out with.

Margaritas: These people are the same idiots who were ordering the Long Island Iced Tea 5 years ago and now want to get even more fucked up and ready for a fight. If you are a man and use Patron for a Margarita, you deserve to be kicked in the crotch, you prententious bastard. If you are a woman, you get punched in the breast. Yea, we all know that will be sore for days.

Frozen drinks: Chicks order frozen drinks. I thank God everyday I go to bartend that we have a frozen drink machine and not a blender. Thank you baby Jesus in Heaven.

Rob Roy: Never heard of a Rob Roy? You aren't alone. In 1908 Henry Ford created the Model T, which ran on gasoline and the Model R, which ran on the Rob Roy. Every once in a while you can find someone who still drinks this "alternative fuel" of the Ford Motor Company.

Vodka Cranberry: The 90's are over. Please let it go.

Gin and Tonic: There's a reason why Gin is called "Mother's Ruin", and just take a good look at the people drinking them. They might raise their glass and say, "It's medicinal!" while they quaff their 8th one of the afternoon while if you listen closely, you can hear their livers scream in agony.

Courvoisier: I have yet to meet a single white person who orders this. Those that do order it are horrible, horrible tippers. Oh, and don't forget - they will always look at the snifter and say, "Hey, that's it? Can you fill it up more?" When they get tired of Courvoisier, they order Heineken.

Corona: Two types of people drink Corona. Yuppies who put their cute limes in the drink or a bit of Bacardi Limon, and maybe a shot of "something fruity". The other people who order it are illegal immigrants who work in the kitchens of Hoboken. They drink it like water. Everytime I see a south american worker walk in I don't even have to ask what they want (and for the love of God don't insult them by giving them limes). If I ever had to enter the Chugging Olympics - i'd just go back into the kitchen and get Jose, Jose and Carlos on my team. I'd get a case of Corona, sip on 1 and let them handle the rest which will be gone in about 34.5 seconds.

White Wine Spritzer: Its usually the housewives or ultra conservative girls who order these. 3 drinks later and they are sloshed and have the same reactions of every drinker (horny, angry, silly) but since they are lightweights they are always much LOUDER about it. I love my job when I get to watch Miss Priss lay into her cuckholded boyfriend about how he doesn't love her enough. I'm just washing glasses and trying not to laugh.

Patron Tequila: 90% of these sullen drunks are either in a really bad relationship or just got out of one in the last 3 months. The other 10% get drunk, go home and sacrifice a puppy to their lord, Satan.

Coors Light: No one really will admit they like Coors Light. Much like no guy really admits they mastrubate to their girlfriend's girl friends. Enough said.

Screwdriver: I can honestly say I think I made this drink about 5 times in the last four years. I'm sure in 1978 this drink was huge at Studio 54.

Dewars, on the rocks or neat: Annoying people drink this Blended Scotch whisky. They were probably the hall-monitor in elementary school. Ran the projector in class. Would nark on everyone if they were cheating on a test. As an adult, they aren't much different. They are the kind of coworker that would email your boss if you got into an arguement with them at work, rather than handling it like a man. Easily slighted and can't be the "better man" in any arguement.

White Russian: Only the most clueless drinkers will drink MILK with ALCOHOL. You drink more than 3 of these, and I will guarantee that you will be puking all over my bathroom.

Captain and Coke: Suave, sophisticated and charming are these drinkers. Perhaps they have many extracurricular activities like running a Social Sports Club, blogging, and writing restaurant reviews, while fending off the multiple advances of women (and men!) in their lives. They also have a huge ego and a very good imagination, so keep the compliments coming.

Cuba Libre: Fuck you. No, seriously, FUCK YOU. Cuba Libre. Shut up, you asshole, and just order a Rum and Coke.

White Zinfandel: Lets be honest here. It should be renamed "White Trash". Everyone from Bayonne and Staten Island who somehow let lost and end up in Hoboken, and try to come off as sophisticated. You want to know a quick way to immediately scream "WHITE TRASH" - order wine and add ice to it.

Bartending over the years in Hoboken I have picked up on a few common "trueisms" about our town. Especially in the world of dating, mating and relating to the opposite sexes. Here are a few things that I have noticed about both sexes and you may agree, you may not agree, but I believe every one of them.

Just remember my golden rule: When I say "Women" or "Men" i'm talking about the majority. Most of them. Not all of them. Yes, there will always be the minority who read what I write and be dying to pipe up in the comments or an email to me. I'm just talking about the stereotypical here and remember, its all in fun don't take it personally.

1. There are two types of women in Hoboken - those looking for a career and those looking for a husband. If I had a nickel for every school teacher I met looking for a rich financial banker type i'd have a sack full of nickels.

2. There are two types of guys in Hoboken - bad boys & boring boys. The bad boys get laid all the time. The boring boys watch the bad boys get laid and wonder why they can't get laid.

3. 90% of all bad boys are really, well, bad. There isn't some nice heart in there, there is just a selfish prick who wants to get laid.

4. Most women love the bad boys from the ages of 21-25. Most grow out of it, after being burned time and time again by the bad boys. Some women luck out and find the bad boy with the heart of gold, but this is few and far between. I have personally witnessed it once, but the girl was a knockout & had a great personality and it makes sense that the bad boy treat her like gold.

5. "He's just not that into you" is a great book to read as a girl...or as a guy who wants to understand women better.

6. Understanding men is fairly basic, but most women cringe at it - if they don't understand it. What every guy wants is basically are all the good personality traits of their mother. If they had an italian mamma-mia mother who cooked & cleaned for them, they are gonna want that in their wife. If they had a fun & laid back mother - they are gonna want that, too. If they come from a broken home or had a really crappy mother, well they will be one of those confused motherfuckers who can't figure out what woman is good enough for them. If you are dating a guy and really dig him, figure out what kind of mom he had. Even if you don't want to be that chick that cooks and cleans (hey, I know some girls who dig that), even doing the little things are gonna get his attention (maybe like making him chocolate chip cookies...). Its not about changing who you are, but it is about finding out those things that make your man tick. What buttons you push that make him happy or make him mad are very important to learn early on in any relationship.

7. I'm convinced that every woman (and not just Hoboken women) is crazy to lesser or greater degrees. Now when I say "crazy", I mean that the are different than guys because they have a lot of factors that make them crazy. Hormones. Boys. Weight gain. Money problems. Parents. But the #1 reason: Baggage. You meet a girl at the right time in their life, everything is gravy. You meet a girl coming off a bad relationship where some guy completely fucked them up - you are gonna be the one to pay.

8. This doesn't mean men are any more normal than women. The problem with men in Hoboken is that its like a fucking buffet here. You meet one girl who is beautiful. Then you meet another who is beautiful and cool. Then you meet another who is beautiful, cool and extremely intelligent. Then you meet another who is beautiful, cool, extremely intelligent and has rich parents. Then maybe you meet a latin chick who is different than your caucasian girlfriend and now you dig her. Or maybe you are dating an awesome girl that every one of your guy friends think you will marry - but you now want to date a model. The amount of choices for men are insane around here. Also its not only a question of choices, but availability. Like I tell other people, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" i.e. Why get married when you can get laid all the time? Lots of guys put off the whole idea of marriage because they are getting tail. They think they can keep getting it for a long time and have no real incentive to "settle down" with just one girl, especially the bad boys & the players. This is why you see people who marry around here at 35, not 25.

9. Hoboken is loaded with very shallow people. Its funny when I talk to girls at the bar. When they think i'm "just a bartender" they don't really appear that interested. As soon as I mention that I have a corporate job, you can see the ones who are shallow who get a LOT more interested in me. It makes me laugh. And no, I wouldn't date them. This happened with a few other bartenders I worked with, too.

10. Hoboken is a town of fair weather friends. Being a transient town, and if you live here more than 5 years and are single, you are probably going to do the #1 activity - drinking. You will go to bars. Meet new people. Make new friends. Maybe you get a shore house and meet people that way. Take alcohol into the situation and inevitably there will be some kind of drama that will rear its ugly head. It comes in so many forms. Who slept with who. Who gossiped about who. Ex-girlfriends and ex-boyfriends and who's side do you take. Cheap friends. Who gets the bigger shore house room. I have seen great "best friends forever" (BFF's) become horrible enemies over the smallest of things.

11. Men judge their self worth with 3 basic criteria. Money. Body. Intelligence. Here's the breakdown. If you are rich and have a great job, you feel like you are important because you drive nice cars and wear nice clothing. If you aren't rich, but have a great physique you feel important because you are in tip top shape and can kick the ass of any of those "homo yuppie bankers" around. If you are smart, but don't have a lot of money and are in poor shape, you feel above those "meatheads" and "frat boy yuppies" because of your Mensa degree. Or maybe you don't have money, a great body or are very smart and you are some hipster working out of Frozen Monkey who have great tattoos and a collection of AFI b-list songs that make you cool. I don't know. My point is that most of the Hoboken guys can be broken down into those 3 basic criteria on defining their self worth, and you also could be a combination of all 3. You could be a semi-wealthy guy, with a good body and a noodle for a brain. So you are maybe 50% money, 40% body and 10% intelligence. Or a tech guy with an I.T. job, with a terrible body, and some smarts, so you are 40%, 0%, 60%. For me? I think i'm fairly well rounded. I have a good job, an athletic body (stop laughing, really), and an above average intelligence (i'm not that smart, look at my grammar), so i'm like 33%, 33%, 34%. :)

12. For women, well its basically the same thing but much more complicated. The hot girls know they have something about them that's hot - so you could be a girl who is flat chested - but you have a hot face. Or you could be a girl who is overweight - but have great boobs or a round ass. You could be an overweight girl, with a homely looks - but you are a doctor and make more money than those vapid yuppies, so that makes you better than them. But if you meet another doctor then it becomes "Where did she go to school" to define who is better.

I was reading about how Hoboken was going to restore the bell tower at the Hoboken Terminal. When reading about the terminal, it talks about the Beaux-Arts architecture. You can read more of it here. I didn't even know that there was a bell tower at the terminal, so I started to dig around for pictures of what it used to look like. I found this old one:

I also found another drawing here:

Also was able to find a blueprint of the new tower, too:

Pretty interesting stuff, to me. I figured i'd share it with anyone else who liked this sort of thing.

Yesterday I shunned my favorite sushi restaurant and went to Ubu (205 Hudson St) for a quick bite.

I walked into the small restaurant and asked if they served beer. They didn't, so I ran up to Washington Street and bought my tall Sapporo and went back to try their sushi deluxe & edamame.

I thought the quality of the edamame was so-so. They steamed it nicely but I wished they used a kosher salt on the beans, rather than a table salt. Also there were lots of "bad" ones in there and I had to push those aside.

Trying the sushi deluxe I was presented with two tuna, salmon, yellow tail and halibut (I think, it was a white fish), along with 1 shrimp and a california roll. Not a huge fan of california rolls, I like it when sushi deluxes are served with a spicy tuna roll (which can nearly be the most common roll ordered at all sushi restaurants).

This brings up an interesting segue. Ever look at a sushi restaurants roll list. Check out how much a plain tuna roll costs versus a spicy tuna. The markup at some restaurants is incredible - and what are you getting with a spicy tuna roll? Mayonaise and spice? Some rolls I have seen a price difference of $1.50-2 a roll! Incredible!

They first served miso soup & a salad, which I only tried the miso soup. I like the miso soup at Maru better, but it was satisfactory.

Ok, so I thought the fish was fresh and tasty. The waitress asked before ordering if I liked my sushi spicy, I said I did and they added to the top of each fish a small drop of spicy mayo & soy. I didn't have to dip the fish into anything and I wolfed them down so fast that the chef remarked, "You certainly are hungry!"

The california roll was satisfying enough, and the total cost for the meal was a shade over $20. There were only 2 other people in the restaurant and the service was fast and attentive. The place only seats about 20 people, so I don't think i'd be very worried about slow service.

I'd go again, but i'd choose Maru over Ubu any day of the week. But i'd choose Ubu over the super expensive Sushi Lounge across the street. I'm still pissed that they serve Sapporo beer for like $7 a pint. You can BYOB to Maru or Ubu and it is $3.75 for a 20 ounce can of Sapporo at the Liquor Store on 2nd & Washington. I understand paying more at a restaurant or bar, but Sushi Lounge should be charging like $4.75 for a pint of Sapporo.

I got this from a friend of mine:

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life will be taking place in Hoboken on May 20th from 11 a.m. to midnight on Pier A. RFL is a community celebration where individuals and teams come together to camp out, barbecue and walk around “relay style” to honor cancer survivors and pay tribute to those who have lost their battles with the disease. Funds raised support cancer research, education, advocacy and patient services in Hoboken.

Cancer survivors are invited to celebrate their triumph over cancer by participating in an inspirational “Survivors’ Lap” to open the relay. Come nightfall, the Luminaria Ceremony will light up Pier A with hundreds of candles - each one purchased in honor or in memory of a loved one who has faced cancer.

Club H has also organized a simultaneous event called Spin For Line – a one-hour spin class that will be held at Sinatra Park. Classes will take place between 10 a.m – 4 p.m. for $25 per person.

Teams can still sign up to participate in either event, whether made up of friends and family, colleagues or community organizations.

The Young Professionals Committee of the ACS will also be hosting a happy hour at Tenth and Willow this Thursday, May 11. In the spirit of competition, the theme of the night will be baseball, as the Yankees take on the Red Sox and the Mets face the Phillies. The cover fee is $5, with total proceeds being matched by the bar and donated to the ACS. Drink specials will be also be available, including half price martinis and bottled beers. Festivities begin at 7:00.

For more information, contact Christina Attardo at clnyu78@hotmail.com or visit www.cancer.org.

I went to a meeting for Mikie Squared on Sunday. It was our first staff meeting.

We had the owners, the bar manager, the floor manager, the overall manager, and the employees all gathered in the newly renovated bar. It was a meet & greet time for everyone to say hello and fill out some paper work. The owners went over the rules & expectations of the staff.

Where do I start?

First, the bar is still the way everyone will remember it. But everything has been cleaned up & painted. The bar has been re-sanded & will be stained and sealed soon. The ceiling was removed and the original tin ceiling has been painted and restored. The area behind the bar has wine racks, instead of mirrors. Most of the TVs are gone and will be replaced by 3 large plasma TVs behind the bar. The dartbone is gone and will be replaced by a nice seating area in front by the bay windows. We have wonderful new comfortable chairs for sitting outside. They will be building an retractable awning to cover the sidewalk on rainy days.

Second, the bar is more upscale but not pretentious. The owners are really focusing on the simple idea of "the customer comes first" like the staff did at Dipper's. We want a professional but fun atmosphere. There will be a dress code for the employees (all black) & black polo shirts with "Mikie Squared". The food is going to be bar food, but the key will be FRESH. Fresh burgers, wings that are meaty, tasty ribs and delicious salads. Also there will be specialty drinks - mojitos, frozen margaritas & pina coladas, martinis and sangria. We will have an extensive wine list, great wines by the glass (with a vaccum system to keep it FRESH) and PORT wine. I told them to get Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny for me.

Third, the name. In case you haven't heard the owner's name is Mike. His son is Mikie. The bar is Mikie...squared. It was "the best we could do on short notice" as Mike said. It is a trillion times better than working under the name "Dipper's". Maybe if we were serving ice cream Dipper's would have been a great name...

Lots of ideas are bouncing around. The owners are interested in all sorts of things to try. It was like when we first opened up Dipper's - everyone is involved and excited. I, myself, feel very happy to be working there only because both the owners have been extremely nice with me. They have been nice enough to let me keep working on Saturday nights (I might be doing some Fridays, too) and I might do some fill-in work during the week.

They expect to be open very soon. No official word yet, but if everything goes as planned, they hope to be open this weekend. After seeing the bar and the kitchen - I think the BAR could be open by the weekend, but the kitchen might need some work. Who knows? We certainly want the old regulars back to the bar along with a new crowd of people. I think Larry is getting his own monogrammed chair, along with a personalized Guinness glass.

I will keep you updated with the grand opening and get some pictures on the site when I can.

I was reading this thread on Hobokenchat, and it got me to thinking of the different levels of Men around Hoboken. I'm a product of my upbringing - LaSalle High School was a preppy school and Villanova was J. Crew's wet dream. I would guess i'm a Level 4 guy.

Level 1: This is your basic man who drinks only domestic beer, eats any meat from a 4 legged animal or has fins and thinks "carbs" refers to engines. Dresses in flannel and has 1 pair of jeans. Likes to hunt & fish. Has a scraggly beard. Uses motor oil as a cologne. Thinks all cats should die. Dog choices would be mutt or pit bull to protect his junkyard.

Level 2: A bit of a step up. Thinks wearing Professional Sports Team outerwear is fashionable. Sweatpants are what he wears around the house. Owns a sportcoat and 3 ties, one of those ties has beer cans or fish hooks on it. Has one bottle of cologne from 1987 which is 90% full, and he wears it on special occasions like NASCAR opening day. Owns a car outside his house that sits on cinder blocks and is his "weekend project". Has a subscription to Penthouse. Thinks mullets should make a comeback. Saving for a 401K is for wussies - Saving for Hockey season tickets are for men. Likes manly dogs like Rottweilers, German Sheppards and Dobermans.

Level 3: "The Regular Joe". Likes any form of beer, will even drink lite beer if it tastes good. Loves shots. Spends money on 3 things: His car, his good weed and porn. Likes cigars. Thinks white socks can be worn with anything. "Grooming" to him is going to the barber shop, never spending more than $20 on a haircut. Reads the sports section first of the paper. Doesn't understand why people go to the gym - "You are gonna die, too you healthy bastards!", he would think. Only subscribes to Sports Illustrated, Maxim and/or Playboy. His girlfriend or mom gets him nice clothes and the rest he just gets at a American Eagle store. When he turns his TV on or off, it is set on ESPN. Likes dogs you can "do stuff with" like retrievers or beagles or hound dogs.

Level 4: Joe Prep. The next level from the regular Joe is normally the guy who just happens to have more money to spend. He likes his Abercrombie & Fitch. Would be the kind of guy to shop with girls. Only drinks Amstel Lite or Stella Artois, along with mixed drinks. Wears whatever GQ says to wear as fashion of the moment. Bought a Trucker cap 2 years ago. Has used a razor on other parts of his body besides his face. Will drink wine, as long as it is expensive. Fairly lazy about clothes, but has a nice enough selection that anything he wears looks fairly decent. Uses one bar of soap for his body & face. Would be the kind of guy to buy Ralph Lauren Paint. Likes expensive big dogs, like Ridgebacks, Burmese Mountain Dogs or Boxers.

Level 5: The confused Pretty Boy. He doesn't need to bring a girl with him to shop. Refuses to shop at Target or Wal-Mart. Works out at the gym 5 days a week to get killer abs and arms. Has a stylist. Coordinates clothing to what his date is wearing or the event he is attending. Shops at Barney's and Hugo Boss every other week. Will get a monthly pedicure. Snorts a lot of coke. Has three seperate soaps - one for body, one for face, one for crotch. He drinks mixed drinks, Red Bull and Vodka or imported wine. Will get his back & chest waxed. Occasionaly drinks imported beer that no one ever heard of. Gets designer cute dogs like Puggles, Pugs, French Bulldogs or Boston Terriers.

Level 6: The True Metrosexual. Gets his eyebrows threaded. Gets a manicure every other week. Is a slave to fashion and trends. Makes fun of girls (or guys!) who wear knock off designer clothes or bags. Watches Will & Grace. Has a variety of grooming products for his skin, costing hundreds of dollars. Got a $250 faux mowhawk "creation" from Bumble & Bumble. Goes to the gym to see his "friends". Drinks only champagne or mixed drinks with premium alcohol, never beer. Only goes to the hottest clubs, it doesn't matter gay or straight. Likes wearing tight shirts to show off his arms. Has a subscription to Details. Would get a dog like a Teacup Schnauzer or Italian Greyhound.

You can always count on Hoboken to never run out of sushi restaurants, nail salons and real estate offices in the near future. Also on that list are tanning salons. With the yuppie residents working long hours under flourscent lights, the only tan they will get will be from the radiation coming off their computer monitors.

I will admit that i'm a "electric beach" advocate. I'm not going to sit here and try to sell people on tanning. Either you like it or you don't. I, myself, believe that if done in moderation and proper care that it isn't any more harmful than sitting outside in direct sunlight. Having my Italian / (black) Irish skin I tan easily, so for me using a tanning bed is a good way to start a base tan before the summer months. In years past, with all of my golfing I got a nice "farmers tan" which looked ridiculous. Instead of sitting on Pier A to fix this, i'd just bop down to a tanning salon to even the tanlines out.

I have been to a few places in town and found i'm basically satisfied with their service. Most of the employees I meet there are usually not very happy to be working there, and have the charm of a potted plant. Some places have a very industrial look to their business. Some are located below ground. Some are just too far away for me to really be interested in trekking to their location.

On my way home from Club H on Sinatra, Beach Bum Tanning opened their doors for the first time. It was only a few doors down. I stopped in to snap some pictures and look around the place.

Imagine my surprise when entering BBT I was greeted by four very enthusiastic employees. Being the proper salespeople they were quick to go over the different tan bed designs and Tanning Consultation Guide, along with being nice to show me around the place. Not only was I impressed with their good customer service, but the business itself is very charming and clean for a tanning salon.

They have different service levels, depending on the bed that you are interested in using. Each bed has a different design that will generate a certain level of UVA & UVB rays. Each are essential in tanning, and I will leave it to the sales people to try and explain the various differences. They also have spray-on tan machines, and from what I am told, they are using top of the line "California Tan Sunless" machine.

Here are the different tanning levels. For the members of Club H, you get 15% off every tanning session or packages:
Bronze, $9 per tan session, 5 tans $35, 10 tans $59...up to 50 tans for $199.
Silver, $12 per tan session, 5 tans $45, 10 tans $79 and up to 50 tans for $199.
Gold not available in Hoboken.
Platinum, $20 per tan session, 3 tans $49, 5 tans $75, 10 tans $129 and up to 50 tans $499.
Titanium, $25 per tan session, 3 tans $59, 5 tans $95, 10 tans $169 and up to 50 tans $599.
Diamond, $30 per tan session, 3 tans $69, 5 tans $109, 10 tans $199 and up to 50 tans $699.

Just a warning but the packages DO EXPIRE. 3 tans expire in 1 month. 5 tans expires in 3 months. 10 tans expires in 6 months. 20 tans or more expire in 1 year.

Each tanning level you can buy a beach pass, which gives 1 month unlimited tanning on that level's specific bed. For example, Diamond has the top of the line bed, the P-90. It has a mix of UVA at 90% and UVB at 10%, which, from what I was told, was ideal for getting that "perfect tan".

There are also Beach Passes available for each Tanning level. Basically you can get 30 days of consecutive tanning, for an annual fee. You need a 3 month minimum commitment and also pay a cancellation fee to stop the plan. It sounds harsh, but you actually save a good deal of money if you are someone who tans frequently.

Just another option in town for you to try. I know that I will probably try out that new P-90 soon. Here are some more pictures I snapped...

I'm very happy to see the smoking ban come into effect for New Jersey. I quit on October 13, 2003, and wrote about it here in an old entry..

New site in town, written by some friends of mine. Check out Hoboken411...

Hoboken411.com

It reviews restaurants, businesses and the Hoboken scene. Crisp design and great pictures over there. Very interactive, you can comment too.

Everyday when I take the PATH train home, I always try to get a seat in business class.

Didn't you know that the PATH train has business class seats?

When the PATH trains were first designed 30 years ago, the seats were made for one individual, of certain size and weight. I'm sure in 1975, the average rider fit just perfectly in those plastic molded seats, with plenty of room for other riders to sit next to each other. Sadly, due to our Supersize Nation, our girths have expanded, with less room between other passengers. Countless times I have had a large hipped passenger decide that it was ok to wedge her ass between me and another rider, just because a seat was open.

After a short while I discovered the business class seats in the PATH train.

Each train car has 1 or 2 (it depends there are different car designs on the PATH) of these seats. They are located by the inter-train doors: the doors that you open to walk between trains. The seat, itself, is the last seat in the row, and has about an extra 4 inches of plastic panel between the seat and the end of the car. It may not sound like a lot, but that extra room allows me to cross my legs while reading a paper, or just scoot a bit further away to the right from the passenger that sits on my left side - and avoiding their "ham shank legs".

To get this seat, each day when I take the PATH at the 34th street station, I will usually walk down the platform, to the second to last car. Most people who board get on the first 3 train cars, and getting to the business class seat is usually a hassle. Normally when I walk to the second to last car, there are maybe one or two people waiting. I know where the doors will open, and stand right where they open up, making sure i'm first on the car and making sure I can get the same seat nearly everyday.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I was boarding the train and someone tried to take my seat. I will explain.

It was like any other day and I was lined up for the door. The train was rolling into the station and a taller girl, with dark hair and a cream colored long coat stood next to me, waiting for the door also. I was a bit perplexed, because where we were on the platform, she could have waited at ANY door. There wasn't anyone else.

I was there first. She was going to try and take the business class seat. Call it a moment of clarity, but I knew she was going to try and use her feminine wiles, thinking i'd let her on first, and then she would sit at the only seat that I really enjoy sitting at on the PATH - the business class seat.

The train came to a stop, and we were both with small, minute moves, jockeying for position at the door. I'm 6'3, and much larger than her, but I was in the disadvantage because I was on the left side of the door and she was on the right side of the door. When the doors opened, I would have to walk across her left side to edge her out of the seat.

The doors opened and I made my move.

I didn't touch her, I just made a quick move to the seat and sat down. I notice on the corner of my eye she tried to go in my direction, but then sat down at another seat. So, i'm happily getting out my magazine and crossing my leg when I notice her quickly stand up. I glance over at her, and she walks away, then looks behind her - directly at me. She gives me the MOST withering stare I have ever gotten. To me it spoke "You fucking bastard I wanted that seat!"

Trust me, I know she wanted that business class seat. If I was imagining that she was gunning to get on the train before me, I now know that she was angry because of that look she gave me. It wasn't an angry look of "Why did you walk in front of me". It was easily a look of, "You took my seat!"

She walked to the other end of the car and sat down, with a pissy look on her face. Me? I was absolutely chuckling to myself while I read my magazine the entire ride.

You know, its just the little things in life that I enjoy.

Living in Hoboken for the better part of 10 years I have learned that one of the things that defines your experience in town is the bar you associate with.

Each bar has it's own varying "reputation" if you will. Some bars are guido hangouts. Some bars are for the snobs. Some bars are dives. Some are neighborhood pubs. Some are irish hangouts. Some have a great music scene.

When I first moved in to town, I didn't know anyone. At my 9 to 5 job I met some co-workers who lived in Hoboken and they marched me over to Hennessy's bar, which was located on Newark street, in between River and Hudson streets. It was one of many irish pubs in town, with a decent weekend crowd and strong group of regulars. I became part of the regulars, friends with the bartenders and those early years were filled with drinking, laughs and comraderie.

Hennessy's changed owners, and the bartenders there moved to midtown to a new bar called "Farside". Farside was "our" new home. All the regulars from Hennessy's moved with the bartenders to the new bar, along with hanging out at Moran's. We were a motley crew of non-conformists, some locals and some yuppies. We liked to drink, play darts, listen to Patrick Fleming and play late night card games. Many a holiday we spent together, plenty of adventures outside of Hoboken we had and we had the common bond of the bar that kept us together. New faces would show up and old friends would leave, but we always had Farside.

Then Dipper's opened up in late 2001. It used to be Dooley's, a bar that I would go every once in a while to order some food or watch football. I didn't frequent Dooley's very much - the "regulars" didn't go there, and we didn't really know the bartenders. After Dipper took over the bar, he took on my friend Joe as a manager. Joe handpicked the new bartenders, bringing in "people he could trust behind the bar". He approached me about bartending, and I was very interested. I saw how much fun Goody and Kenny had at Farside, and wanted to have that same fun also. To me, the money was secondary. I had my 9 to 5 job - I was just looking forward to having a good time.

Like I wrote before, every bar has a reputation. Dipper's, to me, was a neighborhood pub. It was located smack dab in the middle of town, and looked like its decoration budget was $500. You didn't take someone to Dipper's for its "scene", you took someone there because you either knew a bartender or knew a patron. Dipper was very involved with making sure we treated the customer right. He set up "comment cards" and would ask customers what changes he could make to make the bar better. Some he attended to, some he disregarded, but he would always be willing to listen.

It was cool to be at the bar when it first opened, because all the bartenders had so many ideas to try out. We had bands that would play at the bar, we tried theme nights, martini nights, shot nights, ladies nights, dart leagues, Golden Tee league, football clubs (Go Birds!) and trivia nights. Some worked, and some didn't. But it was still very exciting, because Dipper just let the employees do whatever they wanted - as long as if we were generating a profit.

The bar wasn't about making money, it also a social scene for many of our regulars. Dipper's is easily responsible for many marriages, friendships and of course a few break ups, too. Oh, I had my share of good girls and psycho girls that I met there. But I want to take this time for a special shout out to some of my coworkers who made the last 1500+ days special:

Joe: You took a chance on me, and I always appreciated it. I think until the day we die, we will both chuckle over the 'Twin Story'.

Teresa: T - you and I, bartending Friday nights. Listening to Rage Against The Machine and Beastie Boys, having a blast behind the bar. I will bartend with you any day of the week.

Chris: I think you were the most underappreciated bartender at Dipper's. You were like the unofficial owner of the bar and the hardest working bartender I ever saw, plus having a spot-on Rodney Dangerfield impression always made me laugh.

Tom: We had our ups and downs, but I have to admit that now the ride is over I'm proud to have worked for you. My only complaint is that for the last 4 years I had to explain why you called the bar "Dipper's". Meh!

Heather: Heather, you are easily one of the nicest people I know. If I had a nickel for every person you charmed (I'm looking your way Nikki & Jay), I would have a bag of nickels. You can have your choice of bars to work in town - you would have a legion of people who would go there just to visit you.

I have told people before that our bar, like Farside and Hennessy's, was like a "Cheers!" kind of pub. A place that if you were the bartenders knew your name (and your favorite drink), we would get you drunk and show you a good time. The bar could be hit or miss. Some nights we would get a great, fun crowd and some nights it was D E A D.

The demographics of Hoboken is changing, and the type of bar-goer is changing along with it. Less and less 20-something college graduates are moving into town, only to be replaced with 30-something homeowners with a more discerning choice of venue. Bars like Trinity, Lua, 3 Forty and The Madison are popular for a reason - they attract the crowds because of the way they are designed. I remember The Madison when it was a non descript sports bar, that was never very popular. But, once renovated, it became the bar to be seen at.

Dipper's would never be those bars, nor did we ever want to be those bars. The last 4 years we did well enough, and Tom made a tidy profit from his sale. Contrary to any rumors, Tom sold the bar because he lives in Virginia and has a booming business with the U.S. Government. His orginial idea to buying the bar was that he hoped his children would want to run it eventually - but they didn't. They had other aspirations in life. So, he sold it at a very nice profit. That's it. It's that simple.

It is an end of an era. A slice of my life that is over and I enjoyed most of it, with a few minor issues that were an annoyance. No matter what other ignorant people can write about Dipper's, it wasn't the Taj Mahal, but it was the home away from home for a lot of Hobokenites over the last 4 years. It will be missed.

Yesterday was one of those rare days when I actually feel the load of life slip off my back and think that maybe, for once, things were going right.

If you have been reading the blog for a few months now, it seems that Lady Luck has been really pissed off at me for leaving the toilet seat down in our apartment of life.

But she can only stay angry at me for so long, I suppose.

As you know, I had leg surgery 2 weeks ago. It was to remove a titanium bolt from my tibula, which was put in there so the government could track my ever....I mean, it was put in there to fix a broken bone.

The last two weeks haven't been a lot of fun. Like, I couldn't take showers, for example. For two weeks. Oh, I could run the shower and lean inside of the shower and wash my hair - but I couldn't get my wound wet, for risk of infection. So every other day i'm leaning inside the shower, washing my hair and then I have to stand at the sink and bathe. I would take a washcloth and it was like I was an extra on the set of Deadwood. Showers are relaxing, this was tedious. Some mornings I would wake up for work - look at my hair and just say "Bleh, its good enough to get through the day" and go into work. I was regressing to a 3rd grade level.

But yesterday I was freed from the shackles of my staples. Dr. D (a great orthopedic doctor in Manhattan that Lisa recommended), removed the staples from my leg and I could instantly feel the skin expand. The staples pinched the leg for the last 2 weeks, and it was like instant relief, I felt so much better when walking.

Plus, he gave me the green light to walk without crutches. He said "No running, no jumping, stay away from pitcher's mounds..."

Yea, real funny, doc. I haven't heard that before.

The whole leg saga finally felt over. This whole crappy situation started last May and now it was behind me. No more surgery. No more titanium bolt. No more crutches. It was over. I was nearly skipping down Lexington Avenue and feeling great.

At the end of the day I went to Mad One Jack's for a haircut. My mood was already feeling good and going there made it even better. If you didn't read my write up about Jack's before - its simply a great establishment. You walk in and everyone is NICE. After going there for a few months - Jack, the receptionist, and other hairdressers all greet me with a, "Hi Furey!"

They are genuinely friendly. When I used to get my hair cut at a stylish Manhattan salon - I never got that. My old hairdresser, Barbara, was awesome and I loved to see her. She was probably the only reason why I kept going and paying that much for a haircut. But Jack is proof that there are people who can do just as good as a job - and cost less.

So while i'm chatting to Jack - he tells me that people read my article about his place, came into his salon and said, "Yea I read about your place from Furey's blog on www.philly2hoboken.com..."

I was tickled to hear that. It is very of cool to hear that. I get a lot of people who email and tell me that they like the site, which is always nice to hear a compliment, but even more cool to hear that an owner of a great hair salon is getting more business because of what I write. Kudos to Jack & Co!

After leaving the salon, I was feeling great. I'm the kind of guy who just walks down the street and i'm in my own world. My friends will walk within a foot of me and get angry that I didn't notice them. Hey, i'm just bad like that. But this day, i'm walking down the street, and taking in the world around me, it was just feeling like a good night.

I decide that I want do my usual routine of Wednesday sushi. I went into Sushi House - to try something new. I was going to get something to-go, and watch Lost at home. But, to my dismay, the sushi deluxe at Sushi House comes with a Manhattan Roll (Salmon), and not a Spicy Tuna Roll. I asked if I could substitue a Spicy Tuna roll and they said it would cost extra. Screw that, I went to Maru instead.

Maru, on 2nd and Washington, is in my rotation of Hoboken Sushi restaurants. I go to Sushi Lounge when i'm with a group of people, I get Robongi when I want take out, and I eat at Maru when I want to sit at the Sushi bar and talk to the chefs.

Before going to Maru I stopped at the liquor store three doors down from the restaurant. I grabbed a chilled silver can of Sapporo for $3.50 (something which angers me about Sushi Lounge where they charge me $7 for a pint of Sapporo!!), and went into the restaurant.

The super-nice waitstaff showed me to the bar, took the Sapporo can from me and poured it into a beer glass. I ordered up edamame and a sushi deluxe and read my newspaper for a bit while drinking the beer. I was amped, feeling good and you know that feeling of relaxation right after you have a sip of delicious, cold beer? You exhale and the worries just float away.

Once they served me the sushi deluxe, the chef mentions that he gave me a special pate roll to try and if I didn't want it - he could replace it with something different. I declined, saying that I was happy to try it.

So while I ate, I chatted with the chef, talking about Sushi Yasuda, Tomoe, and where he learned his skill. I found out that Tomoe is pronounced TOh-MoE-A. I was pronouncing it TOh-May. That's nice to know. The chef, Terry, was a bit hard to understand with his accent and the music in the restaurant. I'm the type of person who likes to learn about things. If I drink wine - I really get into where the wine is made, what kind of grape is used and what kind of food should be paired with the wine.

So I started to ask him all sorts of questions about eating sushi. He went on to explain that there is "summer sushi and winter sushi" - times when the fish is better to serve depending on the season. I found the presentation of the sushi at Maru to be top notch. Unlike many other Hoboken sushi restaurants, Maru really puts attention into the details. Some of the sushi were ungarnished. Some had a light garnish. Others had a light sauce on top. One had a razor thin slice of lemon on it. I commented how I loved the seaweed they used for the spicy tuna roll - he went on to explain that there are "grades" of seaweed that places use. Maru used the higher grade seaweed, which should just crunch easily in your mouth, and not be chewy like many other lower grade seaweed.

I got on to the subject about how I used to write restaurant reviews for Hobokeni, and still do it from time to time. He said, "I thought I recognized you."

I blinked.

He said, "Yes, I read a website a few weeks ago about a guy who was going to go to Sushi Lounge and then saw a cute girl in the window at Maru and gave it a try..."

He was reciting my blog entry!

Are you kidding me? Not only is Jack at Mad One Jack's telling me about people reading my blog and coming to his salon, but now that Terry, the chef at Maru is saying he read my blog? Come on.

Well I was flattered, to say the least.

What a great day. I paid my bill, thanked Terry and told him that I would absolutely be back again.

I try to tell people about Hoboken, and Jack's and Maru are just two examples why I love this town so much. I don't feel that same closeness while I work in New York. The owners of stores there have seen me for 10 years and barely give me a grunt when they see me. Hoboken has that small-town experience, which is so very gratifying.

Mr. Rogers would be proud.

I, myself, was not in a family of sushi lovers. I used to be one of those people who would laugh at the raw fish eaters and was your typical ignorant American because I was never properly introduced to sushi.

My first time with sushi was at Ocean City, NJ, on the boardwalk at some hole in the wall establishment run by people as Asian as me. It was terrible, I hated it and for years it just reaffirmed my hatred of raw fish. One day my brother and his wife moved up to New York, off Duane Street in SoHo. They, being the quintessential yuppies, loved sushi and decided to formally get me interested in it - by taking me to a proper sushi bar.

They decided on Tomoe, on Thompson. If you haven't been to Tomoe, well it certainly ranks up there with one of the better sushi bars in the city. What it lacks in decor and size it certainly makes up for in fish quality and deliciousness. I was hooked (no pun intended) and from that day forward I would eat sushi regularly.

Fast forward 7 years and i'm now in Hoboken, where I eat sushi at least once a week. My trips to Tomoe are few and far between, and I find myself trying various establishments in Hoboken over the years for my sushi fix. Over the years our town has seen an explosive growth of sushi/japanese restaurants: Sushi Lounge, Sushi House, Robongi, and Illuzion to name a few.

Before the sushi purists read the rest, I will save us all time. Don't email me and or add comments about how Hoboken sushi can't compare to New York. Yes, I know this. New York rules. But for Hoboken, and my standards, the quality of the fish I have discovered has been pleasantly surprising..

Up until lately, I would usually dine at Sushi Lounge every Wednesday, at the bar around 7pm. I would sit down and order the same thing every week - a bottle of Sapporo, an order of edamame & a sushi deluxe (Sushi Lounge calls it the "Sushi Rock"). When I eat sushi, I add only a small bit of soy sauce (with wasabi mixed in) to the edge of the sushi. Pet Peeve Alert: I really hate people who DUNK the entire piece of fish into their bowl and saturate the entire thing. Why not just drink the soy sauce, people?

Anyhow, that was my routine for a few weeks. I liked being able to sit at a bar, order sushi and have a drink. My only thing that I didn't like about Sushi Lounge is that the Sapporo was $7 for a 16 ounce bottle. Sure, I understand the whole cost/drink ratio of bars and restaurants, but $7? The beer was ice cold, and I loved that, but paying over $20 for my food and 1/3 of that was for 1 drink - it would always annoy me when I got the bill. But I would pay my 20% and still would walk away satisfied.

If I didn't want to sit down for sushi, I would normally order from Robongi. When Robongi first opened, I hated it. I would constantly find scales in my fish, and whoever the head chef was, didn't do a good job. But, as of the last year, Robongi has been delicious and the scale problem disappeared. This is the place that I would order takeout, and enjoy eating at my apartment.

Yesterday some people were talking about sushi on Hobokenchat, and we talked about our interests in sushi. It was Wednesday and I was jonesing for some raw fish, but didn't want to walk in the rain (I forgot my umbrella) to Sushi Lounge.

Instead, I went home and thought I would try Illuzion for the first time. I went to the 7th and Park liquor store and bought a 6 bottle pack of Sapporo, for $8.50. $8.50! I stopped by the dry cleaner to get my clothes at Sarah Cleaners. The girl who works there (is it Sarah? Or is Sarah the owner and she doesn't work the place?) is Korean and extremely nice. She has the most adorable Yorkie named Asia, that I love to play with each time I go in there.

I was holding my six pack and she said, "It has been a long day I need a drink too!" I replied, "Yea why don't you come back to my place and I will give you a cup of Furey..."

I kid! I kid!

No, I mentioned how I was going to order sushi and the first thing she said was, "Maru!" and gestured towards Washington Street.

Ah, yes, Maru. The red headed stepchild of Hoboken sushi. Before the recent influx of japanese restaurants, Maru has always been the quiet favorite amongst the established Hoboken resident. I never really went there because i'm your typical Gen X - we like the trendy looking places over the non-trendy. Sushi Lounge was, well, cool. Flat screen TV's and black glossy bar with a great soundsystem playing house music. I was drawn into that place like a fly on sugar.

Maru was stodgy and old. Like the defunct Tamura II - it just didn't visually appeal to me. So I never went to that restaurant. In the last year or so, I noticed that they actually renovated their interior, and it wasn't on the same level as Sushi Lounge, it looked much nicer inside.

Once Sarah (?) mentioned Maru, I decided to give them a try again.

I did go to Maru once before. The first time I tried Maru I was passing by the restaurant one night and dedided to try it. I saw an absolutely gorgeous girl sitting in the window, who was waiting for sushi and talking on a cell phone. I wanted her - and I wanted sushi, so I went in to order. Sadly the cell phone girl was engrossed in her conversation and I didn't get to chat her up. My second strike was that this night that one of their chefs called out sick. I literally sat there for 30 minutes for a takeout order of a sushi deluxe. I wasn't happy on both counts and I really wasn't impressed with my sushi order.

But I usually give restaurants a second chance. I learned in my days of restaurant reviews for Hobokeni - that you really shouldn't go to a restaurant once and try to write a review. Businesses are like people - they can have good nights or bad nights.

I went home, iced down the Sapporo and ordered from Maru over the phone. My order was delivered 30 minutes later, and i'm trying to think the best way to describe this...

It was absolutely fucking God damn ridiculously delicious.

Yes, I just took the Lord's name in vain. I'm sorry, it had to be done.

Holy shit (there I go again), what the fuck just happened? This was dee-lic-ious (that's three syllables people). I was in 7th Heaven with that takeout order, drinking my $1.50 Sapporo and watching TV while tapping my feet and wolfing down the fish.

Farewell, Robongi! I loved ya, babe, but I have a new takeout lover in my life.

If you haven't tried Maru, well, make sure you try it soon:
Hours - (Please confirm) Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-10:30pm, Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10pm
Address - 219 Washington St
Telephone - (201) 798-3311

Free Advice: Never order fish on a Monday. I always get sushi on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday for good reason - that is usually when you have the best chances to get FRESH fish.

On the other side of the Hudson, I try, in vain to explain why Hoboken is a great town to live in. Most of the reactions I get vary from feigned amusement to outright derision for anything associated with New Jersey.

I know where that is coming from. I lived outside Philadelphia and we used to think the same think about "people from Jersey". Making fun of a Jersey resident was like an Englishman making fun of someone from Poland - there was always a good joke waiting to make fun of those people because of some air of superiority that is assumed.

If you talk to anyone from New York City, especially Manhattan, there is a chip on their shoulder attitude that most have. They could be from Topeka, Kansas and lived in Manhattan for 2 years, but they were a "New Yorker" now because they saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in concert before anyone else and go to Magnolia Bakery on Saturdays, while walking their puggle in the West Village, plus talking on their black RAZR cell phone, and pushing their Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico Stroller with their colorful "garden boots".

Can Hoboken be compared to Manhattan? Of course not. Manhattan is enormous, with so many different neighborhoods, from the likes of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, The Village, SoHo, NoHo, Murray Hill and Hell's Kitchen. I wouldn't even dare to throw Hoboken to the wolves and think we contend.

There are plenty of negatives about Hoboken, but i'm here to list a few positives, that are things I like...

1. I like being able to go into New York and then come home to Hoboken. It is just "less busy" to me. I feel like when I walk around the New York sidewalks I need to be going somewhere.

2. I like the girls around here. Plain and simple. Every day I take the PATH train to work, go to the bars around town, or workout at the gym (ok, to be honest my gym time has been bad as of late) I constantly see beautiful women that are "my type".

3. One of my past times before the blog was writing restaurant reviews for Hobokeni. I would go to the restaurant, have a meal, pay for it and then interview the owners afterwards for a "guy on the street" perspective of their establishment. I wasn't trying to come off with phony pretenses or false airs, I was just a regular guy writing a review. I love the restaurants we have in town, there are so many great places to choose from Japanese to Italian to Indian to Chinese to classic American. Aside from Frankie and Jonnie's - I think Hoboken could use a quality steakhouse (Arthur's is very average), I dream of the day "Peter Luger: Hoboken" opens.

4. I like my car. I may only use it twice a month for a weekend getaway, but I lived without a car for years and still missed having the freedom to go where I want when I wanted. Sure, its an added expense, but try renting a parking spot in New York City, it is about triple of what you would pay in Hoboken. Or you can just park on the street, as long as if you move the car every week and it costs $10 for a year long parking pass.

5. Festivals. I can't count them all but Hoboken has about 5-6 block parties a year. Arts & Music Festival is the most popular - and that is run twice a year in the summer. We have our own St. Patrick's Day Parade, and it's a blast.

6. The People. I like everyone I meet around here. There is a great community that Hoboken has, from people who have been long time residents to the newcomers who want to contribute to the town. More often than not I find myself using the term "down to earth" when describing someone who lives in Hoboken. We get a lot of down to earth people around here, and it seems that the snobby/class A types are over in Manhattan. They can stay there, thanks.

7. One of the best skylines across the water. Hey, I love New York City, too. I just like living in Hoboken and one of the best parts of my day is my walk home from the PATH station, along the Hudson, and looking at the New York City skyline. It's picturesque, and on certain nights when the moon is just right, almost magical. You really feel like you are living next to the seat of the civilized world, what it must have felt like to been living in or around Rome 2,000 years ago.

People always ask me, "Why don't you move into New York city?". My #1 reason is that my rent is fairly inexpensive, and i'd rather use the money I save renting to treat myself in whatever way I choose. I have a lot of purchase power every month by saving about $800-1,000 by not living in New York. I can do just about anything a New Yorker can do - I can go to the same shows, plays, bars, clubs and restaurants. I have the PATH train which runs all night to take me home, just like if I were living in Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx.

When I started this website, I was going to call it The Sixth Borough, thesixthborough.com - but the variations of that name were all taken by other sites. I really do feel like Hoboken is the real sixth borough to New York, but we are like the Rodney Dangerfield of boroughs - we get no respect.

Maybe the day will change when that happens. With the standard websites like Hobokeni.com and the latest one, RealHoboken.com, I think a lot of opinions about this town are slowly changing over the years. Sure, we aren't going to be in the same stratospehere as Manhattan, but we certainly just can't be considered "Jersey". We are more like New York Jersey.

Before anyone from New York reads this and says, "Wait, New York is so much better...". Yes, you win. But Hoboken certainly is a great little town for those of us who do like it around here.

For years I lived in Hoboken without a car. All of my trips back to Philadelphia were on the train from Newark. One year, my sister and brother in law offered me their used 1993 Volvo for about $7,000 and I was free to drive anywhere I wanted at anytime I wanted.

Then I realized what I didn't miss about driving - traffic.

If you are like me, and take frequent trips out of town on the holidays and happen to arrive near the Holland Tunnel around peak driving times, it is always backed up. For years I used to sit in this traffic, and would always wonder if there was a back street way to drive into Hoboken via Jersey City. I was a bit afraid of getting off the highway and making a wrong turn - and ending up in an episode of "COPS", if you know what I mean.

This is what I call the "Secret Entrance" into Hoboken if you are coming from out of town. For years I didn't know about this, and it wasn't until trial and error that I found out about using this route into Hoboken. Maybe you already know about it, and if you do, congratulations! If you don't, well, I hope it serves you well, it easily will shave off a good 10-30 minutes of sitting in traffic at the Holland Tunnel light (depending on traffic).

1. After you pass exit 14B, heading towards exit 14C, and you pass the final set of tolls, there will be an exit marked "Jersey City / Columbus Drive". Take that exit into Jersey City.

2. Go down the offramp, and thru the first light. The road will come to a curved "T" section, with traffic directed right or a stop sign for those going left. Follow it to the right onto Columbus Drive. Go to the second light.

3. At the second light is Monmouth Street. Make a left on to Monmouth.

4. Follow Monmouth 14 blocks to 14th Street (remember, this is Jersey City's 14th street). Make a right at 14th street. You will notice that just before you get to 14th street, you drive under a few overpasses: it's all the tunnel traffic above you!

5. At 14th, you make a first left on to Coles St. Ahead of you, there will be the large white building that says "American Self Storage". On Coles, you drive four blocks to 18th street.

6. On 18th, you make a right (if you can go left here, it would take you to the Storage building) and the first light you come to, a block away, you make a left on to Jersey Avenue.

7. As soon as you do that - you will see the turn on to Newark Avenue and the large "Welcome to Hoboken" bridge.
   

There are other ways and other roads, that i'm sure to get comments or emails about - but this is certainly the best way to also avoid any lights and I believe the quickest way, too. I used to take Columbus Drive to Washington Street (Jersey City's Washington Street) and that has a trillion lights and takes far longer than my "secret" route.

I guess it's not a secret anymore!

*Oh technically this is also a trick to bypassing all the traffic waiting at the offramp. Instead of making a left on to Jersey Avenue, you can make a right and the second light make a left to the Holland Tunnel, which will be right in front of you. Unless you like waiting in line on the ramp...

Anyone else notice the syrupy smell on their PATH ride this morning?

Aside from the normal smells of urine, rat hair and too much cologne, I could easily smell a sweet smell, much like Mrs. Butterworth herself was sitting next to me.

It started as soon as I sat down on the train in Hoboken and continued the whole time to 33rd street.

There has already been reports in the last couple of weeks about that odd syrup smell. I noticed it weeks ago, across the water in Hoboken.

I asked a few people on the train if they smelled syrup and they all had the same abashed reaction and sheepishly agreed with me.

Anyone have any idea what it could be?

The ice cream and pastry shop, Crema Lita, opened on Friday in Hoboken on the corner of 5th and Washington. Since it was a blustry autumn day I opted to hold off on trying their ice cream, but did buy some of their SoHo bakery cupcakes. Very tasty, but not sure if they are worth $1.90 each.

I was able to meet Ms. Kim, the owner and thanked her profusely for not opening up a Nail Salon, Sushi Restaurant or Real Estate office.

I worked at Dipper's when it first opened, changing from Dooley's to its present form. One of the creepy aspects to the job was its basement, which was very old. It was so old that it has a brick coal storage room that extends to the present day Washington street. Every time I used to work late nights alone at the bar, closing up was always very eerie. Sounds, noises and cold feelings would play tricks on me and I remarked to a few people how much I didn't like being in the bar alone.

It turns out that other people working there described similar feelings of dread, and we all started to think the bar was haunted. No one ever saw anything, but you would get that feeling that someone is watching you. Your skin would get the chills and goose bumps are common. No one has seen anything, and there is only one story that I have heard from someone working there.

Chris was working at the bar late one night, closing the bar and finishing work on the register. Tall Heather was there with him, at the end of the bar having a drink. From how the story was told to me, Chris was occupied doing his work but caught on the corner of his eye, a movement at the end of the bar where Heather sat. A pen flew into the air, off the bar, and landed on the floor. Heather didn't touch the pen. Chris certainly didn't throw the pen. It just went into the air and on to the ground on its own. Both of them were very perplexed about the situation and jokingly said the ghost must have moved it.

So imagine my surprise when I was looking at the digital photos from last Saturday night. The cloud was smoke blown from a patron next to me. But look AT the cloud. I see a skull in the cloud, do you? I didn't alter this image in any way, nor did I do any photoshopping here. I think it is pretty freaky.

Here were the 1st and 2nd place winners of our costume contest. On the left is Al & Peg Bundy. On the right is a biker guy (no, he really is in costume, we know how he normally dresses and he looked amazing). Congrats to both!

Chris dressed up as a beer bottle, he looked hilarious. Also had some good lines whenever he would say something sarcastic..."Hey, it's just the beer talking..."

I got this from a friend of mine...yes I have one or two...

Is it October already? Well then, here we go again for one of my favorite legal activities...THE DC'S TAVERN SATURDAY RECORD SWAP! Four times a year we try to make everyone happy like drunken Santa's with our sacks filled with vinyl. And a one, a two, a three "...our sacks filled with vinyl!" That's enough comic relief for one email. Eating & drinking with vinyl swapping, selling, and buying just like a 70's Swingers Porn.

Saturday October 15th - 1/2PM - 8PM (We've been known to go later.)
DC's Tavern
"Back In Back"
505 8th Street (Between Jefferson and Madison)
Hoboken NJ
For More Info:
phone: 201-792-5550
www.dcstavern.com
email: dcs@dcstavern.com

Go to DC's and then make sure you come and see me at Dipper's this Saturday night afterwards. I'll be rocking out my new "80's Arena Rock" mix (Cheap Trick, Journey, REO Speedwagon and more) sometime that night.

Finally someone woke up and said, "Perhaps we should install lights at the most congested part of Hoboken?"

I don't know how much good they will do, since people blindly cross the intersection anyhow. But at least it's a start.

My hair and I have quite a history.

Back when I was in NROTC at Villanova, I had the high and tight hair, parted on the side. Once the program was terminated, I grew my hair long, went to Italy and came back as Eurotrash. Then I cut it for graduation, since my parents pleaded with me to do this.

When I moved up to town, a co-worker told me about a place on 22nd and First called Sigfrido's. I loved this place, it was an italian barber shop, open 7:30am to 6pm Monday thru Saturday. I think a haircut was $12, and they did the hot shaving cream and straight edge shave, too.

Then, I got a roommate from London named John, in 1999, and it was downhill from there. Sad to say, but he was the first guy I saw with the "bedhead" haircut. I was a fan, and knew that my italian barbers wouldn't have any idea what i'm talking about.

I have two rules when I shop for things - one, I like to buy the best I can. Two, I want to be as efficient as possible when I shop.

This was true for choosing a new place to get my haircut. I did a few internet searches on Metro New York. I really couldn't decide on a place, and finally broke down and chose Vidal Sassoon and met a great stylist named Barbara.

Yes, I know i'm going to get grief over this. We all spend money on what is important to us but frivilous to others. Clothes, hair, golf, food, wine, cars, PS2 games, whatever.

Expensive? Very. Great hair cut, loved it. Barbara was a cool woman, older - used to be in the punk rock scene at CBGB's in the 80's and had great stories.

I went to her for the last 5 years and each year Vidal kept upping the price of a haircut. As a guy paying for the haircut and tip every 5 weeks drains your wallet after a while.

I decided to try something local. But, i'm not the kind of guy that is going to go to Supercuts and get my hair trimmed by a pimply 17 year old kid from North Bergen who secretly hates yuppies.

I discreetly asked around to some guy friends about where they get their hair cut.

As a guy, have you ever tried to ask ANOTHER guy where they get their haircut? It's breaking all sorts of hetero-guy rules. I may as well say, "Hey did you see the score of the Giants game...and by the way your ass looks great in those jeans, Bob!"

Alright. Maybe it's not that bad. You just have to make sure you ask someone you know.

If you are a guy who doesn't relate to my story, see if Sigfrido's is still open, 212-475-9513, and get a $12 buzz cut there (don't forget to tip!). If you are a guy who relates to my dilemma, I have a place for you in Hoboken to try: Mad One Jacks.

A friend of mine has started a dog walking business. Her name is Kathleen and if you have a pooch in town that needs an hour walk a day - this is your girl.

I have known her for the better part of a year and met her through The Philadelphia Eagles Club of Hoboken. But she gives the same kind of good lovin' to all dogs - even those that are Giant fans. :)

Know someone in Hoboken or Jersey City that needs their dog walked daily? She plays with the dogs and sends me emails about each of her little fellas that she walks. I'm jealous, it sounds like fun. Now if I could get a 401K and healthcare benefits, I just might quit my day job.

Of course, for her its fun NOW - just wait until winter, Kathleen!

I'm not sure on her rates, but if you shoot her an email: wardk66@yahoo.com - she certainly can talk to you about it.

I decided this week to treat myself to one of my favorite ways to indulge myself - with a massage. I'm a fan of massages, head rubs or back scratches. Any of my ex-girlfriends can attest to this. I will return the favor, and I think i'm fairly good at it.

I had to decide where in Hoboken to get a massage, and there are many places you can get one. I chose Spa H, formerly known as River Spa (3 months after River Spa opened another spa trademarked the name "River Spa"). I chose the spa for two reasons:

1. It was bright, clean and new. The facility just opened less than a year ago and the design is much like Club H's environment. I have been to some massage parlors in the city that, while cheap, had each "booth" just seperated by a curtain. I wasn't interested in hearing someone next to me get a massage.

2. Club H members get 10% off all services. The massage, normally $90 - was only $81 with the discount. For all the money I pay at Club H - it's nice to get a break for being a member.

I could go into fanciful details about the massage, but it was just as expected. An hour long massage. I chose a Swedish massage, but in retrospect I probably should have gotten a deep tissue massage. I am very tight and sore from working out 4 days a week, plus it really felt great to get my injured leg worked on.

I did talk to my massage therapist and decided to ask her some straightforward questions about her job. I figured that i'd share them with you, so that the rest of Hoboken can learn a thing or two from your friendly neighborhood massage therapists.

1. They are massage therapists, not a masseurs or masseuses. I learned this because I was about to ask Amanda, the massage therapist, her advice on "good" clients and began by saying "As a masseuse...". As soon as I said those three words, I could immediately tell I used the wrong words. We had been chatting amiciably during the massage, and it was a small and slight change in the vibe I got from her that I knew I used the wrong word. I immediately corrected myself and said "Wait - do you guys call yourselves that? What's the proper term". She informed me that a "masseuse" is a bit of a deragatory word which categorizes her profession, but also those that would be found in the back pages of the Village Voice - if you know what I mean. Massage Therapists prefer not to be called a "masseuse". Learn from Furey.

2. Tipping is important. As a bartender, and working as a waiter during my adolescent summers at Ocean City, I learned about how important it was to tip properly. I paid $81 for a massage. If I was at dinner, and had an $81 dollar meal, I would have tipped about $15-20, depending on the service and quality of the meal. The same is true for a massage. If you get a massage, expect to tip in the same range. A $5 tip isn't cutting it, folks.

3. Take your happy endings and shove it. While writing this I was expecting a few snarky emails on Monday asking "Did ya get a happy ending - har har har...". Massage Therapists are performing a job to help you. Guys, no matter how great the massage was, they aren't there for you to hit on them. If you happen to see your massage therapist in a bar, hey, buy 'em a drink - and try to impress them about how much money you make or what kind of car you drive. But at Spa H, or any spa, let the professionals perform their jobs.

4. Hygiene is important. If you just had a big workout - TAKE A SHOWER BEFORE YOU GET A MASSAGE. That means, soap, water and a washcloth. Amanda told me how some people don't exfoliate their skin and during the massage the skin peels off and gets under her nails. How disgusting! It is simply considerate to make sure you don't smell like a New York City cab driver or are sweating like Michael Jackson at a nursery school before you get a massage.

5. Get there early. If you make an appointment for 7pm, try to be there 6:50pm. Massage Therapists are on a schedule. They have clients every hour, so if you are late - that means less blissful massaging for you. Also, that backs up their other appointments if they do give you the full hour. Again, it's another simple way that you, as a client, can be considerate towards the massage therapist, who is trying to give you the very best experience possible.

I thought the massage was good, but at $81, it certainly isn't inexpensive. For the same price, I can get a similar massage in New York City. If you are living in Hoboken, you kind of expect that services around here would be a bit less expensive than the city.

I told Amanda that there were two types of people who lived in Hoboken: Those that love the town or those that can't afford New York. Those that can't afford New York are probably the same people who are poor tippers. They aren't going to shell out $90 for a massage but when they do, they would be the type to skimp on a tip. They are the same people who tip $1 after making them 3 mixed drinks and a Cosmo.

I'm always interested in your comments and emails. If anyone has another spa for me to try - let me know where I should be going for a good massage.

See, now if you read about Hop Devil a few weeks ago you would have been on the inside track to the cool beers that are out there. News is out from Philly.com that Hop Devil earned the #14 spot on the "Best 100 in the World".

Read the article here.

Since now that I have been confirmed as the King Of All Knowledge, here are my other ideas for Hoboken (if you are a member of Hobokenchat, you may have seen my rants before on similar topics):

1) Someone build a Taco Bell. I tried Mission Burrito, Fresh Tortillas and Qdoba. The're ok. But I want that cruchy goodness of a Taco Bell. Tell me this place wouldn't clean up if they were open 24 hours? Yes, I know about the Taco Bell Express at the train station and No, it never counted. It wasn't a real Taco Bell.

2) Open J. Crew or Banana Republic. No one likes going to the Newport Mall - it's crap. Garden State Plaza is too far. You know that your target yuppies are here. Anyone know that old bank with the granite facade which is three doors down from The Planet (to the right)? Perfect location for this store.

3) Start making The Arts & Music Festival about Hoboken. There are a lot of talented local musicians (Has anyone listed to the Jazz performers at Scotland Yard?) that I would want to see on stage. I don't understand why the powers that be find these has-been acts to clog our stages. The festival should be about those local artists and musicians. I'd ask Chris Burkhardt from Bama Galleries in Hoboken to help with the art part of the festival, myself. I'm sure the guys at Whiskey Bar or Maxwell's Bar might have a better bead on the local performers that can really rock the stages.

4) Once a month churches should give back to town. Hear me out here. I was once a religious person. I did CCD and all that. Once a month, instead of boring your masses by singing hymns and telling them they are sinful bastards - why not organize 1 hour to helping the community. Tell all your parishoners that next Sunday that instead of mass - we are going to use our 1 hour to try and make our corner of the world a better place? How about an adopt-a-unit campaign for our soldiers in Iraq? Each parishoner gets a soldier as a "buddy" - who they write to, telling them "Thank you for making our world safe" and seeing if we can send them a care package to make them happier while they protect our freedoms? I mean how many "Our Fathers" do we need to get into Heaven, anyhow?

5) Repeal the restrictions on bars. I think the limit on the number of bars you can build in town is horseshit. It figures that Mayor Roberts, who owns East LA, wants to limit the number of bars that can open up. It allows his shithole to have less competition. Also jacks up the prices of crappy bars that are out there, since the owners know that someone with a better idea can't just open up a new bar on Washington St. Sure, we can open up sushi bars, nail salons, real estate agencies and banks to our hearts content but can't open a bar (unless you follow the bizarre restrictions set forth by our city hall)?

6) Lower the Hoboken train station. Build on top of it. It seems a terrible waste that there isn't a better link between Jersey City and Hoboken. Imagine if the train station was underground, and you could build a beautiful park on top of it? Wouldn't that keep all the people who keep yelling for more parks happy? The park would be huge. Of course I don't know how we can PAY for this, but i'm an 'idea man', dammit!

7) Steal my idea - coffee shop by day & bar at night. During the day - you just serve coffee, tea, snacks like a Starbucks geared towards the stay at home moms & the stroller set. Once 9pm hits, the urns shut off and the bar opens up for the drinkers.

8) My million dollar idea: In this age where we single people have become increasingly isolated, there should be a better system to let someone know you are interested in them. Oh sure, all your coupled friends talk about how EASY it is to walk up to strangers and hit on them - until they become single again and whine how hard it has become. I was thinking of some kind of way you could combine match.com with your cell phone's blue tooth. So, let's say you are at a bar and see a cute girl. You casually walk by, click the "#" key when you are in range of her cell phone. The bluetooth from your phone talks to the bluetooth on hers - and if she's single, your phone then connects to the match.com site and you can read her profile & then walk up to her with, "Hey you went to school in Virginia - me, too." as your opening line. If she isn't single, your phone will just display "In A Relationship", and then you don't have to bother her. Of course vice versa for ladies out there who see a cute guy. This idea could work anywhere - on a bus, the gym, work, walking down the street (how many times have you seen a cute girl or guy and wondered if they were single?). Plus match.com (and other sites) need to allow a search function which only displays the area code of "07030". Lets see all the single people in Hoboken, not 1 mile away in New York.

9) There needs to be a law passed at Club H (or other gyms) to stop the following: loud gum snapping, singing while you work out, talking on your cell phone at all, staring at women while they workout, lifting heavy weights with terrible form, or wearing wedding rings (or any jewelery) while you work out.

10) The Hoboken Reporter should reach out to local bloggers and writers for adding their commentary to the newspaper. We do it for free - all you would need to do is fix all my spelling mistakes and credit our sites.

I'm really looking foward to my delivery from FreshDirect on Saturday. I'm very curious about the service and I expect to write up a nice little review on my order for the site and those interested in the quality of the food.

Randy sent me an email when I got into work on Monday:

"After reading your website and seeing your schedule for Dippers' hosting of the Eagles I noticed that you are not doing a pre-seaon. Since I have yet to go to a local official Steeler bar I wanted to invite you to join me at Texas-Arizona to see the Eagles get smashed by my Pittsburgh Steelers."

Why not? The Steelers Club of Hoboken has been going in town for 5 years, and from what I heard they are packed every Sunday during the year. Plus it's pre-season, and I figured it would be fun.

In retrospect, I learned a lot of things from this experience:

1) When I walked in, there were easily 40 Steeler fans there. Every barstool and table was occupied by someone in yellow and black. I was impressed for the turnout for just a preseason game.

2) Texas Arizona has excellent buffalo wings. The food is delicious. My only grief is that the service is SLOW. It took 30 minutes for me to get those wings - I figured i'd get a buyback or something. Nada.

3) They have a Steelers fan who DJs for free at the bar. Before the game he is pumping the crowd up with your typical songs that they would play at the stadium and during the commerical breaks during the game - they turn the sound off the TVs and play a song. What a great idea. Time to load up the IPOD with, "Fly Eagles Fly", and some commerical break songs.

4) Every touchdown they play a Steelers variation of "The Pennsylvania Polka" (remember the song from "Groundhog Day?"). They play this song after the touchdown - and during the commericals. I hate polka. It sounds like it was invented by drunk retards who couldn't play real instruments. People may hate the Eagles song - but thankfully it lasts like 30-45 seconds? This polka song is beyond annoying - it ran for at least 5 minutes - I thank God that no one made an Eagles variation. Holy shit. After the 4th Steeler touchdown I was ready to buy a sniper rifle and find a watertower.

5) There are some hot Steeler girls at Texas Arizona. Wow. If I met a girl who was a Steeler fan, I certainly could date them because they were an AFC team - plus anyone from Pennsylvania is cool in my book. She just better hate polka, too. If I met a girl that was a diehard Dallas or Giants fan - I don't think I could date her. I'm serious. I don't hate the Redskins as much, but I wouldn't be happy. I mean - could a diehard Yankee fan date a diehard Red Sox fan?! I'm not talking casual fairweather fans here. Think about it.

6) Texas Arizona has 10 stunning flat screen TVs with HD satellite reception. Crystal clear picture. It was like Ben Roethlisberger's nose was jumping off the screen. After watching the game I was really interested in getting a flat screen TV & hoping never to see a close up of Ben's greasy face again. No offense Steeler fans, but if you slapped a pair of overalls on Ben & handed him a banjo he would look like he belongs on the cast of Deliverance 2: Electric Banjaloo.

7) For those in the club last year - think we had energy? The Steeler fans were right up there with us. Cheering, clapping, singing and high-fiving the whole game. During the regular season, I heard that they have wall-to-wall fans who go bonkers. Last night I would cheer when the Eagles scored, but much like if I was sitting at Giants Stadium - I made sure that I wasn't obnoxious about it. If you know me well enough you will know this did take a supreme act of willpower to remain silent.

8) Like the Eagles club - 75% of the Steeler fans left at half-time. Monday night football is a tough draw. I bet these are the same people who leave a game early to "beat traffic". You pansies.

9) Randy and Tina were 1 hour late - showing up just after 9pm. I was ready to chew on broken glass at that point, with Steeler fans breakdancing around me and listening to them try and clap to their polka songs. I see that white people from Pittsburgh don't have much rythym.

10) At kickoff, I turn to one of the Steeler fans and tell them i'm an Eagles fan and run the club in town. Eagles first posession - interception - TD and after they get done cheering and singing the gay polka song I turn to him and say, "I guess I shouldn't have admitted that." I also had to correct everyone I met that I run the CLUB, and we aren't associated with Scotland Yard.

My thoughts for the game itself (and this is before reading the Eagles website or Philly.com):

1) Anyone think the Eagles miss Ike Reese? I agree that one player isn't a whole team - but he was the leader of that group. They have 4 weeks to fix that coverage.

2) Wow, what a crappy way to start a game with a horrendous pass that gets returned for a TD. Reminded me of the Giants/Eagles playoff game 4 years ago when Ron Dixon returned the kickoff for a TD. Just knocks the wind out of your sails.

3) 21 points on special teams/interceptions. Steelers didn't do squat offensively with the 1st team.

4) The first drive for a touchdown should be what Eagles fans take away from the game? McMullen (4-59), Brown (5-52) and Lewis (3-28) looked terrific. There wasn't one error in that drive. It was crisp and professional - I think that the first fears of, "We can't win without TO (0-0)" should be soothed. Lets see how these guys do the next 3 games.

5) Who would you rather be the #2 QB? Koy (5-10-1, 59 yards) or McMahon (8-11-0, 73 yards)?

6) Everyone talks how Moats (6-22)is a little guy - loved both his touchdowns, he was barreling & bouncing thru defenders.

7) Contract extension for Westbrook who rushed 4 times for 5 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards? Hmmm.

8) The offensive line looked, at times, like they belonged in a Pop Warner league. We may have some fresh talent there but boy were there some missed assignments.

9) I'm happy there are no major injuries!!!!!

10) ESPN did a terrible job with covering the game last night. This is the future of Monday night football? God help us.

Yes, so we lost. Realistically the blame was on special teams that we lost the game. Otherwise the first team Eagles defense looked crisp. The offense clicked after an initial mistake. Just be happy this wasn't the first real game of the season.

Last Saturday I had the chance to take a few pictures inside The Dubliner, a new bar opening up where Gerrino's used to be at 96 River Street. A friend of mine is doing some of the electrical work inside the bar and it looks spectactular. Like many of the new renovations and constructed bars in town - it's laden with flat screen TV's and new interior designs.

Unlike many of the new incantations of bars and lounges in our town - The Dubliner is the best of many worlds. They have three floors, each designed a bit differently to satistfy the fickle taste of every young Hobokenite.

The first floor is more like a quiet pub lounge. The music is a bit lower, so you can easily chat with friends or a date. The second floor is a bit more open, with a DJ booth, great sound system and a pool table. The third floor, orginally Skybar, will soon be an open air Tiki Lounge, open "as many months as possible" during the year - possibly even New Years Eve, if the owners can swing it.

I spoke to Aiden Boyle, the owner on Saturday night. He also owns a popular irish pub, McSwiggan's on 1st and Bloomfield. He stressed how the bar is still a work in progress, and that the official opening of The Dubliner is still about a month away - they expect the offical opening to be mid September. They have some very creative ideas brewing for the opening, I won't give too many details away - but it involves a theatric "Irish Wake" and an open bar for we patrons who attend the wake. I'll provide details when the date draws closer.

There are two kind of bar owners in town - those just out to make a buck and those that really enjoy the business of a tavern. Aiden, like many other pub owners, reminds me of the latter. He is filled with ideas on how he wants to make a bar that keeps as many patrons as happy as possible.

Keeping patrons happy, and coming back to the bar is up to the bartenders behind the bar. One thing I have learned is that two things make a bar - the bar itself and the people working there. You have an unruly staff who serve with mock sincerity or downright arrogance - it doesn't matter how popular your bar is, there will be people who won't want to go there. While talking to Aiden, I also got to meet with Walter and Rob (see picture, Walter is the taller one) - two really great bartenders in my humble opinion. They were charismatic and friendly, and Walter, being a season veteran of bars (he owned one in Staten Island), was on the same page with me on how to treat customers.

I'm really impressed with what I have seen at the bar so far. The first floor and second floor are mostly completed, with some extra work happening over the next few weeks. The 3rd floor should be ready by the grand opening. The bar is open for business, but like I said - it is still under some construction so it is not a finished product.

They also have a bar menu right now, and from what I hear the food is really delicious - especially The Dubliner Burger (8 oz of grade A ground beef grilled with melted cheese, bacon and onion served with fries for $9). There are also some tasty looking soups, salads, appetizers (wings, fingers and skins) along with sandwiches and wraps. Not one thing was more expensive than $9.

Maybe one night you want to get dressed up and hit Nine, the new lounge on Washington street - and the next night you want to kick back and drink a few under the stars at The Dubliner. Absolutely worth going to check out and I like what I see so far.

Living here for the last 9 years, there are a few quirks about Hoboken, that the regular newcomer may not know about. These are just a few of my random thoughts on the subject, and what applies to me, may not apply to you and should be read if you have a fucking sense of humor. Please, really, save the angry emails. ;)

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.

3. Everyone in Hoboken gossips. They gossip in every small town in America, just get used to it.

4. If you are single, you have two choices: a) Go out in New York to meet people or b) Make a pub your "local" (a regular pub you visit at least once a week and tip the bartenders well so they take care of you) to make friends and network.

5. If are a girl, you must have a cell phone. You must blab constantly on the cell phone in a very loud voice outdoors. Even if you don't have friends, just talk to yourself with your cell phone in your ear.

6. Every guy needs to get the "Jeans and Button Down Shirt" uniform, otherwise known as The Man Suit. Its the only look that you can wear when visiting Trinity, Lua or Madison's.

7. If you are a guy and are in a gym, you can only work out your upper body because women like that "thin chicken leg with a ripped upper body" look.

8. Realize that all your neighbors will be bastards. They will be very loud when they are closing doors, walking up stairs or playing bocce ball on their hardwood floors at 3am on a Wednesday morning. No matter how nicely you ask them to be quiet, they won't listen to you and its your fault that you didn't rent the top floor apartment, not theirs.

9. Are you a dog lover? Conformity rules in Hoboken, make sure you get the same dog everyone else has: The Pug - for single women, gay men or women in a relationship who have their poor boyfriends walk them. The Labrador - for the yuppies with one baby. The Jack Russell Terrier - For guys who get dogs to meet women and give them to the shelter after they realize that JRT's are neurotic like them. Anyone who doesn't own those 3 dogs owns a hound that is very expensive to make up for it.

10. You will live 15 minutes from New York, most Hobokenites haven't visited the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty or any of the amazing museums. Almost everyone has been to Jake's Dilemma, however.

11. When in New York City and you negotiate a yellow cab ride back to Hoboken the cost is $35. Just agree to $35 before the ride starts and if he gives you grief, don't give in and pay more - you will fuck it up for the rest of us. If you are hot girl, you can get a lower price than us guys.

12. If you like any sports team that isn't from New York City, you are fucked. Sports reporters here suck ass and only talk as if the New York teams are the only teams that exist on the planet. Hey fuck it if the Philadelphia Eagles are ruling the season in December - lets talk about Derek Jeter and the Yanks! Oh, but the reporters here are happy to talk about your team when there is controversy.

13. Hoboken and NYC is the bandwagon capital of the universe. See anyone wearing a Knicks jersey? Nope. Wait until they start playing good and everyone crawls out of the woodwork with a new jersey.

14. Fashion in Hoboken is a joke, every girl wears the same "must have" fashion accessory of the moment. Right now its the Jackie O big ass ugly sunglass look or the "fruity-galoshes-that-I-would-have-worn-in-3rd-grade" look (when it rains).

15. Remember its not about saving money, its about making people believe you have money in Hoboken. Lease a BMW. Rent an expensive apartment. Buy designer clothing on your mommy and daddy's credit card or max out your own. A savings account? What's that?!

16. Any girl that tells you she is a grade-school teacher or works in Human Resources you can immediately translate into: "I'm waiting to meet a husband and be a stay at home mom".

17. Any guy who works "On the Street" or wears a suit out to Madison's on Tuesday nights (seriously guys - you can go home and change) will cheat on you at the drop of a hat.

18. Diet and exercise? Hah! It's cocaine, ephedrine or steroids in Hoboken!

19. If you own a home in town, you don't want more construction, because it will depreciate the price of your poorly constructed overpriced condo or brownstone. If you don't own a home in town, get used to the fact that everything is overpriced and poorly constructed.

20. You will make many friends in Hoboken until they meet a special other and then they disappear.

21. Most single Hobokenites get a shore house during the summers, unless they despise what they look like in a bathing suit or their parents own a place near the beach.

22. Bartenders really don't like you. They act like they like you. They really just want to make you think they like you to get you to visit their bar and tip them. As soon as you stop tipping them, they will stop liking you.

23. Hot single girls don't stay single for very long. When a new girl starts hanging out at your local - its like throwing chum into a shark tank - you better be the first guy to ask her out lest some loser gets to her first.

24. Hot single guys are always single. At least when their girlfriends aren't around.

25. Vito's Deli is a great deli - the hero specials they have up each weekend are delicious. They really need to make the London Broil with Mutz a regular sandwich, and not a special.

26. Politics is a big, big part of Hoboken. Before moving here I couldn't tell you who was mayor of my hometown, let alone any council people. Like I said before, its a small town so everyone talks about what the city government is doing with their money.

27. Sinatra was born here, but if you ask anyone where - no one really knows.

28. Girls like to dance in nice bars. This is why Madison's is popular and Dipper's isn't. It takes a special breed of women who enjoy pubs, and usually they are the most interesting ones to talk to.

29. Self worth is important to many Hobokenites. Some people define it with money (cars, clothes) or relationships (it doesn't matter who you are dating, as long as if you are dating) or school (Ivy League!) or status (summer in the Hamptons, dinners at Tao, drinks at SoHo House).

30. Two types of yuppies live in Hoboken: People who love Hoboken and people who can't afford NYC.

31. Going out in Hoboken isn't about meeting people. You get a circle of friends on the rooftop of City Bistro, only talk to them and look at everyone else there and don't talk to them.

32. In Hoboken every holiday has some event to get drunk.

33. BnR's hate yuppies, but are more than happy to make money off them.

34. It still boggles my mind that a J. Crew, Gap or Banana Republic haven't opened a store in Hoboken. It also boggles my mind that a Taco Bell hasn't opened here either.

36. Do not buy candy from the kids on Washington street, you aren't helping anyone. Every candy you buy means that more kids will invade the streets to bug us while we are trying to walk home.

37. Traffic lights are for cars AND pedestrians. Before you cross any street on Washington, look at the god damn light, you idiots.

38. Anyone caught by the police uriniating in public should have their face rubbed in it, like a dog, along with the fine. This also includes people who walk their dogs and don't clean up the dog crap on the sidewalks.

39. People enter the PATH train on the opposite side of the tracks, so they can get a seat first. Just realize that there are a lot of selfish people in Hoboken.

40. If you are single and under 35 and your weekend is about staying indoors and not going out to socialize - move to Jersey City or Weehawkin, please.

Here is a new website about Hoboken. It could be called "Hoboken.com Ex-Writer Site": http://www.realhoboken.com/

The writers are all very creative and interesting, I enjoyed reading their entries on hoboken.com. Joe Concha, love him or hate him, is one of the co-owners and will have his commentary up there on a bi-weekly basis.

Good luck to the team and I wish them the best.

The final tallys are in and this election will go to a runoff of Roberts vs Marsh. Roberts grabbed 3,803 votes, Marsh garnered 2,976 and Raia had 2,004 votes. For my first election I chose someone who I felt was the best for Hoboken, now I have to re-think about the next two candidates.

Roberts, as a person, is very charismatic - much like any good politician should be. He is pro-development, but I don't like the fact that it seems like an "old-boys" network with him - he has a lot of people with deep pockets throwing money at him. That says, to me, that they have a vested interest in him being in office.

Marsh, I don't know extremely well, but I do like her idea of "Smart Growth" - more public parks, affordable housing and commerical districts. I like "End tax abatements for luxury housing" - it makes no sense to give away waterfront property. They insist on fairness - stop city officials from "playing favorites" and harassing critics.

I'm not sure which person i'd vote for right now. I'm leaning towards Marsh - only because I think their adjenda is more about helping Hoboken than helping themselves. There are some issues that I don't like about Marsh, but I guess I can overlook that.

It was a beautiful day on Sunday and here are some pictures from the festival. I was out with friends.

Enjoy!

A picture of me at the festival, wearing my shirt I got from my visit at Temecula. Yes, i'm growing my hair out if you haven't noticed.

A sample of the art at the festival.

I ran into another friend, Lindsay (on right) and her friend at the festival. Pay attention girls - the cool new look this season are the Jackie Onassis super sized sunglasses. Lindsay works in real estate and I once again reminded Linsday that this market is overheated and can't continue. She says that i'm wrong and it will keep skyrocketing. One of us is going to be right.

John S. - owner of the Farside bar & co-owner of Trinity bar with his normal cheery demeanor. John told me he is redesigning the bar to change it from an irish-style pub to more of an American bar. Step one was painting the entire outside black. I'm not sure what other changes he has planned. Farside Lounge, maybe?

In town, there are minor celebrities all over the place.

Of course the biggest, is Frank Sinatra, who while dead, is still the soul of old school Hoboken.

We also have Danny Aiello, who 95% of the time can be seen within 10 yards of Tutta Pasta. The guy must live there. Also, for the record, Danny is very friendly to everyone and a class act.

Artie Lange, from the Howard Stern Show, lives in the Tea Building. Normally he can be found at City Bistro, and he is beyond drunk everytime I saw him. I think last time I saw him he was having an animated conversation with himself.

Eli Manning & Jeremy Shockey are said to live in town, but I haven't seen them on the street. I had some photo evidence that Eli is a lightweight not only ON the field but OFF the field.

Imagine my surprise when today, while walking up Washington Street - I see three of my friends on a billboard, advertising Coors Light. Heather, Lauren and Maria wearing black Coors Light t-shirts, holding Coors Light bottles all towering over the sidewalk on 2nd and Washington Street - here is the picture...

Heather, Lauren and Maria could be the three hottest bartenders in Hoboken, and they all work at Dipper's. Heather is a sweetheart, one of the most beautiful people I know - inside and out. Lauren was a former child model who I have known for years, and has a penchant for playing "Hangman" while drinking. Maria is a wonderful person and full of life, always quick to laugh (sometimes at my expense) and always ready to defend her honor with a good right hook (feel free to ask her about that story). Sorry fellas, all three are very much in relationships. But feel free to stop by the bar on 6th and Washington and throw money at them to make them like you. Just remember my tips on how to act in a bar.

I admit that i'm shocked - they are larger than life, over the streets of Hoboken.

I walked over to Philly's Steaks last night, after going to the gym.

Its sort of hard to figure out a cheesesteak into a diet when you are trying to watch what you eat - but for the sake of curiousity, I went inside.

If you have been to Jake's before, nothing much has changed except for a new peach paint on the walls and they got rid of the "Jake" cartoon character from the place.

One of the owners was working the register and the other owner was doing some "finishing touches" - like putting up the menu & helping customers.

I ordered a pizza steak with provolone (not mozzarella), and fried onions. Chatted with the owner at the register, but I didn't get his name. I made fun of the fact that he was from Philly and was wearing a NY Yankees cap. Traitor!

Lo and behold in walked a friend of mine, Brian G. Brian was on the email list that I sent out and is a fan of cheesesteaks. He had his super cute 6 month old Ridgeback with him - Fenway.

For the record, he named the dog Fenway BEFORE the Red Sox championship. The pup got the nickname before the series of "Fenway the Rally Puppy".

Fenway was a bit skittish at first, but she is a very pretty pooch. Makes me want to get a dog, but I don't think its 100% fair in my current situation to get a dog...I don't want to coop up a dog in a crate for hours a day. Plus waking up 30 minutes earlier to walk a dog before work would be a nightmare for someone with my sleeping habits.

On to the steak....

The roll is much better for cheesesteaks, its soft and chewy with a slight buttery hint. Plus they were so melt in your mouth kind of freshess that I love about Hoboken breads.

The meats, I think could use a dash of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I told one of the owners via email that suggestion this morning - but they are leaning towards not adding salt and pepper in case the consumer wants to control their own salt intake. I wasn't suggesting a TON of salt - just a dash.

The marinara was a simple tomato based sauce, no real frills there.

The onions were NORMAL fried onions, not the sweet carmelized kinds that aggravated everyone. Well done.

If you haven't visited Philly's yet - it only just opened up. I can't wait to grab a cheesesteak this Sunday and watch the Birds fight the Vikings.

There was a restaurant in town called Jake's, which tried to make their own version of the Philly cheesesteak. Sadly, they didn't get it quite right.

• They tried sirlion meat, when Philly uses rib-eye.

• They tried carmelized onions, when Philly uses regular onions.

• They tried special ciabatta bread, when Philly likes their Amoroso's.

• They tried to serve a steak with a lot of bread and a little meat.
  

Cheesesteaks are a religion with the Philly born and bred - you don't make radical changes to our religion and expect the faithful to genuflect. They rebel. They get angry. They avoid your business.

I spoke to one of the new owners today, named Sean. He bought out Jake's and has a new vision for the place:

• Get the same meat that Jim's and Geno's uses.

• Get bread like they have in Philly (have you tried Hoboken bread - there are some very delicious bakeries around, it can't be that hard!).

• Throw out the carmelized onions, get regular fried onions.

• Serving up a steak with more meat than Jake's.
  

What does this all mean to you? Maybe someone finally got it right. Sean is from Bala Cynwyd. Went to the Prep in his high school years. He knows what a steak is all about. If this translates into this town finally being coverted to the religion of Cheesesteaks - not sure. I'm looking at the new menu that Sean emailed me - its all about the Cheesesteaks.

Oh, one other thing they will have is italian hoagies.

NOT HERO'S! Yea, hoagies are invading Hoboken!

The store, which will be renamed to "Philly's Cheesesteaks", is set to open up Wednesday or Thursday. I'm excited, especially that the Eagles this weekend play Vikings - I need to get my Philly fuel for the game.

Here are some pictures of Illuzion.

Its a new Sushi/Chinese restaurant in Hoboken. Which is exactly what Hoboken needs, since we have so few Chinese and Sushi restaurants.

They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. In the case of a Hoboken business owner - they see what makes money in this town and copy it ad nauseum. Monday's Top 5 will be the Top 5 Stores I want to see opened in this town.

Anyhow, enjoy the pictures and if anyone wants to try this place with me - I planning on doing a write up on it for Hobokeni...

The Halloween weekend in Hoboken. Basically the excuse for good girls to dress like bad girls and for men to admire them with their digital cameras.

As soon as I walked out of my apartment I see two naughty schoolgirls on the corner of my block. I ask to take their picture, and they oblige. If I remember correctly, my exact words were "You two are fucking hot let me take your picture." They giggle, and are really cool about it. More girls need to have this kind of laid back attitude.

Personally, I think Halloween should be every weekend, but that is just me.

I quickly scurry up to Dipper's to see some friends and to document some of the more "interesting" costumes I saw that night. Here are the rest of the pictures, along with two stories at the end of my semi-eventful night...

For some fun last night, my bestest roommate in the world (if I didn't say this she described some "consequences" that may happen), Kristen and I decided that it would be fun to carve some pumpkins.

Pumpking carving. On a Thursday.

Yes, folks, its come to this.

What would normally be a night of getting plastered at the "Midtown Triangle" (the three main bars that I hit - Farside, Moran's or Dipper's), turned into a night of domestic tranquility.

While carving our creations, I wondered about the history of jack-o-lanterns. Well thanks to Pumpkin Carving 101, I am fully educated!

For you Irish out there - did you know that Halloween was created from the Celtic holiday known as "Samhain" (pronounced "sow wan"), which means "Summer's End". It is also translated from the Hoboken term: "Weekafterhunt" which roughly translates "Winter Drunkfest".

Yes, Samhain is the end of the Celtic year which ended promptly at sundown on October 31. The night was not only the end of the year, but as lore has it - the time in which the veil between the realm of the dead and the realm of the living was at its thinnest. It was considered the most magical night of the year, with the spirits of the dead appearing in the lands of the living.

Because of this, our drunken ancestors decided that it would be a bright idea (no pun intended) to carve turnips and set them around the house to protect them from evil spirits. Call me crazy, but if I set a truckload of turnips around my house in the wilderness to "protect" me from spirits I would have to think they would just kill me out of spite. I get angry just seeing some of the bad decorations that people put up for Christmas around here and want to egg their house like the old days.

Ok, back to the story. So after the zombies and ghosts of the Irish heckled their living relatives about the turnips, it was agreed that maybe turnips weren't the best idea. Plus, they also agreed to stop using lumps of coal and switch to candles after everyone started to burn down their houses.

It wasn't until European settlers, particularly the Irish (with the surname of Furey, im sure), came to America that they started using pumpkins - since they were indigenous to the western hemisphere. Plus, our ancestors learned from the ridicule of carving turnips and didn't want to hear it from the undead Native Indians who were constantly coming up with new ways to heckle the Europeans. So pumpkins it stayed, and last night I continued the tradition of becoming a lame bachelor and stayed in to carve my pumpkins.

Please send your donations of lithium to my home address.

As for our carvings, Kristin's pumpkin was the "Boo Brothers" and I tried to make the "Bat Cave". I rushed thru my carvings, and was done well before her, only to destroy the upper two "bats" because I wasn't careful enough. Now I have to get some toothpicks to fix that for this weekend. Also after carving one, I woke up this morning really jonesing to carve some more. But carver be warned - scooping out a pumpkin is rough stuff!! Our backs were killing us by the end of all our scooping - so I would only suggest trying to do one a night. I included some links for people who want to get into the spirit of Halloween, or are slowly becoming lame like myself. I plan on fixing this situation by getting very drunk at Dipper's tonight, feel free to join me around 10pm.

I wrote about Willie before...

But I got to see him last night at Dipper's, while I was there with some friends and Heather the bartender. If there was a contest in town for the hottest bartender in Hoboken - Heather would win the contest in my book. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, she is incredibly sweet - a rare combination especially in this town. Of course, I am not just saying this because she is very generous to me when it comes to tallying my bill at the end of the night.

Plus, I got to hear the music of Will O'Connor and Ted Dougherty jamming together, along with a new percussionist. They sounded Uh-MAZING together. Could this be the start of something good? I hope so. Will has honed his craft to a new level, and I will hands down argue that he is one of the best guitarist/singers living and working in Hoboken. Pat Fleming used to hold that crown before he ditched all of us and moved to Austin, TX. Just kiddin, Pat, we still love you even though you despise us.

Will and Ted were rolling last night, with some sets that you could just feel the energy and fun they were having together. Sadly, there weren't a lot of people out last night, I am guessing most Yankee fans didn't want to be around town watching Boston fans celebrate.

I really would love to see Will and Ted play together more often, and even moreso - see if they can get some original music going. Will and I worked on some lyrics a year or so ago, and its something that I should try to sit down with him again.

A nerd herd gathers outside the Hoboken GameStop.

I can make fun of them because I am a nerd also. I get excited when a new PC game comes out, and while I am walking home tonight I see my greeks, freaks and dweebs all outside of Gamestop waiting in line for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

For those of you who don't know Grand Theft Auto (read: 75% of women or people over the age of 40), its simply the most fun a nerd can have without it involving Leonard Nemoy. Its a video game that involves everything a young, growing gamer needs: violence, sex and good music - with your primary objective is to gain power, wealth and status stealing cars, eliminating your enemies and staying alive in 1990 "San Andreas" (A pseudo Compton style city).

I'll get my hands on this game in the next few weeks, and put a review up. In the meantime I am playing Tribes: Vengeance and Star Wars: Battlefront during my free time. Both are first person shooter (FPS) games, and are so far so good, but nothing super exciting.

If anyone owns those games and feels like challenging me to a duel or wants to play online - drop me an email. I will be happy to destroy you.

But its not too often that you see a stop light smashed on Washington Street.

So I figured I would get a picture of our tax dollars at work...

I was at Club H Fitness (110 Sinatra Drive, 201-656-9989) last night and spoke to Adam, who is in charge of PR. He was nice enough to show me around the new section of Club H, which should be opening up very soon. From what I was told he is waiting on the Port Authority, who owns the property, to 'OK' the new additions and let members use them. Adam expects the new area should be open by this weekend.

Nice new machines...Only 225 days until Memorial Day Weekend 2005...

Training room and basketball half court....that is 5,400 hours...

New Lockers...324,000 minutes to Memorial Day 2005...

Also there is the new River Spa area which is nearly complete. I got to look around but it was very messy and Adam would let me back later to take pictures of the place...it looks really great.

Here are some more pictures of the new section...

Some of you may know that I bartended in town for a little while. It was a small bar, but got a decent crowd of regulars and I had a lot of fun there. To me, it was like having your own personal bar, because a lot of my friends would visit, drink, and we would be able to shoot the shit all night long while getting drunk together. Plus, on top of it, I got paid at the end of the night. Since I was a bartender I got to know other bartenders, bouncers and owners in town, and I usually have my ear to the ground on the rumor mills...

I was passing by the old "River Street" bar, and noticed like everyone else that they, once again, are renaming and renovating their bar. Also it appears that they are going for the whole "Martini Bar/Lounge" theme that all the other bars in town are copying. Word on the street from Huggy Bear is that they are trying to get rid of their guido image and going more upscale. I snuck inside today and was able to grab some photos before they chased me out. Actually that is another lie - they were nice about it and let me in when I asked if I could take pictures.

The "Martini Bar Explosion" is obviously the latest trend for bars in Hoboken. Gone are the days when Irish pubs ruled Hoboken - now its all about the bling bling.

There seems to be five common rules to Martini Bars:

1. Flat screen TVs.
2. Lots of wood - hardwood floors, wood panelling, etc.
3. Dark and lit by candles.
4. Ottomans and couches.
5. Prices must increase.

Anyhow - here are the pics from inside the place, enjoy.