JERSEY CITY MAGAZINE by Hudson Reporter Assoc., LP

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CONTENTS JCM

FEATURES

COVER 14 THE STUDIO CAROLE FEUERMAN COVER PHOTO BY ALVARO CORZO

18 DOG’S LIFE HIDDEN DANGERS

28 MULTILINGUAL LOTSA LANGUAGES

32 JALOPIES OLD RATTLETRAPS

34 RV PARKS BEST-KEPT SECRET

48 KIDS’ ACTIVITIES FREE STUFF

70 BIKE BANDITS LOCK IT UP

DEPARTMENTS

8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 EDITOR’S LETTER 17 THE ARTS GALLERY LISTINGS

24 PEOPLE POWER W. JEFFREY CAMPBELL

27 DATES 36 SPORTS CORNER WHEELCHAIR WUNDERKIND

40 HOW WE WORK SMALL BUSINESSES AND ON THE JOB WITH CHARGE NURSES

45 POINT AND SHOOT

”STRETCH”

46 EDUCATION ONLINE DEGREES

50 HOODS POWERHOUSE ART DISTRICT

53 VANISHING JERSEY CITY 54 HOW WE LIVE HOUSE PROUD

72 DINING OUT CONFUCIUS ASIAN BISTRO

75 RESTAURANT LISTINGS

4 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

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SPRING & SUMMER 2013 Vo l u m e 1 0 • N u m b e r 1 Published every Spring & Fall A Publication of The Hudson Reporter

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6 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

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Jersey City Magazine is published two times a year by the Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P., 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (201) 798-7800, Fax (201) 798-0018. Email jcmag@hudsonreporter.com. Subscriptions are $10 per year, $25 for overseas, single copies are $7.50 each, multiple copy discounts are available. VISA/MC/AMEX accepted. Subscription information should be sent to JCMagazine Subscriptions, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other unsolicited materials. Copyright ©2013, Hudson Reporter Associates L.P. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Jersey City Magazine is a publication of The Hudson Reporter Associates, L.P. 1400 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 phone 201.798.7800 • fax 201.798.0018 e-mail: jcmag@hudsonreporter.com jerseycitymagazine.com

CONTRIBUTORS JCM

CONTRIBUTORS

LAUREN BARBAGALLO

TERRI SAULINO BISH

LAUREN BARBAGALLO

LANA ROSE DIAZ

is a freelance writer. Since 2008, she’s lived in Hamilton Park with her husband Vassily and daughters Caro and Nico. She can be reached at lcbarbagallo@yahoo.com.

is a freelance writer, Jersey girl, and paramour of concrete and trees. A graduate of Lehigh University and former staff writer for The Hudson Reporter, she lives, works, and plays in her beloved Jersey City. For more info, visit lanarosediaz.com.

TERRI SAULINO BISH began her career as a graphic designer and digital artist. Expanding into the area of photography, she not only creates images but captures them with her camera. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Best of Photography. Her art currently includes digital paintings and photos that can be viewed at tbishphoto.com.

ALYSSA BREDIN is a recent graduate of Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, with a degree in graphic arts. She is pursuing a career in photography. Her work can be seen at tbishphoto.com.

CHRISTIAN DIAZ is an artist of many media. When he’s not busy making people look good as a barber in downtown Jersey City, he is taking photographs and creating websites to do the same. A native of Puerto Rico, he has spent the past ten years learning Bon Jovi lyrics. View his work at buenosdiaz.us.

ALYSSA BREDIN

CHRISTIAN DIAZ

JIM HAGUE is a Jersey City native, who landed a job with the Hudson Dispatch in 1986. He has been the sports columnist for the Hudson Reporter Associates for the last 21 years.

JOYCE KAFFEL is a freelance film and arts writer and speech and language pathologist. She teaches “Be Your Own Film Critic” at South OrangeMaplewood Adult School.

VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ has studied publication design, graphic design, and photography. “I’ve been fascinated by photography for 18 years,” he says. One of his jobs as a construction project manager is to photograph job sites.

LANA ROSE DIAZ

ELIZABETH VOSK is a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University. She is also a self-made connoisseur of books, coffee, and whiskey.

JIM HAGUE

ELIZABETH VOSK

8 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ

JOYCE KAFFEL

PHOTO BY MARIE PAPP

EDITOR'S LETTER JCM

On the Road Again For some reason we have a lot of stories about vehicles in this issue—RVs, antique cars, and bikes. We highlight Jersey City’s only RV park, take a look at some, well, old jalopies, and tell you how you can avoid bike bandits this summer. And, speaking of summer, what to do with the kids? The JC Department of Recreation to the rescue! We have a rundown of free or nearly free stuff to keep your kids off the video games and on the playing fields. Did you know that folks in our diverse city speak more than 65 languages? Lauren Barbagallo speaks (English) with a few whose native tongues are probably not a high-school language requirement. That Jersey City has its own gold medalist is news to most folks. Jim Hague tracked down Paralympian Raymond Martin who took home the gold in the 400-meter track-and-field event at last year’s Paralympic Games in London. Joyce Kaffel profiles sculptor Carole Feuerman. Don’t miss Feuerman’s incredibly lifelike sculptures, which are on display at Mana Contemporary. One of them is on our cover. There’s one story in this issue that bears special mention. It’s about a hazard that could pose a threat to kids and animals. We hope you will read it and take precautions. And last, we know many of you had family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, coworkers, or favorite businesses that sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The Pointe restaurant was pretty much washed into the ocean. Others that were damaged include Edward’s Steak House and the Big Drum. I’m sure there are many more. Our thoughts are with anyone who suffered losses during that horrific storm.—JCM

10 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

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CAROLE FEUERMAN A R E

T H E Y

BY JOYCE KAFFEL

When you enter Carole Feuerman’s gallery at Mana Contemporary, where she’s an artist-in- residence, you’ll spot an attractive, bearded man seated at a long reception desk. You’ll be struck by the way he looks straight at you. In his open-collared white shirt and blue jeans, thighs a bit parted, he appears relaxed and engaged. There’s a little depression in the center of his collarbone, and the knuckles on his hands gently grip the armrests. You’re staring at a sculpture, an astounding, impeccable imitation of life. Though Feuerman paints, draws, does graphics, and video, she is recognized as one of the world’s finest and most prolific hyperrealist sculptors. “The word hyperrealism comes from photorealism,” she says. “That is, making a painting so real that it looks like a photo. Hyperrealism is a word used to describe a sculpture made to look so real that you might mistake it for a real, living person, complete with freckles, sun

14 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

F O R

R E A L ?

spots, eye lashes, and my signature water drops. I take the hyperrealism to the next level by making all clothing and accessories. They look like fabric and other materials but they are sculpted and painted to look real.” Over the last four decades, Feuerman has created a range of resin, marble, and bronze works, from miniature to a height of 30 feet. Her art is in the collections of the Clintons, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Emperor of Japan, and Forbes Magazine, among others. The Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J.; the El Paso Museum of Art; and the Boca Raton Museum of Art also house her work. Feuerman lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia University, and the Guggenheim Museum. She originally used the Mana space for storage until the warehouse converted to a contemporary art center with art studios, dance studios, viewing room, state-of-the-art climate-controlled storage room, art store, frame shop, and restaurant. But only a fraction of her art is at Mana. Her main

THE STUDIO JCM

PHOTOS BY ALVARO CORZO

gallery is Jim Kempner Fine Art in Manhattan. She also has a foundation, which encourages worthy artists, funds grants, and promotes her own work. Feuerman, a bubbly, petite woman—she’s just five feet— grew up in Hollis Hills, Queens. She moved to Great Neck, Long Island, when she was 14. “I started doing art at 3 years old when my parents left me with a babysitter and I did my first painting with shoe polish,” she says. “I continued to draw using the Jon Gnagy method; I even liked ‘paint by numbers.’” Feuerman’s desire to be an artist did not sit well with her mother, a housewife, and her father, who owned a taxi business. They refused to pay for art school when she quit Temple University to go to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She was able to take on freelance work that even the most seasoned artists would have jumped at. “My friend’s father ran the record division of Time Warner,” she relates. “I worked for him doing album covers. I did covers for very famous groups like Alice Cooper, The Rolling Stones, and Elton John. I got a scholarship at Visual Arts. The difference in tuition was paid for by my friend’s dad.” Feuerman still lives in New York City, with her husband and children. Feuerman is known for her sculptures of swimmers and bathers, which are in galleries, museums, and collections around the world. Mana has a few of these pieces. “Seventy percent of our body is made of water, so I feel it is another element that links the public to art,” she says. The eyes on her bathers are generally closed because, she says, “something about looking at the sculpture is disconcerting when it looks back at you. It makes the sculpture look more serene when the eyes are closed.” Feuerman’s “Diamond Dust Prints,” an array of large, glittering photographs of a bathing-capped swimmer, is in the Mana exhibit. Also at Mana is “The Gardener of Carolwood,” a hunched-over Frenchman who tended vineyards in Provence, France.

16 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

Feuerman paints “skin” onto the sculptured bodies. “When I sculpt oversized ones, I do smooth because most of the work is not cast from life,” she says. “It’s sculpted out of plaster and then molded in bronze or resin to look lifelike and be painted. The painted skin is as perfect as I can paint it on everything I make, both small and large.” Creating sculptures can take from months to years. “The quickest takes six months, the longest, 10 years,” Feuerman says. “The concept is in my mind and I see the finish before I start. I work within a theme which tells a story. At first, it might just look like a girl resting on a tube on a sunny day, but it could be that she was surviving from something. I did my piece, ‘Survival of Serena,’ to represent the Island of Venice when it was called Serenissima. I wanted to make sure to commemorate the survival of Venice at the Venice Biennale. … The public cannot relate to that, but the swimmer is relatable to viewers.” Feuerman’s prints start at $3,000. Her least expensive sculpture goes for $8,000. Her bronze “Serena” has a price tag of $100,000. Her “Diver” sells for $500,000, and double that for her “Double Diver.” Feuerman is working on variants of her “Diver” in her Mana studio to be shown at the 2013 Venice Biennale, right outside the entrance to the Biennale on the Island of Giardini. Feuerman thinks of all of her work as interactive, so that it can connect with viewers. In one interactive video, the movement of a person’s hand or foot makes the image of the water move. But no matter what Feuerman creates, she says, “It is classical beauty I am looking for.” —JCM Mana Contemporary 888 Newark Ave. (201) 604-2702 manafinearts.com Jim Kempner Fine Art 501 West 23rd St. NYC (212) 206-6872

THE ARTS

Call ahead or look online for schedules 18 Erie Gallery, 18 Erie St., (201) 369-7000, balancehair.com/18_ erie_gallery/18_erie_gallery.htm. 58 gallery, 58 Coles St., fifty8.com. 140 Gallery, 140 Bay St., (908) 296-7679, myspace.com/140gallery. 919 Gallery, 150 Bay St., (201) 779-6929, 919gallery.com. Abaton Garage, 100 Gifford Ave., abatongarage.com. By appointment. Actors Shakespeare Company, West Side Theater, New Jersey City University, 285 West Side Ave., Box office: (201) 200-2390, ascnj.org. Afro-American Historical Society Museum, 1841 Kennedy Blvd., Top floor, (201) 547-5262. ARTBUILDERS, 193 Montgomery St., (201) 433-2682.

Art House Productions, 1 McWilliams Pl., (201) 915-9911, arthouse productions.org Arts on the Hudson, 282 Barrow St., (201) 451-4862, webspawner.com/ users/grigur. The Attic Ensemble, The Barrow Mansion, 83 Wayne St., (201) 413-9200, atticensemble.org. Beth DiCara Ceramics Studio, 11 Monitor St., (201) 388-7323, eveningstarstudio.net. The Brennan Gallery, Justice William Brennan Court House, 583 Newark Ave., (800) 542-7894, visithudson.org. The Brunswick Window, 158 Brunswick St., (201) 978-8939, brunswickwindow@rogersayre.com.

Gallerie Hudson, 197 Newark Ave., (201) 434-1010, gallerie hudson.net.

The Landmark Loewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jersey Theatre, 54 Journal Square, (201) 798-6055, loewsjersey.org.

The Gallery Space at Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie St., (201) 659-2211, gracevanvorst.org.

Lex Leonard Gallery, 143 Christopher Columbus Dr., Suite 2, lexleonardgallery.com.

Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, Hepburn Hall, Room 323, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., (201) 200-3246, njcu.edu/dept/art/galleries. Jersey City Dance Academy, 107 West Side Ave., (201) 435-8943, jerseycitydanceacademy.com. Jersey City Museum, 350 Montgomery St., (201) 413-0303, jersey citymuseum.org. John Meagher Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St., (201) 547-6921, jcnj.org.

Curious Matter, 272 Fifth St., (201) 659-5771, curiousmatter.blog spot.com

Kearon-Hempenstall Gallery, 536 Bergen Ave., (201) 333-8855, khgallery.com.

Fish With Braids, 190 Columbus Dr., (201) 451-4294, fishwithbraids. blogspot.com.

The Kennedy Dancers, Inc., 79 Central Ave., (201) 659-2190, kennedydancers.org.

Mana Contemporary, 888 Newark Ave., (201) 604-2702, manafinearts.com. NY/NJ Academy of Ceramic Art, 279 Pine St., (201) 432-9315, nynjceramics.com. Pro Art, 344 Grove St., (201) 736-7057, proartsjerseycity.org. The Upstairs Art Gallery, Inc., 896 Bergen Ave., (201) 963-6444. Visual Arts Building Gallery, New Jersey City University, 100 Culver Ave., (201) 200-3246, njcu.edu/dept/art/galleries. Windows on Columbus, Christopher Columbus Dr. near Washington St., (201) 736-7057.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 â&#x20AC;˘

A hidden danger lurks in Jersey City’s vacant lots and industrial wastelands PHOTO BY PAMELA HEPBURN

18 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

BY KATE ROUNDS

The next day, Pam runs into Jersey City Fire unday, Oct. 21, was a golden, warm fall day. Department Fire Inspector Dennis Nuber, who also lives Longtime Jersey City resident Pam Hepburn took in Hamilton Park. They often chat when Pam is in the her black Lab, Duke, on his usual walk. They live in park with Duke. Nuber remarks on how “happy” Duke Hamilton Park and love to venture into the vestigial fields always seems. On this Monday morning, Nuber notices at the base of the deep ravine behind Christ Hospital. The that Pam is “emotional.” She tells him about the razordregs of our industrial past share space with ubiquitous wire incident and he offers to drive her to the site. Nuber weeds, aspens, and other flora, as well as human castoffs: calls the Jersey City Incinerator Authority. JCIA Inspector food wrappers, beer cans, and plastic bottles squashed flat in the dirt. On this trip, Pam and Duke are accompanied by out-ofPHOTO BY PAMELA HEPBURN town friends Annebet Muceus and Keith Cunningham. The group takes a winding route that leads them across abandoned railroad tracks and past the mammoth graffiti-sprayed stanchions that support the Jersey Turnpike. The roadway above curves gracefully—a huge geometry of concrete and steel. The sound of cars rumbling overhead is white noise. You can also get there from 17th Street west of Monmouth. There’s an entrance near where the new gas pipeline will be located. Beyond it is an unpaved roadbed, its two rutted tire grooves still visible. Next to it is a metal fence with long whorls of razor wire, its blades sparkling in the lateafternoon sun. For the most part, razor wire is illegal in Jersey City. Aside from the state law prohibiting the wearing of bullet-proof vests to commit a murder, city ordinances that ban the use of razor wire are probably among our state’s least-known prohibitions. In fact, if you are on the lookout for razor wire, you can see it just about everywhere. Great looping coils of it sit atop a huge fence on the left as you enter Liberty State Park, just after the turnpike bridge. It looks to be brand new, bright silver, with no apparent rusting. On this October afternoon, Duke races ahead. It is not unusual for him to find enticing wildlife out there, like a woodchuck, opossum, or field mouse. But what he actually finds is a bale of razor wire hidden in the underbrush. The more he tries to disentangle himself, the more the spiked blades dig into his flesh. His human friends hear his cries and race to his side. Keith and Annebet—who had worked as an emergency tech in a hospital—stay with Duke and try to stanch the blood, which is gushing from his femoral artery, while Pam runs to get her car. She remembers kids who are skate- Gerald McCann gets a call from his dispatcher to go to boarding on a concrete platform asking her if she needs the site. Nuber and McCann put yellow tape around the help. razor wire, and by the next day, garbage trucks have Pam, Annabet, and Keith rush Duke to the Animal arrived to remove the wire that is on the ground. Jersey Medical Center at 510 East 62nd St. in New York City, gen- City Fire Department Inspector Matt Barrett is also at the erally considered the finest animal hospital in the area, scene. He issues a summons to the owner of the properespecially for trauma care. Speeding up FDR Drive, they ty. The debris and wire need to be removed by Dec. 15. can clearly see the Animal Medical Center up ahead on Daniel (Danny) Gans is a fixture in Hoboken. Owner of the left. There is no place to park, so Keith stays with the Hoboken Brownstone Company, he is a developer, wellcar, while Pam and Annabet go inside with Duke. known for preserving our area’s historic urban aesthetic.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

He is also a Hoboken booster who loves the waterfront and has worked to promote Hoboken Cove, the boathouse, kayaking, and stand-up paddling on the Hudson. A few years ago, Gans honored his father’s memory by promoting a book the elder Gans had written about his escape from Nazi Germany. Gans is also the owner of the property where Duke met up with the razor wire. Property owners typically use razor wire

20 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

to keep intruders from trespassing or stealing goods. For example, parking-lot owners sometimes use it to deter car thieves. In this case, McCann says, “There was nothing to protect. The only thing to steal from the property is broken-up concrete and garbage. There was nothing to take.” The razor-wire law is designed to protect the public. “Razor wire is hazardous,” McCann says. “Some kid could climb up

on the fence and cut a wrist.” In fact, the razor wire at the entrance to Liberty State Park is right near an old concrete foundation where boys skateboard. The area where Duke was walking was also popular with young people. “It definitely could have been a kid,” McCann says. “The wire was on the ground, in the open, kids could be playing back there.” On that Monday afternoon, homeless people who take shelter in

the old railroad tunnel were cutting across the lot, according to Nuber. Barrett, McCann, and Nuber all report that Gans, who was not aware that the razor wire was on his property, has been very cooperative and responsive. Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 4, is another warm, sunny late-fall day. I go back to the site to see if the razor wire has been removed. Except for a couple of short strands hanging from

PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS

the fence, it seems to be gone. On Friday, Dec. 14, I meet Matt Barrett at the site. He’s there to see if the razor wire has been removed from the property. Barrett says that he and his wife have three German shepherds, who are like their kids, so he is very sensitive to anything that might be dangerous to animals. You can tell immediately that the place has been cleaned up. The debris and the razor wire are

MATT BARRETT - PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS gone, except for the two short strands that I had spotted 10 days earlier. I call Danny Gans to tell him that Barrett says the site has passed inspection. “I take care of things,” Gans says, adding that he does not have the reputation of someone who would ignore a hazard like razor wire, once he is made aware of it. Barrett puts in a call to Jerry McCann to make sure that the remaining strands of wire will be removed as well.

22 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

Jerry McCann served two non-consecutive terms as mayor of Jersey City, starting in 1981. Currently, in addition to his job as JCIA inspector, he also coaches varsity track at St. Peter’s Prep. McCann loves driving around town, looking for scofflaws who illegally dump garbage. A CPA by trade, he tells me he can’t stand working in offices. When I meet him, I happen to be in the warehouse district doing an interview. He’s way off in the Heights somewhere, but says he will be there in “15.” He’s about 10 minutes late because he stopped on the way to issue a summons to an errant trash disposer. He’s wearing his St. Peter’s Prep hoodie and is armed with “Article V—Zoning and Design Standards.” On page 149 of the 162-page document, he’s indicated a passage with an orange highlighter: “Fencing Not Recommended. (b) … high chainlink fencing topped with knife wire.” Does “not recommended” mean illegal? I ask. Yes, he says, illegal. Dennis Nuber says, “Razor wire and barbed wire are illegal in Jersey City unless you get some type of approval or permission to install it, based on need, such as a record number of break-ins.” On February 27, the City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance to prohibit barbed wire fencing citywide. Full disclosure: I’ve known Duke for most of his life. In a species known for eye contact, Duke is a master of the art. He fixes his teacolored eyes on you as if he were trying not only to understand what you are saying, but also what you are thinking. But he can also be a handful. He’s strong, and sometimes loves you to death by climbing on your lap and wrapping his paws around your neck. Annebet Muceus, a dog owner and dog lover herself, feels the same way about Duke that I do. She picks up the story when they all arrive at the Animal Medical Center: “They met us at the door with a gurney. They put Dukie on it and rushed upstairs, whisking him into pre-op. They applied pressure bandages and talked to us about what needed to be done. A petite woman came out to tell us that he’d suffered a lot of wounds. He was on IV fluids and had lost a lot of blood, so he was given a transfusion and was on pain management. They were waiting for a surgeon and needed to find out if he was bleeding internally or if any organs had been violated. The wounds were not superficial. If he was really in trouble, they said they might have to amputate the hind leg. Pam was horrified at this, but I told her that lots of dogs have managed on three legs. An amputation would cost upwards of 12 grand. The cashier had already told us the cost so far would be $7,000. Pam put down a large down payment of a couple of grand. We sat in the waiting room and then another trauma doctor came out. She was very compassionate and understood that when you’re under a lot of stress, it is hard to make decisions. She explained that sometimes in these situations, a dog will go into cardiac arrest, which can be managed better during surgery than before.

“They told us to go home, and they would keep us in the loop,” Annebet continues. “We’d driven about three blocks when we got a call from the hospital. Duke was going into surgery, and we hadn’t seen him yet. We went back. He was on a table covered with airfilled warmers. Pam gave him a hug. She said that his ears were cold and that was not a good sign. We left, and when we got back to Pam’s I suggested we have dinner at the restaurant on the corner. We were just ordering when the phone rang again. It was the hospital. Pam asked me to go outside with her. Duke had gone into cardiac arrest and was not responding well at all. They told us it was not a promising scenario. They were doing the best for him, but he was sliding down hill quicker than expected. … We had to think of Duke.” When Annebet tells me this story, I get the impression that Pam is so agitated that she doesn’t quite understand what Annebet is telling her. Annebet’s gentle reminder that “we had to think of Duke” ends with, “and let him go.” Duke died at about 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. He was three.—JCM

PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS

PHOTO BY PAMELA HEPBURN

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

PEOPLE POWER JCM

Over the

RAINBOW

HUDSON PRIDE HAS A NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH AND ALYSSA BREDIN

ack in the day, gay people found one another through a kind of underground GPS. Word would get around that there was a party at a private home, and when you arrived, the place would be packed. It was fun, but times have changed. A robust marriage-equality movement has brought samesex marriage to nine states and the District of Columbia. Though our sister states in the Tri-State area—Connecticut and New York—have legalized same-sex marriage, our own state has yet to decide. That puts the focus on New Jersey—and Hudson County’s gay community in particular—which is right across the river

from New York’s. On October 31, 2011, Nancy Caamaño, executive director, Hudson Pride Connections Center, stepped down. She had served the organization—at 32 Jones St. in Journal Square—in various capacities since 2006. At that time, Board Treasurer Jonathan Lucas stepped in as interim executive director. Enter W. Jeffrey Campbell, who came all the way from Houston to take the helm of the center, which serves the needs of the LGBT community in Hudson County. How did Campbell end up in Hudson County? His partner was working in higher education in New Jersey, so it made sense for Campbell to become a “trailing spouse.” Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

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For the last 12 years he’d been working in HIV-prevention services in Houston and in social justice activities for that city’s LGBT community. Campbell, 46, is also an ordained minister with the Fellowship of Radically Inclusive Ministries, a coalition of Christian churches that is affirming to LGBT people. These things made him a prime candidate for the job. Elizabeth Edman, chair of the board, Hudson Pride, said the organization was looking for three attributes: a strong administrator, a strong public voice, and a robust fundraiser. “We know he can strengthen the organization from within, Edman said. “He is a preacher, so he is very well spoken and has a wonderful presentation and presence, and he will be a strong leader in fundraising.” Before Campbell took the reins on August 22, 2012, he spent the spring getting to know the center and the town. “A lot of people don’t know that the center exists,” he says. “One of the things I will be working to do is to get the center linked to the community. There are multiple layers—Jersey City and Hudson County.” One of Hudson County’s biggest advantages — its proximity to Manhattan — may be one of Hudson Pride’s greatest liabilities. “The bright lights and big city are a draw,” Campbell says. “They take a lot of people. It’s challenging for us.” The center offers SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment) for folks over 50, and Youth Connects for people from the ages of 13 to 24. The organization is in the process of re-launching a group for lesbian and bisexual women. Campbell wants to keep and strengthen those groups, as well as its social events and educational offerings. Though the center has an old-fashioned library, its computer room is more popular; folks come in to update resumes, pay bills online, or just do research on the Internet. The center is capitalizing on Jersey City’s thriving visual-arts scene. The 32 Jones Gallery occupies the first floor. “It gives us an opportunity to curate unique art and artists who may not have the big shows,” Campbell says. “We try to do a new show every 30 to 45 days.” Roger Omeus, creator of the films Finding Me and Finding Me Truth, about gay African-American young people, filmed some scenes at the center. “They did two days of shooting inside

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the center,” Campbell says. “I was excited to be a part of it and to move forward with that relationship.” With a background in HIV services, Campbell is especially sensitive to this sector of the Hudson County community. “We want to go out into the community and link ourselves with individuals who are newly diagnosed who do not have access to care or have not had care for a year,” he says. “We will link them to testing and other social services in order for them to be healthy.” The challenge, he cautions, in promoting the center’s support for people with HIV is that the larger community will think that everyone associated with the center has HIV. “There is still a stigma around HIV,” he says, “and we do multiple levels of work.” Administering to seniors is one level. “The local senior-service agencies don’t have any gay seniors accessing services,” Campbell says. “We provide cultural sensitivity training for social workers. More and more gays and lesbians need senior health care. Many LGBT people don’t have children or are not close to their families. They depend on others for their care.” Hudson Pride also offers outreach to transgender people. Though the center is tucked away on Jones Street, half a block off Journal Square, it is connected to the broader LBGT movement, which is enjoying widespread national attention due to the surprising success of marriageequality initiatives. Hudson Pride is a member of Centerlink, a coalition that supports the development of LGBT centers around the country. Campbell says, “It keeps us informed of things going on in various states and in the federal government that are key to the LGBT community—the right to marry and domestic partnerships and how referendums or Obamacare impact us.” It’s fitting that Campbell has found himself at a place called Hudson County Pride Connections. “I am a connector and a connection person,” he says. And he’s found Jersey City to be a good place to make connections. “Houston is very spread out,” he says, “and Jersey City is very closeknit. In Jersey City, people have a clear understanding of where their roots are ethnically. I like that.”—Kate Rounds Hudson Pride Connections Center 32 Jones St. (201) 963-4779 hudsonpride.org

DATES Want your event listed? Please email us at jcmag@hudsonreporter.com and put “calendar listings” in the subject line.

ONGOING Avatar The Exhibition, Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org. Learn how director James Cameron created the film Avatar with groundbreaking use of motion capture, virtual, and 3-D technologies. Includes interactive installations and original props. Ages 8 and up. Through May 19. Curious George “Let’s Get Curious,” Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org. Letting curiosity and inquiry be their guides, children explore familiar buildings and locales from the Curious George books and television series. Through May 12. Melange, Port-O Lounge, 286 First St., sireloentertainment.com. Sirelo Entertainment and Friends present live percussion with pure energy and music by DJs. Fridays, 11 p.m.-3 a.m. Free. Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunityspace.com. Various arts workshops, fitness events, and dance classes held weekly. Creative Grove, Grove Street PATH Plaza, (201) 547-6921, cityofjerseycity.com. Meeting place, market, art experiment, and scene that involves the public, promotes art and culture, and builds community space as a forum for dialogue and exchange. Free. Fridays, 39 p.m. Groove on Grove, Grove Street PATH Plaza. Local artists showcase their music. Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. through Sept. 4.

Kids Day, Steam Café, 276 Newark Ave., (201) 7062489. Monthly kids’ activities, including face painting, balloon creations, and more. 10 a.m.-noon. Second Saturday of every month.

Beginner Intermediate Advanced Therapeutic Stretch Restorative Prenatal Mom & Baby Family Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Massage Medical Qigong

275 Grove Street, 3rd fl on top of the Majestic Jersey City, NJ 07302

201.610.9737

www.yogashunya.com

Live Jazz Jam, Moore’s Lounge, 189 Monticello Ave. Fridays (except JC Fridays), 8:30-11:30 p.m. Boca Grande, Boca Grande, 564 Washington Blvd. Weekly events include an open mic welcoming all genres on Wednesdays, comedy on Thursdays, and live jazz Fridays. 7 p.m. No cover. Gypsy Jazz, Madame Claude Café, 364 1/2 4th St. Live music Thursdays, 7:30-11 p.m. No cover. Wordsmithing Wednesdays, Steam Café, 276 Newark Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m., Open mic at 8 p.m., featuring poetry, spoken word, and wordsmiths. Donation. BYOB. April 24, May 29, June 26, July 31, August 28, September 25 Comedy at Steam, Steam Café, 276 Newark Ave., (201) 706-2489. 8-10 p.m. Prizes for comedy open mic. April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14 Parks & Crafts, Van Vorst Park. Crafters show their goods alongside the farmers market. May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7 Art House at Two Boots, 133 Newark Ave., (201) 209-1250, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. A monthly event featuring live music, performance, and film. Free. April 9, May 14, June 11, Creative Grove Under Siege, Grove Street PATH Plaza. 3-9 p.m. Sirelo see page 45

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

That melodious cacophony? It’s Jersey City talking 28 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH AND ALYSSA BREDIN

TOW E R O F BAB E L

SYLVIO “MARUJO” BASTOS

It’s also not typical for a Brazilian to be called “Marujo.” The exact translation is sailor or seaman. It was also the name of a beloved cow on the Bastos family farm in Minhas, where young Sylvio would scream in delight each time the baby cow jumped into her bath. Today, the kids on his Jersey City block have shortened it to “Mujo” and follow him around as eagerly as the dogs do. He and his partner have been here since 2003. He decided to leave Manhattan for good after running from the towers on 9/11. He has more Brazilian buddies here than he ever did in Boston or New York, and recommends nearby Newark for great Brazilian food.

SEJAL PATEL BY LAUREN BARBAGALLO Jersey City is a bastion of diversity, as anyone in City Hall will tell you. We’re home to more than 65 languages, and that doesn’t even include unofficially spoken ones. My Eritrean-born neighbor speaks Tygrinya, along with Swedish and English. Among the documented languages are the usual suspects—Spanish, Polish and Italian—spoken in communities with longstanding roots in JC. But for such a relatively small city, we’ve amassed an interesting collection of native tongues. And there’s some cool overlap. Who knew that the Gujarati language has linguistic roots in Portuguese? Among our bi- and multi-lingual residents are: Sylvio “Marujo” Bastos English, Portuguese, Spanish If you’ve ever been lucky enough to taste Marujo’s Brazilianthemed catering, then you have Mickey Mouse to thank. Growing up in Rio, he says, “All I wanted to do was come to America and see Disney World.” Once here, he decided to stay and headed to Boston to take a job in a kitchen. He spoke no English, a circumstance that wasn’t helped by the chef, a fellow Brazilian who chattered nonstop in Portuguese. But a year later and with a language course under his belt, Marujo mastered his own unique spin on English. If you’ve heard him directing the pack of dogs he looks after—his other business, along with catering—then you know he likes to repeat things for effect. Three times, to be exact. He’s my friend, so I can confirm this after 20 years of being called “darling, darling, darling.” Is that a typically Portuguese way of communicating, I asked a mutual Brazilian friend on the block. Not really, she said, it’s just typical Marujo.

Caroline Garnier English, French Back in 2008, when Caroline’s husband was offered a job in the States, they did not hesitate. She is from Vendee, on the west coast of France, just under Brittany, and he’s from Burgundy, the land of wine and cheese. They were both big fans of New York City. They considered living across the river, but they were planning a family and thought Jersey City seemed a much better option. They were delighted to uncover a large French community. “The first French people we met were Alice and Mathias,” the proprietors of Madame Claude and Madame Claude Wine. Since then, she says, her family kept bumping into more and more French speakers. There is now such a big French-speaking local community that Garnier and two other French moms, Céline Monthieu and Ludivine Venturini, opened the French Academy of Jersey City, offering after-school programs in French and soon a full-time bilingual preschool. Garnier, who has been bilingual since she was 10, says it was very easy to learn English because they started with songs like “Old McDonald” (or “Uncle McDonald,” as she charmingly put it). Of course, the French accent is admired the world over, but how easy is it to acquire an American one? Not so easy, she says: “It’s hard to get the accent right, and it’s an endless source of fun. Just ask my husband how the whole conference room [at work] laughed the first time he said ‘focus!’” Johanna Lillpers English, Swedish Like most kids in Sweden, Johanna grew up speaking both Swedish and English. Two languages is the bare minimum. The small country is multicultural, with many young kids exposed to French, German, Italian, and Latin. Still, nothing prepared her for the fast-paced, sonic, and sensory overload of American English. “The first time I ordered a sandwich in a fast-food restaurant in New York City, I was completely ignored,” the soft-spoken Swede says. And then there are the actual words that just get totally lost in translation, like “dude.” “The first time we [ Johanna and her California-born husband, James] had a party, I kept hearing his friends call him ‘Dude.’ I didn’t get it.” She’d heard it in movies, but there’s no translation for it in subtitles. “I didn’t understand how you went from ‘James’ to ‘Dude’ and how everyone at the party could have the same name.” After a long stay in New York City, it was a longing for Sweden that found her setting up home in JC: “I was in my apartment on the 34th floor in Battery Park, looking across the river and I thought, I wonder what’s over there. I bet it’s quieter than New York City, and has a better view.” The next day, Johanna set off

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

LYCEL VILLANUEVA, MILES POINDEXTER AND THEIR CHILDREN

for the PATH train and felt a weird sense of déjà vu when she exited at Exchange Place. “It looked like Europe!” she remembers. “A modern, clean subway with an elevator. We [her husband, and future daughter Emma] could live here!” Soon after, she started Vyssan Lull, an organic Swedish clothing company that’s responsible for some of the cutest— and socially conscious—kids outfits in the neighborhood. Sejal Patel English, Gujarati, Hindi Jersey City-born Patel was one worldly kindergartener. She moved to Gujarat, on the western coast of India, to stay with her Ba and Dada (Gujarati for Grandma and Grandpa) when she was two years old. She returned to Jersey at four and a half, and would stare longingly at airplanes out her Journal Square window, hoping that they might be delivering her beloved grandparents back to her. Growing up in Jersey City was a truly multicultural experience, says Patel, who is a McNair Academic and Rutgers graduate. “I didn’t have so many Gujarati friends … My best friends were Chinese, Filipino and Spanish.” She did have one close Indian friend, and they bonded over Indian clothes, movies, and her friend’s highly prized talent for threading eyebrows. At Rutgers, where she majored in psychology, there were lots of Indian people, as there are in JC. Here, she says, food is the common denominator among all Indian communities. Everyone speaks Hindi (the national language of India) and most everyone can understand Gujarati. Patel, who is now a preschool teacher, made three trips back to India as an adult—each time to attend or shop for a wedding, and to endure some good-natured ribbing about her American-inflected Gujarati.

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Lycel Villanueva English, Tagalog Villanueva moved from Marikina, the Philippines, to the States midway through high school with her family, all of whom speak the two official languages of The Philippines: Tagalog and English. Extended Filipino families are usually very close, and Villanueva’s is no exception “My Tita (Aunt) Rose, the eldest in my father’s family, took the initial risk of coming here for a job in the late ’60s … She made it ultimately possible for everyone in my family to move here.” Another defining Filipino characteristic? “They like to joke and make fun of each other. A lot. It can seem cruel if you are outside the culture,” she says, “but it’s really just about a playful way to make fun of their own culture and the struggles of everyday life.” Puns and word play are huge, while sarcasm and irony are completely unheard of, which may explain why the jokes don’t translate well between our cultures. The informal word for Filipinos is “Pinoy.” Many words Pinoys use don’t have an English counterpart, like these gems: Achuchuchu: words that refer to the pointless insincerities and meaningless chatter invoked during long conversations about nothing. Gigil: an overwhelming desire to pinch, bite, or squeeze an unbearably adorable being. Hipon: Tagalog for shrimp, the body of which is eaten, while the head is thrown away. Describes someone with a lovely body and not-so-lovely face.—JCM

Some Languages Spoken in Jersey City Afrikans

Albanian

Arabic Azerbaijani Belarusian Bulgarian Chinese (simplified) Croatian

Galician

Georgian

Greek Haitian Creole

Hungarian Indonesian Italian Kannada Lao Latvian Macedonian Maltese Persian Portuguese

Spanish Swedish Telugu Turkish Urdu Welsh

Chinese (traditional)

Finnish

French

Slovak

Catalan

Estonian

Filipino

Russian

Bengali

Dutch

Esperanto

Hebrew

Basque

Czech

Danish

Gujarati

Armenian

Hindi Icelandic Irish Japanese Korean Latin Lithuanian Malay Norwegian Polish Romanian Serbian Slovenian Swahili Tamil Thai Ukrainian Vietnamese

CONDOMINIUMS ON THE PARK FOR RENT CONTACT ASHLEY ashley@silvermanbuilding.com | 201.435.8075

JCLOFTS.com EST.1981

Yiddish

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 â&#x20AC;˘

jalopies

PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ

1948 FORD COUPE IN A JUNK YARD AT THE CORNER OF SIP AND 440

1949 CADILLAC, ON ROUTE 1 AND 9, OWNED BY PABLO DELGADO

TOY CAR, OWNED BY VICTORIA SEGOVIA

1960 THUNDERBIRD WITH A RED AND WHITE INTERIOR

1949 TRUCK, JUNK YARD, SIP AND 440

1950 CHEVY TRUCK, OWNED BY LORENA AND JOSHUA PIMENTEL, OCEAN AVENUE

Our town has its own brand of antique cars When you hear the term “antique car,” you usually think of a finely restored Rolls or Mercedes, or Caddie. But on the back roads and byways of Jersey City, you can sometimes find old classics that are, well, dilapidated. That’s the actual definition of a jalopy. Still, they have lots of charm, as these pictures show—Kate Rounds Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH AND ALYSSA BREDIN

Th e RV Op t i o n TOURISTS IN THE KNOW, KNOW WHERE TO STAY—RIGHT HERE IN JC If you want to traffic in clichés—and why not—you could say that it is Jersey City’s best-kept secret. In Liberty Harbor Marina at the end of Marin Boulevard, just before the ferry slip and Surf City is the Liberty Harbor RV Park. It’s the only one in Jersey City, and the folks who run it say it is the only one within 60 miles. I’m familiar with it because I used to live in a boat in the marina. I was intrigued by the adventurousness of the tourists who would leave their mobile homes in the morning and head into New York City to sight see. You could tell they were tourists. They wore new windbreakers and new sneakers and un-cool hats that said “CAT” on their visors. They were young families, retirees, honeymooners—anyone resourceful enough to find this convenient and inexpensive way to visit the Big Apple. Peter Mocco Jr. owns the park. “Probably 100 percent come to visit New York City,” Mocco says. “When they get here, they’re blown away by the location. You could never park this close to a city.”

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But it turns out that it isn’t only New York that feeds their wanderlust. They also want to see Jersey City and Hoboken. “The Cake Boss is the reason they go to Hoboken,” Mocco says. “It’s so efficient with the light rail, and the PATH five blocks away. It’s just as enticing as lower Manhattan, and of course we give them guides to local restaurants, with menus and maps.” Mocco says the tourists come from all over the world— Canada, France, Germany, India, and the United States— California, Florida, the Midwest. The demographic runs “literally the whole gamut,” Mocco says. “College students from overseas, families with young children, parents visiting kids working in the city, couples on honeymoons. “They come here to enjoy the ambience that exists. They have a good time and explore,” says Mocco. “I’ve been around since 1995, and I’ve never heard complaints. It’s all positive. It’s a pleasure and rewarding to see people happy.”—Kate Rounds

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

PHOTOS BY JOE KUSUMOTO/U.S. PARALYMPICS

Ray of Hope HOMEGROWN ATHLETE WINS PARALYMPIC GOLD BY JIM HAGUE

There was a time in Ray Martin’s life when he dreamed of becoming a basketball player. Martin loved basketball and loved watching the New York Knicks. But fate wasn’t kind to Ray. He wasn’t ever going to play basketball, because he was born with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a rare form of congenital myopathy and the most severe form of arthrogryposis.

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The disease left Martin without full use of his hands, and he didn’t have use of his legs; he would live life in a wheelchair. “When I was little, I let it bother me,” Martin said. “But as I got older, I learned to accept it. I just don’t think about it anymore.” Martin loved sports and watched them religiously. But how could he participate in sports in a wheelchair? It seemed impossible. When Martin became a student at Jersey City’s A. Harry Moore School for the disabled, he learned that he could do something in his wheelchair: compete in track and field. “They had a track team at A. Harry Moore,” Martin said. “So that’s when I started.” But soon after he entered A. Harry Moore, he learned that he was transferring to a traditional grade school: P.S. 34 in Jersey City. “I liked going to regular classes, but I still wanted to do track,” Martin said. He also had to learn how to push the wheelchair, because he had very limited use of his hands. “That was a problem,” Martin said. “I couldn’t use my hands. I had several surgeries on my hands, but they couldn’t fit in gloves.” Just to compete, Martin had his crooked hands wrapped in two pairs of socks and had the socks taped around his wrists

in order to push the wheelchair hard enough to make it move faster. “Eventually, my hands got bigger and stronger,” Martin said. Still, the image of a boy strapped to a wheelchair, wearing socks as protection to push the chair, is startling. But Martin had a dream and a goal. “I wanted to be able to do what other people did in track,” Martin said. “I knew I couldn’t run like everyone else, but I should be able to push my chair fast enough. There was nothing that was going to stop me.” In fact, Martin and his father, Daniel, formed a team of athletes in wheelchairs. The team is called the United Spinal Navigators, a group of about eight wheelchair athletes. The group, which has regular practice sessions in Bayonne County Park, goes to events all over the world. Yes, the world. Ray Martin is a world traveler. There aren’t many Jersey City teens who can lay claim to that. Martin has been to Switzerland and the Czech Republic. He’s competed in the World Junior Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

Disability Championships. He has also competed nationwide and holds several national records in disability competitions. Martin has to train just as hard—harder in fact—than most able-bodied athletes. Now at the University of Illinois, he participates in a track-and-field program strictly for disabled athletes. When the time comes for an event, Martin has to get his workout mileage in. “The warm-up is about four miles,” Martin said. “It gets pretty tough.” Four miles? In a wheelchair? That’s not exactly a walk in the park. But that’s nothing compared to what he accomplished in the fall. He competed in the Chicago Marathon in October and finished the 26-mile race in a little more than two hours. That’s called motoring. Before that race in Chicago, Martin traveled across the pond to compete in the Paralympics in London, a week after the regular Olympics were held. He was able to compete on the same track as his favorite athlete, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who won the gold medal. “It was just an unreal experience,” Martin said. “It was the chance of a lifetime. I was so excited. Honestly, I was just going for the experience. I didn’t have higher goals. There were a couple of races that I never did before, so I wasn’t expecting much.” But Martin did better than expected. He won four gold medals at the International Paralympics, winning the 100, 200, 400, and 800-meter dashes. “It was just completely incredible,” Martin said. “To be able to do that for my country, to hear the National Anthem and see the American flag being raised was unbelievable. It was also so cool. I first won the 100 and having that feeling really motivated me, especially since the 100 is my worst event. I was definitely more focused for the next event.” Martin said that the 400-meter dash was “the turning point.” “My best competition came from a guy from Japan, but I knew I could beat him,” Martin said. “He was the holder of the world record. But after winning the first one, I was really excited. After I had two, I didn’t worry about the next race. Whatever happened from that point was nice.” Martin completed his incredible journey in London with two more gold-medal performances in 200-meter and 800-meter dashes. “I never could have dreamed that,” he said. He went right from London to the University of Illinois, where he’s studying

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kinesiology, the study of human movement. “I’d like to become an occupational therapist,” Martin said. He’s busy training with the University of Illinois disability track team. “We train all year round,” Martin said. “The track season starts in May, so I have to be ready. I’ve been competing in road races and marathons to get ready for the track meets.” Martin’s time of two hours, six minutes at the Chicago Marathon qualified him to compete in the Boston Marathon in April. Martin is truly now a track athlete, the ones who race against the clock and motivate themselves against their own times, just to see improvement. “Every day, I’m thankful to get the opportunity to be out there competing,” Martin said. “I’m able to go to other countries, and I’m still able to compete. I get on my track chair every day and do something. It keeps me going.” He and his trusty custom-made chair have come a long way. “I think about how far I’ve come every once in a while,” Martin said. “At one point in my life, I never thought I could compete in national meets or the Paralympics. When I first started, I did it for fun. I never thought it would come to this.” Martin was named 2012 Paralympic Sportsman of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee and was a finalist for ESPN’s Athlete with a Disability at the network’s annual ESPY awards. He is also raising money to support the New York and New Jersey Paralympic Sport Clubs, the group that helped him become a world-class paralympian. He has been working with British Petroleum to be the face of a BP program that will help local clubs, like Martin’s North Jersey Navigators. Proceeds will fund scholarships and new equipment, encourage participation, and train coaches. Maybe a young boy or girl who uses a wheelchair is now getting a chance to see the marvel that is Ray Martin. Maybe he or she will be motivated to give track and field for the disabled a try, much like Martin did when he was just five years old. “It’s nice that people look up to me,” Martin said. “I do my best to be a positive role model.” Maybe five years ago, the graduating class at P.S. 34 in Jersey City knew what they were doing when they voted Ray Martin the best role model in the class. He lives up to that billing every time he takes his chair to the track.—JCM

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013•

HOW WE WORK JCM

MARIA AND STEVE ANATRO

CLUB BARKS 200 Marin Blvd. (973) 812-2757 clubbarks.com

How We

WORK INTERVIEWS BY KATE ROUNDS PHOTOS BY ALYSSA BREDIN

One of the first things you notice about Jersey City—even if you are here only for a quick visit—is that we are a dog-friendly town. Dogs of every description are walking with their owners, playing in parks, and running in dog runs. So Club Barks, a doggie daycare center that opened this winter, was a pretty sure bet. Co-owner Steve Anatro has been operating a Club Barks in Woodland Park for the past seven years. “I wanted to get into the urban Jersey City/Hoboken area,” he says. “We looked all over North Jersey and had a unique opportunity to purchase a retail condo.”

40 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

That retail space is at the Gull’s Cove condominiums, conveniently located right near the Marin Boulevard light rail stop. Also on site will be a full-service vet. They will operate as two separate businesses but share a front desk. “We’re very competitively priced,” Anatro says. “A lot of doggy daycares are expensive. We are middle of the road cost-wise.” Club Barks’ business model acknowledges the reality of dog owners’ lives. “We cater to the people and fit around their needs,” Anatro says. “If they don’t need 13 hours, we have a half-day program.” The bottom line? “Our goal is to create a network of doggie daycares, with a shared experience between them,” Anatro says. “We want to build relationships with customers.”

HOW WE WORK JCM

FRANK PIZANO

LITTLE SMOOCHIE 199 Warren St. (201) 332-9300 littlesmoochie.com Frank Pizano launched the business with his sister-in-law, Renee Pizano. This children’s boutique started as an online operation before moving to Paulus Hook in summer 2012. Pizano says the customers needed to “feel and touch” the merchandise. “It was originally Renee’s idea,” he says. “She always wanted a children’t boutique.” But she is an executive with Comcast and didn’t have time to handle a full bricksand-mortar business on her own. Enter her brother-in-law. Pizano had been in sales and could do the buying and manage the store if she managed the business and accounting.

The Paulus Hook demographic is perfect. “It’s all strollers, nannies, dogs, and kids,” he says. “They run in to get a birthday gift on the way to a party.” The shop sells high-end brands that can be found in stores like Neiman Marcus. Boys clothes are selling especially well. “We can’t keep it on the shelf,” Pizano says, pointing to the popularity of the brand name Andy & Evan. Sizes for both boys and girls range from newborn to 6X. They sell accessories, such as neckties, hats, headbands, clips, and bibs. They also have a line of locally handmade booties, mittens, and hats. Pizano says he “flutters around Paulus Hook like a bird,” going to Halloween parties, networking with other merchants, and keeping in touch with “discerning” mothers. Fathers, too, are getting into the act. “They’re picking and choosing,” Pizano says, “and telling their wives what they want.” Opening the store was a smart move. “We’re having a good time with it,” Pizano says. “It’s very exciting.”

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013•

HOW WE WORK JCM

PETER PEPIN

PEPIN & PEPIN 3199 Kennedy Blvd. (201) 798-8123 Peter Pepin and his brother Max are in the business of credit repair. Hmmm. What’s that, you ask? Basically, folks in the credit-repair business improve bad credit reports, correct mistakes made by credit agencies, and help clients with budgeting and other money-management issues. “We’re a multi-purpose business,” says Peter Pepin. “We’re a personal finance company specializing in credit repair. We do debt negotiation and consolidation.”

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The brothers have been in business for three years. Hoboken natives, they also have an office in South Plainfield, where Max, who is three years older than Peter, lives. Max does taxes and loan modifications,” Peter says. “He is very versatile. I work for him.” The financial crisis has been good for the credit-repair business. “It’s a perfect time,” Peter says. “With the recession and people losing jobs, they depend on credit. When you’re in the middle of a job interview, they ask for a credit check. We have a proven strategy for getting credit fixed.”

ON THE JOB WITH —

CHARGE NURSES

WHEN IT COMES TO MEDICAL CARE, NURSES PROVIDE CALM AMID THE CHAOS PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN DIAZ

AMBER CIOFFO, JERSEY CITY MEDICAL CENTER BY LANA ROSE DIAZ

As the sun is just beginning to rise over the Hudson, and many Chilltown workers are still wiping the sleep from their eyes, Amber Cioffo is already bright-eyed and buzzing around the Cardiac Care Unit at Jersey City Medical Center. By 6 a.m. she’s cutting through the crowds of nurses and doctors bustling about, amid the noise of buzzers and alarms going off. Shortly thereafter she’s joking with coworkers during the change of shifts. “Mornings are hectic,” Amber says between phone calls that come into the nurses’ station nonstop. Staff who called in absent and high census in the hospital are making it even more hectic this particular day. As the Charge R.N., she is strategically placing people where they need to go and paying attention to which staff and patients have good relationships to make sure the unit runs smoothly. With jewels on her Crocs (including one particularly glittery shamrock) and large, funky jewelry, Amber’s bright personality shines through her standard-issue scrubs—dark blue signifying her affiliation with critical care. As part of the Emergency Response Team, nurses from her unit are called

JANE FIGUERAS, CHRIST HOSPITAL on to manage code situations. Some might call those in her line of critical care “bitchy,” but Amber prefers to think of it as getting things done. “Emotions run high in a high-stress environment,” she says. “You can’t be meek.” To work in critical care, she adds, you must have the patience of a saint, be able to read people, and most important, know when you can or can’t crack a joke. The unit houses dozens of patients in need of intensive cardiac care, including those recovering from open-heart surgery. Amber has worked there for five years and relishes the challenges and learning opportunities that each new day in her fast-paced job brings. “Learning never stops in medicine,” she says. “That’s the most interesting thing.” Learning may never stop, but, for Amber, neither does the job. A resident of Pennsylvania, she drives an hour and a half each way to and from work. And though she might be just another driver on the road to the legions of commuters, as she makes her way home after three days of 12-hour shifts, she’s still a nurse. Amber has been known to stop on the side of the road to see if passengers of a car stuck in a ditch need medical assistance or to offer an extra pair of hands to EMTs at an accident site. Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013•

When she finally gets home, where all her neighbors know she is a nurse, the questions and requests for help keep coming. “It’s almost like a lifestyle,” she says. “You don’t walk out of here and stop caring about other people. It’s just who I am.” As Amber finally heads down the highway at the end of her day, across town another R.N. is just beginning her workday in Jersey City. It’s 8 p.m. at Christ Hospital, and the hallways of the Emergency Room are lined with patients waiting to be seen. In the midst of the typical ER craziness you’d expect to see at any hospital—or in any medical drama on television—stands an unimposing, gentle woman who peacefully manages the scene unfolding around her. Jane Figueras has spent her entire 40year nursing career at Christ Hospital in the Heights. As the Head ER Nurse, she directs patients and staff members alike while administering care and exuding a sense of calm. The emergencies come back-to-back, but over the years Jane has learned to deal with the varying attitudes and stress levels of her work environment. It’s her coworkers, she says, who have kept her at the same hospital for so long. “It’s like family,” she says. “Especially my night shift. We work together, it’s very important.” The proud grandma spends her days off with her family and grandkids when she can, but during her real vacation time she heads back to the medical field—halfway across the world. For 19 years Jane has spent her vacation time travelling to the Philippines along with doctors from all over the globe to help children requiring reconstructive treatment for facial deformities such as cleft lips and palates. The group she travels with, PAGES (Philippine American Group of Educators and Surgeons) Operation Hope, was founded by her husband in response to a need he saw during another mission to the area. They care for 35-plus patients each day of their mission, and Jane plays a critical role in the surgery, screening patients and prepping IVs before the procedures. All that work on what is supposed to be a vacation is tiring, but Jane says it’s worth it to see the way lives are changed. And when she comes back to Christ Hospital, those experiences affect her work here as well. “It gives a different perspective,” she says. “A new appreciation.”—JCM

44 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

POINT AND SHOOT JCM

DATES JCM from page 27 Entertainment takes over the weekly market with Kid Bonanza. April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26

POINT&

Summerfest Concerts on the Hudson, Liberty State Park (The Gardens behind the Liberty House Restaurant). 5-7 p.m. Live, free music. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. July 7,9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30; August 4,13.

SHOOT

Concerts at the MLK HUB, Martin Luther King Drive. 68 p.m. Free music series at the transit hub. July 10, 17, 24, 31; August 7, 14, 21 Jazz for Lunch, J. Owen Grundy Pier, Exchange Place. Noon-2 p.m. Free, outdoor concert. July 11, 18, 25; August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Summer Dance, J. Owen Grundy Pier, by Exchange Place. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dance festival series. Free. July 10, 18, 25; August 1,8 Community Rhythm, Grassroots Community Space, 54 Coles St., (201) 500-5483, grassrootscommunityspace.com. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly drum circle. April 20, May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17

CALENDAR APRIL JOSH WELKER AND JENNIFER SNEDDON AT LIBERTY HUMANE SOCIETY WITH “STRETCH” PHOTO AND STORY BY KATE ROUNDS The couple on Pine Street was terrified. They walked out of their house at about 9:30 on a November evening, only to find this 10-foot python lounging on their front porch. They ran back inside and called the cops, who dispatched Animal Control. Jersey City Animal Control Officer Jevon Anderson answered the call. “The couple gave me a pillow case to put him in to keep him warm and secluded so his skin wouldn’t peel,” Anderson said. “Then I took him to the humane society.” Anderson acknowledged that this was his first snake call. “But I went to school for this,” he said. “I’m very hands on and compassionate when it comes to animals—dogs, cats, wildlife, birds, squirrels, raccoons, possums. It’s interesting. I love my job.”—JCM

4 Performance & Open Mic – National Poetry Month, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. Five-minute open mic for poets, musicians, and performance artists. $5.

5-21 The Winter’s Tale, West Side Theater, 285 West Side Ave. Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 3 p.m. A magical journey of loss, renewal, and the promise of spring. Directed by Bethany Reeves.

SEND YOUR JERSEY CITY PHOTOS TO JCMAG@HUDSONREPORTER.COM. BE SURE TO WRITE “POINT & SHOOT” IN THE SUBJECT LINE. see page 80

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013•

EDUCATION JCM

Online education makes the grade

“I

BY ELIZABETH VOSK

s this for real?” I asked Stephanie, assistant admissions advisor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). I was already skeptical of online education and surprised that someone had responded so quickly to my request for information. “Yes,” she laughed, “this is for real. We have a traditional brick-and-mortar campus.” OK, so not like University of Phoenix or Kaplan University. Not to deride online-only institutions, but legitimacy is a big concern when considering an online degree program. It’s easy to find an online education program for a post-grad business degree or administration degree, but a Master’s Degree in English literature? That’s a little more difficult. My quest started in August 2012 after I’d been rejected from four out of six

“traditional” schools in the tri-state area. So I scoured the Internet and found SNHU—a legitimate, real live school, among the top 10 in the region. After I was accepted into the program, Meredith, my personal advisor, assured me that I would be paying for an educational experience, not just a piece of paper. Perhaps the biggest issue with online schools is: Will a potential employer dismiss you? Many onlineonly adult-education institutions are accredited and therefore “legitimate.” Though the much-publicized, for-profit University of Phoenix is widely perceived as an online institution, it has 89 campuses and learning centers in 40 states, DC, and five other countries. Some view online-only schools as an easy way out, but that’s hardly the case. My first term at SNHU was not easy by any means. I had midterms and finals and two 15-plus-page papers due at the

46 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

end of an 11-week term. But to ensure that you are not getting conned or paying simply for a piece of paper, research is key. Ask friends who have attended online institutions about their experiences or find them on the Internet. Just before you graduate from high school, colleges and universities send you piles of information. Sign up for mailing lists and for information packets, and check schools’ websites. Call an advisor. Call the head of the department. Call as many people from the school as you need to in order to assure yourself that this is not only a legitimate institution but also a school that you would feel comfortable at. Expect an online degree to cost between $8,000 and $80,000 and to take from 18 months to four years. In the Hudson County area, particularly in Jersey City, there are several brick-and-mortar institutions that offer online options. I graduated from New Jersey City University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and took several classes that were online-only and some that were “blended.” In blended courses, students spend half their time on

campus and the other half online. At St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University (SPU), most adult courses are blended, in a system called Blackboard, a standard in many universities. Stephanie Autenrieth, director of graduate and professional studies

admissions at SPU, said that there are many benefits to studying online, including the flexibility. If you work fulltime or have children at home, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to perform your daily tasks and plug into your online courses whenever and wherever you want. I tend to finish my coursework after my 9-to-5 job and late into

the night on the weekends when I feel most productive and awake. A normal day of online schooling consists of logging on with an ID number or email address and password. You read your assignments and participate in discussions, submit short essay papers, and chat with classmates either through a real-time live

chat function or through the discussion boards. Most professors require you to log in and participate at least three days a week, but because it is spread throughout the week, a genuine and intelligent discussion can be found the same way as it would be in a classroom setting, only

without hearing each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voices. But Autenrieth also sees the benefits of blended courses, especially if you prefer to see and hear your classmates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;people who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comfortable with online learning donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t choose the option right out of the gate, since there are traditional options available first.â&#x20AC;? One of the qualities online students must quickly develop is discipline. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very easy to fall behind or to procrastinate. But blended courses and one or two online courses during a traditional college career prepare a student for the workload of a full-time online educational experience. One downside to online courses is power outages, like those during Hurricane Sandy, which left thousands of students without Internet access and with a growing pile of coursework to attend to. But Autenrieth said that organizers of online courses are usually very accommodating when it comes to technical glitches. St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has only one full-time online post-graduate program (for Registered Nurses), and NJCU has only a few online-only degrees. Still, the flexibility of online adult education is attracting more and more students. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;JCM

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Mom, We’re Bored!

What to do with the kids over summer vacation

f the budget is too tight to send the kids to overnight camp, there’s plenty to do right here in JC—if you know where to look. We caught up with Joe Macchi, director of the Jersey City Department of Recreation, to get the lowdown on recreational options this summer. “We have numerous activities,” Macchi says. “Field trips, volleyball, bowling, sprinklers, swimming, and indoor activities in the gym.” The programs run for five weeks, starting after the Fourth of July. “Summer is the busiest time of year for us,” Macchi says.

“It’s challenging. After nine months of school, kids need to go out and play.” Here’s a rundown:

BASEBALL Little League, Cal Ripkin League, and Babe Ruth League, boys and girls, ages 4-16, (201) 547-5003

BASKETBALL Boys and girls, ages 8-17, MondayFriday, June-August, (201) 547-5003

48 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

SOCCER Boys and girls, ages 4-14, (201) 547-5003

SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM

“At Prep, everyone was my teammate.” –Savon Huggins, ’11

9 a.m.-3 p.m., July 2-Aug. 2, (201) 5475651

SUMMER FUN PROGRAM & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Boys and girls, ages 8-13 at 12 locations, breakfast and lunch served, (201) 5475003

SWIMMING For information on the summer sprinkler schedule, swim teams, open swim, and learn-to-swim programs at indoor and outdoor pools around the city, call (201) 547-5003. At the newly renovated Pershing Fields pool, a six-week program costs $40.

TENNIS Free clinics for boys and girls, ages 6-17 at various parks around the city in July and August. Tennis balls and rackets provided. (201) 547-5003

That’s why it’s

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TRACK & FIELD TEAM Boys and girls, ages 7-14 at Jersey City Armory and Lincoln Park, mid-April through July. (201) 547-4446 For more information, visit jerseycitynj.gov. Go to “Government” and then “Department of Recreation.” — Kate Rounds

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

Powerhouse Arts District A happening community with big plans for the future STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATE ROUNDS

here’s so much going on in this district, and it gets so much press that we almost forgot it’s a neighborhood and not a news item.

5(*,67(5 72'$<

50 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

HOODS JCM

Stevens Cooperative School HOBOKEN 2s-8th grade 301 Garden Street 339 River Street 301 Bloomfield Street

NEWPORT K-8th grade 100 River Drive, Jersey City

A Leader in Progressive Education since 1949 Stevens Cooperative is accredited by the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools

Financial aid is available to qualified families. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact us at: admissions@stevenscoop.org The area’s signature landmark is the iconic Powerhouse. The structure, built in the early 1900s, housed the electrical transformers that powered the PATH system. The deteriorating building is in the process of being stabilized, and in our last issue, we reported that her smokestacks will have to come down. Nevertheless, future plans call for the powerhouse to anchor an eight-block arts district with retail shops, galleries, restaurants, theaters, and other entertainment options, much like New York City’s South Street Seaport, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, or Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace. But right now, it’s an edgy warehouse district with cobblestone streets, lofts, artists’ studios, and galleries—a stone’s throw from the waterfront, and just

HOBOKEN 201.792.3688 NEWPORT 201.626.4020 www.stevenscoop.org

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

about every transportation option in Jersey City. Its borders are roughly Washington, Marin, Second, Morgan, and Steuben. Stacy Nusbaum Woods is the past president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association (PADNA). â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really enjoy the feel of the warehouses and the sense of history,â&#x20AC;? Woods says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like the industrial grittiness of the neighborhood.â&#x20AC;? Kathryn Moore, who moved to the neighborhood in 2005, was on the board of PADNA. Her day job kept her from going to meetings, but she was

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Saint Dominic Academy takes pride in the successful empowerment of young women for leadership and high academic achievement. Smaller classes guarantee a highly personalized, value-centered education. Friendships form easily among the diverse student population as the girls are inspired by Dominican traditions. Located within a rich urban community, Saint Dominicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award-winning athletics, glee club and dance team encourage students to strive for excellence. Beyond the classroom, campus ministry and student government are among the many clubs and organizations that enrich a sense of community and leadership.

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52 â&#x20AC;˘ Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

very active on her own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were no street signs, and people parked wherever they wanted,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were no trash receptacles, no street cleaning. It was like the Wild West.â&#x20AC;? Moore took notes while walking her dog and worked with the Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Action Bureau, along with officials in the Incinerator Authority, Parking Authority, and Engineering. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They did a pretty good job,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Absentee owners are keeping lots cleaner.â&#x20AC;? Kevin Pollack, who was also active in PADNA, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love it, there are great new buildings, great people in the neighborhood, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really crowded yet.â&#x20AC;? Places to visit include the Warehouse CafĂŠ at 140 Bay, the Powerhouse Lounge at 360 Marin, and the Panepinto Galleries at 371 Warren. Bottom line? The Powerhouse Arts District is a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;tween hood: A still-charming enclave but not fully built.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;JCM

VANISHING JC JCM

VANISHING JERSEY CITY PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS A SHOP WINDOW ON COMMUNIPAW AVENUE

SEND YOUR VANISHING JERSEY CITY PHOTOS TO JCMAG@ HUDSONREPORTER.COM. BE SURE TO WRITE “VANISHING” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013•

54 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

PHOTOS BY VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

RIVER DRIVE SOUTH

ou already know that when someone lives on the 34th floor of a high rise in Newport, you’re in for some aweinspiring panoramas. I wasn’t disappointed.

EUGENE TULCHIN WITH WIFE LOLI CHEUNG

56 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

The view spans the river from the Verrazano Bridge to the George Washington Bridge. Just standing in the doorway, you get the sense that you’re poised on the edge of the world. Eugene Tulchin and his wife Loli Cheung have lived here for 13 years. Like a lot of folks, they are adventurers from Manhattan. I happened to visit about two weeks after Hurricane Sandy struck. Tulchin read my mind: What is it like up here during a hurricane? “Windy, and I’m not being sarcastic,” he said. “I’m surprised the windows held up. I thought they might break.” When the power went out, they had to walk up 34 flights of stairs—carrying water. Tulchin, 78, has always made his living as an artist. His work is displayed on all the walls. He used to do traditional photography and now does computer-generated graphic images, some in 3D. He shows at MOMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Queens Museum, among other venues. On the first floor are a grand piano, a bathroom, and kitchen,

58 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

which Tulchin designed with glass doors, granite counters, and the latest appliances. He also designed the oak stairway leading to the second floor, where his studio, the bedroom, and two bathrooms are located. The unit has one terrace and two balconiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not for the faint of heart, the vertigo-afflicted, or just plain wusses. You get the sense that Tulchin is perched atop the world so that he can keep an eye on Manhattan; the galleries, museums, and the art scene he loves are all across the river. He claims never to have visited a bar or restaurant in Jersey City and was shocked to hear we had a museum. Tulchin jokes that living in the penthouse â&#x20AC;&#x153;corresponds to my ego.â&#x20AC;?

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HOW WE LIVE JCM

150 BAY No false advertising for this renovated building in the warehouse district. It bills itself as a live/work space for artists, and it has just the right industrial, artsy feel for that part of town. Robert Koch arrived by way of Pennsylvania and then the Tea House in Hoboken. He’d heard that the building was opening and he wanted to “avoid the congestion of Hoboken.” He’s lived there, going on seven years, and left his mark immediately. It’s his sculpture that graces the front courtyard, which faces Marin (p. 60). His seventh-floor unit opens on to a hallway, packed with his work, including an entire wall of pottery. The most notable thing about the space is Koch’s work— ceramics, paintings, and welded-steel sculptures. The 1,200foot studio has a kitchen and one bathroom. “The art scene in Jersey City is alive and vibrant,” Koch says. And there’s a broad range of talent. “At 150 Bay Street there are so many talented people,” he says. “Some make many thousands of dollars, some are just starting out and have other jobs. I’m kind of in the middle. I have reputable galleries and make a living at it.” Every October he participates in the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour. Koch lives with his two dogs, Maggie and Stella. Easy access to the river is a real plus. “Every Sunday we walk down to the

ROBERT KOCH WITH MAGGIE AND STELLA

river, and we go to the hot dog stand, and I give them a hot dog,” he says. “My friends from Pennsylvania ask how I can have two big dogs in the city. I tell them there are parks and dog runs. The dogs have a pretty darned good life.” They also have access to 150 Bay’s 12,000-square-foot roof deck. And Koch has access to the gym, which occupies the 7th and 8th floors with cardio equipment and weights. One of his favorite hangouts in JC is the new Roman Nose, which

opened in the fall across from the old Hudson Camera on Newark Avenue. “The food and service are so good,” he says. “It has nice energy and is so friendly.” The windows of his unit face south, overlooking the old firehouse on Morgan, which once housed Queen Latifah’s Jersey City business operations. Koch loves the natural light of late afternoon. “The loft is designed to be flexible,” he says, “and accommodate working as well as living.”

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

HOW WE LIVE JCM

64 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

GIFFORD AVENUE

THE ALSOP FAMILY

Gifford Avenue is noted for its fine Victorians, shaded sidewalks, and outdoor space for kids or gardens. It was this urban/suburban ambience that attracted Tameka and Shawn Alsop, who have

66 â&#x20AC;˘ Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

three boys, ages 6 to 16. One lives with his mother in Queens. Though not a Jersey City native, Tameka, who works in finance, knew the Exchange Place area and had lived in Journal Square. The Alsop kids went to schools in Jersey City, including Primary Prep Elementary and McNair Academic. Shawn, a civil engineer, had worked with the Meadowlands Commission. “Shawn saw the house online,” Tameka says. “When we drove to see it, the neighbor was outside putting up holiday decorations. I asked her questions, and most of the residents had raised children there.” That was almost four years ago. The three-story, 4,600-square-foot house has seven bedrooms, three and a half baths, kitchen, dining room, family room, library, sun room, basement, and back yard. “It’s a grand, beautiful Victorian,” Tameka says. “Perfect for a blended family. Everyone has their space.” But the house, which had been a church and also a doctor’s office— it’s located on what used to be

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known as doctors’ row—needed work. They brought in contractors for some of the work and did some of it themselves. Tameka loves the neighborhood. “It’s diverse and trendy,” she says. “I go to

68 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

dinner once a month with a mom’s group. I’ve been exposed to more restaurants than I ever thought existed in Jersey City.”—JCM

Interviews by Kate Rounds

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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

BY KATE ROUNDS

t’s that time of year again. Sure, some folks bike all year round, but spring and summer is when the rest of us get out our bikes—for recreation or transportation. Speaking anecdotally, I’d say bike theft is rampant. Three of my bikes have been stolen, and many of my friends, acquaintances, and coworkers have had their bikes stolen. So, what to do? Dave Wagner is a sales associate, bike mechanic, and director of social media at Grove Street Bikes on, you guessed it, Grove Street. “Bike designers are often not thinking about bikes in the city,” Wagner says. In suburbs and rural areas, people just leave their bikes on the lawn, and nothing happens, but not in the city. Kryptonite locks, Wagner says, are the industry standard. “We’ve been using them for years now and never had issues,” he says. But he cautions that the simple cable lock with either a key or a combination is suitable only for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time.“If you’re sitting at a café and can see out the window and keep an eye out,” they’re fine, he says.

70 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS

Hey, where’s my bike? It was locked to that no-parking sign!

The gold standard for locks is the U lock. Wagner says he rarely sees instances of a U lock being picked or broken or cut. Though they come in various sizes, Wagner says the smaller ones are handy because they can fit in your back pocket. A cheaper alternative is to go down to the hardware store and buy a length of heavy chain along with a padlock. “That’s a budget route that will prevent most bike thieves from attempting to steal from you,” Wagner says. You’ve probably noticed bikes that are locked up but missing their front wheels. This means either that the front wheel has been stolen or the owner took it off to keep the bike from being stolen. If you’re lucky enough to be the owner who has removed the wheel, the best thing to do is to line up the front wheel with the back wheel and lock them together with a big U lock. Otherwise, you can carry your front wheel around with you, along with your purse, briefcase, coffee, or whatever. Carrying a bike wheel has a certain cachet. You may have also noticed bikes without seats. Sometimes owners take them, but seats often get stolen from bikes with “quick-release” seat posts. The value of quick-release seat posts is that with folding bikes, you can quickly get the seat back to its right height. And if couples are sharing a bike, they can change the seat height without tools. But if you are worried about theft, Wagner says, “Stay away from quick-release parts.” Just as car thieves have favorite makes and models, so do bike thieves. They prefer high-end brands, as opposed to something you might pick up at Target or Wal-Mart. The quality brands include Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale, as opposed to brands like Pacific, Magna, or Next. “Bike thieves know what they’re after,” Wagner says. “They can’t sell or get as much money for a low-end bike.”

PHOTO BY KATE ROUNDS Where you lock your bike is also important. “Use a bike rack,” says Jay DiDimenico, director of the Hudson Transportation Management Association, “not a lamp post, municipal parking meter, or on private property.” That last one is important. Some property owners don’t like bikes locked up on their outdoor fences. When summoned, “The Port Authority police will cut the locks,” DiDimenico says. When my last bike was stolen, everyone advised me to report it to the cops, but my problem was, how do I prove that the bike is mine? I pictured the cop saying, “Your word against his, lady.” Well, there’s a simple solution. “Every bike has a serial number stamped on the bottom bracket shell,” Dave Wagner says. “It’s stamped into the frame.” If you keep the serial number with you at all times, you can report the bike with its serial number to the cops. “It’s good to have on hand,” Wagner says. “Some people program them into their smart phones.” Smart move.—JCM

ASIAN BISTRO

PHOTOS BY TERRI SAULINO BISH

72 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

If you’re looking for Asian cuisine amid the energetic hubbub of Jersey City’s shopping and business district, this is the place to go. On Washington Boulevard’s restaurant row, it’s an eatery you pass all the time—on the way to Newport Mall, the ferry, the PATH, and the light rail, or just on the way to work in one of the nearby high-rise office buildings. It has a robust lunch business, so next time, don’t just walk by, walk in. That’s what we did—for dinner on a Wednesday evening. I was surprised at how spacious it is. It looks like a great place for a party. But warm colors make it seem serene and intimate. The room gradually filled with customers, and there were plenty of waiters, helping out with menu questions and making sure we had everything we needed—including chopsticks. I started with the Japanese beer Sopporo, and Terri, who shot these pictures, ordered a

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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

beautiful pina colada, the quintessential summer cocktail. Speaking of drinks, if you’re here for lunch, and you don’t want to go back to work under the influence, try one of their nonalcoholic choices. You can get a “virgin” just about anything, including pina colada, mango colada, strawberry or banana daiquiri, margarita, or peach margarita. The Bubble Milk Teas look like fountain drinks. They include the Confucius, Green Honeydew, or Taro. The menu, though large, is easy to navigate. I headed for the fish dishes. There were lots of tempting selections, but the Crispy Chilean Seabass, which I finally chose, was perfect. It’s a very lightly fried fillet with “chef’s five ingredients sauce.” Not sure what those ingredients are, but it was a flavorful, slightly sweet concoction that went well with the very fresh carrots and broccoli that accompanied the fish. Terri went for the Thai-Style Jumbo Shrimp, which are lightly fried, shells included. It’s advertised as spicy, but the sweet Thai chili sauce was fairly mild. There was enough for her to take some home to her family. Dieters can enjoy a host of steamed specialties—prawns, chicken, shrimp, or scallops with vegetables. But frankly, just about anything you order is going to be good for the waistline because the food is fresh, and expertly cooked without a lot of heavy sauces that mask the flavor of whatever you’ve selected. We were too full for dessert, but our hosts treated us to one anyway, bringing a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with colorful sauces and surrounded by crispy banana bites. Full or not, we could not resist it. Bottom line? Don’t pass this one by. —Kate Rounds Confucius Asian Bistro 558 Washington Blvd. (201) 386-8896 confucius558.com

74 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

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BOX ASIAN BISTRO

176 Newark Avenue (201) 432-1670 boxjc.com Think inside the BOX at our unique restaurant, which features the most popular dishes of Southeast Asia, such as Korean barbeque short ribs, Malaysian curry noodles, Cantonese style over rice and noodles, Sichuan shredded beef, sushi, mango duck, Chilean sea bass, and more. Experience this journey in our softly lit dining room, where great food meets great prices.

THE BRIGHTSIDE TAVERN

141 Bright Street (201) 435-1234 brightsidetavern.com This corner tavern is a popular neighborhood gathering place. Its large oval bar is perfect for a cold beer and a few innings of baseball or whatever your sport of choice. Brightside has a wide selection of burgers with various toppings. But it’s not just for burgers. The menu features mussels, a variety of salads, barbecued ribs, steak fries, wings, fried pickles, hummus, wraps—basically something for everyone. With bar tables and a dining room, it accommodates intimate dinners or festive parties.

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Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

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CONFUCIUS ASIAN BISTRO

558 Washington Boulevard (201) 386-8898 confucius558.com Confucius Asian Bistro is a perfect mix of ambiance, excellence, friendly service, delicious food served with an attractive presentation, large portions, and affordability. Stop in for lunch and take advantage of the specials or for dinner to experience a tasty meal in a serene environment.

EDWARD’S STEAK HOUSE

239 Marin Boulevard (201) 761-0000 edwardssteakhouse.com Edward’s Steak House offers steak, seafood, and other sumptuous fare with an elegant bistro flare. Tucked into a historic townhouse in downtown Jersey City, Edward’s is comfortably upscale. The menu includes all the classic steaks and chops—aged prime sirloin, porterhouse, filet mignon, and more. You’ll enjoy the atmosphere whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or stopping by for a steak sandwich at the bar.

HELEN’S PIZZA

183 Newark Avenue (201) 435-1507 helenspizza.com Helen’s Pizza, a family owned restaurant, has been serving downtown Jersey City since 1968. Using only the finest ingredients they provide customers with the best tasting pizza, dinners, sandwiches, salads, and now a wide selection of homemade desserts. They have earned their reputation for the best pizza in town. Come taste the difference at Helen’s Pizza.

HONSHU

31 Montgomery Street second floor (201) 324-2788 honshulounge.com When craving an exciting Japanese dish or looking for new cuisine with an enjoyable atmosphere, we have the answer—smoking appetizers, sizzling entrees, fresh seafood, noodles, and sweet desserts. No matter your selection, rest assured we use the finest and freshest ingredients to bring out the unique taste of our superb menu items.

76 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

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IBBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FALAFEL

303 Grove Street (201)432-2400 ibbysfalafels.com One of downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular eateries, Ibbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Falafel has been serving Jersey City for more than 17 years. The menu consists of original Middle Eastern cuisine made with authentic ingredients, along with new and innovative additionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the falafel that made falafel famous. Ibbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offerings are now 100 percent officially halal certified. Open seven days. Catering available. Also located in Edgewater and Freehold. Delivery to all of Jersey City.

Z& $ 41 &0 0&&Ă&#x2122;3&- $ $ 3 1 k-0 $

KOMEGASHI

103 Montgomery Street (201) 433-4567 komegashi.com Located in Jersey Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial district, Komegashi offers fresh, well-presented sushi along with traditional Japanese favorites and an extensive selection of fresh shellfish. Locals and visitors from around the world find this a perfect spot to dine in casual elegance. Open seven days.

KOMEGASHI TOO

99 Town Square Place Newport Financial Center (201) 533-8888 komegashi.com Komegashi too offers an authentic Japanese dining experience with a spectacular view of the New York Skyline. The menu includes perfectly prepared sushi and sashimi, kaiseki, teriyaki, and tempura. Located on the river at Newport Financial Center, Komegashi too is open seven days.

146 Newark Ave, Jersey City 07302

201.915.0600 skinnersloft.com

281 Grove Street (201) 309-0571 morejc.com More offers a wide selection of Thai and Japanese offerings, and more. Whether you stop by for a meal or take one to go, the experience will be satisfying. more is located across the street from City Hall.

PUCCINIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RESTAURANT AND CATERING

1064 West Side Avenue (201) 432-4111 puccinisrestaurnant.com Excellent food, gracious service, and the elegant surroundings at Pucciniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are all you need for a perfect evening out. Chef Pasquale Iengo, a Naples native, creates authentic Italian dishes the way they were meant to be served and offers an impressive wine list to complement your meal. Expert catering is also available in two exquisitely appointed and expanded banquet halls, a perfect setting for your wedding or special event. Pucciniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday and for dinner Saturday and Sunday.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 â&#x20AC;˘

JERSEY CITY’S NEWEST

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THE RESTAURANTS AT NEWPORT

J.C. Waterfront District newportnj.com Overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline is the most diverse dining destination on the New Jersey Gold Coast— The Restaurants at Newport. Located among the luxury apartments and office towers in the Newport section, The Restaurants at Newport include 12 fine establishments: Komegashi too, Dorrian’s, Raaz, Cosi, Confucius, Bertucci’s, Babo, Fire and Oak, Boca Grande Cantina, Michael Anthony’s, Skylark on the Hudson, and Loradella’s.

RITA & JOE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

142 Broadway (201) 451-3606 ritaandjoes.com. A Jersey City favorite, Rita and Joe’s is the next best thing to Mama’s Italian cooking. This family-run restaurant serves delectable homemade dishes served in the comfort of a cozy and intimate dining room. On and off premises catering are available.

RUSTIQUE PIZZA

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Serving Beer & Wine

CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS 1072 WESTSIDE AVENUE, JERSEY CITY (Nest to Puccini’s Restaurant) (201) 434-4604 FAX:(201) 434-4945

78 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

611 Jersey Avenue (201) 222-6886 rustiquepizza.com Welcome to Rustique Pizza! The Rosiello family warmly invites you to wake up your taste buds with our delicious food in the casual, friendly atmosphere of our dining room. If you’d rather enjoy your meal at home, we offer free delivery or the option of picking up your entrées or pizza. Our bread, dough, and mozzarella are made fresh daily in-house, ensuring satisfaction each time you dine with us.

SALUMERIA ERCOLANO

1072 Westside Avenue (201) 434-4604 Jersey City’s newest and most talked about Italian deli and market is brought to you by Chef Pasquale, who has delivered top quality to Puccini’s for more than 27 years. With a fresh menu that changes daily, Salumeria Ercolano offers delicious sandwiches, panninis, wraps, and salads along with daily, fresh-made mozzarella, and desserts. Whether you eat in or take it home, you owe it to yourself to make this your next stop for lunch or a take-home dinner. Quality catering for all occasions is available. Serving beer and wine. Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, from 9:30 a. m. to 5 p.m. Free parking.

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SATIS BISTRO

212 Washington Street (201) 435.5151 satisbistro.com Tucked away in the Paulus Hook neighborhood, Satis is Jersey’s City’s best-kept dining secret. Satis is a foodie haven with a fantastic wine bar that serves dinner daily and brunch on weekends. The cuisine is modern European with an emphasis on French, Italian, and Spanish specialties. Menu changes are made seasonally, and specials are run weekly. Reservations are recommended.

SAWADEE

137 Newark Avenue (201) 433-0888 sawadeejc.com Offering exceptional Thai cuisine, Sawadee is a dining experience that will please both the eye and palate! Enjoy lunch, dinner, or a refreshing cocktail in an inviting atmosphere. Sawadee is conveniently located just steps from the Grove Street PATH.

SKINNER’S LOFT

146 Newark Avenue (201) 915-0600. skinnersloft.com A chic, loft-style eatery, Skinner’s Loft features a warm, spacious interior with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and total attention to detail. It’s a perfect spot to enjoy a cocktail and a fine meal.

SKY THAI

62 Morris Street (201) 333-4311 skythaijc.com This new Jersey City eatery near Exchange Place serves traditional Thai cuisine in a warm and beautiful atmosphere. Enjoy a cocktail before dinner and get ready for an authentic Asian feast.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

DATES JCM from page 45

Washington Park Little League Parade, beginning at Central Avenue and Hutton Street to Willie Wolfe/Washington Park baseball field. Noon-1:30 p.m.

Out of Order, The Attic Ensemble, 83 Wayne St., (201) 413-9200, atticensemble.org, info@atticensemble.org. A sexy romp with swinging doors and a naughty window. Runs through May 5. Written by Ray Cooney, directed by Brendan Applegate.

7 Not Yo Mama’s April Fools’ Fair, LITM, 140 Newark Ave., (201) 536-5557. 11a.m.-4 p.m. A chance to purchase one-of-a-kind items from high-end crafters. Free. Korean Artists Reception, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St. 6-8 p.m.

12 4th Annual Green Teen Arts & Music Festival, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Local teenagers showcase their musical and artistic talents in an eco-friendly community event. $5. All proceeds go toward planting trees locally and around the country.

16 Children’s Music Workshop, Five Corners Library, 678 Newark Ave. 10 a.m. All are welcome to this workshop designed to increase and promote group participation, early child development skills, and awareness. Run by Sam Oliver and Bob Albrecht. Free.

20 Hipster Bingo Night, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. A themed night of bingo and mustacheladen shenanigans. $5/game gets you a chance to win big while supporting the arts.

80 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

27 The Laugh Tour, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, thelaughtour.com. 7 p.m. mixer, 8 p.m. show. A comedy event with major headliner and special guests. Tickets $15 advance, $20 at the door.

MAY 2 Performance & Open Mic – Frank Ippolito and the Spaghetti Sessions Special Guests, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. Five minute open mic for poets, musicians, and performance artists. $5.

3 Cinco de Mayo Parade and Fiesta, 279 Grove St. 4 p.m.-midnight.

4 Summer’s Twilight, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. Funny compositions and musical sketches featuring a selection from Kevin Clark’s work-in-progress, Summer’s Twilight.

9 Hamilton Square Art Opening, Hamilton Square Lobby, 232 Pavonia Ave. 7-9 p.m. Hudson Artists Show Reception, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St. 6-8 p.m.

DATES JCM

11 Newport annual 10,000 race, 100 Newport Town Square Place, newport10k.com. Annual 10k race along the waterfront with cash prizes. Registration at 7 a.m., race, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

31 Guys and Dolls, Jr., The Landmark Loew’s Theater, 54 Journal Square, loewsjersey.org. STAGES! Performance Company for Youth presents this classic story. Tickets $12/adults, $8/students and seniors in advance or $15 at the door. Through June 2.

JUNE 6 Performance & Open Mic – Season Finale Event, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8-10 p.m. Five-minute open mic for poets, musicians, and performance artists. $5.

7 JC Fridays, Citywide, jcfridays.com. All day. Art, performances, music, film, and JC Fridays’ business discounts. Programs include art openings and exhibits, spoken word, music, dance, film/video screenings, theater, and alternative performance. Free. Majestic Art Opening, Majestic Theatre Lobby, 222 Montgomery St. 7-9 p.m.

11 City Without Walls Traveling Exhibition Reception, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove Street. 6-8 p.m.

15 Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body Opening, Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org.

Sometimes it’s stinky, sometimes it’s crusty, and sometimes it’s slimy. Explore why your body produces mushy, oozy, crusty, scaly and stinky gunk. Through Sept. 2. McGinley Square “Celebrate the Streets” Festival, St Peter’s and the Armory parking lot, 16 p.m. First Festival & Columbian Parade of Hudson, Exchange Place. 10 a.m.7 p.m.

23 Philippine American Parade & Festival, Lincoln Park. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

29 Art House Summer Blowout, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th floor, (201) 915-9911, arthouseproductions.org. 8 p.m.-midnight. An indoor beach blanket party. Come in your cheesiest beachwear and dance to some of Jersey City’s hottest bands with raffle prizes and more. $5.

JULY 6 Egyptian Festival, Journal Square Plaza. Noon-10 p.m.

9 Roland Ramos Exhibition Reception, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St. 6-8 p.m.

10 West Indian/Caribbean Flag Raising, City Hall, 280 Grove St. Time TBD.

25 Chalk Fest, Exchange Place. Noon-2 p.m. Sidewalk chalk art festival with music and games. Free.

27 West Indian/Caribbean Parade, Lincoln Park to City Hall. Time TBD.

Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013 •

DATES JCM

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

Bolivian Flag Raising, City Hall Council Chambers. Noon-12:30 p.m.

JC Fridays, Citywide, jcfridays.com. All day. Art, performances, music, film, and JC Fridays’ business discounts. Programs include art openings and exhibits, spoken word, music, dance, film/video screenings, theater, and alternative performance. Free.

3 10th Bolivian Parade of the East Coast, Hamilton Park to City Hall. Noon-5 p.m.

6 National Night Out, Locations and times TBA.

11 Indo-American Festival, Leonard Gordon Park, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Pakistani Flag Raising, City Hall, 6-9 p.m.

14-18

La Festa Italiana, Sixth Street between Monmouth & Brunswick Streets, lafestaitalianajc.com. 511 p.m. Old-world street festival with music and games. Free.

All About Downtown Street Fair, Newark Avenue and Grove Street Plaza. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Puerto Rican Festival, Exchange Place. Noon-10 p.m.

NJ Beer Co. beers are available at these local restaurants, bars and retailers and throughout New Jersey.

Puerto Rican Parade & Festival, Parade begins at noon from Lincoln Park to City Hall, Festival at Exchange Place. Noon-10 p.m.

20-25 Barclays PGA Golf Tournament, Liberty National Golf Course. 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

24 LGBT Pride Festival, Exchange Place. Noon-7 p.m.

25 hudson pale ale garden state stout 1787 abbey single ale

proudly brewed in new jersey NJBeerCo.com

82 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ SPRING & SUMMER 2013

10 Studio Tour Preview Reception, Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, 280 Grove St. 6-8 p.m.

drink local

Hamilton Square Art Opening, Hamilton Square Lobby, 232 Pavonia Ave. 7-9 p.m.

Polish Festival, Washington Street between Sussex and Grand Streets. Noon-8 p.m.

22 Newport Liberty Half Marathon, 100 Newport Town Square Place, newporthalfmarathon.com. Annual race for charity along the waterfront. 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Race time 8:30 a.m. Pre-register at runners-high.com

28 4th Annual Hamilton Park BBQ Festival, Hamilton Square, 232 Pavonia Ave. Noon-8 p.m. Irish Festival, Exchange Place. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Gridiron Glory Opening, 222 Jersey City Blvd., (201) 200-1000, lsc.org. Just in time for the 2014 Super Bowl at Giants Stadium, Gridiron Glory combines history, culture, artifacts, interactive exhibits, and a “Local Heroes” exhibit, showcasing the Giants and Jets. Through March 2, 2014. —JCM

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