Hellllo Hudson County! We hope you got to enjoy some of the beautiful weather that decided to roll into town yesterday. This week has been another productive one around the Mile Square and Jersey City. We’re eagerly awaiting the opening of The Royal, the Jersey City’s newest bar/restaurant combo, and Soulcycle is opening next weekend! All this in more below for you to catch up on — here are the top Hoboken + Jersey City news stories this week:
Soulcycle Opens January 27th
Its almost here! Soulcycle is officially opening its doors to the Hoboken community on January 27th. As a reminder the studio is located on the corner of 14th Street and Washington and will house a Juice Press shop. The studio contains equipment for 55 individuals per class making the Hoboken studio one of their largest locations to-date. In the meantime, keep your eyes out next week on Instagram {@HobokenGirlBlog} for the chance to win an exclusive ride with the HG Team during opening weekend.
2017 Crime Stats Show a Decrease in Crime
Last week, Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante provided Mayor Bhalla and County Prosecutor Esther Suarez with the 2017 Hoboken crime statistics, reports Patch. Chief Ferrante stated, “There are many numbers that reflect how safe [the Hoboken] community is.” The most notable statistic was that despite receiving 100,000 calls for service and community interactions, there were no internal affairs complaints of improper arrest, entry, or searches at the HPD. “This type of professional policing is what builds trust from the community,” Mayor Bhalla said. Increases for this year include the number of calls responded to {100,000}, the number of closed robbery cases, and number of all cases through arrest and investigative work. Decreases include the number of violent crimes, aggravated assaults, and robberies.
Whole Fresh Market Place Coming Soon
Just in time for your New Year’s resolutions, Whole Fresh Market Place is coming to southwest Hoboken. Though the health food shop has kept many details of their arrival under wraps, we are thrilled to have another healthy and organic food option in the Mile Square. More details to come!
EY Opens Office Along Hoboken Waterfront
Ernst and Young LLC {E&Y} announced the opening of the their new 170,000 square-foot office and learning center along the Hoboken waterfront this past week. The office, located at 121 River Street, will house over 1,000 EY colleagues and is part of the EY@Work initiative, which focuses on integration, collaboration and innovation. “EY believes providing its people more choice in where, when and how work gets done allows them to better deliver exceptional client service, whether individually or as part of a team, and better supports their well-being.” The office features 100 collaboration rooms and more than 130 flexible work areas as well as state-of-the-art technology {seen above}.
Washington Street Fire Erupts Early Sunday Morning
Photo: cairnseykoff
A three-alarm fire erupted at 514 Washington Street last Sunday morning — as we shared on our Instagram. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Hoboken firefighters spent several hours battling the flames and strategically prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent buildings. Their efforts were made increasingly difficult by the sheets of ice covering the sidewalks. Several officers and firefighters were reported to have slipped and fallen during their efforts. Three buildings were evacuated and several surrounding restaurants will not be able to open until a health inspection is complete due to smoke and water damage. No fatalities were reported, however one police officer was treated for smoke inhalation.
Stevens Institute of Technology to Host Third Annual STEM-a-thon
Stevens Institute of Technology will host the third annual STEM-a-thon: Discovery, Innovation & Success for Hoboken’s 8th Grade Students. The STEM-a-thon will be held on Wednesday, January 24th from 9:00AM-2:00PM. 300 8th grade students from all nine of Hoboken’s public, private, and charter schools will work though team-based STEM activities. The goal of the program and competition is to help students gain interest and perspective of the opportunities available with a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Union Dry Dock Vote Postponed Again
Early last week, the NJ Transit Board of Directors was scheduled to vote on the acquisition of the Union Dry Dock property. Despite efforts made by Mayor Ravi Bhalla and supporters for the preservation of Hoboken’s waterfront, NY Waterway continued to move forward with their efforts to lease the space for a ferry refueling and a maintenance facility. Shortly before the meeting, the vote was again pulled from the agenda. In a statement released by Mayor Bhalla, “This is a huge step forward and a continuation of Hoboken’s decades-long efforts to transform our industrial waterfront into public open space…I will fight tooth and nail to preserve the former Union Dry Dock property as open space.”
The Royal Comes to Jersey City
The Royal, Jersey City’s newest gay bar/restaurant, will be opening at 100 York Street, according to Have a Night JC. The space was previously occupied by Lisbon Restaurant, but has undergone a major transformation in anticipation of the new bar’s opening, tentatively set for February 3rd. Paul Cate and George Makrogiannis, the creative minds behind Buddy Who’s and Liberty Prime {Makrogiannis}, are adding The Royal to their family of restaurants. The menu will consist of small plates with daily happy hour specials on food and drinks from 3-7PM. In addition to the bar space, The Royal will also have a dance floor and small stage. Special events such as drag bingo brunch on Sundays and drag nights on Tuesdays have already been scheduled.
White Eagle Hall Announces Opening 2018 with Dance, Theater, and Music
Although the restored White Eagle Hall officially opened in May, 2018 marks the venue’s first full year of music, theater, and dance. Featuring contemporary artists, hip-hop artists, and legendary singers, White Eagle Hall has provided programming for all types of music lovers. The venue hosted several soldout shows in 2017, including: New Found Glory, The Mountain Goats, and Bouncing Souls. The first new show of the 2018 year will be Grace, featuring dance pieces all choreographed by women. The first music lineup will feature Jersey City-based bands including Black Wail, Debra Devi, Hey Anna, Universal Rebel, and The Components all performing on the 19th. For more info, visit White Eagle Hall’s website.
Hoboken City Worker Steals $3K Parking Meter Materials from the City
Patch reports that the Hoboken police have charged a city worker with theft, after he stole 24 batteries from pay station parking meters throughout the City. The batteries are valued at over $3,000. In December, it was suspected that 12 batteries were stolen, but the count soon rose to 24. Police identified Wilfredo Gonzalez, 43, of Jersey City, as a suspect and on January 12th and they set up an operation to arrest him, after discovering that he left the city while he was supposed to be on duty. After being located in Jersey City, he was charged with 24 counts of theft of movable property.
Mutzfest Scheduled for January 28th
Hoboken MutzFest is back and scheduled for January 28th at the Elks Club! The day will feature a Cannoli Eating Contest, Frank Sinatra Sing-a-Long, ESPN, and of course — mozzarella. Your $25 ticket will grant you access to delicious eats from Frankie & Ava’s, M&P Biancamano, Margherita’s Pizza & Cafe, Tony Boloney’s, and Vito’s Italian. General admission tickets are on sale now at all participating shops and online. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Hoboken Family Alliance and its local community initiatives.
Public Safety Task Force Sparks Controversy Amongst Local Bar Owners
Last week, Mayor Bhalla introduced a Public Safety Task Force that will be utilized to control bar crawls such as SantaCon and LepreCon, according to Patch. As a result, multiple local bar owners attended last week’s city council meeting to express their concerns about the regulatory changes. During the meeting the council eliminated an ordinance that would add new rules and regulations to those who own liquor licenses, specifically mandating how many people must work the door and how many security persons are required for a bar to remain open.
Hoboken Girl Helps Coat Drive a Success
A big thank you to everyone who came out to Hoboken Girl’s open house and winter accessories drive last Thursday! Thanks to your generous donations we were able to 15 bags of winter coats and accessories to York Street Project. A special thanks to Sunnnyside Cafe and Birch Hoboken for providing us with delicious food and beverages. Stay tuned for the next Hoboken Girl Helps opportunity, coming in early February.
And that’s the latest Word on Washington Street news roundup for your Sunday.
Have any news tips? Email hello@hobokengirl.com and news.hobokengirl@gmail.com to let us know — we appreciate it!
