Happy Sunday! Between Jane DO opening, SLT, Flow-in-the-Dark Yoga, and the HoBOOken 5K, it’s a wonder the HG team is still moving {let alone walking} after all that’s gone down this week. Luckily a few sore muscles didn’t stop us from taking part in the numerous events happening for Halloweekend. From Bang Cookie’s opening to Midtown Authentic’s closing and everything in between, here are the top Hoboken + Jersey City news stories of the week.
Jane DO Opens in Hoboken
Jane DO, founded by former Rockettes Jacey Lambros and Danielle DeAngelo, is officially opening in Hoboken as of November 1st. This will be the third fitness location — the first being Jersey City and the second being Edgewater. Jane DO offers a “top-caliber, trend-setting total body workout.” Prior to Jane DO, Lambros and DeAngelo rotated between barre classes, dance classes, and strength training , but they soon grew frustrated that multiple classes at multiple studios were the norm to keep up in their profession. Thus, Jane DO was born based on the belief that it is possible to have the strength of an athlete with the body of a dancer — and improve upon both in the same studio. Jane DO strives to inspire its patrons to develop a healthy confident self that extends beyond the studio walls.
The HG team got to christen the studio last week with a fun trampoline class, but Jane DO Hoboken officially opens in Hoboken on Wednesday, November 1st. They’ll be offering FREE classes Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week {click here to sign up and view the schedule!}. The studio is located in the Monroe Center {behind Pannello — in the old 35-Minute Bootcamps location}. Classes include fun titles such as Dance Your A$$ Off, Train Jane, and Floor Play. While the light-show and music were great {and don’t even get us started on their adorable locker room complete with showers and extra hair elastics}, the instructors and their energy truly blew us away. Exercises were clearly explained, 1:1 guidance was provided when needed, and praise was shouted out to individuals by name, even upon it being the first time some of us were ever in class with Jacey & Danielle. We’re looking forward to a fun fitness addition in west Hoboken. More on our experience coming soon! Click here to book your free classes for next week.
Napoli’s Pizza Set to Open Downtown Location
The rumors are true! One of uptown’s favorite pizza spots, Napoli Neopolitan Brick Oven Pizza, is opening a second location downtown in the storefront previously occupied by Grimaldi’s at 133 Clinton Street. Napoli’s is highly regarded as a family-friendly locale for both dine-in and take-out options. Delivery is FREE and ordering is available through their website or Seamless. Napoli’s serves true Neapolitan style pizza, which aficionados know is characterized by its thin, crispy crust and even amounts of sauce, cheese, and toppings so that one flavor does not overwhelm the others. If pizza is not your thing, Napoli’s also serves an array of pasta, paninis, and salads. More details to come regarding the downtown location’s opening.
La Casa Opens in Hoboken
The void left by the former Love and Yogurt storefront has finally opened its doors. We reported a few weeks back that La Casa was near completion, and it is finally open as of last week! Located at 54 Newark, this spot {owned by the same owners as Basile’s and Papaya Dog} brings Spanish-style tapas to the downtown section of Hoboken. La Casa offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner — which will soon be followed up by a late-night menu. This little spot is as warm and inviting as their empanadas {ask us how we know…} annnnd it’s BYOB. Check back in soon for a full feature. Welcome to the neighborhood, La Casa!
Superstorm Sandy Five-Year Anniversary Event
It is hard to believe that just five years ago, Hoboken, and much of the mid-Atlantic, was preparing for superstorm Sandy to make landfall. The storm proved to be much more devastating that initially anticipated, and Hoboken and its surrounding areas were badly affected, with flooding that left many without power for weeks. In commemoration of the anniversary, the City of Hoboken in partnership with the Hoboken Historical Museum will be holding an open-house event for residents and visitors. The open house will showcase Sandy-related materials, and visitors will be encouraged to sign the museum’s five-year anniversary reflection book. Refreshments and hot beverages will be provided by Turquoise Café, a coffee-and-pottery-painting shop just opened in a west Hoboken locale that was badly damaged by the storm,. The event will take place on Sunday, October 29th from 2PM-5PM at the Hoboken Historical Museum.
Corgi Spirits Opens at the Jersey City Distillery
Jersey City’s first distillery, Corgi Spirits, opened on Saturday October 28th, and Jersey Digs gave us a first look at the business behind the booze. Located at 1 Distillery Drive, Corgi Spirits is a hidden gem amongst rows of industrial warehouse spaces best accessed by traveling on Passaic Avenue. Corgi Distillery will feature two locally distilled gins and one vodka. Each batch is perfectly handcrafted by founder Robert Hagemann and his team. Although Corgi Spirits draws much of its philosophy, heritage, and décor from the British, Hageman was first inspired to create craft cocktails during his time abroad in Tokyo. Hageman was equal parts impressed and mystified that Japanese bartenders at the New York Bar would take upwards of 10 minutes to create his cocktail. Upon returning to the states Hageman tried both bartending and the corporate world, but has finally found his calling as a distiller of spirits. And if the local spirits weren’t enough to win your patronage, Corgi Distillery will be donating a portion of their profits to See Spot Rescued and the Liberty Humane Society. Corgi Spirit’s will be open from 4PM-10PM on Saturday 10/28 and Sunday 10/29. They will begin normal business hours on Wednesday 11/1.
Newport Centre Celebrates 30 Years
Newport Centre, a fixture along Jersey City’s waterfront, is celebrating 30 years of business this month. Newport Centre’s parent company, Simon Property Group decided to commemorate this occasion with a life-size 3-0 installation in Center Court. The 3-0 is fashioned {pun intended} with photos of the local community over the past 30 years. Jill Daniel, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Newport Centre said, “We are excited to be celebrating our 30 year anniversary with the community. The growth at our property throughout the years has been tremendous.”
Ample Hills {Ice Cream} Opening Next Weekend in Jersey City
Ample Hills Creamery, voted Best Ice Cream in America by the Food Network, is coming to Jersey City thiiis Friday November 3rd! Ample Hills’ menu will include classics such as Ooey Gooey Butter Cake a creamy vanilla ice cream with hunks of St. Louis-style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, The Munchies a pretzel-infused ice cream with clusters of Ritz crackers, potato chips, pretzels and mini M&Ms, and Peppermint Pattie featuring peppermint ice cream with semi-sweet chocolate flakes and homemade dark chocolate-covered peppermint patties. Plan your schedule now as the first 100 customers on opening day will get a FREE scoop of their choice. Founded in Brooklyn in 2011, this husband and wife operation has expanded to eight locations between New York and California. Ample Hills Jersey City will be their first shop in the New Jersey and will feature a signature Jersey City flavor, The Golden Door.
And as if the ice cream wasn’t enough to bring you in, the shop itself will have a custom mural featuring the story of Ample Hills traveling from Brooklyn to Jersey City truly signifying Ample Hills mission to be a part of the local community. The shop will have a birthday party room, ice cream-churning stationary bicycles, and seating for patrons. Normal hours are Sunday-Thursday, noon – 11:00 PM, and Friday-Saturday from noon – midnight.
Bang Cookies Open for Business in Jersey City
If you’re one of the lucky few to have already tried Bang Cookies, you know that biting into that soft gooey cookie is something that is better experienced than explained. Lucky for you, we are happy to announce that Bang Cookies has opened a permanent storefront at 1183 Summit Ave in Jersey City. The founders, George Kuan and Claire Huang, began selling their cookies at local farmer’s markets nearly two years ago and their entire selection of cookies sold out in the first two hours of the market week after week. They quickly realized they had a product that could be much bigger than they had originally imagined. Thankfully, you too will be able to experience Bang Cookies for yourselves sooner rather than later. This weekend, Bang Cookies is offering Hoboken Girl readers 1 cookie FREE to their first 500 customers {250 on Sat, 250 on Sun 10/29 — there’s still time!}. Brave the viaduct and head up for a S’mores or Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk cookies — you won’t regret it.
Midtown Authentic to Close Hoboken Storefront
Midtown Authentic owner Rory Chadwick announced that he is permanently closing his Hoboken storefront on December 15th. Located at 257 1st Street, Midtown Authentic is often regarded as the city’s premiere designer resale store. For nearly 11 years, patrons have purchased and sold jewelry, bags, and accessories from designers such Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and David Yurman. Luckily, Midtown Authentic has already opened another store in Westfield, NJ and plans to expand further with stores in Princeton, Saddle River, and Red Bank.
Hudson Bike Share Expands Service to Five More Cities
When Hudson Bike Share began in 2015, the program had 29 stations and 210 bikes. The program recently announced that they would be expanding service to include a total of 65 stations and 560 across six cities including Guttenberg, North Bergen, Weehawken, Bayonne, and West New York. Hudson Bike Share has logged over 300,000 rides amongst its nearly 20,000 riders since 2015 and the expansion plans will make it one of the largest bike shares in the country. The true differentiator of the Hudson program is the rider’s ability to park a bike temporarily, or end a trip at a station that is already full. Riders can register online or download the NextBike app and rides are $2 per 30-minute trip. Visit their site for more information on membership and station locations.
SLT Opens in Hoboken
SLT Fitness Studio opened this past Thursday, October 26th in uptown Hoboken. SLT provides a high-intensity low-impact workout like no other class on the market. Fondly referred to as “Pilates on crack,” SLT is a favorite of celebrities such as Sofia Vergara, Emmy Rossum, and Nina Agdal just to name a few. During the 50-minute class, instructors lead groups of no more than 12 through a combination of cardio, strength training, and Pilates. The key to SLT’s success and proven results is their slow movements, fast transitions, and constant core-engagement. SLT has studios in 13 Northeastern cities, but the Hoboken studio, located at 333 15th Street, is the first to open in Hudson County. A range of classes will be scheduled each day for patrons of all-levels. Grippy socks {sold in studio} are required to participate in the class and patrons are encouraged to wear comfortable workout clothing. Can’t wait to give it a try!
$230M Approved for Hoboken Flood Barrier
Most days it is pretty easy to take the views along the Hoboken waterfront for granted and forget about the damage caused by Sandy and storms past. Unfortunately, the threat of damage from storms and their associated flooding is most certainly in Hoboken’s future. However, through Hoboken’s resilience and drive to create a safer community the city has landed a $230 million dollar grant to design a flood barrier system along the waterway. The funding, released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will allow for the construction of barriers and gates in Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City, which will protect our communities from water surges. The project will be finished by 2022 and will have minimal impact on traffic and waterfront aesthetics. Thanks to the hard work and diligence of the community in raising funds, awareness, and conceptual designs for the future barriers and resiliency parks, Hoboken residents can look forward to a future with significantly less flood damage.
Vale Tapas Bar + Restaurant Opens in Union City
Vale Tapas Bar + Restaurant, located at 3417 Park Avenue in Union City, is set to open in about two weeks according to the restaurant’s social media accounts. Jersey Digs brought us a first look at the restaurant in their interview with co-owner Luis Iglesias. Iglesias, who also owns The Cuban, said he chose this location because he “could see [Union City] becoming Hoboken in a few years.” The team set out to renovate the entire first three stories of the building as well as the roof, which will be reserved for a cocktail bar. {We may need to add this to our outdoor dining faves}. As for the food, Vale will serve tapas and three family-style entrees all meant to be shared . Diners will also have the opportunity to sample true Spanish-style cocktails, sherries, and wines as Vale will have a full liquor license. Wishing Vale the best of luck and look forward to sharing more information when their opening date is set.
Spacious Partners with Talde to Provide Daytime Co-Working Space
Photo via: spaciousapp
Looking to work from home but don’t want to “work from home?” Introducing Spacious, a company that partners with local restaurants to transform their evening dining-space into daytime work-space. Many restaurants sit empty from morning until evening just waiting for the nightly rush. With Spacious, restaurants such as Talde in Jersey City, are opening their doors to members who are looking to work, meet, and get things done. Best known for its Asian-American and Charleston-inspired southern comfort food, Talde is the first restaurant outside of NYC to join the Spacious family. Members can look forward to taking advantage of Talde’s loft space which was originally home to the Telephone’s Switching Station and later the Jersey City Police. Amenities include WI-FI, free coffee and tea, as well as meeting rooms and discounted guest passes. For more information on signing up for a Spacious membership, and entry into any one of their 14 locations visit their website here.
And that’s the latest Word on Washington Street news roundup for your Sunday!
Have any news tips? Email news.hobokengirl@gmail.com to let us know — we appreciate it.
