Hoboken is a mile-square city of 50,000 located in Hudson County, New Jersey. During it's history it has evolved from a gruff port town (see Marlon Brando in
On The Waterfront, filmed at the Hoboken docks in the 1950's), to a creepy post industrial slum in the 1960's and 1970's, to a hip neighborhood for artists and musicians in the 1980's, to a wild party town in the 1990's, and finally an upscale yuppie haven in the 2000's. Hoboken is often the first stop for New Jersey's recent college grads. In the last decade it has leaned toward an older, more established crowd as well, as upscale housing along the waterfront and previously vacant/industrial NW corner of town helped boost the population from 38,000 in 2000 to 50,000 in 2010. Population peaked at 70,000 during the city's crowded industrial heyday.
It is urban from top to bottom. No yards, no houses, only one small strip mall on the edge of town.
Soundtrack: Hoboken rockers The Feelies, from their 1980 debut.
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Frank the Seagull will be our tour guide today.
The red roof is that of City Hall.
Looking towards the west side of Hoboken. Jersey City Heights looms on top of the cliffs.
Hoboken's western border is defined by the cliffs, which are the southern reaches of the
New Jersey Palisades. Part of Jersey City and all of Union City are on top of the cliffs.
I work in Hoboken, so these photos are kind of a jumble of my lunchtime wanderings over the last winter and fall.
Indie rockers take note: Hoboken gave us the legendary Yo La Tengo, as well as The Feelies. Frank Sinatra is from here as well. Maxwell's on 11th street has long been one of the coolest little rock venues in the NYC area.
Hoboken Terminal is one of the primary transit hubs for New Jersey and New York. It links New Jersey Transit commuter trains, the PATH subway system, buses, light rail, ferries, and pretty much every other method of ground transportation you can think of. It's a busy place. This shows some ferry slips at the rear of the terminal.
The first officially recorded game of baseball was played at Hoboken's Elysian Park, in 1846.
Hoboken is home to the
Stevens Institute of Technology, a very good school with an amazing campus that no one has heard of. It sits atop a cliff overlooking the river. Accomplished alumni include founders of General Motors and Texas Instruments, and the co-inventor of bubble wrap.
It is a very pleasant campus with a stunning backdrop.
Randomly puttering around the city again
This was a tragedy. One of my favorite buildings in town, and in a very prominent location. It was a complete loss. Check your smoke detectors.
Washington Street is Hoboken's main drag.
Church Square Park
Parking is worth it's weight in gold in Hoboken. It's such a walkable city that its almost un-driveable. Take the train if you want to visit.
Downtown Hoboken seen from Jersey City.
A series of shots from a park in Jersey City Heights, atop the cliffs, looking over Hoboken.
Hoboken's 5th Street
The southwest corner is the lower income part of town, and home to some Hoboken Housing Authority projects. Nonetheless, Hoboken is about as safe as it gets in urban America.
Jersey City looms to the south.
Pier A Park is an old industrial pier cleared off and turned into a very pleasant park jutting out into the river.
Washington Street
A lot of the younger members of the NHL's New Jersey Devils live in Hoboken. Best of luck to them in the finals as they vie for Lord Stanley's Cup (although it's not looking good after last night... ugh.) It's a pretty quick jaunt over to the arena in Newark.
These last few shots have been of Hoboken's North End, an area that I think stacks up with the finest inner city neighborhoods in the country.
Blocks of elegant brownstones can be found on side streets
Hoboken Terminal. I don't know why the outside has remained so shabby. The waiting room is very nice.
Pier A Park
Hoboken's waterfront is one of my favorites. There is no highway dividing it from the neighborhoods. Just the one-lane, speedbumped Frank Sinatra Drive. It really makes a difference in terms of accessibility.
It's quite busy during nicer weather, of course.
It would be New Jersey without at least a little industrial grit. An old leather factory near the southwest corner of town.
1st Street is a secondary commercial street
Frank hopes you enjoyed the tour.
