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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 8:10 PM
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HOBOKEN | New Jersey's finest urban neighborhood

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.
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Last edited by Thundertubs; Jun 3, 2012 at 8:24 PM.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 8:23 PM
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A few things...

If the co-inventor of bubble wrap was in any way involved... well, that seals the deal right there.

The architecture all seems to mesh nicely with each other.

Hoboken would be an interesting urban test case in trying to figure out how to fit more greenery into a thoroughly developed urban area. I notice a lot of trees, but I'm of the mind that there's no city on earth that couldn't use more. And in the case of a place like Hoboken, where the built environment is so nice, just think of what more plant life could add! I kept looking at these photos and trying to think of where and how you could add some trees to shade those apartments and soften those urban lines a little.
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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 8:29 PM
aajn1983 aajn1983 is offline
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i don't understand why it's such a cliche to complain about new jersey?

hoboken looks awesome.

love it.
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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 10:26 PM
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Nice pictures , but i wouldn't call Hoboken New Jersey's Finest Urban Neighborhood....its Rowdy Mostly younger city , with alot Nimbys aswell and backwards and often stupid Mayor...and City Council...
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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 10:32 PM
montréaliste montréaliste is offline
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Great architecture, pleasant streets and the views are magnificent. Thanks for an enlightening tour of Hoboken.
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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 10:40 PM
jd3189 jd3189 is offline
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Looks a lot like Brooklyn if it was located west of Manhattan.
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Old Posted Jun 3, 2012, 11:42 PM
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And I didn't see the strip mall!
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 12:21 AM
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Probably the most comprehensive SSP thread on Hoboken. Great job!
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  #9  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 1:59 AM
novaCJ novaCJ is offline
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I love this town, I have a cousin that lives here and I have a great time whenever I visit. You really can't beat the location and the beauty and integrity of the urban fabric, which is, as far as my limited travels within and knowledge of The Garden State have taken me, among if not the best in New Jersey.
Why do people hate on New Jersey? That massive ugly Tank Farm and industrial area next to the NJ Tpk give it a reputation it doesn't deserve, since the NJ Tpk is usually all people see of the state.
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 3:46 AM
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WOW...wow...how in the hell have I never seen or heard of this gorgeous old woman? How is this not a national landmark? I LOVE IT!

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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 4:07 AM
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Solid photos. Solid thread. Keep em coming.
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 5:04 AM
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I have a relative who lives there by the water. This pretty much looks like the way she described it... that is, really dense and really nice.
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 6:38 AM
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This is exactly how I would describe my ideal neighbourhood. Well done, thanks!
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 2:01 PM
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I had no idea how awesome Hoboken is. I guess it has to be if it's the birthplace of Yo La Tengo...

Speaking of bands, I remember first hearing about the city when I was a wee lad because of these guys:

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I don't think they have any relationship to the city, though.
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 3:21 PM
Wolkenkratzerliebhab Wolkenkratzerliebhab is offline
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Wonderful post. I enjoyed it immensely!
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 7:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by novaCJ View Post
Why do people hate on New Jersey? That massive ugly Tank Farm and industrial area next to the NJ Tpk give it a reputation it doesn't deserve, since the NJ Tpk is usually all people see of the state.
because most are uninformed i love New jersey
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 9:42 PM
ChiTownCity ChiTownCity is offline
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Hmm, where to start? Round 1 Knockout again, Tubs! This right here shows my ideal urban landscape. You always capture it so damn perfect. And its nice to see you doing a little bit of depth-of-field shots too...

Quote:
Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc View Post

Hoboken would be an interesting urban test case in trying to figure out how to fit more greenery into a thoroughly developed urban area. I notice a lot of trees, but I'm of the mind that there's no city on earth that couldn't use more. And in the case of a place like Hoboken, where the built environment is so nice, just think of what more plant life could add! I kept looking at these photos and trying to think of where and how you could add some trees to shade those apartments and soften those urban lines a little.
I wholeheartedly disagree . It's absolutely perfect without trees.
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Old Posted Jun 5, 2012, 1:31 AM
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Pulling out The Feelies, I'm dig'n it. This thread was so awesome I went through it twice. Those shots from the Heights rule. I really need to get back up there.
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Old Posted Jun 5, 2012, 2:07 AM
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Fantastic photo tour! Hoboken has always impressed me.
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  #20  
Old Posted Jun 7, 2012, 11:31 PM
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Thanks, folks!!

Another famous Hoboken native I forgot to mention: masterful photographer Alfred Stieglitz.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey View Post
Nice pictures , but i wouldn't call Hoboken New Jersey's Finest Urban Neighborhood....its Rowdy Mostly younger city , with alot Nimbys aswell and backwards and often stupid Mayor...and City Council...
Hoboken's nightlife certainly isn't my cup of tea (actually I think it's horrific), but structurally speaking, Hoboken's bones are hard to top. I prefer downtown Jersey City 10x culturally, and we've got some great areas down here, but it's simply not has solid and cohesive as Hoboken.

I think the Hoboken bar scene has chilled out in the last decade, but I'm not positive. I'm only there in the day.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ColDayMan View Post
And I didn't see the strip mall!
It's got a Dunkin Donuts, a real looker.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BnaBreaker View Post
WOW...wow...how in the hell have I never seen or heard of this gorgeous old woman? How is this not a national landmark? I LOVE IT!
If you mean the tower, it's actually only a few years old. They re-built a tower that was dismantled back in the 1950's.
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