Late night open thread

Remember where you put those umbrellas, you'll sure need them tomorrow...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Looking for some good food around the Journal Square area? Try Culinary Cafe

A new breakfast and lunch option has opened up to those in and around Journal Square that uses not only local fresh produce, but local aspiring chefs as well. Rick Low of the Culinary Cafe at the Culinary Conference Center has a new spot open only on Tuesdays and only for breakfast and lunch but it offers more than just menu fare, it offers young chefs the ability to set a menu, use locally grown and fresh produce and run a restaurant if only for a day.

Said Low on his students:

"They wrote bios. They designed their own menu. I let them order their own food, project food cost. We got a lot of response from the community and the students really liked it."

So why not support local food and local talent? Besides, doesn't rosemary beef stew, orange glazed Cornish game hen, cinnamon roasted baby pumpkin and seasonal vegetables sound better than White Castles?

Late night open thread

A little Monday night Motown before bed. The legendary Mary Wells with 'You Beat Me to the Punch'.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Monday open thread

We haven't had many of these lately but sometimes ya gotta deal with other things. Talk about whatever floats your boat.

Late night open thread

Hey this one almost snuck by Johnny and we want to make sure everyone hears, the pride of Jersey City, St. Peter's College upset mighty Alabama last Tuesday 50-49 in the Paradise Jam in the US Virgin Islands. Jeron Belin hit a three point shot with ten seconds left to lift the Peacocks.

Fight on St. Peter's!

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It's getting to be ice on the road time Jersey City

A very bad accident at Tonnelle at Manhattan over in the Heights quite possibly due to icing on the road should serve as a reminder that it's black ice season once again. Granted, the ice on the road looks like it may not have been done by mother nature but set in motion by a leak from a nearby building but ice is ice is ice. Take some extra time in the mornings and make sure you're safe on the bridges around town as well as surface streets.

Late night open thread

Saturday night scoreboard edition:

Michigan State 28
Penn State 22
Sparty gets a share of the Big Ten title, the first for MSU since 1990

Ohio State 37
Michigan 7
RichRod's days are numbered according to the Detroit media.

Connecticut 38
Cincinnati 17
UConn needs to win next weekend at S. Florida and they'll be BCS bound

Boston College 16
Syracuse 7
Because the world needs middling bowl teams

Notre Dame 20
USC 16
These teams play for a shillelagh. Does it seem odd that USC would play for a shillelagh?

Georgia Southern 41
S. Carolina St. 16
Quite an upset, betcha didn't know it.

Middle Tennessee 38
Florida Atlantic 14
Because the schedule demanded it

Western Illinois 17
Coastal Carolina 10
Western Illinois will no doubt get bid to the BCS Fiesta Bowl.

Tonight's Jersey City Desk Game of the Week®
Lehigh 14
Northern Iowa 7
Lehigh gets power up and wins a HUGE Division I-AA playoff game in Iowa today. It's a Lehigh world, we just live in it.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Atheist billboard next to Lincoln Tunnel sure to turn some heads

First off, Johnny is not religious in the least. He's NOT a believer in ANYBODY'S God. Now that that is out of the way, no doubt this billboard sponsored by Atheists locally will get people talking. The billboard itself has the following message:

"You KNOW it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason," a silhouetted background shows the three wise men walking towards a manger.

Now no doubt the Christian crowd will be loud over this affront to their very lives but Johnny says GOOD. No group in America should feel somehow threatened because a differing view appears on a billboard somewhere. The 'War on Christmas' crowd will no doubt be attacking this sign as will the usual suspects, not quite rooted enough in their own religion to just accept the fact others may have opposing viewpoints from their own.

It's our belief that freedom of religion for all is also freedom FROM religion for all as well.

Late night open thread

Think warm thoughts, lake effect snow around the Great Lakes tonight.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with ELO!

That's right, some Electric Light Orchestra to kick off AM Gold night here on the Jersey City Desk music series. Those wonderful songs that used to drift out of whatever AM radio device one may own, from box to transistor to those cleverly made to look like anything from a banana to a softball. Johnny was lucky when it came to AM Gold stations, had the famed AM 800 The Big 8, CKLW out of Windsor Ontario and all those lower watt Detroit stations playing that sweet soul, R&B and Motown along with Top 40.

Here's ELO to kick off our look back at AM radio with 'Sweet Talking Woman'.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with SILVER CONVENTION!

Who doesn't love a good AM Gold night, right kids? The problem with AM Gold nights is that our younger audience has no idea when AM radio was the delivery system for the popular music of the day. FM was album cuts with the occasional hits sure, but in the mid-70's FM radio was the experimental frequency on the dial. Plus, and this dates Johnny terribly, Johnny's mom's 1973 Mercury Comet only had AM radio.

From 1975 here is the band Silver Convention with their pre-disco craze disco hit 'Fly Robin Fly.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with ACE!

AM Gold night wraps up with the band Ace and their huge hit from 1974 'How Long'.

The lead singer and also songwriter of this song is Paul Carrack who also had a solo career and played with Roxy Music and Nick Lowe. Ace's original name was Ace Flash and the Dynamos which simply became Ace.

Just because you're a bankrobber is no reason to be rude

When you get done robbing the bank you say "Happy Thanksgiving" to the teller. Then you walk, you don't run from the scene. How about helping out a local eatery on your way out of the Newport Mall? That's what Jersey City's Patrick O'Boyle allegedly did earlier this week after robbing the JP Morgan Chase Bank on Washington Blvd. He's also accused of robbing the Capital One Bank at almost the same place November 10th. Also, the NYPD would like to have a long chat with Mr. O'Boyle who is wanted for two robberies across the Hudson River. The Jersey Journal picks it up here:

On Tuesday, a teller at JP Morgan Chase hit the alarm button when O'Boyle walked in because she recognized him from a photograph taken during the Capital One Bank robbery, reports said.

He walked up to her and said, "Are you ready for Thanksgiving? This is a stick-up. Make it quick," and made a gesture that suggested he had a weapon, reports said. O'Boyle said "Happy Thanksgiving" to the teller as he walked out carrying almost $6,000, reports said.

Onlookers saw O'Boyle jump on the Light Rail and try to make his escape which was short lived after police stopped the train and pulled O'Boyle off in handcuffs.

Late night open thread

2:30 am and somewhere people are in line in this damp cold to save money on shiny trinkets. Independence from Madison Avenue's marketing machine and the advertising world sold separately.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tell us what you're thankful for in between bars of Alice's Restaurant...

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Jersey City Desk Action Weather team parade forecast

The Jersey City Desk's Action Weather Team is ready to hip you, the parade going public, to tomorrow's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Thanksgiving will dawn cool and cloudy, if it were a bit wetter there may have been flurries for the early morning commute to those years in the making watching spots. Instead low to mid 30's to start the morning and it most likely won't get out of the 30's by the time the parade ends. Light winds in the morning.

For those going over to the Meadowlands for tomorrow night's special Thanksgiving Jets and Cincinnati Bungles ballgame, plan for rain. Rain and 40, just perfect after a big heavy meal, sitting in cold rain. What the heck has been up with Jupiter, Roman God of weather's hatred of the Jets this season?

Here's hoping your holiday travels come off without a hitch

Or you at least meet some interesting people on your Thanksgiving journey.

Late night open thread

Today Johnny filed the legal paperwork for a trademark on the food/phrase vulturducken®. That's chicken stuffed and wrapped by some stuffed and wrapped duck which is wrapped by stuffed turkey which in turn is wrapped by stuffed vulture meat.

Mmmmmmm, that's good vulture.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

The reports that North Korea has begun shelling Weehawken are false

Johnny went up on the roof of the Jersey City Desk offices and didn't see any smoke or no nothing so the reports on DeathtoWeehawken.com are FALSE.

Carry on.

So Jersey City, are you Black Friday shoppers?

Or do you tend to avoid the human seas that are 5 am door buster specials? Johnny saw an ad last night for a store (That shall be nameless) that is opening at 3 am. Really? 3 am? Hopefully they'll get some still-drunk doorbusters themselves.

Nobody ever seems to worry about our fellow citizens forced to get up at that hour. Johnny would also never patronize a store or chain that makes their employees work on Thanksgiving proper.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

So, people, real cranberries or those from a can?

Let's get this fight started early this year. Also, feel free to tell us what dishes make YOUR family's Thanksgiving great.

Late night open thread

And the Jersey City Desk is back on the air. A wonderful weekend in Boston for the owner and a weekend of debauchery for the staff. Who says you can't start Turkey Week festivities early?

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Late night open thread

Well boppers, Johnny's out of town again this weekend for a long expected trip to Boston. Do enjoy yourselves until we meet up here again in a few days. We'll have fun next week with Thanksgiving and all the trimmings.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Another reason to hate teenagers

Oh those wacky teenagers. A group of teens shut down traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel yesterday, of course at rush hour, roughly 5:15 by running into the tunnel towards New York. Authorities won't say if they had made any arrests or if the teens were somehow corralled. Traffic resumed as normal around 6 pm.

Citizens, the legal bag limit on teens you can hit with your car and still not get enough points to lose your drivers license has been raised to THREE (You CAN hit four but you'd better have a really good reason for the judge).

Late night open thread

After the third botched rescue attempt, Johnny would have killed Gilligan. Just sayin'.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

High wind advisory today campers

Starting at 10 am and running through 1 am tomorrow morning with gust over 50 mph. That should be a lot of fun for people with umbrellas. If you can take some amusing video or images of someone in a death fight with their umbrella today do pass that along and we'll run it.

Come on Jersey City, let's roll like they do in Florida!

Late night open thread

Here with the late breaking news is Name Here who tonight has a report from Name Here...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sometimes you simply see something cool and VERY important

So we go from shopping locally in Jersey City this week to the amazing timeline put together by Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto and his time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998 around the globe. Truly amazing. Good stuff campers, feel free to pass this along. Again, we don't normally stray outside of the local and state scene but this one, well, it speaks for itself.

Jersey City residents, make SURE you're part of Make My City

It's an idea of local businesses, The Jersey City Independent, and Ward F councilman Steve Fulop where Jersey City residents are encouraged to spend thier money HERE in Jersey City until November 21st. Just think of the great shops in town here and you could help boost their bottom line. Eat locally, shop locally and make sure your friends and neighbors are getting a cut of what 'd normally be giving to out-of-towners and large corporations. In honor of you shopping locally some local businesses have some awesome discounts this week. Check out the whole shooting match on Make My City here.

We'll see you shopping around town this week Jersey City...

Late night open thread

State trivia night:

This state gave us the reuben sammich and that tasty meat treat SPAM. Can you name this culinary wonderland? Answer here.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Busking outside the Grove Street PATH Station this morning

Nothing like the mellow sound of some cool jazz blowing from a saxophone.

If it wasn't for bad luck Hoboken would have no luck at all

Hey Bunky, if some of your Hoboken office co-workers come in smelling a little worse than normal today, cut 'em some slack. For the third time in a week FuHo has suffered a crippling water main break, this one at the corner of 9th and Jefferson. Last week saw two other water main breaks overnight in Hoboken; Last Wednesday at 7th Street between Clinton and Grand, and Friday's break occurred near Washington and Twelfth.

So Hoboken voters, when Mayor Zimmer and or the City Council says they need some emergency do-re-mi cash for upkeep and infrastructure, they ain't whistling Dixie. No, they need new waterpipes and funds to fix, *ahem* giant sinkholes along Sinatra Drive.

Late night open thread

Is that a skink in your pants or are you just happy to see Johnny?

Man Caught At Airport With 44 Lizards In His Pants

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A German reptile collector has been jailed for 14 weeks and must pay a 5,000 New Zealand dollar ($3,540) fine for plundering New Zealand's wild gecko and skink populations, a judge has ruled.

Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, is to be deported to Germany as soon as he is released from prison, Judge Colin Doherty ordered Tuesday.

Kubus was caught by wildlife officials at Christchurch International Airport on South Island in December, about to board an overseas flight with 44 geckos and skinks in a hand-sewn package concealed in his underwear.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Jets and Giants game day!

Well as is usual round these here parts, one team is at home (The Giants) and one team is out of town (The Jets). The Jets get a trip to the Land of Cleve where they will take on Johnny's Browns at 1 pm on the shores of Lake Erie. The suddenly hard charging Brownies are led by running back Peyton Hillis whom Cleveland snaked away from Denver in the Brady Quinn trade. Hillis is a throwback runner who runs big and strong and mostly downhill and lately for over 100 yards. If the Jets can corral Hillis, don't expect miracles from rookie (albeit well playing rookie) Colt McCoy. Even though Johnny's a Browns fan, he thinks the Jets will get power up and win today.

The Giants are at home at 4:15 vs the fast fading DallASS Cowboys. The 'Boys fired head coach Wade 'Butt-Dumpling' Phillips earlier this week and look to be a mess while quietly the Giants are emerging as the team to beat in the NFC. Pretty soon there won't be room in East Rutherford for BOTH teams. We like the Giants to add to the Cowboys misery this afternoon and evening by scoring many many points.

Late night open thread

In lieu of our full scoreboard show this evening we'd like to point out that Lehigh has clinched the Patriot League title for 2010 and next week may be playing for a chance at a home playoff game. Go Mountain Hawks!

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Rutgers football game day!

Well it comes down to this, today is Piscataway, around 3:30 we're going to see just where the Scarlet Knight's season is headed. (4-4, 1-2 Big East) will clash with suddenly resurgent Syracuse (6-3, 3-2) in a game Rutgers need desperately to win. Yes, it's been a tough season with the injury to and emotional toll of Eric LaGrand's paralysis. Today Rutgers needs to pass block like they haven't all season and control the pressure scheme of the Orange defense. That may be easier said than done with a freshman running the Rutgers offense in Chas Dodd. Chas, everything you have learned up until now must be on display today or you, the Scarlet Knights fan, can start doing the math. A loss today and Rutgers will have to pretty much win out to get to ANY bowl game this December. A daunting task for a freshman. It's our guess, unless Greg Schiano has somehow lost this team they'll respond with a huge effort today. Huge efforts don't always result in a win but here's hoping today.

Our guess? Tom Savage rallies the team in the 4th quarter, hits Mark Harrison with a late TD and it's the Rutgers defense that puts the hurt on Syracuse.

Prediction:
Rutgers 23
Syracuse 17

An outbreak of hippies sleeping in trees has afflicted Central Park

While hippies don't carry Dutch Elm disease (or do they?) hippies have been infecting elm trees in Central Park at night. Two twin brothers have been climbing 50 feet high with hammocks to tie off in the branches and sleeping in the canopy since September. Cory and Dana Foht who hail from Florida have been sleeping like ninjas, listening in on conversations below them, hidden from park police who comb the park each night looking for sleepers, and thus far safe from giant killer raccoons that hunt Central Park at night.

The New York Times will take it from here but if you see hippies sleeping in trees in Jersey City at night, you call the authorities or pretty soon your neighborhood will smell like patchouli and used hacky sacks will start plugging up the sewers.

Late night open thread

A glorious autumnal day on tap tomorrow thrillseekers. 63º and sunny as the day is long. NYC restaurants beckon...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with STEVIE WONDER!

Simply an amazing talent. A case could be made that Motown's Stevie Wonder is the most talented musical package ever. A harp blowing little Stevie Wonder with 'Fingertips'.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE RAVYNS!

Whoa nelly, grabbing this one back from obscurity tonight hipsters. Lets face facts, if it weren't for Fast Times at Ridegemont High none of us would know this little 50's inspired ditty. The Ravyns with 'Raised on the Radio'.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BLONDIE!

We'll wrap the music series this week with the most beautiful and haunting tune ever about communism. No, really. Here's Blondie with 'Shayla'.

Broken rail has PATH all ganked up this morning

PATH says a broken rail has interrupted service between Journal Square and 33rd St. as well as Hoboken this morning. The rail broke around 7:30 am according to spokesmodel Ed Rumpletumpkin. NJ Transit is honoring PATH tickets.

We blame rogue narwhals tunneling in the PATH rail lines.

Late night open thread

Notable quotes night:

"I've got all the money I'll ever need...if I die by four o'clock."
--Henny Youngman

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Happy Veterans Day!

The Jersey City Desk would like to take today and honor our Vets whom without, this place we call America sure would be different and not in a way we'd like to spend much time considering. To the friends and families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in any war for any reason, you have our heartfelt best wishes and deepest thanks.

Late night open thread

Well hockey fans the Devils lost another close game at the Rock tonight in a shootout, 5-4 to the Buffalo Sabres. Johnny being the puck fiend noticed a lot of upper net goals tonight. A tremendous amount of goals enter the net six inches from the ice and lower but tonight the high shooters were rewarded.

Now, some Jersey City Desk exclusive game video (without the expressed written consent of the National Hockey League) of the end of tonight's game. Buffalo led into the fourth round of the shootout 2-1. The Devils needed $100 million dollar man Ilya Kovalchuk to pot a goal to keep the game alive. Here's the kind of shootout effort $100 million buys. The fans reaction? Priceless! Ilya, you'd better turn this angry mob around or it's gonna be a long 12 years.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Canadian television has gone and done it now; A Canuck version of The Jersey Shore

We try hard here not to give much if any ink to the show The Jersey Shore because, well, they're dumbasses without much to offer as entertainment. However, when we heard that Canadian television was coming out with their own version of the show this January, entitled 'Lake Shore' (Out dere Toronto way eh) we simply had to open it up to you, the Jersey City Desk reader. Now according to The Washington Post, the actors (ie losers) all come from DIFFERENT ethnic backgrounds which means insulting somebody's heritage just got that much easier. The WaPo goes on to list the people appearing on this show as:

Sibel, the Turk

Joey, the Italian

Anni Mei, the Vietnamese

Tommy Hollywood, the Czech

Robyn, the Jew

Salem, the Lebanese

Karolina, the Pole

Downtown D, the Albanian

What? No Snow Snooki?

An interesting question was posed...

Last night an interesting question was posed. If YOU could choose any theme song if you had a show on the teevee, which song would you choose for yourself? It can just be a favorite, it could be topical, it could be show related or just cool theme music. So Jersey City and the surround, what would be YOUR theme music?

Late night open thread

Famous last words night:

"I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record..."
-- Dylan Thomas, poet. Nov. 9, 1953

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Jersey City council to discuss permanent benefit guidelines tonight

Since the state of New Jersey changed the law regarding how much time an individual must work for a municipality before collecting the old golden watch, the Jersey City council will address their ideas on the amount of time worked necessary for full permanent benefits at taxpayer cost.

There are a few differing ideas on the time one should put in before collecting such benefits, ranging from 10 years to the maximum of 25 years. Council members Steve Fulop and Viola Richardson want the maximum of 25 years worked while Ward A councilman Michael Sottolano wants 20, at large councilman Ray Velazquez wants 15 and Ward D councilman Bill Gaughan wants just 10.

Ten? Are you kidding Mr. Gaughan? Really, for FULL benefits and health care? Get real.

While we here at the Jersey City Desk think it should be set at 25 years we could see our way clear to compromising on a 20 year plan. Pensions (and that's basically what this amounts to -- only from tax monies) SHOULD be difficult to get. They SHOULD mean a job well done after 20 years. They shouldn't be shortened or trivialized in any way shape or form.

The meeting is at City Hall tonight at 6 pm.

Late night open thread

Notable quotes night:

"When it comes to finances, remember that there are no withholding taxes on the wages of sin."
--Mae West

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

The Jersey City Desk travel section presents Portland Maine -- Food capital of New England

Does anybody think that when the founding fathers were kicking back over a plate of whatever it is they ate back when they knew that just to the north of them culinary skills would become such a draw in these new United States?

A mere 5 hour drive north up along a winding trail through scenic New England lies Portland Maine on the rocky coast of the Atlantic Ocean. While Mt. Desert Island and Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park may be a more famous region to us Tri-Staters, Portland is a must see and must eat destination. What is it that sets Portland apart? Oh let us count the delicious ways.

First off Portland is a community that really supports it's arts community. A lot of towns and cities pay lip service to this aspect of city life. Portland backs up it's words with deeds. Galleries populate a lot of the town streets. From down by the waterfront to the more travelled Congress St. art is what binds Portland. A magnificent First Friday artwalk each month helps keep these galleries very much in the front of the public conscience. Last Friday Johnny and Mrs. Johnny saw hundreds and hundreds of people out and about enjoying the galleries and supporting local artists. This is all while thousands and the option of attending a local Portland Pirates AHL hockey game at the Civic Arena there. Friday night in Portland is a happening.

If you have a great art scene chances are your food selection will be a good one as art tends to draw good and yes great chefs to your area. Portland is no exception to that rule. Terrific menus abound all across town but don't expect an early bird lobster special to be the big draw. Instead think of ways to work in local produce and ingredients which yes means ocean bounty but it hardly stops there. Wonderful dishes with seafood are there of course, all while opening up the palate to Greek, Japanese and Thai as well as Italian influenced dishes make Portland's food scene international, yet well centered and local too. Johnny could go on and on about the great food he enjoyed but he'd rather give you, dear reader, a list of places to investigate and menus to read over and decide for yourself. Just know this, if they are on this All-Star list the food quality, preparation and taste is tip top.

Street and Co. -- A brilliant mix of traditional New England and Mediterranean food.

The Grill Room -- Harding Lee Smith is doing AMAZING things with all things beef, seafood and yes, woodfire pizzas (The Cheeseburger pizza here is to die for, seriously)

Vignola -- Again, traditional New England basics marvelously infused with Italian flair.

555 -- Chef Steve Corry is at the top of his game with New England fare with his own personal touches and a big helping of locally grown ingredients.

Bintliffs Cafe -- Eclectic and American grub in THE place to eat breakfast in Portland

Two Fat Cats Bakery -- Look, if you're just gonna make cupcakes, there are apps for that in NYC (and everywhere else). Why not stand out and make other tasty brilliant items, like the famed Whoopie pies at the Two Fat Cats Bakery. The reputation of this place precedes itself so Johnny stopped in to see if it indeed lived up to the fine street cred it enjoys. OMG, again, that's OMG. The Whoopie pies are like nothing else made in a bakery in Gotham. These chocolate (and they do have other delightful flavors) cakes with creme filling are out of this world. The chocolate is so perfect it both melts in your mouth and puts a smile on your face and that's even before you get to the unmatched creme filling. Did we mention they ship? If you've not had a Whoopie Pie from Two Fat Cats get out of the shoebox with holes you live in and order or get on the I-95. (Whoops, Jenna from Two Fat Cats tells us they DO NOT SHIP, pardon Johnny for the bad info. Now, go get in the car and we'll see you tomorrow)

After he got back Johnny was talking to a neighbor who said she was in Portland about 10-12 years ago and the food scene and art scene was just starting to take off. Johnny told her to go back and see what those seeds had sown. It's delicious, it's arty, it's laid back and it's happening right now. By all means foodies, put Portland Maine on your list of places to visit.

Oh, and when you're in Portland, call Joe.

Late night open thread

Well Jersey City, Johnny made it back from the wilds of Maine and had a most excellent time. We'll debut our travel section tomorrow with Portland Maine's winners (there weren't any losers really other than the hotel staff screaming at one another which woke Johnny up on the wrong side of the bed one morning) and why this city is a gem. You'd better plan on getting up there before the millions of readers who trust the Jersey City Desk for their travel tips spoil this art loving beacon on the Atlantic Ocean.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark