Happy Independence Day!

America should give free lesson on how to declare independence from England after this year's Brexit stupidity. Happy Independence Day to us and hopefully it spreads to whomever wants democracy (or some de-facto form therein)!

Jersey City Desk file photo 7/4/15 from WTC

The Port Authority has their head up their collective asses again today

So your guess is as good as ours when the Newark to WTC line will stop having signal problems. NJ Transit at last word had stopped cross honoring tickets. Johnny thinks signal problems is a catch all for not investing enough of our money back into the system. They just had over a year of weekends to look at signals and tracks and catch up on work. It's become quite clear they ate Cocoa Puffs and ran around underground without achieving much, if any of their so-called Sandy repairs.

But they had Cocoa Puffs.

Here's some happy fun time news -- The PATH will reopen the Exchange place to WTC line 12/20

Hooray! After a year of being shut down for "necessary repairs" on the weekends the Exchange Place to WTC line is back up and running a week from this upcoming Saturday, 12/20.

About time Port Authority. It better not screw up now either, you've had a YEAR to make your fixes.

A logo so anonymous that it almost evaporates and a looooonnnng weekend

First off the long weekend. Johnny needs some time off so he's gonna vacate the Jersey City Desk offices after tonight's Music Series until Tuesday morning. Johnny just needs some time to recharge some batteries, visit a couple museums, a trip to Governor's Island and hit some great restaurants in both Jersey City and NYC. A three and a half day staycation. Very necessary.

Secondly, would you like to see what $3.57 million dollars gets you when you commission Landor Associates to create your new World Trade Center logo. You can click here to see the weak offering or you can just take the word of an architect working in the WTC area who told Gothamist "It’s so anonymous that it almost evaporates."

Twitter must hate freedom

Because when you can't post a simple animated gif, a gif you made on the fly because you love America (in a hurricane no less) even while walking the dire wolf, well then somebody hates freedom. Pixel after precious freedom pixel.

So the World Trade Center is gonna open this year and they only need one more thing...

Renters.  As of Jersey City Desk press time the new WTC is only just over 50% rented and set to open this fall to new tenants. Conde Nast is in for a million square feet and a government department will take up more floors yet. That being said ONE private company has signed on the dotted line in the last three years. How bad is it? The WSJ says the WTC is cutting rent in order to attract more tenants:

The owner—a venture of developer Douglas Durst and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey—is cutting asking rents nearly 10% to $69 a square foot for larger tenants on the building's middle floors, down from $75 a square foot, Mr. Durst said in an interview Friday.

Slow leasing has led to rent cuts at One World Trade Center, pictured in September 2013. Associated Press "The market's not there," said Mr. Durst, whose Durst Organization bought a stake in the tower from the Port Authority in mid-2011. "When we started in 2011, everybody expected the economy to take off, and obviously that hasn't happened."

So, New Jersey residents, if you know someone who'd like a tony new business address it can only help us to get them hooked up, we're forever paying for the WTC via the Port Authority so at least we'd get to see the lights on and know people are working.

WOW, just WOW

The World Trade Center seems to be having self-guided tours to the top of the new WTC anymore, just sneak in through a hole in the fence and enjoy your day, or in this case, your evening.

Three guys clambered up top in September and they had GoPro cameras and they B.A.S.E. jumped OFF the WTC! A MUST see video if ever there was one. Some rough language means headphones for work.

We have to think the pros outweighed the legal cons on this one

Justin Casquejo, you rock man! Justin, for those of you unfamiliar with this area's newest folk hero beat the NYPD, the Port Authority rental cops, and two security companies on his trip Sunday up to the top of the spire on the new World Trade Center to you know, just snap some pictures and hang out. Just how did he do it? Read on:

Casquejo allegedly found an opening in the barbed-wire fence that rings the heavily guarded site and then wasn't questioned by a union elevator operator on a 4 a.m. ride to the 88th floor.

Casquejo next walked up a set of stairs to the 104th floor, where he encountered a sleeping security guard..."

There's much more on Justin's trip to the top of the WTC, all which you can find by following this link.

It's a Friday news roundup so put your cat clothes on!

News Roundups, you'll pay for the whole seat but you'll only need the edge!

* Ice monsters attacked people at the WTC PATH station this morning forcing them underground. The ice shard monsters jumped off the WTC onto unsuspecting citizens below.

* The unemployment rate fell to 6.6% according to the numbers people. Stupid Obama.

* Steve Sweeney is proposing casinos for places like Camden, Newark and Jersey City. Johnny cant speak for Newark or Camden (officially) but he can speak for pretty much everyone in Jersey City when he tells Mr. Sweeney to get bent if he thinks he's bringing casinos to our fair city.

Speaking of casinos and gambling is anyone else just sick and tired of this massive advertising overload trying to get everyone in New Jersey to gamble online? If someone came to New Jersey and turned on the teevee and spent any time looking at ads you'd think gambling is to NJ as cars are to Michigan. OK back to the news roundup.

* Jersey City Ward E Councilwoman Candice Osborne wrote an open letter to the boobs at the Port Authority who decided to give an entire eight days notice that the Exchange Place to WTC PATH route is no more on weekends for almost a year.

* Ms. Marvel, the story of a 16 year old Muslim teen girl living in Jersey City who just happens to become a superhero was released by Marvel Comics and is now on sale.

See ya back here tonight for the Music Series.

Exchange Place to WTC on the PATH is no more on weekends for a long long time

We guess it matters how you think about Chris Christie and his lackeys at the Port Authority as to how you read this one.

The Port Authority has announced:

The shutdowns—between the Exchange Place station in Jersey City and the World Trade Center—are scheduled to begin Feb. 14 and continue on most weekends during 2014. 

So is this well-timed payback towards Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop or is the PA actually trying to fix the tunnels? They are claiming the need to get this Exchange Place to WTC line power-washed and brought in line with something called "positive train control" which is mandated by January of 2015. The Wall Street Journal has more:

The new signal system will be similar to the technology called "communications based train control," which is installed on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's L subway line. The system provides both protection against collision and the ability to run trains closer together, enabling operators to squeeze more capacity out of overburdened transit lines.

But the new system couldn't have been installed in time for the Dec. 31, 2015 deadline to install the federally mandated anticrash system. Many intercity railroads, which are subject to the mandate, have said they can't meet the deadline, including Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.

So is the timing of this really a signal modernization and cleaning or is this a stick in Jersey City's eye? Before you answer remember that the new national WTC Memorial opens this year and the easiest way to get there from Jersey City and Hoboken was just cut off on weekends.

So there you have it and friends it will be up to you as to how you interpret it.

This is too darned awesome to not run

Jon Stewart on the Daily Show discussing among other things, pizza and the WTC.

The Daily Show
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We're from New Jersey and New York, we don't give a frog's fat ass what the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat says

In about a half hour the shadow group and enemy of the Justice League of America, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat will decide if the new WTC is the tallest building in this hemisphere or if it's the Sears Tower in Cubtown.

It's the World Trade Center. Whether or not you decide to include the spire and beacon could interest us here less. It's there, it's up in the air, it counts. Who are you going to believe, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat or your own lying eyes? If there is legal precedent it's the case of Brady vs. Brady or better known as "Everything counts when you're building a house of cards" ruling passed down by Supreme Justice Mike Brady in the early 70's.

The Eye of Sauron will glower down upon Jersey City tonight

OK, yep, Johnny's a geek. That being said tonight is the night many of us geeky photogs have been waiting for. The beacon and spire high atop the WTC will be tested tonight starting at 5pm. Here's the factoids for when you're reading this on your mobile device sounding smart to your friends while looking up tonight:

The 408-foot structure is assembled with 288 50-watt LED modules, which will enable it to be visible up to 50 miles away.

The PATH will close the WTC and Exchange Place stations for the next three weekends

One year after Superstorm Sandy the folks who keep the PATH trains running are still trying to remove saltwater damage from the rails and other electronics. So, Nov. 9-10, Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24 the PATH will not stop at Exchange Place or the WTC stations. This allows workers uninterrupted chances to clean things up AND PATH says it will keep the trains running on those lines over the holiday season.

The World Trade Center gets its hat, er spire!

Amazing scene down by the river this morning as WTC workers raised the final 408 foot section and permanently anchored the spire atop the WTC, making it a cool 1,776 feet in height. That last section really does make it look incredible. It antenna leading to the spire looks almost a third taller though Johnny will write that off to an optical illusion. Too bad the stupid humidity ruined any great clear shots from the west siiiiide of the Hudson. Stupid humidity.

WHEN DOES IT LIGHT UP?!?! Johnny saw in an article elsewhere the LED lighting is such it will be visible for 50 miles lit up on clear DAYS. Like a day beacon. Imagine it at night. There will be fistfights and elbowing in J. Owen Grundy park between photographers is our guess.

Johnny wasn't here in 2001. He understand as an American the impact of that day but too knows it is a much deeper kind of hurt to his new NJ and NY friends who were here. But he is every bit as proud as someone who looks at it every day out his window and while walking around town as anyone who was here before. It is a triumphant moment of pride and achievement the regulars, the interlopers and the interlopers becoming regulars all share with this grand wonder.

WHEN DOES IT LIGHT UP?!?!

Today's image brought to you by Big and Tall

If you click below on the image you'll get a Big picture Johnny took this morning of a very Tall building.

The engineering is truly dazzling to someone like Johnny.

Weekend PATH changes kids, you're not gonna like 'em

Starting tomorrow, and for the next two weekends (weekends only) the PATH will only be running between Newark Penn and the WTC. No 33rd St. line (You know, the big Christmas shopping weekends). The Port Authority said this will allow them 48 hours of uninterrupted work to try and get the Hoboken station back up and running.

Great guys, why did you wait until NOW to do this? You've had a month to take care of this on weekends. Once again, it seems nobody with a brain is in charge at the Port Authority.

PATH Updates: Exchange Place and WTC are back on line tomorrow

Again, limited hours for Exchange Place and the WTC stops, 5am til 10pm just like the other stops when they started back up. Also of note, 9th St. and Christopher St. stops will be allowing normal traffic beginning tomorrow.

So, the only PATH station/stop not running is Hoboken. We have no word on when it will be back up. The Port Authority is still doing their best imitation of a dead person when it comes to giving information. The announcement of the WTC, Exchange Place and the 9th and Christopher St. updates were made by Governors Christie and Cuomo. So it would appear Hoboken is cut off from the rest of the world for another week or so. Somebody at the Port Authority needs to see the back of the unemployment line after this. ALL the other stations are back up and running. Hoboken? Not so much. No word, no update. Why does the Port Authority even bother with a Twitter account to update riders? They have 3 posts in the last 9 days.

The spire that will sit atop the WTC is on the way

The spire that will sit atop the 1 World Trade building which will give it it's iconic 1,776 feet in height is on the way by barge, being delivered in eighteen sections. The Associated Press picks up the story:

Eight of the sections are being transported via barge 1,500 nautical miles south from Canada on the Atlantic Salvor. It left Quebec on Nov. 16 and is expected next week at Port Newark in New Jersey.

When the time comes for the sections to be installed it will take about three months to complete. The spire itself will stand 408 feet in the air from the top of the WTC.

Here is all the valuable information on the closed PATH stations from the Port Authority: