SIDEBAR BELOW
With dozens of bars and restaurants, a string of waterfront parks, a wide main street, and constant activities packed into one square mile, Hoboken has the makings of a city perfect for the single life.
And local singles had a lot to say about it last week, after the August issue of Money Magazine ranked the Mile Square City as the number one locale nationwide for single people over 30.
Last year, Hoboken was ranked 20th, but this year the magazine weeded out the college towns – places where singles live and then leave.
A couple of Hobokenites, including Mayor David Roberts, appeared in a CNN.com video last week promoting the myriad of happily unmarried men and women living in Hoboken.
Last week, Chris Corbin, executive director of ZogSports New Jersey, talked to the Reporter about the ranking. Corbin, who met his wife through his organization, has a front-row seat for the singles action, since he runs the intramural sports leagues in town.
“There are so many people out there; some of them are looking for different things,” he said, “whether they’re looking for a relationship or just to have fun.”
Corbin added, “We see it on a weekly basis, people leaving happy hour and not going home alone. But there’s a lot of ways to meet people besides just going to a bar.”
He noted, “I met my wife playing in a league. We’ve got a list on our [ZogSports] website with about 20 people who either met or were married after meeting in our leagues.”
But he said the leagues – co-ed football, kickball, and dodgeball – aren’t just for finding a mate.
“The leagues are good for networking in general, whether it’s finding an apartment or a new job,” he said.
Subculture of singles
Tiffany Shenman runs the Hoboken Happy Hour Group. It’s a group that she says only lures 15 people per meeting – that is, unless she uses the word “single” in the event title.
“Then we can pack a bar,” Shenman said. Anywhere from 100 to 150 will show up at their singles mixers.
“You don’t have to muscle your way through a crowd. You’re not paying $20 for a martini.”
– Daniel Dacey
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It took her years on Match.com before she found her boyfriend, just to prove the point.
She said the singles scene is here, “but you have to get out and take advantage of it.”
Shenman is proof that even if you do, there’s still a chance it won’t happen.
“You have to always keep your eyes open,” she said of finding a significant other.
There is also the issue that sometimes New Yorkers believe Hoboken is too far away to visit.
It doesn’t matter, though; singles can be happy here.
“This is a place where you can go and visit a married friend, and come back here and feel normal,” she said. “It’s a whole different subculture.”
She said that her group tries to give people the opportunity to at least make some friends in town. Not all events are specifically for singles, but they run two or three singles events per year.
“You’re meeting these people as friends first,” Shenman said. “It’s very laid back.”
Bar named ‘best singles spot’
“It’s definitely appealing as a singles scene,” said Daniel Dacey last week. He is a bartender at the Madison Bar and Grill.
He sees it on every shift at the bar, which was named “The Best Singles Spot” recently by Time Out New York.
Hoboken, according to Dacey, is at an advantage because it has the “benefit of not being at the center of it all.”
So it’s not New York, but there are still enough bars and restaurants to keep people happy.
“You don’t have to muscle your way through a crowd,” he said, and “you’re not paying $20 for a martini.”
“People feel like they can let loose a little bit more when they’re in Hoboken,” he added, but it never really gets out of control. “It’s the conservative wild side of Hoboken. Watching the behavior of the people is interesting. I’ve seen a lot of interesting stuff.”
He said the bar’s Thursday Happy Hour is a precursor to the weekend shore trek. And Tuesday nights are “hook-up central.”
But sometimes being on the market can be tough.
One girl, he said, slapped a guy in the face because he wouldn’t accept her advances. She had to be escorted out.
Another night, a group of guys introduced themselves to some ladies, according to Dacey, by saying, “You guys are dressed to kill, and I’m sure you’re going to.”
Dacey is married, but he hears it all.
“I’ve heard it referred to as a meat market,” he said.
He said a new waitress already had the number for the bar saved in her phone. “It was saved as the Madison Cougar Club,” Dacey said.
For questions or comments on this story, e-mail tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.
SIDEBAR
Not only is Hoboken considered the top place to live if you’re single, according to Money Magazine. The magazine, paired with CNN, also considers the city the ninth best place to “ride out the gas crunch.”
Or maybe walk it out.
The magazine notes, “Located on the Hudson river across from Manhattan, Hoboken is a commuter hub for workers traveling to New York or various parts of New Jersey. Residents hop on its frequent commuter trains or on a direct ferry to the Big Apple. As a result, only a quarter of them sing alone with the car radio through a solo commute. A popular place for the new-college-grad crowd, Hoboken boasts a wide selection of restaurants and bars.”
Hopefully the story won’t attract more people with cars.
To see the story, click on: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/moneymag/0807/gallery.bplive_gas_crunch.moneymag/9.html. — CM