On Aug. 1, a 29-year-old North Bergen man saw a “beautiful blonde lady on a Boulevard East bus to New York.” He didn’t talk to her, and certainly didn’t get her contact information. His only hope was to post a message on the internet so that possibly she’d see it.
“You looked amazing and caught my eye right away,” he wrote in an ad posted on Craigslist. “You got on by 80th Street park and Boulevard East and headed to NYC, and I got on later around 69th Street.”
“[I] wanted to talk to you on the bus, but my friend sat next to me and talked the whole way and someone else was sitting next to you,” the man continued in his post. “Our eyes crossed just as we were getting off at Port Authority … I would love to see you again. There was something very special about you.”
Since Craigslist went live in 1996, thousands of people across the country have used it for everything from selling furniture to placing a personal ad. Some just enjoy reading the more unusual posts. For those having a dull day at the office, Hudson County residents have supplied no shortage of dramatic story lines to follow, especially those who hope to find true love.
On July 31, a former West New York resident tried to reestablish contact with “Rita S.,” 54, a former Guttenberg friend or lover.
“Rita S—- from Guttenberg, N.J., whatever happened to you,” the man said. “I’ve thought about you a lot over the years. ”(The) last time I saw you was February 1998 at Bally Fitness in Englewood Cliffs.”
The gentleman only signed it “G from West New York (back then).”
A man waiting for the 89 bus in Weehawken attracted the attention of someone enough that a message was posted on Aug. 11 seeking his reply.
“You were waiting for the bus and I was checking you out,” said the message from another man. “I think you were checking me out as well. I was walking my dog. Hit me up if you want to meet up.”
Meanwhile, a Bayonne man was trying to find someone he saw at the 26th Street ShopRite.
“I hope you see this … today around 4 p.m. … I think you’re beautiful … You wore a green flannel shirt, with curly hair,” he wrote on Aug. 2. “You were with an older woman with a darker complexion. I said to you, ‘Come on, you can fit more stuff in your cart.’ Then you smiled … You were on the same check-out line as me. We made eye contact a few times. I was the tall, white guy with a beard and glasses.”
Unrequited love seems to be the scenario on Craigslist for those who met in Bayonne:
Another listing was by a single man for the “tall, dark-haired beauty” on a Royal Caribbean summer cruise out of Bayonne.
“[On the] July 26 cruise from Bayonne to Bermuda on Explorer of the Seas, we met eyes and smiled at each other twice; once in the casino and once on your way out of the dining room before leaving the ship,” the poster said. “I wouldn’t normally do something like this, but you were stunning, and I thought maybe we could have something.”
And what is the result?
When e-mailed, the North Bergen man pining for the beautiful blonde on the bus said he hasn’t reached her yet, but he remains undaunted.
“I’m still trying to find her, though,” he said on Aug. 13, “and I’ve not given up.”
‘Please, please, I beg of you.’
Some people were more heartfelt, frantic over the loss of a beloved pet or personal item that had been in the family.
“Please, if you see him or know someone who has him, please contact me,” wrote a Union City poster on July 31, whose dog is lost. “He is 5 years old, looks like a Chihuahua, but is mixed Yorkie. He is friendly and has been neutered. Please, the kids are crying for him. If you have him, please bring him back or call me. No questions asked.”
The dog was last seen on Sixth Street in Union City, between Bergenline Avenue and West Street.
Another woman lost her grandmother’s locket. Her grandmother died in a house fire, she wrote.
The headline on July 23 blared, “Reward14K White Gold Locket! Lost in Washington Park! 1st Street park (Union City/Jersey City).”
She explained, “My 3-year-old daughter and I were at the playground in Washington Park Union City/Jersey City border on Sunday; she threw a little tantrum and I picked her up and left. While picking her up she must have tugged at my necklace and I didn’t notice! This is a very important family item!”
The locket had the words “I Love You” inscribed on the front. There is a cash reward.
“I’m desperate,” the woman said. “Please, please, I beg of you.”
But not all is lost. Some things are found. A man in Bayonne posted on Aug. 9, “Money found at a local supermarket store around 6 p.m. today, 8/09/14. Tell me what store, the amount and denomination and it will be returned.”
E-mail joepass@hudsonreporter.com.