Throughout my time in Hoboken, both as a newspaper reporter and a resident, I’ve enjoyed watching how neighbors communicate. And even with the advent of social media, sometimes there’s no better way to express joy or anger than with a handwritten sign. I’m always happy to see someone reaching out (even in an off-kilter way), since people tend to disappear into insular groups and not meet others. Some of the signs I’ve seen—including those from businesses—are simply amusing, while others display raw emotion, and still others provide insight into how people think and interact in 2015 in a dense city in New Jersey. They range from overly polite missives about missing bikes (we’ve seen several of those) to cocky come-ons about relationships. When we ran a sign series in the Hoboken Reporter, it won statewide awards. Here are some of my recent favorites.
Signs and the city
