Another week, another Hoboken bar apparently shut
The long, slow death of the neighborhood bar continues apace in the mile-square city. Historic hole-in-the-wall Mario’s Tavern, which has stood at the corner of Third Street and Park Avenue for 66 years, appears to have closed.
A phone number given for the bar in online listings has been disconnected, and the establishment has been darkened and locked at night for the last two weeks. A reader and patron of Mario’s reported in early January that he has not seen the bar open in over a month.
The Hoboken Reporter recently profiled the last days of S. Sullivan’s Bar and Grill, the Washington Street watering hole that closed on Jan. 8 after 44 years. The article mentioned Mario’s as one of the stalwart neighborhood bars still remaining in Hoboken, along with Louise & Jerry’s, Wilton House, and a handful of others.
Instead, Mario’s seems to have joined Sullivan’s, Kelly’s Pub, Downtown Pub, and the scores of other neighborhood bars swept up in Hoboken’s long transformation into an upscale appendage of Manhattan.
Even more than Sullivan’s, Mario’s embodied the shabby simplicity of a dive bar. While Sullivan’s sought foodies and brunch-goers with a surprisingly decent menu, Mario’s never wavered from its roots—cheap bottled beers, a pool table, a single TV, and a jukebox full of classic crooners.
In truth, the bar may have been on its way out for years. Mario’s’ clientele seemed to age in tandem with it, and long-time owner and proprietor Vjekoslav “Victor” Fatovic retired from the bar in 2009 and died on Sept. 13, 2013.
According to his NJ.com obituary, Fatovic was born on Sestrunj, a Croatian island located in the Adriatic Sea, in 1933, and emigrated to the United States and Hoboken in 1959. His bar was named for his father Marijan, known to Hobokenites as Mario, who founded the establishment in 1949.
Taxes may have been a factor in the bar’s closing. After Hoboken’s 2013 revaluation, the value of the property in which Mario’s is located nearly tripled to $805,000, according to New Jersey property tax records.
Several calls to a phone number listed online for Fatovic’s widow went unanswered.
For a taste of what Mario’s once was, check out this blog post by writer Sylvia Karcz describing a visit to the bar: http://sylviakarcz.writersresidence.com/samples/neither-heaven-hell-or-hoboken-in-the-hole.
Former congressional aide named Zimmer’s new chief of staff
Vijay Chaudhuri will replace Daniel Bryan as the chief of staff to Mayor Dawn Zimmer, according to a statement released Thursday by the mayor’s office.
Chaudhuri most recently worked as director of community relations for U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and the Bronx. He has a BA in Political Science from Wesleyan University.
A Hoboken resident and 1st Ward Committeeman for the Hoboken Democratic Party, Chaudhuri has been a public supporter of Zimmer throughout her time in office. In 2012, he was one of the leaders of Vote Yes for November, the organization that sought to move municipal elections from May to November.
Chaudhuri has also written letters to the editor of The Hoboken Reporter in support of Zimmer’s political associates, including Council President Ravi Bhalla and County Freeholder candidate Phil Cohen.
In one letter, he criticized current Councilman Michael Russo and Russo’s cousin, Councilwoman Theresa Castellano, after it was revealed that Russo met with FBI informant Solomon Dwek. “No, Councilwoman,” he wrote in 2011, “your cousin did not technically break the law; his actions, however, were just as bad if not worse – he erased every ounce of credibility and trust with the residents of Hoboken that he had left as an elected official.”
“I look forward to working closely with Chaudhuri in the years ahead to make Hoboken an even greater place to live and work,” said Zimmer. “His experience and knowledge of Hoboken will be a tremendous asset as we bring many exciting projects for our community to fruition.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to join this administration and serve the people of Hoboken,” said Chaudhuri. “I look forward to working with Mayor Zimmer as we continue to address the issues that matter most to our community.”
Chaudhuri will begin his post on Feb. 24, 2015. His predecessor, Bryan, left Friday to take a job at a public relations firm.
Lawyer representing Hoboken in Christie investigation gets one-year contract extension
The Hoboken City Council last month approved a one year extension to the city’s contract with Gerald Krovatin, the lawyer appointed to represent city officials in the U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s investigation of Governor Chris Christie.
Last January, Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that high-ranking members of the Christie administration had linked Sandy relief aid for Hoboken to support for a development project in the city.
During a May 2013 walkthrough at the Hoboken ShopRite, Zimmer alleges. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno implied that Sandy aid might depend on the advancement of a development project proposed by the Rockefeller Group in the north end of Hoboken. At the time, the Rockefeller Group was represented by attorney David Samson, who has been linked to Gov. Chris Christie.
Guadagno and Christie have stridently denied Zimmer’s allegations.
The Zimmer administration requested the contract extension at the Jan. 21 council meeting. On Wednesday, Zimmer characterized the move as a housekeeping measure.
The not-to-exceed amount of $17,000 on Krovatin’s original contract has not been exhausted, said Zimmer, and keeping the contract open will allow Krovatin to provide additional legal services related to the U.S. Attorney investigation if needed over the next year.
When asked whether anyone from her administration had recently communicated with representatives from Fishman’s office, Zimmer declined to comment.
Fishman has yet to issue any indictments resulting from his several investigations into Christie over the Hoboken sandy aid, retaliatory lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, and other issues.
What’s all the construction on Washington Street? Gas lines.
The first stage of Public Service Electric & Gas’ massive renovation of 60 percent of Hoboken’s gas lines was not completed on schedule due to the recent snow and ice, according to a spokesperson for the utility. PSE&G now hopes to have the first stage done by April 2015.
As part of its Energy Strong program, PSE&G will replace almost six miles of low-pressure cast iron gas lines in Hoboken with high-pressure plastic lines that better resist leaks during flooding. During Superstorm Sandy, said PSE&G District Manager Michael Gallagher, some of the older lines in the city cracked and flooded, resulting in blockages.
The upgrades are taking place in two stages. The first, addressing gas lines in southern Hoboken up to and including Sixth Street, was originally scheduled to be complete by the end of 2014. The second stage, covering gas lines north of Sixth Street, has already begun and is expected to be complete by November 2015, according to the PSE&G spokesman.
In order to replace mains, PSE&G must dig 18-inch wide trenches in the roadbed, which are backfilled and covered at the end of each workday. The most conspicuous work areas have been on Washington Street, Hoboken’s busiest commercial corridor.
Hoboken to get a new bookstore in May
Hoboken’s about to get its first new bookstore since Barnes & Noble closed four years ago – news that’s so exciting, Publisher’s Weekly even wrote about it last week.
Hoboken already has a scrappy independent used bookstore at 510 Washington St., Symposia Books, that also holds some community events and activities for children. The new venture, Little City Books, will open on Bloomfield Street and will sell some new books and also hold writing classes and other activities.
The store will open on May 2, Independent Bookstore Day, according to the story in PW.
The story notes that “Singer/songwriter Kate Jacobs had talked with Donna Garban, a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs, for years about opening a store in the New Jersey town. But it wasn’t until the pair met Stonesong literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen last year that their plans came together.”
The store plans to run an Indiegogo campaign so people can contribute to its opening.
New Hoboken police chief emphasizing customer service, park patrols
Since becoming Chief of Police on Dec. 1, 2014, Chief Kenneth Ferrante has implemented a series of changes in the Hoboken Police Department meant to improve operations and service to the community. The changes include significantly increased police presence on nights and weekends, enhanced patrols of the waterfront and parks, tripling the size and expanding the enforcement hours of the Traffic Division, new Saturday hours for the Bureau of Identification, expanded hours for the Bureau of Investigation, and expanded officer training.
“In January, we had only four reported burglaries and four motor vehicle thefts,” said Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante. “I attribute these exceptionally low crime rates to our expanded night patrols and to the recent arrests of six package thieves which took six career criminals off our streets. Our detectives and officers working these important shifts deserve tremendous credit. It wasn’t long ago that Hoboken had over 700 car thefts per year, but we are continuing to reduce crime and make our community even safer than it already is.”
On Jan. 1, Chief Ferrante established a Waterfront and Parks Unit to provide steady patrols on the waterfront and parks, focusing on various homelessness, juvenile, and quality of life concerns. Every officer assigned to the unit will be patrolling these areas on bike in the coming months. They will also perform community outreach with different types of crime prevention and community awareness techniques starting this spring. This will include educating adults and children on bicycle safety and laws, including reckless operation of bikes on sidewalks. Following a period of community education and warnings, officers will soon begin enforcement of bike regulations.
The hours of the Bureau of Identification have been expanded to better meet the needs of residents. The new hours are Monday thru Friday, 7am to 7pm and Saturdays, 9am to 1pm. Any individual needing to pick up motor vehicle accident reports, bar cards or bar card applications, firearms identification cards and pistol permit applications, letters of good conduct, or to be fingerprinted by the Police Department can do so during these extended hours.
Museum poetry event says ‘There’s a Here Here’
On Sunday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m., the Hoboken Historical Museum will host a performance of poetry inspired by a sense of place and written by selected Hoboken-area high school students and their teachers. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.
The title of the event, “There’s a Here Here,” refers to Gertrude Stein’s lament, “there’s no there there,” about her hometown of Oakland, Calif.
The same cannot be said about Hoboken, according to the workshop’s organizer, the Museum’s Poet in Residence, Danny Shot. “As a matter of fact, there’s a lot here to write about,” he added. “Who better than high school students who live and study in Hoboken can bring this city to life through words and phrases?”
Shot hosted a workshop in December, inviting local high school teachers to select students who wanted to participate in a creative exercise. The workshop was designed to create the conditions for students and teachers from local Hoboken schools to interact, with a common goal of capturing a sense of place through the use of imagery while maintaining an individual perspective.
Participants include teacher Allison Addona and students Nikole Cabeza and Christian Marrero from Hoboken Charter High School, and teacher Gerri Wasserman and students Maia Kamil, Grace Bernston, and Lynn Horowitz from The Hudson School.
The Hoboken Historical Museum is located at 1301 Hudson St.
Break your ‘Cabin Fever’ at Hoboken Family Alliance winter festival Feb. 8
Come kick off Valentine’s week with a fun-filled day of family-oriented activities at the Thirteenth Annual Cabin Fever Festival. The fun will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 at The Brandt School on Ninth Street between Garden and Park. Free for HFA Members and $20 per family for non-members.
More than 10 day camps from all over New Jersey and New York will be on hand to answer questions about attending their camps via bus service from Hoboken. Also, the event will also feature local kid musicians, Hoboken dance performances, face painting, balloons, spin art, arts & crafts, and games. The main stage will be a revolving door of all your Hoboken favorites.
There will be over one hundred raffle prizes to area restaurants and classes all over town. They were generously donated by members of the Hoboken community. Plenty of kid and parent friendly food will be available for purchase, served up by Hoboken Catering. Polka Dot will emcee the entire event.
During the Cabin Fever Festival, HFA will also be granting over $10,000 for Community Neighbor Award Grants.
Experience ‘Orgasmic Birth’—the movie—at Symposia on Tuesday
On Tuesday Feb. 10 from 7:00 – 8:30pm, the film “Orgasmic Birth” will be screened at the Symposia Bookstore at 510 Washington St.
“Orgasmic Birth” is a documentary that examines the intimate nature of birth, an everyday miracle, and the powerful role it plays in women’s lives when they are permitted to experience it fully. Couples share their birth experiences, discussing their fears and how they found the support, nurturing, and ultimately the power and strength within themselves to labor and birth their babies in a beautiful, loving, and ecstatic way.
The screening of the film will be followed by a Q&A discussion with two local birth experts.
Dr. Dina Sgambati, a chiropractor and mother of two, provides moms-to-be with strategies to conceive, labor and birth more naturally. Donna Tabas, C.N.M., M.S., the owner and founder of North Jersey Midwifery Care, serves the women of Bergen and Hudson Counties. She is a Columbia-trained Certified Nurse Midwife with 32 years of experience working with birthing families.
Big Belli LLC presents ‘40 Weeks,’ a cinematic journey into the pregnancies of real women
Hoboken Cinemas will host a screening of “40 Weeks,” a new independent film directed by Christopher Henze telling the real life pregnancy stories of a fascinating and diverse group of women and families, on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.
The seed for “40 Weeks” was planted when Dominique Debroux became pregnant. She was an older mom-to-be with a busy career, her family was far-flung and most of her friend’s childbearing days were long over. Feeling somewhat isolated, she sought a community to connect with.
And so, Big Belli LLC was conceived, by Debroux and her husband, filmmaker Christopher Henze, to produce a movie and create a web-based extension of filmed information to empower, educate and create a sense of community for expectant moms.
The Hoboken screening is being hosted by Dr. Laura Brayton. You can make a reservation online through http://bit.ly/1yBKrlJ. Feel free to bring your friends!
“40 Weeks” also invites audiences to sign up to learn about opportunities to meet the families featured in the film. For more information, please visit www.40weeksthemovie.com.
Nobel Laureate cancer expert to give public lecture at Stevens Thursday
On Thursday, Feb.12, 2015 at 4 p.m., Nobel Prize co-recipient and cancer biologist Harold Varmus will appear at Stevens Institute of Technology to discuss his exploration of the transitions in cancer research. Nominated by President Barack Obama as director of the National Cancer Institute in 2010, Dr. Varmus previously served as president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and as director of the National Institutes of Health.
Under Dr. Varmus’ direction, the leadership of the National Cancer Institute is poised to reduce the burden of cancer in the U.S. and around the world at an accelerated pace.
The free event will be held in Stevens’ DeBaun Auditorium, located at 500 Hudson St. Members of the public can attend, but they must register in advance at http://www.stevens.edu/sit/president/distinguished-lecture-series.
Christie signs legislation merging Meadowlands Commission and NJ Sports Authority
The New Jersey Meadowlands Authority will merge with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority as a result of new legislation signed by Gov. Christopher Christie on Thursday, Feb. 5.
The bill will also eliminate the current tax sharing program that impacts 14 municipalities in the region. Previously, municipalities with more development, including Secaucus and North Bergen, were required to pay up to $3 million annually into a tax sharing fund, while municipalities with less development received money from the fund each year.
In addition, the new legislation re-establishes the Hackensack Meadowlands Transportation Planning District.
Christie has called the legislation “imperfect in its current form” but expressed that it was important to “move forward with this common sense consolidation of government to deliver savings to New Jersey taxpayers.” The governor said he would discuss follow-up legislation with the bill’s sponsors, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and state Sen. Paul Sarlo.
Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto headlines program
The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce will host more than 150 community leaders at its Annual Business Meeting on Monday, Feb. 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Liberty Science Center. The focus is “Investing in Hudson County.” New Jersey Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Alma DeMetropolis, NJ Market President for JP Morgan Private Bank, will headline the program. The forum will serve as a platform for business dialogue and showcase the exhibits of more than 20 companies.
“The theme central to our 2015 Annual Business Meeting is that the investment of both the public and private sector is vital to Hudson County’s continued growth,” said Maria Nieves, the chamber’s president and CEO. “We look forward to hosting a conversation between our members and featured speakers regarding initiatives to support a strong regional economy.”
“The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce is committed to supporting the dynamic growth and development of Jersey City and its environs,” added Daryl Rand, president and CEO of HarrisonRand Advertising and chair of the chamber’s board of directors. “All of us involved as stakeholders are engaged in showcasing our unique assets, building important linkages and helping the county reach its full potential.”
The event is presented by JP Morgan Chase & Co. Sponsors include Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health, BCB Community Bank, Hudson County Community College’s Center for Business & Industry, Liberty Savings Federal Credit Union, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, New Jersey City University, Provident Bank, TD Bank, University of Phoenix, and The Jersey Journal.
Founded in 1888, the organization is one of the New Jersey’s oldest regional chambers of commerce. It currently represents more than 500 members, facilitates forums with local, state and federal officials, and provides a platform for business networking and partnerships.
For reservations call (201) 386-0699 x 27 or visit the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce website: www.hudsonchamber.org.