Getting to Know Our New City

So yeah, moving is AWFUL. As I mentioned in my last post, our tiny apartment is being overrun with boxes, I'm spending my days sorting and organizing and filling said boxes, and it's awful. The only upside is that I stole boxes from our Dunkin Donuts downstairs to use for packing, and now our living room smells like Munchkins. So that's something.

 The current state of my living/dining rooms

Not to mention, I have been terribly sad about leaving this place. I love this apartment and this neighborhood. We have anything we could possibly want within walking distance, and I just love it. It's going to be so strange to go back to having to train into the city before we can do things like see a Broadway show, wander through Times Square, or relax in Central Park. I know it will be fine - when we lived "in D.C." we actually lived just outside the city, in Arlington, Virginia. Our neighborhood was nice, but if we ever wanted to really do much of anything, it involved a train ride first, but we never thought anything of it. It really was no trouble at all. I've gotten spoiled by the walkability of our current location, but I know it's just a matter of readjusting my mindset. It really won't be a big deal.

But, I'm still sad to leave.

To try to get myself hyped up, I've been reading up on our new city and I want to share a little about what I've learned. Hoboken is only one square mile in size, but it sounds like there's lots of fun stuff crammed into that small space. (Plus, there's my beloved Target just south of Hoboken in Newport, so that doesn't hurt. Oh, the shopping I will do!)

For instance, I have told you about Washington Street, that charming little street that I fell in love with right away (also home to that amazing Grimaldi's/Crumbs combo). It reminds me a lot of Old Town Alexandria, which I loved when we were in D.C., and I can really see us spending many afternoons wandering down that street. Even though I knew it was awesome, I didn't realize that Washington Street has actually been named one of the Top 10 Great Streets in America by the American Planning Association, who gives this description of it:

Vibrant and lively, Washington Street's unique sense of place is defined by its seemingly endless row of historic storefronts pressed against the edge of sidewalks; cross street intersections affording views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline;  concentration of popular restaurants, lounges, shops, and boutiques; and connections to  the Hoboken waterfront.

 Washington Street (photo taken from here)

In other "best" news, Hoboken was also named Best Dining Town in New Jersey (not sure how many great dining towns there ARE in New Jersey, but hey, sounds good!), and it sounds like there are tons of great restaurants for us to try once we get settled in. Apparently Hoboken also recieved an Honorable Mention in the Bicycle Friendly Communities Listing by the League of American Cyclists, which will come in very handy as we prepare for our Five-Boro Bike Ride! Also, although I am sad to move away from Central Park, Hoboken's Pier A Park was listed as one of the top 10 urban parks in the country by the Urban Land Institute. I would say we'll be closer to Pier A Park than we are to Central Park now, so I will be all set for a place to go relax on a blanket (with my beloved Kindle) in the warm weather months.

We took this picture of Pier A Park last summer when we visited Hoboken

More views of Pier A Park

As far as stuff to do, it sounds like there is way more to do than just sitting in the nice parks and eating at the nice restaurants and walking on the nice streets and standing in line at Carlo's Bakery. In fact, the City of Hoboken even went ahead and put together a nice little "Hoboken To-Do List" for me on their website. Some of the things I'm most looking forward to include scoping out Frank Sinatra's birthplace, enjoying the Hudson Riverfront Walkway (we will be living right along it!), taking in the view from Castle Point Lookout, kayaking on the Hudson River, enjoying the Arts and Music Festivals, and watching Movies Under the Stars in the summer. Not too shabby, right? All that right in our hometown, AND we'll still just be a 10-minute train ride from Manhattan!

Also, did you know Hoboken even has it's very own St. Patrick's Day celebration? Apparently they have a big ol' parade and party the week before St. Patrick's Day, which means that really we get TWO St. Patrick's Days! I enjoy St. Patty's, so I'm psyched!

So it sounds pretty nice, right? Even though I am still incredibly sad to leave our home in Manhattan, I do think Hoboken has a lot to offer us. I was sad to leave D.C., too, and look how that has worked out! I just need time to say goodbye to my current home, but I know that once we get settled in to our New Jersey digs we'll feel right at home and will be loving it in no time.

Now if only someone would come pack the rest of these boxes for me...