One of the most fascinating cities in New Jersey, Hoboken blends history with a modern outlook to make for an amazing destination for everyone all year round.
The city is well-known as ‘the mile-square city” and it’s situated on the banks of river Hudson, which flows through northeastern Jersey. Hoboken is famous for being the birthplace of the sensational singer and songwriter Frank Sinatra, and as well as baseball. It’s also a party town for young travelers, offering a range of exciting things to do.
THINGS TO DO
A Stroll in Pier A Park
The Pier A Park or Pier 13 Park is the only and the most famous park in the city. Totally surrounded by the Hudson River from three sides, it’s located on Sinatra street where people from all over the city come out to take a break. The park offers a wide variety of activities to indulge in, such as fishing, on picnics, sunbathing. You can just take a break from the busy city life to enjoy the stunning Manhattan skyline during sunset.
Hoboken Arts and Music Festival
The Hoboken Arts and Music Festival first started in the fall of 1994 with only an audience of around 100 people. Now, after 20 years over the crowd has become significantly larger and many famous artists like Nancy Sinatra, John Eddie, Ian Hunter, Leon Russel, and others have since performed in the annual festival. It covers over 10 blocks of the area and includes tons of vendor stalls, live performance stages, and activities to do for children. The festival is known to engage and entertain around 50,000 people every year including city natives and travelers.
Indulge in Water activities
The people of Hoboken are pretty fond of their waterfronts and love to explore them. The famous pier 13 park offers a few water games and activities without having any prior experience necessary to participate such as kayaking tours which allow participants to engage in fun challenges, perfect for people on a lookout for excitement and fun. Paddleboarding and water skiing are also some of the fun and engaging activities to indulge in. Another place to go kayaking is the Hoboken Cove Boathouse located at Maxwell Place on 11th Street.
PLACES TO SEE
Monroe Center of Arts
The Monroe Center of Arts, located in uptown Hoboken, offers a wide range of services to the community of artists. It allows artists to take galleries on lease and set up exhibitions to display their art and creations. You can also find people organizing successful workshops or classes at the center. If you appreciate art and are always on the lookout for emerging artists, this place should be on your bucket-list while in the city.
Hoboken Historical Museum
The historical museum of Hoboken houses precious records of events of the past and gives visitors a historical way to explore the evolution of the square mile city from as early as 1609 to date. Some of the historical highlights that the museum stores are Frank Sinatra’s life history and he is referred to as the ‘most famous son of Hoboken’. You’ll discover the history of how the city has been transformed from the past to date. It also keeps into account the birth of baseball and the original film ‘on the waterfront’ made in 1954.
WHERE TO EAT
The square mile city is home to a large number of gourmet restaurants where you can relish world-class meals. The main thoroughfare in Hoboken is Washington Avenue, which is lined with vibrant dining spots.
You can check out Amanda’s Restaurant for a delicious dish of American classics or East LA restaurant for tasty Mexican delights. Don’t forget to visit Carlo’s Bakery, founded by the Cake Boss who is famous for his confectionery creations. You can schedule a decorating class and learn how the Cake Boss makes the delicious cakes.
Another amazing restaurant to visit is Charrito’s Guacamole, a Mexican restaurant well-known for its famous freshly prepared and delicious guacamole. Don’t miss the popular Basile’s Pizza on Washington street for a delicious slices of pizza and a variety of Italian cuisine.
When in Hoboken, don’t forget to check out the event calendar to know what’s going on. The city offers several food festivals all through the year. The Hudson restaurant week is a bi-annually occurring food festival that takes place in January and July of every year. Other food festivals include the Irish Festival, Chili Cook-Off, Mozzarella festival as well as BBQ festival.
PLACES TO EXPLORE
Hoboken’s waterfront walkway
The Hoboken water walkway is a 300-foot long road adjacent to the Hudson River starting from Bayonne going all the way to the George Washington bridge. The walkway offers free of cost access to enjoyment 24/7. People can go swimming, hiking, kayaking, running, jogging or doing almost anything that the walkway provides any time of the day.
Hoboken’s nightlife
Hoboken is also famous for its wide range of nightlife spots. With more than 120 bars and clubs in the city, it’s not hard to find a good place to have a glass of beer with your friends. The bars of Hoboken are always a go-to option for young travelers and town natives.
With almost everything worth exploring already being mentioned, there is one last activity that a yet explorative person can indulge in- being a small city, one can easily map it out by foot. By walking from northside to the south side of the city, you can observe the whole of it in an on-foot adventure that would most probably take a day. You can indulge in window shopping, grab bites at different outlets and go sightseeing.
