How to spend a weekend in Jersey City—NYC’s colorful neighbor

New Jersey’s second-largest city has always lived in the shadow of its neighbor across the Hudson. Then again, most cities around the world are measured against New York City. But, for years, decades even, we’ve heard tell of Jersey City becoming “the Sixth Borough,” or something of the sort. It makes sense considering it’s just one stop on the PATH train (the subway that connects Manhattan’s west side to Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark) if you’re heading Jersey-side from the World Trade Center, and just five stops if you’re coming from Midtown Manhattan, making it closer to Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Tribeca, and the Financial District than just about anywhere in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

Jersey City has long been a resplendent mélange of arts, music, food, style, and culture, thanks in large part to a robust blend of Black, South Asian, Italian-, Irish-, Polish-American, and Caribbean influence spanning the city’s Downtown, Heights, West Side, Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette, and Newport-Pavonia neighborhoods, among others.

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Of course, much like its neighbor across the river, Jersey City has undergone a few decades of gentrification, flattening the culture in many of its neighborhoods into something far more homogenous than what the city has long been. Still, it’s one of the most thrillingly diverse cities in America.

“It’s always hard to compete against New York City,” says Jersey City’s longtime nightlife promoter and all-around impresario Dancing Tony Susco. “Even people who live here will tell you to go to [New York.] But Jersey City will also be one of the spots where, if you didn’t go, you missed out.”

And so, I recommend (especially if you’re a regular to or resident of that bigger city across the Hudson) a venture onto the PATH train to check out the city where, about a hundred years ago, my own ancestors landed after a long trip from Southern Italy, to stake their claim in the American Dream and, more importantly, to shape a part of New Jersey’s namesake city in their image.

Day 1:

Once you’ve made your way to Jersey City (stay at the Canopy Hotel in Downtown’s Arts District or the Hyatt on the Hudson at Exchange Place, which overlooks the river), head up Marin Boulevard and see what’s on tap at Art House Productions, a stalwart arts organization that hosts live performances of all stripes, monthly art openings, and live music. After that, grab a pre-dinner drink at the Pet Shop, which, for decades was an actual pet shop before being reopened as a large bar and lounge that regularly features live music.

After that, stroll through the leafy, brownstone-laden Hamilton Park neighborhood and grab dinner at the Hamilton Inn, where, weather permitting, you should definitely sit outside and order the oysters. If you’re more of a Pabst-and-a-shot kind of person, duck into Lucky 7s, which is a popular local dive.

Day 2:

Shared history

Start your morning with a stroll through Liberty State Park, a beautifully green 1,200-acre oasis sitting between the city’s Communipaw neighborhood to its west and the lower Hudson River to its east. Before heading down the park’s two-mile promenade, you can learn about New Jersey’s transportation history at the park’s Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal. From there, make your way to the solemn and arresting “Empty Sky,” which honors the 749 people who were killed on September 11, 2001 who lived in or had ties to New Jersey.

From there, it’s an easy ferry ride to Ellis Island, where more than 12 million immigrants passed through en route to America. Today, the island is a museum celebrating the fortitude that so many of our ancestors displayed as they came here to build a new nation.

A legendary sausage roll

In the heart of Jersey City’s Downtown neighborhood, Second Street Bakery offers the kinds of chicken parm heroes, sausage rolls, and lard bread that dreams are made of. Just be sure to get there early, as the bakery often sells out of most of their wares by early afternoon.

Food in hand, head up Newark Avenue toward the historical Harsimus Cemetery, which, if you’ve watched The Sopranos, you’ll recognize from more than one funeral scene. However, it has been around for centuries longer, with some gravestones dating back to the American Revolution. These days, it not only makes for a nice afternoon stroll with the option for guided tours, but also an occasional music venue thanks to the efforts of Susco, who, alongside his partner Mandy Edgecombe, were recently appointed the cemetery’s official caretakers. Over the last decade-plus, Susco has hosted a series of concerts in the cemetery to raise funds for its continued upkeep. 

On the way back, be sure to peruse the longstanding vintage shop, Another Man’s Treasure, which has been owned and operated by Meika and Warren Franz since 2006. Don your new-old gear and grab dinner and drinks at Razza Pizza Artigianale, which makes pizza so good, it once caused the New York Times to wonder, “Is the best pizza in New York in New Jersey?” 

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The sounds of the city

Jersey City has long fostered a great music scene. If you’re visiting on a weekday between early May and late August, be sure to check out Groove on Grove, the city’s longstanding Wednesday night music series. Helmed by Susco, it features local bands and artists playing in a small square at the exit of the Grove Street PATH station (just two stops from Greenwich Village’s Christopher Street station).

Otherwise, check out White Eagle Hall, an up-to-800-capacity venue housed in an historic building just a few blocks east of the Harsimus Cemetery known for its world-class booking. You can check out artists like Cass McCombs, Rebirth Brass Band, Camera Obscura, and even a kids’ version of the ultrapopular jam band Phish. Further Downtown you’ll find the far more intimate 200-capacity Monty Hall, which is the live venue property of Jersey City’s world-renowned freeform radio station WFMU.

Day 3:

Where to eat

Day three should be all about food, as Jersey City has some legendary spots, many of which sit in the city’s Heights and Journal Square neighborhoods or on the West Side. If you’re staying Downtown, get on the PATH at Grove Street and make your way one stop up to Journal Square, which is a huge commercial district so named for the Jersey Journal, the city’s longstanding daily paper (and the one that gave this writer his first job in journalism). Sadly, the Journal shut down last year, but Journal Square is still one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods.

Stroll down Newark Avenue through the bustling India Square neighborhood, named for its South Asian population. You’re never more than a few doors away from an amazing Indian meal at any of the neighborhood restaurants. And, if you aren’t, the fragrant smells are enough to make the visit more than worth the time.

From there, head west to the historic White Mana on Tonnele Avenue (pronounced “Ton-Uh-Lee”), not only one of the most famous burger joints in Jersey City, but one of the most legendary in the country. Originally introduced in the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, the White Mana’s claim to fame are their greasy and absolutely amazing sliders.

Before heading back home, stop in at Mana Contemporary, which is a massive arts center on the West Side featuring visual and performing arts.

At this point, you’ll head home content and with a new appreciation for Jersey City, the city that has, for generations, carved an identity all its own, despite that other big city looming, just across the river.

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