Super Bowl 50 in Jersey City!

superbowl50Super Bowl 50 (the NFL is suspending Roman Numerals for this year’s big game) overtakes America this year on Sunday, February 7th at 6:30pm ET. The Carolina Panthers and The Denver Broncos  will face off at Levi’s Stadium (home of the San Francisco 49ers) in Santa Clara, California.

The ultimate sporting event calls upon us to attend viewing parties everywhere. If you are hosting one, here are some of my game-day recipes, as well as tips for etiquette.

If you’d rather take it to commercial real estate in Jersey City, here is a list of venues hosting the big game, courtesy of nj.com.

Facts about Super Bowl 50:

Network: CBS (coverage begins at 11am ET)

Hosts: Jim Nantz will be doing play-by-play; Phil Simms will be doing analysis

Half-Time Show: Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars

Commercials: $5 million for a 30-second spot, an increase of 500% since this girl was a commercial actress

Teams’ stats this season: Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos (know a few things about them from volunteering in 2014)

Game day eats: My recipes

And Cam Newton is super hot beyond being a great quarterback, just sayin’

Do not keep calm; just game on,
JCG

New Year, New You. Health & Wealth

new_year

Happy New Year #JerseyCity! If your resolutions didn’t stick through January, who cares? There is always room for improvement and there’s always time to make a change or two. Here are local companies offering cool stuff to inspire you this February.

Fitness:
Take up Zumba, Yoga or Martial Arts
Workout for free in JC
Ice Skate here or here
Learn belly dancing, yoga, or Latin dancing for free at Kennedy Dancers
Jersey City Ballroom Dancing
Jivamukti Yoga
Blink
Get Salsa Fever

Learn Spanish or English (ESL):
Toni Ferrer

Learn to paint or sculpt:
Jersey City Arts School
Cork & Canvas

Read something that expands your mind:
Jersey City Free Books
Jersey City Bookmobile & Library

Get more work done:
IndieGrove
Editing Services
Website Consulting

Volunteer:
Jersey City Cares
Liberty Humane Society
Dress For Success

Meet JC Peeps:
Singles in Jersey City
Geeks Who Drink
Jersey City Young Professionals
Entrepreneurs in Jersey City
JC Fab Lab

Pamper:
European Wax Center
Zeel Massage
Nails and Nails
Hair
My DIY trix here

Treat yourself to a statement piece:
Vivi Girl Shop
Tia’s Place
Very Second-Hand Clothing and Goods
Another Man’s Treasure
E. Tittlemouse & Co
Republic of Pigtails (also in Pop-Up shop by Grove St. PATH)
Take care of your clothing
Be well & happy,
JCG

Hudson County Restaurant Week 2016


skinners

It is that wintry time of year again where restaurants beg for our patronage post-New Year’s and pre-Valentine’s Day: Hudson Restaurant Week. Hudson County’s begins when New York City’s ends, so as not to compete for capital.

From January 25th to February 5th, attend restaurants (that may be outside of your budget) to sample each menu at a set price.

Here are participating Jersey City restaurants:

Amelia’s Bistro

Battello

Bistro at Grove Square

Bistro La Source

Edward’s Steakhouse

Fire & Oak

GP’s Hamilton Park

The Hamilton Inn

Laico’s (pick up a hard copy of The Jersey City Independent for my lengthy review; this is not one to miss!)

Liberty House Restaurant

Liberty Prime Steakhouse

Light Horse Tavern

Raval Tapas Bar

Satis Bistro

View the full list of Hudson County participating restaurants, prices and menus here.

Taste Jersey City Tastefully,
JCG

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Art House Productions Presents: Snow Ball 2016!

Art House Snow Ball

It’s time for Art House Productions’ annual Snow Ball, Jersey City!

The Snow Ball Gala gathers festive, art-friendly folks and benefits Art House’s innovative arts programs and features live music, light fare, an open bar and a silent auction.

Join in on the fun Saturday, January 23rd at Art House Productions (136 Magnolia Ave.) at 8pm. Dress is “black tie creative.”

Purchase tickets here.

 

Happy New Year Jersey City!

New Year 2016Jersey City: We’ve had many years of transformation, but 2015 seemed particularly poignant in that it marked an increasingly rapid pace of evolvement.

It’s as if everyone finally realized that Jersey City IS the place to live. We’ve had lots of new businesses with high hopes and big dreams, many of which have been shattered by shuttering or postponment in 2015. Some highly anticipated local venues didn’t even get the chance to open their doors this year, their brick-and-mortar spaces left unfinished and for sale. There were others that did open but couldn’t stay afloat, and many more that will soon open their doors and pray to be vital for more than half of 2016. There are many high-rises in construction in place of condiminium complexes that failed, and other big buildings filling wastleands of rotting, forgotten land. We are in a turbulent flux. Projects started and unifinished, or able to rise only to fall quickly.

In a thriving artist and creative community, it’s such a buzzkill to see beloved businesses or buildings fail, to see “replacement.” Everything is about hurdles and politics and money. Certain talents do not have the opportunity to reach their potential even with hard work and exhaustive effort. Others succeed that are less talented. Education is of particular concern to me. We are living in a bleak bubble that I hope we can break in the years to come.

I want to see our citizens investing their time, their minds and their hard-earned dollars into what truly matters to our rapidly changing community. What does Jersey City mean to you? And how are you contributing to make your home a better place? We have real issues here, and our uniqueness is being squandered by the ever-increasing rich/poor divide. A VIP police officer casually mentioned to me a few months ago that “Crime is at one of its peaks and it’s only getting worse,” a comment I was surprised by considering I had just been mugged outside of my front door and authority figures usually try to be reassuring. No, our officers have been cracking down on major gang crimes, and they are overwhelmed. The media glosses over this, and a lot of us choose to be uninformed because it is, well, overwhelming.

In our diverse community, we need to focus on the things that bring us together, not those that separate us. Let’s get back to our roots. Make an effort to be inclusive to those around you, not just those in your neighborhood or demographic. Jersey City is about inclusivity. It is also about diversity. We are a significant part of America’s history: where immigrants arrived and many settled. We have generations of wealth in terms of history. We are…

Step outside of your box: This is a huge, huge city with many people and so much to see and explore. Expand your mind. “Make it yours,” yes, but contribute to make it a greater “ours.”

On a lighter note, here are my best hangover tips for those who choose to indulge. And my current and previous workout playlists.

Have a Happy & Inspired New Year,
JCG

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