Jersey City | Jersey City Gal

24
Jul
2015

Meditate Jersey City

categories: Community/ Volunteers, Health

Did you know that you can meditate for free at The Brunswick Center in Jersey City?

The former school at 189 Brunswick Street has transformed into an educational health and wellness center, where classrooms have been converted into dance studios, cardio and weight-training rooms, and the yoga & meditation center.

Volunteers run the meditation classes at 7pm on Mondays (or Tuesdays, depending on attendance availability in the meetup group) and at 5pm on Saturdays.

On my particular visit, Kushal Choksi, who works in hedge funds, was the instructor. We removed our shoes before entering the studio and sat on our mats. First, we did breathing exercises to open up our air passages. Then Kushal led us in a guided meditation that he said would be 10 minutes but when we finished it turned out to be 22 minutes. Time was irrelevent. In meditation, you are so focused on your inner body that you are not concerned with the outside world.

Kushal explained that most of our daily lives involve things pulling us in different directions and that both external and internal forces control our thoughts. But there is one way we can control our thoughts…through breathing. I certainly felt clear-headed and centered after the session, at peace with myself and my surroundings. We were living in the present moment.

I spoke to Amit Haryani, who often leads the classes at The Brunswick Center. He has studied yoga and meditation for 20 years and has taught for 15 of those, finding that it gives him inner peace from his day job as an environmental engineer.

Earlier in ilfe, when Amit was stressed out during exams, his classmate introduced him to “The Art of Living” happiness program, started by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Brunswick Center location offers that as a paid program, once a month. Details here.

“The happiness program is about leading a lifestyle where you can truly be happy,” says Amit. “It gives you the ability to actually be the expression of happiness, rather than be in the pursuit of happiness.”

If anything can be determined from the demeanor of these men and other organizers, it is that they have an inner-peace that radiates positive energy and joy to all of those in their presence.

SCHEDULE:

Community Meditations: Monday 7-8pm and Saturday 5-6pm
Community Yoga: Tuesday 7-8pm
Happiness Program Schedule: Aug 27-31, Sept 24-28
Meditation program: Aug 7-9, Sept 11 – 13

Ommm,
JCG

21
Jul
2015

Jersey City’s New Hot Sauce!

categories: Farm stands & farmer's markets, Specialty Markets

Joining the Grove Street Farmer’s Market this year is new hot sauce vendor Gemini-Crow, and boy is that sauce hot!

Dov Teta, a former co-worker of mine way back, founded Gemini-Crow while being a stay-at-home dad for his daughters.

As a supporter of entrepreneurs and small businesses (as well as a lover of hot sauce!), naturally, I had to check out the goods.

I chose Burn, Blackberry Belle, and the Devil His Due (not a typo).

All sauces are quite hot, so a little goes a long way. My favorite is Blackberry Belle, as it’s a little sweeter and has less burn than the others, but they are all good and fiery. There are also two jarred sauces under the “Doom” label.

Stop by Dov’s stand at The Grove Street Farmers Market on Thursdays and you can try each sauce in the Gemini-Crow collection and hear his recommendations for food pairings. All are gluten-free and vegan. Each bottle is $7.99, but you can buy 3 for $21 at the market.

Best of all, if you mention that you read about it on Jersey City Gal, he may just give you a discount.

Feel the burn,
JCG

27
Jun
2015

Cork & Canvas: My trip!

categories: Art, Crafts, Events, Jersey City Families, Small Business!, The Village, This Weekend in Jersey City

After my initial announcement of the opening of Cork & Canvas, I want to update you on how amazing my experience was. This is def my favorite activity suggestion for a friend or family fun night. Tons of laughs, healthy competition and a masterpiece to bring home!

The night I went, it was a Hawaiian theme, and I got “laid” when I walked in. There were kids from 4-86. No worries. All skill levels are welcome.

After some food, drink and mingling, we settled at our canvasses and got down to the painting bit. Each person is provided with a canvas, pallette of acrylic paint colors, brushes and water.

There was a finished painting of what we would be creating on an easel next to the instructor up front. Our leader had her own blank canvas and walked us through the process step by step as she began her recreation, instructing what type of brush to use, which colors to mix, and where to place our lines and shapes on the canvas.

An assistant strolls the aisles to refill colors on your palette and bring you paper towels. For the more deatiled parts of the painting, the instructor walks arounds with the finished product to assist your strokes.

Glancing to my right and left, I was a bit intimidated. The woman to my right admitted she was a professonal painter and the man to my left seemed like he was one. It should be noted that you don’t have to follow instructions exactly if you don’t want to. Instead of the flower, one man chose to paint a dog instead and another chose to do a plate with a steak dinner. To each their own.

After finishing up, painters have the opportunity to see everyone’s creations while cleaning up and letting the canvases dry. Each painting was beautiful and unique and inspirational.

And then we all went on our merry ways with our masterpieces.

To the artistically inclined,
JCG

11
Jun
2015

Surf City: Jersey City’s Beach

categories: Bars, Outdoor Seating, Paulus Hook, The Waterfront

Jersey City always guarantees good summer outdoor drinking at Surf City. You have the sand, the water, the sky—and the breathtaking view of Manhattan and Liberty Island.

I always look forward to tucking my feet in the sand, sipping on one of their signature bucket cocktails and admiring the boats as I ascertain whether any yacht owners would be willing to take me for a ride on the Hudson.

Since SC comes from the owners of the awesome Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden, there are 25 craft beers on tap. I usually go with Purple Haze at the BG, but SC’s Captain Lawrence Sunblock quenched my thirst perfectly on the hot day I went two weeks ago.

If you’re not into beer, which I’m often not, go for one of the Monster buckets (split it with a friend as they are strong and $18 and Do Not Drive!) I like the Green Monster, but there are four varieties to choose from and each can be made with either vodka or tequila and you can mostly mix and match the other ingredients (inside tip).

Like the BG, SC has communal tables and you walk up to the counter to order your food (though I found out on slower days, the waiters and waitresses will come to you). The wait is typical for a place of this size on a busy night, sometimes 35-40 minutes.

I had the wings, cheeseburger and fries—all are up to par. The Key West Mix salad is my favorite thing so far. While I want to try all of their seafood options (mussels, clams, lobster & shrimp roll, mahi-mahi—you name it), the food is a bit pricey, especially when you compare it to Zeppelin Hall’s menu—which is the natural thought process for patrons who’ve migrated here to test the waters. And let’s consider the fact that you are serving yourself. This year a raw bar is serving fresh seafood daily including jumbo shrimp, clams on the half shell and crab claws, which is more wallet-friendly if you only want a litle taste of the sea.

Surf City can accomodate 3500 patrons per night: It has plenty of indoor and outdoor communal seating and boasts six bars and four dining decks plus the sandy beach with lounge chairs, and If it gets chilly when the sun sets, move near one of the fire pits—so nice.

Getting there is easy: The light rail (Hudson-Bergen) and PATH (Grove) are nearby, and there is free parking in their huge lot at 1 Liberty Harbor (Marin Blvd.)

All in all, it’s a great place to chill and absorb awesome views and the calm that comes with sand and water—with all of your best friends.

Some of my summer pics below:

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