Drone Show (Me The Money)!
Plus a local flower gal, a new park opens, water tower theatrics & mucho more!
đľ Quick Notes
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đ¸ Identified Flying Objects
Remember about a year ago everyone in NJ was freaking out about drones? Well we here on the Gold Coast are no strangers to the drones that light up the skies with airborne advertisements.
Most recently, on October 16th, there was a show in Weehawken that launched from the waterfront field, as seen in the photo and video evidence sent to us from three nice neighbors. Weâve had quite a few shows and we love it when we catch them, but how come we never know exactly when they are going to happen? And how much, if anything, does the town make on letting them dance over our fair town?
Well dear readers, we asked, and we have answers. First off, the town doesnât invite people to come view them because itâs a safety issue. Even with the most experienced people running them, they are known to fall out of the sky on occasion. In 2024, during a community holiday drone show in Orlando, drones collided, fell, and a 7-year-old boy was seriously injured. And during a show in China last month, drones were dropping like flies from the sky and in the videos people can be seen running for cover from the rain of sparks. In fact, in one of the videos on the Weehawken Gazette Instagram, if you watch closely you can see a drone dropping to earth and making what appears to be a fiery landing. Thatâs a good reason to keep people far away.
And what does the town reap from the flying machines, besides the cool factor? According to the town, we get $20,000 per drone show. Or, if they book three or more shows, a discount might be given and itâs only $15,000 per show. So, thanks to our snazzy Manhattan skyline backdrop, and ideal launch pad, we get money that goes to help fund cool things in the town, like Weehawken Day. Tah dah. Gotta love that.
For the drone footage many thanks to Heather Bostwick, Chris Tsakis and a neighbor we simply call âMr. Tâ since he wishes to stay anonymous.
đł Park It Here
On October 19, the town of Weehawken threw a small opening day party for residents of the building next to the newly-reopened park on Park Avenue by 38th street.
The park has been closed for a few years, but no one was sure exactly when it closed. In any case, it is now filled with a slew of delightful new plants which were selected by landscape designer Lauren Sherman, a consultant to the town. She walked us through most everything in there, pointing out the allium and red bud trees at the front, plus much more including aronia, viburnum, skip and cherry laurels, hydrangeas and fothergilla.
The best news is that itâs not done yet. In the spring, Sherman says there will be ground cover and lilac bushes that will be planted outside the gates, which should look and smell amazing. And we assume theyâll help obscure the view of the parking lot next to it, seen below.
Whatâs In A Name?
According to the Weehawken Township website, the name of this park is âGarden Parkâ but curiously, this name was not known by the town officials in attendance. Of the name, one local young person who asked to remain anonymous said, âthe only thing more boring than Garden Park, would be calling it Park Park.â We agree. Although âPark Parkâ is funny, so we kind of like it.
Our suggest is to name the park after a beloved resident who has passed on, or what say we name it after a famous/cool living person who might be inclined to donate some $ to the schools for the honor? Or maybe we should let a crypto company pay big bucks to name it for a year before they crash and burn? All options are on the table.
What do you think we should name it? Let us know in the comments below, leave a comment on our Instagram, or email us at the address found at the bottom of the newsletter.
đ Flower Power In Jersey City
Not too long ago someone online asked where they could get flower arrangements in the area, and I immediately thought of a locally owned shop in Jersey City heights, and quickly realized weâd never covered it. So⌠mea culpa and meet Maria M Lopez, pictured below. Lopez was raised in Jersey City, and sheâs the owner of Flor y Cafe in Jersey City.
Open since March 2022, she says her shop has the only true floral designers in Jersey City with arrangements that feature âfull blooms, not fillers like you get from FTD or Teleflora.â She says the difference is that âbeing a designer takes time â one Flor y Cafe corsage takes 30-45 minutes, because we need to knit every flower.â
Although Lopez came to the world of flowers later than some, her roots in flora run deep because her mother, Jarmina Cortez, is a renowned floral designer who has worked for many notable clients. Lopez says her mother was the floral designer for Michael Jacksonâs and Whitney Houstonâs funerals. And although sheâs been at it for 54 years, Lopez says her mom still assists in the shop.
What else is special? They offer âpet bouquetsâ which means they are non-toxic, only featuring flowers, like roses and sunflowers, which wonât mess with Fluffy should they decide to nibble on the arrangement. And she touts a special rate for college students, where they can get bouquet corsages and boutonnieres for just $20 each.
On a personal note, Iâve known Maria as a Weehawken neighbor for over a decade. Sheâs a married mom of two delightful now-grown kids, and I was immediately drawn to her (and her familyâs) artistic spirit, positivity, and sense of humor. So besides the flowers, you should support her shop just because sheâs also a very cool person.
Order flowers or contact them for more info via their website.
Follow Flor y Cafe on Instagram: @flor_y_cafe_flowershop
đ Play Time
Have you ever been inside the Weehawken Water Tower? Well this week you can have the rare opportunity to go in and enjoy a night of theater while there with Hudson Theatre Worksâ production of Edward Albeeâs âAt Home At The Zoo.â
Itâs only running three more days, November 6â8. Need more convincing? Tickets are only $25 plus fees, with discounts for students and seniors, and apparently itâs really good.
How do we know this? We saw Jim Testaâs glowing review of this production on NJArts â where he also alerts you to the sexy bits and the steep stairs. Check it out here: Edward Albeeâs âAt Home at the Zooâ packs a lots of fireworks into two conversations
UPDATE AFTER PUBLISH: new info⌠regular tickets are $25 plus fees not $20 as originally written â <$20 is the student/senior price. Fixed above. Tickets are available on Eventbrite here.
Related: Jim has a music Substack called Constant Listener: Jim Testa
đĽ Sponsor Message: Poofy Is Back!
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đťđ47th Street LiBOOry Wins Halloween
On Halloween this year, I felt really cool because I made ghost pops and plunked a few books my kids were giving away into the candy bowls. I was amazed how much the trick or treaters loved the books. Many of them wanted a book instead of candy. I told them they could have both. I thought, next year I should get more booksâŚ
The day after Halloween, thinking I was the cleverest person on the planet, I learned another Weehawken family had done something about 5000 times more magical. The family, headed by Brian and Karen Osborne, had candy AND an entire Halloween âLiBOOryâ on their porch with the many books on offer organized by reader age range.
Karen is a working mom, keen reader, former PTA president, and she told me the project also appealed to her husband, owing to his educator background. How did she come up with it? Apparently a few years ago the teal pumpkin campaign inspired her to go beyond candy, and so she gave away toys on Halloween, a combination of clearing out cool stuff her kids had outgrown, and finding small items to buy. But this year, she had the idea to get books. She bought bags of books for $1 from the Weehawken Library and asked friends and neighbors to donate what they had. The result was this stunning display. One women who came by said, âIâm a pre-k teacher â and this is f*cking brilliant!â We couldnât agree more.
Alessioâs Cafe Opens New Location
Alessioâs Cafe is now open on 1525 Harbor Blvd, in front of the Whole Foods in Weehawken. This is their fifth location in NoHu, and arguably the most stunning, with waterfront views and tons of light. But you shouldnât go to a restaurant for the views, you go for the food. Luckily, anyone who knows Alessioâs, knows they have fantastic grub. And this is especially exciting because the owners, pictured above, live in Weehawken.
In our humble opinion, way too many businesses that line the NJ coast are not unique, and as more and more chains dot the waterfront, it can start to feel like an airport food court. So hip hip hooray for Alessioâs! With high-quality breakfast, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and more â we are thrilled to have you here.
Your Mug Shot
As in, your shot at making a mugâŚ
This is at a new-ish studio in Union City, The Clay Stood, that does classes, workshops, and more. This make-a-mug event November 15th seems fun, and it seems thereâs still a few more spots. This goes way beyond those painting pottery places and itâs kind of cool to make and keep your own creation.
If You Got This FarâŚ
Congratulations!
OK: this issue does not have the skills of Hugo Holland, our unpaid copyeditor, as he was traveling for his college break. Apologies in advance for type-ohs!
Also, this issue was late due to many personal reasons. One was that I was at a conference when a man with a loaded gun stormed in.
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Tah for now nice nabes!
Susie
PS Subscribers get this newsletter first AND they can laugh at exclusive errors that are later corrected in the archive version.
They should rename Garden Park "Procrastination Park." First the township waited years to reopen it, then they delayed the renovations until it was too cold to enjoy sitting in the park. The work should have been done in early Spring, not started in September.