Starting off this issue with this beautiful photo from our area of a Common Tern (Hobokenās official bird) taken by Palmer Oliver. I saw some of his photos, and assumed he was a pro photographer. Nope. The real story is very cool, and is below in his own words:
āYep definitely not a pro photographer lol! I took the photos with a rebel t7 I picked up from a pawn shop about two weeks ago. Iām an Engineer aboard a tugboat. I live in Virginia Beach but my vessel primarily operates in the New York harbor and Long Island sound areas. My entire family are animal and wildlife lovers including myself. I enjoy seeing the various wildlife we encounter around the different areas we travel to aboard the Tugā¦ sea and shore birds especially. I can usually identify 10-15 different species on any given day in the area.ā
Love that so much. Thanks Palmer!
Related: Our coverage of the Common Tern in What The Actual Flock?
Mayor Turner Answers Some Questions About The Pool And Other Park Developments
Iāve been pestering the township of Weehawken this summer with a variety of questions via the ācontact usā form on the townās website. I received some answers, and some they said theyād look into.
Then last week I got an impromptu call from the mayor, saying he heard I had questions. What is below is not a formal interview, but a summary of the information I gathered regarding some of my questions.
Maybe you heard but, there will be no pool bubble this year in Weehawken. Yes itās sad, and yes there is a heater issue (apparently they learned some lessons operating on very cold days last year), but thatās not why. Mayor Turner said there is work to be done on the shoreline, to shore it up. He said the money came in from Trenton, mentioned $2.5 million, and said that to delay it would not be wise as it could then be at risk of collapse. The space needed for the construction equipment and the bubble just werenāt compatible. He says the bubble will be back next year. Update after publish: To be clear, the bridge to extend the Hudson River walkway is not happening now. Yes, itās in the original plan, but getting the money and the clearance for it, has not happened yet. Someday? We hope.
There is also no longer use of the Stevens pool for Weehawken residents. We heard a tip about this in August, and confirmed it with the mayor. Apparently, Stevens requested about $100k of repairs to our facilities that they use, and we did not meet those demands. As for if we will ever get to reach an agreement with them? Right now he said itās in limbo and under discussion.
š¾ Bit of good news: work will begin on the next phase of the waterfront park, to prepare for the new basketball court. Also, our very popular tennis courts will be repaired. By when? The mayor said, by spring.
š„¤ I asked the mayor if there will ever be concessions sold at the pool. I noted that I was on the pool committee back in the planning stages, and said I know that it was built with that in mind. The mayor said there are 40-41 thousand visits to pool each summer. He said that they found that not having concessions is a way to move people through and encourages natural turnover. He did note that people can, and do, bring in or order food to the pool, but that not having food sold there, was useful.
New Weehawken Health Clinic Holds Ribbon Cutting And Walk Through
I love when they break out the giant scissorsā¦ and on Friday September 18th I attended the ribbon cutting for the new clinic which opened last month inside Tower Plaza. It is one of 10 in Hudson County, it receives a portion of their funds from the federal government, and is run by North Hudson Community Action. It is for patients with or without insurance, and according to Gio Ahmad, our Township manager and NHCA chairman, it will be adding urgent care services soon, probably in November.
Thereās much more to it, but luckily Dan Israel wrote a comprehensive piece about it on Hudson County View here. Willy Gonza of Hudpost was also there and published a video on Instagram. So check those out.
Fun fact: You donāt realize how loud the music is in the Tower Plaza mall is until someone sets up a dais and tries to talk to a crowd in there.
I Spread Lies About Hoboken For Years
ā¦unintentionally. Maybe you have too!
ā Fact: The Maxwell House Coffee plant was in Hoboken from 1939 until 1992. When it was built it was the largest coffee processing plant in the world, according to FBW.
š Fact: Many people who grew up in Hoboken remember the smell of coffee in the air, as someone said on Facebook, āā¦grew up in Nutley. You could smell the beans all the way up Rte 3.ā
š Fact: Today, when you come over the Willow Avenue bridge into Hoboken, you may have noticed that some days, it really smells like delicious coffee.
š Fact: When I mentioned this to someone many years ago they said, āThatās from the old Maxwell House plant. The coffee leeched into the ground.ā And someone else agreed with that cause and added, āYouāll notice you smell it more on rainy or foggy days.ā
š£ļø Fact: I then repeated this to anyone who mentioned the smell. Hobokenās ghost coffee was a tale I believed 100%.
š» š Fact: A few years ago I learned there was a coffee roaster in Hoboken, it wasnāt the ghost of Maxwell House. And also, itās just a fact we smell more when itās humid, and itās not the Maxwell House coffee in the soil reigniting. To atone for my stupidity, and because itās cool, I set out to get the real story from the source of the smell, and itās below.
This Family Loves The Daily Grind
Bernadette Gerrity is VP at Pan American Coffee Co. in Hoboken, NJ and sheās been working for there for almost 9 years. Sheās a self-described 3rd generation coffee roaster who says that that they currently roast āmillions of pounds per year.ā I asked her to spill the beans, including what she thought of the āghost coffeeā myth. Read on for the full 411, including a scoop on a new cafe they have coming to NYC.
Q: What is your companyās origin story?
The company has been in business for 65 years. It was founded in 1961 by our grandparents, Roy and Ines.
Upon emigrating from Cuba, they initially moved to Spanish Harlem where they were inspired by the bustling energy, growing Latino community, and noticed the lack of diversity on shelves for the styles of coffee they loved most. A few years later, they moved to Hoboken, New Jersey and thatās where the real magic happened!
They began their business by roasting in their kitchen and an eventual garage, selling to their friends, neighbors, and local restaurants in both NJ and NYC.
Formally, Pan American Coffee became our umbrella company name under which both private label and brands were housed. However, Cafe Aroma became the name of our legacy brand and sells the same recipes that weāve blended since our start in 1961.
Weāve operated out of several locations in Hoboken but found our ultimate home at 500 16th Street and 1614 Willow Avenue.
What brand(s) do you produce?
We roast for many brands and major retailers throughout the United States as private label and co-packing are a large part of our business model. However, we also are home to several of our own brands, including our legacy brand, Cafe Aroma.
Were you aware of the Maxwell House ghost coffee smell urban myth before I alerted you?
I was not! Itās certainly a creative and fun tale. While speculative, it does well to showcase Hobokenās rich history of coffee roasters. We respect Maxwell Houseās heritage so much; still, itās nice to be the only show in this small town!
Coffee seems to be having a moment now. Have you noticed increased demand?
In many ways, yes! While coffee has long been a popular beverage, we find that consumers today are much more engaged in the commodity be it through sourcing, manufacturing, or branding. In general, consumers are more interested in where their product comes from and who is behind the brand. I hope it brings our customers joy to know that their coffee if freshly roasted in Hoboken, New Jersey by a dedicated family whose been servicing them for decades ā even without their knowing.
Thereās a bajillion coffee shops in Hoboken... have you ever been tempted to open a cafe?
In fact, we have! We opened our first cafe this year in Florida, and will be opening a second this fall in NYC on Avenue A!
You heard it here first! Many thanks to Bernadette for answering our questions. Follow Cafe Aroma on Instagram and check out their website at panamericancoffee.com.
Keeping It Real Is Real Hard Yāall
Last week we wrote about the AI mansion in Weehawken that made Zillow go wild. Everything you see here is by humans. Real photos, real fact checking, real interviews, and real writers. When we have freelancers they are paid, even after they offer to write for free.
Why is this important?
Thereās A Metric Ton AI Doesnāt Know About Our Area
I can prove it. Hereās a fun example. When you ask about where to find poke bowl in Weehawken, here are the AI answers:
ā”ļø Claude, Google, and Chat GPT all agree on where you should go for Poke Bowl: Fresca Bowl & Poke Mahi.
Isnāt that great? Thing is, the place they recommend closed more than a year ago. Or maybe two years ago, which is when they last posted on social media.
After I publish this, AI will probably slurp up the answer from here. š¤
But right now AI says this Weehawken business (that doesnāt exist!) is awesome. This is just one example of the many many things search and AI gets wrong.
Support Real. Support Local.
We have thousands of readers, with many now coming in the door via search. About 6% of our subscribers have added something to the hat to keep us afloat. We (still) have no paywall. If you find this useful (AI scrapes a lot of our answers, so youāve probably benefitted without knowing it), please help by subscribing or upgrading now.
š Oct 11: GPās Third Annual Festa Italiana And Weehawken Gazette Will Be There
We love GPās in Guttenberg for delish old school Italian with live piano, checked tablecloths, and good neighborhood vibes. So when they asked if weād be a media parter for their upcoming event, we said heck yeah! We should have fun giveaways and maybe a performer in tow. See details below:
š®š¹ Join us on Sunday, October 11th for our 3rd annual GPās Festa Italiana! Weāre bringing the neighborhood together for an afternoon of Italian food, drinks, music, local businesses, activities and plenty of reasons to hang around Bellevue Ave all day.
Sunday, October 11th
12p-5p
Bellevue Ave. bet 69th & 70th in Guttenberg
FREE
And Now A Word From Our Sponsors
Weehawken Gazette offers an ad to paying subscribers (see details at end). And wow ā our patrons are so darn talented. Support us by supporting them!
Lonely short story collection seeks lonely reader for making dog-eared pages and Goodreads stars together. Must love New Jersey. Preorder now! Also: Weehawken Gazette will be hosting an author Q&A with Alyson November 28 at the Williams Center, so stay tuned for that!
Helmed by Weehawken resident Donna Hochauser, Two for the Road is a duo well-loved by the NoHu crowd. Enjoy a happier hour with their music at The Office Friday 9/25 and 10/23.
THE ASK is an exciting new off-Broadway play by Matthew Freeman starring Marilu Henner (Taxi, Evening Shade) and Shannon Purser (Stranger Things, Riverdale). Hereās the direct link to get tickets now.
Fall Down The Fall Rabbit Hole
Fall is my favorite season. I have been known to dress up and run the HoBOOken 5k, which is my favorite 5k in the world. Good cause, good excuse to run around in a costume. We have a team, so if you want to join it, be in touch. Speaking of running in costumeā¦
In the image above, one of those leaves, is me. I danced with āFall Foliage Fooleriesā for one brief season, when another leaf was injured, and I auditioned begged my way into the troupe.
At the time, I was student at Bennington College in Vermont, and I didnāt know Weehawken existed. The leader of the group was dance professor Barbara Roan, then and now a Vermonter, and we wrote about her leaf retirement here in Nov. 2024.
Strange But True: The Designer Of These Costumes Lives In Weehawken
A few years ago, I learned that the costume designer of these amazing creations is long-time Weehawken resident Therese Bruck, who is the current costume director at NYU. She left Vermont just before I arrived, so although I wore her costumes, I didnāt know her until I blew into Weehawken decades later. How strange it that?
Unrealized life goal: Since the last leaf costume was composted a few years ago, I aim to remake these costumes and bring Barbaraās leaves back to life. A gal can dream. If you are rich and into supporting the arts, well, be in touch to help us rake in the $!
In Brief: Intern Film Fest Op, Dog Duds And More
š° Hoboken Patch recently wrote about the beautiful new 2026 Weehawken Business Directory, the first in 20 years. Article here: With Festival Planned, One Hudson County Town Has Revived An Old Tradition
š¦ Meadowlands Birding Festival is Oct 4th. See details here: bergencountyaudubon.org
ā ļø Speaking of the Meadowlands, the data center that spilled 5,000 gallons of diesel into the Meadowlands is planning another next door to it. Story here on Gothamnist.
š„ Iron Mule Short Comedy Film Fest internship in NYC. Can be remote or remote + onsite. Internship details here. To learn about / attend the fest, itās cheap, monthly, awesome. All details here: ironmulefest.com
š Are you a dog owner? A good friendās startup business is looking for your opinion on dog clothes. Itās fun and thereās no need for you to share personal info. Survey here.
Sayonara Sassy Pants Gotta Run
Hugo is off on a new adventure and so we didnāt want to bother him, but never fear we had the help of one copy jockey who is very kind, except when he reads our crappy first draft before tea.
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Susie
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Are you still here? OK then, ICYMI, we shared this on our Instagram and the love for Sal and family is SO REAL. Lindaās: IYKYK.
So many goodies in this issue! I can't believe I didn't know you went to Bennington. Such an iconic place. I'm obsessed with those leaves. If you ever do recreate them, I volunteer to don one! Thanks for the classified spot. Thrilled to see Marvelous Freaks of Nature! here too :)
As always, a great read full of useful info.