Teenage Biker Gangs
Plus Exxon espresso, new & improved karaoke, a bookmark contest — and more!
The big news since the last newsletter is that weehawkengazette.com is now live. Just makes things easier to have a URL that’s easy to remember, no? Yes. So tell all your friends. Now, onto all the exciting local things you can eat, do, see, hear, support, dance to, brag about, and build your resume with.
🍽️ ☕West New York Cafe Explosion!
No literal explosion, but there may as well be with all the new offerings popping up just north of Weehawken in West New York. In April 2024 we wrote about our favorite WNY French bakery, and since then, there’s been a steady drip of good coffee and classy food options that have landed on the scene or appeared on our radar. For those of you that don’t venture up Broadway and Park Ave, here’s your nudge that maybe you should.
Piccola Caffetteria — 5400 Hudson Ave., WNY
What they say: Sicily’s vibrant flavors to life! Enjoy Sicilian sandwiches, fresh pastas, & café delights made with the finest ingredients. Perfect for grab-and-go or catering, our menu is a tribute to Sicily’s rich culinary heritage!
It opened late last month, and we went in just last week. We were greeted by two of the owners, Maurizio and Nadia Nicita, who were, we’ve gotta say, so dang nice. They thrust free biscotti on us just for stopping by, and exuded happiness and good vibes. Cooking and creating something nice for the neighborhood is a passion for them. Good to know: The place is ultra small, and there’s a convenient municipal parking lot a few steps away, if you aren’t walking. Follow them here to see the delicious things they make and tell them we sent ya: instagram.com/piccolacaffetteria24/
Parker — 6504 Park Ave., WNY
This place has been here since 2019, but we had no idea it existed until we drove by it on our way to North Bergen. Super cute and has a garden. Lots of great reviews on Yelp too. We haven’t eaten here yet but looks excellent. Hours are day only except Friday, maybe? Anyway, follow them here to learn more: instagram.com/parker.wny/
Malpa Cafe — 158 61st St., WNY
What they say: Coffee, sandwiches, pastries, vinyl and more
Our take: Such a cute space right by our favorite French bakery and we would’ve missed it if it wasn’t for the flier we saw posted at Lidl. Super fancy coffee offerings, good sandwich selection, and once again, really friendly staff. Good to know:It’s a day place. Hours are Wed-Fri 7A-3P and 8A-3P on Sat. Follow them here: instagram.com/malpacafe/
Exxon — 165 60th St., WNY
The coffee here is famous. It’s cheap as heck, $1.50 for an espresso, $2.50 for a latte, and people love it. One review says, “Best Cuban espresso in the county.” We tried it, it is indeed good, and there was even a line for the coffee. There’s no place to sit, but if you’re walking by or filling up, it’s a treat.
Weehawken High School Celebrates Seniors Being Accepted To Ivy League Colleges
From a recent article on Patch: “Weehawken High School is celebrating graduating seniors being accepted to Ivy League colleges including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Chicago.”
Yes, the class of 2025 was especially impressive. The article also mentions one Hugo Holland, who you may know as a celebrated writer and uncelebrated copyeditor for the Weehawken Gazette. The article says, “Senior Hugo Holland, accepted to Harvard and the Sorbonne Université of Paris, has chosen to study abroad in Paris, another example of the global opportunities open to this year’s class.”
Note: The link to a better news source, Patch, was updated here after publish. Linked below:
Harvard University Accepts 2 Students From 1 Public High School In Hudson County
Editor’s note: Hugo attended Weehawken Schools starting in pre-K. He’s brilliant, funny, and had really excellent teachers, admins, and coaches who shepherded him from learning “cat” to calculus, from rec baseball and basketball to track and x-country. And if he’s embarrassed by this being written about him, well, he’ll be in France soon. You see, the editor is also his mom, and I’ve waited 18 years to brag about him properly. Ooops, looks like I also dropped a picture! Sorry not sorry!
‘Beefy Tire Gang’: Major Menace Or Majorly Cool?
Speaking of young people… a recent post on an Edgewater social media group showed a group of teens biking — the kind without motors — on River Road. Maybe you’ve seen them too? Sometimes they take over the street, rearing up on one wheel, and some do tricks that would make anyone worry for their safety. But that said, once you see their free-wheeling antics, they also are kind of inspiring to anyone who remembers being a kid, or thinks kids being off their phones and in the world is a good thing.
There was a big showing of these riders July 6, taking over the Triborough (RFK) Bridge. The video was captured by Jon Taylor, a dance and headshot photographer, and went viral on a NYC account he submitted it to. The comments on the video range from people celebrating their youthful energy, to people calling for them all to be run over/arrested/have their bikes thrown in the Hudson. Because of this, we’re not linking to it. But looking through the videos of the bridge takeover, some of these kids are just passionate enthusiasts, and some are sponsored to the gills. Anyway, neighbor Kacy Knight says that in Fort Lee they call them the “BTG… Beefy Tire Gang” and he joked, “They’re God’s way of punishing me for being a rotten kid.”
🐶💡Local Inventor Bow Wows Us
At a recent Yappy Hour event we met Weehawken neighbor George Cruz, part of the team behind a brand new machine that promises homemade dog food in about an hour. It’s called Total Pet Kitchen and you can now purchase it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kvEMGD
July 10th at 7P: Free ‘Bach to Bluegrass’ concert at Lincoln Harbor Park
Toomi String Quintet performs this Thursday as part of the summer concerts on the Hudson series and they will have a special guest mandolin player, giving us a quintet +1. Which is also just called a sextet. Oooh sexy!
Fun behind-their-name info: Formed in 2007 at The Juilliard School, the quintet is named after Rudyard Kipling’s short story “Toomai of the Elephants,” in which a young boy journeys into the jungle to witness the dance of the wild elephants.
🗣🎤July 11th at 8P: New Improved Karaoke at Weehawken Elks
Like cheap thrills? This karaoke night has no cover charge, and this time all ages can attend. But it’s 21+ to drink alcohol, natch. And whatever you drink, it’s cheap, but it’s a cash bar, so bring some of that green paper stuff. →💵← Here’s a link to locate the Elks on a map: 2 50th st., Weehawken, NJ We like what it says on the flier: “Meet your neighbors… in real life.”
🎨👩🏻🎨1st Ever Library Bookmark Contest
Weehawken Library says: Pick up a blank bookmark, create a unique and original design, and turn it in by Aug 15. Bookmarks will be displayed in the library and winning designs in each of 4 age groups will have their bookmark handed out as the Library’s bookmark. And yes, one of the age groups is adults so — get to it!
In Brief
🏛️🎓Fall 2025 college internships are available at The Syndicate, a long-running agency based in Weehawken. Their description: Our agency is hiring synterns in all departments— including Marketing, Product Management, Public Relations, Radio Promotion, and Design/Video. Are you a passionate, driven pop culture enthusiast? Are you a student that lives and breathes all things music, comedy, and entertainment? We want YOU to be a part of our rockstar team this semester! They say to apply by August 4th here, where you’ll find a Google form and more details.
🎭🎬🌟Dancers, actors and singers wanted: Hi, I'm Lalit Sritara, a Weehawken resident and recent NYU Tisch Musical Theatre Writing grad. I've been preparing short-form videos featuring original theatre-pop songs for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts. Looking for volunteers to dance, act or sing in playful shoots around town! Interested? Fill out the form and I’ll contact you if there’s a role or concept that fits you! https://forms.gle/GbFMpLtk7oiUnwXf7
Questions? DM Lalit on Insta or email ls5507@nyu.edu
🧁👶Local illustrator releases her first book, Bakery Babies: Ka Huen “GaGa” Kwong-Newman is a wife and mom in Hoboken, New Jersey who just had her first children’s book come out. She studied at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and then the School of Visual Arts in NYC. This picture book is recommended for ages 3-8, and here’s a link to it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TPkey1
🍴🎉 Enjoy a 3-course fundraiser dinner July 18 at the Weehawken Elks to benefit kids with special needs. $30. You can view the menu here on Facebook. Reservations need to be in by July 15. Write to contactweehawkenelks@gmail.com or call 201-598-8878.
🩸Donate blood and maybe win a car. Give blood at any Vitalant blood donation venue in July anywhere in the United States and you’ll be entered for a chance to win $30,000 to go towards a new car. Even if you don’t win, giving blood is important, especially in the summer. Go here for details: vitalant.org/cargiveaway
🚌 Did you know there’s a new and improved Port Authority coming? Planning started in 2013 and they broke ground May 29th of this year. Phase one will be done by 2029, if all goes to plan. Speaking of plans, they are fancy, and you can see them all here: www.portauthoritybuilds.com MBT page
That’s A Wrap, People
This newsletter is free to read and subscribe to, but we’re all for freebies and/or money too, which we will always disclose. This edition includes affiliate links to Amazon and we might earn a few cents from it… like enough for an espresso at the Exxon in West New York. This edition of the Weehawken Gazette was sponsored by Big Noyes.
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Weehawken Gazette
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Tah for now nice nabes!
Susie
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