here comes the sun, little darlin'

Cheers to a sunny weekend!

Pictured is a vintage street sign - white with black lettering, instead of the current green variation. Sort of wish they brought this old school style back into play...

it's all in the details...

The staircases at 1000 Jefferson are well on their way. They make me jealous. HH wishes he still had a stoop to hang out on! Below, some cool machines:


This one looks like a giant insect to me:


The sidewalks have been installed, and they've done a great job:



They're finishing up the masonry work along the roof line, and it's really beautiful. Can't wait to see the finished building. Hard to believe it's really a rental...

rain, rain, go away

1201 adams, what happened??

Some unbalanced person with an electric pruner took a trip to crazy town with the trees boardering 1201 Adams, the recipient of our recent landscaping Awards for August 2007. What a shame. Why would someone prune the trees to such a small state?? HH is very dismayed.

900 monroes and 1 lonely sneaker

Work was finished so fast at the 900 Monroe demo site, people were even forgetting their footwear as they were leaving. Sad, lonely sneaker:


It seems as though this site has now turned into a temporary parking lot and staging area, for the ongoing work at 800 Madison, which is across the street:




Wonder how long they will use this land as a parking lot, and when they will begin construction on the planned 12 story luxury condo? Bets, anyone?

my tire swing is on fire mommy!

Considering all the hub bub recently about synthetic playground materials, I thought you might be interested in checking out this recent video from cnn.com about a playground that spontaneously burst into flames in Arlington and no one knows exactly why. Check it out:

CNN Video: Spontaneous Combustion Playground

Hey, at least it's a bunch of wood chips that are on fire. Imagine if it was synthetic astro-turf material like in Church Square Park? Toxic melting goo is so much fun to play on!

halibej is sealin' the deal

The Monroe Center of the Arts. I've called and left messages about possible retail opportunities. Other HH readers have called about possible retail opportunities. And there's been no response. None. At all. So I'm hoping with these new signs that have gone up on every available store front window, that Mr. Halibej is finally serious about filling those available retail spots - pronto!


Come on all you retail powerhouses out there - Pret a Manger, Rosa Mexicana, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, J Crew, Smith & Hawken, Scoop, The Container Store - get on the phone and give 'em a call. We'd love to be your neighbor!

down the shore

HH & Co. are escaping the gloomy weather, the even more gloomy (if not down right terrifying) recent news, and are heading down the shore for a little r/r and a very, very, very large glass of wine. Till Monday...

P.S. Thanks Carly, for the bright spot of sunshine on an otherwise rainy day!

metrostop is all grown up

Ahhhhh, she's well on her way. All that's left is the roof topping, and Metrostop is all set to begin the next phase of development. The part that gives it character. We are very excited by the recent progress. The anticipation must be torture for all you Metrostoppers out there.


They've recently installed an external elevator to help get materials up and down at a quicker pace. You know if I were Starbucks, I would open a pop-up store on the sidewalk that serves morning coffee to all the construction workers, as well as us hard working commuters. That way you would get a hands on look at the expected traffic patterns of coffee drinkers, and you'd also make us very happy (and full of energy) !


And the window framing has begun! Pipes are also being installed, and cinder blocking continues:

on the straight and narrow

I'm sure by now every one has heard about about the dangers of parking on 9th Street between Monroe and Madison. Passing trucks dropping off food at Shoprite, plus people driving too fast around corners on this narrow street, has produced a myriad of side swiping damages, such as the recent photo here:


It's really so sad. Something tells me though, that it's only going to get worse. I would advise not to park there. Ever. Or if you do want to park there, make sure your driving a tank, or a crossover made of granite. Below, you can see a recent trio of cement trucks doing the twist. Sure is crowded on that there street, ain't it? :

morning! how long was your commute today?

Just another happy day in Hoboken! I wore scuba gear and took the river to work, while my partner used his canoe to get to the PATH train this morning, which was mega delayed...

900 monroe is threadbare

Safe to assume that in another week the demo site of 900 Monroe will be completely cleared. Part of me wishes that this site becomes a public park with lots of trees and grass, and maybe a koi pond or something, and then another part of me is happy that it's going to become a 12 story luxury condo high rise with a chic new restaurant, which is what is planned for the site (no visuals released yet). Then there's this whole other part of me that wishes it was transformed into a giant factory that makes chocolate. Or the worlds tallest roller coaster. Or a giant trampoline. I don't know - I'm indecisive today. Maybe it's the weather?

What would you wish it to be, given absolutely no real life constraints or political issues whatsoever?

peaking through the windows of 800 madison

The above shot was taken through a first floor window at 800 Madison, looking west towards Metrostop. 800 Madison has gone through some major changes. There's a good amount of workers putting the place together, but it seems the workforce has less people on the job than say a project like Metrostop. But still, there's been a ton of action lately - the first floor walls are going up quickly. Here is a large scale perspective shot, looking south:


And here are a few shots of the outside walls, which will eventually be home to the mega first floor parking garage. I'm sort of bummed that the windows are so small though. Gives off a Hobokenites in Prison kind of vibe, instead of a warm residential tone. We'll see how it goes. It's too early to judge, right? :



The dual window shot. Someone should paint a big smile on this section:


On the south end, they have begun laying down the concrete flooring:



Are we at the MoMA?!


Now I just know you've all walked past this on the corner of 8th and Madison and thought to yourself. "Hmmmm, that kinda sorta looks like Mickey Mouse, right?" Come on, you know I'm right:


Here's an interesting contraption. To me it looks like an antique oxygen tank that one of our neighborhood elderly citizens left there by accident, but I'm sure at the construction site it serves some major purpose. Anyone have a clue?


Here's a palate full of materials:


800 Madison, the prison documentary:



To keep costs down, 800 Madison has hired a new freelance security team, instead of the usual police officer situation:



And lastly, the real stars of this project are pictured below. First up are Danny Deere Digger, and his son Tiny:


Next up is Barry Bomag. He's an import:


Then of course there's Jazzy Johnny, the 'Honda Fit' of the construction equipment world. A surprising amount of cabin space, and it sips gas. I hear there's a convertible in the works for next year:


And finally, we have the bully of the group. Burly Biff. Side profile, and the rear end money shot. Watch out he'll steal your lunch money:



Think McFly. Think!