Hoboken

After a recent Sunday adventure to Jersey City to (awkwardly) eat at the White Mana Diner, I took the PATH train to Hoboken. I was feeling bummed that I had let my anxieties rule at the diner and I was kicking myself for not getting many photos. I felt like giving myself a second chance at exploring, and I'd been wanting to check out Hoboken for years.

Despite being so close, I don't find myself in New Jersey very often but I've never had anything but enjoyable days west of the Hudson. Hoboken is famous as the birthplace of Frank Sinatra, and there are parks and streets named for him. It also has incredible views of the Manhattan skyline, and it always amuses me that the best way to really see New York is to leave it.

In September of last year a commuter train crashed in the Hoboken Terminal, killing one woman and injuring 100 people. The terminal was opened in 1907 and is the only remaining active terminal out of five operated by competing railroad companies that once lined the Hudson Waterfront. Before there were tunnels under the Hudson River, passengers had to transfer to a ferry if they wanted to continue onto Manhattan. When I went inside of the terminal on a Sunday afternoon it felt more like a homeless shelter than a grand travel space, but it's a really beautiful building.

The quiet streets, brownstones and shops made me feel as if I was in New Jersey's version of Brooklyn Heights, and Hoboken has a more historic vibe than Jersey City (which I'm assuming translates to more expensive). I'd like to go back and spend more time poking around—and I'd love to see Sybil's Cave — but even in the few short hours that I spent there, Hoboken managed to charm me.