23 Fun Things to See, Do and Eat in Up-and-Coming Jersey City
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is actually in New Jersey? It’s true! It’s physically located in New Jersey waters, but was awarded to New York in a territorial dispute. We bring this up because the Statue of Liberty is perhaps the number one reason people travel to Jersey City, since Liberty State Park is a primary tour departure port. But Jersey City is so much more than a transit point to this national monument. It’s a diverse neighborhood with its own unique history, culture and identity.
Is Jersey City Worth Visiting?
Hailed as the unofficial Sixth Borough of New York City, both Hoboken and Jersey City have experienced exponential growth in recent years. They get lumped together based on proximity, but we’d argue they have completely different vibes. Whereas Hoboken is a long-established, wholly gentrified city with sky-high rents and an array of big-box retail, Jersey City is a growth story that is still very much being played out. It’s a more diverse community. There’s more space, green or otherwise, to walk, hang out and slow down, which is a virtue in stark contrast to the harried pace of Manhattan. Local businesses–instead of outpost imports or retail chains–still have an appreciable presence there, too. Jersey City feels like a space with greater emphasis on doing something new, organic, their own, rather than simply mirroring what’s on offer across the river.
Getting Your Bearings in Jersey City
Jersey City is the state’s second largest city behind Newark, so there’s a lot to explore. Its many neighborhoods fall into six wards. Greenfield is mostly residential, though it does offer a few notable green spaces. The West Side offers a concentration of Victorian and Edwardian homes, while Bergen-Lafayette, the first permanent settlement in the state of New Jersey, is steeped in history. But the spots we’re highlighting fall mostly within Journal Square, The Heights and Historic Downtown Jersey City.
Journal Square is sort of a jack-of-all-trades: a business district, a residential area, and a transportation hub for buses and PATH trains. The Heights includes the tranquil Jersey City Reservoir, the scenic Riverview-Fisk Park, and the lively Riverview Arts District. It’s also home to the Hudson Farmers Market, which shouldn’t be missed. Historic Downtown Jersey City, with its quiet, tree-lined streets, contains many of the city’s cultural attractions, from museums to parks.
Where to Get Coffee in Jersey City
With three outposts of this specialty coffee purveyor in Jersey City, you’ll never be far from a Lackawanna Coffee location. Find classic espresso beverages, creative concoctions, solid teas that are more than an afterthought, and an eclectic selection of pastries and baked goods. Dames Coffee Espresso Bar’s first location opened in Hoboken in the late aughts to fill a perceived void of Third Wave Coffee options in that early New Jersey hotspot. Three years later, the Jersey City outpost was opened. This diminutive, brick-lined café has modest, yet tranquil, outdoor seating in the back. It’s a great place to enjoy their classic Counter Culture espresso beverages and assortment of sweet breads and pastries.
Hybrid Coffee & Kitchen is a hometown success story. It began as a mobile coffee bar outside the Exchange Place PATH station. From there, it became a local favorite at its first brick-and-mortar location in the Heights. In mid-2021, it relocated to its current location downtown. You’ll find excellent espresso beverages, drip coffees, pour overs, and nitro cold brews. But made-to-order lunch and brunch items shouldn’t be missed, either. Highlights include a loaded avocado toast, brioche French toast, and acai and granola bowls, among other delights.
Things to See and Do in Jersey City
Liberty State Park
Using Liberty State Park as a launch point for visiting the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration is a simple and easy endeavor. The ticketing and departure areas are located by the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal right near the water, a worthy attraction in and of itself. Hornblower’s Statue City Cruises is the only authorized vendor for transportation to Liberty and Ellis Islands, so purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets include roundtrip ferry service, audio tours, and general admission to both islands’ grounds and museums. However, if you wish to go up to the pedestal or crown of the statue or take the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour, you’ll need to upgrade from general admission. The Hard Hat Tour includes Unframed – Ellis Island, an art exhibit by French artist JR, who has also graced NYC’s iconic Bowery Wall.
Liberty Science Center, which boasts the biggest Planetarium in the country, is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park. You’ll find twelve exhibit halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, aquariums, a 3D theater, hurricane-and tornado-force wind simulators, and state of the art K-12 classrooms and labs. It’s a family-friendly option, but make no mistake, it will occupy the imaginations of child and adult alike.
Dedicated to the memory of the 749 New Jersey innocents who died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA, Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial consists of twin walls transecting a gently sloped mound on a granite path in the direction of and focusing the eye toward Ground Zero across the Hudson. It’s as breathtaking as it is solemn.
Arts and Culture
Shepard Fairey’s Natural Springs mural
Mana Contemporary has cultural centers in a number of major cities like Chicago and Miami. But did you know their flagship space is located in a former 1920s tobacco warehouse in Jersey City, just a short 10-minute walk from Journal Square? In this colossal space, you can experience incredible exhibits, view projects taking place inside, and take part in a range of art-making techniques and first-hand presentations. Mana Contemporary is also a proud sponsor of Jersey City’s incredible street art scene. Thanks to the Jersey City Mural Arts Program (JCMAP), artwork by some of the best local and international street artists can be found throughout the city’s many neighborhoods.
Formerly known as the C.A.S.E. Museum of Russian Art in Exile, the Museum of Russian Art (MoRA), located in a renovated historic brownstone in Paulus Hook, was established in 1980. Its core collection came from human rights activist Alexander Glezer’s private holdings. For more than three decades MoRA has supported notable Russian artists’ first exhibits outside Russia, particularly Soviet Nonconformist Art. (Note: Unfortunately, the museum is temporarily closed–check the MoRA website for developments.)
Scenic Waterfront Views
View of Lower Manhattan from Jersey City’s Hudson River Waterfront
The Hudson River Waterfront is an 18.5-mile long, paved cycling & walking path offering unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline. The path actually starts in Bayonne and heads up through Jersey City, Hoboken, West New York, and North Bergen, finishing all the way up by the George Washington Bridge, just beyond Fort Lee. The Jersey City section includes the iconic Colgate Clock and J Owen Grundy Park, a riverfront pedestrian pier featuring gaming tables and a pavilion where they hold festivals and performances.
Where to Eat in Jersey City
But first, brunch
Breakfast spread at sam a.m.
When a place feels quintessentially local, it confers a sense of belonging even to outsiders. At sam a.m., you’ll immediately feel at home. On weekends, breakfast and brunch-hungry denizens descend en masse upon this popular café on a small neighborhood side street in the Paulus Hook neighborhood of Historic Downtown Jersey City. The hardworking staff are super friendly and the homestyle eats are always top-notch.
Fish and scallop platters at Hooked JC
A stone’s throw from Hamilton Park, Hamilton Inn is a casual tavern serving reliably tasty American fare in a comfortable brick and wood-lined dining room, with ample bar seating. But if you love seafood, Hooked JC is a delightful option. Whether you have a hankering for something fried, grilled or blackened, this BYOB seafood shack offers a delicious selection of Po’ Boy sandwiches, platters, and salads.
A mix of international cuisines
One of the many great things about Jersey City is the variety of cuisines you can find here. Harry’s Daughter is a Caribbean gastropub, where you can find ingredients like Scotch Bonnet peppers and jerk spices incorporated into many of their excellent dishes. Of note are their tasty and filling Trinidadian style curries.
Because of Jersey City’s large Indian population, there are many excellent purveyors of Indian cuisine to choose from. But, for our part, a classic is a classic for a reason. Rasoi has steadily churned out delicious North Indian and Indian-style Chinese for 25 years in the Journal Square area. For value and variety, don’t miss out on their lunch time buffet.
Pizza and Italian bakeries
Razza opened in the former Majestic Theater space back in 2012. Initial reviews were off the chart. In fact, one went so far as to name it the best pizza in…New York! A spectacularly provocative statement, to say the least. Regardless of where you land on that particular controversy, there’s no argument about one thing: the wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza here is incredible. Bread & Salt Bakery is another pizza favorite, though it specializes in Roman-style slices. But don’t sleep on their excellent pastries, bread, focaccia and sandwiches either.
Prato Bakery
Named for the hometown of the owner and baker, Prato Bakery’s goal was to bring an authentic Italian and, more specifically, Tuscan baking tradition to its community. There are simply too many delectable options to list here, but of particular note are their selection of cantucci, a biscuit native to Prato that is made in varieties like almond, chocolate, fig, apricot or prune. Why not try them all?
A touch of NYC, with a twist
Smorgasburg, the uber popular outdoor food market that originated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has a Jersey City Waterfront location, too. On Saturdays from 11 am to 6 pm, you’ll find an eclectic, rotating mix of New Jersey and New York-based vendors and a beer garden. There’s even the nearby Harborside Pedestrian Plaza where you can sit and enjoy your meal.
Desserts and sweet treats
Though the name itself and the marketing behind Bang Cookies is chock-full of playful innuendo, the cookies truly do leave an impression. They are big. They are fresh and gooey. And they are offered in Boozy, Classic, Deluxe, and Stuffed versions in a mind-boggling variety of flavors. At Milk Sugar Love Creamery & Bakeshop, artisanal organic ice creams and baked goods are made from scratch on the premises daily. Find unique flavors like Guava Cheesecake, or seasonal specialties like Summer Strawberry.
Chocolate Blackout and Stroopwafel ice cream at Torico
Torico is a product of both whimsy and necessity. Pura Berrios had a pregnancy craving for ice cream, but not just any ice cream. She longed for the ice cream in the flavors she remembered from her childhood in Puerto Rico. So her husband, Pedro, made hand-cranked ice cream in tropical flavors and sold them in their delicatessen. The ice cream was so popular there were lines out the door. 50 years later Torico is a standalone ice cream shop with lines still snaking around the corner, and that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about why it’s worth a visit.
How to get to Jersey City from NYC
PATH Train
Taking the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train is easiest. The PATH trains connect to New York City’s subway system, and you can stop at Newport, Exchange Place, Grove Street or Journal Square, depending on the area of Jersey City you’d like to explore. Note that weekday, weeknight and weekend availability varies. Use the RidePATH app to monitor schedules and plan your trip.
NJ Transit Bus
The NJ Transit 119 bus makes several stops in the Heights on its way to Journal Square. You can catch a bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown, but pay close attention to the gates as they change depending on when you’re traveling. Please note, MetroCards do not work on NJ Transit buses! Use the NJ Transit app to keep an eye on schedules and purchase one-way or round-trip tickets.
NY Waterway Ferry
Taking a ferry is the most scenic way to get across the Hudson River. The NY Waterway Ferry stops at Paulus Hook and Liberty Harbor. The travel time from Pier 11/Wall St to Paulus Hook is under 10 minutes, and the views are unbeatable. The NY Waterway app offers real-time schedules and contactless ticketing.
Driving
If you choose to drive to Jersey City, note that parking can be challenging. Parking garages and limited metered parking can be found in high-demand locations. But always make sure you pay attention to time limits, or spots reserved for permit holders.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Jersey City is a destination, not just a transit point to somewhere else. You’ll find history, culture, art, a red-hot dining scene, incredible scenic views, open spaces and plenty of fresh air. What’s not to love? And even better, as it continues to grow and develop–and it will–there’s always something new to discover.
