Put your stereotypes aside and hop on a ferry to downtown
Hoboken, New Jersey. As the boat makes its way across the Hudson River, admire the Manhattan skyline and don't miss the historic and recently restored Lackawanna Terminal, visible just as you approach the Jersey shoreline. As you emerge onto the streets of Hoboken, you'll realize things here are people-sized and you'll feel refreshed at the change from New York's high-rises.
Grab a tasty pumpkin spice coffee or hot cocoa at the locally-run Landmark Coffee on River Street between Newark and First Streets, then walk one block back to the riverfront walkway. Stroll through peaceful parks and tree-lined paths along the Hudson River with the Manhattan skyline glowing in the crisp air. You'll recognize the Intrepid, the Empire State Building, the Woolworth Building, and debate the identity of less-famous structures.
When you've reached the uptown ferry dock, cut down Fourteenth Street for a old-fashioned meal at
Dino and Harry's which, until a recent family feud, was known as Frankie and Johnny's. The interior looks much as it did when Elia Kazan shot the classic film On the Waterfront here in 1954. Housed in an old brownstone, the charming steak house retains a red, black and white tile floor, wood paneling and built-in bookshelves, and long, wood and stained glass bar.
Once you're properly fed, ogle at luxury brownstones on Hudson Street then cut back down to Washington Street via Eleventh Street for a drink at another Hoboken staple,
Maxwell's, where legendary indie acts Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth still rock, and hang, out.
