This Hoboken-based home, gift and lifestyle shop packs a lot of carefully curated products into their cozy footprint on 1st St. Owners Michael and John selected their retail partners with a focus on quality over quantity, sustainability, fair trade practices and diversity - focusing on women, LGBTQ and black-owned companies.

The deeply intertwined relationship between our mental and physical health is more apparent than ever. It is hard to keep your spirits up when, say, your neck in in spasm from typing from home all day in a non-ergonomically correct setup. Thankfully, Meghan and her team can help with this and with many more issues and ailments that affect parts of the body.

Have you checked out SMUSH Gallery in the Heights? It is a super cool art gallery and community event space run by multidisciplinary artist Katelyn Heller. And can we say hats off to her and all Jersey City artists and institutions who found creative ways to come out of the other side of the pandemic intact.

Just days ago, the Drip Coffee Culture truck rolled up to West Hamilton Park to the delight of so many locals in Hamilton Park.Where have you been? was the most common question posed to owner Eric Maury. The answer to that is a great one…

The automat holds a special place in our culinary history. Originally conceived of in Berlin in the 19th Century as a self-service restaurant, the concept really took off in America - Philly and NYC to be exact - after the Great Depression.

If you have been down to Harborside recently you have surely noticed the extensive renovations underway, such as the Pedestrian Plaza being installed at 210 Harborside. Another big change is the arrival of the Smorgasburg Food Market. It will take place at 195 Hudson St. each Saturday from late May to October, from 11am to 6pm.

Rounding out the full spectrum of gift options are a good range of greeting cards and very fancy popcorns, fine teas, and snacks. Whether you are treating yourself or someone as equally special, Washington General Store has got you. Such a sweet store - run by nicest people, to boot.

Upon opening in 2018, their custom cakes, cookies, cake pops and desserts in a jar made Sugarsuckle the go-to bakery among event planners looking for exquisitely tasteful desserts that provide visual wow along with tasting great. That distinction really set them apart as there are many high-concept desserts that look dazzling but taste average at best.

Hoboken’s Prime Cycle is yet another local business that has really hustled to keep it moving during the pandemic. Thanks to Prime Cycle for keeping class in action and for all the hard work and community acts of kindness over the past year.

Independent bookstores are not a thing of the past in Hudson County, for which we are eternally grateful. Jersey City has WORD, Bayonne has The Little Boho Bookshop, and Hoboken has Little City Books.

Two jewelry collections are featured in the Hoboken shop. One is a lovely range from the Calliope Sisters – two local Hoboken girls who produced the range with the help of their mom. The other brand is Swahili Coast, a beautiful collection of beaded bracelets and necklaces made from Swahilian women.

Jersey City mourned when we lost Eileen Markenstein this past August. Widely respected for her tireless work as the President of the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery, she was beloved and admired by many for her strength, resolve, intelligence, kindness, and wit.

Yoga. Meditation. Mindfulness. These well-worn ways to wellness have certainly been more useful than ever in the past 12 months. But, like us, have you had a recent moment where what you really wanted to do was hurl an axe into the air? Well, you can. Welcome to the world of Jersey City’s Tomahawks.

The OTT motivational speeches from Cycling class instructors are now common comedic fodder – look to the SNL satires of SoulCycle as hilarious proof. But satire is based in truth, right? We all need that extra dose of motivation these days, and the instructors at Cycle Bar’s Jersey City outpost deliver.

The Barre method is a low-impact, high-intensity workout designed to tone and lift our muscles while improving flexibility and strength. So how does it work? Pure Barre’s technique involves small, controlled movements that isolate and target specific muscle groups.