PLANET CHOCKO – art/music/movies/beyond

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In trying to stay with our theme of keeping the jams in Jersey more & more instead of venturing out to NYC, the Planet Chocko goonies – Chocko & Mr. C headed into Jersey City for the Jersey City Record Riot at the Grove Street Path Station. Say What? Outdoors – Free – 35 plus tables of Vinyl LPs,CDs, & memorabilia – Live DJs all day – no brainer – we are there! Let me preface Jersey City by saying that JC is a destination that we often overlooked in the past for fun & entertainment. I came to know JC as a gritty city before venturing into the Holland Tunnel enroute to Lower Manhattan & Chinatown during my childhood in the 80s & 90s. My family worked & drove into Chinatown daily/weekends for 25 years via the Holland Tunnel & let me tell you my sister taught me all the sneaky ways of driving into Jersey City to cut through the local streets to avoid traffic before filtering back out into the queue for the Holland Tunnel. This consisted of driving through the downtown Journal square area to the Grove Street – Newport mall area. I remember driving through JC and thinking boy – bombed out,rough,tough,zombies – what a grimey city! – and many parts of the city still is. Fast forward to the current times and double boy, Jersey City has come a long way. From the restaurants,music,shops,art,lounges,beer gardens,financial companies – to the clean streets. Not saying JC has solved their poverty and crime issues but yes, notable changes for the better in parts of the City. So don’t underestimate Jersey City!

(Two Boots Pizza Jersey City – corn meal crusted pizza w/ cajun style toppings)

Chocko and I had a great time rediscovering the Grove Street Path station area as well as the Newport mall surrounding area by BJ’s Wholesale and Shoprite. Before doing the fingertip walk on the vinyl, we fueled up at Two Boots pizza (an offbeat NYC chain that serves tasty corn meal crusted pizzas with quirky Cajun toppings) on Newark Avenue before the Record Riot shopping! After the Wax attack digging through the crates, we walked around the surrounding area near the Grove Street path station as well as the nearby Newport Mall to discover a revival and appreciation of street art/graffiti/murals in the community! Last but not least, we stepped into a really neat bookstore called – WORD . A nice selection of books for ranging tastes including comic books! WORD felt like a bookstore that was designed for the community in mind rather than structured from a generic cookie cutter standpoint. They even had a cute little cafe nestled in the back! Did I just say cute – what? Chocko has been to the WORD bookstore in Greenpoint,Brooklyn and was pleasantly surprised to see one pop-up in Jersey City, NJ! Support these businesses, y’all! Enjoy our photos from the day!

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Two Boots Pizza
133 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Word
123 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Bon Chon Chicken
172 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Iris Records
114 Brunswick St, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Barcade
163 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302
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(Newark ave)

(Romano’s Disco Fries food truck “It’s a Jersey Thing” on the out at the stoplight by Grove Street! Have to find out where they dole out the Disco Fries)

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(Murals near the Grove Street Path Station off of Christopher Colombus Drive)

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(Wicked 3D Astronaut! side street by Barcade)

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At a former Pep Boys Auto Center off Marin Blvd sandwiched in between Newport Centre Mall and BJ’s Wholesale Warehouse/Shoprite was a mix of beautiful aerosol art that wrapped the entire building created by local artists in the NJ/NYC area. By chance I had spoken to Mr. Mustart – one of the many artists that collaborated on the colorful pieces adorned on the former Pep Boys building. Mustart was very humble and friendly. He told me the artwork has been at this location for a few months now. Pep Boys moved to another Jersey hood – Paterson. Local arts organization – Green Villain is responsible for strategizing the beautification of street art in Jersey City! Mark your calendars folks – on June 27th – Demolition Exhibition, there will be a party at this Pep Boys location to celebrate the local street arts before destruction of the building in order to build those skyscrapers?! Print releases,food,beer,softgoods, & Green Village DJ sets will be onhand! See Green Villain for more details!

(former Pep Boys Auto Center off Marin Blvd by BJ’s Warehouse)