Drayage Brokersin Hoboken, NJ

Meet Lauren LoDolce + Matthew Pontone — a Jersey City couple that got engaged in Montauk, New York. The two met on a dating app during the height of COVID-19, had their engagement shoot in Sicily, and have been living in Jersey City for about two years now. The Hoboken Girl had the chance to catch up with this couple who is in the process of wedding planning. Read on for more about Lauren and Matt’s love story and some details about their upcoming New Jersey wedding.

Lauren LoDolce: I work in fashion. My company manufactures sleepwear/intimates for several different brands + I am on the sales side.

Matthew Pontone: I work in financial services, focusing on growth marketing.

Read More: This Hoboken Couple is the 5th Generation in Their Family to Marry at St. Francis

LL + MP: We have been living in Jersey City for the past two years and absolutely love it here. We love the variety of restaurants that JC has to offer + appreciate how close we are to New York City. As big foodies, it’s great to have so many options in the nearby vicinity.

LL + MP: We met on Bumble at the height of COVID in 2020. Our first date was at Hillstone on one of the coldest days in January before indoor dining was open in NYC. We were absolutely freezing and miserable, but I guess you can say it all worked out.

LL + MP: Almost 3 years.

LL + MP: Definitely. We started chatting on Bumble right before Christmas and bonded immediately over whose mother would be making more cookies that year. The competition still holds strong to this day.

LL: I love how patient, hard-working, + kind he is. He makes every day so fun and is extremely family oriented, which has always been very important to me. And most importantly, I love that he never judges my obsession with reality TV and is always down to watch the drama with me.

MP: I love her outgoing personality to spark a convo with anybody, her thoughtfulness for others with always keeping close attention to the details, + and her amazing sense of humor. She’s extremely family-oriented and is a great sous-chef in the kitchen always being my number one fan for any dish I feel like cooking up.

LL + MP: We can’t say there is one specific moment that comes to mind. From the beginning, our interests and personalities lined up so perfectly. Everything felt very natural and easy.

LL: The proposal happened while we were vacationing in Montauk for the weekend with our two friends, one of our favorite trips that we do every year. We went for an early morning beach walk and Matt proposed while we were on our walk. It was so perfect and exactly how I envisioned it. I never wanted a big elaborate proposal with a bunch of people around. When we got back to our hotel, our friends had decked out the entire room with decorations/champagne, etc. Then, throughout the day Matt had organized for some of my best friends to show up + surprise me. It was so amazing and totally unexpected!

LL + MP: We have been engaged for about a year now and have really enjoyed planning every aspect of the day together. Luckily, we have very similar tastes/styles, so planning has been fun and relatively easy.

LL + MP: We are getting married at The Venetian in Garfield, NJ.

LL + MP: We have really enjoyed every step of the planning process — from choosing invitations, putting together the guest list, and all the other little details to make our day special. One of our favorite tasks has been curating the playlist for our band. We both love live music and it has been really fun to put together the music vibe that we hope to achieve for the day of.

LL + MP: We expect about 200 people at the wedding.

LL + MP: Most of our vendors are located in NJ/NY:

LL + MP: Starting a family! We hope to give our Boston Terrier, Pearl, a brother or sister in the near future.

Photo credit: Antonio Lamalfa (@antoniolamalfa_fotografo)

See More: The Best Proposal Spots in North Jersey

LL + MP: Our top favorites in Jersey City include Corto, Razza, Lobster Garage, Battello, + DomoDomo.

HOBOKEN, N.J. (August 21, 2023) – Stevens Institute of Technology Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Russell Rogers announced Monday, the promotion of Keith Kinsella to the newly created position of Assistant Director of Athletics for Equipment and Event Services. Rogers also announced the elevation of Hunter Remley, who had been serving as an athletics event coordinator, to Events and Facility Manager.

"I am so pleased that we can provide this advancement opportunity for both Keith and Hunter," Rogers said. "Keith has been a vital member of our department for many years and is very well-prepared for his new leadership role. His experience as events manager combined with a strong willingness to learn and grow as a professional in intercollegiate athletics will serve Keith very well as an assistant athletic director."

"Hunter has been a tremendous addition to our department over the past year and has gone above and beyond in his service to Stevens Athletics," Rogers continued. "He is the perfect person to step into the facility and events manager position."

Kinsella arrived on Castle Point in March of 2016, first serving as a member of the facilities staff before being named the department's first events manager four months later. In his role as events manager, Kinsella oversaw event operations for all of Stevens' home athletic events, including setup and break down, in-game operations, and serving as a singular point of contact for visiting teams, while also overseeing the student events staff.

In addition to his seven years leading the events team, Kinsella spent time on the coaching staff of the golf program as a volunteer assistant.

Prior to his work in collegiate athletics, Kinsella spent the early portion of his career in the institutional and retail banking industry at several financial institutions, including Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and Mellon Bank. He was also a board member for the Glen Rock Youth Basketball program and served as commissioner and coach for the town's basketball and softball teams. Kinsella also ran the Boston Marathon in 1995 as a "bandit," something no longer allowed by the Boston Athletic Association.

A graduate of Western New England University with a bachelor's in business administration, management and operations, Kinsella was a member of Golden Bears' basketball and lacrosse programs. Most recently Kinsella received his Master's in Sports Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2014.

Remley, meanwhile, joined the athletic department one year ago, joining the staff of the men's basketball program, while also serving in a dual role with the event and campus recreation staffs. As an athletic event coordinator, the Cranford, New Jersey native assisted with event oversight for home athletic events. Prior to landing on Castle Point, Remley served as an assistant basketball coach at Pratt Institute, where he also served in a variety of other roles in the athletic department, including head tennis coach.

A graduate of Utica College, where he earned both his bachelor's degree in sports management and a master's in business administration while also spending five seasons representing the Pioneers on the hardwood, Remley interned with the New Jersey Institute of Technology athletic department in 2018, assisting with sports management related activities including NCAA team contracts, field preparation, press releases, and statistics. Additionally, he has served as a coach and camp counselor at both the Mendham and Bengals basketball camps.

"I look forward to working with and supporting our equipment and events team any way I can to help them provide the best possible experience for our student-athletes," Rogers shared.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics Twitter: @stevensducks Instagram: @stevensducks #AllRise

As locals know good and well, the arrival of Whole Foods in Jersey City has been a marathon, to say the least. Since news broke in October 2020 that the organic retailer would be coming to Washington Street, there’s been little movement in the project’s development. Fear not, foodies: new signage went up back in April at the 286 Washington Street location, signaling that an opening date could (emphasis on the conditional) be near — and just recently, Whole Foods put up job listings for the Jersey City location. Read on for more about Jersey City’s impending Whole Foods Market.

As of August 2023, job listings for the Jersey City location have gone up, signaling that the opening is moving along. You can find them here.

Per Jersey City Upfront, Whole Foods signage has officially gone up on the exterior of the Harborside 4A building, where the Amazon-owned food retailer will be situated back in April. Accordingly, “work on the interior has also been ongoing, but there is still no estimated opening date.” Sigh.

Jersey City Upfront also noted in April that, per a reader, “the second-floor cafe is near completion. Additionally, new lighting and drywall have been installed on the ground floor.” For a grocery store, Whole Foods sure is feeding us crumbs.

Whole Foods will take up approximately 47,542 square feet of space, which had formerly been occupied by HopsScotch and Five Guys. In addition, the grocery store will also build its new Northeast headquarters in the 10-story building.

“We are very excited that Whole Foods Market selected Harborside for its future Jersey City store,” Mack-Cali Realty Corporation’s Senior Vice President of Communications, Deidre Crockett, said in a press release, back in 2020.

President of the land-use consultancy Dresdner Robin, Fred Worstell, stated further, “This development at Harborside introduces necessary retail space into Jersey City’s rapidly growing downtown, at a key transport hub.”

Read More: NYC’s Peppercorn Station Opens Location in Jersey City

Bringing Whole Foods to Jersey City will surely cause just as much excitement to locals as the Trader Joe’s that opened in Hoboken on Willow Avenue in May 2017.

This will be the second Whole Foods in Hudson County. The first location opened in Weehawken’s Lincoln Harbor in July 2019 and brought an abundance of fresh produce from over 50 local producers including D’Ottavio Farms, Hepworth Farms, and Ark Foods, as well as local bakeries such as Balthazar Bakery, Abe Muffins, and Om Sweet Home.

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The Austin, Texas-based chain has been in talks to be built in Jersey City for over a decade. It wasn’t until early 2019 that deals were confirmed by Mack-Cali Realty’s 2019 First Quarter report. Finally, just last month the City Council passed resolutions that involve “parking and other issues including converting Pearl Street Between Washington and Greene streets into a one-way road in order to accommodate deliveries,” as reported by TAPinto in 2020.

See More: Vegan + Gluten-Free Bakery Om Sweet Home is Relaunching Local Retail

“Jersey City has been anticipating the arrival of Whole Foods Market, and our ability to creatively retrofit Harborside 4A will make that a reality,” Crockett added. “Dresdner Robin’s survey informs the overall reconfiguration of the building, and their work securing approvals has allowed development to proceed.”

Upon opening, Whole Foods Jersey City will bring an estimated 400 jobs to the area.

To stay in the know on all local happenings, follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram and TikTok.

NJ Transit will hold a 2-day 40th anniversary celebration in fall with a special excursion from NYC to Central NJ and back to Hoboken.

Patch Staff

|Updated Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 12:35 pm ET

NEW JERSEY — When's the last time you boarded a train and saw changing leaves outside your window, while learning a bit of transit history? You can do all of that on one upcoming fall weekend as NJ Transit partners with United Railroad Historical Society of NJ to run a historic train excursion and celebration.

A special excursion, on a train with historic rail cars, will start in New York City. It will head to Central Jersey, allowing riders to witness a recreation of the “South Amboy engine change.” The ride will head north back with a stop in Newark and end at the historic train terminal in Hoboken.

The ride will run on Saturday, Sept. 30, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of New Jersey's transit agency. There will also be a celebration of transit history the next day, Sunday, Oct. 1.

Get the full details below from the NJ Transit press release:

Rail Weekend Planned With Special Excursion

Calling all rail history lovers! NJ TRANSIT is planning a fun-filled historic rail weekend September 30 – October 1. To kick off the events, NJ TRANSIT and The United Railroad Historical Society of NJ are partnering to operate a special excursion train titled the “40th Anniversary Express” in honor of NJ TRANSIT Rail Operations’ 40th year of public service. Riders can purchase a ticket to travel down memory lane on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines in a special train with historic and conventional equipment, recreate the “South Amboy engine change” and ride the Bay Head loop track in a unique railroad experience.

Then, on October 1, all members of the public are invited to historic Hoboken Terminal for a special display of NJ TRANSIT’s heritage decorated locomotives.

“This special weekend is an amazing and fun way to honor NJ TRANSIT’s rich history and gives the public an exclusive look at our railroad’s heritage,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “Here’s to another great 40 years ahead.”

“This historic rail weekend invites passengers, families, and enthusiasts to join NJ TRANSIT in a unique experience that transcends time,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “From the reenactment of the ‘South Amboy engine change’ to the nostalgic display of our heritage locomotives, this event will bring history lovers together to celebrate 40 years of rail service that has connected people and places across New Jersey.”

“We are incredibly proud to be partnered with NJ TRANSIT for this event,” said URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “As historians, we want to tell important stories. This trip will help us reach a large audience in a whole new way and will help bring attention to the incredible 40-year story of NJ TRANSIT’s commuter railroad.”

The special excursion train on Saturday, September 30 will travel between New York, Bay Head, and Hoboken, over sections of all three of NJ TRANSIT’s major legacy commuter systems: the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. It will be hauled first by NJ TRANSIT’s Pennsylvania Railroad heritage locomotive, wrapped in a historic livery to represent the many GG1 locomotives that hauled commuters in New Jersey from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Participants will get to witness a recreation of the famous “South Amboy engine change,” which is a ritual that occurred at South Amboy station for decades until 1988. The second portion of the trip will be hauled by F40 diesels, the F40 being the first model locomotive purchased by NJ TRANSIT as part of its major renewal in the agency’s early years.

What does Hoboken sound like? That question will have a new answer come Saturday, Aug. 19, when the Summer Blockfest transforms 770 Jackson St. into the city’s first multi-stage hip-hop and R&B festival.

Victor Manuel Lopez Jr., head of the non-profit grassroots organization What Hoboken Sounds Like, noted that a celebration of the Mile Square City’s hip-hop culture has been a long time coming, in large part due to some longheld prejudices about both the neighborhood and the genre.

“It’s a new welcoming for the city to allow us this platform,” Lopez said. “And, you know, I had completely forgotten that the 50th anniversary of hip hop was being celebrated on Aug. 12. So it’s fitting that seven days later, we can continue that anniversary with something Hoboken has never seen before.”

The free festival will run from 2 to 7 p.m. with DJ Dugspin and DJ Bripee spinning tunes throughout the day. Meny Myndz -- a member of Hoboken’s Dirt M.O.B., a national hitmaker in the late 1990s – will serve as host and emcee.

The live performers scheduled include a staggering two dozen names largely culled from the underground hip-hop scene in Hoboken and environs as well as students from the Hoboken School of Rock, who’ll be opening the show. Although set times were not available at press time, Summer Blockfest’s lineup includes Chaseland, Phat Rob, Pootie, Lucaso, Rara, B. More, Indigo Morale, Dopeboidrew, Od Reek, Just Guttah, KYY, OneShotOnce, Harlem Cam, Gunner Montana, RichDoubleM, Mp14, Sosa Da Don, Jonboiiera, Automatic Mula, General Ace, Mr. Deranged, Angel Octaves, and Jayna Destiny.

“It’s truly inspiring to see so much talent oozing from my hometown; we often see surrounding cities showcasing their artists, but rarely do we see any from Hoboken,” Octaves said. “To the creator of Summer Blockfest, the community and I would like to thank you for putting this together; we are so grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what future events will look like.”

Those sentiments were echoed by several of the other performers.

“This town needs an artistic rebirth, a cultural renaissance,” rapper OneShotOnce said. “The blockfest is a good opportunity to showcase the true roots of this town’s talent.”

Performer, engineer and songwriter Harlem Cam agreed:

“Hoboken is a mile square of nothing but talent,” he said. “I am proud to be one of the many Hoboken natives showcasing that to the community.”

And rapper Phat Rob added: “I’m proud of my city for working with the artists on putting on this showcase. This is a big event for all artists involved. Big shout out to What Hoboken Sounds Like. We’re making history from here!”

Lopez originally hoped the blockfest could showcase the breadth of Hoboken’s musical culture, but circumstances intervened.

“We had a lot of artists from other genres -- rock, blues, and more -- but we got approved very late with little time to promote and many artists were away for vacation or not able to make it,” he explained. “So, our list morphed into hip hop and R&B, along with the inclusion of Hoboken School of Rock, who are also donating the live sound setup.”

Lopez added that’s he’s been heartened by the response of Hoboken’s business community to the festival.

“We’ve had a great amount of sponsors come forward and it’s so welcoming to see all these big businesses within Hoboken becoming sponsors, because they know what’s been missing in this city,” he said.

About three-quarters of the vendors are Black-owned businesses, Lopez noted.

“I feel like our culture has just been put in a bad light, but our organization is making a difference,” Lopez concluded. “A lot of people have said, ‘I respect everything you guys are doing because you guys come in peace, you guys make a difference.’ And you know, the city has no choice but to support it, and do what they have to do, because Hoboken has not been doing what everybody else is doing. You get a lot of cities like Newark and Jersey City, they’re very open to the arts and culture. Now we’re gonna make that change here.”

The free Summer Blockfest, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 19 rain or shine, will run from 2 to 7 p.m. at 770 Jackson St., Hoboken. For more information on What Hoboken Sounds Like and its projects, visit whathobokensoundslike.com.

Jim Testa is on Facebook at facebook.com/Constant-Listener-Jim-Testa-On-Hudson-Music-108591071738628. He can also be reached at jim@jerseybeat.com.