HOBOKEN is EASILY REACHED from Manhattan by subway or ferry. This subway, properly called the PATH train, runs 24 hours a day from five stations in Manhattan and charges $1.50 each way for the quick trip under the Hudson River. Visit www.panynj.gov/path/pathfram.htm to see a system map, or call 800-234-PATH for more information. New York Waterway’s ferryboats run seven days a week, crossing from West Thirty-eighth Street in Midtown Manhattan and Pier A at Battery Park. The fare is $3.00 each way, and the best views are from the open-air deck upstairs. For schedules, go to www.nywaterway.com , or call 800-53-FERRY.
Before visiting, you might want to take a crash course courtesy of the Hoboken Historic Museum, whose excellent Web site features a condensed city history, a map, and a comprehensive walking tour: www.hobokenmuseum.org . The museum itself, at 1301 Hudson Street, mounts changing exhibits and is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings and on weekends. Call 201-656-2240. Ed Shirak’s homespun Frank Sinatra museum, From Here to Eternity, is at 417 Monroe Street, next door to the entertainer’s birthplace. A labor of love, the museum cannot afford regular hours of operation, but Shirak will tell you when he plans to be there and will also schedule visits by appointment. For more information, call Lepore’s Homemade Chocolates at 201-659-4783, or leave a message on the museum’s answering machine, 201-659-9440.
Hoboken’s selection of restaurants and bars can be daunting. Visit either www.hoboken.com or www.hobokeni.com , both of which offer comprehensive listings and other information helpful to visitors. The ones mentioned in this story can be found at the following addresses and numbers: Schnackenberg’s Luncheonette, 1110 Washington Street, 201-659-9836; the Madison, 1316 Washington Street, 201-386-0300; Elysian Café, 1001 Washington Street, 201-659-9110; Helmer’s, 1306 Washington Street, 201-963-3333; and Frankie & Johnny’s, Fourteenth & Garden Streets, 201-659-6202.
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