Event Recap: July 1st, 2013 - The Inauguration and Its Food

Yesterday, on July 1st, the Inauguration of Steven Fulop as Mayor of Jersey City took place at City Hall and to mark the occasion, there was a block party. While the idea did create some controversy, especially in regards to parking rules, I have to say I've never seen an event in Jersey City so well-attended and it was a very pleasant surprise.  I personally was quite thrilled because I knew there would be a lot of different food all in one place. Here's my version of the Inauguration:

 There was a row of food trucks on Grove on the way to City Hall and a row of stands on Mercer offering food from all around Jersey City:

 A couple of local businesses near the Inauguration joined in the celebration, adding to the festive feel. I regretted not seeing the Razza sign sooner but then again, I may never have left...

There was an amazing variety of vendors available and I was pleased to see they were from all over Jersey City, not just nearby, and I saw people lining up at every single stand off and on throughout the evening. There was Mexican, Soul Food, Italian, Filipino, desserts from Milk Sugar Love and Cocoa Bakery, and definitely a few others.

I ended up getting a mini veggie burger - the Three Sisters Burger which was excellent. Spicy, flavorful, not dry or bland in any way.  I see them a lot at the Downtown Jersey City Farmers Market on Grove and am already excited to try other flavors.

I also tried 3 mini pork spring rolls from Dante's Filipino Restaurant and was really impressed. The kid serving it was clearly helping out his parents and couldn't have been nicer or more excited to be there. He recommended I add sweet chili sauce so I did and was extremely happy about it. It really boosted the flavor and made the pork flavor stand above the shell. I'm pretty sure I'll be seeking out their restaurant to try more very soon.

Everything was priced very inexpensively and I was glad I got to try a couple different things. More than that, all the vendors were very cheerful and friendly and it really created a great, fun atmosphere.


The entire event was a good reminder of why I live in Jersey City and of all the wonderful things this city has to offer. I can't wait to see what comes next.