On the Waterfront of Hoboken - Guys' Day Out

​I’ve fallen in love with Hoboken in the last few years.  While I did spend much of my early-to-mid 20s carousing around Hudson Street and Washington Street until the last trains home at 1:30 a.m., I appreciate it much more during the day.  Hoboken Riverside Park has some great views of the waterfront and a nice greenery, and the streets have a vibrant feel.
 
Today was my meeting with Doug, the first guy outing I’ve had specifically from the CoSP page (unless you count Alan from Childfree & Single).  My train was scheduled to arrive about 45 minutes before our meeting time, so I figured I’d walk around the park, but it turns out Doug’s an early bird like me, so we met up at Hidden Grounds Coffee Shop where we talked a nice variety of topics, my favorite of which was restaurants.  Doug’s recommendations including Denic’s in Philly (I’ll have to try the pork sandwich with broccoli rabe), and the Dutch Eating Place in Reading Terminal Market, which (I think) fellow CoSPer Melissa and I went to when we saw Phish in nearby Camden, NJ back in 2018.  Other places now on my list are Maruca’s in Seaside Heights and Dominic’s on Arthur Avenue.
 
After we finished our coffees, we walked back over to the park, took some pictures, and discussed male perspectives on single life, as well as some personal things males don’t typically share with each other.  Essentially, we share many of the same experiences navigating happy singlehood as 40something-year-old males.  We get those well-meaning “oh you’ll find someone” microaggressions.  Maybe not as much as females, but we get them some.  Doug and I agree that when we go out to do stuff, we’d rather not have to report back to a spouse, the way some partners make each other do (case in point: past friends of mine and Doug’s).

​We made our way over to the Black Bear Bar & Grill for lunch, where I ordered a lovely hamburger mac & cheese wrap with a side Caesar.  We walked around for a bit more, and when I see a bookstore, I can’t not buy something (or at least that’s been the theme during this trip).  I went with two used classics for $8. 

Doug and I parted ways at 4:30, and he’s off to Cleveland.  I love your trips, dude.  That’s a nice thing about being an employed (knocking on wood) single person; we can travel to places and not have to worry about partners, kids, etc.  And we talked about visiting each other in our respective cities.   
 
I wish more guys could do what we did yesterday.  The world would be a happier, safer place for everyone.