Let's make a list - What 25 places/things are core to JC?

Submitted by Jahooodie t3_11asd1y in jerseycity

What 25 places/things would be on the punch list for folks to understand Jersey City? Not just the trendy/touristy, but the things that would give people a real understanding of where JC has been, & what it is today.

In no order to kick off with a brainstorming list-

  • Philippine Bread House (Filipino immigrant populations & history)

  • Little India (Indian immigrants & history)

  • Five Corners (hey, you know this weird intersection? It's that way because that's where the old timey fort was, and way more of modern JC is impacted like that than you think)

  • Go to City Hall, visit the Hague desk (our corruption pinnacle)

  • Visit the Lowes, bask in what once was. (Nancy & Frank Sinatra would go on dates there, among other famous small world things)

  • Colgate Clock (industrial past, moved and rebirthed to today's town)

Does the former Tube Bar make the list? The Newport Mall to commemorate the Easter Bunny Brawl? The front porch a former mayor flashed some girls from or somethin'? Harsimus Cemetery (history, corruption, rebirth, and filming site for the Sopranos)? 2nd Street bakery for a now off-menu #5?

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halocene_epic t1_j9ty6o1 wrote

Metro Plaza ShopRite on the first Sunday of the month.

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marat4ik t1_ja42es7 wrote

I am new here… what happens on the first Sunday of the month?

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halocene_epic t1_ja4btin wrote

You must experience it for yourself to become a true Jersey Cityan.

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zero_cool_protege t1_j9tpi7l wrote

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u2jya wrote

Can't tell, does this version include the square about the developer he was pressured to add by City Hall mid-project? Because that's JC as FUC

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LateralEntry t1_j9uedfm wrote

I was so unhappy when they painted that over a few weeks later, it was really cool, unique and local. It was a glorious two weeks or so.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9un9me wrote

It made no sense, and despite claims it was always supposed to be temporary I don't believe that shit. It was painted over because the artist spoke out against the pressure to change it to include the politically connected developer, and painting it over literally covers up the discussion. But that's just like, my tinfoil hat opinion man

It was probably the best public art they have done on the plaza. It was neat, kids loved playing on it, it was swell

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LateralEntry t1_j9v1b40 wrote

By politically connected developer, do you mean Silverman?

I spoke with the artist while he was painting it, he seemed like a cool guy. I heard they painted over it because it portrayed cops as pigs and a kid of color in jail - something or other about negative stereotypes.

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SpicyMargarita143 t1_j9twe4f wrote

• The parks: Liberty State Park, Hamilton Park, Van Vorst Park, Lincoln Park (to name a few). • Riverview Farmers Market • Laico’s • 2nd St. Bakery

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u1vdr wrote

While Hamilton, Van Vorst, and Lincoln parks are great, what makes them so deeply fundamental to JC? What do you learn or see there that roots you in this place & it's people/history?

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SweetheartAtHeart t1_j9u4mk7 wrote

That time they found a dead body in the Lincoln park pond is my first thought but if you go to the back part of the park where the big football field is, there’s a parking lot next to it before you get to the bridge. Next to the parking lot is a fenced in area with lots of cats that are cool to just sit and watch.

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kraghis t1_j9vnrb6 wrote

Going on a cat quest rn. Wish me luck

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SweetheartAtHeart t1_j9w6h70 wrote

It would be so cool to trap neuter and release them but honestly I haven’t had the time to look that up. I feel like I’ve seen so many pregnant ones though

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LincolnPorkRoll t1_j9vn73a wrote

the fountain in Lincoln Park was once the largest concrete fountain in the world.

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mooseLimbsCatLicks t1_j9uncs6 wrote

https://architecturaltrust.org/easements/about-the-trust/trust-protected-communities/historic-districts-in-new-jersey/hamilton-park-historic-district/ these parks are from the 1800s and full of history. I love to imagine what JC was like in the 1800s and am fascinated by old maps where you can see the same exact roads we have, the same parks etc.

Newport has a bunch of signs about very old history. Jc was originally a Dutch colony.

I’ve seen similar random historic signs around liberty state park, and the morris canal

Of all the US this is one of the oldest places around here with the most history

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9uop26 wrote

I'm not personally unaware of the historic nature of the parks, but am asking the question in relation to including them in the list. I guess the people downvoting me don't get that? Most cities of that era would have somewhat similar parks. What makes ours so uniquely must-see, is my point. Maybe the story that was the life of Van Vorst- fancy rich people area, crack houses in the 80s, and the revival had the wonderful VVP Association volunteers make it the wonderful spot it is today

Debated including Morris Canal in the OP, as it's incredibly important to early American history but most folks don't know why. Would you point people to the Morris Square Park plaques as 'the point'?

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mooseLimbsCatLicks t1_j9up2tx wrote

I think if you don’t know what you’re seeing, it’s not that valuable. It would be cool to have a historic tour of jc with a tour guide.

I wonder if there is a collection of where the historic signs are , and there could be just a trail to follow to read about the various histories.

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windowspathos t1_j9u3qbd wrote

What about the historic site where Councilwoman Amy DeGise’s hit and run occurred?

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LateralEntry t1_j9ufb2u wrote

Ghost of Uncle Joe's! Best Halloween party anywhere

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9um93z wrote

It's true, and it's a twofer around musical history & the graveyard itself.

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FelixTaran t1_j9ua25d wrote

Secret bowling alley in the Barrow Mansion

Healy’s

Working man’s lunch at Astor Bar

Hot dog from Boulevard Drinks

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9umlp1 wrote

Boulevard may make the cut.

I'm unsure about Healy's or Barrow Mansion. Maybe because I've gotten undercooked wings at Healy's

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FelixTaran t1_j9vcczx wrote

Listen, not all these experiences are going to be positive.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9xb9z0 wrote

That’s really actually the lesson about JC. It’s not chilltown at all dawg

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Knobbies4Ever t1_j9vvc0s wrote

+1 on Boulevard Drinks.

The Tube Bar stories are great, but the physical location has been gone for almost 20 years.

Loew's (and Stanley) are cool - but only really a facade you can see from the outside - at least right now.

Boulevard Drinks you can actually go get the whole experience right now almost any time for $3.50 - and get a taste of that history.

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boojieboy666 t1_j9veiw6 wrote

Coach Bob Hurley and Saint Anthony’s Basketball

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imaluckyduckie t1_j9u9jyj wrote

You should clarify Lowes meaning the theater, not the big box hardware store at the Hudson Mall

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[deleted] t1_j9tp0y9 wrote

[deleted]

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photo-smart t1_j9twet1 wrote

> Bike from downtown JC to George Washington Bridge and take subway + PATH back

No need to take the subway/PATH back. Just cycle the whole thing! I've done this before but started at 33rd Street, cycled up the Hudson Greenway to GWB, crossed it and then cycled back down to JC. Although the Jersey side doesn't have bike lanes so you have to be very comfortable driving among cars, or cycle slowly on the sidewalk. Another option is cycle from JC to GWB, cycle down to midtown and then take the ferry back. Ferry is more expensive than the PATH, but it's fun to do it once.

> Take the Light Rail without ever paying for the fare (no one really does and it's rarely enforced.)

It's definitely enforced, but I think they mainly check during rush hour. If you're outside of rush hour, less likely to get checked. I don't know what the penalty is if you're caught, but probably not worth it. I'd just pay.

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MightyBigMinus t1_j9tytb2 wrote

ellis island, both as the entrypoint to the immigration stuff you already mentioned and an excuse to go through liberty state park

riverview park in the heights

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u3mlh wrote

I mean when the power bill is past due they do send it to our city, not NYC. So that seems to be it's ours.

This could also be an interesting way to talk about backfill & the weird rights in that zone. Downtown used to be an island (Hoboken too)! Technically rented from New York by NJ for awhile before becoming fully a part!

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keiyoushi t1_j9uc7gl wrote

Central Ave district walk from Pershing field to Washington Park

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9ulnau wrote

What does that teach, illustrate, or show someone that is uniquely JC?

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msrubythoughts t1_j9ucfa2 wrote

getting a CD at Hudson Mall

Neptune Bakery

taking the lightrail home without a ticket (only caught a few times, pretty good odds)

taking the bus home, passing greenville cemetery, & feeling guilty I don’t know how many relatives are in there

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9umf7h wrote

Everyone coming out of the woodwork wanting Hudson Mall to make the list

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msrubythoughts t1_j9uo7i6 wrote

wellllll it's more of an ironic /for those who know suggestion lol

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9upk7g wrote

I mean this ideas in this thread are alittle West Side light. Depends if we get desperate

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stinstin555 t1_j9vkk29 wrote

Jersey City was the last stop on The Underground Rail Road:

https://njcu.libguides.com/underground

https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/jersey-city-the-last-station-on-new-jerseys-underground-railroad/#:~:text=Before%20the%20Civil%20War%2C%20Jersey,many%20runaway%20slaves%20seeking%20freedom.&text=The%20quest%20for%20freedom%20prompted,journey%20along%20the%20Underground%20Railroad.

Explore Lincoln Park in the Spring;

https://www.visithudson.org/lincoln-park/

The history of The Hague Building once referred to as the Park Avenue of Jersey City;

https://www.thehague2600.com/history#:~:text=Built%20in%201921%2C%20The%20Hague,Jersey%20City%20Free%20Public%20Library.

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Recurringferry t1_j9u1yuz wrote

Exchange place, especially the Katyn memorial (statue of a guy getting stabbed with a bayonet)

Liberty state park, especially the empty sky 9/11 memorial

Ellis island

Ringside bar and White Mana diner

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u3wvo wrote

Actually Empty Sky is a great add, a reminder of how we function so intertwined with NYC for folks every day & the impact the tragedy had here

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squee_bastard t1_j9u9w0o wrote

Torico’s

Keyhole Bar

The chairs that keep being thrown in the Hudson (RIP you shiny metal bastards)

Whole Foods coming soon 😂

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LateralEntry t1_j9uf8ni wrote

the legacy should be years of waiting for the false promise of whole foods

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squee_bastard t1_j9vbyxn wrote

I think it’s been about 5 years since the initial announcement so only 5 more to go before they open for business 😂

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Ohenry_94 t1_j9twjhe wrote

Is it called Little India or India Square. I have been losing my mind over this!!!

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photo-smart t1_j9twx9d wrote

I've only ever heard it called India Square. I though OP was referring to a specific restaurant called Little India lol.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u2bcz wrote

I've heard it called India Square, Little India, Curry Hill. I've heard these from folks who've owned and lived there for decades, more recent folks (Indian decent & non) as well as in print media/television. Take your pick, we all know what is meant I feel.

Edit: The new-ish banners that went up on light poles in the last few months have "India Square" on them, so maybe that's a vote for it being most official?

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photo-smart t1_j9up77u wrote

Honestly I thought you were referring to a restaurant cause the point above it you mention Philippine Bread House, which is a restaurant, not a general area. But of course if I was talking to someone and they said Little India, then with context, I'd understand what they meant no problem.

Now, if somebody I was talking to said Curry Hill, then I would not understand what they meant lol. That sounds too weird to me, but whatever. I've never seen it in print either. Of course if you're saying that Indians that live there call it Curry Hill, then who am I to correct them. I guess I'm just not "in the know."

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HumanityIsTheDevi1 t1_j9uzn7u wrote

-JCAST

-Bike JC Ward Tour/Light Up Rides

-Jazz Fest

-All About Downtown Fest

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boojieboy666 t1_j9vdbvu wrote

Might be a small part of the city but big for everyone who’s an alumni, Saint Peters Prep has been downtown since the late 1800s. Had kids traveling in from all over the state to attend. Not to mention all the community service the school has provided to the area (atleast back when downtown wasn’t full of yuppies”

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smjcnj t1_j9wrdeu wrote

Park Tavern

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EyesOnImprovement t1_j9txu4r wrote

I think we should include some of our great local characters.

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  • Paco
  • Taco
  • Frank the Tank
  • Crazy Jessica
  • That guy with the horn and the safety vest
  • Mumbles outside Paradise Deli
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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u208e wrote

No bagpipe guy? And then the other competing worse bagpipe guy?

No "The Hustler"?

No Big Hair Girls?

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Midday_Shadows t1_j9u4ajl wrote

Wait, there are TWO bagpipe guys???

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u556n wrote

There is a fireman dude who practices around Grove Street, at reasonable hours for that sort of thing. Then there is a younger dude that wanders about, spotted downtown & the heights.

I haven't seen or heard either in awhile though

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EyesOnImprovement t1_j9u7inf wrote

I think they're the same guy. I think he has autism and they made him an honorary fireman. So yes, Bagpiper makes the cut for being a genuine freak.
The hustler is just a piece of shit and the BHGs are professionals, so no on those two I'm afraid.

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bodhipooh t1_j9u27zv wrote

Paco and Taco are dead, so not sure about their inclusion in a list of things to see/visit for people to "understand Jersey City" but replace them with Elijah!

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EyesOnImprovement t1_j9u31h9 wrote

No, Elijah's a larper. Paco and Taco were real.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9u44x5 wrote

If they get a mural maybe, but no real way to point folks to a place to try and understand their lives specifically. Though it is an interesting concept to try and include, as the reality of our town & recent history

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9upq3q wrote

Does the Double Tree parking lot where 50 Cent got shot that one time make the list?

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KayJustKay t1_j9ujxuf wrote

Lucky 7's Totchos
JC Pimp
Barge Inn on Totally Not The Mafia nights

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9ulxay wrote

I think the question is does Barge Inn make the list or not?

Lucky 7's may make the list, because it's also somewhat about the 80's punks that moved to JC when NYC was getting gentrified in the 90s. Some of them are still here!

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Jimmoe t1_j9vdixt wrote

The batshit statue of the Polish soldier with the bayonet-affixed rifle sticking out of his back. The subject matter has absolutely nothing to do with Jersey City, but that statue is oh-so-Jersey City.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9xbcj7 wrote

We used to have a much larger Polish population

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boojieboy666 t1_j9vewlp wrote

Lots of polish immigrated here from the old country. My family came from Poland to greenpoint BK and then bought a house on Pine Street by LSP.

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Jimmoe t1_j9vm86r wrote

No, I get it. Like many other foreign nationals before and since, lots and lots of Poles made JC home. Heck, I'm at least a quarter Polish. But a memorial of that size in such a prominent position, commemorating an atrocity in the old country, is a little eccentric, wouldn't you say?

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boojieboy666 t1_j9vpbwx wrote

Yea that statue got put there back when New Yorkers wouldn’t be caught dead visiting jersey, let alone moving in.

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boojieboy666 t1_j9ve1sb wrote

Pathmark TuPac or he he technically a Bayonne Legend, like BeetleJuice

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edgertor t1_j9wssdo wrote

my favorite places are the fragments of the natural world still left:

the short but calm, beautiful boardwalk of caven point btw the stupid golf course and port liberte (it sparkles with lightning bugs in the summer)

the few times a year the Reservoir is open so you can hike the perimeter, it's like stepping back in time. (if they tear down those very OLD trees up there i will be so upset)

and

the fact that there are fewer than 100 steps at the 100 steps (i think it's 96. lol)

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KIPYIS t1_j9ubpre wrote

> Go to City Hall, visit the Hague desk (our corruption pinnacle)

What's this

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9ulkf2 wrote

Our famous corrupt back in the day Mayor who shaped much of modern JC, including the tunnel, journal square being a center of culture, the building of the huge sprawling 'modernized' hospital complex & maternity ward that is now The Beacon (one of the largest in the world at time). He had a desk with drawers on both ends that was reportedly used to leave bribes.

So that's making the list, you just learned a whole bunch about JC

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KIPYIS t1_j9ulv93 wrote

Is it open to the public? How would one visit this?

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9unra8 wrote

Yeah, it's just in the lobby in City Hall. Third floor I think? Everyone should visit our city hall, it was pretty neat before but Fullop has been renovating it back to it's Art Deco heyday glory the past few years.

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LateralEntry t1_j9ue6k1 wrote

...what is the #5 at second street bakery?? can you still get it?

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9um5ew wrote

Gotta know the nod and handshake to get it. Anyone asking for coffee by default gets banned from life around knowing.

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moonstrous t1_j9umwsb wrote

It's a bit touristy, but Liberty Science Center has got to be on this list!

Paulus Hook was the first colonized area in JC (settled in 1633) and became the principal ferry location to Manhattan for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Battle of Paulus Hook was a small but fierce skirmish during the Revolutionary War, and the patriot commander Henry Lee was awarded one of the only war medals that the Continental Congress ever authorized for his leadership in the battle.

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9uoy1p wrote

LSC probably should make the list, for adults & kids alike.

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flapjack212 t1_j9ui1dn wrote

the OP list was excellent, i saw several ppl already said liberty state park which is a must in my view

i also feel like taqueria and razza are musts here in downtown. i find both quite uniquely good and i recommend them to visitors. i know not everyone will agree though

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Jahooodie OP t1_j9um0zv wrote

If we have 1 pizza place on the list, is it Carmine's, Pizza Masters, or Razza?

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