Living in Fort Lee

Caffe AND

A small café up Main Street, past the library and the Korean storefronts. A latte and a croffle, and the walk west is the point.

Gammeeok

Breakfast the Fort Lee way: a bowl of seolleongtang, the milky ox-bone soup, with their kimchi on the side. Open around the clock, so the hour does not matter.

NJ Transit 158 · Main St at Central Rd

Fort Lee has no train and no ferry, so the commute is the bus. The 158 picks up on Main Street at Central Road and runs down the river to 42nd Street.

From here it is a walk to the NJ Transit 158 stop at Main Street and Central Road, a few minutes from the park gate, then down River Road through Edgewater and Weehawken to Port Authority, a little over half an hour on the morning timetable.

Dongbang Grill

Lunch in Fort Lee's Korean quarter: a stone-pot bibimbap or a seafood stew at the table, and the grill if the afternoon is free.

H Mart · Fort Lee

The afternoon errand, at Linwood Plaza: the week's groceries, banchan, a bag of rice, and the food court if lunch did not hold.

Fort Lee Public Library

The town library on Main Street. The free hour on a rainy afternoon, and open until nine four nights a week.

Constitution Park

The after-school hour at Constitution Park: swings and climbers, a walking track, and the league softball fields.

Barrymore Film Center

Fort Lee was making movies before Hollywood was. The Barrymore keeps that story: curated screenings and live events, and a museum that is free.

JJ DAK

Dinner around the corner from the theater: oak- and cherry-wood rotisserie chicken served on a hot stone over crispy rice, with soju or a craft beer.

LaNoma Italian Steakhouse

The other dinner, on Hudson Street a block away: homemade pasta, a steak, and a bottle of Italian red. The one to book for an anniversary.

Cheongsu

Dessert two blocks from the restaurants: a soufflé baked to order, in a room built around bamboo and still water that asks you to slow down.

City Perch Kitchen + Bar

The weekend brunch at Hudson Lights, under a giant mural of the George Washington Bridge at sunset.

Ross Dock Picnic Area

The Sunday walk: down the cliff to the river, just north of the bridge, to the biggest picnic lawn in the Palisades park and a playground at the north end.