If you want a friendly and safe laundromat in Hoboken, N.J., the Skinner family recommends Giant Wash Laundromat at 604 Washington Street. It's right across the street from an excellent Italian Ice shop.
While we were in Hoboken, New Jersey, sitting in the Giant Wash Laundromat, I bought the local dead tree publication.
Washington Street is a delightful Italian neighborhood and, except that the apartment buildings are five stories high, it reminded me of Taylor Street in Chicago.
The man running the laundromat was a gung-ho Yankees fan. He had a banner with all the years the baseball team had won the World Series.
Having been a Brooklyn Dodgers fan back when I lived in Easton, Maryland, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Middletown, New York, I kept my feelings to myself, except in The Hudson, the 24-hour deli next door, to a man wearing a Dodgers’ tee shirt.
We had plenty of time to spare waiting for the clothes to dry, so I bought the local papers, plus a bagel with lox and cream cheese in between trying to plug the broken parking meter to prevent the aggressive meter guy from giving us a ticket.
For some reason, this Hudson River part of New Jersey had many cleaners and few laundromats. Look closely at the window of the laundromat and you will see the banner listing all the years the New York Yankees won the World Series. Click to enlarge.
In a local paper the Hudson County News, I found the photo below, apparently supplied by the local sheriff, Juan Perez, who has just switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party. He’s standing next to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio in the picture of the new county prisoner transport bus.
A photo published in the Hoboken newspaper I read in the laundromat.
Maybe the sheriff’s name is on the bus, but I can’t make it out.
Compare that to the branding McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren paints on his vehicles.
Sheriff Keith Nygren has his name painted on McHenry County's prisoner buses.
In the Crystal Lake parade, perhaps sensitized by the June 26th Hudson County bus photo, I took pictures of the entries from the Sheriff’s Department.
I missed Nygren. I guess he was in the cars carrying dignitaries at the beginning of the parade before the Color Guard and Grand Marshall‘s car carrying Jason McLeod’s family.
The Sheriff’s Department was well represented.
These motorcyclists, one a Sheriff's deputy and the other a McHenry County Conservation District Officer, performed a routine for the crowd.
The crime prevention trailer was pulled by a station wagon.
A snow mobile trailer was pulled by a pick-up truck.
Reflections of the Independence Day Parade crowd can be seen on the side of the snow mobile trailer.
All but the motorcycle had McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s name on them.
But, back to Hoboken.
My wife accompanied her parents to visit family in Italy when she was in her early twenties. There she had Italian Ice. Whenever we see a store selling Italian Ice, she comments.
People can enjoy Ralph's Famous Italian Ices outside in Hoboken.
Across the street from the laundromat was a new Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices franchise celebrating its grand opening.
Ralph's Italian Ice shop's menu has so many choices, my selection was difficult. I picked chocolate fudge pretzel, while my wife selected lemon. The pretzel taste came from little balls in the ice. Click to enlarge, if you want your mouth to water.
The product was wonderful. My wife said it was as good as what she had eaten in Italy.