Founded in 1849, Hoboken is a city in New Jersey of almost 55,000, located directly across the Hudson River from the West Village and Chelsea. The name meant “land of the tobacco pipe” to the Lenape people, and indeed pleasure remains a major aspect of the city’s reputation, as demonstrated by its slew of destination bars, clubs, and restaurants, and its entire week of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, including a LepreCon (something like SantaCon) — though it was canceled this year as a result of the pandemic.

Hoboken is the boyhood home of Frank Sinatra, and the location of engineering school Stevens Institute, which sits on a picturesque bluff overlooking the river. But it’s also a politically progressive city headed by Berkeley-educated Sikh mayor Ravi Bhalla, where plastic bags have already been banned, as I discovered when I tried to take away the leftovers of one of the city’s famous fresh-mozzarella heroes. These humongous sandwiches represent the city’s signature dish, with Italian food still its most common cuisine.

Here’s a culinary tour of Mile Square City.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.