Hobsons Choice

Hobson's Choice, a neighborhood bar that became a downtown landmark, will close for good Sunday after 15 years in business.
Belinda McCullagh, a manager who has been with Hobson's since shortly after it opened, said that the owner, Judy Hobson, aged 71, has sold the bar and will retire. McCullagh said she expects the new owners to establish another bar.
Hobson bought the bar with her son Wayne Hobson in 1996. They named the bar after their own last name, and also for the ironic expression Hobson's choice, which is a choice where only one option is offered.
Tragically, Wayne Hobson, who also worked for the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. McCullagh said that after deliberating Judy Hobson chose to keep the bar in business.
“Mrs. Hobson held onto it for so long,” McCullagh said. “Now she's moving on.”
Hobson's, which has enjoyed a convenient location across from the Hoboken Terminal, became a fixture in the neighborhood that welcomed many longtime regulars.
One of those regulars, Dennis Knox, reminisced about the bar during lunchtime on Friday. He said Hobson's was an ideal place for people of all ages to mix, including regulars and newcomers, especially during celebratory occasions such as annual playoff appearances by the Yankees during baseball season. Knox, whose brother worked with Wayne Hobson, said the bar always had a friendly atmosphere.
“Wayne was a hands on owner,” Knox said. “It was fun for him to own this place, and his personality is still here.”
McCullagh said Hobson's will celebrate the good years over the weekend, including a live blues band that will perform Sunday night.
“It's going to be a big blowout, with a lot of old friends here,” she said