Review - The Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2008 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

The Liberty House Restaurant is located in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. It's located right on the water and offers a beautiful view of the New York skyline, and even a distant view of the Statue of Liberty. I've done two or three weddings there and I find it to be one of the more pleasant places to shoot. It's a two story building, with a restaurant and full bar occupying the first floor and a medium sized ballroom upstairs. The grounds are well maintained, but nothing out of this world because there are no gardens. However, there are endless photo opportunities if you use the skyline to your advantage. A long path from the restaurant takes you right to the water's edge, where the only thing between you and the Hudson river is a railing and some mossy stones. You can get some wonderful sunset shots along this path if you plan your cocktail hour to be in the late afternoon. If you're the romantic-urban type, the scenery is truly outstanding. However if you prefer a more natural setting with lots of flowers and trees, this isn't the place to go.

While you, your new spouse and your photographer take pictures, your guests can mingle inside the building, on the very nice outside patio, or on the upper terrace that wraps 360 degrees around the second story of the building. There are cushioned couches and lounge chairs outside so your guests can eat and enjoy the view. Food is usually served in the "Liberty Room" which is an addition to the building with glass walls and a tarp roof. It's a good shelter for rain but not the most decorative place. They also host bridal ceremonies in the Liberty Room, in which case they go all out to make it look very nice, but I still couldn't say I was very impressed. Still there's nothing wrong with the place, and it is probably worth it to have a less glamorous ceremony in exchange for the convenience of having your ceremony and reception in the same building.

The only times I've been to the Liberty House, the cocktail hour food was slim pickings--not much more than fruit, cheese, crackers and hors d'oeuvres, which was disappointing, but I'm sure they offer bigger packages with more filling food.

The ballroom is quite nice. It's perfect for 125-150 people, but could handle more without much trouble. With floor-to-ceiling windows on every wall, the lighting is very nice in the daytime and offers a nice view of New York when the sun goes down. The dance floor is large enough for all your guests, and the bridal suite is actually a little room with a balcony overlooking the ballroom (emphasis on 'little').

Last time I was there, dinner was buffet style, which is of course a pain in the ass for everyone but a good way to save some money. The food was actually quite delicious, better than many other places I've been to. The penne vodka and pulled beef was especially memorable, as was the desert afterwards. 

All in all, I have few bad things to say about this place. It's not the most glamorous or fancy place. You might be put off by the plastic gold chairs or bare-bones backyard, but I believe the view it offers and the design of the room itself more than makes up for these shortcomings.

*Also note that there's a very old historic train station very close to this place, and it's a wonderful place to shoot some romantic pictures against the red bricks of the building. Try to get inside and take as many pictures as you can before they kick you out too! I'd say it's one of the best features of this area, and probably its best kept secret!

If you found this review helpful, or you have a personal story to tell about this place, please leave a comment!

And check out my work at www.johngallino.com!