Start: PATH to Grove Street
End: PATH at Exchange Place
Distance: 2.9 miles
Time: 3 hours

1 Jersey City’s only minutes (really!) from lower Manhattan, but it’s down-to-earth arts scene feels light-years away. Head west from Grove Plaza and take in the East Coast’s largest public mural (143 Christopher Columbus Dr between Barrow and Grove Sts)—a 15,000-square-foot rendering of the Colgate clock, Pulaski Skyway and other area landmarks.

2 Meander through Van Vorst Park—where thespians, Italian-ice vendors and puppy playgroups congregate—en route to the Jersey City Museum (350 Montgomery St at Monmouth St, 201-413-0303), which houses works by painter August Will and pictorial photographer William Armbruster, as well as Alison Weld, Kevin Larmon and Frances Barth. The “I Love Jersey City” exhibit, open through September 14, boasts pics by amateurs and pros, plus kick-ass i love jersey city souvenir T-shirts.

3 Keep an eye out for a vibrant mural on the corner of Brunswick and Columbus as you head for Iris Records (114 Brunswick St between 1st and 2nd Sts, 609-468-0885). Tucked behind the iron gates of a historic pharmacy, it’s revered for its selection of used vinyl, specifically funk, blues, R&B and hip-hop. Make a beeline for the $2 bins.

4 Continuing up Brunswick, grab an alfresco table at Madame Claude Cafe (364 1/2 4th St at Brunswick St, 201-876-8800) for a sass-free bistro experience. (Nothing negates snootiness like the view of a turnpike overpass!) Try the La Belle Hélène crepe with baked pear and chocolate sauce, and then peek inside the neighboring Brunswick Window (158 Brunswick between 4th and 5th Sts), where art is on display 24/7.

5 Puff a postlunch hookah at Abbey’s (407 Monmouth St at 3rd St; 201-963-3334; $15)—it feels more like an Irish pub than a Persian den, but who cares when you can smoke strawberry shisha on the sidewalk? Then head up the street to 58 Gallery (58 Coles St between 3rd and 4th Sts, fifty8.com) and check out “America Is Dying Slowly,” a dystopic street-art exhibit featuring F. Dutchman’s 10-foot-tall stained glass portrait of Biggie Smalls. Drop by on Saturday 6 from 7 to 10pm for the closing reception.

6 Curious Matter (272 Fifth St between Coles St and Jersey Ave, 201-659-5771), a cozy gallery located in the parlor of an 1860s rowhouse, is just a few leafy blocks away. Its “Between Worlds” exhibit opens September 14; the theme is “thresholds, crossroads and portals,” or, in the words of co-curator Raymond E. Mingst, “that place which is neither here nor there.”

7 On nearby Erie Street, Balance Hair Salon and World of Style Vintage (18 Erie St between Bay St and 1st St; 201-369-7000; 201-324-2992) share a space known for its impromptu karaoke parties, go-go dancers and glittery frocks.

8 Round the corner and whet your whistle at bar-cum-gallery LITM (140 Newark Ave between Erie and Grove Sts, 201-536-5557). During happy hour—daily until 8pm—mini-martinis go for $3. Current exhibit “Solo Por El Amor Sera Salvo El Homre (Only By Love Will Man Be Saved),” is a solo show by Hamlet Manzueta, a JC artist living with AIDS. His fun, mystical and occasionally disturbing renderings sometimes incorporate paper towels, crayons, magazines or eyeliner.

9 As you head for the waterfront, the surreal ruins of the Powerhouse (bordered by Bay, 1st, Greene and Washington Sts), which drove the early sub-Hudson trains, looms ominously against the Manhattan skyline, in stark contrast to the abutting Trump Plaza condos. The plan for more high-rises is a hotly contested issue.

10 Before you grab the PATH at Exchange Place, walk out to the giant sundial at the end of Hyatt’s pier, and take in a skyline view that spans from the Verrazano to the GW Bridge. Nice to get some perspective, eh?

Ready to go? Take any Newark or Journal Square–bound PATH train (a one-way fare costs $1.75 or you can use a pay-per-ride MetroCard) from the World Trade Center or any stop along the 33rd Street line. For maps and schedules, go to panynj.gov.