fat-ass-bike wrote:
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blanquiita wrote:

My neighbors across the hall gutted their apt when they bought it and put in all high-end fixtures. I doubt very few, if any, permits were pulled. Their place is now worth several thousand dollars more than mine at this point, yet we pay the exact same in property taxes.

The fitting and fixtures of a property don't come into the equation - It's how many bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet you have.
You could have solid gold door handles or the newest 'whiz bang' oven or appliances - It's the skin and bones fixed structure that gets assessed and of course, location location location!

The house / apartments' 'cosmetic dressing' is what many people get screwed (over paying) on when buying new or used properties - It's like having a bread loaf with cinnamon cooking in the oven to give a homely feel (smell) when you have an 'open for inspection' of a property up for sale!

Kelcey wrote:
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The amazing thing about this place is it is currently assessed
at 185900 and is paying only $13819.81 in taxes. A similar (actually a little smaller) brownstone in Hoboken is paying $26700.

yep, if a regular person did the kind of gut remodels that they are doing, taxes would go through the roof. They are clearly paying off the right folks, as it doesn't seem like the properties they have renovated experience increases.

Wishful_Thinking wrote:
...but if you had $5 million to spend why on earth would you live in Hudson County when for that money you could get am amazing place in prime Manhattan?

NewportNJ wrote:
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f___ the prom queen."

The lamest tag line ever.

bodhipooh wrote:
Not quite on topic, but I do have a question about PSE&G billing. Has anyone had TWO CONSECUTIVE months of ESTIMATED bills?? I am at a loss as to why I have received estimated bills for March and April. Prior to this, in almost 9 years as a PSE&G customer, I don't think I had ever gotten an estimated bill before. Certainly, I have never received two in a row. Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

7thstreeter wrote:

The pasta from Pasta Dal Cuore on Jersey Ave is excellent. We've bought there at least a dozen times and haven't had a fail yet.
http://www.pastadalcuorejc.com/

Frank_M wrote:

They?re selling a trendy image of Italian food culture as much as the products in the cases, so perhaps that makes everything taxable.

Sommerman wrote:

But you must go back for two reasons:
1. Play the caper caper - see how many people you have to ask before you find someone who knows what capers are. My personal best is 3.

2. Play the Is that a Giant Provalone Game: get a seat in the Osteria where you can see the Men's room door - how long until you see a guy taking a whiz because the place is designed so poorly (see thread on apartment layouts) the urinal is in plain sight. Given that the latest suburban trend is luxury sweatpants replacing jeans, its just a matter of time before someone gets mooned.

Sommerman wrote:
Mine turned pasty almost immediately. It was inedible.

CatDog wrote:
Whoever lives there has a real love for toaster ovens too.

corybraiterman wrote:
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JadedJC wrote:
that shitty eyesore on the northeast corner of Barrow & Wayne.

wait, isn't that house condemned due to black mold?

JCman24 wrote:
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JadedJC wrote:
Did she really pass away? How do you know this? What were the circumstances? It was only a week or two ago that I walked by them on Newark Ave. and she was screaming obscenities at him in Spanglish.

What is wrong with you?

Fomite wrote:
I'm guessing this will be the most over budget, lengthy construction in the history of elevators. And it will break after two weeks so we have to hear the path announcments about the out of service elevator at the grove st. station for years to come. And TVs will constantly remind us it doesn't work. so funny.

Sommerman wrote:
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tommyc_37 wrote:
What is the construction on the south side of Columbus at the Grove Street station? Are they putting an elevator in?

The Harsimus Cove Neighborhood Association posted on Facebook that the PA is putting in an elevator.

MDM wrote:
What has happened though is that laws have warped this legal relationship to where tenants have more right to the property; rent control a common example 'squatters rights' as an extreme example, than the people who actually hold legal title.

As pointed out by others in this thread, this causes a major disincentive to build, renovate, or maintain existing property. A property investor sees lots of risk but not much in the way of rewards. Who does end up as 'landlords' are those who are of a dark nature: Bribes, strong-arm tactics, legal maneuvers, etc... anything possible to wring out income out of a property whilst it falls apart..

user1111 wrote:
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JadedJC wrote:
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Seagull wrote:
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user1111 wrote:
I despise Duane Reade

+1

Why is the Duana Reade at Grove Pointe the most expensive Duane Reade I've ever frequented? The prices are ridiculous.

When it's 3 a.m. and I've been kept awake by a godawful case of heartburn, I'll pay whatever price they're asking for antacid. Until a mom & pop drug store is able to match that sort of 24-hour convenience, I'm happy to have DR within walking distance.

FYI a teaspoon of baking soda and warm water works fine as well.

Seagull wrote:
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user1111 wrote:
I despise Duane Reade

+1

Why is the Duana Reade at Grove Pointe the most expensive Duane Reade I've ever frequented? The prices are ridiculous.

EthanCrane wrote:
I can't believe what I'm reading here. Do that many people really want chain stores?

When I moved to NYC in the early 90s, it was full of independent shops. Now, every block has a bank and a massive drug store.

As JC gentrifies, Fulop wants it to keep its own special feel. Fulop's proposal is good for downtown and pro-small business.

K-Lo wrote:
We went to Blue Moon once based upon the absolutely delicious guacamole some of their staff were making fresh at Grove Street market. The restaurant guacamole was nothing like it. Ugh.

Yvonne wrote:
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Lima17 wrote:
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Yvonne wrote:
You and the city officials are ignoring the fact that the new residents who live in these monster buildings have 1/3 of the parking so they park on the streets taking parking away from long term residents who do not have parking available.

You're ignoring the fact that the residents of these monster buildings are NOT issued parking permits, so they cannot park on the street. If they do so, that's a parking enforcement problem. But personally, I know several residents in those buildings and none choose to risk parking illegally on the street and instead pay for their parking spots.

That rule is not for every new building, plus people know how to get around laws, just use your friend's address.

bodhipooh wrote:
100% true. The people at Newport have it the worst. Many trains leave Grove already full. It is not at all uncommon (in my experience) to be in a train that arrives at Newport and no one there is able to get on. At this point, I am surprised more people aren't riding trains back to JSQ to ensure they get a seat without having to deal with the hassle of pushing their way into a crowded car.

Dolomiti wrote:
In the measurable world: I see a massive city that has significantly less crime than it did in the 1990s, with a crime rate that is still falling. I see how the 1960s were a time of incredible tumult, conflict and social upheaval in the US, and that isn't the case today. I see how women face far less discrimination in the workplace than they did in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, even 80s. I see how discrimination against gays is becoming less acceptable, while gay marriage is becoming legal -- something inconceivable a mere 15 years ago. I see huge changes in civil rights and treatment of minorities since the 50s and 60s, albeit there is more work to be done. I see how more people today are going to college than ever before. For better and worse, I watched Hoboken and JC gentrify; I saw Times Square get taken over by Disney. I remember that blackouts in the 70s caused a breakdown in social order, while multi-day power losses in swaths of Lower Manhattan did not result in widespread crime and disorder.

Yvonne wrote:
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JadedJC wrote:
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Yvonne wrote:
"I am laughing my ass off at this point." I hope you will receive medical treatment for this condition Jaded JC, if you have a car there is parking at the Medical Center and perhaps they can put that part of your body back together.

Why the hell would I do that? My ass isn't so big that I can't put it in a tote bag and schlep it by train to a quality, first-rate medical establishment in NYC. Not only would I avoid the billing BS that JCMC would inflict on me for being an out-of-network patient, but I would get far more competent medical care by a doctor who actually attended medical school in the U.S. rather than a second-rate Caribbean one.

While you are having your rear end fixed, perhaps the doctors can give you a new spine so you can drop your phony name.

Yvonne wrote:
"I am laughing my ass off at this point." I hope you will receive medical treatment for this condition Jaded JC, if you have a car there is parking at the Medical Center and perhaps they can put that part of your body back together.