|
Re: New construction near Libert State Park(Bergen Lafayette section)
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
 
|
Quote:
http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=project-details&pid=18 "Gargant is constructing eleven (11) four story town homes containing 24 market rate units. Each town home will consist of three bedrooms and two and 1/2 baths. The town homes will have brick and copper facades, modern features and unique designs throughout." My wife and I like living in Lafayette a lot (coming up on two years). Our house is much larger, and much more comfortable, than anything we could have afforded downtown, and our neighbors are great. Lafayette has its detractors, and certainly has a way to go in some respects, but it's by no means the gangland/wasteland that some portray it as. We're in it for the long haul, and having lived in many parts of the world and many parts of greater NYC, are confident from what we see that the neighborhood will be vastly improved in the next 5-10 years. Might not be ideal for everyone, but we're fine with that.
Posted on: 2011/2/8 22:03
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: JC Post Office - Be Very Afraid
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
Oh, yes. I'd been waiting for a certified letter and tracked it online; the USPS web site said that two deliveries had been attempted in the past week on days when both my wife and I were home all day. It also said that the carrier had left a notice with each attempt. False. Not only had we received no notices; we received no mail whatsoever those days. (Come to think of it, we've gotten mail about 3-4 days out of the past 10. Uncanny.) So I called the local office to complain/inquire. I was told they'd look into it, but they kept hinting that I'd be welcome to come by and pick the letter up. An hour later, I checked our mailbox and saw that we'd gotten our weekly mail delivery. Included was a delivery slip - they didn't bother bringing the certified letter or ringing the doorbell; they just dropped off a slip. I worked in postwar Bosnia for many years, and hate to say it, but over time I saw their (government-run) mail system getting better and more professional while ours has devolved to Eastern Bloc standards.
Posted on: 2011/2/4 6:48
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
Don't know if you were around for the waning days of Caesar's at Communipaw & Whiton - a very solid little bar & restaurant - but it looks like it will be back: http://hudsonreporter.com/pages/jersey_city_mag (p. 44-45 and 47) *Really* great news.
Posted on: 2011/1/19 14:34
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
+1. One morning a young guy rang our doorbell - we'd never seen him before - he looked a little scary. Turns out we'd left our car keys in the trunk lock while unloading the car of groceries the previous night, and he was returning them to us. And we've never parked more than 50 feet from our house. Wish I could say the same as you for dog poop and noise, but one thing at a time. Quote:
+100. Check everything out, and then pick the place that makes sense for you.
Posted on: 2011/1/19 2:04
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
It's hardly the case that we're barricaded in our home. Do we walk around our neighborhood at 2am? No: 1. It's kind of dicey at that hour, as mentioned 2. There's nothing to do in the immediate vicinity at 2am (or at any hour - see comments about lack of amenities) 3. My wife and I are in our 40s and walking around our neighborhood at 2am isn't our idea of fun But we go out at night quite often. We'll either walk or drive downtown, or ride our bikes to Zeppelin. We usually leave by 7-8pm, so no problem there. Coming home, we're typically not in any shape to drive, so we'll either take a $6 cab or ride the light rail (and walk home from there). We allow ourselves the indulgence of frequent $6 cab rides because we're paying 40% of what we paid to live on Wayne Street. It works fine for us, and we're happy where we are. It may not work for others, which I understand. Thanks!!
Posted on: 2011/1/18 22:21
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Hi Natalie,
You're right, I live in Lafayette - but the original post mentioned proximity to LSP, which is why I weighed in. I walk to the PATH every morning for work - exactly 20 mins. (1.3 miles according to Google Maps, but you can save a few minutes by cutting across the Pathmark shopping center parking lot.) And yes, nighttime - as I said - is dicey. We don't go out late at night on foot. Also, I agree with you that it can get loud - I mentioned that too. But we were bothered by office noise living on Wayne St. downtown, and we were bothered by noise from bar patrons living on 11th St. in the East Village. Sorry you had a bad experience, but again, overall we're very happy.
Posted on: 2011/1/17 15:56
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
My wife and I bought in Lafayette (near Pacific / Lafayette) after living both downtown and in Greenville. We were impressed by costs, housing, proximity to LSP and light rail, and what seemed like a funky, artsy, up and coming atmosphere. Neither of us are hardened urban types - we're both 40ish professionals who've lived in all kinds of environments (including Texas, where I lived for nine years).
We haven't been disappointed - we love it. We spend less than half of what we spent downtown, and are at the PATH station in 20 minutes on foot, or 10 by bus or light rail. People here are extremely friendly: we quickly met a lot of our neighbors and have become good friends, something that never happened downtown or in Greenville. There's also a good number of artists & alternative types to be found. We're runners, and being that close to Liberty State Park is beyond description. There's definitely a downside, as several have pointed out. It's not as secure as downtown, for sure, but we've never had a problem. We don't walk around at night; if we get home late, we usually take a $6 cab from Grove St. There's the obnoxiousness of the guys who cruise around all summer with window-shaking music cranked up at all hours; but on the other hand, we lived across from an office building downtown that was just as loud every morning starting before 6am when the industrial document shredding truck came to do its work. If there were one thing I could change, it would be the situation with restaurants, bars and coffee shops - there aren't any. The closest local is the beer garden, a good 15-minute walk. It sounds to me like you could be really happy here if you do your research, find a neighborhood you like, and understand the pros and cons. Happy to offer any more thoughts or suggestions. Good luck!!
Posted on: 2011/1/17 14:54
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Taqueria
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I lived in south Texas for ten years, traveled everywhere in Mexico. Have good friends from Texas (native) who live in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The first time I dragged them - after weeks of goading and pleading - to Taqueria, they were so ready to shoot it down. One of them asked directly: "Why are you wasting all of our time bringing us to Jersey City for tacos?"
Five minutes later when our food came out, they were all raving: posting comments on Facebook to the effect that they'd found the best Mexican food north of Nuevo Laredo, etc. That kind of thing. Taqueria rules. Taqueria beats the pants off of 99.9% of the taco joints in San Antonio and Austin (and I get the apples-oranges things about comparing true Mex to Tex-Mex, but still). And that's about the highest praise I can offer. If you don't like it, eat wherever you like. But it still rules. Also: never had any issues with rudeness, etc. The place is phenomenal, and Jersey City is lucky to have it.
Posted on: 2010/12/15 4:54
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: LITTERBUGS!!
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
Great info - thanks to all. My tour-of-Lafayette-complaint-rampage begins tomorrow.
Posted on: 2010/9/28 0:35
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: LITTERBUGS!!
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I live in Lafayette, and everything in the original post rings true: weeds at eye level that completely choke out the crumbling sidewalk, chip bags blowing like tumbleweed down the street, mounds of dog waste, etc. It looks like a Road Warrior movie at times.
Earlier, I lived downtown and around Hamilton Park, and of course one doesn't see that there. Part of it, no doubt, is the residents' greater commitment to their neighborhood; but part of it is the city's willingness to maintain some neighborhoods more carefully, while letting things slide in others to the point that they fall apart. I chose to live in Lafayette, and overall I'm happy here. A little trash is part of urban life, and JC is no exception. Downtown JC could be cleaner, but there are parts beyond it that, for whatever reason(s), don't seem to make the cut when it comes to a minimal degree of cleaning, enforcement and maintenance.
Posted on: 2010/9/27 16:02
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bob's Shoe Repair: nicest man in shoe biz
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
This is a shrine of craftsmanship, care, service, and integrity. I can't count how many times Jimmy's skill and inspired improvisation have resurrected a pair of seemingly doomed shoes for $10. I can't praise him enough.
Posted on: 2010/5/5 5:25
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Downtown: Man stabbed and robbed on First and Brunswick going to bar
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I'm surprised to see the Barge Inn mentioned here. I'm old enough and well traveled enough to know a legendary bar, and the Barge certainly qualifies. From its its owner, John, to its uncontrived decor, this is a place that is a living museum and a treasure of authentic JC history and culture.
I neither start nor tolerate drunken thuggery - both my wife and I are 40-ish, 9-to-5 professional types - and I can honestly say I've never experienced anything but a warm welcome, and refreshingly original characters, at the Barge. One day it'll be gone and converted to an Einstein Bagels or a Bennigans, and downtown JC will be that much more like Anytown USA: Dayton, Peoria, Tulsa. (Hoboken.) Is that really the goal? Before you dismiss me as cluelessly effete, I totally respect those who live above the bars mentioned and who have to deal with the noise and ugliness: I have a ton of noise and other issues in my neighborhood, Lafayette. I also had a ton of noise (and vomiting NYU students) in my old neighborhood in the East Village. It's not fun, it's not something you ever really get used to, and after a while you just want everything to be permanently shuttered. But that's no more the sign of a healthy city as is late-night drunken loutishness from its bars. Is the issue with the Barge really thuggery, or is it a question of too-loud drunks smoking and yelling in the street? There's a difference, of course. I remember a recent night when I tried to make a phone call (from the street) two blocks from Barrow Street Bar; the bar noise was so loud I couldn't hear the person I was calling! If noise, not craziness, is the main issue, we should be talking about a lot of JC establishments, not just Barge. It's my sincere hope that the Barge and its neighbors will figure this out. JC will be the worse in its absence. Thanks for your thoughts!!
Posted on: 2010/4/8 4:01
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Bergen Lafayette: Couple slain in botched carjacking
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
...and build a Berlin Wall-type perimeter to keep criminals away from 07302? It's not like they would all suddenly stop coming downtown because it was suddenly a different city. I've lived in Lafayette for a year and while it certainly has a way to go, I've seen improvement. The section bounded by Communipaw, Maple, Van Horne and Monitor has beautiful housing stock (@ $200/sf, exactly half that of downtown); a lot of good, friendly people; and an increasingly professional profile. I'm not in denial; I recently posted an article about a pit bull attack in Lafayette Park. But lower Lafayette is certainly no worse than neighborhoods I experienced in San Antonio, Austin, and other 'desirable' cities. As Liberty Harbor grows and extends the downtown footprint in this direction, not to mention the Jersey Ave. extension, I think you'll start hearing more about the positives of our neighborhood. Yes, you're talking 5-10 years, but what was Grove Street 5-10 years ago? Here are a few projects in the works which, if realized, will bring a lot of good things to lower Lafayette: http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=project-details&pid=48 http://www.dresdnerrobin.com/berrylan ... 20Booklet%20-%20Small.pdf http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=project-details&pid=33 http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/index.php/t-157018.html Thanks!!
Posted on: 2010/4/6 17:12
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Greenville: Court gives groups go-ahead to sue about chromium site
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
"Living closer to" is relative, but this suggests that 400 feet is the critical radius: http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... m-sites-set-for-thursday/ For Lafayette & Greenville residents, there's also a great map of chromium sites at: http://chromecleanup.com/sites_JerseyCity.html
Posted on: 2010/3/30 19:57
|
|||
|
||||
|
Lafayette Park: JC police shoot and kill pit bull after dog attacks child
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Jersey City police shoot and kill pit bull after dog attacks child, witness says
By The Jersey Journal March 21, 2010, 12:21PM Jersey City police shot and killed a pit bull this morning at Lafayette Park after the dog attacked a little girl, according to freelance photographer Joe Shine. The police shot the dog twice, Shine said. The girl, who was with her mother and siblings at the park opposite School 22 on Van Horne Street, appeared to be okay, Shine said. Police did not immediately return phone calls to comment. ===================== Aggressive, unleashed dogs have been an ongoing problem in our neighborhood. More correctly, the owners who raise dogs to be aggressive and let them roam free have been an ongoing problem. I really hope this sends a message to them.
Posted on: 2010/3/21 18:26
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Best pizza in JC????
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I've only casually followed this thread, so I may be wrong -- but I'm kinda stunned that John's on Sussex doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar. Cheesy atmosphere; stratospheric pizza.
(Not everyone has my taste, I realize. So to put my plug in some kind of JC either-or perspective, I think Bubby's Burritos should be criminalized, and that Taqueria is the best Mexican I've had in the US. I lived in south Texas for a decade -- trust me, it's the best. If you share my taste, great; give John's a shot. If not, enjoy the other 1000 pizzas already mentioned.) Cheers!
Posted on: 2010/3/21 6:08
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Marco & Pepe
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
No argument here: M&P is hands-down the best experience in JC and, speaking as a former East Village resident, far superior to any of my former haunts east of the Hudson.
My wife and I have been going every ~2 weeks for close to three years and have not once had anything short of a superlative experience. Best food in JC, not to mention best staff by far - no offense to other places, but M&P's people set a standard when it comes to the rare combination of friendly + professional + smart.
Posted on: 2010/2/17 18:10
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: where to get a "rebuild letter" for mortgage application?
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Hi,
My wife and I bought in JC this past May and had to provide a similar letter for our lender, HSBC. We too were referred to Anthony Lambiase's office, but several conversations with the staff there, as well as Mr. Lambiase, didn't get us what we needed. There seemed to be a lot of confusion about our request, and were essentially told that no one could provide us such a blanket guarantee. It may have had something to do with the area where we bought (Morris Canal Redevelopment Area), but it struck us as odd that no one in that office seemed to understand the purpose of the letter we sought. Incidentally, I have a law degree, so I was pretty comfortable with the point of the letter and how to pose my request. Frustrated and confused, we in the end turned to our council rep, who put us in contact with the JC Division of City Planning (30 Montgomery St., Suite 1400 - Tel. 201-547-5010). I spoke with the division's director, Robert Cotter, who was phenomenally helpful and who wrote and faxed a perfect letter within 30 minutes. Hope this helps. Good luck!!
Posted on: 2009/11/23 19:49
|
|||
|
||||