I wonder if the new building will fit in with the historic character of the neighborhood. The newish building on Barrow and Bright does NOT.

Yes, welcome indeed! There are a group of JC folks who are against gentrification of downtown JC. But in an area with as many assets as Downtown JC has to offer, gentrification is inevitable! This is a great place to live. Again....welcome!

This is why urban development is a tricky fish to fry. Listen, I have lived Downtown for a few years. So I am still considered a newcomer. But this is my HOME...I'm invested here. I love it!

That being said, I think people who are in a similar situation to me have a tendency to assume (probably rightly so) that most muggings and violent incidents are caused by people of a lower economic status. I don't think that can even be argued. When was the last time you read a newspaper article heading that read: "YUPPIE SLAIN BY RIVAL HIPSTER...GANG ACTIVITY SUSPECTED" ? I mean, truthfully, I've never read an article with that headline. If I did, I would definitely laugh out loud.

Everyone is concerned for their safety, that's all. You're more likely to get mugged by a person of lower economic status...that is very difficult to argue.

That being said, if it floats somebody's boat to be surrounded by people of lesser economic status, there are still a lot of neighborhoods in Jersey City that can provide that kind of atmosphere. Plus, it would be a lower cost of living than Downtown.

LOL.

Crushthedemoniac - I think in general more people get away with calling people yuppies than calling people low income scumbags...LOL. But both are wrong and disrespectful.

It's like how no white person can use the N word...but black people call white people the C word all the time and get away with it. A double standard exists...that's why.

Calling somebody a "rich motherf*cker" is just as bad and ignorant as calling somebody a "ghetto gangster motherf*cker".

Anonymous, I was typing my entry as you wrote that. Bingo...we feel the same way! People often don't realize that discriminatory comments can go both ways.

Oh I totally agree. But classifying people as "yuppies" is no less ignorant than somebody saying "oh great...just what we need - more projects and ghetto gangsters". It's ignorant, that's all.

The fact is that many of the newcomers that are referred to as "yuppies" actually care about the community because they have invested a lot of their money to buy properties in these neighborhoods.

Also, whether you like the "yuppies" or not, the downtown neighborhoods are getting safer. I think that's something that most residents can appreciate.

Anonymous, we have to face the facts that there are some residents of Jersey City that do NOT want the city to improve. It's sad.

Yea, wow. The attitude on this board amazes me. The city is getting better, much better in fact. Why exactly are you guys criticizing these bright young people for choosing JC?

JC natives...would you rather your property value be going up...or going down?

Who would you rather move into the neighborhood? Would more drug dealers make you happy and make it feel like the "good old downtown" again?

You people are just coming off as silly/jealous/resistant to change. My advice to you bitter folks would be to embrace the changes that are occurring, and welcome your new neighbors instead of sneering at them.

Hey ansky, are you a Rutgers guy by any chance? There's someone with a similar name on the Rutgers boards. Sorry for the "off-topic", everybody else.

Question - can the unlimited 30-day SmartLink card be used to swipe somebody else in right after you? For example, if I had a friend with me from out of town, who doesn't have a card?

Barrow Street Bar is on the corner of Barrow and Mercer. Not sure if they've ever had bands in there...you might have been dreamin.

Last Friday night me and the lady went to Barrow Street Bar, because for 2 years, I've really wanted to try a burger there.

We had a great experience...the burger was REALLY good, we had a few beers, and we spoke with Chris the owner, who is a very nice local guy.

I'll be going back!

Hey guys,

Here's a question...I'm sure many of you are wondering the same thing. Exactly how far do you need to be parked from a fire hydrant to avoid getting ticketed? I always see spots that are "kind of near" a hydrant, and I shy away from them to avoid getting ticketed. Is it 5 feet, 10 feet?

bill,

Are you joking? There are many, many people who appreciate the historic charm of a tree-lined brownstone neighborhood, versus the sterile environment of a lux high-rise like Grove Pointe. To each his own I guess...