I love the jitney. They come like clockwork on Palisade every 25 minutes. I walk 2 blocks to Riverview Park and I'm at 40th and 8th Avenue in 20 minutes--door to door from my house to my desk it's literally 30 minutes. And there's Stop and Shop and if you venture down the elevator to Hoboken there's that massive Shop Rite so in my section of the heights you don't need a car at all unless you're too old and sedentary to get some fresh air and move your body a little bit.

I'm not going to get into a battle with you over this but web md says this

"Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount that is taken in."
If someone bleeds to death, no one I know describes them as being dehydrated but whatever....

You don't die of dehydration with ebola--it's from internal bleeding and organ failure--web md says this below--
"Inside the blood vessels, the virus causes abnormal clotting and bleeding at the same time. Bleeding into the skin causes a red rash that appears all over. With the ability to clot normally destroyed, bleeding occurs internally as well as from the eyes, ears, and nose. This whole cascade of events causes the organs to fail. The loss of blood, along with organ failure, is what makes ebola so deadly. But if doctors can keep the organs working with intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, a ventilator, and other treatments, there?s a much better chance they can save lives."

Some doctors feel the people who survive may have a higher alkaline body composition and this gives them an edge.
We certainly haven't had enough cases in this country to be so optimistic about the survival rate yet.

The heights is a large area but the northeastern section by Riverview is exploding right now with young families. I heard people on the 87 talking about the neighborhood--he asked her if she liked it here and she said "Yes. It's really close to Hoboken." She asked him if he liked it and he said "Yeah. I barbecue now in my backyard. It's awesome." So it's priorities. I do see the money being poured into Journal Square and I don't see that in the Heights but it's got lots of 2-family houses and if you like Hoboken, you walk 2 short blocks and there you are. In 20 years I think both places will have appreciated--which one more? It's anyone's guess.

The heights around Riverview Park and around Congress where the light rail elevator is are gentrifying now. I saw a lot of young parents with strollers at the Farmers Market in Riverview. It looked like Hoboken there. Of course, go down almost any side street and you see vinyl siding galore but there are some pretty pockets like Ogden, certain stretches of Sherman where I live and Webster etc...I take the Jitney into city every morning for $3.00 and I'm there in 20 minutes. I love the jitneys.

I went there last night with my husband and it was very nice. We had the pretzel, the steak empanadas and a version of mozzarella sticks. They later brought out all their sauces for us to sample and they were all DELICIOUS! Half price on appetizers (if you order 2) for happy hour and half off drinks. It's more polished than the Bier garten in Hoboken and not all German food which I like because there's more comfort type food there. The hostess was seating people at the bar which I've never seen before--I like to pick my own spot at the bar but we're definitely going back!

Your taxes were increased to $10,000 per year, right? They weren't increased by $10,000 per year to $18,000?
A new roof or repair/maintenance shouldn't increase taxes.

Brewster, who are you using? I just read about an exterior building company in North Bergen called Hansen Brothers. They do roofs, windows and siding. They're PSE & G certified --whatever that means. But I haven't heard any reviews of them...just stumbled upon their website...Anyone out there have experiences to share?

Thanks Christine.
I don't see anyone else reviewing them here, though. I really wish Malory Towers would relate her recent roofing experience. Would love to update the roof now because as they say on "Game of Thrones"
"Winter is coming"
and it's supposed to be worse than last year.

Heh. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who got the cheerful pleasant "Yes, Of course, I'll have them call you" followed by nothing. I called them back a lot more than 3 times in several months and each time I called I said "You told 3 months ago that they would call me right back" and then again, "You told me 4 months ago, 5 months ago, 6 months ago, 7 months ago, 8 months ago, 9 months 10 months ago, 11 months ago, and then Finally "I'm coming to your office in person to discuss the signed one year old contract and I'm going to call an attorney if you aren't on my porch roof within 2 weeks. One week and half later they showed up and were here 2 hours....I'm getting mad again thinking about it. And she was so sweet as pie on the phone! I think she must have been enjoying it on some level. Does anyone recommend anyone besides Capital?

That's hundred dollar problem, not 100,000 problem--sorry for the typo

You're talking about a $12,000 solution to a $100.000 or less problem--get the neighbor to fix their gutter. They are legally obligated to stop doing damage to neighboring property. But this should be obvious. Is there something you're leaving out?

I'm reaching out to MaloryTowers to hear about her experience. If I had to choose a roofer it would be Capitol but I fear they won't work for me again because it took an very unpleasant telephone exchange to get them to finish the job they started..a small porch roof...over a year...You ask why would I want to use them again? Because they have a stellar reputation and I don't trust anyone up there on what is between $5,000 to $10,000 job depending on layers etc...The porch was so small and it happened after storm Sandy so I know they were swamped but still--a year later they finally got it down after I totally lost it with them. Eh, contractor--getting them to show up is half the battle and those are the good ones.

I'm happy to say that I see a lot more police presence in the Eastern area of the Heights but I noticed something that's curious. There is a squad car or squad van parkeded on Hancock at all times. We just saw the police car leave and be replaced by a van so they're doing shifts..what's up with this?

Can't speak to them BUT I HIGHLY recommend Royal Heating and Cooling. I've used them for over a decade and they're awesome. I hate contractors and they are the ONLY ones who have Never let me down. Theyr'e in Jersey City on JFK, I think. No, I'm not a shill. The owner's son remiinds me of Steve Buscemi.

I'll take a close-up photo. My neighbor said our foundations are bluestone. Are you saying that traprock is similar to bluestone?
She said bluestone is very strong but I read online that the mortar should be softer than the stone.

Can anyone recommend a good mason? I have a 1902 Victorian that has a bluestone foundation (painted) that needs repointed here and there. I thought I could try it myself but after research about mixes and lime verses verses cement I would prefer a genuine authority. Also someone who won't scam me and tell me the house is falling down. Sorry if I sound bitter but contractor selection is like Russian Roulette around here.

Your feet--to #1---the bus to NY at either Central or Palisade
Your feet--to #2--the light rail at Congress to the Hoboken Path or anywhere downtown JC
Your feet--to #3--the cab waiting at your front door for $9 to take you to the Path
Your feet to #4--Hoboken itself--for free (weather permitting)
Your feet to #5--Zipcar to go to Ikea or weekend getaways etc..

I haven't had a car in 7 years and I don't need it or miss it. I used to live in Hoboken--the mile square city--and the people who live uptown 9th, 10 street--take the bus to the Path in the winter or if they just don't feel walking almost mile. We're 4 blocks from Hoboken's western edge with an elevator at Ogden so I don't why you think the transporation here is limited. It is very plentiful. The extra mode of Transport to get to the city is annoying but that's why we're not paying 1,800 for a studio in Hoboken.
A car is a luxury here--unless you work in the burbs and that has nothing to do with what's available.

" think you are beating down a scarecrow. No one has said someone is an idiot if they choose anywhere but Downtown"

I'd say "haven't a clue" is pretty comparable to being called an idiot

The trickle down/spillover effect is in full force in the Heights. When I look out my window at the people out walking their dogs or with the baby stroller or just walking, they're pretty good looking. It looks like Hoboken out there. I know there are a lot of Hoboken haters but you've got to admit they're all pretty good looking in that town. The Heights is large and many areas are still crappy but I'm near Riverview and THAT section is thriving right now.

A nice 2 bedroom condo in the heights with an elevator and parking for $90,000? Really? That's pretty cheap--even in this market decent condos in nice sections of the heights are more like $200,000 plus from what I can see, at least anecdotally...
$90,000 sounds more like a studio in the heights or a craptastic small railroad.

What cool bar? The Corkscrew? ehhh...I think we're on our way but I don't think we've arrived yet. There's no sidewalk cafe or restaurant to go to for brunch or dinner. I'm hoping that the buildings alongside Mod Cup will be renovated into restaurants eventually now that the zoning is available for it. There's one place for sale 2 doors down...

If farmer's markets and gourmet coffee shops are 2 inidicators then that would place the next nexus of hipsterness at Riverview Fiske Park in the heights. Modcup is awesome and seems to be always filled with people. Plus there's a yoga studio a block away...

Ask them if they'll rip it out. It's easier to rip it now without the grout down. You can compromise and throw a little extra money at them if they protest just to get it done properly--but if they didn't do it right the first time, what would be different the second. I used a rubber "float" to press down with all my body weight each area of the tile. You can't press these tiles with your hands and expect them to be even but if they knew what they were doing they should know this already. Once it's grouted and you run your hand over it, it may not feel as uneven because the grout brings everything to level. I'd be more concerned about water pooling.

I forgot to add that you should cover the tile smoothly with vapor barrier/plastic before you dribble the water just to get a sense of if it flows to the drain--or doesn't. You can get a roll of this plastic in the paint section of Home Depot for $3.99.

Did your old shower have a problem with water pooling/puddling?
If it did, the contractor should have leveled the floor before tiling. You didn't give really any information about this so it's hard to respond. What's under the tile? Is it hardibacker, cement or god forbid it's not plywood. It's odd that they didn't the edges. I've used this tile and I start from edge on one side and then cut at the ending side. You can put in a marble baseboard on top to cover any jagged floor tiles. These tiles won't crack so you don't have to worry about that but if you have standing water after a shower then that's an issue. I doubt very much that they're going to rip it up and do it again so it's not a good situation. Can you dribble a little water on there and see if it puddle? If it doesn't, I'd let it go. These tile very small and very thick and the mesh is very wobbly and I have some unevenness and I did it myself. One tile stuck out far enough that I might have stubbed my toe on it so I did remove and mixed a tablespoon of thinset and reset a new one.

I just saw it TWICE in 3 minutes--first going north to south and then it totally turned around and came back in the opposite direction south to north--parallel to Palisade--really low and loud

tommyc_37 wrote:
I think it's awesome that people have settled into the Heights because it fits their lifestyle perfectly. CapnJon it looks like we are in agreement - my advice to people considering the Heights is buy in the Heights if you love the way the Heights is right now. Not as an investment.


You don't have to LOVE the way the Heights is right now. You can think it's pretty decent right now but still has room for improvement. This strategy is called "Long term investing?"
There are ways to make money in real estate without the quick flip and your home can also be your retirement savings because it's long term. I agree with Christine that do not know the future.

That's a strange coincidence---my fantasy place to move to is Key West. I'm a sucker for Victorians and my fiancee needs heat and humidity like a spider. If I won lotto I wouldn't sell either. I'll own this house till I die...but a little conch cottage in old town or the meadows with a swimming pool and a Hemingway toed cat...oh yeah!

"Not that I have anything different to add than what has already been said, but my first thing is "who cares" about gentrification?"


I care about gentrification because I want my home to go up in value. Is that wrong? I don't think so. It's not the only reason I want change here but yeah, the bottom line matters to me.

Mod Cup across from Riverview park is so exciting! I was wondering what was behind the papered windows! I've bought a condo here back in 2002, sold it and bought a 2-family Victorian in 2007 so I am all for gentrification. My home is also an investment.
When I first moved here, NOONE had any interest in the heights. Now, everyone knows someone--or several people--who already live here and it makes the move easier for the former Hobokenites, New Yorkers etc...A cute little yellow restuarant on Bower Street (a block from Riverview) called restaurant 51 just opened. It used to be vacants so it's nice to see some life there vs boarded up windows. It's a very slow process though. We had a Churritos once on Central but it closed so it's hard to get too excited by new business but let's hope that Olive and Orange and Mod Cup turn a nice profit. Can you get a liquor license for the Palisade Avenue stretch across from Riverview? It seems that would be needed for real Skinner's Loft type restauranteur..