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Don't count your chickens before they hatch! The matter still needs to be voted on by the Council. This could be a ploy by Healy to be able to claim that he was opposed to the idea but was overruled by the Council.

Regardless of the outcome, the newly-stated rationale for approving the modified abatement is laughable, at best.

Well, this topic has been discussed ad nauseum, but it is simply mind boggling that the US Postal Service is SO deficient in JC. The USPS is arguably the best postal service in the WHOLE world. We pay next to nothing to send letters and ship packages, and the turnaround times are simply outstanding. Yet, sending mail (as well as its delivery) in JC is simply a crapshoot.

We have friends who lose packages on a regular basis. We have had mail delivered very late on occasion. We NEVER get package slips delivered until we get one stating LAST ATTEMPT with a return to sender date that is usually the next day. We have complained on many occasions and nothing has improved. Our building has a small mail dropbox that may, or may not, get picked up by whoever is delivering the mail that day. AND, to top it all off, the mail carrier shows up anywhere between 4:00 and 5:30 PM. We get never get timely delivery of mail.

Yeah, even the USPS sucks here in JC...

I don't know.... I guess I am (was) bored enough to call twice. The first time it sounded just fine, as in "city". The second time I called it did sound more like "shitty".

If you listen to the whole message, it does sound like the guy pronounces many words in a drawn out, closed mouth, style, which could explain the city/shitty thing. Regardless, it was good for a quick (brief) laugh. Perhaps it was a Freudian (albeit, non-sexual) slip.

Sobering numbers, by any measurement...

> 90% (24/26) of all county muders have taken place in JC

> On track to dwarf last year's tally (if this rate continues unchanged, JC is likely to top 34 murders for the year)

And before someone questions my 34 murders estimate, I came up with that number by dividing the total amount of murders so far (24) by the amount of days so far this year (257) and then extrapolated based on that result (i.e. (24/257) * 365). Really scary.

I always avoid getting involved in the political sniping of JCList, but this is beyond that. Team Healy ran on a "record" of lowered crime and enhanced safety/security. What a joke!

Relieve some stress by getting some of these and leave them on the cars whose owners have earned it.

Don't worry Wibbit, the flamecoat is not necessary!! I tend to agree with your takes on locations and buildings. And, like you pointed out, the quality of life issues in the area are definitely a downer.

The Foundry was much better when we first moved in. We are not owners (we rent from the original owner) so our stake in the building is much lower than for true owner residents. Still, I am VERY disappointed on the management and contractors doing the work. They seem to lack a clear plan for getting things done. If I was buying, I would be interested in this building because of the features (great hardwood floors, nice appliances, cabinets and layouts, as well as the 14 feet high ceilings) but would be hesitant because of all the issues that are not obvious to someone that hasn't lived here a while. Specifically, the contractors seem to be willfully ignorant of code and regulations, as they seem to fail every other inspection, and so they keep wasting time addressing deficiencies pointed out during those inspections. Case in point: a gym that has been LONG OVERDUE, was opened two months ago and then had to be shut down a few days later because it didnt meet all requirements. The same has happened with several units they have finished and then have had to modify before being able to rent or sell them. To answer your question, YES, the developer has pretty much given up on selling anything and they are now renting out the stock they have available. To make matters worse, they rent to anyone that is able (willing?) to pay without regards to whether or not they are suitable residents. Many of these new leases have been short term leases (six months?) so the new residents care very little for the few common areas we have and the overall feeling of the place has gone downhill... I truly despise some of the new residents, who have effectively ruined the good vibe of this place by taking little care of the building and by showing little regard for their fellow neighbors. Still, I like this building a lot.

As for the guy who pointed out the incident from last year where some deranged guy stabbed and killed a commuter, that was an isolated event involving a mentally unstable person. If I was to base my life based on the presence of mentally unstable people, I would never ride a subway, a bus, or work in Manhattan, or... well, you get the point. It was certainly a shame, and somewhat scary to have that happen so close to me, but life is full of surprises, not all good. That poor fellow who lost his life, and the family he left behind, didn't deserve that, but it wasn't something to be expected, in my opinion. Kinda like when someone walks into a mall and opens fire... not predictable, and it doesn't automatically make that mall a place to avoid. IIRC, the last mall where this happened was an upscale mall in an affluent, suburban area.

As for JCorNY, where the light rail goes to after I get off (whenever I use it, which is rare) is of little consequence to me... It could go straight to Hell and it would have little bearing to me if I am getting off before it gets there. LSP is several stops ahead of those nasty areas you mention. You ARE right about one thing: those areas should be avoided by most people, as they are tricky and dangerous, but I dont go there.

Anyway, I am NOT a liberal (more like a libertarian) but I can see how "living in a ghetto" can suck the liberal out of you... :) That made me chuckle. I still like to see the good in people, and I tend to focus on the good, rather than the bad, but it IS hard to live and keep up that attitude when faced with the realities of our dear JC.

Hey, I am trying to be realistic and honest. No agendas. I am not entirely happy with the neighborhood, but I recognize that it is better than many (most?) other parts of JC. That being said, what would constitute, in your opinion, a "real dream living situation" in JC??

I gotta say, I agree with FakeGreenDress... I think the PATH is awesome. Seriously. Here is a train that gets you from NJ into NYC for less than a buck and a half, and in very little time, and it runs on a schedule, and it is remarkably reliable given its age.

I do the bike/PATH commute (bike to Grove, hop on the PATH, get off at 14th St, then bike the rest of the way) and I follow the same schedule EVERY morning and never run into issues. I take the PATH train that arrives at Grove at 9:32 AM (sometimes it is ONE minute late) and it gets me to 14th St 15 minutes later, normally without delays, or issues.

My biggest gripe/complaint has got to be the over-crowding, which has gotten worse over the past two years, as well as the stench of BO during the Summer months. In fact, some days the stench is bad enough to warrant breathing through my mouth, instead of my nose, and turning myself away from the offending party...

Second biggest complaint has got to be the ignorance/apathy of conductors and other staff. On plenty of ocassions, I have had to explain to them the rules and regulations of bikes aboard trains (bikes are allowed at all times, other than weekdays from 6:30 to 9:30 AM, and 3:30 to 6:30 PM, and they are allowed in all cars, other than the first one). I now carry that particular regulation clipped out from their schedule so I can present it to them, when necessary. I have had conductors try and tell me that bikes are not allowed in the first two cars, or not allowed until 7:00 PM, or 10:00 AM. How can the conductors NOT know some of their own basic rules?

Anyway, I never understand why people hate the PATH so much. I think it is so much better than riding NJ Transit buses, or even some of the NYC subway lines.

Reading this thread shows the ignorance of so many...

First off, JCorNYC is full of BS. To go to LSP, you do not need to go through bad neighborhoods, or even approach them. You take the HBLR and get off at the LSP light rail station, which is the one after Jersey Ave (if heading South) and before all the other ones referenced by JCorNYC.

As for Wibbit, JennyMayla and GreenevilleChick, you are all taking extreme sides of the same topic. I live in The Foundry, which is very near where the shooting took place, and across the street from the LSP area. The area that sorrounds The Foundry definitely looks sketchy (at best) but it is rather safe most of the times. We could argue ad nauseum why it is "ghetto" but the fact remains that most people would find the area, at face-value, to be "undesireable". Still, I like the area and feel safer here that I would living in many other parts of JC, including the Ocean Ave mess, as well as many/most parts of the Heights. I bike in the area often and do not fear for my life, and my hot beautiful wife (who, if it matters, appears whitey, but is actually Mexican) walks in the area and visits the bodegas and corner stores, and we never feel threatened or at risk. The worst aspect of this area, besides the litter, chicken bones and dog poop, has got to be the constant noise late at night of trucks and cars, as well as the ocassional low-life arguing with a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Seriously, I think it is deplorable that they have yet to announce the restaurant(s) where this took place... It would be nice for people to be able to know if they need to worry about their credit or debit cards.

Sandman said
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The part about Costco not accepting credit cards is COMPLETELY inaccurate. Costco accepts American Express credit cards, as well as debit cards, cash, checks, and store gift cards.

No, I am not an employee, or even remotely related to anyone employed by Costco. I am just a loyal customer. I have been a member since 1997. Back then, the only credit card they accepted was Discover Card, which changed in late 1998 or 1999.

And I agree with whoever said that comparing BJs to Costco is a non-starter. Costco is in a whole different level.

Personally, I feel strongly about staying put for now and I have decided to continue renting for another two years, or so. At that time, I will re-assess my position. Obviously, most people feel very strongly about their positions and will argue them to death.

I invite all of you to use the following tool from The New York Times: New York Times Rent vs. Buy Calculator.

It is an eye-opener for a lot of people. Make sure that if you decide to use it, that you click on Advanced Settings and fill in the additional information. People make a lot of assumptions in the rent vs. buy debate, a lot of them ingrained into them by family and friends, but NYC and its surrounding areas are truly a unique beast when it comes to real estate (as it is also the case with large parts of California.) Once you factor in other criteria (especially condo maintenance fees, and other such high costs) most of the new real estate in this area is really not a good idea, even long term, unless you are banking on huge appreciation over the span of your ownership.

Hey, Bogart.

I am also a Club H member and I also ride my bike to the gym. I normally leave mine chained to the veranda, up the steps, next to the area where the tables and chairs are set up. I can keep an eye on it while I do my stuff.

Another piece of advice is to get a thin chain to secure the seat to the frame. I know, it sounds like overkill, but seats (and seat posts) are the easiest of targets for bike thieves looking for an easy score.

I also make it a point to constantly scan the area as I work out. Hopefully, the bike riders among us are helping each other by always looking out for our equipment.

With regards to the parking lot questions, their parking lot is open M-F after 4 PM, and all day Saturday and Sunday.

It is located West of the Hall (and Liberty Harbor) across the street from Jersey City Liberty Medical Center (Wilzig Hospital) and directly North of the Jersey Avenue Hudson-Bergen Light rail station.

Went there Saturday night, as opposed to Opening Night on Friday, and my experience was not at all like what is being described in this thread. Here is my take:

The layout is just great. The beers were great (some were colder than others) and business was flowing nicely. They had three main "bars" open for serving beer, which included the indoor bar, the indoor/outdoor bar and the outdoor bar. The outdoor bar is cash only. No lines at the kitchen this evening and things were moving along nicely for those that were ordering food. Went to the Hall with the wife expecting to get a couple of beers and kill a couple of hours enjoying the nice weather outside. We ran into some friends and joined their group after a while.

About the clientele, it was remarkably orderly given the amount of alcohol that was flowing. Not particularly rowdy, or loud. We left by midnight, so I can't really say how loud it got after that time. One thing that really struck all of us was the ratio of women to men: I had assumed (and so did my friend) that the place would be packed mostly with men, given the nature of the business (beer!!) but it is quite the opposite. It seems like men were outnumbered by women, and not by a little! Another great thing that I thought was very neat was the fact that the beer garden is "family friendly" and welcomes patrons with kids. I even saw some security type dude joking around with a kid making her laugh about something. All in all, a very positive experience.

About the food, I didn't have any, but the sausages looked great. Our friend ordered a sausage sampler that looked really good.

About the beers, we were REALLY happy about finding a Carlsberg tap in our area. We both love that beer, and it is impossible to find in this area. Even bottles are hard to come by, sometimes. Anyway, the Carlberg pour was a bit of a disappointment in that it wasn't icy cold. My second and third mugs were Spaten. My wife's were Leffe Blonde. All great beers, to our individual tastes, and no complaints about those pours.

My overall impression is that this place is awesome. Very good addition to the area. The Liberty Harbor residents probably feel differently, though. I will likely conitnue to patroninze Zeppelin Hall on a regular basis and look forward to it.

To fat-ass-bike and 1djcview,

Thank you for your sympathies and I whole-heartedly agree. Given the situation, I am also grateful that the driver chose to stop and "check" on me. There was no undoing what was already done, but his reaction after the incident was more (and better) than I expected.

In the end, nothing really happened. We both got spooked, but that was pretty much it. My thigh is a bit sore from the collision, but I am OK. In fact, I feel bad for the dude... my pedal completely scratched the lower part of his passenger-side door. I am sure it is going to cost him a pretty penny to get that fixed.

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Perhaps so, Heights. Indeed, I am NOT a native JC resident. So what? I think you would be hard pressed to find many people who live around here and don't think of JC drivers as nothing more than animals. My experience to date has been very bad. I am extremely careful when I ride my bike, or whenever I drive my car, but I am constantly in fear of an accident. Stop signs all over town are nothing more than Coke signs to most people, and the sheer volume of red-light running is breathtaking. I have seen it all here in good ole JC. I have seen people drive in reverse the entire length of streets (e.g., Gautier) because they are one-way streets and the driver can't be inconvenienced to do the full loop necessary to reach their destination. I have seen people turn left on reds, i have seen people double and triple park. I have seen cars bring down light poles, I have seen cars take the TURN ONLY lanes all the way to the front and then jump into the adjacent lanes while cars are flowing through. Quite honestly, driving in JC is quite an experience.

So, today I had a close encounter with one of our adorable JC drivers. This morning, as I was riding my bike home from the gym, I was almost ran over by a black Honda. The dumbass driver was travelling South on Pacific Avenue (heading from Grand towards Communipaw) when he apparently made a last minute decision to make a right turn onto Johnston. The problem is that he never saw me, or perhaps didn't even bother to look, and basically swiped me aside. Truth be told, I am very lucky in that I am constantly watching out for traffic and trying to anticipate people's actions, so I was able to react in a timely manner and came away with nothing more than a bump on my thigh and a scary experience to relay here to all of you. As for the driver, I was half expecting him to just drive away, but the did the decent thing and stopped his car. He asked if I was OK (you could see it in his face that he was SCARED) and apologized several times. I told him I was OK, so he left and I just went home.

Hopefully, this was a lesson learned for this driver. I continue to ride, so all is good for now.

To the poster above:

I am not sure what's your beef... I can imagine that having your car towed ruined an otherwise pleasant evening, but you have to admit that your actions led to the way the evening turned out. Chili's provides on site parking inside the garage that is directly to its right, in addition to the off-street parking spots that are directly in front of the restaurant.

If you came to this site looking for sympathy, move on. No one here is going to take your side in this situation. You chose to park in the wrong parking lot and got caught. It sucks, but they did nothing wrong. They are doing their job, regardless of the merits of their job, or how they go about doing it.

As for Chili's being part of Metro Plaza, I am not buying that argument either. They are certainly *next* to it, but their properly lot is actually separated from the Plaza by the HBLR tracks and a fairly clear black metal fence.

Count me in as another satisfied customer...

Stopped in yesterday (06/13/09) and bought some smaller items for my bike as well as my wife's bike. Good selection, very good prices and the staff was also nice. When I asked for an item they didn't have in stock, the guy that was helping me (Rodney) grabbed several catalogs, did the lookups and offered to have the item special ordered and delivered within days.

If you can, support this local business. We need more of these places in JC: good prices and a good attitude.

Indeed, the state is withdrawing the money allocation that funded the free rabies vaccine program. While it is possible that JC was providing free rabies vaccines through a municipal budget allocation, it is much more likely that the funds for the city program were coming from the state budget allocation. As with most government programs, the money was probably distributed at the state level to local entities. The rationale being that local entities know best how to effectively implement programs and achieve the desired goals. Of course, that doesn't always work out, as some local entities find creative ways to re-route funds. In any case, if indeed the city program was being funded by state money, then it will most likely cease to exist once the state shutters the current program.

Anyway, the state had some legitimate concerns about the way the program's resources were being used and accounted for, so the plan is to change the way that the state provides free rabies vaccines. In other words, the state will continue to provide this service, but not in the same way as it is handled at this time.

For the record, I do not work for the government, nor do I own a pet at this time. Just passing along information on this topic, before the thread gets hijacked and turns into a diatribe about state government budget cuts.

Lafayette wrote:
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I have been busy at work and not keeping up with the thread... I was somewhat surprised (although not entirely) to see that this thread has grown the way that it has.

I understand you, Lafayette. I live in the Bergen-Lafayette area. In the interest of full disclosure, I will go as far as stating that I live at The Foundry. The Pathmark supermarket on Grand is the closest supermarket to where I live. I actually patronize the place, in spite of the many shortcomings of that place. Why do I do this? It is close to me, it is somewhat convenient and I actually like the Pathmark supermarket chain (price, selection, etc.) Still, I am hard pressed to complain about the bollards. Are they inconvenient? YES. Would I rather they be banished? ABSOLUTELY. There is NO question, whatsoever, that they are a pain in the ass, that they are inconvenient, and can make a big shopping trip become a hassle. Still, I can not fault the store. As many have already stated, the alternatives are much worse. You never see Pathmark carts littering our streets. The same can not be said of BJ carts, or even some older Shoprite carts. Driving through the parking lot doesn't involve navigating around carts laying about, or even the occasional cart that is moving on its own as if driven by a ghost (both are common occurences at Shoprite). My wife refuses to go to Pathmark.... so, I understand what you are saying. Still, I have learned that the bollards are there for a reason. If you are absolutely dismayed by their existence, do not shop there. Right or wrong, each company has a right to run their business as they see fit. We, as consumers, can choose to not patronize the establishments that do not fit into our world view.

ripple said:
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I get your point, and I may even understand your beef. Still, I am convinced that you are wrong. The bollards are not responsible for depriving people of an optimistic outlook about life, or anything else like that. It is quite the opposite, really. It is because people have proven (over and over again) that they can not be trusted to do the right thing that Pathmark has resorted to putting up those bollards. The basic act of retrieving and returning a shopping cart to its designated place seems to be beyond comprehension for most of the JC population. This is not even open for debate... Do a search for the BJ cart thread; go visit the Target parking lot; go look around the Shoprite parking lot. BJ carts, for the longest time, were as ubiquitous in JC as fire hydrants in Manhattan. If you ever pay attention while shopping at the local Target you will notice plenty of shopping carts stranded towards the far corners of their parking lot. It seems like their sensors are set to you can reach the corners of the parking lot and then the wheels lock. People are then forced to offload their purchases and continue walking with their bags on their hands. At Shoprite, the problem is even worse... over there, you can find entire sections of the parking lot taken over by errant carts that people just leave behind, PLUS they also suffer from the abandoned locked-wheel carts that people try to take out of the parking lot area.

In general, I hate (HATE) what passes for customer service in our city (specially those three wenches at the Shoprite Customer Service Desk) but I can also see how dealing with the JC animals can drive some of these customer service people to behave the way they do... People around here have ZERO regard for their fellow citizen.

Anyway, I have digressed... my point is that those Pathmark bollards, as annoying as they are, have been erected by necessity. As much as I despise the limitations they impose on my shopping runs, I have learned to accept them as a necessary evil.

I am wondering about the same thing. I am told that any of the many Filipino restaurants/businesses in the area will likely have their TVs tuned to the fight. I was hoping for a bar, but I havent seen, or heard, anything concrete, so I may be having a Filipino dinner tonight...!

For those of you needing a little boost of local JC pride, you can rejoice in the recognition that McNair Academy just received from US News and World Report. They ranked McNair among the top 50 public high schools (in the US) and it was second in the state oj NJ. Pretty nice...

For those interested in a link to the article, here you go: US News and World Report Article

Enjoy!

aloria wrote:
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and

fasteddie wrote:
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+1... and fasteddie is 100% correct. I used to have this problem ALL the time. We live in a building with no doorman (JC Foundry) and the management office is only open until 1:00 or 1:30. The UPS douche would always show up shortly after the office was closed and claim that the addressee was not available and would promptly send the package back to Secaucus. Well, so one day I am sitting at home, waiting for a package that was showing up online as being out for delivery (gotta love the online status page!) and I am looking out the window waiting for the UPS guy to show up, or drive by. What do you know? The guy comes flying down Communipaw, makes an illegal u-turn at the very end and then speeds off the same way he came in. Didn't even bother to make an attempt at delivery. I checked the site and, yup, the package shows up as "Recipient Unavailable". I caught on to their game and started complaining, apparently to no avail. Like so many others in here, I too have made the trek of shame up to Secaucus (multiple times!) to retrieve my package from their undeserved purgatory.

Still, I must say that things have improved dramatically over the past several months. We actually get our packages delivered now, which is a welcome difference.

Or, better yet, don't waste time writing your own notes (on which you will undoubtedly leave behind some fingerprints and/or other self-incriminating evidence) and try this. In fact, seeing how drivers around here are such a menace to society, you would be well-advised to print a short stack of the notices in that site and keep them handy for all the idiots parking their cars without regard for the rest of us.

The Onion is #109 in Stuff White People Like.
Stuff White People Like #109

You mean this?

Not exactly close, but similar in nature. There have been other posts about cars being broken into over by the Paulus Hook / Gull's Cove area.

Honestly, with all of this crap going on, I would rather spring for the extra moola and pay for pratolled, or secured, private parking. If you get your window(s) smashed in once per year you would be breaking even. Besides, you can't put a value on peace of mind.

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So true with regards to JC crossing guards. Over by Communipaw, I have seen a mother with two kids almost get ran over because some crossing guard gave them the go ahead wave without bothering to stop the traffic that had the green light... yup, a big, speeding SUV gave them a nice morning scare! Those kids probably had to run back home and change their drawers.