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Re: This old factory: Buying in Downtown Jersey City's Dixon Mills
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My fiancee and I have lived in DM for a year now and we love it. I guess it's considered on the edge of downtown but it still feels very much in the center of things to me. Walk to the PATH and everything the Newark/Grove area has to offer is 5 to 10 minutes. We came from Manhattan and that walk seems like no big deal. We walked longer when living in the LES/East Village to get to the train so I really don't understand the perception of some people that DM is "out of the way". I've also never felt unsafe in the area and I come home at all hours of the night. Safety-wise it feels no different than most of brownstone Brooklyn or the parts of Manhattan that I've lived.
Don't expect finishes on par with some of the new highrises closer to the waterfront but you're also not paying those kind of prices. I personally think the developers struck a good balance between quality and value and I don't feel bad when I want to rip out a fixture to have something more to my liking. The combo washer/dryers are decent enough if you're patient and fine with doing small loads. The community itself is great. We have some wonderful neighbors and there's always opportunities to chat people up in the courtyards while you're grilling or hanging out. I'd say for the most part its a younger crowd, lots of 30-something couples, some with young kids. We've never had problems with mice or roaches in our unit but I understand that others have. It's something to be aware of but it's part of city living that I've gotten used to and the owners are working to alleviate any issues. We also don't have noise issues. If people have a party next door you can hear muffled sound but that's just part of apartment living. People are generally very respectful regarding noise. So yes, I wholeheartedly endorse Dixon Mills. Maybe I'm biased but we love our unit and we especially love Downtown JC. It's a perfect location for us.
Posted on: 2013/6/3 15:51
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Re: The Dopeness
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Man, you guys are harsh. I for one welcome the new place to the neighborhood. We should be embracing young, creative people who are trying something new in Jersey City instead of taking their entrepreneurial spirit to Brooklyn.
Hopefully they'll get rid of the corkage fee but this board is sounding pretty negative towards a new business.
Posted on: 2013/5/22 13:14
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Re: New PATH train schedule
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Quote:
Great article. This paints a pretty bleak picture of the Port Authority's budget issues. The WTC projects seem like they will have a huge impact on any other possible PATH/service upgrades for a long time to come. It would be really nice to see some pressure being exerted by Christie and our new mayor but with the PA being an independent organization it seems things may just continue to get worse.
Posted on: 2013/5/16 16:22
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Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
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Home away from home
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I'm hoping this is the right thread for this. Is there any sort of election night coverage either on the radio, local TV, or some sort of "live blogging" on any news websites? I'm wondering if there's a way to track things tomorrow evening or if we'll just find out once all the results are in and the winner is declared.
Posted on: 2013/5/13 14:52
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Re: Port Authority: woman jumped in front of PATH train in Jersey City
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You can call me insensitive but I'm with Subhasis and Crazy_Chester. No reason to inconvenience tens of thousands of people because you can no longer deal with life.
Posted on: 2013/4/26 18:17
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Re: Hard Grove Cafe
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The food at Hard Grove is decent enough but am I the only one who thinks this place is overpriced? It's certainly no better than any number of Cuban places in Manhattan that are priced about 20-25% less and it's fairly shabby decor-wise. I wouldn't have a problem with the prices if they spruced the place up a bit but right now they have upscale prices for a casual restaurant. It's one of the first places people see when exiting the PATH so it would be nice if they at least got the awnings that came down during Sandy replaced.
Oh, and they do a terrible job keeping their dumpster area clean. There's usually some sort of rancid liquid spilling out onto the sidewalk.
Posted on: 2013/4/15 14:15
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Re: Whole Foods in JC?
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Quote:
Took the words out of my mouth. A special congratulations to User111 who I know hates to see any positive developments downtown.
Posted on: 2013/4/12 16:14
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Re: Whole Foods in JC?
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Quote:
Unfortunately I have this same feeling. I could see it coming about in just that exact scenario you described. We'll see if it's still there in a few days.
Posted on: 2013/4/12 15:49
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Re: Whole Foods in JC?
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Obviously WF is a publicly traded company and makes a ton of money but they also have a reputation of supporting local agriculture/food businesses and treating their employees well. So yes, as far as a chain megacorp goes, I'd say they are socially concious.
Subia's is fine, the Farmers Market is great, but you won't convince me there's not a need for better grocery options in downtown JC. Key Foods did a nice renovation too so I won't knock them but it's not on par with the quality of WF. I guess "dire need" of grocery options is a reltive term. I'm aware there are vast swatches of inner city that are grossly underserved and that's sad and all but it still doesn't prevent me for cheerleading for a Whole Foods that's in walking distance for most people downtown. Whether you like it or not the typical Whole Foods consumers are abundant in Downtown JC now and this place would totally clean up. (I don't have a car and don't want one so driving to places that carry organic is of no interest to me. Fresh Direct is nice but unless you plan your weeks meals in advance it doesn't help when you want to run out and grab some things for dinner.)
Posted on: 2013/4/12 14:43
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Re: Whole Foods in JC?
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This would be amazing if it's for real! I'd like to think that Whole Foods is socially concious enough to put in a store that fits with the neighborhood. I'm sure a location in Downtown JC which has a fairly affluent population and is in dire need of a quality grocery option (sorry Key Foods) would make a killing. I'm skeptical that this is for real but would absolutely love if it was. A WF just a block away from where I live. Yes, please!
Posted on: 2013/4/12 14:30
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Re: New Jersey condo market is heating up: report
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Quote:
I've had the same experience. Realtors calling to see if I know anyone selling. They're saying they have no inventory right now and buyers waiting around for properties. Will be interesting to see how this plays out over the Spring/Summer real eastate season. If supply and demand are really as out of whack as they're making it sound JC and Hoboken could be in for some price jumps.
Posted on: 2013/4/11 16:28
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Re: 2 New Bars on Newark Ave.
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Quote:
That sounds great. Nice change of pace from the usual Miller Lite banners. Any word on when it will be opening? It seems like the progress has been very slow going.
Posted on: 2013/4/4 13:54
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Re: Future of Newport Mall
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I'll probably get labeled as lowbrow for this but I kind of like the occassional suburban indulgence of going to the mall and eating in a food court. After many years of living in NYC (and now JC) it's almost a novelty to have same mass market shopping experience that those in Iowa get to "enjoy". It's only a place I go a few times a year so I wouldn't miss it if someone with a grand vision bulldozed it but I don't see that happening.
Let's be real, Newport is just a characterless downtown planned community anyways. Could just as easily be Charlotte or Atlanta or Orlando. I'm not saying the mall is anything great and it would be wonderful if the pioneers of "new urbanism" had the forsight to preserve and redevelop differently back in the 80s but it's not like the mall is some blemish in an otherwise scenic Newport. It matches the generic southern city aesthetic of the entire Newport area, IMO.
Posted on: 2013/4/3 20:17
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Re: Steven Fulop for Mayor - MAY 14, 2013 JERSEY CITY ELECTION
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Just adding one more voice vouching for Fulop actively addressing issues. I live in Dixon Mills which isn't even in his ward anymore. On a couple occassions our management has reached out to him to address issues. Last one I recall involved the commercial grade fireworks that were being set off somewhere around Montgomery St. and caused a small fire. This happened three times and our management office reached out to Councilman Fulop who immediately took it up with Captain Connors of the JCPD and which spurred an investigation. That was the end of that problem. Our management office was CCd on the emails and kept in the loop.
It's rare to receive this level of attention from any elected official, let alone one who's ward you don't even fall under. Here's hoping JC puts someone with integrity in office in May. It's certainly been encouraging to see all of the fulop signs on stoops downtown.
Posted on: 2013/4/1 19:20
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Re: Fire on the second floor at Carolina's Laundromat
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I walked by this morning and saw construction signs and some sort of foil covering over the windows for the first time since the fire. Anyone have any info on what the plans are with this building?
Posted on: 2013/3/26 20:04
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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Quote:
Jesus Christ. What is it with people on this board and the PATH stations. I'm curious how many people have actually lived in NYC that complain to no end about the supposed crowding and how dirty the PATH is. Do we take the same trains??? The PATH is at least as clean as the NYC subway and not as crowded. I commute in every morning at peak rush hour between 8:00 and 8:30 and it's not nearly as bad as even underutilized MTA lines which I took for years before moving to JC. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like there's a lot of people in JC that begrudgingly moved from the suburbs to be closer to their jobs in the city. That's the only reason I can come up with for all the complaining. Seems like people who just don't like cities in general or have never lived in one. JC and the PATH aren't without their problems but c'mon.
Posted on: 2013/3/19 16:56
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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It seems like there will be no consensus on the MTA vs the PATH. Both have their problems but I prefer the PATH. It runs on a reliable schedule so you can at least plan your commute home on the weekend nights when service is less frequent then the MTA. During peak hours the PATH runs just as reliably as the MTA. Trains are every few minutes which is at least a good as my experiences on the N/R and J/Z lines.
JC will likely never be seen in the same light as Brooklyn and that's probably why recent transplants to NYC will choose to live in Crown Heights and Sunset Park over places like JC. Hey, you can tell your friends back home you live in Brooklyn which I guess earns you points. This is actually why I specifically like JC and the kinds of people it attracts. It doesn't have to be Brooklyn to have it's own cool vibe going on. Moving to JC is probably a pragmatic decision for a lot of people which means these people are also mature enough, laid back enough, and unpretentious enough to move to the "wrong side of the Hudson". It all depends what you're looking for in where you live. If you want "hot" clubs with bottle service where people will be impressed by your watch...well that sounds like a fking nightmare to me and I hope JC never becomes "cool" by that definition. If you're looking for a chill bar that you can actually sit at a table with your friends and not fight your way through a sea of drunk 23 year olds then JC is probably a good option. There's certainly a hell of a lot more within walking distance in JC than there is in any of those neighborhoods mentioned in the Times article. I don't think that's even debateable.
Posted on: 2013/3/12 13:29
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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Quote:
I guess there's no right answer to this since it depends on where you need to get to. I work right by the Path WTC station and my commute from JC takes less than it did when I lived in Fort Greene and took the 4 train. The Path is a much more pleasant commute, though. Sure, the MTA is probably better late night but there's no way you can convince me that the L train is a fun commute. Again, guess it all comes down to where you need to be and when to determine how convenient JC is. I'm not saying I wouldn't pick inner ring BK over JC if all else was equal but we're talking about the same price for Bushwick or Ditmas Park vs Downtown JC.
Posted on: 2013/3/11 23:07
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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Quote:
I'd disagree with that assessment. We initially started looking in Brooklyn when we were buying last year and by the time we were in our price range our options were places like Ditmas Park, Bushwick, and other places mentioned in the NY Times article. For the same price we were able to live two stops from Manhattan in Jersey City (Grove St). Two stops from Manhattan in Brooklyn means Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, etc. PRIME neighborhoods. To get the same space we have in JC in one of those neighborhoods our budget would have needed to be 50% higher (or more). No matter how you cut it, if you're talking proximity to Manhattan vs. price, JC wins over Brooklyn by a mile. There's plenty of arguments you can make about Brooklyn's superiority to Jersey City but price ain't one of them. And regarding the taxes being so high in JC (which they are) , you can't discount the savings from not having to pay NYC income taxes.
Posted on: 2013/3/11 20:58
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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I'm curious on this perception that the Path train is somehow this insanley crowded nightmare. Aside from when things were a disaster post-Sandy I'd argue that it's better than the subway. I take the train to WTC every morning and while it's crowded there's always room to get on. The 33rd street train seems downright pleasant compared to the subway. Probably because the 33rd st train only runs from JSQ but the trains look like they're at half capacity.
Before I moved to JC about a year ago I lived all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. I commuted on the J/Z/A/C/4/5/N/R and every one of them was as bad or worse (sometimes MUCH worse) than the PATH. Sorry, I know this is a bit of a tangent but every time something about gentrification or development comes up here people start making it seem like the PATH is the Tokyo subway.
Posted on: 2013/3/11 18:41
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Re: NYTimes article "Moving deeper into Brooklyn for lower home prices" -- getting lots of JC comments
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Glad to see this article pop up here for discussion. I was reading it yesterday and I'm amazed that people are opting for places like Crown Heights and Prospect-Lefferts Garden over Jersey City. My fiance and I were among those who were looking to purchase deeper into Brooklyn when we realized the places we were seeing were essentially in the ghetto or in areas with very little in the way of amenities. We quickly got over the psychological barrier of the Hudson when we found what was available minutes from Manhattan for the same price range as Ditmas Park, Crown Heights, etc.
I'm torn on whether I want to see JC stay just as it is without the pretensions of the inner ring Brooklyn hoods or whether I am rooting for the full on "Brooklyn-fication" of Downtown JC and the amenities that would mean.
Posted on: 2013/3/11 15:16
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Re: How safe is Monmouth Street
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Agree with Ripple. I live one block east of there and have no problems. My fiancee walks home at night by herself and hasn't had any issues (knock wood). It really doesn't feel much different than walking anywhere else near the Grove St. area. For some reason Monmouth seems to be a fairly busy cross street so between that and Columbus noise will be your primary concern, not safety.
Posted on: 2012/10/3 20:29
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Re: PATH (pathetic attempt at transporting humans)
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Sorry if this has been covered here before but does anyone know why the WTC train is sometimes missing the final car so it's the same length as the 33rd st trains? I typically wait at the end of the platform and everyone then has to race and pack into the final car of the shortened train. It's really only a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things but this seems to be happening a lot in the last few weeks.
Posted on: 2012/10/3 13:55
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Re: WTC and JC home prices/rents
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We were looking at 1 or 2 bedrooms. Both were very scarce. We ended up in a two bedroom. Also, I thought it was conventional wisdom that two bedrooms were more desirable than one bedrooms partially because of the ease of reselling them. When 1 bedroom and smaller units start selling quickly it's usually a sign that younger people are buying which is a bellweather for a "hot" market.
Posted on: 2012/9/27 19:50
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Re: WTC and JC home prices/rents
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I'll chime in here since I actually just bought a place in the beginning of the summer. Obviously anecdotal evidence so take it as you wish:
My fiancee and I lived in Manhattan and wanted to upgrade our space but were priced out. Brooklyn is hardly a bargain these days either so we started looking in Jersey City and loved it. I work by WTC so the commute and the eventual completion of the Fulton Transit hub were a big draw. We put in an offer on a one bedroom in a brownstone at full ask. On the final day of attorney review the seller received a higher offer and didn't bother to ask us to counter. We wouldn't have anyways out of principle. We went to numerous open houses and repeatedly ran into places that were in contract just days after the listing went on the market. Happened just about any time something seemed fairly priced (I know that "fairly priced" is a relative term). We ended up looking in Dixon Mills and loving it (not looking to debate the merits of DM, just stating what we thought). We purchased a two bedroom there in June. Since then I've kept an eye on the listings coming on just to see how our timing was and units similar to those we were looking at beginning back in February seem to be coming on the market a couple % higher. Again, from an anecdotal standpoint, supply seemed very limited in downtown. I can also say that banks ARE lending, they just have stricter standards and want extensive documentation for EVERYTHING. Just my 2 cents.
Posted on: 2012/9/27 16:10
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Re: Wayne Street Issues
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That block, specifically the north side, is a small pocket of lowlifes in an otherwise very nice area. I doubt they're dangerous but I purposefully avoid that block if I'm coming home late night and walk up Columbus or Mercer instead on the off chance someone wants to play tough guy that night.
I know there's been some attempted shootings at the playground and I'm surprised there isn't more being done to clean up that spot. In reality you'd mostly just be dealing with quality of life issues like trash being strewn everywhere, loud music, people loitering at all hours, etc. It's literally just that 50 yards from the playground to Jersey that's a problem.
Posted on: 2012/8/21 14:47
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Re: neighborhood around 1st and Brunswick
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Why? I'd argue that some of the most well maintained and charming brownstone blocks in all of downtown JC are between Jersey and Varick.
Posted on: 2012/7/26 17:23
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Re: JJ POLICE BEAT: face slashed (JS), gun shots(DT), park beating(Gv)
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Haven't there been longstanding issues at the playground on Wayne? Can anyone who's been in the area for a while attest to if it's better or worse than it used to be? I seem to remember reading on here that there were efforts to clean up that block but it sure doesn't seem like its working. I walk down Wayne to/from the PATH train every day and, as JCBoyz mentioned, the part of that block closest to Jersey is a disgrace. Trash strewn everywhere, loud music, people sitting around drinking all day. Looks like someone also decided to tag Thirty Acres' window with etching fluid last week and I can't help but think the a-holes who hang out by the playground all day had something to do with it.
Posted on: 2012/7/19 14:27
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Re: Some parent's what are you thinking!!!!!
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Speaking of kids peeing in public: Last week during morning rush hour at 8:15am, right on Grove St. in one of the trees in front of MXYPLYZYK. Kid is probably 3 or 4 years old and just letting 'er rip with the Mom holding his hand. I'm new to Jersey City but is this, like, a thing here? Either way, it's better than 25 year olds peeing on my stoop in the Lower East Side.
Posted on: 2012/7/17 14:27
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Re: Manhattan rents experience highest rise in 5 years
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I agree to an extent. I can't picture JC ever being a popular area with new arrivals to the metro area. The whole, "I didn't move to NYC to live in NJ attitude". I do think, however, that it is becoming more and more of a popular option with those who are searching for many of the same characteristics as Brownstone Brooklyn and those in their mid-late 20's and up who have lived in NYC for a while and have accepted that their lives and careers will be in the area for the long term. Maybe I'm just relying on the anecdotal evidence from my own situation and those of my friends considering the area. Sure, if you're 22 and slumming it with 5 roommates in Bushwick and are just living a freewheeling lifestyle in the NYC scene then JC won't be a draw. But if you're settling down a bit and looking for the happy medium that sorta resembles those prime Brooklyn nabes, you could do a LOT worse than Jersey City. It doesn't seem to be the best area around for singles but I don't think that's the kind of crowd JC would attract anyways. I personally am settled down, in a stable career, in a relationship, and am realistic enough to know that Thirty Acres is a reasonable surrogate for the "real deal" Momofuko since neither one is a place I'm eating at on a weekly basis.
Posted on: 2012/7/13 18:37
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