Ouch... I'm for real. I've lived all over the place Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Las Vegas, and now Jersey City. I was not baiting or trolling, I promise. My head is not in my ass! My point was that JC is a seriously segragated town. My OP might have come across the wrong way. Let's not all get so uppity and worked up.

I recently had to take a detour and was using the WAZE app. I've lived Downtown for the last six years and rarely go to other parts of JC. This navigation app took me away from the turnpike and up Ocean Ave to 440. I've got to tell you, the state of our city is not well. I seriously wonder if most people who live downtown are like me and just never think about the rest of the city.

I was pretty sketched out and wanted to run red lights to get the hell out of there. WAZE does not consider the safety of the neighborhood, it just gets you from A to B the fastest way.

I was saddened by how divided our city is and thinking about what needs to be done to help the areas of JC that are in need of serious help. I think if more people, like myself, actually got out to see the poverty in this town we'd come together to make all of JC a place to be proud of. It clearly appears all of the energy from our government is going into Downtown and JSQ

It's pathetic that a traffic APP on my IPhone was the one thing that got me into another area of the city I would otherwise never think of going.

This post is only meant to get downtowners off their butts and check out what is going on just minutes away. I'm totally guilty of living in my little bubble as well. We need to find a way unify the city. It's shocking what poverty and sadness is out there.

I'm looking to volunteer or do whatever I can, to help those of all of Jersey City. I'm proud to be a resident of Jersey City and that includes all disctricts, not just downtown.

I never understood how some of those cheap department stores and bodegas could afford to stay open with how high rents are. Man how things have changed downtown!

I would not even call this a mural. It looks like a grade school project. It does nothing to enhance or beautify Newark Ave. The fact that it's caused so much distraction and conversation shows that it was a bad idea. City resources should be put into other areas.

I had a JCPD Officer ask me if "I eat crayons all day?". I never heard that phrase before but my friends explained to me that he was basically calling me a retard. He walked up to my car and yelled it into my window. I was at a malfunctioning traffic light and he was directing traffic but I thought he was waiving me forward. I started to pull into the interescion and that's when he walked up to my car and yelled that. He was very angry. I should have gotten his badge number. I see them being disrespectful all of the time.

Why are people so awful to eachother?

Nothing surprising about this story and that is sad.

Does anyone know what was going on Thursday afternoon at the shell station near the westbound holland tunnel and Marin? There was a lot of police, fire, and ambulance cars surrounding that gas station for a while. I could not find any real time news on the matter.

I've lived in Metropolis towers for six years. They certainly could use a renovation!

Interesting because I've always heard there were plans to add two more towers in that lot and the complex would make a square with an assumed park in the middle. I guess that will not be moving forward? In any case, traffic at the corner of Marin and Columbus will be more of a nightmare than it already is.

Still looking forward to a Whole Foods though!

With all of the people walking up and down Washington Blvd in Hoboken, it's crazy to me that they have no pedestrian lights at the intersections from first all the way to 14th. I have to look up at the traffic light to see if I can cross the street safely and even then, it's usually a single light and it's hard to tell if it's about to change when you step out into the street.

I'm surprised that no upgrades have been done to the system there on Washington. Walking around JC feels a lot safer.

I'd be interested to see the stats on how many people get hit by cars in Hoboken. I feel like the side streets are even worse. Stop signs and painted crosswalks only go so far. Anyone else annoyed by this?

One of my favorite spots is Sawadee on Newark. They have great food and some healthy options. Teppan Bar and Grill on Warren behind 50 Columbus is also one of my go too spots.

Why Acura rims? What makes them more special than any other?

I drove through the area today. I really don't want to leave Jersey City. All my friends are here and I love it here. I'll continue to keep this neighborhood on my list as well as the heights. I'm also considering staying put in my current dwelling downtown as the more I look around, the more I realize I'm getting a great deal where I've been. I might need to just put up with an outdated and small apartment to keep the low rent. They really have not raised the rent me much in the last six years. I'm living downtown for very cheap.

Thanks for the feedback all! This has been helpful.

I have been living in Metropolis Towers for several years and looking for a new place in April. I need a little more space and don't care for high rises and the busy nature of the building.

I saw a nice rental on Monitor St in Bergen / Lafayette. It's available in April, which is when I plan to move. It has a washer and dryer in the apartment and looks nice. I have scheduled and appointment to walk through. It's recently been renovated.

Any input on this neighborhood? I don't get out of downtown much, but I am a walker and it seems like I could easily live there and walk to my usual hangouts downtown. It's not that far from where I live now. I have no problem walking 20-30 minutes to get anywhere. I also have a car and drive to the meadowlands each day to work. I'd hate to leave downtown, but the rents are crazy for what you get and this place seems really nice.

I like that it's also near the light rail and the park, but I am not familiar with that area and just want to know if it's safe.

Boston if the weather wasnt so horrible. Not that ours is that much better...

I used to work for a pizza chain and we were told to tell customers that the delivery fee we charge goes towards gas and insurance. Some places break out the delivery fee and others pad it into the cost of the food so that everyone pays towards those costs regardless if they picking up or having delivered.

At the place I worked we reported our vehicles mileage at the start and end of our shift. We were given gas money each night based on how many miles we drove.
Apparently, part of the delivery fee we charged went to that.

I have street parked for six years in zone 1. I usually got a renew notice from the parking authority when my sticker was due to be replaced. This year there was no notice. I work in the meadowlands so I leave the city each day and I really can get away with no valid parking sticker since nights and weekends are not enforced. I still want to keep my parking sticker current in case my situation changes.

I sent them a new application three weeks ago with a check for the 15 bucks. The check has not been cashed. I call but cant get in touch with anyone who can help me figure out what is up with my sticker. Why is it so hard to get simple things done in this town?!! I guess I have to actually go the office?

Why not tie hundreds of helium balloons to ourselves and we can float over the river?

I make the left from grove onto Columbus everyday and I can say that the signals were better before. Plus, there was no signage that the signals had changed so people were expecting the delayed green across the way and cross traffic starts barreling at you when you are in the intersection. I also agree the cops assigned to directing traffic on columbus spend the majority of time just standing on the sidewalk doing absolutely nothing.

We needed some rain. What worries me is that there is not much media hype about this. Thats when it usually is bad!!

I dont know why this is even an issue. These are public schools, right? Isnt there supposed to be some kind of separation? Put you kids in a private school if you want religious days off.

There still seems to be a good quantity of "problem buildings" downtown. Parts of Wayne street certainly feel not in character with the rest of the neighborhood. Also, Jersey Ave south of Key Foods; you have beautifully restored buildings as you walk down Jersey ave from Newark to 2nd and then you hit this one building and its surrounded by sketchy people hanging out front and basically shouting at eachother or on their phones cursing and acting crazy. It drags down the block. Also, Montgomery street between Varick and Jersey has some shady buildings. Columbus west of Grove...you get it. Its a shame we have such great neighborhoods downtown that get spoiled by some horrible buildings and the people who live in them. I would not want to invest in a property that sits on the same block or across the street from some of these places.

Sackett Street again. I feel like that street is scene of a high amount of crime stories I read. Must be one of the worst parts of town.

There are a lot of panhandlers who hang out around that building. I know that is one of the reasons Box left. They thought it deterred business. Hopefully this new place does not the same problem.

They seem to congregate around that little parking lot next to the building.

Anyone know whats up with Skylark Diner in Newport? I walked by and was going to stop in for a drink today and the door was chained and pad locked.

I moved into Metropolis Towers almost 5 years ago and remain here today. There have been a couple of times I considered moving into a different building downtown, but really did not want to go through the headache or expense of moving so I remain here.

I've been lurking around the forum for some time, but since this topic came up, I decided to create an account and post to give some insight into living here.

The place is not as bad as some make it out to be. I had a major roach problem when I moved in as well as several leaks. All issues were swiftly dealt with by management. I've been able to create a nice, cozy place in my spacious studio. Many of the other tenants here do not seem to take the same pride in their living space. My impression is that a lot of maintenance issues go unreported until a serious problem arises which affects other units. On that thread, Ive recently noticed the quality of people moving is is improving. The residents are changing and with this, I can only image that improvements will be made on a consistent basis to keep up with a more demanding clientele. That makes me hopeful for the future of the buildings. The major thing that keeps me here is that the building is freaking slab concrete and I cannot hear my neighbors. I occasionally here people in the hallway; but upstairs, downstairs, left and right, I hear absolutely nothing. A good night of sleep is important to me.

Its common knowledge amongst the tenants here that the parking lot and parcel will soon be under development now that the ground has been cleaned. I can only imagine that these "ugly buildings" will one day be "boutique and retro" compared to the stark and stale high rises going up around block. My neighbor bought her apartment back in the 80s and I can only imagine how little she paid compared to what it is worth today. You have to remember that the towers are not just renters, they are home owners and many would be against packing up and leaving under eminent domain. The buyout would need to be more than fair for them to let go of that investment. Eminent domain does not even seem like a slight possibility.

Regarding the balconies; I really cant say whats up. I've been told that they are slightly raked for rain water runoff. Who knows. Last year, I received a note on my door alerting me to give access for engineers to inspect it. Everyone with a balcony had that note, so its possible there is an issue, or it might have just been an inspection that happens every few years. I am not sure why the scaffolding is around both buildings, might have something to do with it? Scaffolds went up years ago, came down, and then quickly went back up. I have not asked management about it.

Regarding the front desk staff and management, you get what you give. I am always friendly and nice to them and I get the same in return. They say hello, are courteous when I lock myself out of my apartment, and they will flag me down if they know I have a package waiting.

The only gripe I have about the building is not the age of it, how it looks, or how much retail space the parking lot is taking up. It's that we have a lot of tenants who just do not take much pride in where they live. They smoke in the stairwells, throw garbage on the rubbish room floor (too lazy to actually put the bag down the shoot), sweep their floor out into the hallway, let their kids ride bikes in the hallway at 11PM, keep household junk on the balconies, and so on. Also, this is not a building designed for children. My lord there are so many people here crapping out kids! Where are they keeping them?! I've seen couples with two kids exiting apartments I know are studios. But like I stated above, the people disrespecting their living space are slowing moving out. It's going to be a nice change for the building. One day I might be priced out too! You never know...