A beautiful story of train karma...

I got on one morning, and there was one seat left. However, it was covered with the purse and shopping bag of some b*tch who stared at my (clearly) pregnant belly and pretended to go to sleep. Someone else graciously gave me their seat, which I gladly accepted.

Next stop--your typical crazy ranting homeless guy got on, screamed at the woman to move her stuff, plopped down right next to her, and proceeded to rant and rave to her about Armageddon for the next twenty minutes.

Priceless.

Our last landlord was definitely one of the good ones. She has two buildings in Hamilton Park--one she charges a lot for, and one she keeps at a very low price for moderate income folks. (She advertised in the Jersey City Reporter, so you may want to check there while searching.)

We, unfortunately, just bit the bullet and moved to Journal Square after searching in vain for a bigger place we could afford. I've seen other friends have to leave downtown as well over the past 2 years--good people with good jobs, but not making enough to afford $1700 on a studio apt.!

OneSkirt, you may want to contact Jasco. They have a building on 5th Street, and we paid $950 for a nice little one bedroom there a few years back. (My friend lives there now, for the same amount, and he's very happy.)

I went to Dr. Mangia for a while (he's on Washington Street, I believe), but I got tired of waiting for hours on end to be seen. I now go to Hoboken for all of my doctors. Dr. Balacco/Dr. DeMarco on Washington are terrific, and very close to the PATH.

BrightMoment,

Thank you so much for being proactive and keeping us informed. This community will only be safe if people take ownership and stop complaining. It's refreshing to read posts like these instead of "I think I maybe possibly saw something" or "something must be done!"

What I love about J.C.? Positive threads like this.

Seriously, everyone's named everything I've loved about this place since moving here in '98. There is just no other place like J.C.!!!

Thanks, Australian, for asking a great question.

Chama, welcome to JC! I've lived here since '98 and I LOVE it. I even talked my husband into moving here from the L.E.S. when we got married, and now he loves it too.

Pros:
1) The "B & R"s (born and raised in J.C.) People who've lived here forever really love their town, and it's infectious. Really make an effort to get to know your neighbors. Their stories about crazy "Boss" Hague, the Stanley Theater, and all kinds of local legends are priceless.

2) Actually being able to say "hi" to people when you walk down the street (and having them say "hi" back!)

3) True diversity--not just "pockets" of one ethinicity or another. I used to teach at St. Mary's on 3rd Street, which represented over 40 different countries. Racial tension was nonexistent--which, coming from Philly, I was happily surprised by.

4) Some "suburban" perks--like the mall, Target, actual grocery stores, etc. For your creature comforts.

5) A burgeoning arts scene. I've been to some art shows at Victory Hall (on Grand Street), and I'm involved with the Attic Ensemble (great little theater company on Wayne Street). Local artists' work grace the walls of numerous restaurants (White Star, Baker Boys, etc.) My landlords are also both artists (who wisely bought a few houses years ago when they were dirt cheap!) There are some incredibly gifted people in this area--without the pretention of some NYC artists.

6) Having my NYC friends over for barbecues in our huge backyard!

Cons:
1) While gentrification benefits some, it hurts others. It's an interesting time to be in J.C.--although I love cute coffee shops as much as the next person, I worry about the bodega owners who've been here long before most of us.

2) People who move here thinking it's the next Williamsburg, and then whine about the crime, parking, blah blah blah...it's a CITY, folks. If you want Montclair, it's just a few miles away.

3) If you're by Hamilton Park (like me), there's no super-quick way to get to the PATH. The mini-buses just seem to run up and down Newark. So put on your sneakers and schlep to Grove or Pavonia!