GP, you truly have too much time on your hands . To the previous poster, while we may need occupied condos/apartments to justify certain retailers or establishments coming here, a plausible argument can be made that there are those merely visiting our city as a destination/alternative to Manhattan, etc. will shore up any shortfall of people actually residing here. I ate at OX recently and was flanked by two couples, neither of whom lived in JC. One lived in Rutherford and the other in Montclair. Was at Bar Majestic and met people from Guttenberg. We definitely need better entertainment options compared to other cities (SOPAC in South Orange, NJPAC in Newark, Landmark Sunshine in NYC, the Quad) and better retail establishments. Also, there's the premise, "build it and they will come" People would flock to this City even more so if there were more attractive established purveyors of entertainment and retail.

Glad to see the city selling off the "Employment & Training Office" A.K.A. The Bum Hang Out.

Also that's a nice Village Voice piece on Newark Avenue! I guess the writer is local -- or maybe she is soon to be. I like that last line!

"Places like the family-owned Skinner's Loft are gems that quietly make this city the best little neighborhood in New York."

But VanVorster that cut and paste job was a little jumbled -- the Iron Monkey part was a side note in the piece not the lead paragraph.



Here is the Village Voice link:
http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0750,jackson,78503,15.html

Now if we can just control the dangerous traffic on Newark Avenue and maybe get the street repaved!

Its a catch-22. There needs to be a population to support things like downtown shops, indie theaters and music venues. But without new condos, there simply isn't enough of a population base to support businesses like that.

Quote:

I've said it before, but it's ridiculous that the JC museum's lovely theater is barely used. They should show art & indie films. Art...get it JC Museum?

I agree. A Landmark Sunshine, Quad or Angelicka type theater would be great showing indie films. Speaking of which, check out Before the Devil Knows Your Dead.

it would be nice to see a theatre or music venue.

A.B.C***

anything but condos.

Liquid City VILLAGE VOICE
Newark Ave. Nights
"Restaurant Row" might be a stretch, but Newark Ave. is blowing up
by Sharyn Jackson
December 18th, 2007 6:53 PM

You can keep Manhattan
Mollye Chudacoff
Another Jersey Joint
Iron Monkey: This favorite watering hole's rooftop deck, with its excellent views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, is closed until spring. Stupid winter! But the views aren't the only draw: The after-work crew can snack on a charcuterie platter or lobster quesadillas from the refreshingly eclectic menu (not an onion ring in sight). The dark, wooden downstairs evokes a pub feel, while the second-floor lounge and art-gallery space has a classier vibe. Tuesday through Saturday. 97 Greene St, 201-435-5756.

This is not an argument about why you should live in Jersey City, where the commute to Manhattan takes eight minutes and costs less than subway fare, and an apartment goes for two-thirds of what you pay in the boroughs. Jersey City locals are tired of defending themselves against outdated perceptions that Jersey is a land of big hair and mob bosses, backed by a Springsteen soundtrack. Get over it. If we're always expected to jump on the bandwagon to the next hot spot deep in Brooklyn, the least you can do is cross the Hudson once in a while before Jersey-phobia causes you to completely miss the rapid rise of the gritty sixth borough.

Downtown Jersey City's metamorphosis from downtrodden fringe city to desirable alternative neighborhood has, for the past several years, been bound to Grove Street?a quaint three-block stretch of restaurants and caf?s. On the intersecting, aptly named Newark Avenue, something more desolate once greeted those emerging from the PATH. That's changing, though, with recent laws extending drinking hours. The strip of 99-cent stores and discount shoe retailers (and one lone bar) that till now has been referred to almost laughably as "Restaurant Row" is finally beginning to look the part. Hair nets and laundry detergent are still the hottest commodities here, but a sprinkling of high-end establishments is brightening the face of Newark Ave. The newest addition, itself a former shoe store, is Skinner's Loft (146 Newark Avenue), a two-story bar and restaurant. Crowded in the early evenings with commuters, and then with the late-night crowd returning from the city and seeking one last round, Skinner's Loft is a stop-by kind of a bar. But with close to 50 beers on the menu (from $4) and fruity cocktails (from $6), it's no dive. The crisp autumn martini, made with house-infused apple vodka and pear Grey Goose, is insanely strong, while the elderflower Belvedere martini, with sweet, flowery syrup, tastes like spring-flavored candy. Small plates, served until 11 p.m., include baked macaroni and cheese ($8), coconut chicken tenders ($6), and the surprisingly light and fluffy crab-and-corn hush puppies ($7). (Complete lunch and dinner menus are also available at the bar.) As for the d?cor, gilded mirrors, antique Jersey City maps, and artwork by local painters adorn the exposed brick walls, and scavenged items?including dusty floor tiles, church banisters, and a grand door frame?lend the look of an old-fashioned brownstone speakeasy.

The patrons are as diverse as the neighborhood?and the state. Early on a weeknight, an older writer pecked away at his laptop plopped down on the bar while Spanish-speaking sports fans cheered at the two wide-screen TVs. On a weekend, a loud table of dreadlocked drinkers nearly drowned out an argument between two white kids about whose Bon Jovi concert was better. Elsewhere, a couple of prim single gals brushed off a few frat boys, and by last call, frisky lesbians taunted greasy-haired Irishmen and Brazilians with a little boob-play for beer. It may not sound like much, but next to big, bad, segregated NYC, Jersey City's limited offerings actually bring people together. Places like the family-owned Skinner's Loft are gems that quietly make this city the best little neighborhood in New York.

Hopefully, whatever gets developed here will be a welcome addition to downtown's revitalization While good taste is definitely subjective, I would like to see a real retail corridor similar to The Grove at Shrewsbury in Monmouth County -- even the name is apropos (The Grove). While some may say that's really boring/unoriginal, it would add some specialty shops that are not currently at Newport Mall and contribute to the pedestrian friendly/new urbanism concept that this City is purportedly striving for and have other shoppers from other cities come here (JC is supposed to be a destination after all). We also need old-fashioned streetlights in this area akin to the ones on Wyoming in South Orange imho.

Jersey City to sell Newark Avenue building
by Ken Thorbourne Thursday December 20, 2007, 1:57 PM

A city-owned commercial property in downtown Jersey City will soon have a "for sale" sign.

City officials said they intend to sell 121-125 Newark Ave, a four-story building that houses nonprofit and government offices, including the Jersey City Employment and Training Program.



A redevelopment plan for the building will be adopted by February, and a request-for-proposals for interested developers will be issued shortly after, said city Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello.

"What we are looking for is a use that would activate and re-energize that that lower part of Newark Avenue," Antonicello said. "There could be a retail/entertainment use, a restaurant. There could be a number of different things."

City officials believe the property can fetch more than $4 million on the open market -- in time, they hope, for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.