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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
 
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saabconv wrote:
Quote:
Are you asking me out? Because I think you were asking me out.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 21:26
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I'm with you 100%. Except for the lunch thing, but that's just because it never occurred to me, lol.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 15:43
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Just can't stay away
 
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grove st bars close at midnight? ouch!
Posted on: 2009/4/9 15:28
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Just can't stay away
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tommyc,
i'm gonna half way agree with you here. you're right 'downtown' needs a decent strip. but don't forget about the rest of jc. you have central ave. westside ave. mlk ocean newark ave, past dickinson hill grove, around city hall and not for nothing, we've always gone to bergenline (union city, n.bergen) ferry (newark) washington (hoboken) broadway (bayonne) i mean all of these cities have always been like one "big community" in a sense. i know people are gonna flame me for saying that, but it's true. there's strips everywhere! pedestrian friendly... more or less.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 15:27
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
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Quote:
No, you're not the only one. I'm the original poster, and in my original post I stated that I indeed love living in Downtown JC. I can afford to live anywhere in the NY metro area and choose here. I guess what I'm trying to say is I long for a more pedestrian friendly strip like I saw in Hoboken last weekend. Who wouldn't want that? It would do wonders for the city. JC doesn't have to become Hoboken - I wouldn't want that - but let's face it, there are some elements of Hoboken that are indeed desirable, for any city. A central, walkable business strip is one of those things. Heck, where I grew up in Cranford has that. So the question is, can Newark Ave or Grove Street develop somewhat of a scene? Both are far from it. Jersey City, in the next census, will be a city of nearly 300,000 residents. I know Manhattan is right across the pond, but it's a bit of an embarassment that most of the bars here (at least the ones on Grove Street, which is supposed to be a main drag) close at midnight. It's depressing. Some people like to go out at 10 pm and stay out until 1 or 2. Heck, sometimes I don't even get done working until 10 pm.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 14:41
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Just can't stay away
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You're definitely not the only one. I think its MUCH better than Hoboken - a more mature and I think - ATTRACTIVE - bunch of people in JC! And the food is definitely better - if you know where to go...
Posted on: 2009/4/9 14:21
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Quite a regular
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Am I the only person in the world who loves JC? I don't want it to be Hoboken, and I don't want it to be Manhattan. I have to work in Manhattan. Luckily, I don't have to live there. And the best weekends in the world for me are the ones when I don't have to go across the Hudson. So I, for one, appreciate all the bars and restaurants here. And I try to frequent them as much as I can.
(In fact, I often come back to Jersey City for lunch when I get the opportunity.)
Posted on: 2009/4/9 13:52
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Yep. I agree. There are some restaurants in JC that do fine. It's just the ones that get too big for their britches that fizzle out. Save pricey and pretentious for Hoboken.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 11:01
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Too many restaurants. Or not enough density. Or bad management/ pricing/ deals/ chefs. Or JC people don't have as much disposable income. Or we're uglier.
Or maybe the restaurants are doing ok, but check this: JC is not a playground like Hoboken is... and thank god for that.
Posted on: 2009/4/9 6:19
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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One answer - JC residents are cheap and they drink in NY after work with work colleagues.
Posted on: 2009/4/8 17:00
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Quite a regular
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I think the problem is the prices also.
The food also has a tendency to be pretentious.
Posted on: 2009/4/8 16:18
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Quite a regular
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people here have cars. they are not bound to the neighborhood the way manhattanites are.
the restaurants that have opened recently all have NYC prices. why not just go to NYC?
Posted on: 2009/4/8 15:01
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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The typical person that would move to Hoboken is probably looking for more than a little nightlife. The typical person who would move to JC is probably not looking to spend Saturday nights bouncing up the street from bar to bar. We have met other neighbors here who felt that they had simply outgrown Hoboken. That being said, it would be nice if there was a central Restaurant Row for those increasingly rare nights when we still have the energy to do a bar crawl. Albeit a tame one.
Posted on: 2009/4/8 13:47
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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I think the reputation (deserved or not) deters people from Manhattan/Brooklyn of coming over to JC. So it's not really a destination town.
So that leaves the locals. My sense is that many people live here as a cheaper alternative to Manhattan/Brooklyn. That mentality also applies to discretionary spending and as a result there is just not a big concentration of people looking to spend a lot at restaurants/retail. That is my guess why the higher end places don't do well. M&P, Lighthorse seem to be enough to serve the spending contingent that does live here. I also think the fact that Grove St and Newark don't have tons of foot traffic late night hurts any chances of a major bar scene. Who knows maybe this changes with time, but my guess is that with development grinding to a halt that things stay the same...
Posted on: 2009/4/8 13:38
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I would say it's easier to go out in Hoboken. In JC, there's more crime, so it's not always pleasant when you think about walking home in the dark. this says a lot about the situation in my opinion. I grew up in Northern Jersey. When I met people from that area my age, they ALL went to Hoboken to party, if not NYC. In Hoe-pokin', there are more bars in a smaller area, cleaner and aesthetically more pleasing.....and the safety thing is big. JC has a reputation, at least in the section of Jersey I grew up in, of a place full of crime and still underdeveloped. 2 things that deter people from visiting. And let's face it.....at the very least, the crime reputation holds true. It's no different than Newark. I remember maybe 5-6 years ago I started hearing people saying, "wow, there are some really great restaurants in the Iron Bound, you should check it out," where immediately after everyone would roll their eyes and someone would say, "yeah, but I simply won't go to Newark." JC I think gets plenty of its own inhabitants coming to the restaurants and bars, but it lacks the cashflow from other cities in Jersey, and this is a major difference between Hoboken and JC. Growing up I knew nothing about JC, but everything about Hoboken.
Posted on: 2009/4/8 8:41
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Newbie
 
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It's a simple thing really.
It's a town that has access to the city and knows the difference between fresh, good, food and crap. That being said, it's also a town full of people that don't expect to pay city prices, but are still looking for everything to be similiar in quality to the experience found throughout manhattan. Many of the restaurants I've been to are damn near giving away stuff on most nights. Times being what they are, it's hard to grab any customers at all really. Especially hard, from what I've overheard and seen, is the customers that do come complaining about how much things cost. ("come on 6 dollars for a beer") I literally heard a lady complaining after she had eated her meal, had a btl of wine with her bf or that she didn't expect to spend so much money. She was haggling with the bartender. Like the place was hiding the prices. The fact of the matter is that there are PLENTY of options in this town to eat at. And more coming. I can walk into any of the restaurants/bars mentioned with 30 bucks and walk out full and happy. Heck, on thursdays I go to the embankment and for 30 dollars I get a three course meal. The wine on the list ranges between 19 and 30 dollars a btl. and it's great. I can get a good burger at more that 5 places, good pizza, etc. You'll see. The nicer it gets outside, the more people will be walking around... 
Posted on: 2009/4/7 17:50
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Just can't stay away
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Quote:
The Witty Comeback Awards called. No... wait... wrong number.
Posted on: 2009/4/7 16:51
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Hey OP,
Have you tried walking into Madame Claude's on a Sat. night without a reservation?
Posted on: 2009/4/7 16:09
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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I was out on Sunday. All the restaurants were packed. An hour wait for all on Grove. I went over to the Light Horse Tavern and still waited half an hour.
The Merchant has a private party so that's why nobody was outside.
Posted on: 2009/4/7 14:47
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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I agree with several other posters who have noted that lots of single women have moved to Hoboken over the last twenty five, if not more, years. It was always considered safer than Manhattan and of course, cheaper. And safer than JC.
No one has mentioned that Hoboken is a college town. I think that fact and the relative abundance of single women has made Hoboken a destination for night life, everything smaller, closer and less intimidating than NYC.
Posted on: 2009/4/7 3:40
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Don't be shocked. As other posters have mentioned there were many people sitting outside M&P, Beechwood and the Merchant on Sunday. I dont know why the OP didn't see these people and seems to focus on the lack of people outside Majestic. Maybe we should take his observation skills into consideration when considering the comment about the relative attractiveness of women in JC & HOB. Some guys find younger women more attractive in which case I would understand but not agree with his comment. Always seems to be more of the sporty female types in Hoboken, prancing down the street in their track suits (in not always an entirely convincing manner).
Posted on: 2009/4/7 3:34
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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i think the intention was to turn the newport waterfront area into this sort of deal. i dont know if it's quite 'there' yet, but it's alot closer to the above description than newark ave is/will be.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 22:25
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
So can JC obtain that concentrated, well organized main drag? Can Grove or Newark Ave become that way?
Posted on: 2009/4/6 20:07
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Along Grove Street, there are very few really expensive restaurants. Marco & Pepe can be pricey but you can eat affordably with the small plates. Most of the other places are closer to mid-range. Do you really think Beechwood, MORE, Wild Fusion, Hard Grove are "Manhattan priced?" On the other end, Ibby's Falafel and Taqueria are great value and I wouldn't call the food "crappy." In terms of diversity, you have Cuban, various Asian, continental, mexican, and Middle Eastern. Pretty diverse for me.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 20:07
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Change a few of those street names around and you just desribed Hoboken.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 20:03
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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One issue that hasn't been mentioned is Jersey City is not a destination. People go into Manhattan for shopping, theater, movies, clubs. There are no destinations in JC to draw people in to spend their $$.
Hobokens draw is shopping and the variety of restaurants in a concentrated well organized area.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 20:01
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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Don't know about other bars, but Lucky 7's was packed to capacity it seemed this past Friday. Checked out of there after one drink because it was so crowded.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 20:00
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Home away from home
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A decade ago, there was almost nothing on Grove Street. Since then, several restaurants have opened. Some have made it, others have not. But overall the restaurant scene has improved immensely.
Newark Avenue hasn't had as much development but there too, you see more than you used to.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 19:57
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Just can't stay away
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Maybe if JC had a better variety of places to go more people would stay/come here. We have manhattan priced places (overpriced for JC) with pretentious menus, crappy cheap places (not necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're expecting) and not too much else. We should have an abundance of midrange places with affordable, interesting and original but familiar food (yes there are a few of these places around, but not nearly enough). Many people in JC can not afford or don't see the sense in spending $10+ on a sandwich. And how about more laid back pub style places, almost all in JC double as sports bars, and not everyone enjoys listening to a game full volume while trying to enjoy a drink.
Posted on: 2009/4/6 19:55
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Re: Why don't JC restaurants/bars do that well?
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Home away from home
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I'm shocked that the outdoor tables on Grove Street weren't filled. Maybe the warm weather just took everyone by surprise. Certainly last year the outdoor spaces were filled with people. It could also be that the economy has collapsed and fewer locals are spending money (where as Hoboken draws from a wider area than just Hoboken).
Posted on: 2009/4/6 19:54
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