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Re: Gay In Journal Square?
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Home away from home
 
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Btw be sure to check out the LGBT center over on Jones street in Jsquare I know a few artist who are gay that live in the area and do showings at the center. . They would be able to tell you how safe Journal Square is. Most on this board are not even from the metro area and consider any run down alley unsafe. JC is not that scary :)
Posted on: 2014/1/3 2:45
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Not too shy to talk
 
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2013/10/7 14:36 Last Login : 2017/2/28 21:45 From The Heights
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We live on the Eastern end of the Heights-right by ModCup coffee/Riverview Fisk Park etc. etc.. We bought our home from a gay couple who lived here for several years.
I think this neighborhood is ok. There is a very organized neighborhood association (the residents refer to this end of the Heights as Riverview) and lots of stuff going on in the summer in the park. Farmer's markets, festivals, yoga in the park etc.. I think most of the younger families live on Ogden. You see most of them in the park (my nephew lives down in Hoboken and I used to take him to the park before winter). We are a few years away from having kids and I'd be fine having them in this neighborhood. Overall I'd say it's a pretty quiet place but I would probably not wander around outside late at night without my husband. I'm sure that I lean towards being conservative about these things-mostly because I used to live in Los Angeles and had a traumatic mugging there about 5 years ago. There's probably way too much traffic/police presence on Palisade Ave. for serious crime and this place is no worse than where I used to live in Alphabet City. Gym situation is dismal. More restaurants/activities in Hoboken, which is about a 15 minute walk away. You've got bus, HBLR to PATH for commuting options.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 2:35
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Re: Gay In Journal Square?
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Home away from home
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I highly suggest checking out the area between McGinley Square and Lincoln Park. Lots of great housing options, including many gorgeous pre war buildings. And the park is fantastic. Tons of bus options on JFK, Bergen, and West Side Ave. About a 15 min walk to JSQ from where I'm at just south of Montgomery. Many diverse neighbors.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 2:23
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Re: Gay In Journal Square?
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Home away from home
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Five well known gay bars in JC? I've lived in JC since 1993, when I moved to Journal Square There used to be Uncle Joe's, which was owned by one of my college contemporaries. Then that closed. Then there was nothing for awhile and then there was The Star Bar, which is now Pint. For a brief while the bar/clubs Platos opened and closed and briefly became a crappy restaurant. Then there was a short lived bar that catered to the ethnic community. But I don't think that bar lasted more than 6 months. I think it was called Alfreds.
I lived in J Sq for ten years and never had troubles. Of course, I'm not as obviously gay as hard as I try. But there were some drag queens that lived in the building across from me and the rarely had problems, though the did sometimes. JSq has some troubles in general but not a lot. I moved downtown more than 10 years ago. If you're going to buy, I would suggest JSq over the Heights. JSq will give you the best return over time. Welcome back to the Garden State and best of luck to you. Quote:
Posted on: 2014/1/3 1:47
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Home away from home
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Looking back at the OP, I think maybe you should really rent for a bit in your target neighborhood (although I didn't come to think of it!). While JS has lots of potential, it's currently very uneven and run down.
Since you plan to have a family, and since you say Downtown is out of your budget, I think that REALLY pushes you to the Heights, which I think is more family friendly and better served with parks than any ward but Downtown. You should really find out for yourself about whether the transit is tolerable for you. There's endless debate about this subject in many threads about the Heights, and it boils down to destination and personal priorities. Many residents think their Manhattan commutes are no problem at all. FYI schools, the Hoboken public schools are for Hoboken residents, though the high school often takes JC kids. The good charters are by lottery for Hoboken residents. There is a Stevens, a good private elementary. I hear the heights elementaries are getting better, and there's several good charters to apply to via lottery. So, if you can get a short term rental, you can explore and get a feel for what works for you.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 1:44
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Re: thinking about schools in Hoboken....
As I understand it, there are limited, lottery-based seats for non-residents. Unless you are willing to pay tuition, in which case they'd probably give you a seat. But, I think there are actually a number of good K-8 options in Jersey City.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 1:41
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I don't think the JSQ area is a good choice for an obvious gay person. And by that I mean easy to tell you are gay either from your appearance or gait, or if you would be holding hands with your husband/partner. I've only visited the immediate area around the JSQ Path station but it looks sketchy as hell. Very run down and weird homeless people everywhere. I can't imagine how it looks at night but it can't be good. Maybe it will be revitalized in several years but you'll probably have to wait for new development to be finished. I'd imagine you are far more likely to find gay bashers in that crowd than elsewhere. A lot of seedy people near that Path station and they may find a gay to be an easy target if you aren't physically intimidating. But if you aren't overtly gay then I guess it wouldn't be too much of a problem, it would just be like living in a standard not so good area. Here are Yelp "reviews" on the JSQ Path station, most of which comment on the area's appearance and not the trains themselves. http://www.yelp.com/biz/journal-square-jersey-city Never been to the Heights so I don't know anything about it. Have you considered looking near the Grove Path station? The area is far nicer for a gay person than JSQ, as it isn't nearly as run down. I also think there is a lot less crime at Grove than JSQ. There are affordable places within a 10 minute walk. If you want regular NYC access, this seems like a much better and safer option than JSQ, and more convenient than the Heights.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 1:21
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Not too shy to talk
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I would imagine the further away from the Path its probably gets seedy. Newport is full of all kinds of people its a friendly place to be and safe. If it makes you feel better there is security cameras everywhere with 24/7 Security walking the ground. Good Luck.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 0:59
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I have lived all over NYC -- and I must say I see many more drag queens here than anywhere else.
Posted on: 2014/1/3 0:19
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Newbie
 
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Great tips, thank you.
We will definitely be bringing our car from Seattle, so maybe that'll help getting around the area if we choose the Heights (which I'm definitely intrigued about after all the feedback). I will have lots of meetings in the city, both in Midtown as well as Downtown, so I'm not sure if that still means the Heights is a good option for us. Also, cliche, I know, but our five year plan is to have a kid in tow and it seems the proximity to Hoboken schools (which look like they fare better than JC schools) also makes the Heights more attractive. Thanks for the help once again, everyone!
Posted on: 2014/1/2 23:59
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Re: Gay In Journal Square?
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I've lived in the Heights for 5 years, and neither me nor my gay friends have ever seen or experienced any threatening situations (of course, my boyfriends dump me before we get to the holding hands at Stop & Shop stage so I can't attest personally to that...). Rose, the neighborhood drag queen who lives on Franklin Street is not shy and at worst gets dirtly looks and the occasional muttered curse.
Still, the Heights is a largely working class, immigrant neighborhood - and while I would recommend it for gay people it is fairly traditional family/children-centric, although you'll meet more wordly types at openings at The Distillery Gallery and even The Trolley Car Bar & Grille (took my parents, there was a table of gay guys next to us discussing - what else - real estate...). There is not a lot to do. I would advise you to think long and hard about what you will want to travel out of the neighborhood for, especially if you don't have a car. Unless you are going to/from midtown, the Heights is only marginally accessible from DTJC, Newport, downton NYC.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 22:54
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Fair enough, I just never witness a gay bashing in JC, I grew up what use to be called the "Murder Capital of the World" New York City so I have seen some real violence that JC can not compete with.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 22:53
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I don't think anyone finds the term "drag queen" offensive unless you're using it to refer to transwomen or some other group that are not drag queens. Anyone, it's dumb to assume there aren't gay prostitutes, or drag queens, or anything else anywhere--there are plenty even in very rural or conservative areas. That doesn't mean they don't have a hard time, don't get hassled, etc., both there and here.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 22:49
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Home away from home
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You would think, but the two DQ ( not sure if that is politically correct to say so apologize if it offends anyone) I saw were walking down the road one with her thug looked like a drug dealer boyfriend holding hands and the other was pushing groceries and no one blinked or said a thing. I think I was the one who most surprised that they were walking so boldly down the road that is considered dangerous. I have seen gays, lesbians, interracial couples, throughout the city. JC is not the country, there are even gay hookers in this town. So I would not worry too much about the gay thing. The one thing to worry about in JC is being drunk, if you look out of it you will be robbed or jumped and beaten by a few men. I have witnessed this dtjc, JS and GV.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 22:30
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Home away from home
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Well, the question is really what constitutes "safe".
Attacks of course can happen anywhere (and actually might be a bigger risk in gay neighborhoods these days because the genuinely dangerous bashers know to go there for targets). Actual violence isn't any risk in JSQ that I've ever seen. Heckling, however, is a regular reality for a gay couple living in the Journal Square area, or at least it was for us walking down the street holding hands while walking around Journal Square when my boyfriend lived in the area (on Vroom St). And I bet the drag queens on Ocean Avenue someone mentioned get it a lot worse. Just depends what you're comfortable living with on a daily basis. Me, the slurs wear me down, though I never lived in JSQ myself.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 22:15
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Re: Gay In Journal Square?
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Totally appreciate the replies, everyone. I'm aware that there's a risk of anything anywhere, but was just wondering if the odds of an anti-gay anything in JSquare were higher. Also looking in the Heights, but love the ease of hopping on the PATH in JSquare.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 21:57
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Home away from home
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It seems to me that while there's more of a concentration Downtown, there's plenty of gays scattered in every ward, following the bargains like everyone else.
FWIW a lesbian friend who is a longtime JC resident just bought near St Peters U. I'm sure she's had her ear to the ground and would have known if there was something to worry about.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:44
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Home away from home
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Quote:
well said.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:42
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I think you're asking a lot. No one can predict anything like that. Just recently a gay couple was attacked in Chelsea, one of the gayest areas of NYC. Idiots are everywhere and they travel. You probably stand a much better chance of getting mugged but then again, who knows?
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:40
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Home away from home
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LOL really? I see drag-queens walking up Ocean all the time and most people just don't care. When I first moved to JC back in the 90's there were 5 well known gay bars within the city JC has a gay population and most of the gays I know don't live dtjc. The gay scene left dtjc in 2007.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:35
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Home away from home
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Also look around Jersey City Heights. Gay friendly, and you can be close to transportation (bus and light rail to PATH). good luck!
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:32
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Home away from home
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Free of harassment. That has a yes and no answer. Won't be free of harassment up there but I doubt it wil be because you are gay but then again J.sq overall is not as open minded as downtown yet.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:31
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Home away from home
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Jersey City is gay friendly I have drag queens living near me. good luck in your search.
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:28
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Gay In Journal Square?
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Hi JC Listers,
My partner and I have decided to return to the NYC area after a few years living in Seattle. I'm really pushing for JC after a few friends who live near the Waterfront sold me on it. However, my partner and I are looking to buy, not rent, and it seems that the Journal Square area is the best for our price point and desire to be walking distance to PATH. I understand that JSQ is on the verge of a major revitalization, but would you say that, in its current state, a gay couple would be mostly free of harassment or worse in that neighborhood? Thanks for the help! Can't f*in wait to move to JC!
Posted on: 2014/1/2 20:21
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