I agree that Gr8 Taste is a great addition to the neighborhood. They serve fusion pan asian cuisine. I eat there frequently and am always impressed with their delicious food and their personalized Customer Service. The address is 83 Reservoir Ave in the heights. I highly reccommend...

If you walk up Reservoir Avenue instead Booraem Avenue, you will see the Gr8 Taste Restaurant at 83 Reservoir Avenue. Try it out. It's a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Google has street view of that area.

Click on "street view":

Map

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Tell her to walk south on Ogden towards the foot or dead end near the little playground in Janet Moore Park, turn up the last intersecting block which is Cuneo Pl. then cross Palisade Ave and walk up Booraem Ave. to Central Ave. You will be on the far south end of Central Ave. near St. Nick's church and Pershing Field park. Not knowing where on Ogden your girlfriend is walking from this is probably the safest way allowing you to avoid the characters that lurk within Franklin to Congress Streets leading up to Central Ave.

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rent a space if at all possible. nice cars are targets anywhere in jc, regardless of what people may tell you.
*edit - i live farther west from you near kennedy, and i'm paying about $120 a month for a spot inside a covered garage about 1 block from my house.

during the day she can walk down any of the streets, they're all the same. might start walking down franklin since it's at the start (or end) of the central ave. shopping district, and then she can work her way up from there

no good brazilian restaurants in the heights, but the closest one is on newark ave (1/2 block from palisade ave), it's called churrasquiera. if you take the bus down palisade and get off at dickinson high school, you can walk a half block to the right and you'll see it.. great seafood and great steaks.

A couple other questions:

I have a fairly nice car and am trying to figure out where I am going to park it. It seems like there are a ton of open spaces in front of Riverview Park (If I can't find one on Ogden btwn Griffith and Franklin). Is this a target area for car thefts? I talked to the police station and they said there is a constantly cop parked on Ogden at night near the basketball courts.

Would I be better off trying to rent a space from a neighbor? If so, what would be a fair rate to offer for the area...

I am going to need someone to maintain my property with regards to snow removal, landscaping.... any good, local suggestions?

If my gf wants to walk from Ogden => Central during the day, what street would you suggest she walks down?

Any good Brazilian restaurants in the heights?

thats all I can think of.

I was born and raised in the Western Slope area of the Heights and because of the paucity of affordable, pet-friendly housing, have lived on Palisade Avenue and Franklin for 5 years.??In addition, while I am unable to give you much input on parking outside of what my current landlord has told me, because I rely on my feet, my bike and public transportation to get around, I can give you an up close and personal perspective of what goes on around.?

The vintage shop someone else mentioned in on Bowers Street between Central and Cambridge.? The JC Heights Public Library, although small, is well-stocked and the staff is wonderful.?

There are no high-end cafes.? However, out of all the area Dunkin Donuts I have patronized (Grove Street, Hoboken, Union City, Journal Square, I have to say the staff at the one at Central Avenue and Griffith are the nicest.? The Lincoln Inn is overpriced for what it is.? Renato's on Cambridge between Franklin and Hutton and Gino's on Central between Thorne and Bowers offer servicable Italian fare.? I haven't been in Tommy's, the Greek diner on Central between Bowers and Lincoln since it renovated but have heard good things.? The Pan Asian Restaurant is very good, as is Lenin's, an Ecuadorian-Italian restaurant soldiering on on right on Palisade between Hutton and Franklin.? These last two places are BYOB.? Palisades Wines on Palisade and Hutton and Central Avenue Liquor across the street from? Pershing Fields often have wine tastings.

The Reservoir, just south of Pershing Fields Park is GLORIOUS.? I am glad that the city showed some foresight for once and did not sacrifice it on the altar of development.??? You feel like you are in the Delaware Water Gap.? They offer free kayaking several times over the summer. Pershing Fields has a public swimming pool that is clean and reasonable.? They also have a skating rink in the winter.

I can assure you that the entire stretch of Ogden Avenue is WONDERFUL.?? Since you are looking at the stretch between Griffith and Franklin, you can walk down Mountain Road to catch the Light Rail on 2nd Street & Observer Hwy to get to Hoboken.? (If you are ambitious, you can walk there in a half hour, bike there in ten.)? If you want to visit NYC, the PATH ride from Hoboken to 33rd Street is only 15 minutes.? You can also use the Light Rail to get to the Newport-Pavonia area.After dark, I would recommend staying on one stop longer and using the 9th Street Station.? You can then take the elevator to Congress Street and Observer Highway, cross over and walk down Ogden Avenue.? If the weather is bad, I recommend walking up to Palisade and Congress catching one of the numerous vans (jitneys) to Griffith.?? I am sure that realtors have emphasized how accessibile public transportation is in this area and how you are only a twenty minute bus ride away from Manhattan and a ten minute bus ride away from Hoboken.? WHAT THEY WON'T TELL YOU IS THIS - THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT WITH THE EXECEPTION OF THE LOCAL COMMUTER VANS RUNNING FROM NEWPORT-PAVONIA TO BERGENLINE NOTHING RUINS REGULARLY.? During rush hour, the #87 is supposed to run every seven minutes to Hoboken but instead, you get 4 buses every twenty minutes to a half hour.? When the 99S ran along Palisade Avenue, it was just as bad.? (It now runs along Central before turning east down Congress and along the Hoboken viaduct.) The vans to NYC that run along this route also are infrequent, compared to the NYC van lines running along Kennedy Blvd.

As far as crime goes, as someone who lives on Palisade near Franklin, despite the rampant gentrification, it can be rough. Growing up, I always heard stories about Franklin.? When I found a pet-friendly apartment on Palisade near hear, I asked around and heard it got better.? A few days after I signed the lease in the summer of 2005, as I was heading east with my isteralong Franklin early one summer evening, I saw a crowd gathered on Franklin between Palisade andNew York.? They were watching two girls rolling around on the sidewalk, kicking and punching each other.? My sister asked me if it were too late to break the? lease.? A month later, I made the mistake of asking some kids to get off of the steps of the building I lived in so I can get into my house.? (One of the combatants were in the group.)? For the rest of the summer, I was targeted.?? Whenever they saw me they would surround me, threatening me although they would disperse when I called the police.? As far as police response goes, even though a police station is five blocks away, it took forty minutes for them to?respond to one call.I have also read stories of random gunfire and mugging on Palisade from Ferry through Hutton in the Jersey Journal.? As recently as May, they reported that someone leaving The Little Man Tavern at Ferry and Palisade was mugged at Franklin and Palisade, less than a block away.? It was before midnight on a Saturday night.? However, from my perspective, outside of a local drunk who walks up and down Franklin yelling out at the top of his lungs in a language only he knows and has been knows to show off his family jewels on occasion, the trash hanging out talking at the top of their lungs on warm nights and the occasional prostitute, Franklin, although far from gentrified, is better than it was even five years ago and MUCH better than stretches of Bergen-LaFayette and Greenville.

Hope this helps.? If you have other questions, ask away...

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Yr right, What do you know ???

LOL LOL

CK

i actually know a couple people that live right there. they've never said a bad thing, and they really like it. 2 were from hoboken, one from downtown. i think its a pretty decent block.

whatever it used to be back in its heyday (will that EVER die- things change people, it happens EVERYWHERE not just the damn heights), i have to say its pretty damn good now, but what do i know. i just love my block and know most of the people on it, well enough to say hi and have a great day. thats more than i've had in any neighborhood i've lived in in the past 15 years....

welcome!

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Its a Damm shame you weren't around 20+years ago to see just how really nice it was to live in the heights.

Whats acceptable as being "Nice" today would be considered a slap in the face to the Heights years back.

Then again, totally different Demographics and cultures imbedded into the Heights so it is what it is....

Welcome to the Heights.

CK

I've lived in the heights for over 20 years and this area has definitely changed. Aside from the Everything Jersey City Festival, the art scene has been growing and we now have a few galleries, such as Odd Box. And I even heard that a vintage store just opened up a few blocks away from Ogden.

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How is posting one's thoughts on a message board "speaking out of turn?" And what's with nastily calling another Jersey City List member "genius?" I've seen worse on here of course, but people gotta remember to be polite already. It is nice to hear the developers are restoring the 100 steps though. In any case, check your attitude at the door and mind your manners buddy.

JacksonB it's up to to decide whether or not you want to move to the Heights.

My 17 year experience since I've moved here has been mostly positive and I recommend it.


I left NYC in order to get away from the tremendous amount of people, price of living, crime, etc. I have never looked back and realize that crime goes on everywhere.


It's all on how you carry yourself, no matter where you live.
If you carry yourself like a victim, you will be.


No where is 100% crime proof in America.
Please feel free to read this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ ... 1/07/AR2008010701386.html

We welcome you to the Heights with open arms...

ogden ave is really nice and scenic, but there have been notable crime incidents (at least from what i can remember reading in the JJ) in that area in the past few months. just don't expect it to be like hoboken and you'll be fine.

like people have said though, palisade (1 block away) isn't exactly a great area, so take that into consideration.

parking sucks everywhere in that whole area.

Ogden is a nice quiet street but Palisade Avenue a block away is not.

I moved away from the Heights to downtown some time ago and the only issue for me was that I was feeling less and less safe as the years went by in the Heights.

It was an EXPENSIVE choice but in retrospect, getting out of the Heights was the right thing to do...even if it meant giving up a beautiful cheap rent-controlled apartment. But then drug dealers with lines of clients in the hallways was getting off-putting.

Oh, yeah, my cars were always fair game for hit and run drivers. I think Jersey City raises hit-and-run to the level of ART!

Jackson,
Unless you are getting a GREAT financial deal or a huge place at a good rent, stay in Hoboken.

ok genius, how do you propose an elevator be built? That stop is approx. 200 yards from the cliff? Maybe the neighborhood assoc. should have fought for a chair lift?

In fact, the neighborhood assoc. fought for and secured the replacement of a jersey city landmark, "the 100 steps". The developer there has to rebuild a 100 step stair case up the cliff (starting at the base of mountain road) in order to obtain his final cert. of occupancy. They did that almost 4 years ago. In my opinion, they are one of the more active and respected neighborhood assoc. in the city. You should check your facts before you speak out of turn.....

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Why does the 2nd street stop NOT have an elevator to Jersey City? And why have people from the heights not fought to get this? It would certainly help commuters and home owners who's home prices would increase.

I disagree about the club making your car a traget. Sorry...We've always used that along with the alarm and have never had an issue considering that my Hubby's car is a luxury vehicle...

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Well you know one thing. The club is a huge advertisement of a pathetic defense. It tells thieves that you were willing to spend time and effort on a security system that adds no value. This makes your car more of a target.

Alarms are a scam too. Someone stealing the whole car knows how to turn it off. Someone stealing stuff out of it will be in and out too quickly for some extra noise to matter.

Ogden could be one of the safest and quietest blocks I've seen. However Franklin & Palisades is a rough area, from what I've seen and heard, but I walk threw there at all times of the day/night and I never had a problem.

I forgot to add that I'm sure that there is crime that goes on however I've noticed that Police Officers are constantly patrolling the neighborhood at night and this definitely gives me a feeling of security.
I'm actually surprised when I hear about the level of crime in other areas of Jersey City. At times I feel like I'm living in a bubble...

I'm a transplanted New Yorker and a female who lives pretty close to Ogden and I would say the area is pretty safe and a nice area to live. I used to sometimes arrive home at midnight from work and never felt a need to worry when I walked home from the bus stop. Transportation is pretty good as there are several ways to get around.
And just as someone said earlier the further north and west you go the better it gets. I also find the standard of living to be pretty reasonable.
As far as parking my husband has always had a garage or a parking space. There was a short period of time when he had to park on the street but It didn't seem to be a big issue plus parking in NYC was always a nightmare in comparison. He did always found something within 10 minutes, even if it was a block away however I do reccommend that you put the club on your car and have an alarm system.
You just never know.
I like the diversity of the area. Reminds me of NewYork in that respect. I moved here in 1991 and here I still am. My husband and I considered moving to other places in Jersey but in the end have decided we love living here...

Ogden Ave. is a terrific block now that it is summer start to meet and get to know the people that live there. I bet if you take a walk up and down the block from end to end you can chat the day away, you will find a chosen few that ?hold court? from their front steps. National Night Out on Aug. 5th will bring lots of people on their porches to get reacquainted with each other.
I have been living in the Heights section all of my life never a problem, not stating that it is free of crime which can happen at any unexpected moment but if you keep your head up, focused, and alert you should be fine. You may want to try a different area of the Heights, the further north and west you go in the Heights the better it gets. I am seeing a jump in condo conversions which is a good thing, and the little pockets of gentrification are growing. The Western Slope is a quiet area of the Heights.
The Heights is a great place first thing to do is get involved with your neighborhood block association. For the Ogden Ave. area The Riverview Neighborhood Association is adamant on what goes on in their community they are constantly in contact with the police department and other city agencies who regularly appear at their monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of the month in the nursing home on the corner of Franklin St. & Ogden Ave. The other block association is the Captain?s meeting at the Veterans Memorial Center in Pershing Field Park on the first Monday of the month. This group is meant for the entire Heights section.
I hope someone told you about the Everything Festival street fair that was held on Central Ave. last month it would have been a good way to get to know the area and local businesses. Visiting the local branch of the public library on Zabriskie St. just off Central Ave will introduce you to different ways to navigate your surroundings. If you are affiliated with a religious group try to seek one out closest to where you expect to live. I am constantly everywhere in the Heights traveling by bicycle most of the time helps keep the parking tickets at bay.
Have you visited The Reservoir a fabulous lake next to Pershing Field Park open on Saturdays from May to October including today. You can hike, canoe, and fish there the views are tremendous yet tranquil.
I hope this thread gives you a good synopsis to familiarize you with the area you are moving to, good luck to ya.

Welcome to JCList.com, jacksonB!

Jersey City is a fantastic place to live and it's great that you and your girlfriend are considering a move here.

Here are some relatively recent threads about Jersey City Heights that may prove to be helpful to you.

- How Is Jersey City Heights Safety and What Kind of Neighborhood Is It?

- Jersey City Heights and Information About the Congress Street Area

- Moving to the Heights?

I myself have lived in the Van Vorst Park area of Downtown for 7 years, which is near the Grove Street PATH Station in Jersey City (in case you're still learning the geography of JC).

So I'll leave the answering of your specific questions about the Heights to those on this list who live there, but I've always enjoyed spending time up there when I get the chance and that elevator they installed by the light rail station is super cool (and you can't beat those views!).

Regarding sushi, my favorite place in Downtown Jersey City is Sushi Tango. The food is tasty, the people that work there are a trip, the place has a lot of character and it's right around the corner from my apartment.

But over the years, I've heard a lot of positive things about JC Sakura, Honshu, Komegashi, Grand Banks, Wild Fusion, Ashiya, etc. In fact, I've eaten at JC Sakura and Wild Fusion a few times and I've had takeout from Komegashi and all of it was good, but Sushi Tango is still my favorite hangout, bar and eatery.

Come to think of it, the "best sushi" discussion also pops up from time to time on this list.

For a range of opinions, here are some rather recent threads about sushi and Japanese food in JC:

- Best Sushi in Downtown Jersey City

- Good Japanese Restaurant?

One more thing...

A number of JCListers have been raving recently about an Asian cafe kind of near where you may be living called Gr8 Taste Restaurant on Reservoir Avenue.

I am not sure if they have a separate sushi menu or feature sushi at all (since I have yet to visit the place myself), but the food sounds delicious and I'm thinking it may be up your alley.

The menu features all kinds of healthy and tasty-sounding stuff like edamame, beef negimaki, kani melon salad, sweet mirin-glazed chicken yakitori, pan-fried gyoza dumplings, tofu teriyaki, avocado salad with orange-ginger dressing, miso seaweed soup, chrysanthemum iced tea and steamed brown rice.

D'oh! Now I'm hungry!

- Here's Gr8 Taste Restaurant's Menu and Location Information

Whew! Hope all this information helps and best of luck with your move.

While I'm certainly no expert with having only lived on Ogden for a year, I can say that overall I find it to be a pretty decent place to live. The only times I've felt uncomfortable have been walking up the cliff from the 2nd street light rail at night alone because that area really isn't lighted very well (I make a point to not do it, but there have been occasions that have required me to do so). I'm often coming down from the basketball courts later in the evening and never had an issue. My advice would be for you to try walking that block in the evenings and see how comfortable you are. If it helps, I moved here from an extremely small "blink and you'll miss it" town in the Midwest and I'm comfortable enough in this area.

I have to say, parking (especially between Griffith and Franklin) is a nightmare. It is really difficult to get spots here on the correct side of the street during the weeknights (that includes if you were to go down a block in either direction); not to mention the sheer number of times my boyfriend's car has been hit and the person has taken off without even an apology note.

The cabs are something I'm at a loss regarding. I was told it's $8, but have witnessed people getting dropped off on my street and they're only giving the driver $5. I've never used a cab to get to Hoboken, just from there; I just walk to the 2nd street light rail and take that to the Hoboken PATH which works out rather well, IMHO.

I hope I've been at least some help to you. Again, I'm definitely not an expert on the area, but I hope I've aided you at least a little bit. Welcome to the neighborhood :)

I am a 27yr old white male considering moving from Hoboken to the Heights with my girlfriend in about 3 weeks. I would be on Ogden, btwn Griffith and Franklin.

** I am just looking to get some general information about the area, any help would be great!!**

From the 30 random people I've talked to around Jersey City(cops, hotdog vendor, moes fishing supplies,firemen and a couple randoms), they all say it's a pretty safe neighborhood. Only one person, a street cleaner I stopped on central, claimed it to be a bad area. Is this pretty accurate?

I do not have a parking spot. Do you think I will have trouble parking on the street at night with a permit? Is it safe to park up to 1 block in each direction (including infront of riverview park) and walk down Ogden to my place at night?

Are the Basketball Courts at Riverview park safe to play at?

Where is the best sushi in town?

Cheapest cab to and from hoboken path?

I read a couple places that Franklin and Palasades is a pretty rough area? Is this still true, or has it cleaned up a bit?

Thats all I can think of at the moment. Thanks again!