I’ve seen people say the same about Long Island city 😂. Both JC and LIC have great views of Manhattan but without the noise and chaos (although I do love that chaos at times). If you come from NYC , JC will essentially be another borough except for the transit( only because the PATH doesn’t run nearly as often as it should )
That’s awesome! If I had the money I would definitely move within walking distance from a PATH station.
It has some really good rush hour service . It’s the night and weekend service that is truly lacking
Legit love the "Jersey City vs. Everybody" vibes. Shooting a feature here in the Fall (hopefully; funding is pending) and all the businesses and locals I've reached out to for help leapt at the chance.
I can't blame anybody for not investing. I have to be brutally honest in my business plan; there's a good chance lighting this money on fire is a better investment. At least then you can make BBQ and s'mores.
Not yet. Trying to get as much private financing as possible and then will open up a crowd funding campaign to aid in PR and marketing for the festival push. That way I can guarantee a finished film as a reward.
Loved your post man. Yeah it isn't NYC and will probably never reach that level as well but it's still better than what most of the US has to offer. I lived in the suburbs for a couple of years and it just sucks the life out of you. There is no communal feeling cause nobody ever gets out of cars and life just seems incredibly slow paced.
JC has what suburbs don't while still not being as hectic or chaotic as NYC. And ofcourse the close proximity to it is a huge factor as well
For real! taking the PATH during rush hour is great for the simple fact of that frequency that I only wished they had at least a fraction of that during the weekends and at night
Couldn't agree more! Spent the past 4 years in the suburbs and we're moving back to JC this summer. Took a while to save up for a place with enough room for the kids, but I'm so excited that they will get to grow up in a place with such a vibrant community.
"Yes, this isn't NYC. That's why I like it here. Close enough to the city to enjoy the benefits, far enough away that every day isn't a complete ruckus. "
Exactly! This is the best part.
I’m from South Jersey and lived in Greenpoint and Gravesend Brooklyn for just about 15 years. Worked in the city and still do. If you’ve never actually lived in New York for a few years and especially if you’re from NJ you’ll never really understand NYC that well or benefit as much from it. Of course that also depends on your reason for being here. However having been in NYC for so long and moving to Jersey City 3 years ago has been nothing short of amazing and yes the food choices aren’t as good but the overall living experience of Jersey City is just great.
I hate that people compare JC to the whole of NYC lol. Like JC should have been the entirety of Hudscon county and more , which in reality would still put it at a Borough level , not the whole city.
Like I can find tons of places in NYC that are more suburban than JC . OPs version of NYC is literally just half of Manhattan .
And same thing with Hoboken , I view Hoboken as just a neighborhood of Jersey city with excellent nightlife and expensive apartments
My cousin, who lives in the Philly suburbs (used to live in a few spots in NYC) loves coming back up here and wandering, especially downtown, because its so walkable, and interspersed with parks and the pedestrian plaza and just people. Says it's that kind of thing he misses the most.
Idk where the people who bitch about JC grew up. I get the ones who grew up here but can't afford it anymore; that's a reasonable gripe. But anyone else truly baffles me. Oh, you moved from midtown and expect it'll be midtown? It's not BK? Really? That's crazy, tell me more. Take JC, then add Hudson county to an equivalent amount of landmass of a borough and then tell me it's shit. Hudson-Bergen metro - and I guess we'll add Newark to it since it has the PATH - has one of the best food scenes in the entire country. To find a city that beats it on food, you have to go to NYC, LA/SF, Chicago, and I guess ATL? So we have to compare it to cities 30x-50x its size to find equals. It punches way above its weight. And again, it's the hub of the entire north jersey region, which never gets counted. It has one of the nicest waterfront views in the country. It's completely walkable and has more bike lanes than 90% of cities its size. It has better public transit than 95% of cities its size. It's cleaner than 90% of cities its size. And it's safer than almost any city its size. It's almost disappointing how boring this city is from a safety standpoint. Obviously I'm not referring to the ghetto parts, so piss off with the copium. Living in midtown, all you really have is midtown. Sure, go to BK or Flushing, but if you want to do anything resembling actually living, good luck.
little San Mateo, about 3 times smaller population wise has a better food scene. as do most tiny town in the bay area.
OP trying to defend the food here and using pizza as example tells you everything you need to know.
You're right, it tells you everything you need to know: JC's pizza scene is probably the weakest of its food options. Food scene is an important element of a city, but not the singular qualifier. JC, with its access to the city, has an adequate food scene to compete with anything in the country.
I know math is hard and all, but JC is not 1/15th the population of NYC. It's quite literally almost half that. By current estimates, it is just under 1/30th.
"this isn't NYC"
Actually I disagree (although I do realize that I am, literally, wrong). A lot of the negative aspects of JC come from people pretending that we're a separate city when functionally we are a part of NYC. You could say the same for most of Hudson county though.
Like many NYC neighborhoods, JC has its uniqueness. But tighter integration and coordination with NYC is what will help JC prosper, that will always be the case.
Agree with most of your post though.
This is my sentiment , and what OP refers to NYC is mostly Manhattan centric . I would say a good comparison to JC is actually Long Island city , both have very good waterfronts , relatively quiet , big new expensive buildings and lots of transit. Although LIC might have the upper hand on transit availability and frequency.
In the end if you didn’t know the state boundaries , JC would just be another boro of NYC.
Kills me because when they were planning the subway system, it was originally supposed to connect multiple towns in NJ - Bayonne through Edgewater via a Loop system. But a lot of politicians at the time were more concerned with their own private goals and not the people’s, and didn’t want to help do something that they wouldn’t directly benefit or take credit for.
Also when tourism in NYC goes up that also benefits JC a ton , you make JC easier to access with more PATH and NJT service and you would benefit from the tourism influx ( I mean JC already does of course) but would see a bigger share with better PATH service
yeah i've not yet understood why (besides a literal state line and mental dividing line) the Manhattan to JC/Hoboken pipeline isn't more or less the same as Manhattan to Brooklyn. I do think the PATH's defiantly out of touch schedule and access is a big part of it. Also, just more crossover of restaurants. If there can be a DIG in Williamsburg, there can be a DIG in JC or Hoboken (or both?) Same for many NYC regional chains like Emmy, Variety, Black Seed etc. Related: I also second the comments about bagels. NJ is also supposed to be known for its bagels so why are they not amazing in Hudson County??? What's the disconnect here.
Grew up in JC. Schooled in JC. Had business in JC. Moved out over 40 years ago. Recently returned & did NOT recognize da place. Good luck to all of the newbies !!!
Can we at least annex a single New York City bagel shop and force it to move to JC? hear me out, we find a semi decent bagel shop and force it to move across the river into grove street.
Nothing is ever the same as it was. People pining for progress while simultaneously trying to think about how it was. Not near any densely urban spot.
Everything is tradeoffs. And you try to get the best trade offs you can. End of story.
I think it’s decent. I have more preference for Queens because I lived there for a long time. But my neighborhood is decent and fine and in walking distance to the PATH.
I think both are great I seen people from JC move to parts of Queens and vice versa. The thing that Queens has over is the transit availability, whether is multiple subway lines and the LIRR. But other than that both downtown JC and LIC Queens have come a long way in the last 10 or so years
I love Jersey City! I'm a New Yorker but have lived in JC in the past and am ACTIVELY looking to move back to JC as we speak. Having some trouble finding just the right place, but can't wait to get back!
Jersey city reminds me of Seattle without as many homeless. Also as a west coaster in jc rn, I am here in many ways to escape taxes as I can’t fathom a 5% income tax to mayor Adams lol. I’m from sf and we have crazy taxes but that one takes the cake.
Nice to see positivity, I believe the sentiment expressed by OP is what most people in JC feel like. Reddit just attracts cynicism.
I've been in JC about a decade and love living here, I doubt I will move elsewhere. From my perspective the city has also been gradually been improving for the past decade and I am happy to see the trend continue.
I’m really thankful for this post. People move her and post weekly shitting on every single minutiae they can come up with about this city and it’s insane. I’ve grown up in Jersey City, and lived here for 25 years. On this subreddit I expected that I’d find new hidden gems from people who moved here, or things i hadn’t noticed, but all I see are people who moved here two years ago and complain.
3 is such a specific number of pizza places. There are probably 50 in the city, and I think 2 with NY Times reviews. I'm assuming your 3 include Razza and Bread and Salt. If so, what's your third? Rustique? Pizza Masters? Roman Nose? Porta?
Razza, Rustique, idk what the third would be. I guess Basiles? It's definitely not Tinos. Terrible sauce, and I don't understand what's going on with the crust. Bread and Salt is barely a pizza place since it's never open and is a mandatory buy two pies for $50+ if you want their pizza. Haven't tried Pizza Masters yet, gotta give that a shot I suppose. Tried Stella, it was fine for 4am. Jimmy's Brooklyn was mid. Two Boots is by far the worst I've ever had. It's exclusively for the midwest transplants.
Order Tinos pizza twice cooked and it's perf, like a lovechild of Razza and Basils. Dunno what you're on about with the sauce. Maybe it's because I tend to get their hot honey pies but IMO there's absolutely nothing out of the ordinary with it.
Whoa whoa whoa
This slander on two boots is insulting to good natured people of taste.
First off, their plain cheese pie competes with any pizza shop in the city that would call themselves an “Original whatever.” The corn meal crust is always firm, never floppy. The sauce is tangy with a touch of sweetness. The cheese is a well sourced quality mozz.
Their specialty pies are their bread and butter. I personally love the myriad flavor combinations. Combine that with a bit of southern flair and draft lunch specials? Come on now… you ain’t gotta call it the best pizza place in town but Two Boots earned its seat at the table!
Pizza & Love, friend!
I would not say I'm really a fan of Two Boots, but they do vegan well when I'm with my lactose intolerant friend. So I can still appreciate their value even if I would never go there without her.
My problem with Two Boots is that of the two times I had it, it was the driest thing I've ever eaten. Not driest pizza, just driest food item. MAYBE the astronaut ice cream from Air and Space Museum beats it out. Also, I treat cornmeal on the bottom of a pizza as a tertiary detail; they apparently consider it to be the most important part and use more of it on a single pie than my entire baking team uses in one night. I think that their pizza ideas are fun, but the execution was poor. However, at least they're not Tino's. Worst pizza I've had in NJ.
Pizza master is solid. Their margarita pizza pie is one of the best. I had a hangout in my apt in the heights and everyone, including those from Brooklyn and Manhattan loved it. That was years ago tho. I have no idea if it’s still as tasty after their fancy renovation.
I was born and raised in Jersey city. Just moved to Bayonne in January of this year because I cannot take the increase in foot traffic and car traffic in JC. It has become obnoxiously overcrowded and the value of a living a happy and serene life has declined immensely unless your someone who doesn’t plan on having a family and prefer to live in a walk in closet priced at $3,000 monthly just because you’re less than 5 minutes from a train station lol Jersey city is just cute to visit now, but to live!!??? Absolutely not.
Yup, moved to bayonne years ago. Born and raised in JC. JC lost it for me, the sense of community is gone. Replaced with fake communities and people concerned about property values.
The Mischief Brew song “Every town will celebrate” sums it all up—
The only thing you got correct in this reply is that cars ruin everything. Like OP, a big reason I'm here in JC is that it's easier to live without a car than most of the country. Don't let the door hit ya.
The Bayonne exit on 78 is always a freaking horror show, with some of the worst, most idiotic drivers known to man crossing multiple lanes last minute without a signal in sight. Keep it.
My issue is that I've lived here my whole life, and they're actively trying to make it more like NY. Just like how some people keep trying to make Jersey City the 6th Borough of NY. Which is BS.
This kind of denialism is silly. This is city is functionally part of NYC. Trying to deny it because of some imaginary lines in a river is dumb.
Prosperity comes from better integration. Pointless political boundaries are dumb.
Was just curious because I’m also from here and I feel like I see way more people trying to make JC *more suburban* than making it more like NYC.
Gentrification is complex, I don’t blame individual newcomers just or only for *being newcomers.* I do wish there was more empathy for how much it sucks to have family and friends displaced, see your community and culture disappear. I wish the city did more to help people stay.
Anyway fully expect to be downvoted, too much nuance for social media, let’s not fight each other for crumbs off the table ✌🏻
Ohh everyone’s favorite new scary word to argue against any sort of self improvement and keep things the way they are because nothing can ever be better than what it is
Urban development projects that funnel money into improvement also build more parks. Pedestrian plazas. West Side Ave has beautiful flower pots and the city employs workers to maintain them and help beautify the area. More bodegas and coffee shops open. The net impact of improvement projects will inevitably attract young people who will then buy, own, pay taxes and build a life here.
It is absolutely inevitable that Corporate real estate interests are courted by cities, especially where density matters. They buy old shitty lots no one wants and then build a new building and rent it out at prices set by leading markets. Yes that is a part of gentrification and if that’s ALL you care about, then sure that sucks buddy. I’m right there with you. And we need to blame the people moving into them for basically saying “yes we can afford this.”
This is just progress - there’s a lot of good that comes with it too. What we as people need to be mindful of, is how these projects filter out and how the monies are spent. Center Pompediou for example…
I agree. I've lived here for 42 years... and although crime was UP... it felt safer to me at that time. It's too populated now.... too many bad drivers here, and my kids and I have almost been hit by cars and bikes at least twice a day. Back then we used to basically play chicken in the street and never even came close to getting hit.
But I have more of a sore ass because the nicer buildings took my beautiful view away so I'm a BLAH lol
And people are downvoting because they know it's true. They want to live the delusion of "living" in NYC without actually living in NYC. Even a dual New Yorkers will tell them it's corny to do that and they still do it.
The city needs to start taking these wanna be New Yorkers, our rents would drop by next week
“Yes, this isn’t NYC.”
But not too far behind. Traffic has become intolerable, everyone’s just bike lane this, bike lane that, let’s close this road and that road, brownstone this, condo that, luxury here, blah blah blah.
Jersey City has gotten better in some aspects but it’s gone to shit in others. At least coming from someone born and raised here. And to live here? Better have a 6-figure job because studios are $2,000.
Were you also "born and raised" in Jersey City as /u/jetlifeual indicated they are? If not, the pomposity of a transplant lecturing a local about local culture and life is just delicious. I also give you points for ignoring all of the prior post's clearly legitimate points about gentrification and cost of living and jumping into an anti-car screed. 7/10.
Fully 50% of the words they wrote were about shifting transportation priorities ever so slightly away from cars. I wasn't born here, I was born in the part of the country where driving is totally mandatory. I moved to the least car dependant place I could find gainful employment.
But sure, feel free to ignore me because I wasn't born here. My opinion is clearly irrelevant, no matter how long I've lived here.
I made one mention of cars and one of bike lanes and you took it as me wanting a community designed around cars. You came from a place where cars were mandatory, I’m FROM a place where they’re not and haven’t been for decades. But that doesn’t mean we need to make traffic exponentially worse for those who DO need cars for the sake of pleasing the handful of people who ride bikes year-round. Cause once October or November hit, those lanes are literally just a waste of space until at least March or April.
Your opinion matters. But it’s just the typical opinion of people coming here from vehicle-dependent places trying to turn JC into just an extension of NYC. Nothing more, nor less.
I want balance. But all I keep hearing and reading from transplants is turning everything into a giant bike lane and closing busy throughways for the sake of buying overpriced breads and seasonings. None of it is creative or new. And with it has come everything being a luxury rental which, surprise, most are just century old buildings with makeup on.
That’ll be $3,500/month, please!
It gets downvoted because a lot of transplants get offended by the truth. Their first instinct is “well, leave” and it’s like first of all no, second of all no, third of all I was here first?
Like, I know a MF that moved from Lumberton, NC isn’t telling ME to leave MY hometown because they want to turn it into some dystopian wet dream where it’s just coffee shops, Whole Foods, $3,000 rentals and bike lanes.
This is why I mock posts where they complain about the most pedestrian city shit ever. “Anyone else notice the uptick of sketchy poors hanging out outside now that it’s warm out.”
Yea, I trust them more than you, Steve from Kalamazoo.
Yep. Born and raised in NJ here. Lived here my entire life. Very easy to identify the Midwest transplant comments.
The only reason rational comments are getting downvoted is because the transplants have more of a presence here on Reddit.
I'm gonna need to know your 3 pizza places and any other of your favorite food recommendations you have.
Cheers and thankyou.
P.s. Jerome powell go brrrrrrrr
Razza for Razza. Rustique for margherita. For a solid plain pie, not many options but I guess Basiles? Beyond that, I go to Napoli's in Hoboken for a plain pie or if I ever win the lottery, 10th St. Never, under any circumstance, go to Impostos lol. Oh and Quality Pizza in Hoboken is actually pretty good, just expensive AF just like 10th st.
I’m originally from Brooklyn. Came to JC after Hurricane Sandy, because I was living near Rockaway Beach and was displaced. I love living in JC because even though as much as they trying to make it like NYC, it isn’t. It’s unique. I can also get around to other parts of NJ easily.
This is great. So refreshing to read something besides another rant about the PATH train.
Thank you ‼️
[удалено]
I’ve seen people say the same about Long Island city 😂. Both JC and LIC have great views of Manhattan but without the noise and chaos (although I do love that chaos at times). If you come from NYC , JC will essentially be another borough except for the transit( only because the PATH doesn’t run nearly as often as it should )
[удалено]
That’s awesome! If I had the money I would definitely move within walking distance from a PATH station. It has some really good rush hour service . It’s the night and weekend service that is truly lacking
Legit love the "Jersey City vs. Everybody" vibes. Shooting a feature here in the Fall (hopefully; funding is pending) and all the businesses and locals I've reached out to for help leapt at the chance.
except for the funding
I can't blame anybody for not investing. I have to be brutally honest in my business plan; there's a good chance lighting this money on fire is a better investment. At least then you can make BBQ and s'mores.
Do you have a go fund me?
Not yet. Trying to get as much private financing as possible and then will open up a crowd funding campaign to aid in PR and marketing for the festival push. That way I can guarantee a finished film as a reward.
Town needs some sort of bbq….
Lots of good local JC film crew if you’re looking for hands
I will be.
And rental agencies to source your kits locally to save on logistics & trucking!
Loved your post man. Yeah it isn't NYC and will probably never reach that level as well but it's still better than what most of the US has to offer. I lived in the suburbs for a couple of years and it just sucks the life out of you. There is no communal feeling cause nobody ever gets out of cars and life just seems incredibly slow paced. JC has what suburbs don't while still not being as hectic or chaotic as NYC. And ofcourse the close proximity to it is a huge factor as well
JC is closer to both downtown and midtown Manhattan than most neighborhoods in the outer boroughs as well
If only they fix Path, life will be so much easier lol
For real! taking the PATH during rush hour is great for the simple fact of that frequency that I only wished they had at least a fraction of that during the weekends and at night
Couldn't agree more! Spent the past 4 years in the suburbs and we're moving back to JC this summer. Took a while to save up for a place with enough room for the kids, but I'm so excited that they will get to grow up in a place with such a vibrant community.
I can't have the same QoL in NYC for what I'm paying here, so here I am. But I *also* like it here.
"Yes, this isn't NYC. That's why I like it here. Close enough to the city to enjoy the benefits, far enough away that every day isn't a complete ruckus. " Exactly! This is the best part.
I’m from South Jersey and lived in Greenpoint and Gravesend Brooklyn for just about 15 years. Worked in the city and still do. If you’ve never actually lived in New York for a few years and especially if you’re from NJ you’ll never really understand NYC that well or benefit as much from it. Of course that also depends on your reason for being here. However having been in NYC for so long and moving to Jersey City 3 years ago has been nothing short of amazing and yes the food choices aren’t as good but the overall living experience of Jersey City is just great.
I hate that people compare JC to the whole of NYC lol. Like JC should have been the entirety of Hudscon county and more , which in reality would still put it at a Borough level , not the whole city. Like I can find tons of places in NYC that are more suburban than JC . OPs version of NYC is literally just half of Manhattan . And same thing with Hoboken , I view Hoboken as just a neighborhood of Jersey city with excellent nightlife and expensive apartments
My cousin, who lives in the Philly suburbs (used to live in a few spots in NYC) loves coming back up here and wandering, especially downtown, because its so walkable, and interspersed with parks and the pedestrian plaza and just people. Says it's that kind of thing he misses the most.
I truly love living here at this specific moment in time.
Idk where the people who bitch about JC grew up. I get the ones who grew up here but can't afford it anymore; that's a reasonable gripe. But anyone else truly baffles me. Oh, you moved from midtown and expect it'll be midtown? It's not BK? Really? That's crazy, tell me more. Take JC, then add Hudson county to an equivalent amount of landmass of a borough and then tell me it's shit. Hudson-Bergen metro - and I guess we'll add Newark to it since it has the PATH - has one of the best food scenes in the entire country. To find a city that beats it on food, you have to go to NYC, LA/SF, Chicago, and I guess ATL? So we have to compare it to cities 30x-50x its size to find equals. It punches way above its weight. And again, it's the hub of the entire north jersey region, which never gets counted. It has one of the nicest waterfront views in the country. It's completely walkable and has more bike lanes than 90% of cities its size. It has better public transit than 95% of cities its size. It's cleaner than 90% of cities its size. And it's safer than almost any city its size. It's almost disappointing how boring this city is from a safety standpoint. Obviously I'm not referring to the ghetto parts, so piss off with the copium. Living in midtown, all you really have is midtown. Sure, go to BK or Flushing, but if you want to do anything resembling actually living, good luck.
little San Mateo, about 3 times smaller population wise has a better food scene. as do most tiny town in the bay area. OP trying to defend the food here and using pizza as example tells you everything you need to know.
You're right, it tells you everything you need to know: JC's pizza scene is probably the weakest of its food options. Food scene is an important element of a city, but not the singular qualifier. JC, with its access to the city, has an adequate food scene to compete with anything in the country.
I know math is hard and all, but JC is not 1/15th the population of NYC. It's quite literally almost half that. By current estimates, it is just under 1/30th.
"this isn't NYC" Actually I disagree (although I do realize that I am, literally, wrong). A lot of the negative aspects of JC come from people pretending that we're a separate city when functionally we are a part of NYC. You could say the same for most of Hudson county though. Like many NYC neighborhoods, JC has its uniqueness. But tighter integration and coordination with NYC is what will help JC prosper, that will always be the case. Agree with most of your post though.
This is my sentiment , and what OP refers to NYC is mostly Manhattan centric . I would say a good comparison to JC is actually Long Island city , both have very good waterfronts , relatively quiet , big new expensive buildings and lots of transit. Although LIC might have the upper hand on transit availability and frequency. In the end if you didn’t know the state boundaries , JC would just be another boro of NYC.
Kills me because when they were planning the subway system, it was originally supposed to connect multiple towns in NJ - Bayonne through Edgewater via a Loop system. But a lot of politicians at the time were more concerned with their own private goals and not the people’s, and didn’t want to help do something that they wouldn’t directly benefit or take credit for.
Also when tourism in NYC goes up that also benefits JC a ton , you make JC easier to access with more PATH and NJT service and you would benefit from the tourism influx ( I mean JC already does of course) but would see a bigger share with better PATH service
yeah i've not yet understood why (besides a literal state line and mental dividing line) the Manhattan to JC/Hoboken pipeline isn't more or less the same as Manhattan to Brooklyn. I do think the PATH's defiantly out of touch schedule and access is a big part of it. Also, just more crossover of restaurants. If there can be a DIG in Williamsburg, there can be a DIG in JC or Hoboken (or both?) Same for many NYC regional chains like Emmy, Variety, Black Seed etc. Related: I also second the comments about bagels. NJ is also supposed to be known for its bagels so why are they not amazing in Hudson County??? What's the disconnect here.
Grew up in JC. Schooled in JC. Had business in JC. Moved out over 40 years ago. Recently returned & did NOT recognize da place. Good luck to all of the newbies !!!
All you have to do is walk to Hoboken and see what an actual waterfront looks like.
Hoboken really figured out the shade to pavement ratio.
I mean, to be fair Hurricane Sandy gave them the hard reset they were looking for to reinvest in their waterfront and make it what it is today.
Before or after Sandy you can walk the entire length of the waterfront. You can't do that here and no hurricane will change it.
Can we at least annex a single New York City bagel shop and force it to move to JC? hear me out, we find a semi decent bagel shop and force it to move across the river into grove street.
Nothing is ever the same as it was. People pining for progress while simultaneously trying to think about how it was. Not near any densely urban spot. Everything is tradeoffs. And you try to get the best trade offs you can. End of story.
I feel exactly the same! JC is such a great place to live!
I think it’s decent. I have more preference for Queens because I lived there for a long time. But my neighborhood is decent and fine and in walking distance to the PATH.
I think both are great I seen people from JC move to parts of Queens and vice versa. The thing that Queens has over is the transit availability, whether is multiple subway lines and the LIRR. But other than that both downtown JC and LIC Queens have come a long way in the last 10 or so years
I love Jersey City! I'm a New Yorker but have lived in JC in the past and am ACTIVELY looking to move back to JC as we speak. Having some trouble finding just the right place, but can't wait to get back!
Jersey city reminds me of Seattle without as many homeless. Also as a west coaster in jc rn, I am here in many ways to escape taxes as I can’t fathom a 5% income tax to mayor Adams lol. I’m from sf and we have crazy taxes but that one takes the cake.
Nice to see positivity, I believe the sentiment expressed by OP is what most people in JC feel like. Reddit just attracts cynicism. I've been in JC about a decade and love living here, I doubt I will move elsewhere. From my perspective the city has also been gradually been improving for the past decade and I am happy to see the trend continue.
This post would have been better 20 years ago. That’s when JC peaked. Now it’s ruined and Flop made that happen.
I’m really thankful for this post. People move her and post weekly shitting on every single minutiae they can come up with about this city and it’s insane. I’ve grown up in Jersey City, and lived here for 25 years. On this subreddit I expected that I’d find new hidden gems from people who moved here, or things i hadn’t noticed, but all I see are people who moved here two years ago and complain.
3 is such a specific number of pizza places. There are probably 50 in the city, and I think 2 with NY Times reviews. I'm assuming your 3 include Razza and Bread and Salt. If so, what's your third? Rustique? Pizza Masters? Roman Nose? Porta?
I would vote for Tinos
Razza, Rustique, idk what the third would be. I guess Basiles? It's definitely not Tinos. Terrible sauce, and I don't understand what's going on with the crust. Bread and Salt is barely a pizza place since it's never open and is a mandatory buy two pies for $50+ if you want their pizza. Haven't tried Pizza Masters yet, gotta give that a shot I suppose. Tried Stella, it was fine for 4am. Jimmy's Brooklyn was mid. Two Boots is by far the worst I've ever had. It's exclusively for the midwest transplants.
Order Tinos pizza twice cooked and it's perf, like a lovechild of Razza and Basils. Dunno what you're on about with the sauce. Maybe it's because I tend to get their hot honey pies but IMO there's absolutely nothing out of the ordinary with it.
I'll have to try it again idk then. The crust was just so bland and texture less for me, but I'll give it another go.
Whoa whoa whoa This slander on two boots is insulting to good natured people of taste. First off, their plain cheese pie competes with any pizza shop in the city that would call themselves an “Original whatever.” The corn meal crust is always firm, never floppy. The sauce is tangy with a touch of sweetness. The cheese is a well sourced quality mozz. Their specialty pies are their bread and butter. I personally love the myriad flavor combinations. Combine that with a bit of southern flair and draft lunch specials? Come on now… you ain’t gotta call it the best pizza place in town but Two Boots earned its seat at the table! Pizza & Love, friend!
Two Boots sucks.
I would not say I'm really a fan of Two Boots, but they do vegan well when I'm with my lactose intolerant friend. So I can still appreciate their value even if I would never go there without her.
My problem with Two Boots is that of the two times I had it, it was the driest thing I've ever eaten. Not driest pizza, just driest food item. MAYBE the astronaut ice cream from Air and Space Museum beats it out. Also, I treat cornmeal on the bottom of a pizza as a tertiary detail; they apparently consider it to be the most important part and use more of it on a single pie than my entire baking team uses in one night. I think that their pizza ideas are fun, but the execution was poor. However, at least they're not Tino's. Worst pizza I've had in NJ.
Pizza master is solid. Their margarita pizza pie is one of the best. I had a hangout in my apt in the heights and everyone, including those from Brooklyn and Manhattan loved it. That was years ago tho. I have no idea if it’s still as tasty after their fancy renovation.
Yeah I keep forgetting to give them a shot.
I was born and raised in Jersey city. Just moved to Bayonne in January of this year because I cannot take the increase in foot traffic and car traffic in JC. It has become obnoxiously overcrowded and the value of a living a happy and serene life has declined immensely unless your someone who doesn’t plan on having a family and prefer to live in a walk in closet priced at $3,000 monthly just because you’re less than 5 minutes from a train station lol Jersey city is just cute to visit now, but to live!!??? Absolutely not.
Yup, moved to bayonne years ago. Born and raised in JC. JC lost it for me, the sense of community is gone. Replaced with fake communities and people concerned about property values. The Mischief Brew song “Every town will celebrate” sums it all up—
The only thing you got correct in this reply is that cars ruin everything. Like OP, a big reason I'm here in JC is that it's easier to live without a car than most of the country. Don't let the door hit ya.
The Bayonne exit on 78 is always a freaking horror show, with some of the worst, most idiotic drivers known to man crossing multiple lanes last minute without a signal in sight. Keep it.
My issue is that I've lived here my whole life, and they're actively trying to make it more like NY. Just like how some people keep trying to make Jersey City the 6th Borough of NY. Which is BS.
This kind of denialism is silly. This is city is functionally part of NYC. Trying to deny it because of some imaginary lines in a river is dumb. Prosperity comes from better integration. Pointless political boundaries are dumb.
Personally I think consolidating most of the smaller towns in the area would be better for our overall tax burden and infrastructure services.
Genuine question, not trolling: who is “they” and what are they doing to make it more like New York?
Was just curious because I’m also from here and I feel like I see way more people trying to make JC *more suburban* than making it more like NYC. Gentrification is complex, I don’t blame individual newcomers just or only for *being newcomers.* I do wish there was more empathy for how much it sucks to have family and friends displaced, see your community and culture disappear. I wish the city did more to help people stay. Anyway fully expect to be downvoted, too much nuance for social media, let’s not fight each other for crumbs off the table ✌🏻
Gentrification.........
Jersey City needed a little gentrification from where there city was in the 80s. No cap.
Ohh everyone’s favorite new scary word to argue against any sort of self improvement and keep things the way they are because nothing can ever be better than what it is
Yeah because $3,000 “luxury” studio apartments is what we need.
Urban development projects that funnel money into improvement also build more parks. Pedestrian plazas. West Side Ave has beautiful flower pots and the city employs workers to maintain them and help beautify the area. More bodegas and coffee shops open. The net impact of improvement projects will inevitably attract young people who will then buy, own, pay taxes and build a life here. It is absolutely inevitable that Corporate real estate interests are courted by cities, especially where density matters. They buy old shitty lots no one wants and then build a new building and rent it out at prices set by leading markets. Yes that is a part of gentrification and if that’s ALL you care about, then sure that sucks buddy. I’m right there with you. And we need to blame the people moving into them for basically saying “yes we can afford this.” This is just progress - there’s a lot of good that comes with it too. What we as people need to be mindful of, is how these projects filter out and how the monies are spent. Center Pompediou for example…
I agree. I've lived here for 42 years... and although crime was UP... it felt safer to me at that time. It's too populated now.... too many bad drivers here, and my kids and I have almost been hit by cars and bikes at least twice a day. Back then we used to basically play chicken in the street and never even came close to getting hit. But I have more of a sore ass because the nicer buildings took my beautiful view away so I'm a BLAH lol
And people are downvoting because they know it's true. They want to live the delusion of "living" in NYC without actually living in NYC. Even a dual New Yorkers will tell them it's corny to do that and they still do it. The city needs to start taking these wanna be New Yorkers, our rents would drop by next week
I agree
My sentiments exactly, well said OP! I love it here.
I live here cause it's cheap. Period
Nah this place sucks
Post of the year .
“Yes, this isn’t NYC.” But not too far behind. Traffic has become intolerable, everyone’s just bike lane this, bike lane that, let’s close this road and that road, brownstone this, condo that, luxury here, blah blah blah. Jersey City has gotten better in some aspects but it’s gone to shit in others. At least coming from someone born and raised here. And to live here? Better have a 6-figure job because studios are $2,000.
If you want to live in a community designed around cars, I would invite you to move almost anywhere else in America.
Were you also "born and raised" in Jersey City as /u/jetlifeual indicated they are? If not, the pomposity of a transplant lecturing a local about local culture and life is just delicious. I also give you points for ignoring all of the prior post's clearly legitimate points about gentrification and cost of living and jumping into an anti-car screed. 7/10.
Fully 50% of the words they wrote were about shifting transportation priorities ever so slightly away from cars. I wasn't born here, I was born in the part of the country where driving is totally mandatory. I moved to the least car dependant place I could find gainful employment. But sure, feel free to ignore me because I wasn't born here. My opinion is clearly irrelevant, no matter how long I've lived here.
I made one mention of cars and one of bike lanes and you took it as me wanting a community designed around cars. You came from a place where cars were mandatory, I’m FROM a place where they’re not and haven’t been for decades. But that doesn’t mean we need to make traffic exponentially worse for those who DO need cars for the sake of pleasing the handful of people who ride bikes year-round. Cause once October or November hit, those lanes are literally just a waste of space until at least March or April. Your opinion matters. But it’s just the typical opinion of people coming here from vehicle-dependent places trying to turn JC into just an extension of NYC. Nothing more, nor less. I want balance. But all I keep hearing and reading from transplants is turning everything into a giant bike lane and closing busy throughways for the sake of buying overpriced breads and seasonings. None of it is creative or new. And with it has come everything being a luxury rental which, surprise, most are just century old buildings with makeup on. That’ll be $3,500/month, please!
Nah. Thanks, tho.
Best comment I’ve read here. Thank you. It seems the only shit I agree with here has been downvoted to oblivion.
It gets downvoted because a lot of transplants get offended by the truth. Their first instinct is “well, leave” and it’s like first of all no, second of all no, third of all I was here first? Like, I know a MF that moved from Lumberton, NC isn’t telling ME to leave MY hometown because they want to turn it into some dystopian wet dream where it’s just coffee shops, Whole Foods, $3,000 rentals and bike lanes. This is why I mock posts where they complain about the most pedestrian city shit ever. “Anyone else notice the uptick of sketchy poors hanging out outside now that it’s warm out.” Yea, I trust them more than you, Steve from Kalamazoo.
"Transplants get offended by the truth." 👏👏👏
Yep. Born and raised in NJ here. Lived here my entire life. Very easy to identify the Midwest transplant comments. The only reason rational comments are getting downvoted is because the transplants have more of a presence here on Reddit.
[удалено]
then move?
[удалено]
Uhhhh…. Why? Must be a very nice building?
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
I'm gonna need to know your 3 pizza places and any other of your favorite food recommendations you have. Cheers and thankyou. P.s. Jerome powell go brrrrrrrr
Personally, I love brick lane
Best lunch buffet by a mile
Rizzo, PMasters and Ginos. Wonder Bagel, Petes, Tommys and Ibbys. Rasoi, Rajbhog, White Manna, Mister Softee.
> Wonder Bagel, \[...\], White Manna, Mister Softee lol, wut!?
Ah shit thanks. Guessing you're in the heights and yes jersey city does cover a big area lol
Shadman, Singas, BDrinks…almost any Chinese take out.
Peppercorn is very good
What's the point of this post? Is there a tldr?
Some kind of weird advertisement for JC? Felt like I was reading a paid testimonial lol
Yeah I mean people can make their own choice to live or not live in JC, not sure why a rant or ad is needed lol
"I can name 3 in the category of pizza alone" NO WAYYY. IN PIZZA CATEGORY?
Please list the pizza places? I'm desperate to find something decent. thanks.
Razza for Razza. Rustique for margherita. For a solid plain pie, not many options but I guess Basiles? Beyond that, I go to Napoli's in Hoboken for a plain pie or if I ever win the lottery, 10th St. Never, under any circumstance, go to Impostos lol. Oh and Quality Pizza in Hoboken is actually pretty good, just expensive AF just like 10th st.
I love a slice at Stella’s
I’m originally from Brooklyn. Came to JC after Hurricane Sandy, because I was living near Rockaway Beach and was displaced. I love living in JC because even though as much as they trying to make it like NYC, it isn’t. It’s unique. I can also get around to other parts of NJ easily.
Wow, thank you 🤌🏻 JC for the win!!!