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Then there was a new upscale restaurant called SoHo that opened around 1997 - that was the beginning of the downtown "renaissance".
IIRC, the local renaissance actually began a few years earlier, when the Hyatt Regency hotel was built, across the street from J&J.
At the time of its opening, the upscale restaurant in the Hyatt was considered to be the ne plus ultra of fine dining in New Brunswick.
I drove through New Brunswick today.
Well...(coming from NYC)...I'm just not feeling it.
It felt kind of like White Plains to me. (Does anyone know what I mean?)
It just felt like a generic city to me, with little character, lots of chain restaurants, a good number of new nondescript looking apartment buildings.
Most people appeared to be white Americans.
And banners for "Rutgers" are everywhere!
Felt very much like a college town and not a real city.
Also, I know Rutgers is a university, but it almost seemed like Rutgers was so omnipresent in New Brunswick, that it was like a corporate takeover of the city or something...
Nothing compares to New York City. I grew up there, but I don't really mind leaving. Yep, New Brunswick is a college town. I now work for Rutgers, so I don't mind the omnipresence of it. To be honest, if I didn't have a reason to be here (job), I don't think I'd randomly choose New Brunswick as a place to live. But, there are tons of non-chain restaurants and bars -- to name a few of my favorites: GS Ale House, Harvest Moon, Due Mari, Tacoria, Dillinger Room, Destination Dogs, Steakhouse 85 -- and I do think there's plenty of character but, to each his/her own.
If I hadn't gotten a job out here, we'd likely be leaving Manhattan for Crown Heights, Bay Ridge, or *gasp* Staten Island to be able to afford a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. That would have put us ~1 hr on the subway to Manhattan. Now we'll be in NB, in a nice two-bedroom, two-bath (with a pool, gym, etc) that is $1k less per month than we're spending in Manhattan, with nicer amenities. We can walk to the train and are an hour from Manhattan. So for us, it works. If it's not for you, it's not for you. However, I would recommend doing more than driving through -- visit some local (non-chain) eateries and bars, wander around George Street, check out the theaters, etc.
Nothing compares to New York City. I grew up there, but I don't really mind leaving. Yep, New Brunswick is a college town. I now work for Rutgers, so I don't mind the omnipresence of it. To be honest, if I didn't have a reason to be here (job), I don't think I'd randomly choose New Brunswick as a place to live. But, there are tons of non-chain restaurants and bars -- to name a few of my favorites: GS Ale House, Harvest Moon, Due Mari, Tacoria, Dillinger Room, Destination Dogs, Steakhouse 85 -- and I do think there's plenty of character but, to each his/her own.
If I hadn't gotten a job out here, we'd likely be leaving Manhattan for Crown Heights, Bay Ridge, or *gasp* Staten Island to be able to afford a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. That would have put us ~1 hr on the subway to Manhattan. Now we'll be in NB, in a nice two-bedroom, two-bath (with a pool, gym, etc) that is $1k less per month than we're spending in Manhattan, with nicer amenities. We can walk to the train and are an hour from Manhattan. So for us, it works. If it's not for you, it's not for you. However, I would recommend doing more than driving through -- visit some local (non-chain) eateries and bars, wander around George Street, check out the theaters, etc.
Thanks. I did walk around Highland Park, and got a bit of a feel for the place (sleepy town, but friendly people), but didn't get a chance to walk around New Brunswick.
Maybe I will try to do so in the coming days. You recommend I walk down George Street? Any particular places I should stop in?
Also, where can you get an apartment in New Brunswick with a pool and gym that is walkable to the rain station?
-The student population is not counted in the city's population except for the few students who have established residency in NB. So 55,000 people live as well as 30K+ students..
-Calling New Brunswick "mostly white" is laughable. It has a huge Hispanic population and a sizable African-American population.
-The student population is not counted in the city's population except for the few students who have established residency in NB. So 55,000 people live as well as 30K+ students..
-Calling New Brunswick "mostly white" is laughable. It has a huge Hispanic population and a sizable African-American population.
Interesting. Thanks for the correction.
It must be because I drove around the downtown/George Street area near the train station that I just saw mostly (not only) white people.
Thanks. I did walk around Highland Park, and got a bit of a feel for the place (sleepy town, but friendly people), but didn't get a chance to walk around New Brunswick.
Maybe I will try to do so in the coming days. You recommend I walk down George Street? Any particular places I should stop in?
Also, where can you get an apartment in New Brunswick with a pool and gym that is walkable to the rain station?
Thanks for all the good information!
Depends on what you're into... if you like craft beer, GS Ale House has a good selection on tap (and good food) and Harvest Moon brews their own. INC and Dillinger are a bit more atmospheric and have nice cocktails. I like Indochine for Vietnamese food, Jersey's for subs, My Way for Korean. Up on Easton there's a nice coffee shop called Hidden Grounds that also has food. Also on Easton I like Mamoun's (an NYC offshoot), Tacoria, KBG, and Thomas Sweet -- an adorable little ice cream shop. My favorite bar find so far is Ale n' Wich but it's a bit off the beaten path. It's divey, has pool/foosball and seems to be frequented by an older crowd. I haven't been yet, but I've heard good things about Esquina Latina and Hotoke.
Re: apartment w/ pool and gym -- Plaza Square. It's on the pricier side for the area (I think the cheapest 1 bed is $1800/month) but compared to what we've paid in NYC it's very affordable. I know the George, Skyline and the Vue all have gyms, but not pools (that I'm aware of).
New Brunswick is definitely not NYC -- it's a small city with a handful of cool places and a college scene. But, it's better than most places in NJ (IMHO) and it's certainly not suburban. Also, re: diversity, I agree with NJpoliticiansarecrooks -- just walk around and you'll see plenty of non-white people. Another cue is that Key Food is stocked with staples of Latin cuisine.
Depends on what you're into... if you like craft beer, GS Ale House has a good selection on tap (and good food) and Harvest Moon brews their own. INC and Dillinger are a bit more atmospheric and have nice cocktails. I like Indochine for Vietnamese food, Jersey's for subs, My Way for Korean. Up on Easton there's a nice coffee shop called Hidden Grounds that also has food. Also on Easton I like Mamoun's (an NYC offshoot), Tacoria, KBG, and Thomas Sweet -- an adorable little ice cream shop. My favorite bar find so far is Ale n' Wich but it's a bit off the beaten path. It's divey, has pool/foosball and seems to be frequented by an older crowd. I haven't been yet, but I've heard good things about Esquina Latina and Hotoke.
Re: apartment w/ pool and gym -- Plaza Square. It's on the pricier side for the area (I think the cheapest 1 bed is $1800/month) but compared to what we've paid in NYC it's very affordable. I know the George, Skyline and the Vue all have gyms, but not pools (that I'm aware of).
New Brunswick is definitely not NYC -- it's a small city with a handful of cool places and a college scene. But, it's better than most places in NJ (IMHO) and it's certainly not suburban. Also, re: diversity, I agree with NJpoliticiansarecrooks -- just walk around and you'll see plenty of non-white people. Another cue is that Key Food is stocked with staples of Latin cuisine.
Mamoun's is felafel, right?
Thanks, I will try to check it out!
Am I correct that the New Brunswick Ethiopian restaurant is closed now?
Efes is the Turkish term for the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, and I tend to doubt that the restaurant is owned by that ancient city. Hence, there is no possessive usage that would be appropriate here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoshanarose
It looks like Easten Street and George Street are nice streets to walk down.
Efes--which I agree is very good--is located on Easton Avenue.
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