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Look at Pearl River NY as well. Pretty good amount of bars/restaurants near the train station. Lots of options within the town there and its closer to work. Not to mention significantly cheaper then a place like Ridgewood or Montclair.
Ridgewood doesn't have a bar scene really....it has plenty of upscale restaurants that are BYOB but there are only a handful of actual bars and more a family oriented community, not trendy. We love Ridgewood but we miss proper bars as opposed to restaurants where you can get a drink at the bar if you get there early enough to get a seat. Liquor licenses are so expensive apparently so very few in the town. And you might find $1500 a month difficult for rent, budget more in the region of $1800-$2000.
newstart22, it is good you are asking for advice, because I think you really need some.
If you are going to limit your budget to $1,500/month, you better rule out Hoboken unless you collaborate with one or two roommates. Rent in that "trendy" city doesn't come cheap. And you didn't figure in transportation fees, either
I personally think it is crazy to consider a daily Hoboken to Oradell commute, especially if just for the reason of a "trendy" nightlife. Look at any map to see how far apart those communities are. Furthermore, Hoboken trendy is best described as a group of 20-something girls wearing 8" stilettos stumbling along Washington Street after most bars let them in with no cover charge and funneled them half-priced LITs all night. Then they all "cab it" to Manhattan or back home, and drop a benji or two on that ride. Of course, nothing beats watching one girl hold her friend's head as she pukes those $8 mixed-cocktails onto the sidewalk
That being said, I share your resistance to the doom-of-an-existence that is the Oradell nightlife. As for the Hackensack suggestion, a lot of old-timers there can recount that cities' era as a hotspot not to be missed, but those nights are long gone
Unfortunately, you will find that as developers have "improved" Bergen County, it has come at the expense of a lot of small fun hangout spots where young adults could go to unwind, and more importantly, just be themselves. And the worst turnabout is probably that most of the very people who once loved those spots have turned into their parents and usually reject any situation that would allow for such an establishment to open near them. This makes it very hard to find fun places to live that don't shut down at 9 or 10PM, even on weekends.
Cresskill, NJ. was once home to several bars and taverns. Can anyone even name one that still exists in that borough? The mayor there was overjoyed when the last one, Mooseheads, was torn down. He called it an "eyesore", despite the fact it once housed the borough's first post office.
Sorry for the rant. Back to the OP's problem.
If a walkable downtown with many shops is what you are seeking, you could consider Hasbrouck Heights or Rutherford, Bergen County. Both boroughs are well-served by highways, especially Route 17, and public transportation.
I would also suggest looking into Montclair, Essex County or even Clifton, Passaic County. You will likely get far more value (space) for your money; close proximity to highways, like Routes 3, 17, 21, GSP, etc.; public transportation; and if you come to lease or own a car, parking won't be the hassle it is in certain cities with Manhattan views.
newstart22, it is good you are asking for advice, because I think you really need some.
If you are going to limit your budget to $1,500/month, you better rule out Hoboken unless you collaborate with one or two roommates. Rent in that "trendy" city doesn't come cheap. And you didn't figure in transportation fees, either
I personally think it is crazy to consider a daily Hoboken to Oradell commute, especially if just for the reason of a "trendy" nightlife. Look at any map to see how far apart those communities are. Furthermore, Hoboken trendy is best described as a group of 20-something girls wearing 8" stilettos stumbling along Washington Street after most bars let them in with no cover charge and funneled them half-priced LITs all night. Then they all "cab it" to Manhattan or back home, and drop a benji or two on that ride. Of course, nothing beats watching one girl hold her friend's head as she pukes those $8 mixed-cocktails onto the sidewalk
That being said, I share your resistance to the doom-of-an-existence that is the Oradell nightlife. As for the Hackensack suggestion, a lot of old-timers there can recount that cities' era as a hotspot not to be missed, but those nights are long gone
If a walkable downtown with many shops is what you are seeking, you could consider Hasbrouck Heights or Rutherford, Bergen County. Both boroughs are well-served by highways, especially Route 17, and public transportation.
I would also suggest looking into Montclair, Essex County or even Clifton, Passaic County. You will likely get far more value (space) for your money; close proximity to highways, like Routes 3, 17, 21, GSP, etc.; public transportation; and if you come to lease or own a car, parking won't be the hassle it is in certain cities with Manhattan views.
Good luck and let us know your decision.
Sorry to disagree but having lived in the area for the past 15 years(starting in my early 20's). I can say without a doubt that living in Hoboken would be worth the commute! It's just a completely different lifestyle than you will find anywhere else in Jersey( aside from maybe Downtown JC). Rutherford? Really? I lived there for 2 years and never saw anyone single under 30, not to mention Rutherford is a dry town, you have to cross the tracks to East Rutherford to get a drink at one of the 3 tiny bars(all next to each other)One of which just got nicked in Operation Swill. Hasbrouck Heights? That has to be a typo. While I'm sure spending Friday nights at the Heights Bar and Grill staring at pictures of Bill Parcels and Frank Sinatra is thrilling it's not going to compare to a full Mile of Bars, Restaurants, and Shops. Clifton? Again, really? If you didn't go to high school there then you will have little or nothing to talk about with most of the people in the local bars. Montclair is nice enough and great for young couples, young families and young people from the area but again it's a fraction of what you get in Hoboken that is important to a 22 year old. Granted Hoboken is not for everyone but if you are young, want to be around mostly other young professionals, have a much bigger pool to meet new people from,and have great access to NYC there is no other spot like it.
$1500 will get you a studio, small 1BR or a great share(Instant friend(s))! Also think of all the money you'll save from NOT getting a DUI while driving from the bar to home in all the other NNJ towns.
Last edited by Goldendoodle1969; 05-29-2013 at 08:56 AM..
Agree w above poster about Hoboken. It is like College dorm life part II and equivalent to the lifestyle in Murray Hill.
My second place suggestion would be Nyack NY which is a straight shot on the Parkway.
While I disagree that Hoboken is dorm life (there is nothing "dorm" about the prices and strollers and kids in uptown Hoboken) the OP could probably get a nice 1BR at that price right over the border in downtown JC or in Nyack.
another Hoboken vote, though you would certainly want to investigate to see if a public transport commute would viable for you. Having a car in Hoboken is a major PITA, and expensive.
Sorry to disagree but having lived in the area for the past 15 years(starting in my early 20's). I can say without a doubt that living in Hoboken would be worth the commute! It's just a completely different lifestyle than you will find anywhere else in Jersey( aside from maybe Downtown JC). Rutherford? Really? I lived there for 2 years and never saw anyone single under 30, not to mention Rutherford is a dry town, you have to cross the tracks to East Rutherford to get a drink at one of the 3 tiny bars(all next to each other)One of which just got nicked in Operation Swill. Hasbrouck Heights? That has to be a typo. While I'm sure spending Friday nights at the Heights Bar and Grill staring at pictures of Bill Parcels and Frank Sinatra is thrilling it's not going to compare to a full Mile of Bars, Restaurants, and Shops. Clifton? Again, really? If you didn't go to high school there then you will have little or nothing to talk about with most of the people in the local bars. Montclair is nice enough and great for young couples, young families and young people from the area but again it's a fraction of what you get in Hoboken that is important to a 22 year old. Granted Hoboken is not for everyone but if you are young, want to be around mostly other young professionals, have a much bigger pool to meet new people from,and have great access to NYC there is no other spot like it.
I agree that the nightlife is certainly more electric in Hoboken or Downtown JC versus other places in New Jersey, excepting the Jersey Shore towns. But is that lifestyle really worth the expense to live there? If the OP said she was working in New York City, Newark, or another area nearby, then the answer might be yes. I realize that what is important to a 22-year old is probably different to someone in their 30s, such as yours truly. But I can say that even at age 22, I did not see the value of residing in Hoboken. There is a saying that goes: "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there"
When Hoboken floods, which happens at least once every two months due to storms or infrastructure failure, will the OP have an apartment that floods out, destroying everything? Will the OP have to navigate by automobile, public transportation, or walking, streets that are near waist deep in water, sewerage, and discarded trash? Maybe these things aren't important to the average 22-year old, but I respectfully think they should be.
The areas I listed are not hotspots, but are well-situated to transportation that will get you to them. As to Clifton being clique-ish, sure it is, as are other places in NJ. But Hoboken is not without cliques, it is just that there are a lot more of them there, so it is not as obvious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdstyles
$1500 will get you a studio, small 1BR or a great share(Instant friend(s))! Also think of all the money you'll save from NOT getting a DUI while driving from the bar to home in all the other NNJ towns.
Rent money doesn't translate into accumulated equity; you are paying for the privilege of living in someone else's building. $1500 is considerable money to some people, and the space one gets in Hoboken is only slightly better than Manhattan. One could even find more value in neighboring Jersey City, without all the, ahem, minor inconveniences that come with Hoboken.
As for the savings realized by not getting DUIs: If after factoring rent, renters' insurance, transportation, inflated drink costs, inflated restaurant costs (even the Hoboken McDonald's is more expensive than others in Hudson County), inflated boutique shop prices, $5 minimum cabs, and other inflated prices due to simply being in Hoboken, I wonder if you don't break even, of course without the points
There is more to Hoboken or JC than the nightlife.
I can walk to Target, Best Buy, a mall, multiple supermarkets...I can get to NYC for $2.25 24/7. I can walk to some of the best restaurants in NJ. I can walk to multiple beautiful parks, riverfront and otherwise. I'm a short train ride from the Meadowlands and Liberty State Park.
People in other parts of NJ cannot say that.
Also not *everything* is more expensive. There are plenty of places as cheap as the burbs, it's all about knowing where they are.
Also, unless the OP lives on the first floor, he doesn't need to worry about his stuff getting flooded. And the flooding isn't to the degree you are talking about on such a regular basis.
Plenty of places in NJ had worse flooding after Sandy or other storms. My parents live in Monmouth County, 20 minutes from the beach, and had waist deep water in the basement after Irene. That is nature of NJ.
I think a lot of older people like to rag on downtown JC and Hoboken without really being familar.
There is more to Hoboken or JC than the nightlife.
I can walk to Target, Best Buy, a mall, multiple supermarkets...I can get to NYC for $2.25 24/7. I can walk to some of the best restaurants in NJ. I can walk to multiple beautiful parks, riverfront and otherwise. I'm a short train ride from the Meadowlands and Liberty State Park.
People in other parts of NJ cannot say that.
People living in Paramus could boast about having a much shorter walk to all of those places - that borough has four malls to Jersey City's one, Newport, which charges for parking unlike most if not all of the others in Paramus. Yes, I know there are other malls in Hudson County, inclusive of the outlet mall a few miles away, but then one would have to drive or take public transportation to travel to it. Hoboken and JC have no outlet malls, and likely won't have one anytime soon.
Best restaurants? What makes the restaurants in Hoboken stand-out better from any other in New Jersey?
Beautiful parks? I'll concede on North Hudson/Braddock in North Bergen and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, but the few parks in Hoboken are under constant repair due to collapsing into the Hudson River. Have you ever carefully looked at the pavered sidewalk running alongside Frank Sinatra Dr. in the vicinity of the downtown (across from W Hotel) area? The pavers, which were installed within the past ten years, are buckling into the ground. Uptown, the situation is worse where a huge section of roadway literally collapsed into the Hudson River. The county had to get involved with the repairs.
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Originally Posted by ScarletKnightJet
Also not *everything* is more expensive. There are plenty of places as cheap as the burbs, it's all about knowing where they are.
Again, where?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScarletKnightJet
Also, unless the OP lives on the first floor, he doesn't need to worry about his stuff getting flooded. And the flooding isn't to the degree you are talking about on such a regular basis.
Plenty of places in NJ had worse flooding after Sandy or other storms. My parents live in Monmouth County, 20 minutes from the beach, and had waist deep water in the basement after Irene. That is nature of NJ.
Apples to Oranges. You cannot compare one devastating storm with regular infrastructure failures. Hoboken routinely approves twenty-plus story condo developments on contaminated pieces of land, yet doesn't insist on a developer's agreement to replace at least some portions of 100+ year old sewerage and water lines. The existing underground infrastructure was not constructed to support the heavy usage that a 200+ unit condo building places on a site formerly developed with one or two factories. This planning shortsightedness leads to many water main failures and sewer collapses. Hoboken is near sea level so when this happens, the water has no where else to go but flood the streets. If you live in the area, you KNOW this to be true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScarletKnightJet
I think a lot of older people like to rag on downtown JC and Hoboken without really being familar.
No, I think a lot of "older people" (I'm in my mid-30s, btw, so not sure if that counts as older) begin realizing how a home, whether owned or rented, is an expensive asset to maintain. If you are regularly ripping out carpeting, tossing furniture and appliances, having mold remediation, dealing with gridlock traffic, getting trapped in your second or higher story apartment because water obstructs the first and basement levels, pay 75 cents more each time at McDonald's then what's charged in "the burbs", and then finally when your lease comes up for renewal it is nearly $400 more than last time, I think anyone with some degree of logic might conclude that they are paying a lot of money for simply an atmosphere and a quick commute to New York City.
And I'm not the only person who feels this way about the illusion that is the Hoboken lifestyle. Here is a letter written to a website regarding a Hoboken resident's dismayed opinion of how things are going in the mile-square city on the Hudson. In all fairness, the letter is political because it blasts the city's current mayor. However, if you remove all the political references, the facts are without dispute. Anyone considering moving to Hoboken should carefully consider these observations from a current resident:
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