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I am a single mid-20s male professional and possibly relocating from Philadelphia to Lyndhurst, NJ for my job. I am originally from South Jersey but have lived in South Philadelphia (Bella Vista, Queen Village) and the Fishtown / Northern Liberties areas for the past few years. I am not very familiar with North Jersey and surrounding areas but something about it has always appealed to me and I've finally decided to transfer up there. My job is located on Wall Street West in Lyndhurst, NJ. I do have a car that I keep at my parents when visiting back home in South Jersey but I am always commuting everyday via bicycle here in Philadelphia and leave the city very infrequently so a vehicle is not necessary at all unless other means of transportation are not realistic. I like the idea of the downtown flow and feel but not into the whole heavy partying / drinking scene so much. I like to go out for a few drinks and socialize with others around my age.. I am a former musician who is into indie music, craft beers, riding bicycles, etc. Obviously, I am looking for a safe and affordable area either in the North Jersey or NYC area. I would like a 1 bedroom apartment between $950-$1,500 per month. I have no problem bringing my car up there if parking space is available but do not have an issue taking public transportation or riding my bicycle within a reasonable distance from home to work. I was looking in the Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City areas but understand those areas might require higher rates for a decent 1 bedroom in a nice and fun neighborhood. I was also thinking about living in Brooklyn (Park Slope, etc.) as I have heard these areas are quite similar to what I am used to here in Philadelphia but do not actually know due from lack of personal experience of visiting these neighborhoods. Also, I was thinking that it might be too hectic of a commuting during the work week from Brooklyn to Lyndhurst. Any thoughts or ideas on my situation? I do not want to live in a complex and would prefer regular row home style apartments. If possible, it would be very helpful if someone could list sections of neighborhoods and streets to stay close to. Thank you so much in advance!
Last edited by fixedgearbicycle; 07-19-2013 at 04:32 PM..
I am a single mid-20s male professional and possibly relocating from Philadelphia to Lyndhurst, NJ for my job. I am originally from South Jersey but have lived in South Philadelphia (Bella Vista, Queen Village) and the Fishtown / Northern Liberties areas for the past few years. I am not very familiar with North Jersey and surrounding areas but something about it has always appealed to me and I've finally decided to transfer up there. My job is located on Wall Street West in Lyndhurst, NJ. I do have a car that I keep at my parents when visiting back home in South Jersey but I am always commuting everyday via bicycle here in Philadelphia and leave the city very infrequently so a vehicle is not necessary at all unless other means of transportation are not realistic. I like the idea of the downtown flow and feel but not into the whole heavy partying / drinking scene so much. I like to go out for a few drinks and socialize with others around my age.. I am a former musician who is into indie music, craft beers, riding bicycles, etc. Obviously, I am looking for a safe and affordable area either in the North Jersey or NYC area. I would like a 1 bedroom apartment between $950-$1,500 per month. I have no problem bringing my car up there if parking space is available but do not have an issue taking public transportation or riding my bicycle within a reasonable distance from home to work. I was looking in the Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City areas but understand those areas might require higher rates for a decent 1 bedroom in a nice and fun neighborhood. I was also thinking about living in Brooklyn (Park Slope, Williamsburg) as I have heard these areas are quite similar to what I am used to here in Philadelphia but do not actually know due from lack of personal experience of visiting these neighborhoods. Also, I was thinking that it might be too hectic of a commuting during the work week from Brooklyn to Lyndhurst. Any thoughts or ideas on my situation? I do not want to live in a complex and would prefer regular row home style apartments. If possible, it would be very helpful if someone could list sections of neighborhoods and streets to stay close to. Thank you so much in advance!
My first thought is you REALLY need to forget about living in Brooklyn and working in Lyndhurst....the commute would be long and hellish. Seriously. Just don't.
The second thing that comes to mind as to a town that would meet your needs/desires would be Rutherford. It is adjacent to Lyndhurst, so you may be within biking distance, depending on where your work/home are located within the towns. Rutherford has a nice small downtown area, with a little bit of a nightlife scene, and you have easy train and bus access as well so if you want to go into NYC on the weekend it would be easy. (there is a train station in downtown, it's on the Bergen Co line) Parking is not an issue in the town, so if you wanted you could have your car there as well, though it may not be needed. Nutley is also a nice community, but a little bit farther away, so you'd likely have to drive and not bike to work. (though there may be bus service available.) Apts are well within your price range.
Another option would be Morristown, as it has the nightlife scene you are looking for, right down to the pubs with craft beers. The downside is that it is located farther from Lyndhurst, so your commute would be ~ 1 hr, if you work typical workday hours. And your housing budget will be stretched tight...you can find perfectly nice 1 bd places for your range, but they will not be new/luxury and have all the amenities. Montclair also is an option, but the nightlife is more geared towards families, though it is a college town, so there are singles around. Certainly the commute from Montclair would be easier than Morristown.
Another option would be Morristown, as it has the nightlife scene you are looking for, right down to the pubs with craft beers. The downside is that it is located farther from Lyndhurst, so your commute would be ~ 1 hr, if you work typical workday hours. And your housing budget will be stretched tight...you can find perfectly nice 1 bd places for your range, but they will not be new/luxury and have all the amenities. Montclair also is an option, but the nightlife is more geared towards families, though it is a college town, so there are singles around. Certainly the commute from Montclair would be easier than Morristown.
KoalaNJ
I lived in Lyndhurst for a number of years and currently live in Morristown so I would like to offer you my perspective. First, the commute from Morristown to Lyndhurst at off hours is an hour and during rush hour, you would have to take the same highway that leads to the Lincoln Tunnel, Route 3. Route 3 is currently under construction in the Passaic/Rutherford area which adds 1/2 - 3/4 hour to the commute. Morristown nightlife consists of about three bars which get old fast (Check out the reviews on Yelp). Lyndhurst itself is a blue collar town with no nightlife to speak of. If Jersey City and Hoboken are out of the question, I would suggest you check out North Bergen, Union City and Secaucus. There a lot of housing stock in your price range and the commute is a quick hop on Route 3 against the rush hour flow. You could still have access to Hoboken and NYC for extracurricular activities. Good Luck.
The second thing that comes to mind as to a town that would meet your needs/desires would be Rutherford. It is adjacent to Lyndhurst, so you may be within biking distance, depending on where your work/home are located within the towns. Rutherford has a nice small downtown area, with a little bit of a nightlife scene, and you have easy train and bus access as well so if you want to go into NYC on the weekend it would be easy.
Isn't Rutherford also one of the few places with late-night bus service to NYC?
Well it seems you and I have lived similar lives. I can tell you off the bat, living in Park Slope, or any other part of Brooklyn that may appeal to you be it Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Bushwick, Greenpoint, etc etc will leave you with a hellish commute to Lyndhurst. I've lived in many of those neighborhoods while commuting to Edgewater, NJ for work. It sucks. No way around it, it's miserable and it will make you feel as such. Plus that budget for a 1 BR will get you maybe something in the far east reaches of Bushwick, but kiss Park Slope goodbye. I've also lived in South Philly, Ellsworth and S 8th, so I know the kinda neighborhood you're used to. Tattooed Mom and Ray's Happy Birthday Bar are some of my favorite places to enjoy an adult soda.
That said, you like to use your bike to get around but have a car. Bring em both. If your job is in Lyndhurst, you wanna live in this general vicinity. Traffic in this part of Jersey can be grueling. I live in East Rutherford and work in Edgewater, only 11 miles, but it still takes me 30 minutes to drive there.
You're also a former musician. Nice, me too. It was fun to tour for years, but now it's time to be real people! I hesitate to push the town I'm in because there's the obvious bias, but here in this area there is a lot of fellow "former" musician friends of mine who are now just doing life. We work our jobs and are saving for something bigger, but we still have that mindset to a degree. I like this area a lot because you can still walk to just about anywhere, if you REALLY wanted to you could get by without a car and just bike and take buses around. Rutherford has a great downtown area and for the most part is walkable and certainly bikeable to from East Rutherford, Carlstadt and even Lyndhurst where your job is.
Rutherford itself has no bars, but the restaurants are just about all BYOB, which can be a good thing. East Rutherford has it's share of bars, just over the tracks from downtown Rutherford. No real craft beer selection there but Rockafellas here in ER just revamped their selection and is pouring multiple lines of excellent crafts. Andy's Corner Bar in nearby Bogota also has daily changing taps and 2 handpulled cask lines, one of my favorite craft beer bars in the country.
Price-wise you'll also find more in your range around here. You don't wanna live in a complex but they're fairly common and tend to have lower rental prices. Not as much large building, but garden style apartment complexes. My friends rent a 1 BR garden apt in town, a literal stone's throw from downtown Rutherford and most of E Rutherford's bars. But there's no shortage of split family homes, which I prefer. I'm in a 4 unit house on a quiet block, street parking, walking distance to multiple bus lines, the train, bars, restaurants and supermarkets. You could easily enjoy a life of biking, walking and occasional driving around here. Not much in terms of row houses (some, but not many) but there's at most 15 feet between my house and our neighbors. Close enough but far enough? It's densely populated but also spaced out a bit more, trust me you'll enjoy the breathing room. It's not suburban wasteland but it's not city boxes on boxes.
If you wanna get some more hit me up on private message.
This is a good area, seems like it could suit you if you're considering the move. As my friends here often put it: "Ahh the Rutherfords, where old punks go to die..."
We mean it in the best way!
Last edited by brokenaperture; 07-19-2013 at 07:27 PM..
Isn't Rutherford also one of the few places with late-night bus service to NYC?
Tis true. The 190 runs just about 24/7, I think the longest lag in service is 2 hours around the 4am mark?
It's my chariot when I do decide to have a longer night in Brooklyn with friends. On that note though, the buses that run through East Rutherford also run fairly late, I think 1:30am is the last 163?
East Rutherford is a bit more affordable than Rutherford, and you'll get more bang for you buck. There's apartments under $1k a month here. I'm more than pleased with the price I pay for the space I get, on site conveniences and walkable amenities and good times.
Montclair's also a great option. A bit further from Lyndhurst than some have suggested, but really not by much. Avoid highways and you could maybe get there in 15 mins or so. It's got great restaurants, good bars, easy access to the city.
And yea as for trekking to Hoboken, I may be making a generalization here by your username, but you may hate Hoboken. I don't know many (ok none at all) friends who are avid cyclists who wouldn't rather eat their own arm for fun than go to Hoboken by choice. Unless you're somehow down with a frat party that never ended, shot girls at faux Irish pubs and people who look like a person on mushrooms drew them as a joke.
Montclair's also a great option. A bit further from Lyndhurst than some have suggested, but really not by much. Avoid highways and you could maybe get there in 15 mins or so. It's got great restaurants, good bars, easy access to the city.
And yea as for trekking to Hoboken, I may be making a generalization here by your username, but you may hate Hoboken. I don't know many (ok none at all) friends who are avid cyclists who wouldn't rather eat their own arm for fun than go to Hoboken by choice. Unless you're somehow down with a frat party that never ended, shot girls at faux Irish pubs and people who look like a person on mushrooms drew them as a joke.
I agree. Downtown Jersey City (near Grove Street PATH station) is more for the "fixed gear crowd" than Hoboken. OP will max out his budget just to get in the door, though. Worth checking out, but don't have expectations of washing machines, stainless steel, etc. at that price point. A walk-up with uneven floors is more like it.
Rutherford may be a good place to look. It has some restaurants and a small downtown. It's more of a landing spot for 30-somethings and families, but it's right next to Lyndhurst so it'll make life simple. You'll be able to bike to work, but you'll want to have that car for other things while living out here in the 'burbs. Rutherford has a train station for trips to Hoboken or to NYC (with a transfer at Secaucus).
Montclair is also a good suggestion. Younger and more vibrant than Rutherford for sure. The main downtown area is called Montclair Center (along Bloomfield Ave). There are trains and buses to NYC, but you'll drive to work in Lyndhurst and use your car frequently.
Forget NYC. On your budget you'll need 4 roommates to afford Manhattan or any of Brooklyn's hottest neighborhoods. You'll spend every dime you earn to rent a small place in an eastern Brooklyn 'hood (think North Philly), and you'll spend 2 hrs commuting each way to Lyndhurst.
Quite honestly, given your interests and budget, I think Philly is probably a better fit than what you'll find around here. Philly's a great city and such a bargain right now.
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