Downtown Newark, NJ

[flotown]

Thanks for these pictures. I grew up in West Orange & I have lived in Orlando for the past year and a half. seeing pictures of Newark and the archectecture of North Jersey really brings back memories. One of the things I really miss is the view I had of Newark from the Harrison Path station while I would wait for my train into Manhattan.

This was a great place for pre game brew sessions prior to Mets, Yanks, Knick, Rangers etc. games on trips up north with friends. Here are some pics:<p>

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[ZachariahDaMan]

Great pictures everyone, Newark seems like a nice city that has a lot of potential.

[lammius]

Great pictures everyone, Newark seems like a nice city that has a lot of potential.

It's a city that has seen some rough times over the past several decades, but with excellent transit service and the cost of real estate through the roof in Hudson County, I believe Newark has one direction in which it can go...

[Hotlanta]

Its great to see some pics of my old area I use to call home so long ago. I went up to New York about a year ago and I stayed near EWR because it less expensive, but anyway the family and I drove around our old homestead in Paramus (Upper Saddle River) and got one of those handy little real estate books to check out house prices. JEEZE! For a 2 Bedroom/1 Bath house in Caldwell, NJ, it costs $650,000! That is so much more than we were accustomed to when we lived there about 12 years ago! Don't even get me started on taxes. I hope they clean up the area around the Pulaski Skyway. That area is very dirty and dangerous!

[lammius]

Welcome to the NJ forum, Hotlanta.

While the areas surrounding the Pulaski Skyway may still be less than desirable, I find the structure itself to be something of beauty. It's such a relic of the American steelworks age.

And though I rarely travel over it I enjoy passing underneath on the NJ Turnpike:

[Jerseyman4]

The Pulaski Skyway was the original way to Manhattan. The bridge carrys the US Highways 1&9 designation of which if you continue straight (not turn off the bridge onto Tonelle Ave aka Routes 1/9) eventually becomes I-78 with traffic signals in Jersey City approaching the Holland Tunnel.

The US 1 northbound arch bridge between Edison and New Brunswick is another bridge of beauty and on a clear day, great way to see downtown New Brunswick with Boyd, Johnson and Donaldson Parks showing the beautiful landscape of New Brunswick, Highland Park and Piscataway.

[lammius]

In that image of the Rt 1 bridge I see Edison Diner. Oy. How many mornings have I strolled in there drunk for a Mexicali omelette?

[Recchia]

My brother lived in Ironbound for a while, he loved it, and so did I when I visited. I forgot the name of the bar we always went to, I think its Dega Lounge or something. Anyway, Ironbound is sweet neighborhood, tons of great authentic Brazilian restaurants. Nearby Harrison, NJ is also great. I was looking at living there if I got a job in the city.

[demon]

This was a great place for pre game brew sessions prior to Mets, Yanks, Knick, Rangers etc. games on trips up north with friends. Here are some pics:<p>

<p>

<p>

Thank you so much for these pics. They make me nostalgic for the NJ/NYC area, I can't wait to visit them again this summer.

[lammius]

Some web finds...

My brother lived in Ironbound for a while, he loved it, and so did I when I visited. I forgot the name of the bar we always went to, I think its Dega Lounge or something. Anyway, Ironbound is sweet neighborhood, tons of great authentic Brazilian restaurants. Nearby Harrison, NJ is also great. I was looking at living there if I got a job in the city.

One of my co-workers lives in Harrison. He loves it. It's quite convenient to the PATH and to Newark. There's quite a bit of redevelopment proposed for that area.

[waccamatt]

As a Jersey native (South River), I'm glad to see Newark coming back. Jersey City seems to be doing very well too.

[lammius]

As a Jersey native (South River), I'm glad to see Newark coming back. Jersey City seems to be doing very well too.

Nearly all of NJ's cities are making some sort of a comeback. Some have farther to go than others! (cough)CAMDEN(cough!)

[waccamatt]

Nearly all of NJ's cities are making some sort of a comeback. Some have farther to go than others! (cough)CAMDEN(cough!)

Yes, poor Camden. It too will see the light of day. I was in NYC on business this fall and stayed the weekend to spend some time in central Jersey. I was expecting the old borough of South River to be older and dingier than when I last saw it, but it was not! I was pleasantly surprised by how much NICER it was than when I left 30 years ago. Gosh, has it been that long? I probably even have a southern accent now!

[lammius]

Yes, poor Camden. It too will see the light of day. I was in NYC on business this fall and stayed the weekend to spend some time in central Jersey. I was expecting the old borough of South River to be older and dingier than when I last saw it, but it was not! I was pleasantly surprised by how much NICER it was than when I left 30 years ago. Gosh, has it been that long? I probably even have a southern accent now!

I was once lost on my way home from South Amboy and ended up in South River. It is indeed a nice town.

After 30 years of living in SC I can't imagine that you wouldn't have picked up some Southern stuff. I moved to NJ from VA less than 2 years ago and have begun drinking "cwoffee" and "cwalling" people on the phone.

[gregw]

Newark definitely has a great skyline. And I'm loving the Ironbound. Next time I visit my cousin in Montclair I'm going to make a point of exploring Newark more.

[Jerseyman4]

I was once lost on my way home from South Amboy and ended up in South River. It is indeed a nice town.

After 30 years of living in SC I can't imagine that you wouldn't have picked up some Southern stuff. I moved to NJ from VA less than 2 years ago and have begun drinking "cwoffee" and "cwalling" people on the phone.

Washington Ave(Sayreville)Main St(South River)/Cranbury Road(East Brunswick) was the road you were on. I presume once you saw Route 18, you knew how to get back.

Ive picked up the jersey twang too myself, your not alone!

I was expecting the old borough of South River to be older and dingier than when I last saw it, but it was not! I was pleasantly surprised by how much NICER it was than when I left 30 years ago. Gosh, has it been that long? I probably even have a southern accent now!

South River is a town on the move but when your off Main Street, a lot of it has remained the same for a long time (1960s/70s). Down towards Whitehead Ave (past the Ria Mar), you start to see newer housing. I do like how there are many bars and bodegas of walking distance for most residents.

[lammius]

Last night I finally watched the documentary Street Fight that was nominated for the Academy Award this year for best documentary.

It's a story about the 2002 Newark Mayoral election that was wrought with controversy and alleged scandal/tampering on behalf of incumbent mayor Sharpe James. The film followed the opponent, Cory Booker's campaign. It was a fascinating story on how machine politics work in this troubled and nearly forgotten city. And it showed how, despite millions of campaign dollars being thrown at TV and radio ads, political campaigns here are won in the streets! I highly recommend watching it!

[Jerseyman4]

Sharp James is now retiring as the mayor of Newark.

He'll be a professor at some community college this summer, beleive its in Essex County.

[lammius]

Sharp James is now retiring as the mayor of Newark.

He'll be a professor at some community college this summer, beleive its in Essex County.

Yeah he's not running for re-election. I'm thrilled and disappointed at the same time. I love the fact that he won't be mayor anymore, but sorta wish there was a more dramatic ending to his reign. I sorta wanted to see him LOSE to Booker!

[ScrantonWilkesBarre]

Thanks for the photos. I've only been to Newark once in 1984 and at that I was completly shocked at the urban decay present in the place. As a Southerner I had never seen anything like this before and wanted to get out of Newark as fast as possible.

Its good to see that a lot of it has been cleaned up. Well at least in the photos. Newark looks as if it would be a nice alternative as a place to live than in very expensive NYC.

Yes, NYC may be very expensive, but so is much of North Jersey, which is why people are hopping right over the ENTIRE Garden State now and settling down in Pennsylvania. I live just outside of the Poconos, near Scranton, and you can't travel one mile now without seeing a NJ/NJ license plate in front of you filled with a young family scoping for new homes or building lots. It's truly sad to realize that our housing prices and cost-of-living will likely also skyrocket once word gets out that the Scranton Area is quickly becoming "The New Hamptons," as I heard one NJ transplant at my local Lowe's store reference the area as.

[Jerseyman4]

Stroudsburg, PA area is where all of the homes are being built, right near the Delaware River.

Lehigh Valley is seeing the growth too

[lammius]

The NY Times did a series a few months ago on exurban frontiers and featured NEPA as one of them. It's unbelievable what people are willing to sacrifice to get a piece of green in front of their homes. The story mentioned that PTAs and little league sports are suffering b/c there are no parents able to participate, since they commute and are away from the community up to 17 hours each day!

Hopefully the Lackawanna Cut-off rail project will get underway soon. I can't remember if it's in the draft or final EIS stage right now...

[ScrantonWilkesBarre]

The NY Times did a series a few months ago on exurban frontiers and featured NEPA as one of them. It's unbelievable what people are willing to sacrifice to get a piece of green in front of their homes. The story mentioned that PTAs and little league sports are suffering b/c there are no parents able to participate, since they commute and are away from the community up to 17 hours each day!

Hopefully the Lackawanna Cut-off rail project will get underway soon. I can't remember if it's in the draft or final EIS stage right now...

I know of people right here in Pittston, PA, about 120 minutes from Manhattan, who actually commute daily to NYC! In the Poconos, much of the recent crime increase has been attributed to a lack of parental supervision---When you leave your cul-de-sac enclave at 5:30 AM to make it into work on time, and then you don't arrive home until 7:15 PM, what do you think your children are up to in the hours between the end of the schoolday, perhaps at 2:45 PM, and the end of your commute home? Many teenagers in the Poconos are left to their own device for 5-7 hours each afternoon and evening, which is never a good thing! I know of some who are even expected to have dinner on the table for their parents when they arrive home from Manhattan! When the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, the next on the chopping block, also sees more people making the daily trek to Manhttan via the Lackawanna Rail Connector between Scranton and Hoboken, I cringe to think of how it will destroy the fabric of families here as well. Sure, we may have better schools, (marginally) cleaner air, much less crime, cheaper housing, and plenty of room to "sprawl out", but what good is it if you can only really enjoy it on the weekends because you work from sunrise to sunset during the week? Due to a scarcity of career opportunities locally in my chosen profession, I'll likely also have to commute to NYC after college for work to command a salary that is appropriate for my level of education, which just doesn't exist around here. I likewise cringe to think of how my family will suffer when their father is "bringing home the bacon" 100+ miles away everyday. People are willing to bend over backwards, as you said, for a "little piece of greenery", which continually gets pushed further and further into a new westward frontier. I'm wondering if BoWash will ever just "run out of gas" at some point here in NEPA, or if people will soon commute to NYC via a commuter rail service that would link places as far away as Williamsport or Elmira, NY to the metro?! I know that sounds unrealistic, but people also thought "nobody" would be willing to drive between Stroudsburg and Manhattan everyday, but MANY thousands of Monroe County residents do make that trek, which is why so many local children unfortunately lost their parents on 9/11. Suburbia comes at a price, and how far are you willing to sell out your family in order to "feel successful?" I'm sure you could have just as good of a quality-of-life living in a trendy neighborhood of Hoboken or Newark as you would living hours away in Stroudsburg.

[ScrantonWilkesBarre]

Stroudsburg, PA area is where all of the homes are being built, right near the Delaware River.

Lehigh Valley is seeing the growth too

Actually, you are both right and wrong here. The Lehigh Valley will soon officially be classified as a "shared bedroom community" to both NYC and Philly, and Stroudsburg will soon become part of the New York City MSA. However, thousands of homes are being built MUCH FURTHER into the PA frontier than the Stroudsburg/Delaware Water Gap area. Growth pressure is now being felt a half-hour from the Delaware River, as far northwest as Blakeslee and Tobyhanna, both of which are now home to "private communities" and both of which are just a 20-25 minute drive from Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. This is why I'm so concerned. Much of the "urbanization" has occurred in the Stroudsburgs, but new housing construction is now abuting my own county line! BoWash crept across the Delaware River without much warning to PA municipal leaders, who were forced to scramble to build new schools, design multi-lane bypasses around some of our narrow roads (Route 209 in the Marshalls Creek area is especially atrocious), and regionalize their police forces to be able to afford to hire enough cops to keep up with the growth, which happened more quickly than anyone could have anticipated. At current trends, Monroe County will be more populous than urban Lackawanna County, home to Scranton, in about 20 years! If this sprawl crossed the Delaware River with little fanfare, then why would an imaginary county border stop it from hopping into my own area as well? Mark my words----Visit the southern portion of Lackawanna County (The Moscow/Thornhurst/Elmhurst area) now, and then visit it in 2015. You'll be shocked at the transformation from pastoral to suburban. The same can be said for the Bear Creek/White Haven/Buck Twp. area of eastern Luzerne County. I'm just trying to put up a few red flags here to alert local officials to inevitable future growth/sprawl so that they don't "drop the ball" the way Poconos did in short-sighted community planning.

[lammius]

Awesome aerial shot of Newark I found on the internets using the google.