The Hoboken Cafe 

I haven't quite figured out the crowd in hoboken... Who
are all these people walking up and down Washington? I
get the impression that Hoboken is quite the magnet for
people from smaller NJ commutities- and they come into
Hoboken for a night out.

There are lots of people who commute to NYC, but with the
rents in Hoboken being what they are, why don't people
just live in NY or Brooklyn or Queens?

Finally- do you think that most (some, alot) of people in
Hoboken grew up in NJ? Hoboken has the feel of far enough
away from parents in the burbs but still pretty close to
home.

I think your right about the crowd in Hoboken, a lot of people come here from the suburbs to go out at night. Its closer and more familiar than Manhattan.

As for Hoboken vs. New York, it is cheaper here. My apartment would cost about $800 to $1200 more in Manhattan (and its a one-bedroom). Far out in Brooklyn or Queens is an option, but then you most likely will be even farther from Manhattan.

Hoboken is also a good "middle ground" for couples working in Manhattan and New Jersey towns. My wife works in Morristown and living on the other side of the Hudson (especially out in Queens) isn't an option.

Seinfeld would say: "Who are these people? Do they have to wear Capris and Khakis just to walk their dogs? And what's with the cell phones?"

I think this brings up an interesting point. Many of the recent transplants that I've met here seem to be originally from either the NJ suburbs or from other suburbs in close proximity to New York City (for instance, Long Island and Westchester and Rockland counties in New York state), but I've also met a ton of people from all over the world, including France, Australia, India and so on, as well as from all different parts of the country. All in all, I would say it's about a 50-50 split between the "locals" and the people who aren't from the NYC/NJ area.

As for me, I lived all over the place as a kid, but my family settled in East Brunswick (NJ suburb) when I was 16 and I graduated high school there and they still live there, so when people ask me where I'm from, that's the easiest answer.

And as far as the rents go, yes they are extremely high (duh), but consider that though you're paying a fortune, Manhattan is even more expensive and you get a lot more space for your $ here. It's a matter of comparison, I guess. But then again, I'm one of those aforementioned people who don't commute into Manhattan for work (though I do go to school there in the evenings, I work in Bergen County), so living there (or any other part of NYC, for that matter) isn't really an option for me and even if I did work there, I'd still rather live in Hoboken. :)

Matt

allthatjazz48 said on 8/2/2001 6:52 PM

>
>I haven't quite figured out the crowd in hoboken... Who
>are all these people walking up and down Washington? I
>get the impression that Hoboken is quite the magnet for
>people from smaller NJ commutities- and they come into
>Hoboken for a night out.
>
>There are lots of people who commute to NYC, but with the
>rents in Hoboken being what they are, why don't people
>just live in NY or Brooklyn or Queens?
>
>Finally- do you think that most (some, alot) of people in
>Hoboken grew up in NJ? Hoboken has the feel of far enough
>away from parents in the burbs but still pretty close to
>home.

Well, I grew up in NJ, and I liked the fact that I could have a town which was small enough to navigate on foot, yet large enough to get lost.

And you can't beat the skyline views. ;)

All of my friends from downstate love that I live here, because Hoboken is a PARTY TOWN and they can crash on my old parquet floor. :)

Sorry, can't resist....

It's the required uniform: khakis, box-toed shoes, three-quarter length black leather or nylon jacket (seasonal), orange or black messenger bag, haircut inspired by "Friends" (brushed forward and flipped up in front).
And one in every three Hoboken guys under 30 is named "Jason."

Oh, and the cell phones are for telling your S.O. that you'll "be home in 8 1/2 minutes" or for communicating with the table next to you outside Texas Arizona.

; D

Hilarious!!!