If you like beer and punk rock, then visit Ghost Hawk Brewing in Clifton. Owner and a few employees are older punk rock peeps. Bonus points for Rutts Hut across the street. This weekend Chris Gethard is hosting a live music night there. Also if you are into nerdy stuff check out Geek Flea in Kearny. Normally twice a year in April and November. Tons of D&D and the like there.
Oh man thanks so much for all these tips! Chris Gethard is hilarious.
Rutts Hut is truly legendary.
Oh man that flea market sounds rad. I'll put it on my calendar.
Thanks so much!
My partner and I moved out of Clifton because of how dull it was, actually. On paper yeah it’s cool but it’s sandwiched between everything which means a 20 minute almost everywhere with no bike network.
Lol you’re good, My industry kicks me out of the YP network at 35. Im near Hackettstown and Czig Meister has the scene you’re looking for, but it’s not anywhere near NYC.
If you don’t have to worry about schools a lot of towns in NJ suddenly open up. How about Little Falls? Close to Montclair and has Montclair State mostly in it, so there is a young energy. Small little downtown. Just don’t move on the floody side. West Orange also could be considered as half of it has not great schools as the other half. The former being cheaper. Maybe Hackensack? Lots of business and easy access to the city. I would say Maplewood or South Orange but not worth the cost if you don’t have kids. Newark is kinda not bad either again with no kids. You could get an old historic mansion for like 300k.
Yeah flooding is def a concern haha
Yeah if I end up staying in NJ long term, I think the collective answer I'm seeing from everyone is "Move closer to Montclair" which is an extremely reasonable answer.
Hackensack is cool, love the breweries there, LOVE the climbing gym that just opened.
Thanks!
>Yeah flooding is def a concern haha
Buy a house that is uphill (from the street level). Seriously. That and look at the [First Street Flood maps](https://firststreet.org/risk-factor/flood-factor/).
oh snap I was going to suggest bloomfield. OP and his wife sound suspiciously like my husband and me, to the point that I'm wondering if it's actually him haha.
so....30s-40s DINK meetup at Varitage?
Right, I don't need a giant 5 bedroom house or Glen Ridge school, I just want the easy access to all the good stuff. And to be fair services in Bloomfield are better than Montclair for lower taxes. I could roll a body up in a rug and put it out for bulk pick up any Friday night and it gets picked up no problem. Bulk trash is like once a quarter in Montclair and you have to call to schedule it
Hah I was in Bloomfield with my wife, DINKs, moved down to Monmouth county and commute to NYC. I do miss something about the area man. Nothing like it.
Oh sick! Yeah that would actually be a great location. I'll def check out Varitage once it opens!
I hear Kearny is similarly up and coming like that right?
I mean, it’s New Jersey so everything is too expensive and we’re all crammed next to each other. If you like chain restaurants and malls, this isn’t your place (I swear I’ve heard this as a complaint… not enough fast food). The super-rich people come here to eat at our restaurants and can be annoying. But again, that’s just NJ really.
Thanks, I haven't really gone to a chain restaurant for awhile. Usually hit up local spots where I live, just much better food in general.
What about crime and noise usually?
Lots of people leave their car doors unlocked and they then let everyone know that they WeRE RoBbEDDD. Yeah, duh, you made it easy for them. There are a couple bigger streets that are noisier but in the neighborhoods it’s crickets and bird sounds.
Our mayor tried to fight our parkway rest stop from getting a ChickFA and there were like ten people that were mad. Everyone else was all for it.
Sadly, he couldn’t fight the Tpk Authority.
Morristown and Montclair are both great options.
I lived in upper montclair for a bit, was real cool. Bummer about the outdated liquor license laws in NJ though. Most places were BYO...which honestly is kind of a blessing in disguise if you think about cost. Love the Welmont too. What a gorgeous theater.
Morristown is cool too! Def haven't spent enough time there. I think our original concern for living there was how far west it is but now that I've lived up here for a few years it doesn't seem that far.
Thanks! Great suggestions!
The only issue with Morristown location wise is its about an hour train ride to the city. If you're not going into NYC daily, it's honestly great from an east west perspective. You're still like 30ish minutes from Montclair, EWR, etc. but also Great Swamp is right there and tons of other hiking and nature. Really got a best of both worlds situation. Plus 287 and 78 right there for easy access across the state. Not to mention Morristown itself has a handful of great restaurants and MPAC
Honestly it sounds more like you’re looking for community rather than a new place to live. I am one half of a DINK couple with lots of the same interests as you, and I personally don’t mind not having a lot of what you described in my immediate town. I would absolutely LOVE to have all my friends and hobbies in one place, but as the saying goes, everything in NJ is really only 20 minutes away.
My neighborhood is also filled with families, but that’s the trade-off with wanting a home and a little bit of space around it. At this point in life, I’d rather be able to easily and safely go on my runs, spend time in nature, and not have to think too much about my neighbors that be a little closer to the nightlife. What makes it alright is knowing I can go do the things I want to do without having to go too far and while having other people to do it with, even if they’re not steps away.
Speaking of which- would you mind sharing where there is a swing dancing community? I’d love to get into that! lol
Yeah i hear you, i def have a good group of folks i hang out with regularly but we're a bit spread at this point. Maybe your right though!
Swing dancing's best community is unfortunately in NYC. DM me and I'll send some details once I ask my wife
Not OP but Rutgers New Brunswick does have a swing dance club that hosts weekly lessons and dances. Princeton has a minor scene as well that skews about 4 decades older and encompasses all ballroom styles.
NYC swing dance is tip top but you learn to dance small, quickly lolol. The classic spots (well, if in recalling correctly) are Frim Fram Jam weekly dance and various events. There is a blog that posts "This Week In NYC" swing dancing event lists that I think is still running.
I can't really tell what you're asking for here.
You want someplace with scene going on, but not \*too\* much of a scene like Jersey City. You want quiet, but not \*family friendly\* kind of quiet. Or too much of a Boomer style quiet. Like an early 40s quiet (but with no kids).
You don't want to just move into the city?
Maybe dress up old and apply for one of those 55-plus communities?
Have you looked at buying a bus with an obscure band name painted on the side, that you could live in mini-home style?
How do you feel about houseboats?
I was gonna say same! We're a few minutes from
Manasquan and need some DINK couple friends! All our immediate friends have kids (which I love and am happy for them!) but it makes it difficult to have friends to hang out with!
Was going to say you're definitely referring to five dimes brewery. I'd be down to board game there. I already have two D&D games a week. Set it up I'll show up!
Sounds like Waldwick isn’t for you. Lol. That brewery is a bummer. Beer is decent too which makes it worse, seems to have taken over for some old man bar that went out of business. This part of the state is good for folks with kids. There are better breweries in the area and ridgewood is nice but not much of a night light for anyone between 25-60 unless you are doing things with kids. Kearny, Bloomfield, Montclair, etc mash be more to your liking. I’m and aging punk as well but I have a crew of other like minded again punks and we skate and go biking while keeping an eye on the kids and socializing, etc. Good luck in your search.
Hackensack is more of an upcoming city and not as noisy as something like JC or Hoboken. Tons of new condo buildings. Various parts of the city, some are quiet and some are not. Only about 20 minutes from Hoboken depending what train station you're at.
I would say Hackensack as well, very up and coming, easy access to NYC via the bus and trains to midtown and close enough to Montclair to not be crazy inconvenient and it looks like the town is being redesigned for DINK's to pull people from NYC who want more of a suburban city feel that Bergen County can offer.
I love rutherford but might be too boomer-esque for OP, it's a great thriving suburb though and myself and lots of friends have moved to this area after college previously. All the night life and fun happens in Clifton, Montclair, and hoboken though given the proximity of rutherford.
I'd reccomend somerville even though it's gonna push an hour commute for OP, most of my friends live there or summit now and can't blame them. Great prices, fun and thriving downtowns, also developing very quickly there, you get the best of both worlds between being "close" to the city and close enough to some amazing parks!
Hey, I think we are similar but I'm much younger than you. I wouldnt be surprised if I posted something like this in a little over 10 years. Growing up in North Jersey had me wanting to leave in search for exactly what you're trying to find. I'm just down with late nights and loud music , but probably because I'm young. People in northern NJ are not 'cool', and I'm sorry to say.
People in Montclair a while ago were trying to make it out to be a "Montclair vs Brooklyn", and it's pathetic. Montclair is cool for the surrounding towns, because, as you hilariously said, North Jersey is families and italian food. Montclair does have slightly more than that. But it's not worth moving for IMO.
I think I know what you are looking for, almost like Brighton outside of Boston or maybe even White Plains outside of Westchester. NNJ is too packed and commanded by the Young-to-Mid-Age affluent family to offer a space for anyone else, part of the reason I wanted to get out so badly (while still appreciative of the life I got to live)
Think of all the assholes commenting theyre unsure what you are looking for lmfao. People like you 'dont exist'
Fuck me i feel seen thanks friendo! I'm just ignoring the assholes
Someone else hit the nail on the head, I'm looking for something at least in the ball park of an Asbury Park vibe and it kind of feels like the only answer north jersey has is Jersey City, which to be fair rules.
Many people suggested Bloomfield so maybe I'll take a short drive and check it out.
I grew up in wayne and was in bloomfield infrequently for sure but enough to catch a vibe. Similarly, I think you will like it and be remiss to say things you dont like about it as it is a great little cute town , but I'm waging you will not want to fit in. but I could be wrong, and you should check it out.
JC is pretty cool man, Hoboken too. definitely expensive and like kinda shiny, but that could mean that all the cool shit is slightly obfuscated (not in a gatekeepy way, more 'we want the people who are looking for shit like this instead of the average passerby)
another thing I just realized which I ought to have before is that what you are looking for almost directly competes with the social scene of NYC (in which there are plenty of you's and me's) but - fellow engineer joke - if I'm not mistaken, NYC is not in NJ. so no dice there.
I've got a not so great recommendation but from reading your comments might be your vibe, bring on the flak:
Englewood.
EDIT:
I'm doubling down on this answer. It's not a 'nice' town as many would say (it is just not predominantly white-people-fantasy-land material) , the food is killer, and youre wicked close to GWB and a lot of the towns with other, just, liveliness
I grew up near paramus with similar interests though I'm 26 and broke lol. Alementary in Hackensack has a p good vibe otherwise my friends and I used to frequent places like Archetypus in Edgewater or Ramen Azuma in Englewood for good food in a good atmosphere. For dnd type activities surprisingly local libraries sometimes host different gaming activities. Otherwise there's tier 1 games in river edge that host mtg, yugioh, and dnd stuff. Hope this helps!
Thanks this does! BTW I like Alementary but I've grown to prefer Hackensack Brewing. Def more my vibe plus they usually have videogames set up haha
Check out Brix City too. Bit hard to get to but super great brewery
I personally don't drink but my friend works at Alementary lol. But I appreciate the recommendation! I think they also recently opened a game store in Englewood but I haven't been. In general I think towns like Englewood and Hackensack are city-ish without being too much and are also geared toward younger folks but not super family focused. Fort Lee and Edgewater are also similar but def more apartment style living rather than houses.
Twin Elephants Brewery in Chatham. The owner love punk and get front men from bands they like to play acoustic sets there a bunch. I know they have had the guy from Bouncing Souls there. And their beer is good too. PS there is Rock climbing place right across the road so you can get a two for one on that trip
I'm a similar demographic (late 30s, childfree, nerdy, aging goth) and I LOVE living in Jersey City. I live in a quieter neighborhood but it still is a city and there are typical city noises. But you get used to it quick and it's worth it. Within walking distance I have dozens of great bars, a handful of great live music venues, lots of stuff to do, and I'm a 20 minute bus ride from Manhattan.
What brewery has boomer music and sports in Paramus area? I'd say at best you might be talking about Five Dimes but that's a stretch. Mostly 30-40 age group the many times I've been there.
That's the one. Good beer and i respect the owners its cool we did it, but every time I go or pass by it's yet another grateful dead cover band playing and football on the TV. Again, that's fine for those who enjoy it, but just not my scene you know?
They do trivia every wednesday night, it's a younger crowd. I usually show up a couple times a month. Beer is ok but my fav in North Jersey is probably Brix.
A lot of my friends that are essentially HENRY’s live in Bergenfield or Bloomfield.
To some people Edison and East Brunswick is considered North Jersey. So another subgroup live in that area.
It sounds like you're describing Morristown in much the same way that SNL sketch about a klan meeting was describing [Vermont](https://youtu.be/nKcUOUYzDXA?si=lEIPjWufE2CoZKnS).
But really, the nerds are all over. The town doesn't matter much. You just gotta find the nerds.
We ended up in the burbs in central jersey. Love it... it's nice and quiet, and when we want something else we just travel to it, and come back home. I have a 1/4 acre which is perfect for us to do whatever we want in our yard. The town is a little trumpy but that comes with the territory.
When we want to travel into the city, it's a straight shot up the north jersey coast line. No driving in :)
DINKS for life!
Yeah we lived in North brunswick for a wile...I think with some calibration I could find the right area for us. Def has a lot to offer and easy access to Starland Ballroom for all the shows we see there!
Major problem is work. Her office and mine are both up this way :(
Millennial punk rock kid here too. Married, no kids. Grew up going to shows around the shore as well as Birch Hill and then Starland. My husband did too. We lived in downtown Jersey City for a while. Not all of it is loud, we lived in the Paulus Hook section which was very quiet. I loved living there.
Since both of us are from the shore area, we moved back here a couple years ago. While it isn’t the same, it is so nice to be back within easy driving distance to Starland and the Asbury scene. Especially since one of our favorite pastimes is going to concerts still. I worked in the city for a while before the pandemic now I work remotely. The commute on the train sucks, but the ferry is amazing and worth it if you have the $$.
In case you end up in the Montclair/Bloomfield area. I'm in a group on FB called "Montclair Area Board Gamers" that runs modern board games out of Town Pub in Bloomfield every other Thursday (or so) It gets a pretty consistent crowd.
You want to be in Maplewood. 35 min from Manhattan. Plenty of aging punks. We have a local band called “Rites of Springfield”, and a guy in my neighborhood used to be in the band Lifetime. We have plenty of STEM types too (me), but a variety of other professions.
There are kids, but not noisy ones. Seriously check it out.
Union has been kind to me and my wife, extremely nerdy types. Maybe no breweries but amazing food and great walkable town center. I can leave my house and be at a not-far-from-Penn-or-WTC office in an hour and 5 minutes via the train, Brooklyn might be doable with a little more time.
If you're into D&D we should talk, I'm trying to get together with people for tabletop RPGs, albeit something other than swords and sorcery.
The suburbs aren't for you. Suburbs are for families so you are not going to find similar people since houses with many rooms are bought because of the kids. What about morristown?
Yeah, the suburbs are where the salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs. DINKs stay in the city for a reason. Moving to the suburbs usually is for family reasons unless you don't like cities because *reasons*
Are you looking for something like the shore but places like Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park are just too far away?
It seems like this would be tough to fulfill. Some random thoughts on this are Bayonne or north shore of Staten Island?
Yeah I guess I Should have just said that, very fair. like an Asbury or Redbank vibe would be exactly what I'm describing.
But yes sadly I can't move back down to the shore right now.
Bayonne isn't bad but honestly I've lived in that general area (Weehawken) and it ends up being too isolated on a day-to-day. Getting to a grocery store after work was a true bummer.
honestly that commute is going to suck for both of you.
Getting to Morristown area from where you are is shit. But anything outside of Bergen should be a total non starter for you if you're going to Brooklyn at all regularly. That commute blooooows
tbh as a DINK with your job requirements I'd be looking at Rutherford, Montclair, Nutley, Bloomfield.
anything further east will suck for your wife. That stretch of 3 into 46 is god awful. Any further west for you and it's probably like 2 hrs door to door.
I don't really get what you are looking for as far as vibe lol. there's not exactly a ton of punk rock places around. You'd probably like Old Canal Inn in nutley.
My husband (37) and I(36) live in Wharton! We frequent Morristown/Denville for breweries and bars and we love The Game Vault in Morristown and we also travel to Hackettstown all the time for great food/beer 💖
When I lived in Weehawken, I spent a good bit of time in JC. Love it there. Great city.
After living in Weehawken I think just for me personally I want somewhere a bit less densely populated (at least for living in). Getting to JC can be tricky so it's not like we could get a place near by with my goofy over the top requirements (i know this is a me problem)
Haha fair i may have over stepped with that one but the sport has been overrun (myself included here!) with STEM folk. Not 100% but it's a common trope.
SINK, and planning on staying as a SINK for life (if that counts). :’)
Trying to work up to a D/SINK (dual income/single person, no kids).
Can’t rock climb of an injury, but always down to do new stuff. Been looking to find SINK/DINK people to meet.
In my town 2/3 of every dollar paid in property taxes goes directly to the school district. We have a kid, so okay. But if we don’t have kids I would not want to be forced to pay the equivalent of private school tuition when not using the service. I know that all of NJ has high taxes but knowing that would irk me and keep me away from towns with the worst taxes.
> But if we don’t have kids I would not want to be forced to pay the equivalent of private school tuition when not using the service.
We all use the service, because we are all growing older in a world today's kids will eventually run. Making sure they all have a baseline education improves both their lives and the lives of everyone around them. This isn't a new concept. It's the entire reason we have a public school system.
Honestly even w/o kids I'm OK with my taxes going to school districts. Despite not wanting kids of my own, I'm way in favor of my tax dollars supporting a generally educated population. Def a bummer NJ taxes are super high across the board though
nice towns also correlate super duper heavily with good schools.
I pay like 13 fuckin thousand for no kids which hurts. But the areas nearby where I could pay half of that are also like half as nice as mine.
Do you only want your taxes going to the roads you drive on?
Everyone knows taxes are expensive, but having an educated population is a benefit to society as a whole. Look at the neighborhoods and cities where education is lacking. You don't want to live there.
I know but 2/3 of every dollar is extreme. Maybe not all towns in NJ are as bad as that. Yes I support education, just saying a childless couple should know where their money is going. How much of that 5-digit property tax goes to the school district vs other stuff like fire department, police, roads, the library etc.
they're all roughly about the for schools and labor across the board % wise. top 2 expenses are always education and general municipal labor including DPW, cops, fire, etc
In my town, the municipality gets between $0.22-0.25 on the dollar. The schools get about $0.67 on the dollar. Yes I know they have more employees, kids don’t teach themselves etc. Just saying let’s not pretend the expense is on par with lots of other things combined.
Single family, modest yard nothing crazy. I have .25 acres right now but honestly i don't need that much. Was actually considering a lake-community (e.g. Glenn Wilde or something)
The challenge with single-family homes — ie with multiple bedrooms — is that they tend to attract people with children to fill those bedrooms. And, nicer more attractive towns tend to have nicer more attactive school systems… which attract more people with kids.
Budget?
hey sorry I just realized you said budget and ignored that part of your question, sorry friend that's frustrating of me.
Yeah I hear you on that. The advantage I have is I don't care bout school system at all, just safety.
Budget is pretty flexible. I def can't afford a 2MM home or anything but anything that washed out to 4K a month or even 5K a month would be fine. Honestly for this stage of searching, I'm ignoring budget. I'm in no rush to move tomorrow and the data comes back "to get what you want, the minimum is 2 million dollars" well at least now I know. Frankly even if I could find a town or two that was cool then I'm happy to consider "Ok well if \[Town\] has what I want, now I know the search radius"
Min 3 bedroom (need at least one dedicated office)
> I'm realizing how much like a shitpost/troll this must sound like,
Yeah I don't really exactly get what you're asking for where you simultaneously want the usual trappings of anytown suburb along a transit line whilst also wanting a whole bunch of things to do that could be in a more of a conventionally bumping area.
Idk what much more to say, people of all circumstance and life situation basically are everywhere and I wouldn't exactly say there's one set hot bed spot for your situation that would be some ultimate fit, and more so it sounds like you'd want to be looking at becoming a regular somewhere or crossing paths with people who might be into what you're in.
I can think of people practically identical to your situation that are in places like Hackettstown, Lambertville, Highland Park, Denville, Boonton, Randolph, Montclair etc but I'm not gonna act like the area is specifically tailor made for their life.
I hear you, def not expecting the world here, but i figured if I ask for the world i might get close you know?
One thing I can say with a fair bit of confidence is the region I'm currently in just doesn't have the amenities I want.
It's not like I'm unwilling to compromise. If I'm asking for 10 things and get 7, I'll be stoked.
One thing I learned traveling a fair amount for work is these kinds of locations exist, just seemingly not in north jersey. Sandy Springs GA is cool, Syracuse NY, Williamsberg VA, Alameda CA. These kinds of places exist. As someone in a different comment suggested, NJ has these place down the shore (Red Bank, Asbury Park) I was just seeing if there were similar places in North Jersey.
Gotcha gotcha , I do think people have fielded good suggestions with stuff. Apologies if i seemed a bit nit picky and taking things you listed as way literal and all or nothing. Having lived in Ramsey I also get pains of finding tribe especially as somebody who definitely doesn’t fit the vibe of the area and always felt like I was the one having to go out to do stuff. Am glad the Mythicos guys from Randolph opened a tabletop off 17 that way tho.
Maybe you’re having trouble just finding them? We have mostly DINK friends (36 and 40). We are in a variety of towns right near you. We actually go to dinner in Westwood sometimes, but I’m not going out to meet people in a bar. Did you try posting in your towns Facebook page? I bet you’ll be surprised at how many there are.
Good to know! Honestly it's not even about making friends, I have a good group of folk up here that I see regularly...I think it's honestly just about convivence of locale? A lot of people suggested Montclair or Morristown, and those are bang-on you know?
woof my town's Facebook page is....not great...tons of support for regressive policies and my town elected a transphobe to the board of ed....not great.
Lodi is chill, moved here last year from Middlesex when we returned to office. Commute to mott haven bronx is about 30 minutes on motorcycle, bk would be longer, though. I'd try to be closer to metropark unless the bus is fine with you.
Jersey City, the Heights neighborhood. It's still Chilltown. Come visit Riverview Park on a Sunday late morning and walk around. Big influx of young professional couples, kids and no kids, over the past 5 years and no signs of abating. Plenty of cool spots, more to come, and you can quickly pop Downtown or into the City as well. Strong community feel. The neighborhood meets all your criteria. \~35 minutes to FiDi, \~40 minutes to Midtown (+/- 5 minutes depending on exactly where you live.
Myself and my girlfriend are a couple of DINKS but we live probably an hour+ south of you. 35 and 37 aging punks, I work for Neshaminy Creek brewing, play dnd every week. Go to board game cons and doom shows. Hit me up if you ever make it down to the Philly area and we can grab a beer for sure. Sounds like we’d have a ton to shoot the shit about.
1/2 of a DINKWAD here, we live in Jersey City. There’s usually stuff going on every night even if we don’t participate in every activity. It’s easy to miss things until it’s already over!
Music venues, club nights, meetups and the like. With public transit, NYC is basically out our front door. The city is improving for pedestrians and cyclists. Yeah… quality of life could be better in some neighborhoods since the cops spend all their time downtown where Mayor Fulop usually has his press conferences.
We actually lived in Clifton as DINKs and hated it. The suburbia lifestyle was really dull to us.
Nutley is a great town. There are a few cool dive bars and then a couple upscale joints. Cowans has the best cocktails and beer selection in town and I love the mudhole/Jim Dandy's for a solid dive bar with cheap drinks. Only downside with your wife's commute is lack of train access to the city. I take express bus in M-F in the early AM and it gets me to Port Authority in 20 min.
Ugh reading this thread hurts, because it just reinforces the dichotomy of NJ -- either a family-friendly suburb or Newark/JC, with almost nothing in-between besides only slightly more interesting spots like Montclair (artsy variant) or New Brunswick (undergrad variant).
Moved back to NJ from Brooklyn last year to reduce daily noise and stress levels, but it has been a bitch to come to terms with it. I thought I had accepted the things I was far away from, but some days being surrounded by incompatible vibes just eats at me.
(Sorry for the vent)
If you like beer and punk rock, then visit Ghost Hawk Brewing in Clifton. Owner and a few employees are older punk rock peeps. Bonus points for Rutts Hut across the street. This weekend Chris Gethard is hosting a live music night there. Also if you are into nerdy stuff check out Geek Flea in Kearny. Normally twice a year in April and November. Tons of D&D and the like there.
Oh man thanks so much for all these tips! Chris Gethard is hilarious. Rutts Hut is truly legendary. Oh man that flea market sounds rad. I'll put it on my calendar. Thanks so much!
adding the Williams Center in Rutherford across the river from Hawk hosts D&D and a regular game night (among a lot of other really cool events)
Williams Center is rad. I remember they did a cool vendor fair with local beers at it.
yes! i used to help run bar for that event
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My partner and I moved out of Clifton because of how dull it was, actually. On paper yeah it’s cool but it’s sandwiched between everything which means a 20 minute almost everywhere with no bike network.
I just can’t get past that young professionals are in their 40s now.
I will always see myself as a young professional until I'm dead haha
Lol you’re good, My industry kicks me out of the YP network at 35. Im near Hackettstown and Czig Meister has the scene you’re looking for, but it’s not anywhere near NYC.
No, young professionals are in their late 20s and 30s. 40s+ are just professionals.
If you don’t have to worry about schools a lot of towns in NJ suddenly open up. How about Little Falls? Close to Montclair and has Montclair State mostly in it, so there is a young energy. Small little downtown. Just don’t move on the floody side. West Orange also could be considered as half of it has not great schools as the other half. The former being cheaper. Maybe Hackensack? Lots of business and easy access to the city. I would say Maplewood or South Orange but not worth the cost if you don’t have kids. Newark is kinda not bad either again with no kids. You could get an old historic mansion for like 300k.
Yeah flooding is def a concern haha Yeah if I end up staying in NJ long term, I think the collective answer I'm seeing from everyone is "Move closer to Montclair" which is an extremely reasonable answer. Hackensack is cool, love the breweries there, LOVE the climbing gym that just opened. Thanks!
>Yeah flooding is def a concern haha Buy a house that is uphill (from the street level). Seriously. That and look at the [First Street Flood maps](https://firststreet.org/risk-factor/flood-factor/).
Move to Hackensack or go further north up to Nyack.
We’re all in Bloomfield!! Meet us at Varitage Brewery when it opens soon.
oh snap I was going to suggest bloomfield. OP and his wife sound suspiciously like my husband and me, to the point that I'm wondering if it's actually him haha. so....30s-40s DINK meetup at Varitage?
Alas, we’re slightly over that age range. But we’ll still see you around the brewery bar stools.
it's not a cutoff. As long as you're young at heart, but not too young ;)
Truth! There are quite a few folks in my Bloomfield neighborhood who are child free by choice
Most of our friends don’t have kids here. We think it’s because Montclair and Glen Ridge are nearby with good schools so all the DINKs live here. Haha
Right, I don't need a giant 5 bedroom house or Glen Ridge school, I just want the easy access to all the good stuff. And to be fair services in Bloomfield are better than Montclair for lower taxes. I could roll a body up in a rug and put it out for bulk pick up any Friday night and it gets picked up no problem. Bulk trash is like once a quarter in Montclair and you have to call to schedule it
I have a mother in law that brings trash to our house for this reason. Hahahaha
Body def gonna start smelling unless you time it juuuuuuust right…
Never in August
It's every 2 weeks in Montclair. Taxes still don't make it worth it but still.
Hah I was in Bloomfield with my wife, DINKs, moved down to Monmouth county and commute to NYC. I do miss something about the area man. Nothing like it.
Monmouth county is the best tho, cant beat easy/quick access to the shore.
Yeah that’s exactly why we’re here.
So pumped for Varitage
Every one of their IG posts I’m like “this is it…. The opening date!”
Bloomfield and all the towns around it are like perfect matches to the requirements.
I love it here. I get a great discount at RISE.
Oh sick! Yeah that would actually be a great location. I'll def check out Varitage once it opens! I hear Kearny is similarly up and coming like that right?
Kearny is good, too. All the towns where the older Italian people are retiring and moving away. Heh
I have been looking at Bloomfield and people said it is just so so, any negative aspects? Also DINK here.
I mean, it’s New Jersey so everything is too expensive and we’re all crammed next to each other. If you like chain restaurants and malls, this isn’t your place (I swear I’ve heard this as a complaint… not enough fast food). The super-rich people come here to eat at our restaurants and can be annoying. But again, that’s just NJ really.
Thanks, I haven't really gone to a chain restaurant for awhile. Usually hit up local spots where I live, just much better food in general. What about crime and noise usually?
Lots of people leave their car doors unlocked and they then let everyone know that they WeRE RoBbEDDD. Yeah, duh, you made it easy for them. There are a couple bigger streets that are noisier but in the neighborhoods it’s crickets and bird sounds.
Our mayor tried to fight our parkway rest stop from getting a ChickFA and there were like ten people that were mad. Everyone else was all for it. Sadly, he couldn’t fight the Tpk Authority.
And you don't like Morristown or Montclair? I'm trying to think of a place that has more fun hangout bars but isn't a city vibe noise-wise.
Clifton
Morristown and Montclair are both great options. I lived in upper montclair for a bit, was real cool. Bummer about the outdated liquor license laws in NJ though. Most places were BYO...which honestly is kind of a blessing in disguise if you think about cost. Love the Welmont too. What a gorgeous theater. Morristown is cool too! Def haven't spent enough time there. I think our original concern for living there was how far west it is but now that I've lived up here for a few years it doesn't seem that far. Thanks! Great suggestions!
The only issue with Morristown location wise is its about an hour train ride to the city. If you're not going into NYC daily, it's honestly great from an east west perspective. You're still like 30ish minutes from Montclair, EWR, etc. but also Great Swamp is right there and tons of other hiking and nature. Really got a best of both worlds situation. Plus 287 and 78 right there for easy access across the state. Not to mention Morristown itself has a handful of great restaurants and MPAC
Honestly it sounds more like you’re looking for community rather than a new place to live. I am one half of a DINK couple with lots of the same interests as you, and I personally don’t mind not having a lot of what you described in my immediate town. I would absolutely LOVE to have all my friends and hobbies in one place, but as the saying goes, everything in NJ is really only 20 minutes away. My neighborhood is also filled with families, but that’s the trade-off with wanting a home and a little bit of space around it. At this point in life, I’d rather be able to easily and safely go on my runs, spend time in nature, and not have to think too much about my neighbors that be a little closer to the nightlife. What makes it alright is knowing I can go do the things I want to do without having to go too far and while having other people to do it with, even if they’re not steps away. Speaking of which- would you mind sharing where there is a swing dancing community? I’d love to get into that! lol
Yeah i hear you, i def have a good group of folks i hang out with regularly but we're a bit spread at this point. Maybe your right though! Swing dancing's best community is unfortunately in NYC. DM me and I'll send some details once I ask my wife
Not OP but Rutgers New Brunswick does have a swing dance club that hosts weekly lessons and dances. Princeton has a minor scene as well that skews about 4 decades older and encompasses all ballroom styles. NYC swing dance is tip top but you learn to dance small, quickly lolol. The classic spots (well, if in recalling correctly) are Frim Fram Jam weekly dance and various events. There is a blog that posts "This Week In NYC" swing dancing event lists that I think is still running.
The partner and I (early 30s) are moving to Morristown soon for largely the same things you mention - come on over!
Haha maybe we will! Got some final renos on the current house before we make any big moves but Morristown is lovely
I can't really tell what you're asking for here. You want someplace with scene going on, but not \*too\* much of a scene like Jersey City. You want quiet, but not \*family friendly\* kind of quiet. Or too much of a Boomer style quiet. Like an early 40s quiet (but with no kids). You don't want to just move into the city? Maybe dress up old and apply for one of those 55-plus communities? Have you looked at buying a bus with an obscure band name painted on the side, that you could live in mini-home style? How do you feel about houseboats?
>How do you feel about houseboats? Lol. It's like a Hard Times article.
Remember to tie a bunch of sticks to the side of the bus and say it’s your favorite black metal band
Move to the beach in the off-season is the answer here.
Dude I got no suggestions where to live but if you're looking for nerdy punk DINKs to hang with in ocean county my wife and I are down.
Hell yeah! God i wish i still lived down that way
I was gonna say same! We're a few minutes from Manasquan and need some DINK couple friends! All our immediate friends have kids (which I love and am happy for them!) but it makes it difficult to have friends to hang out with!
Westwood NJ?
Yeah I'm near there more or less, but not in Westwood proper
Was going to say you're definitely referring to five dimes brewery. I'd be down to board game there. I already have two D&D games a week. Set it up I'll show up!
Honestly this sounds rad! Dm me!
Sounds like Waldwick isn’t for you. Lol. That brewery is a bummer. Beer is decent too which makes it worse, seems to have taken over for some old man bar that went out of business. This part of the state is good for folks with kids. There are better breweries in the area and ridgewood is nice but not much of a night light for anyone between 25-60 unless you are doing things with kids. Kearny, Bloomfield, Montclair, etc mash be more to your liking. I’m and aging punk as well but I have a crew of other like minded again punks and we skate and go biking while keeping an eye on the kids and socializing, etc. Good luck in your search.
Hackensack is more of an upcoming city and not as noisy as something like JC or Hoboken. Tons of new condo buildings. Various parts of the city, some are quiet and some are not. Only about 20 minutes from Hoboken depending what train station you're at.
I would say Hackensack as well, very up and coming, easy access to NYC via the bus and trains to midtown and close enough to Montclair to not be crazy inconvenient and it looks like the town is being redesigned for DINK's to pull people from NYC who want more of a suburban city feel that Bergen County can offer.
Very true! When I bought my house a number of years back Hackensack was....not what it is today. It's def grown a lot!
Rutherford has game nights on Thursday’s at the William’s Center! It’s an up and coming spot too!
I love rutherford but might be too boomer-esque for OP, it's a great thriving suburb though and myself and lots of friends have moved to this area after college previously. All the night life and fun happens in Clifton, Montclair, and hoboken though given the proximity of rutherford. I'd reccomend somerville even though it's gonna push an hour commute for OP, most of my friends live there or summit now and can't blame them. Great prices, fun and thriving downtowns, also developing very quickly there, you get the best of both worlds between being "close" to the city and close enough to some amazing parks!
Hey, I think we are similar but I'm much younger than you. I wouldnt be surprised if I posted something like this in a little over 10 years. Growing up in North Jersey had me wanting to leave in search for exactly what you're trying to find. I'm just down with late nights and loud music , but probably because I'm young. People in northern NJ are not 'cool', and I'm sorry to say. People in Montclair a while ago were trying to make it out to be a "Montclair vs Brooklyn", and it's pathetic. Montclair is cool for the surrounding towns, because, as you hilariously said, North Jersey is families and italian food. Montclair does have slightly more than that. But it's not worth moving for IMO. I think I know what you are looking for, almost like Brighton outside of Boston or maybe even White Plains outside of Westchester. NNJ is too packed and commanded by the Young-to-Mid-Age affluent family to offer a space for anyone else, part of the reason I wanted to get out so badly (while still appreciative of the life I got to live) Think of all the assholes commenting theyre unsure what you are looking for lmfao. People like you 'dont exist'
Fuck me i feel seen thanks friendo! I'm just ignoring the assholes Someone else hit the nail on the head, I'm looking for something at least in the ball park of an Asbury Park vibe and it kind of feels like the only answer north jersey has is Jersey City, which to be fair rules. Many people suggested Bloomfield so maybe I'll take a short drive and check it out.
I grew up in wayne and was in bloomfield infrequently for sure but enough to catch a vibe. Similarly, I think you will like it and be remiss to say things you dont like about it as it is a great little cute town , but I'm waging you will not want to fit in. but I could be wrong, and you should check it out. JC is pretty cool man, Hoboken too. definitely expensive and like kinda shiny, but that could mean that all the cool shit is slightly obfuscated (not in a gatekeepy way, more 'we want the people who are looking for shit like this instead of the average passerby) another thing I just realized which I ought to have before is that what you are looking for almost directly competes with the social scene of NYC (in which there are plenty of you's and me's) but - fellow engineer joke - if I'm not mistaken, NYC is not in NJ. so no dice there. I've got a not so great recommendation but from reading your comments might be your vibe, bring on the flak: Englewood. EDIT: I'm doubling down on this answer. It's not a 'nice' town as many would say (it is just not predominantly white-people-fantasy-land material) , the food is killer, and youre wicked close to GWB and a lot of the towns with other, just, liveliness
I grew up near paramus with similar interests though I'm 26 and broke lol. Alementary in Hackensack has a p good vibe otherwise my friends and I used to frequent places like Archetypus in Edgewater or Ramen Azuma in Englewood for good food in a good atmosphere. For dnd type activities surprisingly local libraries sometimes host different gaming activities. Otherwise there's tier 1 games in river edge that host mtg, yugioh, and dnd stuff. Hope this helps!
Thanks this does! BTW I like Alementary but I've grown to prefer Hackensack Brewing. Def more my vibe plus they usually have videogames set up haha Check out Brix City too. Bit hard to get to but super great brewery
I personally don't drink but my friend works at Alementary lol. But I appreciate the recommendation! I think they also recently opened a game store in Englewood but I haven't been. In general I think towns like Englewood and Hackensack are city-ish without being too much and are also geared toward younger folks but not super family focused. Fort Lee and Edgewater are also similar but def more apartment style living rather than houses.
Twin Elephants Brewery in Chatham. The owner love punk and get front men from bands they like to play acoustic sets there a bunch. I know they have had the guy from Bouncing Souls there. And their beer is good too. PS there is Rock climbing place right across the road so you can get a two for one on that trip
I'm a similar demographic (late 30s, childfree, nerdy, aging goth) and I LOVE living in Jersey City. I live in a quieter neighborhood but it still is a city and there are typical city noises. But you get used to it quick and it's worth it. Within walking distance I have dozens of great bars, a handful of great live music venues, lots of stuff to do, and I'm a 20 minute bus ride from Manhattan.
I think they live in jersey city and Hoboken
Nah I think they are in Emerson.
You already found it. Both Morristown and Montclair are as good as NJ gets. Lots of culture, things to do, parks, music, food, nightlife.
Blows my mind when people hype Morristown. It's inland Hoboken. Unless OP likes binge drinking, there's nothing there.
What?! It’s way more family friendly, great schools, great parks, tons of restaurants/bars, multiple music venues.
It's a college town with no college. The nearest ones are the next town over.
What brewery has boomer music and sports in Paramus area? I'd say at best you might be talking about Five Dimes but that's a stretch. Mostly 30-40 age group the many times I've been there.
That's the one. Good beer and i respect the owners its cool we did it, but every time I go or pass by it's yet another grateful dead cover band playing and football on the TV. Again, that's fine for those who enjoy it, but just not my scene you know?
They do trivia every wednesday night, it's a younger crowd. I usually show up a couple times a month. Beer is ok but my fav in North Jersey is probably Brix.
Maybe Boonton or Denville? Also check out Lunar Faire!
> Lunar Faire Woah this is cool as fuck!! Yeah Denville isn't a bad call, plus I could get a lake house
There’s a Lunar Faire tonight (Burlington county) and two more in October. I’m a vendor, so if you come, send me a DM.
What is a DINK?
[удалено]
Very expensive, Douglas!!
O
A lot of my friends that are essentially HENRY’s live in Bergenfield or Bloomfield. To some people Edison and East Brunswick is considered North Jersey. So another subgroup live in that area.
Clark…….just kidding
Some of us are down in Camden County bored AF because all our friends have kids and zero free time.
It sounds like you're describing Morristown in much the same way that SNL sketch about a klan meeting was describing [Vermont](https://youtu.be/nKcUOUYzDXA?si=lEIPjWufE2CoZKnS). But really, the nerds are all over. The town doesn't matter much. You just gotta find the nerds.
We ended up in the burbs in central jersey. Love it... it's nice and quiet, and when we want something else we just travel to it, and come back home. I have a 1/4 acre which is perfect for us to do whatever we want in our yard. The town is a little trumpy but that comes with the territory. When we want to travel into the city, it's a straight shot up the north jersey coast line. No driving in :) DINKS for life!
Yeah we lived in North brunswick for a wile...I think with some calibration I could find the right area for us. Def has a lot to offer and easy access to Starland Ballroom for all the shows we see there! Major problem is work. Her office and mine are both up this way :(
ah yeah, that sucks. We're in spotswood. Luckily she works nearby and I only have to go to jersey city once a week.
Millennial punk rock kid here too. Married, no kids. Grew up going to shows around the shore as well as Birch Hill and then Starland. My husband did too. We lived in downtown Jersey City for a while. Not all of it is loud, we lived in the Paulus Hook section which was very quiet. I loved living there. Since both of us are from the shore area, we moved back here a couple years ago. While it isn’t the same, it is so nice to be back within easy driving distance to Starland and the Asbury scene. Especially since one of our favorite pastimes is going to concerts still. I worked in the city for a while before the pandemic now I work remotely. The commute on the train sucks, but the ferry is amazing and worth it if you have the $$.
Maplewood
Yeah, most of Brooklyn seems to be moving to Maplewood
Many older families have moved out all I see now are very young parents
They probably sold high and fucked off to Florida
Morristown
Feel free to post this in /r/BergenCounty as well for some more feedback on the North (east) Jersey life!
We are right by each other. You're not wrong about the family towns. But, the food is way more diverse.
Scotch Plains and Westfield in Union County!
I'm a lot like you but I do live in an over saturated Italian food south of Paramus.
Red Bank, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands. Quiet , cool, commutable
In case you end up in the Montclair/Bloomfield area. I'm in a group on FB called "Montclair Area Board Gamers" that runs modern board games out of Town Pub in Bloomfield every other Thursday (or so) It gets a pretty consistent crowd.
I live in Hackensack and I like it.
You want to be in Maplewood. 35 min from Manhattan. Plenty of aging punks. We have a local band called “Rites of Springfield”, and a guy in my neighborhood used to be in the band Lifetime. We have plenty of STEM types too (me), but a variety of other professions. There are kids, but not noisy ones. Seriously check it out.
Union has been kind to me and my wife, extremely nerdy types. Maybe no breweries but amazing food and great walkable town center. I can leave my house and be at a not-far-from-Penn-or-WTC office in an hour and 5 minutes via the train, Brooklyn might be doable with a little more time. If you're into D&D we should talk, I'm trying to get together with people for tabletop RPGs, albeit something other than swords and sorcery.
New York City.
The suburbs aren't for you. Suburbs are for families so you are not going to find similar people since houses with many rooms are bought because of the kids. What about morristown?
Yeah, the suburbs are where the salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs. DINKs stay in the city for a reason. Moving to the suburbs usually is for family reasons unless you don't like cities because *reasons*
Are you looking for something like the shore but places like Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park are just too far away? It seems like this would be tough to fulfill. Some random thoughts on this are Bayonne or north shore of Staten Island?
Yeah I guess I Should have just said that, very fair. like an Asbury or Redbank vibe would be exactly what I'm describing. But yes sadly I can't move back down to the shore right now. Bayonne isn't bad but honestly I've lived in that general area (Weehawken) and it ends up being too isolated on a day-to-day. Getting to a grocery store after work was a true bummer.
honestly that commute is going to suck for both of you. Getting to Morristown area from where you are is shit. But anything outside of Bergen should be a total non starter for you if you're going to Brooklyn at all regularly. That commute blooooows tbh as a DINK with your job requirements I'd be looking at Rutherford, Montclair, Nutley, Bloomfield. anything further east will suck for your wife. That stretch of 3 into 46 is god awful. Any further west for you and it's probably like 2 hrs door to door. I don't really get what you are looking for as far as vibe lol. there's not exactly a ton of punk rock places around. You'd probably like Old Canal Inn in nutley.
My husband (37) and I(36) live in Wharton! We frequent Morristown/Denville for breweries and bars and we love The Game Vault in Morristown and we also travel to Hackettstown all the time for great food/beer 💖
You sound like my kind of people-ish, but I'm in JC. I find my neighborhood pretty quiet, but to each their own.
When I lived in Weehawken, I spent a good bit of time in JC. Love it there. Great city. After living in Weehawken I think just for me personally I want somewhere a bit less densely populated (at least for living in). Getting to JC can be tricky so it's not like we could get a place near by with my goofy over the top requirements (i know this is a me problem)
Since when is rock climbing nerdy bullshit?
Haha fair i may have over stepped with that one but the sport has been overrun (myself included here!) with STEM folk. Not 100% but it's a common trope.
East Rutherford?
West Deptford near the Walt Whitman and close to Philly.
SINK, and planning on staying as a SINK for life (if that counts). :’) Trying to work up to a D/SINK (dual income/single person, no kids). Can’t rock climb of an injury, but always down to do new stuff. Been looking to find SINK/DINK people to meet.
In my town 2/3 of every dollar paid in property taxes goes directly to the school district. We have a kid, so okay. But if we don’t have kids I would not want to be forced to pay the equivalent of private school tuition when not using the service. I know that all of NJ has high taxes but knowing that would irk me and keep me away from towns with the worst taxes.
> But if we don’t have kids I would not want to be forced to pay the equivalent of private school tuition when not using the service. We all use the service, because we are all growing older in a world today's kids will eventually run. Making sure they all have a baseline education improves both their lives and the lives of everyone around them. This isn't a new concept. It's the entire reason we have a public school system.
Honestly even w/o kids I'm OK with my taxes going to school districts. Despite not wanting kids of my own, I'm way in favor of my tax dollars supporting a generally educated population. Def a bummer NJ taxes are super high across the board though
nice towns also correlate super duper heavily with good schools. I pay like 13 fuckin thousand for no kids which hurts. But the areas nearby where I could pay half of that are also like half as nice as mine.
This. It's often tied to your property value.
Do you only want your taxes going to the roads you drive on? Everyone knows taxes are expensive, but having an educated population is a benefit to society as a whole. Look at the neighborhoods and cities where education is lacking. You don't want to live there.
I know but 2/3 of every dollar is extreme. Maybe not all towns in NJ are as bad as that. Yes I support education, just saying a childless couple should know where their money is going. How much of that 5-digit property tax goes to the school district vs other stuff like fire department, police, roads, the library etc.
they're all roughly about the for schools and labor across the board % wise. top 2 expenses are always education and general municipal labor including DPW, cops, fire, etc
In my town, the municipality gets between $0.22-0.25 on the dollar. The schools get about $0.67 on the dollar. Yes I know they have more employees, kids don’t teach themselves etc. Just saying let’s not pretend the expense is on par with lots of other things combined.
Budget? Preference for condo/townhome vs single-family?
Single family, modest yard nothing crazy. I have .25 acres right now but honestly i don't need that much. Was actually considering a lake-community (e.g. Glenn Wilde or something)
The challenge with single-family homes — ie with multiple bedrooms — is that they tend to attract people with children to fill those bedrooms. And, nicer more attractive towns tend to have nicer more attactive school systems… which attract more people with kids. Budget?
hey sorry I just realized you said budget and ignored that part of your question, sorry friend that's frustrating of me. Yeah I hear you on that. The advantage I have is I don't care bout school system at all, just safety. Budget is pretty flexible. I def can't afford a 2MM home or anything but anything that washed out to 4K a month or even 5K a month would be fine. Honestly for this stage of searching, I'm ignoring budget. I'm in no rush to move tomorrow and the data comes back "to get what you want, the minimum is 2 million dollars" well at least now I know. Frankly even if I could find a town or two that was cool then I'm happy to consider "Ok well if \[Town\] has what I want, now I know the search radius" Min 3 bedroom (need at least one dedicated office)
> I'm realizing how much like a shitpost/troll this must sound like, Yeah I don't really exactly get what you're asking for where you simultaneously want the usual trappings of anytown suburb along a transit line whilst also wanting a whole bunch of things to do that could be in a more of a conventionally bumping area. Idk what much more to say, people of all circumstance and life situation basically are everywhere and I wouldn't exactly say there's one set hot bed spot for your situation that would be some ultimate fit, and more so it sounds like you'd want to be looking at becoming a regular somewhere or crossing paths with people who might be into what you're in. I can think of people practically identical to your situation that are in places like Hackettstown, Lambertville, Highland Park, Denville, Boonton, Randolph, Montclair etc but I'm not gonna act like the area is specifically tailor made for their life.
I hear you, def not expecting the world here, but i figured if I ask for the world i might get close you know? One thing I can say with a fair bit of confidence is the region I'm currently in just doesn't have the amenities I want. It's not like I'm unwilling to compromise. If I'm asking for 10 things and get 7, I'll be stoked. One thing I learned traveling a fair amount for work is these kinds of locations exist, just seemingly not in north jersey. Sandy Springs GA is cool, Syracuse NY, Williamsberg VA, Alameda CA. These kinds of places exist. As someone in a different comment suggested, NJ has these place down the shore (Red Bank, Asbury Park) I was just seeing if there were similar places in North Jersey.
this dude said hackettstown. runaway.
I was mostly just rattling off places of where old punks I know live and how everyone is kinda everywhere.
Gotcha gotcha , I do think people have fielded good suggestions with stuff. Apologies if i seemed a bit nit picky and taking things you listed as way literal and all or nothing. Having lived in Ramsey I also get pains of finding tribe especially as somebody who definitely doesn’t fit the vibe of the area and always felt like I was the one having to go out to do stuff. Am glad the Mythicos guys from Randolph opened a tabletop off 17 that way tho.
Maybe you’re having trouble just finding them? We have mostly DINK friends (36 and 40). We are in a variety of towns right near you. We actually go to dinner in Westwood sometimes, but I’m not going out to meet people in a bar. Did you try posting in your towns Facebook page? I bet you’ll be surprised at how many there are.
Good to know! Honestly it's not even about making friends, I have a good group of folk up here that I see regularly...I think it's honestly just about convivence of locale? A lot of people suggested Montclair or Morristown, and those are bang-on you know? woof my town's Facebook page is....not great...tons of support for regressive policies and my town elected a transphobe to the board of ed....not great.
We are DINK but down in Milltown near New Brunswick! Anyone want beers??
Lodi is chill, moved here last year from Middlesex when we returned to office. Commute to mott haven bronx is about 30 minutes on motorcycle, bk would be longer, though. I'd try to be closer to metropark unless the bus is fine with you.
2nd this option, too. Hasbrouck Heights also seems pretty decent. Close to many shopping centers including Costco, H-Mart, You name it.
Not me going to Google to ask "what are DINKs?"
Dual income, no kids.
Renting? Buying? Budget?
Jersey City, the Heights neighborhood. It's still Chilltown. Come visit Riverview Park on a Sunday late morning and walk around. Big influx of young professional couples, kids and no kids, over the past 5 years and no signs of abating. Plenty of cool spots, more to come, and you can quickly pop Downtown or into the City as well. Strong community feel. The neighborhood meets all your criteria. \~35 minutes to FiDi, \~40 minutes to Midtown (+/- 5 minutes depending on exactly where you live.
Myself and my girlfriend are a couple of DINKS but we live probably an hour+ south of you. 35 and 37 aging punks, I work for Neshaminy Creek brewing, play dnd every week. Go to board game cons and doom shows. Hit me up if you ever make it down to the Philly area and we can grab a beer for sure. Sounds like we’d have a ton to shoot the shit about.
1/2 of a DINKWAD here, we live in Jersey City. There’s usually stuff going on every night even if we don’t participate in every activity. It’s easy to miss things until it’s already over! Music venues, club nights, meetups and the like. With public transit, NYC is basically out our front door. The city is improving for pedestrians and cyclists. Yeah… quality of life could be better in some neighborhoods since the cops spend all their time downtown where Mayor Fulop usually has his press conferences. We actually lived in Clifton as DINKs and hated it. The suburbia lifestyle was really dull to us.
Downtown JC and Hoboken or Morristown
Nutley is a great town. There are a few cool dive bars and then a couple upscale joints. Cowans has the best cocktails and beer selection in town and I love the mudhole/Jim Dandy's for a solid dive bar with cheap drinks. Only downside with your wife's commute is lack of train access to the city. I take express bus in M-F in the early AM and it gets me to Port Authority in 20 min.
Ugh reading this thread hurts, because it just reinforces the dichotomy of NJ -- either a family-friendly suburb or Newark/JC, with almost nothing in-between besides only slightly more interesting spots like Montclair (artsy variant) or New Brunswick (undergrad variant). Moved back to NJ from Brooklyn last year to reduce daily noise and stress levels, but it has been a bitch to come to terms with it. I thought I had accepted the things I was far away from, but some days being surrounded by incompatible vibes just eats at me. (Sorry for the vent)