Submitted by xTiredSoulx t3_yqmgho in Newark
My mom was born and raised in Newark. My dad immigrated to Newark. They left in their early 20s. I have a cousin there.
All I have heard all my life is how horrible it is and no one should ever go there or live there. HBO docs about criminals there. I was there once in 1989 for like 5 minutes literally.
So, what’s GOOD about Newark? Where should I go if I visit? What do you like about Newark?
Follow this subreddit. It’s mostly what you’re looking for.
People are generally helpful. They see you struggling with boxes or something, and someone is going to hold the door for you. When it’s ass o’clock, and you’re trying to get into penn station, one of the folks who hang out will let you know that the door you’re about to walk up to is gonna be locked, so try that next one over. When you’re at the Shop Rite, and you’re about to grab a janky cart, either a store worker or some random person will tell you, “nah, that cart is messed up, try the ones over there.” Yeah it’s a small thing, but there’s this feeling of “these folks in this neighbourhood are my people, and I’m gonna look out for them.”
People are also pretty damn friendly. Ever since moving here, the daily strangers (the folk you pass by every day who see you but you don’t stop and talk to) who will do the head tilt in your direction is way more than anywhere else I’ve know. Or, if you’re both headed somewhere, someone will feel comfortable chat with you if they see that you’re going there. There was this time my friend and I were headed into the Whole Foods, and this lady was like “so how do you get there [from the parking garage]?” We ended up chatting from the parking garage all the way to the entrance, and then a bit more.
There’s a ton of stuff to do that isn’t eating or getting drunk. I’ve been places where there’s an active night life. You can have a nice meal. You can go to a bar. You can go to a bar and have a nice meal. Maybe you can get some coffee or something. Newark has a ton of stuff that’s family friendly, or fun to do if you’re not into getting drunk. There’s poetry readings, art to look at, comedy shows (technically at bars usually, but still), street fairs galore. Every other weekend there’s some excuse to get out and wander the festival for whatever it is that they’re celebrating. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s still fun to get out and meet the people who live near you, and vibe with them for a spell. And by and large, the events are either free or relatively low cost.
And of course, our biggest superpower is that we’re diverse. I can hear several languages wherever I go, and I think that’s awesome. I don’t feel like the only brown person, or that all the brown people are there to serve the overwhelmingly white majority of people in that area. There are folk of all different races, and nobody gives me a second glance. There’s queer people all over the place, and nobody gives a crap about it. I can walk around with my boyfriend, both of us with painted nails and bright vibrant clothes, and nobody gives us a second glance. Unless it’s to say “hey how you doing?”
Honestly, of the cities I’ve lived in, this one is possibly the weirdest but also the one that’s captured my heart the most.
Pretty good public transit is a really big one. Location. Racial Diversity. It’s rly not as bad as it used to be at all (crime wise). Also the police force is rly exemplary. Newark has decent police
It has great urban density and the potential to be a walkable city! Also some of the best access to public transit in the United States. Probably the best for a city of around 300k people.
I’m based in Newark now after living in Essex county my entire childhood life hearing the horror stories. I love this city. Sure criminals are here and bad things do happen, but the positives are much louder to me. Diverse beyond definition and kind, I’ve had strangers help me time and time again. Also I see more effort here than most other cities to deter gentrifications strangulation of long time residents, I do hope Newark does better to keep long timers and have up-kept safe affordable housing. Homeless population exists and I sadly do not see enough work to help individuals climb out of that. Food. Everywhere, any kind you want. I’m partial towards ironbound, real sucker for the Portuguese food. Qxt’s is my favorite bar on the planet earth, they always make me feel like family. Historical buildings lurk everywhere and I see more effort into restoration, fingers crossed restoration becomes more important. I’m due for a trip to the Newark Museum, heard it’s intriguing. Not sure how I feel about the scooters but there are scooters available now for faster non car movement, I see bike lanes popping up more but usually used for double park. My biggest issue is lack of public garbage cans and therefore, understandably, a lot of street garbage. Have a great visit!
Lots of drugs if your an addict. Lol
Yeah I can’t find any on HBO like OP said
He’s referring to the movie ‘Saints of Newark’ 🙄
Lmao the sopranos
Life of Crime, there are 3 of them in the series
The New Jersey Devils are getting good!
This is a fact.
Life of crime follows addicts and recovering addicts over a long period 20-30 years
Jersey Club
For a city of around 300K, you got good mass transit, from buses to regional rail to heavy rail to "light rail". NJPAC the Newark Museum and even the library are class. If you're a fan of rodizio Ferry Street has no rival. The Prudential Center, despite being poorly managed, still gets good reviews.
That's nice to hear about Newark, but your boss sounds like an idiot.
The food!
What places are good?
See, my family was always like no don’t go, you will be robbed raped have your car stolen, you’re white and will stand out. Like it’s this totally scary out of control place. I don’t believe that is true.
I want to walk down the street and see where my parents met, think it was 13th Street and Orange Avenue.
I want to walk by Central High School where my dad went.
And other stuff.
What’s that?
I grew up there so a lot of places have changed. I would say explore the magical stuff … fat sammiches, Portuguese food, a real pizza with shaved Italian sausage, Italian hot dogs, egg foo young, soul food, diner food, a halal spot, breffus sammiches, White Castle Jersey style, bodega candy, a Caribbean spot, fried fish etc. - it’s just good food all over the city and outer lying places like East Orange and Irvington. There’s a lot of migration since I was there - perhaps try Haitian!
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police-2020/
And the original
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police/
Brick City
Street Fight
Cherry blossom
Listen if u go during the day you’ll probably be fine. I’ve been in Newark at night but only if I’m with people who know where they’re at. Im white too
Also that intersection ur talking abt is like one of the most dangerous parts of Newark
Dance Music. Essex County has its own genre of music and it’s pretty big rn
Entertainment—sports and concerts at Prudential Center, and a large variety of shows at NJPAC.
try dickie dees! really great pizza but id say more well known for their italian hot dogs. it was featured on an episode of ‘food paradise’ on food network i think. right across the street is bloomfield ave bbq which does some killer portuguese ribs and chicken. and then also like 100ft from dickie dee’s is calandra’s bakery, which im sure you’ve heard of but is quite literally the best bakery in all of NJ and their original location, their fresh baked bread is insane and so are the rest of their pastries. 3 of some of newark’s best eateries and they’re all off bloomfield ave, within feet of each other, and near the branch brook/stephen adubato park. id say its a safe area too, especially since it’s usually pretty busy, definitely check it out!
The TV Show Brick City is not really a Documentary but it covers a lot of what was happening in the city between the late 2000's to Early 2010's. You can watch it for free on Pluto.
Jersey Strong is a spinoff from Brick City, it is its own thing.
Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force was another show that EVERYONE was watching at the time because it gave away some of the tricks that cops were using to arrest people. I believe that is on Pluto as well.
I really liked living in the ironbound. It’s almost like an nyc burrough. It’s got Great public transit. Interesting people and Food.
I worked in other parts and can’t say much good about it. Typical urban problems. High crime. Food deserts. Urban blight.
They fixed the window at Zara’s
Newark has lots of history. Seth Boyden invented patent leather there. Celluloid film was invented in Newark making movies possible. Branch Brook Park was the 1st County park in the US. Its annual Cherry Blossom festival, bigger than DC's draws crowds from around the world. Forest Hill features historic mansions & the Ballantine Gates. Fairmount & Mt Pleasant cemeteries feature beautiful monuments & architecture. There's the Newark Museum of Art & the historic Italian renaissance style Newark Library. There's Weequahic park with its beautiful lake & architectural gems in gazebos & rain shelters. We have Rutgers, NJIT, Essex County College, Berkely & Seton Hall University. We have The Prudential Center(Newark Arena) & NJPAC (NewJersey Perorming Arts Center) Theres restaurants all over the city, but the greatest concentration is in Downneck-Ironbound with its heavy Portuguese,Brazilian & Spanish influence. If you love trains, you'll love Newark. One of the largest east coast rail yards is in the Oak Island section of Newark btw the Ironbound & Newark Liberty (EWR) International airport.
We have the second largest ocean port in the US. Port Newark-Elizabeth. Go see the ships full of containers unload & placed onto railroad cars. Newark also has art galleries , Farmers market & many community events.
WHAT?!?!
The Ironbound is so beautifully Jersey lmao calling it “almost a nyc borough” is disrespectful
I've met so many kind people and had so many great conversations and experiences recently its honestly restored my faith in the inherent goodness of most. I like to think people around here are like me: maybe a bit rough around the edges but with good hearts.
And don't get me started on the aesthetics. A lot has changed over the past few years but if you wanna see what old New York looked and felt like then come here before they tear it down and replace it with a mixed use microwave-lookin wood framed "thing". NYC has been mostly sanitized and is just a big theme park/photo-op. Movie studios are filming in Newark for a reason, it wears the grit and dirt and scars that every American city has openly.
I mention both because while people can be put off by initial appearances of the city and the people that call it home, you'll find that it's really a special place with special people. A lot of people who haven't lived or even set foot here for decades or ever have this interesting nostalgia for Old Newark, especially in the Jewish and Italian communities. Just wish I could tell those folks looking at old pictures from the '20s and '40s and telling stories about their family's shop that a lot of it is still here, waiting for people with the will and means to breathe new life back into it.
mikdixon t1_ivp3j6c wrote
Military Park has potential.