I see what you mean. I just think it’s weird that so many people expect the news to be free while also using ad-blockers, but then they also presumably expect the same level of quality and breadth of coverage that we had back when everyone used to pay for newspapers (in addition to paying for things like classified ads, etc).

The money has to come from somewhere. It’s not like newspapers of today are wildly profitable to begin with, so I can understand why they think they need to have paywalls to meet their profitability targets.

Would be interesting to see if there are any serious studies on whether paywalls are a net negative in the long run.

I think it’s definitely worth it in your case. Hudson County has among highest percentage of non-car owning households in the country.

Even if you don’t like it, it sounds like you don’t have much to lose. You make enough $ to afford a decent lifestyle here and you don’t even have to quit your jobs to move here. And your partner could probably get a decent pay bump if they decide to get an NYC-based job.

Worst case scenario is you decide to move when your lease is up and you’re out a few thousand $ in moving expenses.

Better to experiment now than later if you’re thinking of adopting a kid.

You probably won’t have a “true” NYC experience while living here, but it’s close enough given your circumstances. Keep in mind that you won’t even have easy access to NYC at all if you move anywhere else.

The money that newspapers need to pay their staff doesn’t appear out of thin air.

Local papers are closing left and right around the country largely due to dwindling ad and subscription revenues.

If paywalls help newspapers stay in business, then it follows that they indirectly help keep people employed at newspapers, no?

Journalists don’t work for free.

I don’t get why people keep saying this with such confidence.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tall buildings in this country in areas with unstable soils along bodies of water. Some of them have been around for 50-70 years in places like Chicago and New Orleans with few issues.

The technology and building techniques needed to overcome the engineering challenges of these locations has existed for years.

Millennium Tower in SF and Surfside in Florida are rare exceptions.

I know, right?

I identify as a piece of outdoor furniture and I’m terrified of being randomly thrown into the Hudson.

I don’t think that’s true. I’ve read a lot on the history H&M railroad and the construction of the tunnels and have never come across anything about a half-finished tunnel over there. But I’d be happy to be corrected if someone has any evidence of that.

They did make some provisions for direct service from Erie Terminal (Newport) to Hudson Terminal (WTC). That idea never went far, but I believe it was was accounted for in the design of one of the junctions near Newport.

A lot of large cargo ships and cruise ships use the Hudson. Enough that it would be impractical to build a bridge here that isn’t 200 ft tall.

Source: I can see the river from my window.

Also, the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers in Pittsburgh are much narrower than the Hudson is here.

A fairer comparison is probably the Mississippi River in New Orleans, where the river is really wide. There are only two bridges that cross the river there and because they have to be tall enough to accommodate large ships, they are massive bridges with long approach ramps that no sensible person would want to commute on by foot.

It’s a former office building that was gut renovated and converted into apartments less than 10 years ago.

$1,700 actually doesn’t sound too bad relatively speaking. Especially since it sounds like you actually enjoy living there (many don’t).

When I moved out from there close to 5 years ago, I was paying just under $1,800 for one of their larger studio layouts.

You could probably find something in a newer building nearby for not much more, but other apartments in that price range might not have as many amenities as the Beacon. And none of them will have the landscaped grounds and “gated community” vibe of the Beacon if you care about that.

> Another thing to consider if you are planning to move to JC downtown or in Newport is that the electricity bills in those areas is significantly higher. PSEG told me it’s because of the waterfront and the constant winds in the area that lead to very high heating costs. I’ve paid 500 in peak winter in Newport.

I think what really matters is how well the building was built. I’m in a high rise downtown and my PSEG bill has never been over $60 even though I keep the thermostat at 68-70F whenever I’m home.

I used to live at the Beacon and I think the building I was in was very well insulated. And it helped that it didn’t have PTACs like so many newer buildings do. PTACs can be very inefficient, especially if they’re not maintained properly or if the apartment isn’t insulated or sealed well.

Yeah, that’s interesting. Looks like the main stop was in the LSP park and ride lot, so I would guess it was mainly used to shuttle suburbanites and light rail users into the park from the parking lot.

Seems like it would’ve been more useful if they picked up people at a couple of strategic spots in the city. For example, getting to LSP from someplace like McGinley Square takes 40+ minutes via public transit even though it’s only 10-15 minutes by bike or car.

The park is strangely inaccessible to a lot of people.

Another benefit of using the 1 train station at WTC is that it’s air conditioned and very clean.

Plus you don’t have to walk though the long hallway/corridor past the E train, which often smells like pee.

Yeah, if only they had a detailed user guide on their website with an FAQ section that answers the exact question OP is asking.

Where are you getting the $15-20k replacement cost from?

Newark is spending about $7k per service line replacement.

> The fees go down when there’s slack demand. Here the allegation is that the providers are setting minimums in a roundabout way.

But luxury apartment rents did plummet during COVID. That’s a pretty clear example of the dynamic pricing models responding to a drop in demand.

Rents are up now because so many people are moving back to the city and inventory levels are low again.

At the end of the day, it’s the low vacancy rate that enables landlords to charge higher rents, not the pricing software alone.

For example, most large apartment complexes in Houston use dynamic pricing. But Houston has a relatively high rental vacancy rate because they build new housing left and right whenever there’s a surge in demand. As a result, apartments there are relatively affordable despite using the same software that landlords use here.

Sounds like you still didn’t read the article.

If homeowners choose not to opt out of the program, then their lead service line will be replaced at zero cost to them part of a program that’s largely being funded with state and federal grants.

> But those are your tax dollars “reimbursing” you so yea.

Ok?

Do you not want your tax dollars to be spent on improving the safety of the drinking water system?

So many people are willfully ignorant about basic economics. I’m sick of trying to explain it.

In every thread on this topic, it’s always the same people who refuse to acknowledge the facts no matter how many times people try to explain it.

Anyone who thinks that we need to do anything other than build more housing when there’s a housing shortage is engaging in wishful thinking.

It’s the left’s version of COVID denial. And it’s one of the defining social problems of our time.

That’s why San Francisco, which is supposedly one of the most “progressive” cities in the country, has a massive housing problem where even middle class people struggle to find adequate housing because they simply refuse to build enough new housing.

Now the same story is playing out in cities across the country. It’s not that developers and landlords have suddenly gotten greedier then they were a couple decades ago. It’s a problem of our own making.

Did you read the article?

> The MUA is launching a program that would allow property owners that opt out of the MUA service-line replacement process to be reimbursed up to $10,000 for lead service line removal

In reference to this post.

Are sport utility vehicles (SUVs) actually sporty? Tune in tonight at 11 to find out!

I almost rented there a couple years ago, but I backed out after getting weird vibes from the landlord.

They took forever to approve my application and respond to basic questions. I figured if that’s how they treat prospective tenants, it must be even worse once you’re locked into a lease.

I later learned that the the same landlord is behind Lafayette Lofts, which is another nice-looking building that has tons of terrible reviews online.

FYI- at some point in the near future, there’s a pretty good chance that a new high rise will be built on the site of the parking lot right across the street from the main entrance of Modera.

Hoboken has a plethora of public transit options compared to most parts of JC. They have the NJ Transit commuter trains, frequent bus service to the Port Aithority, the light rail, and PATH. No matter where you are in Hoboken, you’re rarely more than a 5-10 minute walk to one of those systems.

It’s almost too much for such a small city. Especially for a city that refuses to allow dense residential development next to the Hoboken Terminal, which has plenty of excess capacity. It’s such a wasted opportunity.

The state should take away some of Hoboken’s transit goodies as punishment for their NIMBY housing policies. (I’m half-joking)

I have noticed that some of their stuff feels rather thin and less durable than I would like.

But washing clothes in cold water and line drying them really helps extend their life. I never put anything from Uniqlo in the dryer to avoid the extra wear and tear.

Just mentioning this because I know a lot of people toss everything in the dryer out of habit.