This is so accurate.

All of your advice is thoughtfully written and spot on except I would not recommend Edgewater or Weehawken. It’s TOO quiet up there. It feels like a suburb with high rises!

Yes, 100% Downtown JC is what you’re looking at (Jersey City is really big and the neighborhoods are all quite different). Downtown is the most expensive, but the most urban/NYC-like and fits your budget for a luxury 1br.

I’m recommending Hoboken but purely bc you mention working in Madison, NJ and you won’t have a car. How are you getting to the office from the train station? Scratch out Hoboken if you end up getting a car though. In my 20s it felt like Hoboken is where the frat boys graduate to and from the comments it seems like that hasn’t changed. However the commute to Madison will be slightly better from Hoboken than from JC, and that’s if you live close to the NJ transit station. The NJ transit is next to the Path so you can easily get to JC or NYC via the Path for $2.75. Personally I would sacrifice the neighborhood for a slightly better daily commute. If you’re also considering Manhattan keep in mind there is an additional 3-4% city tax on your income.

If you’re going to be commuting 3 days a week on public transport map it out - you might get better direct trains from Manhattan and I’d say consider just moving there. The improvement to your dating life and overall quality of life as a 20s women would be worth the extra expense/smaller apartment and possibly slightly longer commute. This is from a 30s something married women who spent her 20s in Manhattan and can’t imagine living in JC in my single 20s. Live your best 20s life and live it in Manhattan.

Look up Hoboken Book Club on Facebook.

Morristown. JC or Hoboken commute to Madison is a nightmare during rush hour (even if it’s reverse).

I was going to say Hoboken at first, but Hispanic and bi? Don't go to Hoboken, that's not your scene and you won't be as welcome as you will in JC. In JC you can be single, married, any ethnicity, an alien from Mars....and you'll be accepted and find your crowd, I promise.

Make sure you look into the logistics of that commute.

I’ve never done this trip personally, but based on a quick check on Google Maps it looks like you need to transfer at least twice to get to the Madison train station from JC. Imagine getting off a train and having to wait possibly 10-15 minutes for the next one. Then imagine doing that four times during a roundtrip.

I personally prefer JC over Hoboken, but Hoboken has better public transit connectivity to the suburbs. If you live near the Hoboken train terminal, you could potentially have a one-seat ride to Madison.

Most of the Newport neighborhood in Jersey City is walking distance to the Hoboken terminal, but Newport doesn’t really fit the vibe you seem to be looking for.

Efe's is great. Rumi as well. Both Turkish sit downs. Rumi has a nicer ambiance but Efes ambiance is fine. There are two Egyptian seafood hole in the walls Samakmak and Morgan. Both excellent but not like fancy at all. The rest of arabic food is like falafel or gyro joints. I think Hoboken has a good arabic place. But Ive never been.

I would strongly urge you to reconsider a car. That commute 3x a week is going to drain you. You will have at least one transfer, maybe more depending on where you live. Most luxury buildings have garages. If you’re dead set on JC or Hoboken, buy a used car and drive to work. If you’re open to other areas, Morristown is a very cute town with a train station that goes directly to Madison. Montclair is also not too far.

shot you a message!

I luckily am only in office 3 days a week and I kind of wanted the experience and ease of going into NYC while I'm still in my twenties so that's why I chose to be more east but sure the commute will suck

Yeah OP, I would urge you to consider how often you will need to go to the office and the impact that commute will have on your quality of life. You're looking at more than an hour each way, maybe a lot more than an hour depending on where you/your office are in relation to the station on each end.

That looks like the street side. if this is the beacon, then the second you walk off the grass lawn it becomes the cities' property. this wouldn't be the properties responsibility maintain. you might to take it up with city hall.

What now?

Without a car, you’re going to be spending a LOT of time commuting via public transit. And that’s assuming your job is right next to the Madison train station.

This is a very accurate statement.

The old Union Pacific doesn't come by here much anymore...

When I moved to Jersey, I moved to Hoboken. One year later I moved to Jersey City and I've been here for 17 years.

Jersey City five stars, highly recommend.

Not really. I'm literally out there every night. I'd say 30 on average, but again I'm going at times when there's no traffic. Morning rush hour would be a different story.

Florham park is 40 min from JC, not 25

😏

Grove St path area

Hoboken is always there if ya want it, Hoboken has amazing food too.