| Author | Message | ||
     Debby Citizen Username: Debby Post Number: 1536 Registered: 5-2001 |
Algebra's right. M/SO is very cool. | ||
| Hank Zona Citizen Username: Hankzona Post Number: 1921 Registered: 3-2002 |
a friend of mine adapted the old Andy Warhol saying to NJ... everyone lives in NJ for at least fifteen minutes I see living here as a compilation of positives...do other places lack what we have access to? No, most have access to goods and services and culture and so on..but in our location, we have reasonably easy access and a greater variety of it at our disposal than just about anywhere else. It may not be top ranking in all of life's categories, but it scores high enough in alot of those categories to give it a great cumulative effect on lifestyle. | ||
| Michael Janay Citizen Username: Childprotect Post Number: 1452 Registered: 1-2003  |
Zoesky, I have actually travelled a lot. Customer service isn't dead, its dead HERE! I posted in the HD thread my experience : I was just in Florida and had to go to HD there... What a wonderful experience it was! English speaking sales associates, everyone helpful and smiling, I asked someone stocking a shelf where the Aluminum duct tape was, and he stopped what he was doing and took me all the way across the store to the exact aisle and shelf where I found what I needed. Then I bought a new microwave and the cashier sent someone out to my car to help me load it in even though I said I could handle it... She said "its no problem, we're here to help" I almost fell over. I did fall over when the guy who loaded the microwave in to my car wouldn't take a tip. He said it was his job to help, and thanked me for offering. I go in to a store just about anywhere but here and people are helpful, knowlegable, and friendly. If you really think customer service is dead, take a trip to Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado... Then tell me. In the northeast, it sure is, but thats not how it is everywhere. Maybe its a red state blue state thing. The guys that usually pump my gas rarely ever make eye contact, take far longer than I would, have to serve others when I could just pump and go, and get upset when you beep to let them know your tank was full 2 minutes ago. Salaries aren't really that much higher here, and who cares if they're higher if you buying power is so much less. We have about the worst quality of life dollar for dollar. Dirty, uh yeah... compared to many many places. Look at the Maplewood police cars for gods sake, some of them are clunkers. Litter, Graffitti at the train station, Look at the beige bricks on buildings in the village... that black stuff isn't character, its dirt and grime. New doesn't have to mean characterless, it did in the 70's and 80's but now design is king and many many new constructions are very charming. But as for old, I manily meant infrastructure... rusting water pipes, roads falling apart, overhead power lines, insufficient electric service, etc. And yes, crappy beaches. Sure they're better than not having any, but the beaches in just about any ocean state blow ours away, and most of them are FREE. You think NJ is less corrupt than Florida or Texas? Our former governor and senator aren't enough for you? NJ is one of the most corrupt old boy networks in the country. Everything requires some sort of approval and usually some payoff. My friends in other states can't believe some of the things I've told them. Our traffic is as bad or worse than those places, we always rank at the bottom of the list when hours in traffic per year are calculated. Some places have worse rush hours than us, but ours is a constant mess. And yes, we're too cold in the winter and too humid in the summer. Minnesota has awful winters, but the spring and summer are incredible. Summer days in the 80's with little or no humidity, low pollen and mold, clean fresh air. Louisana has hot summers but the winters are beautiful with temps rarely dropping below 70. We get the worst of both worlds and little to show for it. Spring is usually rainy, and autumn is a crap shoot of rain, cold, and hot that gets everyone sick. I'd gladly take harsh winters for perfect summers instead of harsh winters and nasty humid summers. As for the DMV question, I went to get a FL ID card (you get disney tickets cheap if you have one) at the DMV. It was a pleasure. Walk in, step up to a window, they enter all info for you (no filling out anything) and boom, out came the ID. No waiting, no nothing. Like I said, I'm stuck here, so I grin and bear it, but I don't kid myself. There are so so many places that are nicer. | ||
| Amie Brockway-Metcalf Citizen Username: Amie Post Number: 139 Registered: 6-2004 |
The one thing we've really noticed in our six months here is how polite everyone is--seriously! Everyone from the sulky teens I pass walking to Columbia to the checkout girl at NJ Pets sez "hi!" and are really pleasant. That said, the drivers are INSANE. I didn't realize that NJ state laws states that you should pull out into the oncoming lane when trying to make a left turn. I have never seen anyone NOT do this on Springfield Ave. My husabnd and I were also a little suprised that two miles from Newark's urban blight, gang scene, and poverty is a beautiful street like Prospet or Maplewood Ave. Weird. | ||
| Crazyguggenheim Citizen Username: Crazyguggenheim Post Number: 743 Registered: 2-2002  |
Call me crazy, but shouldn't Jay and Janay get poopyhead awards? | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3233 Registered: 5-2001  |
"Maybe its a red state blue state thing." Janay- are you always an ••• or do you just play one on MOL? By the way, I have THE friendliest gas guys - they're at the Exxon at Vauxhall and Millburn Aves. I love the weather  | ||
| ML Supporter Username: Ml1 Post Number: 2195 Registered: 5-2002  |
do the awards come with plane tickets (one way)? any volunteers to drive them to the airport?  | ||
| Joel Janney Citizen Username: Joel_janney Post Number: 20 Registered: 6-2004 |
Preferences are what they are. But we're talking about living a happy life, or not - I don't understand how you can brush off being unhappy with where you live by saying that you will grin and bear it. This region as well as this country has a huge variety of lifestyle opportunities - if you make it a priority to find a situation you're happy with, you'll come to a solution. | ||
| Joe Citizen Username: Gonets Post Number: 620 Registered: 2-2004 |
Michael, I find it ironic that one of your complaints is rude people, yet you honk your horn when the gas attendant is late getting back to you. I'm not complaining on behalf of the attendant. He should get an earful from you. But just get out of your car and let him know. Don't make everyone within earshot deal with the fact that your pissed. So please don't do it. It's rude. Deal with it how you wish just don't bother everyone else around you. Sorry. Unnecessary horn honking is one of my pet peeves. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3234 Registered: 5-2001 |
It's not surprising he's a beeper. Sort of a red state kind of mentality! | ||
| Jay060 Citizen Username: Jay060 Post Number: 104 Registered: 8-2003 |
I guarantee that everyone here who thinks NJ is the balls is native to NJ. You grew up here and accept it. "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented" -- Christof, The Truman Show | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3235 Registered: 5-2001 |
Jay- Get out more, honey. Yes, the weather is a little dreary now and depression can sink in unawares, just try and get out for at least 30 minutes of activity each day and before you know it, spring will be here  OR, move to San Diego. Just stop the whining. | ||
| Joel Janney Citizen Username: Joel_janney Post Number: 21 Registered: 6-2004 |
I have never lived in New Jersey before last summer. And I wasn't eager to be here. However, I did want to be in the NYC area, and my wife wanted space, which we couldn't afford in the city or Brooklyn. I fought this until we saw Maplewood, which doesn't feel at all like most of New Jersey (and in fact I'm not sure we have met any New Jersey natives since we moved here). It's a walking town with parks and a good feel and good restaurants and an easy commute and people who are open-minded (NO - that's not a political reference and I'm not a liberal, at least not fiscally) and has other assets as well. Basically, it was a place we could be happy and are very happy to be here - certainly not BECAUSE it's in New Jersey. | ||
| ML Supporter Username: Ml1 Post Number: 2196 Registered: 5-2002 |
uh, yeah jay. by definition. the people who grew up here and didn't like it moved out long ago. although I know many people who enjoy living here and didn't grow up in NJ. I believe that some people are just chronically dissatisfied with their surroundings and would bitch no matter where they live. Others can make a happy life for themselves anywhere. I think it comes down to this -- everyplace has its good and bad points, but as a resident you can choose to dwell on the good, or the bad; it's up to you. Me, I prefer to note all the things I love about living here, and do what I can to either live with the things I don't like, or try to make them better. | ||
| Derek Citizen Username: Derek Post Number: 116 Registered: 5-2003  |
My friends in Brooklyn don't like the idea of living outside of NYC, especially in Jersey. A lot of people live here for convenience and pay the price(s) for those conveniences...but I have to say that when you mention you're from Maplewood, it's quite a positive. People in NYC romanticize where we live due to the nature-ish name of the town. | ||
| Michael Janay Citizen Username: Childprotect Post Number: 1454 Registered: 1-2003 |
Joel, There's a lot more to it than that... My wife wants to be close to her (and my) family, so moving would make her unhappy in that respect. My business is in NYC, and its mine. I can't move until we're more successful. I love Maplewood, its a great town in a really bad state. Definetly where we're the happiest in NJ. I wish it weren't so, I really do. But NJ pretty much sucks (but for the Metro NY area it is probably the best place to be). My in-laws live in Buffalo. Buffalo is the butt of more jokes than Jersey, but they enjoy a far better quality of life out there than we do here. Its cleaner, cheaper, friendlier, less crowded, has tons of culture (and is close to Toronto which rivals NYC in just about every way), no traffic. A far better quality of life... except for the snow, but they handle it better than we do. The BUF airport is closed and delayed far less than Newark is. Now of course it also has lots of problems too, and I could list them forever... but Buffalonians love their city. Like Jerseyans love Jersey. Most people just think their nuts to live there. What I'm saying is that anywhere has its positives and negatives. Grinning and bearing it is what I've got to do if I want to build my business and keep my wife from being miserable, so thats what I do. And we make accomodations... living in Maplewood is a big plus, getting away is also neccessary. And there is lots of good to living here as people have pointed out. I just believe there are better places and that one day I'll move to one of them. | ||
| mjc Citizen Username: Mjc Post Number: 138 Registered: 10-2004 |
PROS Excellent schools Pleasant people Big trees Nice beaches reasonably close (sorry Michael) No self-serve gas Sidewalks CONS High costs just cramp everything else. (personal) Far from our families. Time-consuming weather (snow, ice, rust, mold, storm windows...). Can't see to the horizon except maybe out on Route 78, no sense of space. Drivers who blast their horns 1 microsecond after the light changes. Some truly crazy highway interchanges, poorly maintained roads (that weather again), consistently awful signage on roads. Rush rush rush urban intensity. Auto insurance and DMV (maybe there's no such thing as a good DMV, but NJ is far, far worse than our experiences in CA, MA, and NY) (full disclosure: native Angeleno in M/SO since 1990; this has been a great place for our kids to grow up, but I'm still homesick) | ||
| Joel Janney Citizen Username: Joel_janney Post Number: 22 Registered: 6-2004 |
Here's where I've got to disagree rather strongly: when you say that Buffalo has a far better quality of life then we do here. That is a matter of your subjective opinion. As you indicated, anywhere has its positives and negatives. For us, the positives of this area, and this town, far outweight the negatives and furthermore where we are now is the happiest we can be, right now (no guarantee that our preferences will stay the same for life of course). That's why we are here. Quality of life is a subjective measure - I won't argue with your point that you would be happier in Buffalo because, for what makes you happy, Buffalo is a better place to be. | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 1572 Registered: 5-2001  |
The point is moot. This guy is quoting the truman show. and used the expression "balls". | ||
| Jay060 Citizen Username: Jay060 Post Number: 105 Registered: 8-2003 |
Good point. I never use that term when I speak. It just seemed appropriate. As for the quote, it's very appropriate (and it was a good movie). |
