| Author |
Message |
    
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 46
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 5, 2005 - 11:13 pm: | 
|
Wifey dragged me there today because she had heard so many nice things about the downtown area. Something about it was voted the #1 Mainstreet in the US (NJ?).
It had every chain retail store you would expect to see at your local mall. I don't think I saw a single unique store. Also, it had heavy traffic.
That may be great for some people, but it felt like a quaint outlet mall to me. I prefer our Maplewood Village even if all its restuarants are closing up. |
CFA
Citizen
Username: Cfa
Post Number: 1291
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 4:10 am: |
|
What restaurants are closing? |
n/a
Citizen
Username: Judieh
Post Number: 118
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 8:51 am: |
|
Waterlillies has closed, Carmelita's is up for sale, I believe Celebrated Foods is also up for sale, if it hasn't been sold already. I think a 4th resturant is also closing but I don't remember which one. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 1752
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 11:43 am: |
|
For quaint atmosphere, you can't beat Maplewood Village.. but the shopping and dining choices are becoming slimmer and slimmer. Westfield was smart to go after chains like Talbots, Bombay Co., Gap and Mimi Maternity (to name but a few). Yes, it's crowded but the downtown area is thriving and inbetween all those "name" stores are some charming shops. I wonder what the rents are like? |
Hank Zona
Citizen
Username: Hankzona
Post Number: 1985
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 1:00 pm: |
|
comparing Maplewood Village with the Westfield shopping district is apples and oranges..their district is much larger and spread-out. They also had department stores off the main drag for years...Lord and Taylor..Hahne's maybe too?. Their movie theatre sucks though. |
Miss L Toe
Citizen
Username: Miss_l_toe
Post Number: 161
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 1:37 pm: |
|
Westfield also has the fantastic Trader Joe's. I much prefer it to the Florham Park store as it sells very inexpensively priced wines and beers (including the excellent Tsingtao lager from China):
http://www.traderjoes.com |
Zoesky1
Citizen
Username: Zoesky1
Post Number: 697
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 4:21 pm: |
|
I agree with Miss L Toe and SoOrLady in that Westfield is more of a "destination" particularly if you shop at Trader Joe's a lot, as I do. But Hank's right too - the towns are very different. Westfield is much bigger, seems more like Summit. Honestly, Westfield's mall-type stores don't attract me so much as the entire "package." |
mtierney
Citizen
Username: Mtierney
Post Number: 748
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 5:06 pm: |
|
And an extremely high-achieving school district - last week's published stats were incredible.
Also, Westfield is the community which handled the no-carols in schools issue with intelligence, not nasty in-fighting. Same state law, respectful interpretation. |
Maplewoody
Citizen
Username: Maplewoody
Post Number: 894
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 5:23 pm: |
|
I like the Lord & Taylors there, Trader Joes', and Smith & Hawkins.
We stop into Panera Bread for lunch sometimes too.
On the way back to Maplewood, we stop at Williams' Nursery just before you hit RT 22
(in better weather than now). |
J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 2062
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - 10:23 pm: |
|
Williams' is pricey, but they often have unusual stuff.
One of my neighbors teaches in the Westfield school district. She loves it. |
doublea
Supporter
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 867
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 10:04 am: |
|
My son lives in Westfield and loves it. Property taxes are much lower that Maplewood or South Orange, helped in large part by the large commercial area (just as the Livingston Mall and Short Hills Mall help their communities). Westfield scored a 55 on the tax trauma index while Maplewood and South Orange each scored a 91.
Westfield is in the same DFG as SOM. Westfield spends $10,288 per student and SOM spends $10,141.
They're all great communities. |
malone
Citizen
Username: Malone
Post Number: 263
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 10:52 am: |
|
Westfield restaurants are also a zillion times better, and on Thursday nights in the summer then have music nights, with a half a dozen on so live banks performing outside of restaurants and in the streets. Fun to walk around and listen. |
Chially
Citizen
Username: Chially
Post Number: 2
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 11:44 am: |
|
I recently moved to Westfield from Maplewood and it's like the Short Hills Mall but a town. It's more convenient sometimes then going to the mall and I do like the food options. However, obviously since I only moved here a couple of months ago it's lacking the "running into at least 10 people you know walking a single block" But needless to say it's very cozy and there are in fact some unique stores like Funk and Standard if you're ever near the area. Very unique |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2513
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 1:43 pm: |
|
Sounds to me like everyone who's posted on this thread since 1:37PM yesterday should be hot&heavy on the phone with Westfield realtors real soon. (Except Chially, of course...)
-s.
BTW: Each of you should now be forced to list three things you absolutely LOVE about living in SOMA. Then maybe we'll let you stay... |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 150
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 8:40 pm: |
|
Yes, but if Chially is now living in Westfield, what the heck is he/she still doing on MOL?
Not that we don't love to hear from others outside our two towns? |
David M
Citizen
Username: Dmait
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 1:57 pm: |
|
>Carmelita's is up for sale
Is that true? I hope not. The owner is incredibly nice and is accomodating to children. |
Amie Brockway-Metcalf
Citizen
Username: Amie
Post Number: 163
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 9:57 pm: |
|
Everytime we go into Wild Noodles in Westfield we fill out a comment card suggesting an outlet in South Orange. Although I like Maplewood for its small-town-ness, South Orange could really use some of that chain-store action to drag the Seton Hall kids a couple block down to spend their money. |
Mayor McCheese
Citizen
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 155
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 1:57 am: |
|
The last thing South Orange needs is another reason to have Seton Hall kids hanging around town. |
marion cobretti
Citizen
Username: Marion_cobretti
Post Number: 43
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 3:49 am: |
|
chially, it's THE MALL at SHORT HILLS. people from this region get upset if their things aren't AT something. just a little heads up. |
Amie Brockway-Metcalf
Citizen
Username: Amie
Post Number: 167
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 1:20 pm: |
|
"mayor," why is that? Other college towns don't seem to be complaining. |
Mayor McCheese
Citizen
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 161
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 6:56 pm: |
|
I don't know why I don't like the Seton Hall crazies in town. Maybe it's the garbage they leave behind, the blatant disrespect for the law, or the loudness. Then again, it may be just the filth that spills from their mouths when I am out trying to enjoy myself, or then again it could be the ramped wave of destruction they leave everywhere they go. To see these "students" as they really are, perhaps you should stay in South Orange for the annual "bar crawl night." I can say with certainty that after that one night just about any favorable thoughts you may have had will be wiped clean. (I also want to point out that not all of the students are like this, just most.)
I can't speak for other college towns, but I'm not so sure they aren't complaining.
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page