Monday, September 7, 2009

What town in NJ has the best downtown with good rail access?

In our search for the perfect NJ town to live in, my fiancée and I are asking for your help. I want access to rail that puts me in NYC or Philly in a reasonable time. She wants a walkable, cute downtown. A great coffe shop and sports bar would be bonuses. A cool co-ed softball or other adult sports league like a running club would be double bonus.

I will break it up into 3 sections. South, North and we will give the "Central" people their say too, although all of their rail is the same as North Jersey people (all lines lead to NYC). There is a voting bar above. Whichever town wins each section, will move onto the next round. We will go to the winning town and I will video blog the experience.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

What happened to Point Pleasant Beach - great walkable downtown across the street from the station, all the fun of a shore town with boardwalk, beach bars, nightlife, B&B, spa hotel, all within blocks of the station. Adjacent to Bay Head, also on the train route, with its boutique shoppes and galleries for a change of pace.

oceangroveheather said...

My town Ocean Grove is across the street from the Asbury Park train station, and has excellent coffeehouses, the beach, and a sports bar, Clancy's, a short walk from the train station. Ocean Grove and Asbury Park have great restaurants and concerts.

Steve said...

We don't consider PPB or Bay Head to be in South Jersey. Especially since those train lines go NORTH - to NYC.

dragonflytz said...

You should check out both Bordentown City and Burlington City. Both locations run on the Riverfront Rail line going to Camden then a jump on the Speedline into Phila. Both cities have a cute downtown area and have community events to keep people coming. Bordentown has more eateries, but Burlington continues to rejuvenate itself with the waterfront promenade; nothing like a summer evening walk along the water with a stop at Umms for homemade ice cream. Both Cafe Gallery and the Birches bring fine dining to the area. Because of their northern Burlington County location, going into Mercer County to catch the Trenton Devils or Thunders games is very convenient; and if you want to go into NYC, the train station in Trenton or Hamilton is not a far drive.

jim said...

I prefer functional and down-to-earth over posh and boutique so, while Haddonfield is great, for South Jersey, my vote goes to Collingswood.

For Central Jersey Red Bank is the best, hands down.
I'll also throw Bradley Beach, Asbury Park, and Bordentown in there.

North Jersey - who cares?

Alicia said...

Everyone knows that North Jersey is the best, and Hoboken and Jersey City BOTH provide a downtown and FAST easy train access to NYC (and Newark). Best 4th of July fireworks views too!

Unknown said...

where did you end up choosing?