Way more expensive, though. If the Newark Bay Bridge isn't backed up too badly then a trip through SI only saves me about ten minutes and I'm all the way down by the Bayonne Bridge, yet it'll easily cost me an extra ten bucks vs the turnpike tolls.
>vs the turnpike tolls.
Turnpike? Look at moneybags here with his fancy Turnpike money!!
You must be rich! 440 to 1&9 - free for me! I have all the time in the world!
Do NONE of you know about the Staten Island Bridge Plan on EZPass?? Cuts the toll in *half*. I live in Ocean County, but lived in Bayonne and still work there. GSP to 127, then over OBX costs about a dollar more than GSP to the Turnpike to 14A. I save 20 minutes or more and miss the gridlock on the turnpike bridge.
You folks are missing out.
Scroll down to Commuter Plans. https://www.e-zpassny.com/en/about/plans.shtml#:~:text=Port%20Authority%20Staten%20Island%20Bridges,New%20York%20or%20New%20Jersey.
I agree. If we're required to keep building affordable housing for illegals but not allowed to build any new garbage dumps in New Jersey because of environmental regulations, we might as well take our largest one back. Staten Island is ours!
It’s isolated, and the traffic and parking are awful. It’s close to NYC but not actually convenient to get anywhere.
The town is boring and a bit rundown looking. There’s not much to do. And it’s very urban and industrial so no nature to enjoy either.
Most people who live there are either lifelong residents or people that got priced out of Jersey City.
I do agree that it’s a bit isolated and people who are priced out of Jersey city and NY are flocking over to bayonne, but disagree about the nature… yeah, no mountains for hiking, etc., but the parks are amazing in Bayonne. Stephen R. Gregg is one of the best parks around. 16th street park is nice too. I’ve been living here for three years, and I have enjoyed it. Besides the parks, when it comes to things to do it’s pretty quick and easy to get on the turnpike (I live on 46th st.) my favorite part about bayonne would be the parks, the food options, safety, the greenery, and the peace for sure.
Good summary. I will add that the food isn’t great and the people are as rundown as the town is.
On the plus side, the rent is cheap, it’s safe, and more interesting places are a quick light rail ride away. But I moved out after two years because it just wasn’t worth it living in such a depressing place.
El Aguila Dorada
La Guardiola
Mona Lisa
Cafe Bello
Thai O’Brien’s
Teddy’s Place
Benanti’s Italian Deli
The Little Food Cafe
Judickie’s Bakery
Years ago my dad liked to take us to Rincon or Mediterraneo for special occasions. Idk if they’ve held up but I remember them being good.
The Blimpie by McDonald’s was good. I heard the same owner operates under an independent name now.
I heard Tarboosh is good but haven’t tried it.
RIP to The Venice and Petridis Hot Dogs
ETA: Magic Fountain for ice cream
Bumping this comment because it's a great source for Bayonne food. If you accidentally end up in Bayonne and you're hungry, all great options. My dad took me to Petridis as a kid, their waffle fries were so good 😭
I think the story of that Blimpie was that they refused to budge on ingredients that Blimpie wanted to scrap, so they went independent. Good for them, they make incredible subs. The other Blimpie on 40 something was terrible in comparison.
If I may add Cibao to the list, it's right down the block from Judickies, great Dominican food.
Also please tell me if you've had a buffalo chicken slice from Mona Lisa, it's unlike any other buffalo chicken I've ever had I honestly don't know why they even call it that, but it's SO good. (Will give you a tummy ache if you fly too close to the sun and grab a second slice) It's always been worth
I'm currently in Essex County and have yet to find a favorite pizza place. Plenty of "good" options but I still like Guardiola a lot better, followed closely by Mona Lisa as well as Pizza Masters and Pompeii.
I also frequented Petridis a lot as a kid. Hot dog with mustard, waffle fries, and a Yoo-Hoo.
Also agree that the now-independent Blimpie is the only good one.
Edited my list to add Magic Fountain for ice cream.
I miss Big Apple pizza soooo much if ya remember that one, they were paper thin slices, but you roll those bad boys into a lil pizzarito, the bite was just beautiful.
Magic Fountain broke my heart, as a kid, their orange Italian ice was my FAVORITE. Unbeatable for me, I'd scoff at the other kids for their incorrect orders (not orange 😆) couple years back.. they did away with orange!! Who the hell wanted orange off the menu?!?! Better have been some real deadly stuff in there because it was the GOAT. I check once a year to see if they brought it back yet.
Gotta say, I never loved Big Apple's pizza. I went there a lot because it seemed like sports-related groups always wound up there. The other menu items were fine but for thin-crust I liked The Venice a lot more. I do love that Aguila Dorada moved into the Big Apple's space and seems to be thriving.
I was never a big Italian Ice fan, either. MF's banana pudding hurricane was my favorite menu item.
My wife likes their hurricanes a lot, I'm a bit more boring than that 😆, Aguila Dorada is absolutely delicious, you're right they are using the space way better overall
Living in Bayonne all my life and while I like the town, I've been to a few of these places and they were below average. Not sure why we they can't do better.
Born and raised Bayonne boy here, lived near downtown Broadway for my childhood, then 31st and E during highschool. Walking to Mona Lisa for a slice, right down the block is CJs for an Italian ice..lived like a tiny meatball king. The town has wonderful parks, and great food, but once Walmart came to town a lot of local businesses folded. Back in my day 👴 (I'm 31 lmao this isn't THAT long ago) but year 2000 the Hudson-Bergen light rail started operating and it was incredible for public transit... buuut NYC became so accessible, more and more huge luxury apartments started popping up. A lot of commuters, prices going up, population going up.. the town lost a ton of its personality to accommodate the massive number of people we have living here. Even back then there were too many people and not enough affordable housing. Our highschool has 2400+ kids, the national average is like... A third of that haha.
*Edited simply to continue, I hit send too early oops*
I wanted to include that I loved growing up in Bayonne. The local YMCA gym saved my life, I loved how diverse the city is, the uptown diner is home. We used to have a RIDICULOUS mural of Chuck Wepner that I recommend you Google.
The only town motto I can think of is If it's from Bayonne, leave it alone, which... Isn't great, but I think it's funny.
>but once Walmart came to town a lot of local businesses folded
No more troopin down B'way to Irwins to buy toys or to Sound City to get a tape. I still have and use the alarm clock I bought at Sound City. What was the name of the sneaker place kinda across the street from there in the 90's?
Cant believe I forgot Irwins, and Gamers Heaven, the Blockbuster a couple blocks down, I remember getting shoes at Payless but cant remember if that was on broadway or a little down 440
Decades ago it wasn’t so bad, especially with its vibrant downtown Broadway. But now it’s just a boring small city. The streets are in bad shape, the homes are all right on top of each other with tiny little backyards, many houses have no garages/driveways so there’s very little street parking available. Half of the city is dedicated to industrial interests, so the air often smells bad. It’s hard to get in/out of. It just has a bleak, rundown, old vibe to it. I grew up there, never look forward to returning to visit…
Depends where you are. Brooklyn has a lot of great parks. I don’t really care about seeing grass on people’s lawns that doesn’t make a place “more green” to me.
Half of my family is from Bayonne. I lived there for a while as a kid and still have to return occasionally. For me, Bayonne is a perfect representation of a liminal space (a lot of which can be attributed to personal experiences, I'm sure). It's kind of stuck in time, but also playing catch up. There are some great places that others already mentioned, and some of the development has been beneficial. But the city always seems like it's trying to update itself, but it never feels like it quite gets there or gets there too late. If anyone else sees it the same, maybe you hate it because it should be more than it is, which is currently just kind of a sad sack excuse for a city at times.
Also, Judicke's black & whites haven't tasted good since the late 90s, and fuck that.
Judickes changed ownership and it’s sucked since. Friend worked there about 5 years ago and said there was mold on food they’d just scrape off. She left after a week. So many better bakeries now.
Bayonne reminds me of Yonkers which I lived in for a few years as a kid. You can drop yourself on certain streets and it feels like it's been frozen in time since the 90s. Shitty roads, sad poorly maintained storefronts. Lots of old people.
Just recently moved to Bayonne about a year ago. It’s not awful in *every way* but it is awful in most ways. Cheapest home price I saw recently was almost $600,000, it’s safe-ish (leaning heavy on the ish side), there isn’t much here although some of the food and small business is good. It just sort of feels like the world progressed and left Bayonne behind, with all the same modern pricing. Most of the buildings are either outdated, over priced, dilapidated, squished, or neighbor random large sand lots that will likely never be finished as intended. Everything Bagel and the large park are really the only two things I’ve really enjoyed here since. I would heavily tell someone to reconsider this town as a permanent residence.
I lived in Bayonne for a while. It's definitely more trashy in every sense of the word compared to the parts of NJ that people like. However, it's not too dissimilar from parts of JC or other areas in Hudson County.
I enjoyed it. I lived in one of those newer luxury apartments and had a shuttle that dropped me off right at the PATH station on grove street. Easy and quick access to the city. It was just far enough away to avoid tons of traffic too. I nice halfway point between urban and suburbia.
I'd never want to buy there though. Too many people on drugs walking the streets. It's not super common but it was never a surprise. You can tell it's slowly gone downhill too, even with the new apartments and condos.
There is definitely a roughness to Bayonne so I get the stereotype. Even so, there are some gems:
Hudson County Park
El Aguila Dorada: Absolutely amazing and coming from someone who loves authentic mexican
Judicke's Bakery: absolutely incredible bakery. Great cookies. It's a tradition to have a huge order for the holidays.
Al Richards Chocolates: Amazing chocolates. If you're a guy and want to do something traditional, pop in a buy a small box of chocolates for a first date. HUGE winner every time. Then of course the same for meeting parents. Can't recommend this place enough. The peanut butter truffles, toffee, salted caramel... can't go wrong here.
Because I grew up in that town, and it is a filthy waste pit covered in creaky old houses. In the early 90s, they tried to build the world's second largest sludge incinerator there without any sort of public referendum. That was when my immediate family checked out. Plenty of my relatives stayed, and every time I went back it became more and more of a dump. Now it's an overpriced dump, because its one redeeming feature is how easy it is to leave and go somewhere people want to be instead. If Staten Island had an uglier cousin, it'd be Bayonne.
I was thinking the same, especially with the parking situation. I see plenty of free spaces walking my dog late at night. In NB it’s basically impossible to find parking past like 8.
The parking situation uptown is absolute shit, but the further south you go the easier it is. I'm down in Bergen Point and never have to park more than a block away no matter when I get home. There was *one* time when there was a music and arts festival in 1st Street Park where i had to park two blocks away.
Bayonne/Hudson County/Gregg Park, 1st Street/Collins Park, 16th Street Park, Rutkwoski Park/Bird Santuary. We've really got some great green spaces here. 1st Street/Collins is going to start the phase 3 revitalization soon east of Avenue C and I can't wait to see what they do with the water elements at the playground and if they make any improvements to the fishing pier.
Nothing going on there. I lived there for 2 years because the rent was cheaper than Jersey City. Still was a 2 hour commute by train to work in NY and there was just nothing there. Every bar was a shitty dive bar where people just sneered at you, no good restaurants, people weren't friendly. It just stunk
Nothing to do, bang average to below average schools, parking is terrible. NYC is still one hour away minimum. Quality of life has gone down in the last 15 years as it definitely turned more ghetto/ratchet
Bayonne is like that big brother (22) who pushed around his little brother (7) and wouldn’t let him in his room because he had old records and skateboards on his wall and his little brother was too young. He grew up an worked hard, and received support from his father. By his 40s he had a nice truck and a good job and inherited his father’s home. His little brother is now in his late 20s and moved to a town down south across the bridge because he didn’t like his neighbors. While his big brother cleans his truck every Saturday at 10am and complains about his little brother’s louder car stopping and passing by in the morning as he drives from Staten Island up northwest, rarely northeast. They both dislike each other, but they hate their early 20s sister more. The sister works a tech job making twice as much both brothers, but they call her lazy. She has friends from all cultures.
They hate us because they ain’t us.
Within an hour to the shore.
Within 20 minutes to the city.
Within 30 minutes to a large amount of hiking destinations.
Diversity in people.
A walking and public transportation friendly city.
Amazing diverse food, especially Italian. My SIL moved to Rockaway and constantly states the Italian food isn’t good like here, especially the pizza.
Not landlocked so we get great views of the city and yea that includes Newark and Elizabeth.
Within 25 minutes to the airport.
Within 5 minutes to a cruise ship port.
The beautiful 9/11 tear drop memorial.
And we gave you George R. R. Martin and the story for Rocky (Wepner was a dick when I met him so no real love there).
We know the Bayonne saying. And we want you to leave us alone because shit is too crowded and we don’t like you either.
I read this as “why does everyone hate Beyoncé” and thought “14a stay away” was supposed to be one of her songs. It took me a long while to understand what was happening here.
It's the same water as Jersey City, Kearney, Harrison and Hoboken.
That's not to say it's *good* water. We still filter it before we drink it, but the water *in* Bayonne isn't *from* Bayonne. It's piped in from further up north in Wanaque.
It's a commuter town. Very little inherent to the place (dining/entertainment). Most folks are away during the weekdays for work. And weekends they're out for fun (since there's not much to do locally).
On the plus side, it's quiet/safe for a city. And the rent is reasonable (as long as it's not one of the new luxury apartment buildings/complexes). Driving in/out is also really nice and easy (since you can get out from either the north or south side).
Driving in and out is super easy? Absolutely not lol. Sometimes I’d spend half my commute just trying to get out of the town. Going south through Staten Island is extremely expensive and generally does not save any time if you’re staying within New Jersey
On the super rare occasion that I drive to work in Queens I can be on Canal Street in 30 minutes, and at my office in Queens in under 50. If I'm on public transit it's an hour to midtown, 90 minutes to my stop on the 7.
Where in Queens if you dont mind me asking? And what time are you leaving to queens? Living in NB but unfortunately have to drive to work quite a bit so trying to gauge
Yeah, no... Driving is a giant pain in the ass. Go north and you're in Jersey City which is probably not where you want to be in 98% of cases. Drive South and you're in a DIFFERENT FUCKING STATE. And have to pay 10 bucks for the privilege. It's a peninsula and a pain in the ass to get off of in a reasonable amount of time.
It’ll be nice once the old, racist boomer population of Bayonne dies off and sells their houses. But the cramped space and ugly architecture aren’t doing it favors.
I mean will it fundamentally change all that much? One of the biggest cons and also an issue you see with a lot of parts of JC that are in an awkward spot for transit is you basically have no super nice convenient way of getting into the city and you're still in the same little bubble of stuff.
It's kinda like those deeper parts of Brooklyn where it's like yeah you technically have a subway stop but you're a ways to a lot of things.
>deeper parts of Brooklyn where it's like yeah you technically have a subway stop but you're a ways to a lot of things
Truth here. My commute from Bayonne to Queens is about the same as it was from Sheepshead Bay to Queens, extra fares notwithstanding.
Born and raised. Bayonne was my first home. I still find myself comparing things in my town to Bayonne. I had a great childhood there. The parades. The block parties. Dirty water dogs on the way home from school. Bayonne is an acquired taste.
Same reason people outside of NJ call it the armpit of America. It was a relevant saying in the 1980’s and we still have to hear unoriginal folks regurgitate it until the end of time.
So, if it counts, Hudson County Park is really beautiful, especially at sunset, or on a misty, moody, foggy day with the bay shrouded in mystery. It’s like an oasis in a bleak urban city landscape. I’ve walked through Hudson County during beautiful Summer sunsets, somber but bursting with color days in the Fall, vibrant days in the Spring with Cherry Blossoms in full bloom, windy frigid days where Newark Bay froze over, and snowy days when I was the only one in the park.
Hudson County park was never suppose to be a forested woodland, more an Aerith’s house in the Midgar slums. And because of that, I fell in love with. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII, Jersey City / Bayonne carries a strong Midgar vibe, with pockets of serene beauty. Especially now, not living in Bayonne anymore, it carries a special place in my childhood imagination.
Personally, I don't like places, locations that only allows for one way to exit (and stay in NJ) . This includes cu de sacs and residential developments that only have one exit/entrance and cruise ships (yes they technically have multiple exits but only one where you won't drown)
It's the Staten Island of New Jersey.
Lol it always gave me heavy Staten Island vibes when I visited even with the way people act
It also happens to be right next to Staten Island so it makes sense
I've got a few family members from staten island who moved there so might be more than coincidental
We're the New Jersey of New Jersey when you compare it to how other states look at us as a whole.
I think that’s a great summary of Bayonne. Partially why I’ve always liked it
Honestly, if you need to get to points south of there it's easier/faster to travel through Staten Island.
Way more expensive, though. If the Newark Bay Bridge isn't backed up too badly then a trip through SI only saves me about ten minutes and I'm all the way down by the Bayonne Bridge, yet it'll easily cost me an extra ten bucks vs the turnpike tolls.
>vs the turnpike tolls. Turnpike? Look at moneybags here with his fancy Turnpike money!! You must be rich! 440 to 1&9 - free for me! I have all the time in the world!
1&9 isn’t free, you pay in aggravation. Sit in traffic and contemplate the geniuses that built a 6 lane road with traffic lights every quarter mile.
I don't wait at traffic lights. That's what the shoulder's for homie...
Do NONE of you know about the Staten Island Bridge Plan on EZPass?? Cuts the toll in *half*. I live in Ocean County, but lived in Bayonne and still work there. GSP to 127, then over OBX costs about a dollar more than GSP to the Turnpike to 14A. I save 20 minutes or more and miss the gridlock on the turnpike bridge. You folks are missing out.
Scroll down to Commuter Plans. https://www.e-zpassny.com/en/about/plans.shtml#:~:text=Port%20Authority%20Staten%20Island%20Bridges,New%20York%20or%20New%20Jersey.
Brutal
This should be top comment LOL.
Staten island is the Staten Island of NJ lol we should own it at least
I still contest we should have kept Staten Island, I believe the original charter for what became NJ had Staten Island as a part
Todt hill would be a nice jersey village
I don’t think Staten Island would be anything like a village, it would be like our Manhattan
We would need to build a toll booth, and make New York pay for it!!!!!
Our Manhattan is JC, or Newark, depending on the decade.
I agree. If we're required to keep building affordable housing for illegals but not allowed to build any new garbage dumps in New Jersey because of environmental regulations, we might as well take our largest one back. Staten Island is ours!
Ive been saying this forever. Staten Island should just be Bayonne
But rename it Baja Bayonne.
Lmao. Hahaha
We resent that. Staten Island is worse.
The most accurate description. Can we turn off comments now?
Nah that’s Wayne
Staten Island has more and more charm when you take into consideration the other horrific boroughs. It’s all about perspective at this point lol
It’s isolated, and the traffic and parking are awful. It’s close to NYC but not actually convenient to get anywhere. The town is boring and a bit rundown looking. There’s not much to do. And it’s very urban and industrial so no nature to enjoy either. Most people who live there are either lifelong residents or people that got priced out of Jersey City.
I do agree that it’s a bit isolated and people who are priced out of Jersey city and NY are flocking over to bayonne, but disagree about the nature… yeah, no mountains for hiking, etc., but the parks are amazing in Bayonne. Stephen R. Gregg is one of the best parks around. 16th street park is nice too. I’ve been living here for three years, and I have enjoyed it. Besides the parks, when it comes to things to do it’s pretty quick and easy to get on the turnpike (I live on 46th st.) my favorite part about bayonne would be the parks, the food options, safety, the greenery, and the peace for sure.
Good summary. I will add that the food isn’t great and the people are as rundown as the town is. On the plus side, the rent is cheap, it’s safe, and more interesting places are a quick light rail ride away. But I moved out after two years because it just wasn’t worth it living in such a depressing place.
A lot of good food places in Bayonne
What do you recommend?
El Aguila Dorada La Guardiola Mona Lisa Cafe Bello Thai O’Brien’s Teddy’s Place Benanti’s Italian Deli The Little Food Cafe Judickie’s Bakery Years ago my dad liked to take us to Rincon or Mediterraneo for special occasions. Idk if they’ve held up but I remember them being good. The Blimpie by McDonald’s was good. I heard the same owner operates under an independent name now. I heard Tarboosh is good but haven’t tried it. RIP to The Venice and Petridis Hot Dogs ETA: Magic Fountain for ice cream
Thanks. Of those I’ve only been to Mediterraneo (a few times) and those were events so probably not a good gauge of anything, but I enjoyed it.
High five for keeping it real
Bumping this comment because it's a great source for Bayonne food. If you accidentally end up in Bayonne and you're hungry, all great options. My dad took me to Petridis as a kid, their waffle fries were so good 😭 I think the story of that Blimpie was that they refused to budge on ingredients that Blimpie wanted to scrap, so they went independent. Good for them, they make incredible subs. The other Blimpie on 40 something was terrible in comparison. If I may add Cibao to the list, it's right down the block from Judickies, great Dominican food. Also please tell me if you've had a buffalo chicken slice from Mona Lisa, it's unlike any other buffalo chicken I've ever had I honestly don't know why they even call it that, but it's SO good. (Will give you a tummy ache if you fly too close to the sun and grab a second slice) It's always been worth
I'm currently in Essex County and have yet to find a favorite pizza place. Plenty of "good" options but I still like Guardiola a lot better, followed closely by Mona Lisa as well as Pizza Masters and Pompeii. I also frequented Petridis a lot as a kid. Hot dog with mustard, waffle fries, and a Yoo-Hoo. Also agree that the now-independent Blimpie is the only good one. Edited my list to add Magic Fountain for ice cream.
I miss Big Apple pizza soooo much if ya remember that one, they were paper thin slices, but you roll those bad boys into a lil pizzarito, the bite was just beautiful. Magic Fountain broke my heart, as a kid, their orange Italian ice was my FAVORITE. Unbeatable for me, I'd scoff at the other kids for their incorrect orders (not orange 😆) couple years back.. they did away with orange!! Who the hell wanted orange off the menu?!?! Better have been some real deadly stuff in there because it was the GOAT. I check once a year to see if they brought it back yet.
Gotta say, I never loved Big Apple's pizza. I went there a lot because it seemed like sports-related groups always wound up there. The other menu items were fine but for thin-crust I liked The Venice a lot more. I do love that Aguila Dorada moved into the Big Apple's space and seems to be thriving. I was never a big Italian Ice fan, either. MF's banana pudding hurricane was my favorite menu item.
My wife likes their hurricanes a lot, I'm a bit more boring than that 😆, Aguila Dorada is absolutely delicious, you're right they are using the space way better overall
My friend moved from Bayonne years ago but she's brought me up to Rincon and Judickie's many times. I think of that garlic soup way too much.
Living in Bayonne all my life and while I like the town, I've been to a few of these places and they were below average. Not sure why we they can't do better.
The food in Bayonne is amazing, other than that it’s boring
^^^^
Born and raised Bayonne boy here, lived near downtown Broadway for my childhood, then 31st and E during highschool. Walking to Mona Lisa for a slice, right down the block is CJs for an Italian ice..lived like a tiny meatball king. The town has wonderful parks, and great food, but once Walmart came to town a lot of local businesses folded. Back in my day 👴 (I'm 31 lmao this isn't THAT long ago) but year 2000 the Hudson-Bergen light rail started operating and it was incredible for public transit... buuut NYC became so accessible, more and more huge luxury apartments started popping up. A lot of commuters, prices going up, population going up.. the town lost a ton of its personality to accommodate the massive number of people we have living here. Even back then there were too many people and not enough affordable housing. Our highschool has 2400+ kids, the national average is like... A third of that haha. *Edited simply to continue, I hit send too early oops* I wanted to include that I loved growing up in Bayonne. The local YMCA gym saved my life, I loved how diverse the city is, the uptown diner is home. We used to have a RIDICULOUS mural of Chuck Wepner that I recommend you Google. The only town motto I can think of is If it's from Bayonne, leave it alone, which... Isn't great, but I think it's funny.
We now have a statue of Chuck down in 1st Street Park. He was there last year for the unveiling.
Fellow 30-something here, and I appreciate your shout-out to the Y. That place was a safe haven for me as a kid.
>but once Walmart came to town a lot of local businesses folded No more troopin down B'way to Irwins to buy toys or to Sound City to get a tape. I still have and use the alarm clock I bought at Sound City. What was the name of the sneaker place kinda across the street from there in the 90's?
Cant believe I forgot Irwins, and Gamers Heaven, the Blockbuster a couple blocks down, I remember getting shoes at Payless but cant remember if that was on broadway or a little down 440
What is in Bayonne except a bunch of pissed off people sitting at a traffic light?
They have a functional light rail.
Holy shit, packing my bags I gotta see this for myself
A giant vagina from Russia
Accurate
Your mom's from Russia?
Costco
Good restaurants…ethnic food in bakeries and delis.
Piccolinos is good. Their Staten Island one is better though.
Decades ago it wasn’t so bad, especially with its vibrant downtown Broadway. But now it’s just a boring small city. The streets are in bad shape, the homes are all right on top of each other with tiny little backyards, many houses have no garages/driveways so there’s very little street parking available. Half of the city is dedicated to industrial interests, so the air often smells bad. It’s hard to get in/out of. It just has a bleak, rundown, old vibe to it. I grew up there, never look forward to returning to visit…
Basically all the worst aspects of urban and suburban life and none of the benefits
Lol still more green than Brooklyn was.
Brooklyn has arts/music scene
Depends where you are. Brooklyn has a lot of great parks. I don’t really care about seeing grass on people’s lawns that doesn’t make a place “more green” to me.
Half of my family is from Bayonne. I lived there for a while as a kid and still have to return occasionally. For me, Bayonne is a perfect representation of a liminal space (a lot of which can be attributed to personal experiences, I'm sure). It's kind of stuck in time, but also playing catch up. There are some great places that others already mentioned, and some of the development has been beneficial. But the city always seems like it's trying to update itself, but it never feels like it quite gets there or gets there too late. If anyone else sees it the same, maybe you hate it because it should be more than it is, which is currently just kind of a sad sack excuse for a city at times. Also, Judicke's black & whites haven't tasted good since the late 90s, and fuck that.
Judickes changed ownership and it’s sucked since. Friend worked there about 5 years ago and said there was mold on food they’d just scrape off. She left after a week. So many better bakeries now.
Bayonne reminds me of Yonkers which I lived in for a few years as a kid. You can drop yourself on certain streets and it feels like it's been frozen in time since the 90s. Shitty roads, sad poorly maintained storefronts. Lots of old people.
They want to keep it as affordable as possible. So propaganda.
Because it's the B in benny
Honestly y’all hate Bayonne because you can’t hang. We don’t like you either. Get out of my swamp.
Why'd I read this as "why does eveyeone hate Beyonce"?
Valid.
Just recently moved to Bayonne about a year ago. It’s not awful in *every way* but it is awful in most ways. Cheapest home price I saw recently was almost $600,000, it’s safe-ish (leaning heavy on the ish side), there isn’t much here although some of the food and small business is good. It just sort of feels like the world progressed and left Bayonne behind, with all the same modern pricing. Most of the buildings are either outdated, over priced, dilapidated, squished, or neighbor random large sand lots that will likely never be finished as intended. Everything Bagel and the large park are really the only two things I’ve really enjoyed here since. I would heavily tell someone to reconsider this town as a permanent residence.
I lived in Bayonne for a while. It's definitely more trashy in every sense of the word compared to the parts of NJ that people like. However, it's not too dissimilar from parts of JC or other areas in Hudson County. I enjoyed it. I lived in one of those newer luxury apartments and had a shuttle that dropped me off right at the PATH station on grove street. Easy and quick access to the city. It was just far enough away to avoid tons of traffic too. I nice halfway point between urban and suburbia. I'd never want to buy there though. Too many people on drugs walking the streets. It's not super common but it was never a surprise. You can tell it's slowly gone downhill too, even with the new apartments and condos. There is definitely a roughness to Bayonne so I get the stereotype. Even so, there are some gems: Hudson County Park El Aguila Dorada: Absolutely amazing and coming from someone who loves authentic mexican Judicke's Bakery: absolutely incredible bakery. Great cookies. It's a tradition to have a huge order for the holidays. Al Richards Chocolates: Amazing chocolates. If you're a guy and want to do something traditional, pop in a buy a small box of chocolates for a first date. HUGE winner every time. Then of course the same for meeting parents. Can't recommend this place enough. The peanut butter truffles, toffee, salted caramel... can't go wrong here.
The boomer vibe is strong
No... These aren't boomers, they're leftovers
Because I grew up in that town, and it is a filthy waste pit covered in creaky old houses. In the early 90s, they tried to build the world's second largest sludge incinerator there without any sort of public referendum. That was when my immediate family checked out. Plenty of my relatives stayed, and every time I went back it became more and more of a dump. Now it's an overpriced dump, because its one redeeming feature is how easy it is to leave and go somewhere people want to be instead. If Staten Island had an uglier cousin, it'd be Bayonne.
In all honesty, you have quite a way with words. I love this comment.
is it more crowded than north bergen? feel that is more on top of each other?
Nothing is more crowded than North Hudson County.
North Bergen and Union City are *way* more crowded. Much narrower streets, even worse parking situation.
Can confirm. The Bergenline Avenue past 70th street is as wide as it can get.
Having moved from north Bergen to Bayonne recently, the foot and car traffic is light compared to NB.
I laugh my ass off every time I hear a local complain about traffic on Avenue C. Traffic here is *nothing* compared to JC and points north.
I was thinking the same, especially with the parking situation. I see plenty of free spaces walking my dog late at night. In NB it’s basically impossible to find parking past like 8.
The parking situation uptown is absolute shit, but the further south you go the easier it is. I'm down in Bergen Point and never have to park more than a block away no matter when I get home. There was *one* time when there was a music and arts festival in 1st Street Park where i had to park two blocks away.
Or the Ironbound in Newark.
Been there before, it’s nice and like it. It’s alright.
Agreed
It’s a giant suburb.
It just seems really bleak all the time…except for Bayonne Park, nothing really worth your while…and parking is a nightmare…
Bayonne/Hudson County/Gregg Park, 1st Street/Collins Park, 16th Street Park, Rutkwoski Park/Bird Santuary. We've really got some great green spaces here. 1st Street/Collins is going to start the phase 3 revitalization soon east of Avenue C and I can't wait to see what they do with the water elements at the playground and if they make any improvements to the fishing pier.
for a second I though this said "why does everyone hate Bayonetta" lmao
Nothing going on there. I lived there for 2 years because the rent was cheaper than Jersey City. Still was a 2 hour commute by train to work in NY and there was just nothing there. Every bar was a shitty dive bar where people just sneered at you, no good restaurants, people weren't friendly. It just stunk
Nothing to do, bang average to below average schools, parking is terrible. NYC is still one hour away minimum. Quality of life has gone down in the last 15 years as it definitely turned more ghetto/ratchet
Bayonne is like that big brother (22) who pushed around his little brother (7) and wouldn’t let him in his room because he had old records and skateboards on his wall and his little brother was too young. He grew up an worked hard, and received support from his father. By his 40s he had a nice truck and a good job and inherited his father’s home. His little brother is now in his late 20s and moved to a town down south across the bridge because he didn’t like his neighbors. While his big brother cleans his truck every Saturday at 10am and complains about his little brother’s louder car stopping and passing by in the morning as he drives from Staten Island up northwest, rarely northeast. They both dislike each other, but they hate their early 20s sister more. The sister works a tech job making twice as much both brothers, but they call her lazy. She has friends from all cultures.
They hate us because they ain’t us. Within an hour to the shore. Within 20 minutes to the city. Within 30 minutes to a large amount of hiking destinations. Diversity in people. A walking and public transportation friendly city. Amazing diverse food, especially Italian. My SIL moved to Rockaway and constantly states the Italian food isn’t good like here, especially the pizza. Not landlocked so we get great views of the city and yea that includes Newark and Elizabeth. Within 25 minutes to the airport. Within 5 minutes to a cruise ship port. The beautiful 9/11 tear drop memorial. And we gave you George R. R. Martin and the story for Rocky (Wepner was a dick when I met him so no real love there). We know the Bayonne saying. And we want you to leave us alone because shit is too crowded and we don’t like you either.
Basically this SNL clip https://youtu.be/jhioeOeOHsA?si=PozUFmQIH4icEp_e
I thought this would be Gossip Girl Staten Island
I read this as “why does everyone hate Beyoncé” and thought “14a stay away” was supposed to be one of her songs. It took me a long while to understand what was happening here.
When I was doing Uber 6 years ago. A lady told me don’t drink the water from Bayonne. That the area is highly contaminated. I believe her
It's the same water as Jersey City, Kearney, Harrison and Hoboken. That's not to say it's *good* water. We still filter it before we drink it, but the water *in* Bayonne isn't *from* Bayonne. It's piped in from further up north in Wanaque.
Boonton is where the reservoir is located
Worst bank (BCB) ever. And every time I left, my gps sent me over a NY bridge that cost me $15
You'd think after the first time you took the Bayonne Bridge you'd learn your lesson and go up to 78 instead.
It's a commuter town. Very little inherent to the place (dining/entertainment). Most folks are away during the weekdays for work. And weekends they're out for fun (since there's not much to do locally). On the plus side, it's quiet/safe for a city. And the rent is reasonable (as long as it's not one of the new luxury apartment buildings/complexes). Driving in/out is also really nice and easy (since you can get out from either the north or south side).
Driving in and out is super easy? Absolutely not lol. Sometimes I’d spend half my commute just trying to get out of the town. Going south through Staten Island is extremely expensive and generally does not save any time if you’re staying within New Jersey
On the super rare occasion that I drive to work in Queens I can be on Canal Street in 30 minutes, and at my office in Queens in under 50. If I'm on public transit it's an hour to midtown, 90 minutes to my stop on the 7.
Where in Queens if you dont mind me asking? And what time are you leaving to queens? Living in NB but unfortunately have to drive to work quite a bit so trying to gauge
Usually leave around 6:30 to go to Woodside.
Right! 100% you're going to pay a grip in tolls or risk your suspension driving locally. Getting in/out of Bayonne is a pain in the ass.
Yeah, no... Driving is a giant pain in the ass. Go north and you're in Jersey City which is probably not where you want to be in 98% of cases. Drive South and you're in a DIFFERENT FUCKING STATE. And have to pay 10 bucks for the privilege. It's a peninsula and a pain in the ass to get off of in a reasonable amount of time.
Just leave them alone…
It’ll be nice once the old, racist boomer population of Bayonne dies off and sells their houses. But the cramped space and ugly architecture aren’t doing it favors.
I mean will it fundamentally change all that much? One of the biggest cons and also an issue you see with a lot of parts of JC that are in an awkward spot for transit is you basically have no super nice convenient way of getting into the city and you're still in the same little bubble of stuff. It's kinda like those deeper parts of Brooklyn where it's like yeah you technically have a subway stop but you're a ways to a lot of things.
>deeper parts of Brooklyn where it's like yeah you technically have a subway stop but you're a ways to a lot of things Truth here. My commute from Bayonne to Queens is about the same as it was from Sheepshead Bay to Queens, extra fares notwithstanding.
Mainly the people
The accent
Plus in my opinion
What's a 'yoot'?
Born and raised. Bayonne was my first home. I still find myself comparing things in my town to Bayonne. I had a great childhood there. The parades. The block parties. Dirty water dogs on the way home from school. Bayonne is an acquired taste.
Shitty trashy and overcrowded. Like the poster child for why overdeveloping your city is dumb along with west New York etc.
It’s ratchet af lol. Feels like you’re in a third world country and the people act like it too.
The racism always felt safe when they would escort me to the city line even the one Black cop on the force
Same reason people outside of NJ call it the armpit of America. It was a relevant saying in the 1980’s and we still have to hear unoriginal folks regurgitate it until the end of time.
I guess you never saw Gary, Indiana
Boomers, racist dickhead coos that'll pull you for going 26mph and being black, a general sense of entitlement of the residents. (I grew up in JC)
Post me some lovely pics of Bayonne and then I’ll let ya know.
So, if it counts, Hudson County Park is really beautiful, especially at sunset, or on a misty, moody, foggy day with the bay shrouded in mystery. It’s like an oasis in a bleak urban city landscape. I’ve walked through Hudson County during beautiful Summer sunsets, somber but bursting with color days in the Fall, vibrant days in the Spring with Cherry Blossoms in full bloom, windy frigid days where Newark Bay froze over, and snowy days when I was the only one in the park. Hudson County park was never suppose to be a forested woodland, more an Aerith’s house in the Midgar slums. And because of that, I fell in love with. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII, Jersey City / Bayonne carries a strong Midgar vibe, with pockets of serene beauty. Especially now, not living in Bayonne anymore, it carries a special place in my childhood imagination.
> If you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII, Jersey City / Bayonne carries a strong Midgar vibe And more recently, Revachol.
Cause my ex girlfriend lives there
From Bayonne leave it alone! Although I do like Bayonne Golf Club!
I just think of a polluted environment in general.
Personally, I don't like places, locations that only allows for one way to exit (and stay in NJ) . This includes cu de sacs and residential developments that only have one exit/entrance and cruise ships (yes they technically have multiple exits but only one where you won't drown)
I never met a Bayonne I didn’t like
Man f#ck Bayonne
Because parking SUCKS in that town.
It’s the armpit of New Jersey, it smells terribly and where my ex-wife lived
If you're born in Bayonne you can't leave Bayonne... like legally.
There is a great golf course and the ship terminal. Other than that????
https://hudsoncountyview.com/bayonne-settles-2-lawsuits-with-ex-employee-including-davis-sexting-case-for-450k/amp/
If it's from Bayonne, you leave it alone.
It would cost me too much money to cross over and it's all garbage.
Struggling to come up with a single good thing about Bayonne
Because the town is soooo run down, has become so dirty and hardly any parking and just filled with low end to mediocre rentals. Do the math.
Atleast not as bad as Dirty Irv or Elizabeth
GRR Martin is from there, that should be an indication of the things he’s seen
Because it blows. The extension bridge ruins that city. Then there is the city itself.
Fuck Bayonne
Someone from Bayonne tried to stab me once, so that’s always colored my perception.
Leave it alone
Because it smells