07307
May 13th, 2023 @ 5:50 pm
i’m stuck in this weird twilight zone of a month of may… i accidentally stumbled into the heights neighborhood of jersey city to cat/house sit for my former coworker/friend. i did it last month, and i was trying to pass it off to my friend who actually pet sits for work… not sure what happened with that, and bee didn’t end up coming to NYC, so i figured why not?
i actually got called over early because my friend’s grandma isn’t doing well health-wise, so i ended up there a week early. safe to say, i’m starting to get homesick and i hate that i’m missing primo spring cycling weather before the dreadful summer days… but it’s for the greater good of keeping a sweet kitty company, and ensuring my friend can be with her grandmother on one last beach trip. ♥
anyways, the heights/JC is a very interesting place. you can tell it was a place that was mainly lower income/middle class mix and in came the dingus developers, cashing in on old buildings and mixing in new apartments/condos wherever they can. i will say that it’s a way nicer mix than other places that are quickly gentrifying and developing. up in the heights where my friends live, it seems to be a nice balance of old and new, there’s street art (proper, not the illegal/wonderful kind my friends do – which isn’t exactly a good thing, just noting it), but most of all, i’m impressed by the considerate infrastructure that JC takes into consideration when building things and generally for getting around. there are so many bike lanes, there are a ton of pedestrian shortcuts and paths you can take to save yourself a 20 min walk around a massive block, etc.
i’m really impressed by how many dwellings have usable roof decks, which i’ve been taking full advantage of (i am so tan and it’s only the middle of may, lol… also, i’ve been doing it topless which is wonderful for tan line situations). it’s nice to eat up there, chill up there, at nighttime, it’s so relaxing to be up there with a warm breeze and the view of the skyline is wonderful… it’s really something i wish i had in my own home. i hate that queens doesn’t have shit like that (and fuck moving to bk for that).
i think it’s really nice over there… i don’t think i could ever live there, though. there is just a pride thing for us native new yorkers – just… no. also, the heights are also REALLY far from the hoboken train station. i don’t mind the walk during spring/summer/fall but during winter, that would suck ass. my friend says there’s a bus from port authority that takes you like a block away from the house but i have no idea where to get it, how to pay for tickets, etc. – jumping on the path a block away from penn station is making my life so much easier to get back and forth. also, i wouldn’t want to be anywhere near port authority late at night after i’ve been out drinking and worrying about remembering where to get off on a bus stop… anyways, nothing i’m seriously considering or anything, but it is a nice little change of pace.
i have a few friends that live over there, but i’ve only seen my sheebs, so far. i called elle but she didn’t pick up and i was trying to see my friend yoli and her daughter while i was there (maybe next week).
my friend jamie came to hang with me yesterday, which was so nice. we hung out on the roof, snacked well and got tan. it was nice to have some human interaction there, instead of just talking to a cat that never talks back, lol.