u/BeyondDadBod

(The closing locations in NJ are Hoboken, Montclair, Ridgewood)

https://preview.redd.it/rc0rkgz4s2qh1.png?width=379&format=png&auto=webp&s=276167345ecf6ee1287a2bcee1287fca3eb7370e

https://preview.redd.it/qkpol2tgy7mh1.jpg?width=364&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6242d2be093e8bdeea89afdfc41d41330a9bf7d7

I know this is pretty specific but wondering if anyone has any specific suggestions in this area.

I have a toddler and really would love to find structured ways to connect with other parents in the area since so many of my long term friends are an hour+ drive away. Playgrounds and libraries can be great but I never run into the same parents consistently. I’ve tried gym classes but also not always the same people and not always people who are looking to make friends necessarily.

Would love to hear is anyone has had any success with specific activities/locations/classes to try!

According to the Trader Joe's website, a new location is opening in West Orange on Mount Pleasant Ave. in the spot where the Metropolitan Plant and Flower Exchange used to be. Does anyone have any update on this? I haven't seen any activity there hinting at new construction.

Do the people who act like these are the same actually spend much time in any of them? Their primary similarity is being affluent commuter communities with easy access to NYC, nice homes, and a relatively well-off population. Beyond that, though, what do they really share? Montclair is known for being a college town (home to the second-largest university in the state), having a much more diverse population, and a thriving arts and creative scene, from the Art Museum to its jazz program. There are multiple town centers, each with apartment buildings and some degree of mixed-use development. While Montclair's economic diversity has been declining, it still has noticeably more of it than Summit or Westfield.

The architecture and town layouts differ as well, with Montclair having smaller lots, greater architectural variety, and sidewalks on almost every street.
I also remember playing Summit and Westfield in lacrosse growing up, there were games where opposing players made monkey noises when our Black players got the ball. That obviously doesn't define those communities, but it does highlight that the social environments felt very different from what I experienced at Montclair High, where that kind of behavior would have been completely unacceptable.

So can anyone who's actually lived in or spent significant time in more than one of these towns back me up? I've traveled around New Jersey quite a bit for home staging and pet sitting, and the closest comparison to Montclair has always seemed to be South Orange—it matches much more closely in terms of diversity, architecture, and even the kinds of careers many residents have.

They had delivered to the MC Montclair 20 pizzas from Bagels by Jarrett in West Orange; including one with peppers/onions/raw garlic/jalapenos.

Was this the move? Where could they have ordered from that's better? And judgement on the one custom pie I'd consider a monstrosity?

If you cannot live another day without air conditioning, because it says tomorrow's gonna be hotter, like yesterday...then you should call Sears. I know you said you would call yesterday, but you should call today...not just today, you should call now.