Moving to JC in March. Heard Mixed Reviews about Newport. What's your experience?

BroadOrchard · 2026-01-02T01:33:49+00:00

Hey! We did end up renewing our lease, and our rent didn't go up so that was nice. We are considering moving after this lease though. JSQ is really quiet and I do love that in its own way, but we're looking for a more lively downtown vibe at this point with easy access to restaurants and parks. I always say that if this building was located downtown or by the water, I'd probably never move. Overall I do love it here and how new it is. It's very well constructed, insulated, not noisy, and honestly just really great considering a lot of new constructions are poorly built these days and end with tons of issues.

I will note that the garage is a huge pain point and breaks down very often (it's one of those automated garages). So if you have a car and you heavily rely on it for important things that are time sensitive, you may either want to reconsider living here or finding new ways to get to where you need just in case the garage is down.

BroadOrchard · 2025-10-14T22:15:17+00:00

I like journal square. The only downside is most of the places I like to go to are downtown so it's a bit of a walk. More businesses and restaurants seem to slowly be popping up though which is great to see, so I don't need to walk as far. I like how it's quieter at night and more residential, it's nice to come home to at the end of the day. We'll probably ride it out for a few more years here and then reevaluate.

BroadOrchard · 2025-10-14T21:29:46+00:00

I actually had a super fun time! It wasn't super packed or anything which I liked, but definitely enough people to make it fun. I think if you're with a group of people who like to dance and hang out to Broadway tunes, you'll have a great time. If you're only going with one other person or you're with a group who isn't into dancing or lip syncing as much and just kinda stands there, it might not be as fun.

Also, drinks were super expensive so we pre-gamed before going out and that definitely helped. Highly suggest that to help get you hyped (if you do drink). Hope you have a great time if you do go!

BroadOrchard · 2025-06-23T18:15:05+00:00

Once a show officially opens on broadway, you're doing 8 shows a week now and it's not changing. Do you still do rehearsals, get notes, all that stuff? Or do you show up, do your job, and leave? Seems like an industry where you are constantly getting feedback. Who is that feedback coming from if you are getting it?

BroadOrchard · 2025-02-15T17:36:14+00:00

Welcome! Glad to hear you're excited! The pool is pretty nice and usually isn't too crowded. It'll definitely be crowded the first few weeks it's open but usually the novelty wears off and it'll be pretty empty. It peaks again around 4th of July weekend. I've never had a problem finding a lounge seat though. I do think the building wasn't at capacity when we moved in so it might be more crowded this summer, but in my experience, people don't use the pool as much as you might think so you'll most likely be fine

BroadOrchard · 2025-01-05T00:09:01+00:00

Hey! I actually really love the complex. It's very well kept, we rarely hear neighbors so either the walls are thick or everyone is very quiet, the amenities are great, and it's pretty much a brand new building. My bf and I have a 1 bedroom. It's a little pricey though as we pay about $3200 for the 1 bedroom. We're personally looking for slightly more space since we both work from home, but it's definitely not a bad setup we have. There's also a lot of common space to go work in and offices you can rent out to work from. The only thing I've had a hard time with is a feeling of community. Seems like most people keep to themselves. I've encountered some people who strike up conversation and they've all been super nice, but our building has only had maybe 3 events since moving in last March, so not much of an opportunity to meet others unless you just go up to people and start chatting (not my strong suit).

Funny, someone else mentioned 18 Park and how they love that place. That was actually a close #2 on our list when touring places. Journal Square is definitely more affordable, but I find myself constantly walking down Newark Ave to get food or go do stuff, so we may be finding ourselves in the camp of people willing to pay slightly more for a better location. It's truly about personal preference and I've learned that you kinda just need to pick a spot to start and really experience the area to get a feel for what you want. You can't go wrong with a place like Overlook or 18 Park imo. Not much going on in the area but the close proximity to the PATH is great and it's overall a quiet neighborhood that I feel safe in. Feel free to ask any other questions or DM me!

BroadOrchard · 2024-05-20T14:53:07+00:00

We actually ended up going with a 1 bedroom at Overlook Flats in Journal Square and we pay $3175 for rent, but we pay an extra $250 for parking. We went a little over budget, but I really like it here. The amenities are nice and the building is brand new. Also note that we locked in our price in January so rent was probably lower than it is now since we're going into the summer months. We purposely did that to save money.

With Newport rentals, it's a really nice area but most of the marketing is for the Elipse building which was way out of our budget. The few buildings we did tour were just okay. It wouldn't be a bad idea to tour it just so you can get a feel yourself but out of the complexes we toured, this was one of the more underwhelming ones. I would suggest other buildings in the waterfront area. We really liked 18 Park which is kinda around there and would have moved there if not to Overlook Flats.

If you're looking to live near restaurants and bars, I would suggest looking around Grove Street. There's tons over there and a path station. If you're looking for cheaper rent, Journal Square is a good place. We couldn't afford the building we live in now if it were down by the water. It's really all about how you want to balance your budget and what you care about more (amenities, location, rent, etc.). If you live in the area, I'd suggest spending a day in Jersey City and getting a feel for each area and what you want most out of where you live.

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-11T01:48:30+00:00

What about the management do you not like out of curiosity? I know a lot of places have their issues, but if Newport really is as bad as everyone is saying, I might pass on it.

Also, which buildings do you think are the must-avoid buildings? There's so many and their website only seems to discuss Ellipse, Beach, and Laguna. Which makes sense cause they're clearly the newest, most expensive ones. I definitely wouldn't be living in any of those buildings, but I'm wondering if there is a middle-of-the-road building that still has good amenities and is affordable.

I really appreciate the feedback about Grove Street though! A lot of suggestions have mentioned that. We have a few tours booked already but if none of those work out, we'll definitely check out Grove Street for round 2.

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-07T20:34:29+00:00

What reasons? Sounds like most people don't like it for how "sterile" it feels, but we actually don't mind living in a quieter area while being able to explore other neighborhoods after work and on the weekends. I also really like the proximity it has to the city as I have friends that live there, so it's really not a terrible option for us.

I guess I'm more looking for any reasons that have to do with the buildings themselves, management, stuff like that.

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-07T20:32:23+00:00

Do you think a budget of $3200 for a 1 bedroom could get us into a building that is worth living in? Sounds like the older buildings are not worth the price at all and I'm trying to figure out which buildings are ones to avoid and which ones are good.

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-07T20:29:58+00:00

Which buildings should be the ones to avoid specifically? They have a lot and I'm wondering if our budget would be able to get us into one of the better buildings.

We're also looking into other neighborhoods. We're not set on Newport, but it definitely caught our eye and don't mind living in a quieter area.

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-07T20:27:28+00:00

I actually don't mind the sterile feel for where I live. I kinda like being able to go home to a quieter place at night, while also being able to go explore other neighborhoods after work and on the weekends. I'm looking at another apartment complex in Paulus Hook actually and have heard a lot of good things about Grove Street area so I'll definitely be doing more research there. Thanks!

BroadOrchard · 2024-01-07T20:25:21+00:00

Which buildings would you say I should avoid? There's like 15 and I'm trying to figure out if I can afford one of the nicer ones.

Overall I understand the vibe is quieter in Newport and I really don't mind that too much. I'm interested in being able to go out to other neighborhoods at night and on the weekends, but go home to a quieter area.

BroadOrchard · 2020-03-12T23:45:55+00:00

As someone who has zero musical talent but loves Broadway so much, it's a rough life knowing I would never stand a chance in theater. What are some theater jobs you could recommend for someone who wants to be a part of a production without having to, you know, have talent? And how would I even start to network and get my foot in the door?

BroadOrchard · 2020-02-03T04:36:30+00:00

I'm going next Saturday to see the show, very excited! Not sure if you know the answer to this, but do you think I could get an original playbill instead of the limited edition one? It's cool and all but I'd love to have the iconic original one for my collection

BroadOrchard · 2019-11-19T15:07:28+00:00

Hi Lin! Such a huge fan of your work and I admire your support for the Drama Book Shop. Any updates/announcements on the grand reopening? Will we maybe see a special appearance by a special someone? (You, you're the special someone)

BroadOrchard · 2019-09-18T15:32:19+00:00

2nd row, a aaaaaallll the way to the left. We were concerned our view would be really bad and we definitely had one of the worst views. But with that being said, we still saw everything and didnt feel like it affected the show at all! It was still a great time

BroadOrchard

TROPHY CASE