Kaja Bolton has lived in Hoboken since 2002 and at Harborside Lofts since 2008. She’s an agent with Liberty Realty and has her finger on the pulse of Hoboken properties. With so many choices, why Harborside? “The structure itself turned 100 in June,” she says.”Being from Europe, I like history, and a lot of stuff in America is newer.”
Bolton came to Hoboken by way of Princeton and Oslo, Norway. “This was something different,” she says. “The ceilings were high and the units very bright with large windows.”
The building has 116 units. Bolton’s is on the top floor. It’s 1,950 square feet with 13.5-foot ceilings, two bedrooms, a large den, kitchen, two and a half baths, and 11-foot windows that offer views of the river and the city.
Bolton lives with her husband and three-year-old daughter. “The pre-school system in Hoboken is fantastic,” Bolton says.”I was so impressed.”
In fact, she likes a lot of things about the city. “There are 4.5 million people in Norway, so New York City was too big for me. There were more people there than in the country where I am from. When you get off the PATH in Hoboken it’s a different vibe. It’s calmer and more manageable and has a lot of character. I don’t really go across the river as much as I thought I would.”
Bolton loves the restaurants, including nearby Pilsner Haus Biergarten. “Hoboken is booming with an Anthropologie and Gap coming,” she says.
Bolton also loves the community right in her own building. “It’s a great group of people,” she says. Another thing right in her own unit is the 600-square-foot roof deck with a full outdoor kitchen, including gas, electric, and water.
Cookouts on the roof, walks down to the pier, and taking her daughter to outdoor kids’ shows are all things that make summer in Hoboken a great experience for Bolton and her family.
ADAMS STREET
Scott and Julia Senchak and their year-old daughter, Macy, have found their niche on Adams Street in Hoboken. Both Scott and Julia work in finance in New York City and find Hoboken to be the perfect place to come home to. In fact, they met at a Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day event and moved into their new home in 2010.
“It’s new construction,” Scott says. “We were the first ones in the building. We liked the location, the layout, and the open-plan design.”
They are on the fourth and fifth floors of a five-story building. Other pluses are hardwood floors and a balcony, from which they can see the spire of the Empire State Building and the new World Trade tower.
Scott was very impressed with the remodeling work done by Hoboken designer Robert Jenny of RJD Design. “He designed and built the staircase and the gas fireplace,” Scott says. “He floated the fireplace off the wall between the living room and dining room, so that you could enjoy it from either room.”
There’s a skylight above the staircase, which provides natural light and a “brick wall” behind it, which is really made of tile. “It’s beautiful,” Scott says.
Hoboken has turned out to be just the right spot for a young, busy couple, starting a family. “We love the restaurants,” Scott says. “There are a lot of great places to eat, and we like being near the city because of all the commuting options—PATH, buses, ferries. That came in handy during Hurricane Sandy.”
With a one-year-old and two working parents, daycare is important. “There are lots of daycare options,” Scott says. I take her to daycare, and my wife picks her up. That makes it easy.”