EDGE LOFTS
Bruce Goodrich really took a chance on Hoboken—launching a new business and finding a new home within the last couple of years. And he has no regrets. Two years ago, he and his brother launched RushCycling, an indoor cycling and spin studio across from the Pilsener Haus and Biergarten.
And last July he moved from Rockville Center, N.Y., to Edge Lofts.
One of the things Goodrich likes about the building is its LEED Platinum Certification. “I’m passionate about the green part,” he says. “The showers and toilets and sinks are set up environmentally, so I don’t waste water. It’s a unique living environment.”
Goodrich was looking for something completely different from the 100-year-old, Tudor-style house he had been living in. “It was a lovely home and great to raise a family in,” he says, “but I wanted something bright, airy, and modern, and I get all that here.”
He lives on the top floor of the sixth-floor, luxury-rental building, which houses 35 residences. The two-bedroom unit is 1,100 square feet with 10-foot ceilings. “There are floor-to-ceiling windows in two of the rooms,” he says. “It’s the corner unit, so there is no one above me or near me.”
The building’s amenities and services include a virtual doorman system, landscaped common terrace, and residents’ lounge with Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV, kitchenette and wet bar, and kids’ play area.
He didn’t bring any furniture from the old house. “It’s modern and sparse,” he says. “Everything is brand new. My brother did the decorating for me. When I turned the key, it was all set to go.”
Goodrich says he is still finding his way in his new town. “I go out to eat, but I don’t go to clubs and bars,” he says. “I go to Anthony David’s, Bin 14, and Johnny Pepperoni.”
And he’s loving the transition from the burbs to the city. “This is the first time I’ve lived in a city environment, where I can walk everywhere and go down to the waterfront and look at Manhattan in lovely weather,” he says, “and you have access to the city within minutes.”
As a relative newcomer, he still thinks of Hoboken as a “hidden gem.” He says, “From a Long Island perspective, nobody understands what Hoboken is or represents. I look at Hoboken as a Jersey extension of one of the boroughs.”
SATORI LOFTS
This is the second time we’ve chatted with a Carlos from Brazil who has found a home away from home in Hoboken. The first was the film director Carlos Saldanha, a Rio native. And now Carlos Cesta and his wife Adriana have made their way from São Paulo to a loft space on Madison.
They’d been renting at the Shipyard but wanted to buy. Enter their real estate agent, Coldwell Banker’s Jill Biggs. “She’s honest, on point, and knows her clients,” Carlos says. “She said she didn’t want to waste our time with a ton of places we hated, so she narrowed it down to five or six. This was the last one.”
What were they looking for?
Adriana, who has a background in architecture, says, “New construction, something with a modern design—high ceilings and open spaces.”
She says, “If the finishings are not up to par or the material is cheap, I will catch it right away. One look and I can tell if it’s comfortable and worth the money.” They gave up the great waterfront views at the Shipyard, but their new condo on the third floor of Sapori Lofts seemed to have everything else. “It was very light and comfortable,” Adriana says. “It had a calmness about it.”
The unit has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Adriana was pleased that the new kitchen appliances were Bosch, and the bathroom fixtures were Kohler.
“It had a loft look with 11-foot ceilings and bamboo floors,” she says.
The décor is contemporary. “We combined very modern furnishings with hints of the city we grew up in—São Paulo,” Adriana says.
Carlos and Adriana had lived in Tribeca before coming to Hoboken. Carlos says he likes the city feel of Hoboken but he can still have a car, which is necessary because he commutes to Basking Ridge. Adriana commutes by bus to Port Authority.
Hoboken is a great compromise,” Carlos says. “Young couples like us go out to dinner, take long walks. It’s almost Manhattan but it’s quiet, and you don’t feel the stress of the city.”
Some of their favorite spots include Fig Tree, Bin 14, City Bistro, Elysian Café, and La Isla.
“It’s interesting to see old and new clashing together,” Carlos says. Both Adriana and Carlos have Italian roots. Adriana’s mother, who speaks Italian, felt very comfortable in Hoboken. They love the town’s Italian social clubs and festivals.
“We’re happy here,” Carlos says.