My go-to route was always Columbus to the waterfront and weasel my way back up Grand and into the park. Out to the 911 memorial and back is 5miles.

If the dogs need a lot of space, look at communipaw and light rail into downtown JC (assuming that’s where the office is). Liberty state park is a true gem (and under utilized)! Get a car.

Other than that, I’ve moved cross country three times (I know that that’s different than abroad), but corporate owned apartment buildings were a godsend because 1) you can rent sight unseen and 2) they have dedicated staff to deal with the admin details. There are plenty of new buildings in downtown to choose from. Many parks to walk to although I have never seen so many lawless pet owners that don’t pick up after their dog. It’s so out of hand. Good luck!

Downtown JC hands down. I’m an early 40s very boring gay, too. I have lived downtown since 2016. My boyfriend and I love the quietness. I commute to manhattan seven days a week, and it’s no issue whatsoever. I often take the ferry. You can get a 1bd for 3.5k and have enough to save and vacation on your double salary. A 2bd for working from home will obviously cost more, but shop around. Maybe a building with work space would suffice.

Hoboken is a bit of a post-college-frat type of vibe in my opinion.

Or the one that proposed a cargo ferry for vehicles as if that would be time efficient… 🤔

Like the saying goes:

It’s easier to don a slipper than it is to carpet the world.

Everyone has irks. My irks are quite preposterous when I get down and think about them. Even that irks me. I hate when others are listening to their devices without headphones, but the only time I’ve said something is when I have no choice to move (e.g. a plane). I try to always remember that if everyone in the world did everything exactly like me, we’d probably all kill each other. We need more balance than we think.

It’s that time of the year. They’re scavengers. Treat them like any other deranged person you’d meet on the street in Manhattan:

-don’t make eye contact.

-stay off your phone.

-go to the other side of the street.

-and if that doesn’t work give them the ol’, “Not interested,” and walk with some urgency. Don’t look back.

If you go to Shoprite during the week before 9AM it’s actually a pretty normal grocery store.