Hailed by the New York Times as a Norman Rockwellesque town, Maplewood is a cosmopolitan community with an artistic sensibility and historic architecture. Chosen by New York Magazine (2002) as one of the top 10 affordable suburbs in the New York Metro area, Money Magazine (2002) named Maplewood among the “Best Places to Live” in the United States. “A 30-minute train ride from midtown Manhattan, Maplewood, N.J. is a favorite compromise for city people who also want good public schools, affordable homes, and their own yards.” The housing stock in Maplewood varies from modest cottages to Center Hall and Side Hall Colonials and Tudors and the occasional Victorian, most built in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Prices range from the $200K’s to roughly $1.5M.  Maplewood also has a jitney service with jitney stops all around Maplewood that run in the morning and rush hour/early evening to/from the Maplewood Train Station.

Maplewood and South Orange are sister towns and share a school district. There are three libraries in the two towns – plus a borrowing agreement with universities and other libraries. Both towns have community pools, public and private tennis courts, basketball courts, and the Maplewood Country Club has a pool plus private golf course. In the summer, two Farmer’s Markets, one on Springfield Ave. in Maplewood, the other in the train station parking lot in South Orange, offer the best in NJ’s fresh produce and flowers.  Maplewood is also home to Maplewoodstock, a summer music festival, as well as a huge 4^th of July celebration complete with a big top circus and fireworks. Nearly 30 neighborhood associations preserve “over the back fence” neighborliness and community.

Some of my favorite restaurants in Maplewood are Verjus, fine French dining and reasonable prices, plus Jane makes you feel right at home. Dan at Arturos’s makes some fine brick oven pizza, and since his restaurant has been reviewed in the New York Times, it’s hard to get a table, but take out is always an excellent option. Sona, a fabulous Indian food restaurant, rivals some of the best places on East 6^th St. in NYC, and Mt. Fuji (formerly Samurai Sushi) serves the best sushi, you’ll often find me and my colleagues Ellen & PJ enjoying the lunch specials as low as $8.95, including soup & salad! St. James Gate serves great burgers and pub chips, Roman Gourmet, a family owned pizzeria is the best for slices; they make a mean pesto with fresh mozzarella thin crust. And I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out to Steve, owner and chef of the Maple Leaf Diner, who makes the best spanikopita. They also serve great breakfast specials for $2.75 on weekdays.

South Orange and Maplewood are sister towns and share a school district. The downtown train station has been transformed into a transit village, with many shops, restaurants, and the requisite Starbucks as well as a nice kosher bakery, Cait & Abbey’s. SOPAC, the South Orange Performing Arts Center is in full swing bringing in nationally acclaimed musical acts, plus there’s a nice new Clearview Cinema with five screens.  Garden of Eden Gourmet is the best grocery store in the area – great produce at competitive prices (sorry Whole Foods) and an impressive deli & cheese counter as well as the new home of Zayda’s kosher foods. In the summertime you can enjoy concerts at Floods Hill and in the wintertime it becomes one of the best hills to sled down.
South Orange is also home to Seton Hall University.

The housing stock in South Orange varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. From downtown condos to Tuxedo Park, to Historic Montrose, to Wyoming, upper Wyoming, and Newstead, South Orange offers homes in all price ranges, from Cottages to Colonials to modern Splits and Ranches to the grandest Tudors and Victorians. From $200K to roughly $2M, South Orange has something for everyone. South Orange has jitney service with jitney stops all around South Orange that run in the morning and rush hour/early evening to/from the South Orange Train Station.

South Orange (along with parts of Maplewood, Short Hills and West Orange) shares Essex County’s largest park, South Mountain Reservation, which is 2,110-acres of trails, ecology, and natural beauty. Numerous trails and overlooks offer inspiring scenery such as incredible views of New York City and a dramatic 25-foot waterfall at Hemlock Falls. The South Mountain Dog Park in Essex County South Mountain Reservation opened July 2006. The two-acre facility is divided into two sections – 1.3 acres for large dogs and 0.7 acres for small dogs. Both areas have a crushed stoned and compacted stone dust surface, dual drinking fountains, park benches, agility equipment for the dogs, a wash and spray area, “time out” areas for dogs, and DogiPot stations. The entrance to the Dog Park contains a memorial to honor emergency service dogs that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Millburn, which shares a school district with Short Hills, is perhaps best known for having the #1 rated school district in the state and featured yearly in NJ Monthly Magazine and Newsweek as well as having the Short Hills Mall. Millburn is comprised of the historic Wyoming district, and South Mountain and Millburn Center areas. Millburn Township is unique in that it offers upscale, high-end shopping along with quaint small town shopping of a traditional downtown along with a movie theatre. The Wyoming section of Millburn borders Maplewood and enjoys the use of the Maplewood jitney service that brings residents’ to/from the Maplewood train station. Taylor Park has a great playground, a duck pond, and huge park grounds great for picnics and Frisbee. Tinga Mexican Restaurant is a family favorite with $2 kids night on Mondays and Tuesdays and free balloon night on Wednesdays. Make sure to get on their email list for $5 off coupons. Trader Joes recently opened and Five Guys in the Millburn Plaza has excellent burgers and fries. Millburn is also home to one of the most critically acclaimed regional theaters, Paper Mill Playhouse, where I saw an excellent production of Hairspray!

Montclair is known for being a haven for artists and writers. From Montclair Center to Upper Montclair, Walnut St.,and Watchung Plaza, the housing stock varies from condos to traditional homes built in the 1920’s and 1930’s to impressive estates in Upper Montclair. Bloomfield Ave. in downtown Montclair is reminiscent of 7^th Ave. in Park Slope. Home to Montclair State University, Montclair is home to tons of trendy restaurants and shops, an art house film theatre, and the Montclair Art Museum. Raymond’s on Church St. has one of the best brunches around, definitely worth the wait. So many new restaurants have opened, make sure and check out montclaireats.com. Montclair has 3 public swimming pools, an indoor ice-skating rink, several parks and public tennis courts. The Montclair school system is unique in that it’s a “Magnet” school system consisting of seven elementary schools, three middle schools and one comprehensive high school.  The elementary and middle schools specialize in various disciplines such as Environmental Studies, Gifted & Talented, Visual & Performing Arts, Global Studies, Science and Technology, and Montessori. Regardless of where you live, you may apply to the school of your choice and as long as there is space, your child can attend any of the schools.