"Living in Montclair" Montclair by restaurantlover

Montclair is a medium-sized town in Essex county, New Jersey, about 40 minutes from Manhattan by car or direct train service on New Jersey Transit. We moved here in the summer of 2004 and love the location. The town has the urban appeal of a much larger city with active nightlife, a renowned arts scene, excellent shopping, and more restaurants per capita than anyone would expect. Many young professional couples like ourselves move here from New York or other large cities to enjoy a smaller-town atmosphere with many perqs of a large city.

The popularity of the city is, however, reflected in steep housing (and other) prices, especially in the ritzy estate section of town; bargains are difficult to come by. Parking is also a drawback, although two new parking decks to be completed in or before 2006 should help out.

Definitely eat at Leone's restaurant on Park Street at Bloomfield Avenue - excellent traditional Italian - then take a walk around Chruch Street. We also remmend Cafe Ecclectic on Bloomfield Ave for coffee, music, and a big artsy crowd almost every night, especially in the summer. Egan & Sons on Walnut Street is a big new Irish bar & restaurant - beautifully designed and decorated; menu is limited but worth a try or two. There are too many other good restaurants to cover - visit and try for yourself!

• Pros:Tons of great restaurants, cool music scene.
• Cons:High prices, low parking.
• In a nutshell:You could easily decide to move here.