How We Live | Journal Squared

On Top of the World

The highlife at Journal Squared

By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky

The penthouse apartment at Journal Squared is impeccably decorated. Every corner of the space is perfectly curated with pieces like a jet-black bust and framed living moss. Yet all the art is upstaged by the view. The place has floor-to-ceiling windows in every room. “The sunsets are phenomenal,” says Hector Matos, who lives there with his wife Yineidy Matos and their dog Olivia. Soon, they will welcome another member to the family. “Olivia is going to have a sister,” Yineidy says. The second bedroom is being made into a nursery. “There’s still a lot to do in here, but we’re getting there,” Yineidy says. The couple found that they were expecting after they moved in to their new place. “That room was going to be Hector’s office,” Yineidy says. “He got kicked out. He never even got to move in.”

Hector says, “I’ve taken many losses for lesser reasons so I was fine with this one.” One of the building’s many amenities is a coworking space, but Hector, an engineer at Cisco, hasn’t used it yet. “I haven’t had to because there’s more than enough space up here,” he says. The couple is enjoying some of the building’s other benefits. This includes a sky lounge with Manhattan views and a luxury gym with a rock-climbing wall. “There’s both a lap pool, that’s really useful for a workout, and the lounging pool,” Hector says. “We got some use of that this summer. We moved in at the beginning of July. We decided to do something for July 4th. We had a small get-together with friends. We thought we would have a great view of the fireworks.” “It didn’t work out,” Yineidy laughs. “Come to find out that fireworks only go up maybe 21 floors,” Hector says. Their apartment is more than 60 stories up. “Literally, we were just looking at tiny little explosions.” “We were looking down,” Yineidy says. The fireworks might have been a bust, but as the golden hour begins just before sunset the light show is incredible.

“You’ve got a view of New Jersey as far as the eye can see, and I like that we have some city views,” Hector says. “I’ve been a big fan of bridges for a very long time. We lived in Fort Lee before, and we lived by the George Washington. We had a good view of that. Here you see the Verrazano, the Statue of Liberty. You can also see the Atlantic Ocean which is pretty cool all the way from a landlocked part of Jersey City.” They also have a view of Newark Airport. “The planes look really close when they go by,” Hector says. “But luckily, we don’t hear them,” Yineidy says. The kitchen has a beautiful marble tile backsplash and stainlesssteel appliances. “I used to be the one in the kitchen, but now that I’m pregnant he took over,” Yineidy says. “I would say from here to here is my specialty,” Hector says, indicating the espresso machine and the fully stocked bar. All the things that Yineidy can’t have. “And I can’t eat sushi at Monroe’s either,” she says. Yineidy is partner and general manager at Monroe’s Cocktail Bar & Restaurant and Sinatra Room in Hoboken, which are known for great sushi and cocktails. She loves the 10-minute commute to work. It’s simple to get into the city too. “You can go from the building right to the PATH,” Yineidy says. “From here, it’s so easy.” The natural light shifts from golden orange to dusky blue after the sun goes down. The world below twinkles with streetlights, headlights, and lights from windows in other buildings. They love penthouse life. “This is what we like,” Yineidy says Before living here the highest floor they lived on was the 25th. “We went all the way to the top with this one.”—JCM

Hector, Yineidy and Olivia (dog)