I have lived in all three (and different parts of NYC)…

You do not want to live in Weehawken without a car. Or probably at all. It’s very residential. There is no real downtown (there is a section that is called “downtown” but it is not “A Downtown”). You could walk to Bergenline Ave in Union City for shops/restaurants but depends on where you are in Weehawken. You’d probably Uber to Hoboken and Jersey City. I

From Weehawken into NYC, you’ll take a ferry (and you’ll have to walk/uber to it) or more likely, a bus/jitney. On the NYC side, bus drops you at the Port Authority. Which I think might literally be hell on earth. And definitely not somewhere you want to commute through at 1am. (Again, talking from experience.)

From the Port Authority, you’re reasonable walking distance of restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen or Theatre District. That’s about it though. You’re not going to be hanging out in Times Sq or Garment District. So now you’ll have to take subway/cab to the parts of the city you actually want to hang out in. It’s a schlep.

Re: Hoboken. Like others have said, it skews young (post college), and finance bro. Though it has some redeemable qualities. Very walkable. Can easily live without a car; more easily than WITH a car. You can take PATH train to downtown JC or, when you take it to NYC, the stops are much more likely to be in neighborhoods you actually want to hang out in. Also path > subway is faster to Brooklyn than getting there from Weehawken.

Downtown JC is more diverse than Hoboken (but not as diverse as it used to be) and more the vibe you described. Same story with taking the PATH train directly to where you’re most likely hanging out.

Taking the PATH home on weekends and nights suuuucks. But Port Authority is way worse!

None will be a “true NYC experience” bc they are not NYC! They’re their own thing, just different. But they’re closer to NYC experiences than Florida. You should do it!