N is for New Jersey.

I still consider myself a native New Yorker, but living in New Jersey for the past 26 odd years has given me an appreciation for the Garden State.


Like many, I had the preconception that New Jersey was simply a mass of highways that linked New York with points south. I have come to learn that most of the state, however, does not look or smell like exit 13 on the NJ Turnpike. Though the mountains are more like hills, New Jersey offers wonderful beaches, fertile farm lands, and the wonderful, swampy Pine Lands.




When you are in New Jersey, you are never far from a mall, pizza parlor, or 24-hour diner. You can get subs in the north, hoagies in the south, and (relatively) cheap gas everywhere - which you do not have to pump yourself. Our politicians are no more corrupt than those in other states, they are just more open about it.




You can root for the Phillies and the Eagles, or the Mets and Giants, but not all four. I think all the Jets fans live in New York. And the best way to find out where in the state someone lives, really is to ask "what exit", just be sure to specify turnpike or parkway.


More about New Jersey in the future.