New Jersey

NEW JERSEY

The Garden State

I grew up in Philly so I went to NJ regular, whether it was on my way to NYC or the beach or to see family and friends.  There are some spots that speak to me more than others:

• Long Beach Island- my home away from home. My family had a home on this island for 30 years.
• French Fried Lobster at Howard's Restaurant on Long Beach Blvd, where I worked during the summer of 1974.
• The Discount Liquor Store on Route 70 near Cherry Hill has a huge selection of beers.
• The Camden Waterfront is a great place to watch a concert.  I saw Joni Mitchell there.
• I drive to the Hampton Train Station and leave my car there and he'd in to Manhattan.  It is such an easy way to travel.
• The Ben Franklin Bridge when I head south, I am headed to Long Beach Island and so damn happy.  When I am head north, I am heading home and finished with the bulk of the difficulty traffic.
• Kayaking on the Delaware River.
• Horseshoe crabs and monarch butterflies would migrate through our yard on the  bay each year.  the craps showed up on Memorial Day and the butterflies showed up on Labor Day.
• Cape May is always a great place to visit.
• The egrets, herons and gulls capture my attention. I love their sounds.
• My parents meet in West Creek.
• The Mayo Halfway House was a bar where my grandfather stopped on his journey from Philadelphia to West Creek.  The trip made his thirsty.
• I worked at the Crust and Crumb in Bay Village. We sold thousands of Elephant ear, a flaky friend pastry with brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Campmor camping store is in Paramus and I always stop there on my way through there. They have great buys.
• White Castle has limited itself to the North Jersey area.  What a shame.  There is nothing like those greedy little hamburger sliders. And the onion rings were equally delicious.
• I love driving through the Pine Barrens.
• Cape May Brewery has a few great beers.
• The Sculpture Garden is a pleasant way to spend the day.
• The Statute of Liberty- I love to see her in the distance.  It gives me chills.
• Padre Pio Sanctuary- if you need a miracle, this seems to be the place.