I have never been to Massachusetts. I was supposed to go several times during college since lots of people would take the weekend for Head of the Charles, but things always kept me behind. It's one of the nine US State that I've never visited. I have also lived in six states and while Texas is my current state, New Jersey is what I consider to be home. The state is often heavily maligned, but it's got a bunch of things and interesting tidbits that make me grateful to call it home.
1. Football - NJ is the birthplace of college football, as well as the football tailgate. NJ is also the 4th smallest state in terms of square mileage (only CT, DE and RI are smaller), but it's home to two NFL teams. Sure, they put NY in front of their names, but the Giants and Jets have their home field in New Jersey. I used to think it was hysterical when they put a painted graphic of NJ at the 50 yard line. In any event, if you like football...say a little thanks to the Garden State (as well as Rutgers and Princeton for getting it all together).
2. In another nod to things truly in NJ that are claimed as NY...the Statue of Liberty as well as Ellis Island. If you've never been or want to go again, try visiting from the NJ side. You'll be noticeably closer to the statue and Ellis Island...which can make for better pics from land, there's more to the park on the NJ side, and it's a shorter boat ride. It's also a great spot for pics of lower Manhattan. I put the map in just because it's kind of interesting to see these things clearly on the NJ side of the harbor.
3. Diners - While we can't take credit for their origins (that honor goes to Rhode Island), NJ is the diner capital of the world. If you've never been, most NJ diners aren't like your average road stop food spot. They usually have large menus with amazing meal options as well as some regional favorites...I'm lookin' at you, Disco Fries!!! I can't begin to describe how much I miss having a true NJ diner around. It's been decades and I still miss them.
Honorable mentions...
The produce- Most people think of NJ as what you see when you fly into the NYC metro area, but there really is a bunch of farmland and I have yet to find a part of the country that grows tomatoes that rival NJs. NJ's white sweet corn is also pretty amazing.
The history- I hate saying this because every state has its own great history and the northeast and mid-Atlantic are full of them, but I always feel like most American kids wind up learning about America's origins, regardless of where they grow up in the US and it's pretty darn cool living in a state that features in some of those history lesson. My little home town even has a number of historic structures. It made for phenomenal field trips as a kid.
The celebs- While famous people come from all over, kind of like LA, the closer you grow up to an entertainment hub the more you're going to find locals making it big just because it's more convenient/less risky to try and make it happen. And it always felt like somebody always had ties to someone famous of NJ roots. It always makes for really interesting discussions. It's just this odd little bit of state pride you often find with people from NJ.
Proximity to NYC, Philly, and even DC - As much as we love our home state, we're grateful for the metro areas near us that help provide world class entertainment, sports, museums, events, etc. It still amazes me that DC was a regular spot for travel, but Boston...which was only about 30-40 minutes farther, was never on the table. I guess DC being the nation's capital made it a better option.
Down the Shore- (This term is strictly reserved for going to the NJ beaches, boardwalks, and surrounding areas. Everywhere else it is the beach or I just say a name...like Galveston) For starters, the NJ beaches are nicer than anything I have near me along the Gulf Coast of Texas. In fact, I like it better than a lot of the Gulf Coast. I also miss being able to just walk or run on the boardwalks and not having to pay admission like you do here and other places that just have amusement piers. As much as I dislike going to the beach, it's much more tolerable if there's good sand. The areas we frequented in NJ had good sand.
Good Saturday Morning!
