In case you didn’t know, this week is “Be Nice to New Jersey Week.” New Jersey takes a lot of crap from other states. We’ve been called the “armpit of America,” people say our state stinks – literally – and people tend to make fun of our accent by completely over-exaggerating it (we don’t and would never say “New JOISEY”). In honor of this week, when you’re forced to be nice to my home state, I thought I’d share 10 Things I ? About New Jersey.
1. If you live in Central Jersey, on any given day you can hop a train and visit NYC or take a drive down the shore to work on your tan lines! Atlantic City is only a few hours away if you want to enjoy…well, what’s left of the casinos!
2. Pork roll. It’s considered a New Jersey delicacy. I don’t ever want to know what’s truly in it, but it sure does taste good on a bagel! When a craving hits for it, it’s readily available at every single deli, grocery store and 24 hour diner around!
3. Our musical talent includes Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Everyone loves Sinatra and Whitney, but you’re either Team Bon Jovi or Team Springsteen. I’m Team Bon Jovi all the way!
4. Speaking of Bon Jovi, if you’re from New Jersey, it seems that everyone you know has at least one great Bon Jovi story. My dad used to bowl with Richie Sambora’s dad when I was little. Since I was a major Bon Jovi fan, my dad would bring home some pretty cool Bon Jovi loot for me from Mr. Sambora!
5. Our very own Hammonton, New Jersey is considered “The Blueberry Capital of the World.” We’ve even taken the long drive down there to pick up blueberry bushes from one of their many farms. You might consider NJ busy, crowded and stinky, but going to a town like Hammonton makes you realize that the “garden” in the Garden State still very much exists! Plus, you’ll never get a better tomato than the ones we grow!
6. We don’t pump our own gas. If they ever do change the law that we have to start pumping our own gas, I’ll be screwed. It’s a nice little luxury to have someone else do it for you!
7. If you like to shop, we have plenty of shopping malls for you to visit. Where I live, there are two less than 20 minutes away. When I lived at home, I was less than 10 minutes away from the closest mall. The best thing about our malls is that NJ doesn’t charge sales tax on clothing!
8. New York might have a bunch of notable sports teams, but we have the New Jersey Devils. They’re our very own Stanley Cup Champions and the only sports team I follow!
9. Speaking of Jersey devils, we have some of the coolest urban legends and spooky stories around. Don’t believe me, check out Weird NJ! If you’re wondering, I’ve been to a few spots when I used to be much braver!
10. People who say that there’s nothing to do in this state haven’t discovered its hidden treasures. I’ve mentioned the shore, but we also have some beautiful state parks, as well as hiking trails. There are places to canoe and horseback ride or you can spend a day at Great Adventure and ride roller coasters until your stomach can’t possibly take it anymore! There’s a little bit of everything for everyone here.
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