New Jersey is the Garden State, but for us it was sick bay since we passed around a flu bug pretty much the whole week we were in Jersey. Because of this, we didn’t see Snooki or any of the Jersey Shore – either the cast or the beach. Fortunately, we were staying in a hotel with a kitchen so we could heat up plenty of chicken noodle soup to aid our recovery.
Here are some highlights from what little we saw of New Jersey:
Most Authentic Meal: Pizza. We’ve been down this NY style pizza road before, but I’m just not a fan of it. You’re probably wondering why on earth we ordered it yet again. To be honest, we just didn’t realize we’d be getting NY style pizza in New Jersey. I mean, it seems as if NY and NJ are always ferociously arguing they're two distinctively different states, so shouldn’t they have two distinctively different pizzas???
Maybe it’s because I grew up in Illinois that I don’t like NY style pizza. Now that would be a great research study! I should get a government grant to study if the style of pizza you like depends upon which part of the country you grew up in...it sure sounds like something the government usually funds with taxpayer money, doesn’t it?
New Foods: A cupcake shot. It's simply a "shot" of frosting - no cake at all…mmmh, the best part!
Biggest Surprise: There’s more to Washington crossing the Delaware than the pretty painting we all know. We went to Washington Crossing State Park where we closed down the Visitor’s Center talking to the knowledgeable and friendly state park employee. The museum itself was lame, but the movie “Ten Critical Days” and the enthusiasm of the historian made up for the lackluster museum. We learned so much about Washington and his men crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776. For instance, I didn’t realize this was a turning point in the war since both the British and the colonists thought we had lost the war prior to this skirmish. We also learned how brave Washington was riding between the British line and ours and how God’s hand was evident in our victory of the war with the weather playing a factor as usual in the Revolutionary War.
Biggest Disappointment: The event that Donate Life NJ set up fell through. We appreciate that they tried to set something up though.
Biggest Twinge of Homesickness: It wasn’t bad being sick in a Staybridge Suites, especially with our free upgrade to a two bedroom suite. Having 2 bedrooms, 3 TV’s, a living room, and a kitchen made being sick easier to swallow than all being cooped up in one hotel room; however, there’s just something to curling up on your own couch with a comfy blanket and your favorite mug full of hot tea that helps the healing process.
Worst Drive: Every drive in New Jersey! Can I just tell you that the roads in New Jersey are crazy? Apparently in NJ, they have never heard of the Cloverleaf design because you exit and do all sorts of swirly gigs before you get where you’re going - that is IF you can figure out where you’re going. We almost ended up in NY! Interstate 95 splits into two, but both roads retain the exact same name. How on earth do you know which one you want?
In addition to the highway madness, the roads are just as insane. They have businesses up and down the sides of course, but you can’t cross the center line. Now we’ve experienced this before where you advance to the next stoplight and do a U-Turn; however, the NJ roads didn't have stoplights. The only way to get over to the other side of the road is to go up to the next "exit" and come back going the other way. This caused us grief several times.
New Jersey is known for its diners. In fact, it's credited with the birthplace of the diner restaurant, so of course we wanted to try one. In fact, we saw a great looking diner we wanted to try - on the other side of the road. No problem because we thought we'd figured out these NJ roads: we'd just take the next exit to go back to it, but the next exit wasn't for 30 minutes! Another night of chicken noodle soup... Driving in NJ is exactly the opposite of Utah, which according to USA Today is one of the least stressful states.
Best Drive: The ferry ride to Delaware where I didn’t have to drive on those crazy New Jersey roads! The ferry was very nice, clean, relaxing, and just the right amount of time: not too long that you were bored stiff or too short that you didn’t even get out of the car. I recommend it for your next trip from NJ to DE.
Funniest Memory: Mike and I hadn’t seen an “adult” movie (by adult I mean PG-13 without the kids) since before the trip started nearly 6 months prior; however with our own bedroom at the hotel, we rented Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. Even though in some parts the language was raunchy, we were laughing more than we’ve laughed in a long time…I wonder if it was really that hilarious, or if we were just starved for a funny, date movie.
Best Memory: Mike and the kids taking care of me when I was sick. One night at the Staybridge’s complimentary weekday dinner, they served me everything I needed and more. I mentioned that hot tea sounded really good on my sore throat. Since there wasn't any sitting out near the coffee, Levi took it upon himself to ask the hostess for some. That was so sweet! Sometimes it takes being sick to realize how truly blessed you are.
Worst Memory: As we, one by one, slowly passed around the sickness, I realized how little of NJ we were going to see.
Worst Closure: Nothing at the time, but it’s a shame that Pine Creek Mini Golf Course closed permanently at the end of the 2010 season. The owners retired. It was the longest mini golf course we’ve experienced, not the number of holes but rather the distance between each hole. All 28 acres of the grounds were beautifully landscaped.
My NJ Hike: Grounds for Sculpture. I chose this for my hiking place partially because it wasn’t very strenuous, which is just what the doctor ordered for all of us recovering from our illness, and partially because it seemed appropriate for the Garden State. Grounds for Sculpture is basically a large park with sculptures all over, some tucked in hidden areas like the bamboo and others displayed prominently in the grass.
It was fun to walk around and discover the art. My favorite artwork were the sculptures of people, as you can see from the pictures. The abstract works are the ones that befuddle me, and the naked women “art” is just awkward and inappropriate with kids. I’m still not really sure how we get away with calling it “art” and putting it in public places, but I’ll get off my soapbox. We had a pleasant afternoon getting out and walking around Grounds for Sculpture on a beautiful, sunny day.
What We Did Miss: Eating at a diner, the whole Jersey shore, Battleship New Jersey, Princeton University, and others recommended to us.
In Summary: New Jersey, we followed in your footsteps keeping with a small budget in your state. I wish I could say it was in Governor Christie’s honor, but it was really because we were too sick to get out much in New Jersey. Hopefully someday we can return to see the Jersey shore.
-The Mom
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