New Jersey's Bad Rap: Pass It On
Sure as the sun rising, whenever I'm asked where I live and I respond "New Jersey," the next question is usually "Really? How often do you get into the city?" or some wisecrack about New Jersey. I'm not really sure why Jersey has such a bad rap. From Conan's mock feud with Newark's mayor, Cory Booker, to SNL's chronic obsession with belittling the state, it's ubiquitous. I laugh along, as I'm sure millions of others do as well. Even my four-year-old is in on the joke as he adapts the line "You're on the JERSEY side of this cesspool" from the movie Madagascar everytime we cross the tunnel or bridge to NYC and back. (Though he says "sesame" instead of "cess," and I'm not about to correct him.)
When we moved to the NYC area from across the country, I didn't initially consider NJ as a place to make our next home. I looked around Manhattan, Westchester and CT, but knew next to nothing about New Jersey - and what I did "know" came from TV, movies, and my brief experience arriving or departing from EWR. So, my long-distance impression was that it wouldn't be a place I'd like to raise my son. With that said, when my hubby forwarded me an email from a friend of a friend claiming that his town in New Jersey may have what we're looking for, I agreed to add a day in NJ to our house-hunting trip. "Uhm . . . okaaay . .sure!" Why not? With all of the business and industry headquartered in NJ, I had to imagine that the majority of employees lived near their work, so there had to be job opportunities for me and communities I'd like - right?
What I discovered was that the stereotypical "Joisey" I had previously "known" wasn't the Jersey I experienced once I was beyond the airport and GW bridge in Northern New Jersey. I saw lots of mature trees, lush yards, grand rolling hills, and charming downtowns with independent shops and restaurants (I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the malls). Being near public transportation was important to us, as was having a yard and storage space - check. Check. Check. In fact, maybe you've heard how some real estate agents recommend the scent of vanilla or cookies baking to give any prospective buyers an attractive, comfortable sense when viewing your home? Well in our case, the town rolled out the cookie mat for us! There's literally a Kraft Foods/Nabisco factory on the edge of town that still makes Oreos, animal crackers and Ritz crackers, and on certain days when the weather and wind are just right, you can smell the vanilla-y scent wafting throughout town. How's that for a cozy community?
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