On principle alone, let me say that I have never watched (nor will I ever watch) "Jersey Shore" or "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, but when it comes to New Jersey, I just can't join the pile-up. Even before Joe Piscopo made it a running joke years ago on SNL, New Jersey has been the punchline of countless jokes, and at the risk of sounding overly defensive, I'm here to tell you that after living here for nearly seven years, New Jersey's bad rap is largely undeserved.
I've spent more years of my life in Connecticut, New York (the long-time "enemy" of New Jersey), and Pennsylvania (like any other state, they all have their good and bad points), but as it looks like I'm here to stay, I'm going to defend my adopted home state. Every state has its negative stereotype, and yes, there may be slivers of truth in them. However, here are 10 things about New Jersey to celebrate:
1. Farms like Sun High Orchards. We live within 15 minutes of (at least) five really wonderful farms that spare us the generic blandness of supermarkets.
2. Lush parks and woodlands like Hacklebarney State Park.
3. We get all four seasons distinctly, in pretty equal measure. Not too hot in spring, not too cold in fall, and the quiet beauty of snow when it's supposed to snow (for the most part).
4. Apple-picking season. And home-made apple pie!
5. The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. A very cool place on a very hot day.
6. Meryl Streep (Summit and Bernardsville), Anne Hathaway (Millburn), and Jack Nicholson (Neptune City and Spring Lake) all grew up here. Snooki did not.
7. Quaint towns with smart, un-Snooki-ish people, like Princeton, Mendham, and Chester.
8. Summertime means the very fattest blueberries, juiciest peaches, and super-sweet corn, grown at the local farms I mentioned in point #1.
9. Coming across deer, sheep, horses, goats, wild turkeys, pheasants, cows, llamas, and more wildlife than you can shake a stick at is a routine occurrence--as is going to a bustling town like Montclair or Morristown.
10. That's my back yard in the opening shot. Although I loved many things about my eleven years in New York City, having no yard and waking up to barred gates on my windows weren't two of them. So yes, I'm very grateful to have a beautiful, spacious yard with this view.
New Jersey pleasantly surprises me almost every day with its grace and beauty, and on that note, I just joined Pinterest last night, so I can continue to share images of "The Real New Jersey." To join me on Pinterest, click here. If the link doesn't work for you, you can search Pinterest for "JoyfullyGreener." (Joyfully Green was already taken...grrrr...) As a Pinterest newbie, I'm on a steep learning curve, but I hope to add my very favorite nature images there and I hope you'll join me.
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© 2013 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Photos and text digitally fingerprinted and protected by MyFreeCopyright.com. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
State stereotypes - love this conversation! My sister lives in Georgia & we live in Oregon, so it comes up a lot :)
My favorite thing about Oregon - all the trees, mountains, lakes, farmland, ocean, rivers, waterfalls and high desert. I think it's the absolute most gorgeous place ever. If you like doing anything outdoors, Oregon is paradise!
As far as stereotypes - When I went to work in Albany, NY for a summer, whenever anyone heard I was from Oregon, they always brought up one of two things - Oh, you're a hippy/pothead or Oh, you're a farmer. No, I'm not, but actually, yes, there are a lot of hippies/pot smokers and a lot of farmers here. In fact, most of the my closest friends and family fall into one of those categories, so it's definitely a stereotype for a reason.
This is a lovely tribute to New Jersey. I have never been there and actually know nothing about the state, except for the most important thing ever - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN!!!!!!!!!!! How could you not include that? I'm going to go listen to Thunder Road and give you time to update your post...
Posted by: Janna | 05/10/2013 at 12:19 PM
Although I make my home in Pennsylvania now, I am originally from Westfield, NJ. I love Princeton and Spring Lake. The only thing I don't like about NJ is the property taxes!!
Kate
Posted by: Kate | 05/10/2013 at 02:13 PM
LOL, Janna, I thought of Bruce, but to tell you the truth, my hubby is the Springsteen fan in this house! I'm more of an alternative music girl. Very funny about Portland stereotypes--I didn't know about the hippies/pot smokers, but I do know it is absolutely gorgeous (even though I've never been there). If you don't already know about it, there is a lovely Portland blog called Posie Gets Cozy (not just about Portland, but she often features outdoor photos of Portland and vicinity). It's one of my faves!
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/10/2013 at 07:25 PM
I'm with you, Kate. They are STEEP!
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/10/2013 at 07:26 PM
I love the south Jersey shore towns;however,the drivers are much more anxious to mow down pedestrians there than anywhere else I've been, with the exception of Boston.
Posted by: Donna | 05/11/2013 at 11:55 AM
They must be the people driving down from New York, right, Donna? ;)
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/11/2013 at 07:49 PM