We weren’t supposed to be in New Jersey. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we were supposed to be en route to Florida to spend the holiday with Bill’s folks. As usual, things didn’t work out quite as we’d planned. Both kids were scheduled to be in school part of the week, but we figured they could skip classes for the sake of a crazy family adventure. We were wrong. The day before Thanksgiving our sophomore would be in school for three hours, and fifteen minutes of that time he would be delivering a presentation to the class. Hard to skip out on a class presentation. Of course, we had no basis for righteous indignation, since it is generally a good idea for kids to go to school. And besides, why would you want to spend the holidays with family? Especially when you could be exploring exotic New Jersey?
Poor New Jersey – always the bridesmaid, never the bride – just inches from Philadelphia, and just inches from New York City. But the place has its share of claims to fame. There’s Bruce Springsteen. And how about Jersey native Thomas Edison? His lab is open for tours and it is well worth a look. Yet another amazingly brilliant American. I love the fact that he worked in his lab up until the end – at age 84.
Quite the library
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We traveled along both the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. Towns are often referred to as “township” in New Jersey, abbreviated as Twp. The signs would direct us to this-or-that twp, which made me think they were calling the town’s residents a bunch of twerps.
We pulled off for some gas and encountered something neither Bill nor I have seen in 30 years – a full-service-only gas station. Bill hardly knew what to ask the attendant. Turns out self-service gas stations have been illegal in the entire state for the past 60 years! In 2006, the public soundly defeated an effort to open self-service stations. They seem to like the slower pace and interaction with a real person that takes place at a full-service station. Gas prices are fairly low in New Jersey, so most people prefer to rest comfortably in their car and chat with the attendant, who will gladly check under the hood while the tank is filling up. So much for modern technology. I’d fit right in here.
A few miles down the Parkway, the kids complained of a noise that Bill and I quickly dismissed. Until Bill had a hard time steering the car. Luckily, a maintenance area was just ahead, so we were able to pull safely off the road, jump out of the car, and discover:
The story gets even better when I tell you that, Friday night, just moments after we left home, the “low tire” light came on warning us that there could be trouble ahead. I wanted to ignore the light, as I often do since it goes on and off randomly, but Bill was worried about a flat. Now the thing is, we were in OUR OTHER CAR. So we unpacked everything from that car and loaded it into this car. The car with the low tire light was now sitting safely at home with four perfectly fine tires, and we were now sitting along the side of the highway in a much more reliable car that had a flat tire. Like I said, we were not supposed to be in New Jersey.
Oh well. Bill changed the tire while the rest of us giggled at the situation’s irony, which Bill did not especially appreciate. We found a helpful tire center down the road, and within an hour, we were on our way, heading for Atlantic City. If you should need new tires while visiting New Jersey, we recommend the friendly service at
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I’m sure Atlantic City has its charms, but we just couldn’t find them. Casinos and a tacky boardwalk just don’t do it for us. The Monopoly game was modeled after Atlantic City, and we had fun spotting some of the famous, mythical streets.
We learned that saltwater taffy was allegedly created in Atlantic City, when a large wave swamped the local candy shop. Of course we had to sample some. The James candy company has been in business since 1880, and it was full of deliciously dangerous treats.
I guess gambling can really wear oneself out, so for a nominal fee, these guys will push you from one casino to the next along the boardwalk.
I didn’t wear myself out, but I did win $6 in a slot machine! I’m the family’s big spender — Bill wouldn’t even go inside.
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Situated on the Southern tip of the infamous Jersey shore, Cape May has managed to escape the tackiness and general yuckiness of so many beach resorts. Filled with gorgeous Victorian mansions, it retains the charm of another era. It is arguably the most beautiful city in all of New Jersey, and perhaps the entire Eastern shore.
Here we are wandering the white sands, dipping our toes in the Atlantic.
And, look! Admire the delicate gingerbread-woodwork of the old Victorian homes:
Lest we forget the spectacular view of water and wildlife from atop the famous Cape May lighthouse:
Yep, arguably the most beautiful city in all of New Jersey, and thanks to our road adventure, we arrived after nightfall.
Well, at least we have one decent photo of Cape May. We were able to visit our neighbor Kari, and her daughter Karlyn, in their fantastic beach getaway. You know, we weren’t supposed to be in New Jersey….
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Travel Tip! If you hear a loud noise and are convinced a helicopter is about to land on the roof of your car, chances are you are wrong. Chances are you should have paid attention to that left rear tire.
17. New Jersey
A light bulb