New Jersey

I've been thinking a little bit lately about how New Jersey gets such a bad rap. Everyone picks on Jersey. It's America's armpit. Stuck between Philly and New York, it has no identity. In fact, it gets the luxury of being suburbs for Philly and New York, you're either close to one of them. Jersey has the distinct luxury of hosting sports teams that refuse to bear it's name in the football Giants & Jets.

When people from Jersey talk to people who aren't from Jersey, they just say "I'm from Jersey" which always leads to "where in Jersey" and they say "north/central/south" or "Near NY/Princeton/Philly." That's about as specific as it gets, because Jersey is filled with bumblef*** towns that nobody has ever heard of unless you live there. So does every state, but because Jersey has a close connection to these two main cities, they get out more. Nobody knows anything about a state like Idaho, cause nobody from a state like Idaho makes it out alive.

Going to a private school in Philly, we had kids from Jersey, and we always used to make fun of them in the beginning. It was like a "ew you're from Jersey" thing. Really really mature. There were a lot of them however. And my best friend from high school ended up living in Cherry Hill, NJ. I remember the first time I drove over there. What a pain in the ass. Can't make a left turn anywhere. The circles. I never wanted to go back. It's still a pain, but I've managed it. Cherry Hill at least, isn't any different than my neck of the woods in Lower Merion, besides for the main roads. It's not like they're living like barbarians and I'm living the life of kings. It's all the same. Okay, maybe the Thrill doesn't have the same reputation as the Main Line, but still.

But it's interesting, because Jersey has developed it's own attitude that has captivated America. Sure you could talk about the Jersey Shore epidemic - which is still better than ever by the way - and has swept the country all over again. But there's so many shows that relate to Jersey, the Real Housewives crap and that Jerseylicious shows that I've never watched, and I'm sure there are other quality reality shows that really get a sense of the Jersey culture. Of course there's The Sopranos wrapped up in there too.

I don't think it's totally crazy, but it's just interesting. I'm spoiled on my Jersey opinions because I know some Jersey-ites and my religion is Bruce Springsteen, so I feel like I don't know it the way someone in New England may think of it, if they've never been. I know it's not as crazy as the idiots on the shore seem (who, aren't really from Jersey, but capture the attitude that MTV wants you to believe). The way I see it, there are two types of people, there's the type that wants to get the hell out of wherever they're from (born to run), and they is the type that will never move on. Jersey has that "get me the hell out of here" mentality, weather that's to NYC or to California or wherever, anywhere is better than here. Again though, you can cheat that, because you could be "in Philly" and be 10 minutes over the bridge in Cherry Thrill.

In this freezing cold winter, while I'm immensely enjoying the snow (I haven't had this much fun with the snow since I was 8, I think I'm regressing. Benjamin Button syndrome,) I long for for those summer days down in my Jersey Shore. Not Seaside, but a couple miles down in the Ocean City/Stone Harbor neck of the woods. I think part of it is that I could easily be a beach bum for the rest of my life if I could afford it. But specifically watching Jersey Shore and seeing the scenes of the boardwalk and the rides make me miss it so much. It's such a relaxing life, living in warm temperatures by a beach. With my current virtual job, I could feasibly live there. I have no idea what the future holds, but maybe later down in life. We'll see.

That long-about paragraph above is meant to reference how while we all pick on Jersey, yet when the summer comes, I can't wait to get down the shore and relax. We don't treat the shore like it's Jersey, we treat it like an extension of our (non Jersey) homes.

My point is, Jersey's gets a bad rap, but we're obsessed with it. It's not going anywhere. Embrace it. Love it. Go get your full service gas from it.