New Jersey

The first clue you’re in the right place might be a porch light, a hand-painted sign, a line…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

Just before you officially roll into Ocean City, somewhere between the bridge traffic, the salt air, and the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

A knight gallops past your dinner table in Lyndhurst, a toy train car becomes a dining room in…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

The first thing you notice at Hiram’s Roadstand is not the hot dog. It is the building, sitting…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

A July sky over New Jersey can hold a lot at once: fireworks above the bay, World Cup…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

The first thing that gets you at Williamstown Farmers Market is not the produce. It is the smell.…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

There is a version of New Jersey that has nothing to do with Turnpike exits, shore traffic, or…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

The strange thing about New Jersey is how quickly it can change on you. One minute you’re wedged…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

A tray lands on the table at Piston Diner with three little bowls instead of one big one,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

The thing about New Jersey tourist traps is that they rarely arrive quietly. They come with neon signs,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

A vintage Mobil sign still sits outside 27 Kings Road in Madison, which is funny because the building…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

A gorilla can interrupt your lunch in Atlantic City, a knight can charge past your chicken in Lyndhurst,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

The first thing you notice is the sign. Big yellow letters. Big red background. Big bargain energy before…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

A great New Jersey meal does not always announce itself with valet parking, neon signs, or a hostess…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 29

At 323 Broad Street in Carlstadt, the sandwich that gets people talking does not arrive with tweezed herbs…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

Forty dollars can disappear fast in New Jersey. One coffee run, one sad takeout bag, one impulse stop…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

Somewhere on South Van Brunt Street in Englewood, a kid can go from bouncing on trampolines to scaling…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

A waterfall crashes down a mossy cliff in Sussex County, a lighthouse watches monarchs drift over Cape May,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

The first clue that Jersey Spirits Distilling Co. is not your usual night-out spot is the address. You…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

There’s a moment at the top of New Jersey when the state stops feeling small. The roads curl…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

A life-size gorilla is not the kind of audience most golfers expect, but at MiniGolf Safari in West…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

Some New Jersey days start with sand between your toes and end with trail dust on your sneakers.…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 28

A funny thing happens in New Jersey when serious money wants peace and quiet: it does not always…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

A bowl lands on the table at Caldwell Diner, and for a second, it does not look like…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

The coffee arrives before you’ve fully taken off your coat, the toast is already buttered to the edges,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

The building still looks like it has stories stuck in the beams. At Lafayette Mill Antiques Center, the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

Somewhere in New Jersey right now, there is a dusty box under a folding table holding the exact…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

The boats are the giveaway. Before the lobster rolls, before the clams, before anyone says, “Let’s sit outside,”…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27

The first clue is usually the ice. Not the sign outside, not the parking lot, not even the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 27