New Jersey

A New Jersey lake day does not always announce itself with boardwalk fries and beach-tag drama. Sometimes it…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

A salted caramel latte lands on the counter with a whole macaron balanced on top, and that pretty…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

At 10 a.m., you can be sipping coffee beside a train station in Collingswood, stretching into chair yoga…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

Four rolled corn tortillas stuffed with lobster is already a pretty strong opening argument, but Oasis Mexican Grill…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

A giraffe chewing lazily in Cape May, a waterfall roaring through Paterson, a skyline glowing across the Hudson,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

A splatter of neon paint on a tree trunk, someone yelling “move left,” and the sudden realization that…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

The coffee comes fast, the plates come faster, and somewhere between the chrome trim and the clatter from…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 3

The mac and cheese dumplings arrive like a little dare: four hand-folded pockets stuffed not with pork or…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

A waterfall roars in the middle of Paterson. A fairy village waits in the woods of Millburn. A…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

A white missile points toward the sky near the edge of the Jersey Shore, and somehow that is…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

The best seafood meals in New Jersey don’t always come with ocean views, valet stands, or menus that…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

A granite door stands permanently ajar in a Camden cemetery, as if Walt Whitman left it that way…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

A funny thing happens in New Jersey: you can leave the house for “just a few hours” and…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

A burrito place that serves a drink called Pipe Cleaner is already asking you to pay closer attention.…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

Some of New Jersey’s best views do not announce themselves with much drama. One minute you are driving…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 2

The avocado toast lands looking like it knows it has a reputation to protect. Two sunny fried eggs…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

A hot New Jersey afternoon has a way of making even the shortest errand feel dramatic. The car…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

You can hear Route 73 humming nearby, and then, a few steps later, the marsh takes over. Reeds…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

The real danger of a good New Jersey thrift store is thinking you are “just running in.” Five…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

The first clue that Pleasant Valley Lavender has a sense of humor is not the sweeping purple field.…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

A red mill beside a waterfall. Gas lamps glowing outside Victorian porches. A college green where Revolutionary War…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

At the far southern end of Ocean City, the boardwalk noise seems to fall off a cliff. One…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

The trick is not finding the fanciest retirement town in New Jersey. It is finding the place where…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 1

The smell shows up before the sign really does. Step onto Easton Avenue in New Brunswick and, somewhere…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31

There is a moment in New Jersey, right after sunset, when familiar places start acting a little strange.…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31

A swan-shaped paddle boat drifts across Orange Reservoir while, just up the road, a train whistle cuts through…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31

A proper Jersey hoagie does not arrive politely. It lands on the counter wrapped tight in paper, a…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31

At 8 a.m. in Clifton, you can walk into Rutt’s Hut and order a deep-fried hot dog before…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31

The first giveaway is the color. Not the gray-green pond water you half-expect after a hot Jersey week,…

By Duncan Edwards · May 31