New Jersey

A shopping trip that begins with “I’m only looking” can unravel quickly at The Mills at Jersey Gardens.…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

There is a particular kind of New Jersey meal that announces itself before you even sit down. Maybe…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

The crab cakes at Freda’s Cafe do not need much help, but the mango sauce beside them knows…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

A red-tailed hawk fixes you with a stare from ten feet away. A rescued goat noses toward your…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

The first clue that Keansburg Amusement Park plays by different rules comes before anyone boards a ride. There…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

There is a particular kind of optimism required to pull into a New Jersey flea market at 8…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

The first clue is the aroma. Before a plate reaches the table, the smell of hardwood smoke drifts…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

A draft horse cuts a ruler-straight furrow through a Hopewell Township field while, elsewhere in New Jersey, vintage…

By Duncan Edwards · Sep 1

A server steps up to your rolled-down window, takes your order, and returns carrying a metal tray that…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A squeaky screen door, a paper bag holding a still-warm breakfast sandwich, and a shelf where motor oil…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A blue-and-cream railroad car sits beside a busy New Jersey diner, but it is not waiting for a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

The surest sign you are drinking truly local New Jersey milk is not a logo. It is the…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A heap of snow crab legs usually comes with a waterfront view, a white tablecloth, and a bill…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

There is a particular kind of New Jersey dinner where restraint disappears somewhere between the first plate of…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A tiny locomotive rounds the bend carrying spicy tuna rolls, gives a cheerful toot, and suddenly everyone at…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A Labrador with a water bowl under the table, a plate of lobster rolls passing overhead, and the…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 31

A two-story stone shell rises from the woods in Alpine, its empty windows framing trees instead of chandeliers…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

There is a point on certain New Jersey drives when the traffic lights disappear, the trees close in,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

Drivers passing through Rockaway Township on Route 15 encounter a curious reminder that this corner of Morris County…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

There is a spot in New Jersey where reaching the water requires hiking up the Kittatinny Ridge, another…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

A floral perfume appears near the staircase, but nobody nearby is wearing it. A low groan slips through…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

A roofless stone mansion stares through the trees above Ramapo Lake, looking less like northern New Jersey and…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

A ripe peach does not make it far at Giamarese Farm before announcing itself. One squeeze releases that…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

A great blue heron can stand so still in a New Jersey marsh that you may mistake it…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 30

A hot roast beef hero lands on the counter with fried onions spilling from the sides, pepper jack…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 29

A roofless castle watches over Ramapo Lake. Graffiti-covered factory walls rise from the Pine Barrens. Near the shore,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 29

From the ground, a Clydesdale already looks enormous. From the saddle, the barn roof suddenly seems much closer,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 29

Where else can dinner involve cheering for a sword-wielding knight, eating beside a 1920s railcar, or choosing a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 29

The first thing you notice is the weight. This is not one of those skinny sandwiches that leaves…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 29