New Jersey

The first sign of a real New Jersey summer is not the boardwalk opening or the first tomato…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 2

The first thing that gets you is not the size of the place. It is the smell. One…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 2

There is a very specific kind of New Jersey summer day when your shoes are dusty from a…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 2

The first thing you notice is how small Angelo’s looks against the Glassboro around it. Rowan Boulevard keeps…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 2

There’s a certain kind of New Jersey meal that feels almost like you got away with something. You…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 2

The stone tower on Garret Mountain looks like it should be guarding a royal secret, not sitting a…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

By 9:15 on a Saturday morning in New Jersey, the serious brunch people have already made their move.…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

The first thing that catches you is not the lake. It is the little Alpine-looking village beside it,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

There’s a certain kind of dinner in New Jersey where the view starts competing with the menu before…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

The smell of smoked kielbasa has a funny way of finding you in Wallington before you even know…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

A cast-iron skillet of cornbread lands on a Montclair table. A few towns away, someone is stretching fresh…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

A monarch floating past your shoulder is not usually part of a New Jersey day trip, unless you…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

A great “treat yourself” meal in New Jersey does not have to arrive with white tablecloth panic, a…

By Duncan Edwards · Jul 1

There’s a long white barn in Monroeville with an old milk house tucked behind a family home, and…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 30

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