New Jersey

At Kittatinny Valley State Park, the strangest sound is not birdsong or leaves crunching under your shoes. It…

By Duncan Edwards · May 7

Walk into one New Jersey museum and you are standing in a stone jail cell where prisoners once…

By Duncan Edwards · May 7

A walk through Bridgeton can feel like New Jersey forgot to raise the prices on this place. One…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A six-story elephant stands a block from the beach. A glowing mine tunnel looks like someone spilled a…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A plate lands at the table with thick-cut brioche, caramelized banana, homemade whipped cream, and just enough powdered…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

On Cedar Lane in Teaneck, you can pass sushi, deli sandwiches, steak dinners, and bakery cases in the…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A mint-green Victorian building with burgundy awnings is not where you expect to find one of New Jersey’s…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A waffle buried under ice cream on the Asbury Park boardwalk. A matcha drink in Cherry Hill that…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

You can miss the turn the first time. That is part of the charm. Tucked at 1800 Bay…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A good reading cafe has a very specific magic trick: somehow, your “quick coffee” turns into two chapters,…

By Duncan Edwards · May 6

A blacksmith’s hammer rings out somewhere beyond the trees, and a few minutes later you might pass a…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

There are places in New Jersey where the “menu strategy” is basically inherited. Your uncle orders the same…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

A sofa with carved wooden arms, a stack of old Pyrex, a rack of winter coats, and a…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

A slate roof over a lakeside plaza in Sussex County. A Portuguese bakery window fogged from fresh custard…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

The first surprise is how quickly the road noise drops away. One minute, Route 29 is doing its…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

The best New Jersey beach days do not always start with a boardwalk tram, a fried-food line, or…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

A box marked “home” might hide a stack of small appliances. A “drugstore” lot can mean shelves’ worth…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

There’s a certain kind of New Jersey meal that tastes better when it comes wrapped in wax paper,…

By Duncan Edwards · May 5

That little blue building on Plainfield Avenue does not behave like a landmark, which is probably why it…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

A tiny omakase counter hidden behind a ramen shop. A polished Atlantic City dining room where black cod…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

Palm fronds at the entrance, plates of garlicky shrimp sailing past the tables, and a courtyard that somehow…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

Some breakfasts arrive with a tiny parsley garnish and a lecture about house-made preserves. New Jersey, thankfully, has…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

Before the beach chairs come out and before Bay Head has fully stretched awake, there’s already a good…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

A morning in New Jersey can start with coffee beside a Victorian storefront, turn into a boardwalk stroll…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

The first thing you notice is the roof. Kelly’s Tavern doesn’t look like another highway-side bar on Route…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

The best New Jersey pizza places rarely announce themselves with polished dining rooms or dramatic menu language. More…

By Duncan Edwards · May 4

A red roadside building pops up on Route 539 after long stretches of pines, and that is usually…

By Duncan Edwards · May 3

A waterfall taller than you expect is roaring behind a row of old brick mill buildings in Paterson,…

By Duncan Edwards · May 3

A tiny post office is hiding in the woods of Tenafly, and it is not the kind with…

By Duncan Edwards · May 3