New Jersey

Banana has escaped the smoothie blender. It is now floating in cold foam, mingling with espresso, hiding beneath…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 21

The first clue is the smoke. Before the platters of marinated beef arrive, before anyone reaches for a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

The cards can run cold, the slots can ignore you, and the roulette ball has no respect for…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A vintage Pyrex bowl, a box of baseball cards, and an orange cargo tricycle may have absolutely nothing…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

The water at Atsion Lake is the color of strong iced tea. In Hopewell, swimmers float above a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A white building on a side street in downtown Princeton contains enough music to keep a determined crate…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A summer line curls around a Stone Harbor ice cream shop, a nine-pound blanket of crumbs waits inside…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A tulip tree that began growing roughly 275 years ago is not the sort of neighbor most people…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A family-size bread pudding lands on a Hoboken table, caramel running down its craggy edges, and suddenly nobody…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 20

A bakery case packed with rainbow cookies, Linzer tarts, crinkle cookies, brownies, and scones would normally require some…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

Before most people have found the matching lid for their travel mug, the first shift is already unfolding…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

The first clue is the pita. It arrives warm and pliable, sturdy enough to hold a generous pile…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A bakery line at 6:25 in the morning tells you everything you need to know. Nobody is standing…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A floor covered in salt crystals crunches underfoot while the walls glow pink, purple, and amber like a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A plain plastic cup with a snap-on lid can be the most valuable thing in the takeout bag.…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A tray of butter-glossed pierogi can go from generously stocked to completely empty before some people have decided…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A bubbling pan of macaroni and cheese hits the table, the browned edges crack beneath the serving spoon,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 19

A pair of pointed ears bobs above the sandy trail while four soft feet shuffle through the pines…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A plate of crispy spinach lands under a snowfall of yogurt and pomegranate. Across the table, somebody is…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

Rows of clear dispensers filled with rice, pasta, cereal, nuts, and candy line the walls, but the most…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A koi glides beneath a garden bridge, an egret stands motionless beside a coastal pond, and somewhere under…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A pair of snappy natural-casing frankfurters can tell you plenty about Barth’s Market before you ever reach the…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A crumpled twenty used to cover a respectable grocery run. Now it can disappear somewhere between the eggs…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A narrow path slips beneath the trees, curls around a moss-covered boulder, and suddenly drops into a rocky…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

A ferry horn sounds across the harbor, bicycles roll past weathered cottages, and somewhere behind the dunes, a…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 18

The first clue that Woodstock Vibes is no ordinary thrift store is parked outside, splashed in rainbow paint…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 17

In an old aerial view of Rand’s Marina, dozens of boats fill narrow slips beside a white waterfront…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 17

A Manhattan sunset can turn an ordinary dinner reservation into the most valuable piece of real estate in…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 17

The first challenge at Dulce De Leche Bakery is making it past the display case without changing your…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 17