I have a love-hate relationship with New Jersey. I guess it’s mostly a love relationship, but sometimes my small town and small state just seem like ground I’ve already covered so many times that there can’t possibly be anything left there for me. I’ve been to all of the restaurants in my town, and most of the ones in the neighboring towns. I’ve watched movies in all of the theaters within thirty minutes of my house. I’ve bowled in the two bowling alleys close to me. I’ve enjoyed the Jersey Shore countless times.
This year, I lived in a state that wasn’t New Jersey for the first time when I left my home to go to college in New York. Being away was exciting. There were new places to go and new people to meet every day. When the school year ended, I was worried about returning to New Jersey. I felt like I was going to have to put the adventure of living somewhere new and enjoying this new life I had begun on hold for four months until the fall semester started.
But sometimes you can start small. If everyday can’t be an adventure, you can have an adventure here and there.
If you're from New Jersey, you probably know what "Weird New Jersey" is--the magazine (also, book and website) that tracks unusual places around the state, from the pine barrens, to the suburbs, to the shore. I've been to a handful of the places mentioned by the writers, and I want to go to more. I also know (and know of) some unusual sights and places close to my home that haven't made their way into the public eye yet.
This summer is going to be a revival of the old secret spots my friends and I explored when we were younger, as well as a discovery of the new places in Jersey I've never seen. My summers have always been summers spent in Jersey. But this year, it's going to be the summer of Jersey.
~Sarah
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