Welcome. New Jersey is a special state and here are some special things about it.
1. Obviously, going down the shore in the summer
Whether it's Pier Village, Belmar, LBI, Wildwood, or one of the many other beaches, New Jerseyans love the shore and each have their favorite beach. The Jersey Shore is a hit during the summer. And no, it is not like the TV show "Jersey Shore." But we do like to tan.
2. Diners (Preferably Greek diners)
Is it 2 a.m. after a concert or adventure with your best friends? Are you hungry? Want some disco fries? Have no fear, New Jersey is the diner capital of the world and many diners are open 24/7 or late into the night. This is where you will find cheap burgers, gyros, and cheesy fries as well as a selection of desserts owned by Greek men.
3.The never-ending fight of pork roll versus taylor ham
This beautiful meat is better than bacon, sausage, or ham on any egg and cheese sandwich. No one ever knows what I am talking about when I mention pork roll in Michigan or any other place. It's this special meat only New Jersey has. As a proud Central Jersey resident, it is pork roll. North Jersey claims it is "Taylor ham" while South Jersey claims it is pork roll. Central Jersey also calls it pork roll. The brand is Taylor and that is probably the confusion. New Jersey even had a vote on this debate as you can see here. We love the argument of the name of a meat where both parties will never give in.
4. The never-ending fight of whether Central Jersey exists or not (it does)
Another argument New Jerseyans love is the "Does Central Jersey exist?" Well it does. I live in Central New Jersey. It is real. It is a place. I swear. It consists of Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset and some of Hunterdon counties according to an unofficial mapping brought to you by New Jerseyans. North and South Jersey people claim Central Jersey does not exist yet they travel and visit it all the time on the way to the shore or Six Flags. But the argument still remains of course cause we New Jerseyans are stubborn.
5. Not pumping our own gas
WE DON'T PUMP OUR GAS WE PUMP OUR FISTS. Just kidding. We New Jerseyans are not like that, but we do not pump our own gas. We have gas attendants who pump our gas for us. New Jersey is proudly one of the two states that have gas attendants to pump our own gas creating more jobs.
6. Wawa (Probably Every New Jerseyans favorite place, especially during Hoagiefest)
Ah yes. Wawa. The cornerstone of New Jersey. This convenience store with a gas station is home of Hoagiefest during the summer where you can get a sub/hoagie depending what you call it for only $5. Wawa is a necessary stop before the beach to grab a sub for lunch. Open 24/7 this is a goto after a party. High-quality store with high-quality food and service. I feel bad for anyone who does not have Wawa in their life.
7. Knowing where someone lives based off their exit on the Garden State Parkway
I can tell how close you live to me in New Jersey based on your Garden State Parkway exit. The Garden State Parkway runs from the top of New Jersey to the bottom allowing you to assign yourself an exit number based on where you live. This is very useful with regards to how much time it takes to travel and so on.
8. The pizza (Comparable to eating a slice of heaven)
New Jerseyans love their pizza. I will not fight a New Yorker over their pizza cause their pizza is pretty damn good too. But in New Jersey, there are at least four homestyle Italian pizzerias in every town. I'm not talking Dominos or Pizza Hut, but real authentic Italian pizzerias. One of my favorite pizza slices New Jersey has to offer is the Penne Vodka slice which is literally out of this world. Can't beat it.
9. The bagels (They are out of this world)
The bagels are just different in New Jersey. Light, fluffy, and so tasty. Never bland. We New Jerseyans have our favorite bagels shops where you have a specific order you get every single time. A classic pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich on an egg bagel with salt, pepper, and ketchup is the epitome of New Jersey in a meal. You can not beat the bagels here.
10. Being close to New York City, Philadelphia, the shore, and the mountains
Living in New Jersey, depending on which part, you are close to either the mountains up North, the shore in Central or South Jersey, close to New York City, or close to Philadelphia. You can visit four different places all within an hour or so. This makes New Jersey special. We have it all. We also have a plethora of farmland as well. We are the Garden State. You can visit any type of terrain in New Jersey. I would not have it any other way.
