Jersey City is for people who have given up their lives. For people who voluntarily swap the glamor of Manhattan for urban ordinary. For whom a few square meters of front yard are more important than endless possibilities for leisure activities and self-fulfillment. You don’t even want to be buried here. At least that is clicked into the series How I Met Your Mother Protagonist Lily jokes with her buddy Ted that he only went to Jersey for one reason: to dispose of a corpse. “Ted, if you kill me and bury my body in New Jersey, I’ll come back as a ghost and make your life hell,” threatens Lily.
Geographically, New Jersey is only separated from New York by the Hudson River. Culturally, on the other hand, there are worlds between the two cities, as we have learned from numerous series and films. But high time for Facts instead of Fun – enough of the humorous insinuations: What can New Jersey really do?
City: Jersey City meets the alleged hillbilly status in the only right way: with self-irony. “Our haircuts get you laid”, advertises a hairdresser in the central district of The Village. There are nice cafes, a small, independent bookstore (“Word”) and a pedestrian zone with real rocking chairs to relax in. But haircuts with a sex guarantee? That sounds about as credible as the “Buffins” promise to buy at the historic farmers’ market. The jersey version of the well-known muffins is said to be particularly rich. It’ll make you “buff”, promises the saleswoman at the stand, so muscular and “yummy.”“. So, in turn, you can then dare to go to Manhattan – or on Instagram.
The friendly mushroom dealer, who looks a bit like the tall brother of “Hobbit” director Peter Jackson, assures you of this in New Jersey. One should excuse, however, if he does not immediately respond to inquiries on social media: “I am in the forest more often than on the Internet.” Incidentally, the mushroom dealer’s display looks more like a nuclear accident than pure nature – but that somehow also fits. Another joke about New Jersey goes like this: Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? Answer: Because “State of petroleum, nuclear waste, toxic waste and garbage dumps” would not have fit on the license plate.
Historic Downtown Jersey City Farmers’ Market, Monday and Thursday, 3pm to 8pm
Land: Every New York tourist has probably seen the Statue of Liberty from the front. But catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty’s rump? Makes great in Liberty State Park in southeast Jersey City. If you don’t let yourself be put off by the arduous journey (it’s a 30-minute walk from the nearest stop), and then fearlessly walk past the signs warning of toxic materials within the fenced-off areas (no joke), the green areas are almost at your disposal . Many a busload of tourists is lost on 490 hectares. There is a disused train and ferry terminal, the New Jersey 9/11 Memorial (“Empty Sky Memorial”) and a replica of the place that stands for a largely unknown terrorist attack in US history: Black Tom Island.
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