Recent Trip to NE New Jersey (Newark, Jersey City: appointed, hotel, college)
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I decided to use up my remaining use it/lose it vacation days and so I and my family took a late summer road trip down to NE New Jersey. We've been here before but haven't really taken a good look around in past trips. I was primarily drawn to visiting Jersey City, which I had never visited before but for once decided not to visit the Big Apple nearby, which unlike NE New Jersey, I have been to many times. Here are some highlights of our trip:
Bergenfield - felt very much like a lower to middle class suburb, similar to Revere, MA I guess. Bergenfield seemed very diverse but what drew me to it was that I heard it had a big Filipino population and as I had never had Filipino food before, decided to find the spot with surely authentic food. Sure enough, we happened upon an authentic Filipino restaurant with great food and a gracious owner. Filipino cuisine I found out uses a lot of ingredients found in Southern Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian cuisine but done in a different manner. It was definitely an interesting experience.
Patterson - very similar to Newark, which I had been to in the past, only smaller and without the skyscrapers. It definitely looked and felt down and out which is too bad because judging by the number of old factories present, Patterson must have been an economic powerhouse at one time. Patterson's downtown had shops and people about but many vacant storefronts too. We have similar old mill cities such as Lawrence, Holyoke, and Lynn too. We went to Patterson primarily to get a look at the Passaic Falls. The Falls themselves are small but still quite scenic. It's too bad that the pedestrian bridge directly overlooking the Falls remains closed. It's yet another sign of a downtrodden city that unfortunately has to make hard decisions as to how to spend limited city funds.
Jersey City - the main reason for our short vacation trip and it was worth it. Jersey City is an eclectic mix of architecture, uses, and cultures. It was raining for most of the day on Thursday when we were there but we managed to busy ourselves with indoor activities until the sun came out.
- Hudson Mall - a dying one story indoor mall akin to a great many other shopping malls I have been to. Many of the anchor stores have pretty much turned themselves to face outward and the indoor part of the mall has little foot traffic and many vacant storefronts. A major problem is that this mall and shopping center is cut off by a very busy highway and is not easy to get to. The good thing is the shopping center has an Asian grocery store and a Jollibees, this Filipino originated fried chicken fast food chain which I had first seen 20 years ago in Hong Kong but had not tried before. It's great that the chain is attempting to make inroads in the US Market but to date they only have a few locations including this one and none up here in Boston.
- Newport Centre- kind of the opposite of the Hudson Mall. This mall is lively and centrally located near Downtown Jersey City with public transportation access. It reminds me of our Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge, MA, only bigger. The only problem I can think of is that the mall's exterior is kind of hidden and the City ought to put up more way-finding signs to direct motorists to it.
- Downtown Jersey City - I like it very much. It looks and feels New Yorkish or even Chicagoan but is cleaner and with a smaller crowd. I managed to snap a picture of the Katyn Massacre Memorial as well as the Freedom Tower across the way. Jersey City's skyline itself is marvelous and the waterfront is beautiful. I really think Jersey City is underappreciated but more on that later.
- Liberty State Park - what I reckon is the main attraction in Jersey City. We came here late in the day on Thursday when the sun was shining brightly again. So late on a weekday after much rain, there was no crowd and no traffic in the park at all. We got to check out the 9/11 Memorial and the old train station adjacent to it and of course snap pictures of the magnificent views of Manhattan's skyline, Jersey City's skyline, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty itself. Those views from Liberty State Park on a clear day are simply outstanding! I kind of wonder how many visitors think about coming over to the Jersey Side to get those views.
- Little India - a true Indiatown with authentic Indian food. I love Indian food which was why we stopped here for supper before heading back to the hotel.
Things for NE New Jersey to improve on:
Highways and traffic - all the locals probably pretty much know about the traffic already but I have to say from the point of view of an outsider, NE New Jersey's highway designs are pretty bad. The interchanges happen too suddenly, the on and off ramps are often very narrow, the merges are hard, and perhaps worst of all, the signage is inadequate. Sometimes if you miss the one and only sign, you missed the exit period and it's hard to come back. That and some of the motorists drive so aggressively, you'll find people driving and braking fast and driving on breakdown lanes at all hours of the day, which contributes to the numerous accidents. We passed by at least 3 accidents in our short time in NE NJ, one of which entirely closed off an off ramp. Still, if it is of comfort, the traffic and highway design is just as bad across the river in New York. Westchester County, NYC, and Long Island have pretty bad interchanges too. Unfortunately I don't think this problem could ever be solved. I think it's a combination of too much highway demand in too little crowded space.
Marketing of NE New Jersey - I was disappointed that I could not find any postcard of Jersey City's skyline, Liberty State Park, or the Passaic Falls anywhere. Even at the hotel we stayed in, the maps, brochures, and even the portraits on the walls all show or talk about New York City. I mean I get it, most visitors likely intend to visit the Big Apple but NJ and particularly Jersey City ought to take a share of that tourism too, especially with its spectacular views. I only found one brochure of Hudson County, which includes Jersey City, and it glosses over much of the geography. I really think NJ ought to have more pride in the northeastern part of the state and not let New York get all the attention.
It was overall a very fun trip and I'll be sure to visit again! Thanks, everyone.
The last time I was in Bergenfield, the main street was dying badly. So many vacancies. I also told JC has a big Filipino but I never found the place. Little India in JC is tiny, and probably does not have any Indian living there. They drive in from everywhere else.
Paterson has nothing to see except the water fall. You should have visited the Garden State Plaza, or whatever it is called now, and the American Dream/Zanadu. That is the big attraction now.
NENJ is one of the most diverse places on Earth. You can try polish and korean food, and Turkish food to Spanish cuisine etc etc.
The last time I was in Bergenfield, the main street was dying badly. So many vacancies. I also told JC has a big Filipino but I never found the place. Little India in JC is tiny, and probably does not have any Indian living there. They drive in from everywhere else.
Paterson has nothing to see except the water fall. You should have visited the Garden State Plaza, or whatever it is called now, and the American Dream/Zanadu. That is the big attraction now.
NENJ is one of the most diverse places on Earth. You can try polish and korean food, and Turkish food to Spanish cuisine etc etc.
What hotel did you stay in?
I stayed at the La Quinta in Clifton off Highway 3. It was just an ordinary chain hotel, nothing fancy but suited our needs. Garden State Plaza would have been our second mall choice had we not made it to Newport Centre. NE NJ is also overrun with strip malls. In spite of NJ Transit, I can tell the region catered heavily to motorists. And yes, I do find NE NJ to be very diverse just like New York City, which is why I will definitely be back someday to try other new things.
I stayed at the La Quinta in Clifton off Highway 3. It was just an ordinary chain hotel, nothing fancy but suited our needs. Garden State Plaza would have been our second mall choice had we not made it to Newport Centre. NE NJ is also overrun with strip malls. In spite of NJ Transit, I can tell the region catered heavily to motorists. And yes, I do find NE NJ to be very diverse just like New York City, which is why I will definitely be back someday to try other new things.
There is a lot strip malls along Rte 17, and Rte 4 in Bergen County. But many towns in Bergen County, Essex, Union, Passaic have charming and walkable downtowns. Hudson of course is extremely walkable.
Sadly, you missed out on American Dream Mall in Secaucus, the real indiatown in Edison NJ, and the true authentic filipino food on West side ave.
I've actually been to Edison twice in the past, even stopping by Thomas Edison's old laboratory. All the Asian Indian kids back in college kept mentioning about Edison, entire families even come up here to watch college Banghra performances, celebrate Diwali with relatives, and so forth. Yes, Edison probably has the largest Asian Indian population in NJ with good authentic Indian food at good prices but we did not have time to go that far down during this trip. Perhaps again another time. As for American Dream, we drove past it wondering what it was. I guess I'll have to come back and check it out another time as well. Gargantuan malls tend to overwhelm me however. I am not at all a big shopper and much prefer sightseeing than shopping. I've already been to the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN and the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, PA and neither excited me.
Last edited by Urban Peasant; 09-25-2022 at 03:10 PM..
I've actually been to Edison twice in the past, even stopping by Thomas Edison's old laboratory.
... which occupied--at most--15 minutes, because that wasn't actually his old laboratory. What you viewed is just a tiny museum housed inside the base of a large concrete obelisk that was later built to honor Edison's accomplishments. The remains of his Menlo Park laboratory building were disassembled and transported (and essentially recreated)--many decades ago--to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village Museum, in Dearborn, Michigan. When he viewed the reassembled/recreated lab at Greenfield Village, Ford asked him if it looked authentic, and Edison's reply was, "No, it was never this neat and clean".
If you want to see Edison's much larger (later) laboratory, where most of his significant discoveries were made, you should visit this facility in West Orange, which will enable you to spend a couple of hours viewing Edison's inventions--almost all of which were actually devised by his employees.
I also told JC has a big Filipino but I never found the place.
The heart of the Filipino community in JC was around 5 corners. There are still a few businesses around there (Max's, Red Ribbon, Sagoto, Philippine Bread House, Little Quiapo, Jollibee at JSQ PATH, etc), but there's definitely been a shift to West Side Ave over the past decade or more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133
probably does not have any Indian living there.
Are you familiar with JC?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133
Paterson has nothing to see except the water fall.
The farmer's market in Paterson is pretty great, lots of "exotic". Great middle eastern food in town too. And the Paterson Museum is pretty cool too, with lots of stuff about old industry, trains, etc.
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Are you familiar with JC?
