Joisey

The essential Jersey photo

Let's see if I can whittle my posts down into something short and manageable. It should help that I didn't do anything touristy in Jersey, since I lived there for 18 years, and I have the lack of photos to show for it.

NJ has a bad reputation in the northeast as the armpit of America. I firmly believe most of that comes from travelers who didn't see and smell more than the oil refineries lining the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway on the way to or from NYC. The rest of the reputation comes from MTV's Jersey Shore, and from our ugly license plates that look like they were supposed to be white but smog tainted them all into a faded shade of flax.

But my home state is the Garden State for a reason. Filling the lands between the domiciles of America's most densely populated state are a surprising number of farms growing the best tomatoes, blueberries, and sweet corn in the country. I could go right now for one of my mom's tomato and cheese sandwiches.

Let me take the liberty to group Philadelphia in with Jersey, because we all know it's basically located in Jersey, right? Philly is my least favorite city in the world: it's dirty, hard to get around, and has nothing to see outside of a bell with a crack in it. I didn't get one on this visit, but my friend Moob reminded me that the best burger ever is found in Philly, at Village Whiskey; their burgers are easily worth the high prices.

My favorite portrait of myself, featuring my favorite shirt, 2004

Most of my time in NJ this week was spent relaxed with Carp and Michelle, and letting slaves pump my gas. In the downtime, I got a haircut to make keeping clean easier on the road - I look like my mom even more now. I came to terms with throwing out my favorite shirt, which I have had since my first or second year of high school - it had a few holes and was stretched out of a good fit. And I completed my shopping for my upcoming hikes and camping - I'm in love with my new tent.

My family has left NJ, but I keep returning for my high school friends that have stayed in the area, with whom I am still very close. Even though they are no challenge for me in Smash, they can always stand another defeat. I finally got to see Nik's beautiful daughters this time around, though it took a while for them to warm up to me. Just had to get a doll thrown at my face a few times.

Tenley Louise and Teagan Sean

Root Beer Review: Stewart's

Stewart's

I've been informed that nobody gets Dr. Brown's from my previous review for root beer, but rather for the cream soda. Given that and the fact that it has a widespread distribution, it was a weak choice to open my root beer reviews. My next one, Stewart's, is distributed in several states (originated in Ohio), so not especially local to NJ, but at least I know it is drunk for its root beer. And with over half of all Stewart's Restaurants in NJ, I say we can count it.

Stewart's gets 7 stars. Notably high in carbonation, it isn't as sharp as Barq's, but the flavor is so much better that it gets the edge in overall rating.

Hopefully my next review will feature a truly local root beer.

What's Matt Got on Repeat

I traveled to DC with Moob, so most of the car ride was spent in conversation about flipping houses, but of the little music I've had going, Atlas Genius' Inanimate Objects album and ELO's Sweet Talkin' Woman are giving my radio a workout.

I figured out much more detail for the southern road trip.

Next up: DC

Foreseeable: Richmond, VA; Newport News, VA; Hampton, VA; Norfolk, VA; Chesapeake, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; Raleigh, NC; Durham, NC; Greensboro, NC; Winston-Salem, NC; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; Charleston, SC; Hilton Head Island, SC; Savannah, GA; Athens, GA; Atlanta, GA; Montgomery, AL; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; Jackson, MS; Birmingham, AL; Chattanooga, TN; Knoxville, TN; Charleston, WV; Annapolis, MD; Dover, DE; then back in Jersey. Can I do 28 cities in the previously-estimated 3 weeks, with camping, hiking, and detours?

Puck Pillow and F Frog join the adventure!