I said something to Earl this evening that absolutely startled him. Hell, it even startled me. I couldn’t believe the words came out of my mouth.
“I would consider moving to New Jersey.”
As I write this, I can’t believe that I just typed that phrase. You see, I have told Earl that I would live anywhere in the world with him. I’d climb the highest mountain, cross the widest sea and scale the longest desert. But don’t put me in New Jersey. That was the rule. “We will not live in New Jersey.”
I’ve been in New Jersey twice today. With Earl’s family less then five miles from the Pa.-N.J. border, it’s a natural thing for us to cross the bridge in search of cheap gas. After all, there’s a lot of diners in Jersey.
I find nothing in common between North Jersey and South Jersey. The accent is different and the attitude seems to be a little different. This evening I went shopping at Cherry Hill Mall (Cherry Hill, N.J.), while Earl played poker with his family (quick little video coming when we get back home). I didn’t find the experience unpleasant. Once I found Cherry Hill, made numerous right turns to turn left and fought a smattering of traffic, I found my shopping experience to be a pleasant one. I found that last extra Christmas gift that I hope will bring a twinkle to Earl’s eye on Christmas morning.
It was leaving Cherry Hill Mall that I discovered something very important with my acceptance of New Jersey as a potential residential destination. They have Wegmans. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, there’s a brand new beautiful Wegmans in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Since there’s a Wegmans there, it has to be a cool place. So I have decided to allow South Jersey to be a potential relocation destination.
Earl just rolled his eyes.
When you wrote north Jersey, I was picturing the corner near Port Jervis (NY)/Matamoris (PA) and I was saying okay. Then you wrote Cherry Hill, and I said “Philly”.
As for Wegmans, we have a family (small “f”) joke here. A few years ago Wegmans moved into our area. One day we over heard some Stepford Wife commenting in the snottiest of tones: “The quality of life in [our area] is remarkably improved since Wegman’s opened”.
I live in Philly and travel to Cherry for gas and the mall. The infrastructure is so much easier to navigate than PA’s tricky and twisty streets. Also, Philly’s great for when you want to splurge, but for an economical night, can’t beat South jersey. Try the King of Pizza in Cherry Hill on Route 70 next time you are out that way… In NJ, you can also get gas and coffee at a quick check. My favorite coffee (and I’m a lifelong Bostonian, dunkin donut fan)