The Best Things About New Jersey

I've now made the trek over to Jersey four times, so I think that I'm as qualified as anybody to tell you what the best parts are. So today I bring you the first installment of what may or may not be a recurring feature of "Things I've Learned in New York City" called "The Best Things About New Jersey." My idea is that each time I go across the river I'll discover one of the best things there is to discover in the good ol' Garden State.

So, without further ado, I bring you part one of "The Best Things About New Jersey."

The best thing that I've discovered about New Jersey thus far is the Manhattan skyline. Yes, I realize that the Manhattan skyline is not actually in Jersey, but the view is pretty incredible. Better, I'd say, than a lot of places in the city itself. See, the difference is like the difference between being at an NFL game and watching it on TV. Sure, everyone will tell you they actually want to be there, but the truth is it's a whole lot easier to see what's going on when you're not. And the traffic's a lot worse when you're there.

For example, when you're within a few blocks of the Empire State Building, you look up to see it and say to yourself, "Wow, that's an incredibly tall building." Then you look at any of the six buildings closest to it and you say, "Wow, that's an incredibly tall building." From Jersey, on the other hand, once you see past all the New Jersey air, you can really get a sense of how it towers over the other buildings. Even all the way into Newark the view is great.

Then again, you can say the same thing about Brooklyn. And probably Queens. Oh well, it's still a pretty good view.