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December 09, 2002

New Jersey

We picked up a video of the first three episodes of The Sopranos this past weekend. Watching the opening montage, with the beautiful pictures of the New Jersey turnpike outside New York City, I realized why New Jersey has such a terrible reputation.

I grew up in New Jersey, at least from the ages of about 2-8. My memories of the state are, needless to say, sparse at best. The most I've seen of the state in recent years has been views of Camden from Philadelphia while visiting my then-girlfriend at graduate school and views of the industrial wasteland outside New York City (featured prominently in the opening of The Sopranos). For those who've never seen either, Camden is an ugly, disgusting industrial city that is undoubtedly the picture all the ecological extremists have of all of America, with smokestacks, trash everywhere...it's just not pretty. The industrial areas outside New York City aren't much better, with mile after mile of concrete and mazes of pipes and smokestacks.

And that's what everyone thinks of when they consider New Jersey. Philadelphia and New York and two of America's largest cities. Between their resident population and tourism, a large number of Americans get their impressions of New Jersey from looking across the way from either Philadelphia or New York. It's a wonder anyone ever visits the Garden State at all, given that introduction to it.

Poor New Jersey. It contains lovely beaches, parks, and plenty of small towns where anyone would be glad to raise a child. But all anyone will ever think of is what they see from New York and Philly.