It’s never a good sign when you tell someone that you’re traveling to a state and they ask with confusion and disdain, “but why?”
I can’t even lie and say that I haven’t judged New Jersey a time or two. I mean truthfully the two things that come to mind when I think about New Jersey are (1) known as the armpit of America and (2) the location of a murder podcast with some seriously corrupt politicians. [[side note – you should totally listen to Dead End. Maybe not while running in the dark at 5:30 AM, but normal daylight hours are 100% recommended]]
But New Jersey is a state and I do need to visit all of them. And I mean it’s not like my thoughts about New Jersey could get any worse…right?
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Okay, okay, I know I have been hating on New Jersey but I promise I didn’t go into this weekend with any preconceived notions. In fact, I was very excited about my trip to New Jersey as I was going to have a chance to see some friends that I don’t see very often. There is Michael who I studied abroad with in Roma when we were in college (keep reading for some lovely pictures of “baby” Julia and Michael 😂). Then there is Andrew who I worked with at my first job out of college. And finally, there is Grace who I have the pleasure of working with every day at my current job. Grace was the most…how do I say this?…she was the most blunt about the wonders of New Jersey.
But no really, I swear, I was looking forward to the trip.
What I was less excited about was the prospect of traveling with two kids. I love my kids. Truly, madly, deeply (nope, I’m not listening to my 90’s playlist right now – why would you even think that?). But these kids are A LOT. And traveling with them is not exactly relaxing. More like survival of the fittest.
Damn I’m really not making kids or New Jersey sound great am I? 😂😂😂
Alright, let me start sharing some positives.
On Saturday morning, Carla and I woke Jenna and Russell up at the crack of dawn (5:30 AM), bundled them up in the car and started the drive to Jersey. We had high hopes the kids would sleep for the first part of the drive and yeah that didn’t happen at all. I’m still baffled how there was zero napping after waking up at 5:30 AM but honestly the kids were relatively subdued on the drive so it was a painless journey up. I even learned that Burger King breakfast isn’t horrible! I mean it wasn’t great but it was cheap and fast!
Our first stop in New Jersey was Morristown to pick up race packets. After getting my race packet we went to our favorite place…THE LIBRARY! (Tell me you’re a parent without telling me you’re a parent)
By some weird stroke of luck, ten minutes after we arrived there was a child story time (which we only realized when lots of families with kids start gathering in the children’s corner haha). We enjoyed a nice hippo-themed story time with a crafting activity afterwards.
The Morristown Library was very cute and gave off this whole small town vibe to it. The library is located on the main street downtown and has very interesting architecture (let’s just say it does not look like the boring white building that is our local library). Outside the library there is a (relatively) new statue of Stephen B. Wiley. Never heard of Stephen Wiley? Yeah me either. 😂But seriously take a few minutes to look him up and be thankful that there are genuinely good people like him that exist in our world.
We ordered lunch at a local restaurant, A Legna, and spent time walking around Morristown which was adorable. Well, it was mostly adorable until the kids decided they wanted to sleep on a random doorstep and gave off some serious homeless vibes. No judgments please that I took a picture before forcing them to get up 🙂
We had a lot of fun walking around Morristown Green, a little park in the center of downtown. A quick history lesson: Morristown Green began appearing on maps in 1715 and the important buildings for Morristown in the 1700s (aka churches, jail and a tavern haha) were built around the park. But the most interesting part about the Green? Since 1816, thirteen private trustees own the park and have the goal of maintaining the park for public use/enjoyment.
Seriously read that again. For TWO HUNDRED years, 13 individual citizens have the heavy task of being responsible for owning, maintaining and keeping available a private park in the center of a town. This is such an interesting story and I love that thirteen individuals came together to buy something with the goal of protecting it for future usage. And whomever those thirteen people are they should be proud since they have done a damn good job of protecting the park.
I also learned that apparently Morristown looks like Old Town Alexandria because as were walking down the street, Jenna turned to me and said, “Did you know Em lives here, Mommy? Did you know that?” Why no Jenna, I didn’t realize that Em moved from Old Town all the way to New Jersey without telling me 😂
After our explorations we went to…take a wild guess…A PLAYGROUND. I know, I know. Traveling with kids is so exciting and adventurous.
It was a really nice playground though. Fenced in with picnic tables and nearby tennis courts. Weirdly, there was no one else there will us – not sure where the kids of Morristown were at?!
My friend, Andrew, met us at the playground. Andrew grew up in New Jersey before going to college in Virginia and staying there for a few years post-grad for a job (this is when we met). After a few years he headed back north to New York and then New Jersey and somehow we have managed to stay in touch which is kind of a miracle since we have seen each other maybe five or six times in the last seven years. To celebrate, I made Andrew come with us to Historic Speedwell and forced him to take some ridiculous pictures. And in case you were wondering, I have zero guilt about this.
Okay so let’s talk about Historic Speedwell. I’m really into history and based on what the website shared, it seemed like a great historical site and boasts being the “birthplace of the telegraph”. Except when we arrived it was very…unimpressive? Basically there were a bunch of building with some plaques but nothing to really guide you. The most interactive building was the room that hosts the waterwheel. According to the signage, the waterwheel was used to power the equipment at Speedwell Iron Works until 1873 when they closed. It works like this – buckets on one side of the wheel are filled with water which makes that side heavier, causing it to rotate. The rotating wheel creates power (through levers and shafts) which is used on other machines.
Of course, we couldn’t get past the “Bone Mill” which is literally a fancy way to say a machine that grinds bones. I’ve determined that Morristown could really revitalize Historic Speedwell (and make it more interesting) by giving haunted tours at night. Literally Andrew called the place “the murder house” and honestly, it really did give off that vibe. The lack of people and cloudy weather did not help either haha.
The only other thing of somewhat interest was the gift shop that had a tiny exhibit room. The exhibit at the time we were there was focused on were there was focused on female beauty and made connections to Snow White. Basically what I got from the exhibit is that society’s obsession with beauty has not changed one bit since the 1800’s. People, particularly females, are obsessed with maintaining their beauty and being the “fairest in the land.”
I get it, I really do. Like I miss the ease of youthful beauty and not having to wonder if I can still pull of a bikini. But also, can we cut each other some slack?! Getting old is not only natural but its a good thing. It means you’re still alive. So let’s stop judging who is aging better than others and just be thankful that we have bodies that work and allow us to move.
Okay stepping off my soap box now.
After the bust that was Historic Speedwell, we headed to the AirBnb in Bayonne. And yes, I know Bayonne is not really that close to Morristown. But did you know that Bayonne has a super kid friendly AirBnb for legit a third of the price of any AirBnbs in Morristown? 10/10 recommend our AirBnb for families – three bedrooms and a loft area full of kid toys. Jenna and Russell were pumped.
That night, we made pasta for dinner (because obviously what else do you eat before a race) and then Michael came over for dessert.
Of the three friends I was seeing over the weekend, I have known Michael the longest. The summer before senior year Michael and I were part of a study abroad program in Roma. Programma Ponte was a unique experience – it was a month-log study abroad trip for individuals with Italian heritage. There was probably 15-20 of us from America, Brazil, and Argentina. The best part is that we didn’t have to pay for the program and lodging + food was included. As a broke college student, this was GOLD.
Michael and I have kept in touch over the years but the last time we saw each other was in 2019. FIVE YEARS!!! Can you believe that?! Of course, we picked back up like no time has passed.
The next morning was race day and have I mentioned recently how great my husband is? Randomly, Andy had work in New Jersey on Monday morning so he decided to come up early and see me run. He was trying to decide between arriving at midnight on Saturday or at 9 AM on Sunday. He chose to come up on Saturday night and sleep on the couch so he could handle the kids in case they woke up in the middle of the night. I thought he was overreacting because our kids don’t wake up often at night but wow he was so right and I was wrong.
Our children were…kind of hot messes. It was Jenna’s first time on a top bunk and she was not having it. Also there were no curtains in the room so it was super bright. Needless to say, the kids woke up A LOT and Andy was super dad and handled it all while I slept peacefully in an actual bed.
On Sunday morning I drove myself to the race. It was crowded but thankfully I found parking relatively easily.
Things I didn’t like about the race:
- The race was too late in the day for me. It started at 8:30 and by 10 AM it was disgustingly hot. Apparently, it was great for spectators but as a runner I could have used a 7:30 start.
- They had free race photos but I only saw the photographers at one spot during the race.
- I died in this race. BUT I SWEAR I TRAINED. No really, it was quite unfortunate. For whatever reason, I got the WORST runners cramps (the GI kind) and it made running very very miserable. I perked back up once I got back to the airbnb and was able to use the bathroom and take some ibuprofen. However, for a few hours there I was a miserable human.
Things I liked about the race:
- There were lots of water stations and bathrooms.
- The course route was about as good as you can get in suberbia. We went through a nice park but otherwise wasn’t anything fantastic to rave about. However, there were no big hills which is a big win!!
- There was a person who ran in front of me for about six miles with a great shirt. I may now be inspired to create my own shirt for the person running behind me at my next race. [stay tuned Nashville!]
- I had a cheer squad!!! This is so rare for me because I always travel for my races, nor do I ever expect anyone to stand around and watch me run (I’ve been a race cheerleader and it’s not the most exciting task in the world haha). Andy, Carla, Jenna and Russell met me at mile 7 and then at the finish line. Jenna was so cute afterwards and kept saying that I won the race because I got a medal. Clearly, we are not yet old enough to understand the concept of a participation trophy haha
At the finish line they had a nice post-race party. Not that I participated in this partying since I died and had yet to come back to life, but Andy shared that the kids had a great time. Apparently there was a Tesla cyber truck at the finish line that was custom fit as a pizza oven with a pass through oven mounted in the back, paper towel holders and pop-up sun shade umbrellas (description provided by Andy because literally I’m not even sure what half of this even means haha)
That afternoon after the race we had grand plans to go to Ellis Island and see the Statue of Liberty. It was literally the only thing I wanted to do while in New Jersey anddddd it was an epic fail. I will take 80% of the blame for this as I did not realize we needed to buy tickets in advance (seriously nothing online indicated that tickets would sell out). The other 20% is that it was such a nice day that even if we had bought tickets, the parking lot for the ferry was completely full and I’m not sure we would have arrived early enough to find a spot before the ferry left. We were all disappointed but as a backup plan we hung out at Liberty State Park and enjoyed the wonderful weather.
Jenna and Russell tried to make some friends with a family that had bubble guns. Except mostly they stood there awkwardly.
Okay I know it looks like in that photo they are engaged with the other family but the reality is that they just stood super close to them and said nothing. We’re still working on being brave and using our words (hands cover face emoji)
That night, Grace and her boyfriend, Viktor, came over for dinner. Grace and I work together every single day so we know a lot about each other and poor Grace has been subjected to quite a few stories about Jenna and Russell…most of them not so flattering (I promise you really don’t want to know about the poop throwing story). While Grace may have been petrified to spend time with the kids, I was probably too excited to meet Viktor who I have also heard a lot about. Mostly I really just wanted to see his “half mullet” in person – yeah, apparently I’m so old that mullets are back in and I never even knew. 😬
It was really nice to grab dinner together and I will admit I didn’t feel bad at all about our kids once I learned that Viktor’s sister has SIX KIDS that they recently spent time with. Compared to six, two kids is practically nothing!
Grace and Viktor were lucky enough to get the full Jenna and Russell experience. At the end of the night they even got a special Jenna performance which included Jenna dancing and singing to “Let It Go” while Andy held a blanket in the background to be her stage. Again, not sure why Grace and Viktor aren’t about this whole procreating thing…
The next morning, Andy left for work while Carla and I packed up. On our way back home we took a pitstop in Princeton. We went to PJ’s Pancake House and *wow*, I full heartedly recommend. Obviously, it’s been a while since I was in college but I can definitely see this because the weekend hangover spot for the college crowd. Actually, the PJ in the name stands for “pajamas” because that is the attire that most people showed up in when they came to eat. If that isn’t a sign of a college town restaurant, I don’t know what is haha
We then walked across the street and strolled through the university campus. The plan was to visit the Children’s Library on campus which looks amazing from pictures online – and even house a treehouse!! But in another planning fail, they are apparently closed on Monday?!?! This was quite disappointing for the kids as not only did we tell them about it but we ran into another family on campus and they raved about it, saying how great it was.
Sigh. It is good for your kids to experience disappointment right? Because we casually seem to be excelling at that this weekend…
On the bright side, since Princeton wasn’t in session, we got to walk around campus leisurely and enjoy all the beautiful structures.
We also learned that Jenna is becoming a pro at taking photos. We asked her to take a photo of me, Carla and Russell and this is what we got…
She is literally her father’s daughter hahaha
We did finally get a group photo and then we did a jumping photo shoot. Russell is still a work in progress.
The rest of the car ride home was LONG but we somehow survived. Driving at the crack of dawn was a lot more enjoyable than the middle of the day.
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While on this New Jersey adventure, I decided to do some investigating – why does New Jersey have a bad reputation? And who better to ask then some New Jersey natives (aka all my friends that I saw this weekend haha).
Andrew said that New Jersey has a bad reputation for being industrial. When probed about what the benefits of New Jersey are he said he doesn’t like anything. 🙈🙈 But I should caveat this with the fact that Andrew is in the midst of moving to Arizona and he did admit that New Jersey was a great place to grow up as a kid.
Michael blamed the media for New Jersey’s bad reputation (cough cough all those absurd reality shows). He said New Jersey has a reputation for being the bastard child to New York and it is very industrial near city. However, Michael had a lot more positive aspects of Jersey – geographical diversity (cities, suburbs and rural areas all close by), beautiful scenery (including beaches) and accessible to NYC.
Grace and Viktor agreed with Andrew and said Jersey has a bad reputation because it is very industrial and not pretty, leading it to be known as the buttcrack of New York (their words – not mine!!). But they had plenty of complentary aspects of the state too – lots of diversity and the great food that comes with that. It’s close to New York and the people of Jersey are just efficient. They aren’t super friendly like down south, they just give you what you need and move on with your life. 😂
[On a complete side note – Andy and I went to the alcohol store while in Jersey and we met a couple that was tipsy, borderline drunk. They took one look at us and asked where we were from because they could tell we “were from down South” and then hugged us and welcomed us to New Jersey. 😂😂😂 Literally, not sure how Northern Virginia is considered “the South” or how we give off that vibe but I didn’t hate the warm welcome.]
My conclusion of New Jersey: Was it the favorite trip I have been on for my half marathons? Definitely not. But if I am being honest, I don’t actually think that was New Jersey’s fault. (1) Traveling with kids is hard and leads to a lot of playgrounds instead of cool interesting sites and (2) There was some definitely poor planning on my part in terms of experiences. While I don’t have any desire to live in New Jersey I will don’t think the state deserves that hate it gets.
Taking Little Steps 