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🇺🇸 State · United States
New Jersey: diners, coast and the big screen
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Far more than a New York suburb, New Jersey, nicknamed the Garden State, unfurls 200 kilometers of beaches, Victorian seaside resorts and a rich history. To the south, Cape May, one of America's oldest seaside resorts, lines up more than 600 Victorian buildings and a still-working lighthouse. Farther north, Atlantic City and its four-kilometer boardwalk pack casinos and attractions along the ocean. In Jersey City, Liberty State Park offers a striking view of the Manhattan skyline and serves as a launch point for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The college town of Princeton charms with its prestigious campus and elegant streets. Between the wild Pine Barrens, produce farms and shore cuisine, the state surprises everyone who usually just passes through.
In The Godfather (1972), the line “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” was filmed in Jersey City, on what is now Liberty State Park.
The world's first drive-in cinema opened on June 6, 1933 in Pennsauken near Camden, its inventor projecting the film onto trees with a radio for sound.
Dubbed the diner capital of the world, New Jersey once built a third of the nation's diners: pull over at a real chrome diner along Route 130.
Summer is the shore's high season: packed beaches, lively boardwalks and ideal weather, but heavy crowds and high prices. Spring and autumn offer a better balance, while Cape May stays charming off-season. Trains and buses serve the north and the corridor toward New York and Philadelphia well, but a car remains useful for exploring the coast and the Pine Barrens. Watch for heavy summer shore traffic. Mobile network coverage is excellent across nearly all of this densely populated state, one of the most connected in the country, with only rare weak spots deep in the wooded Pine Barrens. No special preparation is needed to stay connected in town.