I love New York and New Jersey and all things eastern AND it is time to go.
Where else but New York City could you see a Naked Singing Cowboy in Times Square on the same day that you see Van Gogh’s Starry Night at the Museum of Modern Art? Where else can you ride the subway and see and hear people from at least 10 different countries? Where else can you be in the same city and see beautiful parks and high rises and streets filled with garbage bags and people waiting for food kitchens to open? Everything happens in New York. The drivers are crazy (they even get mad when they are not voted the “most aggressive” in the country. The food is amazing – I saw a sign for Cuban and Chinese food – at the same restaurant.
The people are as passionate as the come about their city and proud of being “the greatest city on earth". It may be.
New Jersey is filled with beautiful rolling hills where I am staying. Homes built in the early 1700’s are common. History is all around me. Farms have corn growing and cows grazing and then there is “the shore”.
The “Shore” refers to the beaches of New Jersey. I know of no other state that refers to its coastline as “the shore”. From Asbury Park (home to Bruce Springsteen) to Cape May, everyone here has her favorite place. Each town “owns” their beach so there is quite the controversy that exists about access to the beach. Towns sell ‘tags’ to get on the beach each day. Old grand homes sit right on the beach in many towns and crowds? Yes in the most densely populated state – there are crowds!
Next week, I leave the northeast. It has been wonderful to be here this summer. My sister and brother in-law have been so very generous and kind to have me stay with them. I wanted to spend time in the northeast again because there was a part of me that thought I might be called to live here again. I am not. I know now that I could live here and be fairly happy but I choose not to. My heart has become so much more of a westerner than I knew before coming east again. I hope I can be back to visit more often than in the past but living here is not for me- at least not now.
