The Durtay

I'm from New Jersey and I'm proud. So proud in fact that I wrote an essay about it for my personal essay class last semester. Here it is:

Most people think of New Jersey as “the armpit of America.” They often say nothing good comes out of The Garden State. And I say, what about Bruce Springsteen? Yogi Berra? Jack Nicholson? Meryl Steep? Shaquille O’Neal? How can you say nothing good comes out of New Jersey? Ever heard of a guy by the name of Frank Sinatra? Or how about Steven Spielberg? Life would really suck without electricity. Did you know Thomas Edison was from the Durtay Jerz?

A lot of people are ignorant about New Jersey. They rag on it constantly but when asked if they’ve ever been there, they often say no or they’ve only driven through. Without fully experiencing it or even giving it a chance they’re already shutting it down.

I was born and raised in New Jersey and I probably have more Jersey pride than anyone out there. Just looking at it on a map makes me smile—it’s shape like an old man’s face. Not having to pump gas, the lowest national average gas prices, being just 20 miles away from New York City and 50 miles from the shore, good pizza and bagels, and Taylor ham and cheese on a hard roll are just a handful of the luxuries of New Jersey.

Haters only associate Jersey with having bad drivers, but at least we understand the concept of the left lane—keep right except to pass. When driving through Pennsylvania, drivers stick right at the speed limit and drive in the left lane—it’s called the fast lane for a reason. Jerseians understand that the speed limit is a suggestion, and going 80 miles an hour is perfectly acceptable on a highway, proving that we’re efficient and don’t waste any time.

Being in Ithaca has really made me appreciate Jersey even more. Whenever I encounter someone at a party and we run through the whole “What year are you/Where are you from?” deal, the people from Jersey always react the same way. “No way! You’re from Jersey? Me too! What part?” And we’re instantaneously friends.

Driving by and seeing Jersey license plates in parking lots also brings me great joy. Whenever we Jerseians drive by each other up here, we always give each other some sort of nod, acknowledging the fact that we’re from Jersey, and we understand how everyone else looks at us, so we give each other some love.

It was the first state to sign the Bill of Rights. The first organized game of baseball and the first professional game of basketball were played right in Hoboken and Trenton, respectively. The properties in Monopoly are named after streets in Atlantic City. What more could one ask for out of their home state?


That is all.

Caseface