On Friday Valerie and I hope to head up to Northern Virginia that we might cut an hour and a half off of our Saturday trip up to New Jersey.
We'll be in Jersey (mostly) for several days, driving back down on Independence Day, and likely hanging out with our friend Rebecca in New York at some point. We'll also catch the incredible THIRD of July fireworks over the Navesink River in Red Bank with my Dad after a huge party for family and neighbors at his house. The fireworks, of course, are provided by the same guys who put on the show for NYC on the 4th, so it's always amazing.
As a reminder, here are some of the reasons why I'm pumped about hitting my home state, the Garden State:
1. The food. Naturally. Pizza, Italian ice, bagels, hard rolls - need I say more? Oh yeah - there are Dunkin' Donuts everywhere (I DO love Krispy Kreme, but other than their fresh hot glazed doughnuts, I still prefer DD for most anything else).
2. Proximity to the mighty Atlantic. I love the ocean, and having spent my formative years so close, I've still never recovered from moving further inland when I became a Southerner. My grandma's house, where I'll be staying, is six blocks from Sea Girt beach. Even walking along the board walk smelling the sea air is enough to make me feel like a contented child.
3. Old town charm. And I mean truly old town. Many of the towns where I hang out in Jersey were founded over three hundred years ago, and as a result, they've filled in slowly with quaint interesting buildings and layouts that weren't designed with cars in mind. Jersey may be packed with people, but at least it's not carpeted with subdivisions like Northern VA.
I think I'm also looking forward to some time off again (already?). A five-day weekend followed by a short week when I return to Richmond is just what I need to recharge my batteries.
