<p>oh, i wasn’t counting the star wars movies definetely don’t count. no one was good in those. but from way back in the professional all the way to closer, she’s always been great.</p>
<p>barrons and idler - another Hunterdon County person here (we lived in NJ before we moved to Colorado). We lived in the woods near Califon, up above the Raritan River Gorge. That’s where we started buying 4WD vehicles. There were many days that first winter where I couldn’t get my car all the way to our house bacause of the snow. People as close as Clinton would say, “What snow?” We also used to hang out at the Pittstown Inn. They had the best chocolate cheesecake back then. So the Daz-O-Dell is now a McDonalds, eh… I wonder if they’ve replaced the one-lane bridges that crossed the river in Califon (and the next one further South). When we were first in NJ looking for a house, we crossed that bridge and knew that’s where we wanted to live even before we saw the house itself. That part of NJ above Clinton and High Bridge is spectacularly beautiful.</p>
<p>So, barrons and digmedia: I’ve been trying to recall the name of a beautiful, nearby reservoir we used to swim in, possibly in Lebanon(?) Ring a bell?</p>
<p>Round Valley or Spruce Run. RV is by Lebanon and SR is by Clinton.</p>
<p>BTW I have been getting the Hunterdon County Democrat every week since leaving the area in 1971. The ultimate local weekly. I used to see which of my friends was getting married or having kids. Now I see who is having their kids get married or on a few occasions, who on went to schoool with is already passing on.</p>
<p>Round Valley–that’s it!</p>
<p>It’s a shame that so many of you in this thread have moved away. I grew up in Bound Brook and now live in Montclair. Nice thing about New Jersey is that we still have downtowns that define our towns - everything isn’t a strip mall. We didn’t build every community on cul-de-sacs and feeder roads that jam up traffic during rush hour - I can drive from Montclair to Cape May without ever getting on a major highway. And because there’s really no place to build any more housing - the traffic isn’t nearly as bad as I find it in SF, or LA or Chicago. And good luck finding good Italian food anywhere else. I guess you always have Olive Garden - no respectable Italian I know would eat there.</p>
<p>Good to hear about Leaning Tower of Pizza - it’s now a Japanese Steakhouse. Those from Scotch Plains must also remember Updykes and the Planters Peanut Store on 22 - when I was a kid they’d hire a guy to dress up in a Mr. Peanut costume and wave at people on Rt. 22.</p>
<p>“And because there’s really no place to build any more housing - the traffic isn’t nearly as bad as I find it in SF, or LA or Chicago.”</p>
<p>Wow, if this is true, I certainly wouldn’t want to live in SF, LA or Chicago. Have you tried to drive on Route 287 in Middlesex or the Parkway at rush hour?</p>
<p>I was shocked when I first saw the bumper-bumper traffic on 78 around Oldwick. We used to fly down that road.<br>
I’d love to move back to Clinton but the cost of houses and taxes are just too much for my retirement budget. So I’ll be in Virginia and only six hours from a good steak sandwich at the root beer stand on Hwy 31 near Washington. We plan to make the trip often as I still have family in the area.</p>
<p>I remember the Mr. Peanut guy, oib1! There was always one walking the boardwalk in Atlantic City (when it still had elegant old hotels and not casinos everywhere…) What’s up with the Flagship these days? I know it was a bar for a while, and a furniture store, and I think a car dealership: please don’t tell me it’s empty or demolished?</p>
<p>OK, I have just three words that bring back my youth vividly:</p>
<p>Jersey sweet corn.</p>
<p>From a farm stand, of course!
(And PS: Netflix delivered “Garden State” yesterday, I’ll be watching it this weekend!)</p>
<p>“Those from Scotch Plains must also remember Updykes and the Planters Peanut Store on 22 - when I was a kid they’d hire a guy to dress up in a Mr. Peanut costume and wave at people on Rt. 22.”</p>
<p>And Plainfield and North Plainfield too. </p>
<p>When I was young, I used to work at the family store, Eber’s Patio Shop, just down 22 from Opdykes (was it spelled with an O or a U?) and the Planter Peanuts Shop. They used to have hot dog and hamburger platters and Taylor pork roll sandwiches. Didn’t they also have these great muffins? Wow, who would have thought that people in CC would be familiar with that particular part of 22? Actually, I am so old that I remember it when it was US 29.</p>
<p>A New Jersey thread–yay!!!</p>
<p>I really liked Harold and Kumar (just for the sight of a Garden state Parkway tollbooth in all its glory. Haven’t seen Garden State yet.</p>
<p>Idler–my H and I love to kayak in Round Valley Reservoir.</p>
<p>For the record–we both grew up in Monmouth Co, now live in Essex, but ultimately want to move down to the south, Cape May if we could afford it, but since we’d like a small farm, most likely Cumberland.</p>
<p>When I was a student at Rutgers in the 1960s we used to joke about the kids from South Jersey. Some of them came from such tiny places that they would tell us what exit off the Parkway they lived rather than name their home town since no one from North or Central Jersey would have heard of it.</p>
<p>Well, I remember an alternative (to The Targum) newspaper at RU called “Exit 9”</p>
<p>There is one place in Seattle that sells Taylor Pork Roll. My wife loves the stuff but I can leave it. A pound goes for $9.00.</p>
<p>If you like to see snippets of Jersey landmarks, check out the Sopranos. It’s fun just to see if you can pick out the locale of the shoot. A lot of it is in the north part of the state which is fairly foreign to me, but when they show scenes from the Jersey shore area, a lot of it is very familiar. </p>
<p>Another fairly recent TV event that featured New Jersey - primarily the shore area - was on the Tonight show where they had a 3-part series produced by Kevin Smith showcasing his highlights of NJ. I was very familiar with every one of those.</p>
<p>Exit 9 is the exit on the Turnpike for New Brunswick.</p>
<p>Were was Glen Gardner? I used to go to boy scout camp there.</p>
<p>Fundingfather: I grew up in Kevin Smith country, so part of the fun of watching his movies is definitely playing spot the landmark, or recognize the reference (eg, one of the characters in Chasing Amy supposedly went to my HS.)</p>
<p>Once I summer I drive my bike down to Atlantic Highlands to ride the Henry Hudson bike trail, and I always stop along the way at the Quick Stop in Leonardo of “Clerks” fame.</p>
<p>Same Boy Scout Camp I went to - in Califon - Camp Watchung</p>
<p>the wilderness camp for our Boy Scout District was in NY State - Camp Sabattis</p>