It’s in the back parking lot opposite RT 1.
Another one in Hunderton County, in Frenchtown there is a famous statue of a blue mule (scroll down a bit to see it). It is usually moved in the winter and a Christmas tree is there in it’s place. The whole town is a quaint river town and nice to walk in.
Then in Pittstown there is the well known sign . It is across the street from the Pittstown Inn, a historic building and a very good restaurant.
The Hackensack Meadowlands should be on the list. Not just as it relates to the stadium, but as it’s own topic (because it has a fascinating history).
There’s also the Pinebarrens, the Great Swamp, and the Delaware Water Gap. But my favorite natural stomping ground is the South Mountain Reservation, up in Essex County. It’s a cool place to go to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July because you can see the Staten Island/Manhattan shows as well as the local ones.
For cute towns, nothing beats South Orange.
If he wants to ever review good diners, there’s Tops Diner in East Newark and Willy’s in Bloomfield. Their food alone makes me miss NJ.
The Ironbound district in Newark is also a landmark.
Bridgeton: The Cohansic River (and zoo) or Carl’s Corner. Or maybe even the old Owens-Illinois plant
Upper Deerfield: Seabrook Farms
Mullica Hill: Lots of little antique stores on Rt. 77
Oh man, I’ll have to dig up some more from South Jersey.
Tripler
Ramsey: Oh, I know a few things around that town too. 
Sorry, I got on a roll, then I got distracted and then I added more.
I should mention, that you need to check out the Weird NJ website and the next Dope Fest at my house, you need to check out the two Weird NJ books I have.
Jim
There have to be at least a half-dozen Paul Bunyon-esque 50-foot giant scattered about Jersey, many with tires on their arms… I can think of a few between Philly and Atlantic City alone…
A shot from every Boardwalk…
All the Stadiums…
Liberty3701 has both books and all of the magazines.
This is great stuff! I love the Pittstown sign, particularly. And, yeah, Weird NJ was part of the inspiration for this.
In Glen Ridge, take a photo in front of the arcade. Not a video game arcade, but a small collection of shops next to the police station. It’s the only real commercial space in the whole town. Bonus points if you can get one of the town’s trademark gas lamps into the picture.
That should make life easy then.
If you like Kevin Smith at all, you can track down the locations he used in his early movies. Especially get to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, Riverview Hospital where God was in a Coma in Dogma and look for the Buddy Jesus in the Secret Stash. You can find the “Quick Stop” building in Leonardo.
It might be interesting to track down every White Castle in NJ as a photo study.
You said every town…
Monmouth Beach besides the seawall also has an old Life saving station on Rt 36 opposite the seawall.
Howell Township has the Collingswood Flea Market.
Englishtown has the Flea Market, the Race Track or a cute little old town center.
Tinton Falls has the Tinton Falls behind the Grist Mill at 1213 Sycamore Ave.
Eatontown has the Monmouth Mall (or the White Castles, opposite it on Rt 35)
Farmingdale has the Patty-o-Matic factory at 185 Squankum Rd. Might be a good shot with the sign.
Freehold has its downtown sidewalk eateries, the Freehold Mall or the Freehold Race Track.
Matawan has Main Street, Burroughs Mansion or the Matawan creek which had the shark attacks that inspired Jaws. (In fact, I am sure this was mentioned in Weird NJ)
Aberdeen, maybe you can track down the apartment complex where David L. Smith, creator of the Melissa worm, lived.
More later …
For your Jersey Shore portion
Belmar - DJais night club
Point Pleasant - Jenkinson’s Boardwalk
Sea Girt - The Parker House
Sandy Hook - the lighthouse
Spring Lake - there’s some big Victorian hotel right by the water but I can’t remember the name
Wildwood - the amusement park
There’s at least one lady one. I can’t remember the name of the town, but it’s off exit 1 going north on the NJ TPK - it’s where the cheap gas is on the way to my in-laws’.
I can’t believe I forgot the Stone Pony in Asbury or the old Casino.
The place in Spring Lake might be the Ocean House or the Spring Lake Grand Victorian.
I drive past it almost everyday. The small R U Lost? portion of the sign is in the current issue of Weird NJ.
Charles Addams grew up in Westfield and based the Addams family’s house on 2 houses there: Charles Addams (1912-1988) * Westfield, New Jersey
And I have to second Northlandz. I’m not into model trains at all but that place is just astounding.
Iselin is a SE Asian shopper’s Mecca. There was an article in the Star-Ledger a year or two ago about the phenomenon of Indian- & Pakistani-Americans driving here from as far away as Washington, D.C. just to hit the local merchants for jewelry, saris, votary items, etc. – to say nothing of the grocers and restaurants, which are numerous. So a shot or two of the local strips would be good.
Also, there’s an Iselin laundromat (Krishna Laundromat) that seems to be trying to cover all the proverbial bases in their interior-design schema. Aside from the votive incense burner and Hindu idol perched on the change machine, there’s a plaque or something of Christian schlock on one wall, and on another there’s an '80’s Van Halen mirror or plaque thingy, flanked on both sides by '60’s- or '70’s-era googly-eyed hippy children pictures. This raises the question: was this [Hindu/Christian/arena rock/flower power kitsch] tetrad erected to pander to a considerable swath of the local population, or should it be interpreted as a culturally anthropological record of one Hindu-American entrepreneurial family’s cultural assimilation into a world of Mosaic monotheism and bad taste in music and domestic decor?
If this particular laundromat is at all typical of this industry, there’s a whole world of [often immigrant] family-owned (and thus eccentrically decorated) laundromats out there that should be photographed for their non-corporate, individual senses of style, as a found-art project. But have I actually started on this project? No-oo–oo-oo, so it might as well be your friend who memorializes the Krishna L. in all its kitschy, DIY-decor glory… before somebody gives them a “heads up” and they redo it.
None of these are particularly fascinating or anything, but if Rocco is going to visit every town, here are my picks for my old stomping grounds.
Monroe Township - Not a whole lot going on here. I think there are a couple of historical markers somewhere in Thompson Park. There are also plenty of adult communities, so maybe a picture in front of one of those. But my personal pick would be the NJ Training School for Boys. It’s just a neat looking campus IMO. My mother worked there as a nurse when I was younger.
Helmetta - The Old Snuff Mill - if it’s even still standing, I don’t really know.
Jamesburg - Either Buckelew Mansion or Greek’s Playland
South River - South River Museum - It’s on Main St. in downtown SR. The cemetery behind it is pretty interesting.
Sayreville - The Sayre & Fisher Reading Room - A showcase for the Sayre & Fisher Company that was at one time the largest brickyard in the world. Here’s a NYT article.
Marlboro - Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital - Creepy cool.
Little Silver - Train Station
Shrewsbury - Corner of Sycamore and 35
Deal - Deal Casino or Philips Ave Beach Club
Allenhurst - The traffic light instersection at Corlies and Main
Bordentown City - The Clara Barton school? Is Bonaparte’s house still around?
Freehold Boro - The old Hall of Records on 537
Manalapan - a Farm Market or a former farm that’s now luxury homes. Either can do.
Anywhere south of 195: Take a picture of a Wawa and a pine tree!
Oh, I could offer another pick for South River, but it might be a little hard to find.
In Veteran’s Park. If you head towards the left after entering the park and follow the river’s edge for about a quarter of a mile, there is an odd little…hangout? I can’t really even describe it. Looks like a bunch of kids have created this odd little area to just hang out and drink or smoke weed or whatever. With 5 or 6 separate ‘rooms’ set up and little doo dads and stuff hung on or around the trees and bushes in the area.
A friend of mine and I went out there a couple of years ago with my kids to check it out. I guess he saw it once while on a boat in the river. I thought I had taken a few pics of it, but I’m not finding them.
I forgot about the shore. My family spent a fair amount of time on Long Beach Island when I was a kid. Pretty much any spot on Long Beach Blvd (which runs the length of the island) will be recognizable, but specific recommendations are:
[ul]
[li]Barnegat Light - The lighthouse of course. And the park / jetty / etc that the lighthouse is next to. [/li]
[li]Surf City - Hmm. Maybe the Surf City Hotel or the bay beach.[/li]
[li]Ship Bottom - The causeway to the mainland. Or Ron Jon Surf Shop. [/li]
[li]Beach Haven - The Fantasy Island / Bay Village / water park / Schooner’s Wharf complex. [/li]
[/ul]