On January 4th, my family found out that my wife was approved for a transfer/promotion to Summit, New Jersey. We just signed an application for an apartment in New Providence this morning, and assuming everything checks out, we will be signing a lease by the end of the day. The upside is, it’s a fantastic opportunity, and she will make enough money that I can afford to be out of work for a few months and get us set up in our new home. The downside is that the job starts on February 1st, which doesn’t leave us (me) a lot of time to learn about the area.
My wife grew up in and still have has family in Lancaster County PA, and we have one or two friends in the NYC/New Jersey area…but I grew up in Los Angeles and have never even visited that part of the country.
What does a guy like me from LA need to know before heading to New Jersey…in February.
I should probably buy a warm coat.
Not just weather though, I am looking for little day to day life things like grocery shopping, buying gas (you can’t pump your own right?), etc.
What does a person relocating in a hurry, need to know?
Do you have a hat and gloves? Get some of those earwarmers behind the ear, so they don’t mess your hair up (if you’re going to job interviews, etc). Get gloves with little grippie pads on them; tons of stuff online sent to your new address or REI if you want to try 'em on first.
Scarf. Do you have thick jeans/pants?
I’d take your cars into the mechanic and say “we’re moving somewhere super cold!” Make sure the tire pressure and treads are good, maybe buy some winter tires too. And fill your winshield wiper fluid!!!
ETA: Have you set up an appointment with the cable/internet provider? I’d do that ASAP. When you actually get there, while your wife is at work, I’d unpack and such. But when you get sick of unpacking, go to a local coffee shop. Get a paper, relax, apply for jobs online from there. Getting out of the house early on is the best thing you can do so you start getting a sense of the local culture and people and atmosphere. Good luck!
Warm coat, gloves, hat, and waterproof boots. Weather is like NYC, which is right across the river.
You’re really close to the City, which ought to be reachable by public transit, you lucky dog (much preferable to trying to drive in and park).
You’re correct that you can’t pump your own gas. This isn’t really a problem, though.
I haven’t been to new Providence, but Summit is supposed to be a really nice place. Northern NJ, especially, is pretty nice and wooded, and you’re far enough from the refineries at Linden/Elizabeth that these ought not to be a hassle. When I first brought some out-of-state friends to northern NJ, they were surprised that it wasn’t all urban. Not even close. Also, the accent in NJ is not at all what people make it out to be – most people, trying to speak “Jersey” , affect a Brooklyn or Manhattan accent. Please note, by the way, that all but one of the folks on “Jersey Shore” are actually from New York. You’ll have to discover the NJ stereotypes on your own.
South Jersey Girl here. You’re right, you can’t pump your own gas, but I don’t know why anyone would WANT to. I like staying in my nice warm car while the attendant is the one who has to stand outside and freeze while pumping the smelly gas into my car. The only downside is, if the station is busy, you have to sit and wait for the attendant to get to you, then wait for him to come back and take your money. Not a big deal unless you’re in a hurry.
The New Jersey left!! (near relation to the Michigan Left). I think the official name is a “jughandle” – its an traffic pattern which requires you to turn left from the right lane, with a cloverleaf off ramp putting you in the right direction. Basically how you exit a highway onto another highway. However in New Jersey (its native habitat) the jughandle exit is seen on all kinds of streets, not just highways.
There is a confusing mass of toll-and non-toll roads in northern New Jersey. Whenever I drive in New Jersey away from the Turnpike, I pretty much always end up pulled over and crying. But being from LA, I’m sure you can hack it.
45 minutes from my house to Penn station including the walk to the train. It wasn’t too much of a factor when we were looking for an apartment, but it was a nice bonus.
Also, thanks for the advice about gloves and a hat everyone. I really would not have thought about that. The coldest it ever regularly get’s out here is the high 40s.
@Asimovian:
Thanks for the well wishes. I am a bit sad to be leaving. We have been looking to move away for a couple of years now, and I am really excited to go somewhere new, but there is a lot about LA that I am really going to miss.
I have read this over three or four times now, and still can not actually picture how this doesn’t cause thousands of deaths a year.
Anyone want to explain it further, or is this one of those things I am going to have to see myself to actually understand?
My wife warned me about this. She said that growing up her mom would frequently break down crying that she could “see where she wanted to go, but you can’t get there from here!”
I don’t know that LA’s grid will have prepared me for this. I do know how to navigate assholes on the highway though and even spot them from a quarter mile off before they cause me problems.
Summit is a gorgeous little town. You will find that 1/2 of your neighbors work in Mahattan. Restaurants are first claass, one step below NYC. Nice and cosmopolitan with a New England small town feel.
Ok, let me try again. That did sound a little crazy. I mean it is a little crazy, but not as crazy as I made it sound.
In order to go left, you turn right from the right lane, onto a cloverleaf-type arrangement that spits you out in the same direction you would have gone, if you were allowed to turn left from the left lane (which you aren’t). Like changing from a highway going north to a highway going west, except done on surface streets.
Hey there! Longtime lurker, first time poster here. I registered to respond to your post because I’m a lifelong NJ resident and currently live in Summit. I used to commute on the train, so I’m very familiar with that trip. I’d be happy to answer any of your specific questions about life in the town or north Jersey in particular… and especially how to navigate our roads Feel free to send me a PM if you prefer.
In fact, I think jughandles are one of the safest ways to navigate a left turn or u-turn in a dangerous intersection. My least favorite road in NJ is route 22 near the Garden State Parkway, which has only traditional U-turns through the center island. Drivers in NJ can be very aggressive, and jughandles are a good way to solve that problem by using a traffic light to control the flow of traffic.
Just keep an eye out for signs that say “All Turns from Right Lane” as a clue that you might be encountering a jughandle.
The key is that there is indeed a traffic light, they don’t just make you white-knuckle it perpendicularly across a busy highway. (Not that an LA resident wouldn’t be up to the challenge.)
The Summit/New Providence/Chatham area is beautiful. Full of historical areas. Not the NJ Turnpike hell most people know/associate NJ with. The train to Manhattan will often be frustrating, but you’ll get tough and get used to it. A lot of restaurants will be BYOB if you like wine with dinner, which is strange at first, but very economical in reality. Bring your favorite bottle you get at Gary’s (local wine/liquor/beer superstore) for much less than the restaurant would charge. If you are interested in a good local butcher, check out Green Village Packing, right in the area (http://local.yahoo.com/info-10862860-green-village-packing-company-green-village).
I used to live in Convent Station, right up Rt. 124. I miss it it often. On the other hand, crazy taxes and odd laws (aforementioned gas pumping, etc. might confound you at first.)
Oh yeah, more important than anything, that middle finger on your non-driving hand? Exercise it. You’ll need it.
Also, the official breakfast sandwich of NJ, available at all local coffee joints, is the:
“taylorhameggandcheesesaltpepperketchup”
Say it like that and you’ll be fine. That’s a Taylor ham (pork roll), egg and cheese sandwich on a hard roll with salt, pepper, and ketchup. No matter how gross it may sound to non-NJ folks, it is heaven (and also our standard hangover cure.)
Another place I recommend highly in Summit is Natale’s Summit Bakery, located on Broad St just south of the hospital. People drive from the neighboring counties to pick up bread, cookies, and cakes, among many other fantastic things. The parking situation at the bakery can be insane, with cars lined up down the street as early as their 6am opening. But they run a tight ship there, and you can usually be in and out very quickly.
Seriously, once you try, you’ll never want to get your baked goods from anywhere else. Try the butter cookies and the checkerboard cakes
A lot of restaurants will be BYOB if you like wine with dinner, which is strange at first, but very economical in reality. Bring your favorite bottle you get at Gary’s (local wine/liquor/beer superstore) for much less than the restaurant would charge. If you are interested in a good local butcher, check out Green Village Packing, right in the area (