# Moving to New Jersey in three weeks! What do I need to know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787 "2011-01-07T20:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/61 "2011-01-10T21:40:33Z")
There is no such thing as the “beach”. It’s called “the Shore”. In spite of what you see in the TV show (which takes place in Wildwood IIRC), much of the Jersey Shore (like LBI or Madasquan) is actually pretty nice. People here often have an unhealthy obsession with Bon Jovi and Bruce Springstein. Most people will identify a geographical position by its proximity to an exit on either the Garden State Parkway or NJ Turnpike. Hoboken, NJ has a shit-ton of bars, clubs and restaurants (including several steak, sushi, pizza, Indian, Thai and pretty much whatever else you can think of) as well as a W hotel. While it’s not NYC, it makes an attractive alternative for a night out if you don’t feel like spending the extra time and money trying to go into Manhattan on a Friday or Saturday night. (Which you can still do anyway via the PATH, ferry or 126 bus should you change your mind). ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/62 "2011-01-10T22:00:54Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Meh. I have friends who live in Newport. It’s ok, but I wouldn’t want to live there, it’s a very very bland place. But I can understand some Southern California envy. Although I am sure the weather was nice. You only got a little of the winter rain. > > It’s 70 and sunny outside my office right now. I will miss being able to wear t-shits and flip flops year round. But really I am not taking advantage of it like I could. I have lived here for 28 years and never even learned to surf. 😉 Enjoy the sunny weather while you can. The prediction is for 6 - 12 inches of snow late Tuesday into Wednesday morning for northern NJ. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/63 "2011-01-10T22:53:56Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There is no such thing as the “beach”. It’s called “the Shore”. ProTip: We use people calling it “down da shore” as a Benny detector. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/64 "2011-01-18T23:59:27Z")
I want to give this a little bump now that I am closer to the move date. Movers show up on Sunday to pack our things into a truck and cart them across the country. We fly out on Tuesday, spend a few days with family in Lancaster County PA, and then move in Saturday. It’s 85 and dry out right now. I hear that the weather isn’t quite this nice out there at the moment. It’s a little bit sick that I am looking forward to the bad weather, right? ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/65 "2011-01-19T00:58:36Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Hey, on the gas pumping front…are you expected to tip the guy who pumps your gas? Not only do you not have to tip the attendant for pumping your gas, gas is cheaper in NJ than in many other states (due to the current tax laws). So yeah, your gas is cheaper and someone else does the work. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/66 "2011-01-19T04:22:16Z")
I used to work for the [Summit Medical Group](http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/), and I’d recommend them if you’re looking for a doctor. They take patient care pretty seriously, and because they’re ginormous, most specialists are in-house. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/67 "2011-01-19T04:55:27Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Actually, it is. Be prepared to spend at least twice as much of your life at gas stations as you currently do. > > You need to wait for an attendent to come over to insert the pump. Then wait again for him to come over again and remove it. In some cases, you need to wait yet again for him to process your payment and return your credit card. It can take a LOT of time, in a busy station. There is a partial solution to this problem: Just pump your own gas anyway. It doesn’t speed up the cars in front of you, but you don’t sit there feeling like a doofus. I find that most gas attendants don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/68 "2011-01-19T13:11:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, it is. Be prepared to spend at least twice as much of your life at gas stations as you currently do. > > You need to wait for an attendent to come over to insert the pump. Then wait again for him to come over again and remove it. In some cases, you need to wait yet again for him to process your payment and return your credit card. It can take a LOT of time, in a busy station. > Reply With Quote You are definitely over-moaning this. I grew up in NJ and visit frequently. This has never been a problem for me. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/69 "2011-01-19T18:24:14Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > There is a partial solution to this problem: Just pump your own gas anyway. It doesn’t speed up the cars in front of you, but you don’t sit there feeling like a doofus. I find that most gas attendants don’t mind. This is actually illegal, and yes, some attendants do mind. You get in their way. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/70 "2011-01-19T18:33:47Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > There is a partial solution to this problem: Just pump your own gas anyway. It doesn’t speed up the cars in front of you, but you don’t sit there feeling like a doofus. I find that most gas attendants don’t mind. True, but there are some attendants who mind a lot. The reason is that they can get seriously fined if you are caught doing this. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > You are definitely over-moaning this. I grew up in NJ and visit frequently. This has never been a problem for me. Do it a couple of times a week and then let’s see. It’s an enormous time-waster. I actually think most NJ people who prefer having attendents do so because they are unfamiliar with the process, not visiting other states too often, and prefer to leave it to the “pros”. BTW, I would also guess that there’s another downside to the attendent system in that the vast majority of gas stations on NJ are closed late at night, since it’s not worthwhile to pay people to man them at those times. I would think unmanned gas stations in other states should commonly be open 24 hours, but I don’t know if this is actually the case. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/71 "2011-01-19T18:44:10Z")
Route 78 is a nice highway, I’m not sure if the division of local and express lanes go that far west. Be very careful the first time you drive on Route 22, it takes some getting used to. If you like nature, you’re very close to Watchung Reservation, someone else mentioned Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Oh yeah, stay the hell out of Irvington and Newark, the crime rates are high. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/72 "2011-02-02T20:35:52Z")
Thanks to everyone who participated in the thread. I am moved in now and starting to settle into life here on the East Coast. It’s different, but not drastically different. My biggest thanks go to the people who helped me understand a jughandle turn and how to spot them before I moved here. You saved me a whole heck of a lot of frustration. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/73 "2011-02-02T20:39:11Z")
Welcome! If you’re ever planning to take the NAFlette for a day at the beach, let me know… ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/74 "2011-02-02T20:59:50Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > It’s different, but not drastically different. **checks Weather Channel** Really? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/75 "2011-02-02T21:08:44Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Welcome! If you’re ever planning to take the NAFlette for a day at the beach, let me know… Once the weather gets nice I’ll shoot a PM in your direction. > [@Asimovian](#): > > **checks Weather Channel** > > Really? 😃 Yeah, snow \*is \*drastic, I guess, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I have some fun pictures of our first day here, right after 18 inches fell, which I took so our friends back home would go :eek:, but really, snow isn’t that bad. The ice this morning, on the other hand, that was a whole new type of suck. But yeah on the whole it isn’t that different, though it is clearly a different culture with slightly different rules that I don’t totally understand. But that’s sort of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/76 "2011-02-02T21:46:31Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > The ice this morning, on the other hand, that was a whole new type of suck. Fortunately, the “town encased in a sheet of ice” sort of thing that I understand much of the state got (and which we somehow avoided) is an _extreme_ rarity. I can only remember two days like that in my entire life. Lucky you, landing on one right out of the box. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/77 "2011-02-03T02:09:43Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > This is actually illegal, and yes, some attendants do mind. You get in their way. I know it’s illegal, but it’s a stupid law. Hence I break it. Really, most _I’ve encountered_ don’t make a fuss. How do I get in the way of the attendant? When I pump my own gas, they don’t have to come to my car at all. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > True, but there are some attendants who mind a lot. The reason is that they can get seriously fined if you are caught doing this. I don’t mean this to be snarky, but do you have a cite that they will be (seriously) fined if I get out of my car and insist on pumping my own gas? This may convince me to stop doing it, as I don’t want to screw over the attendant. ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/78 "2011-02-03T02:14:04Z")
We have a really fat Republican governor who thinks he is the second coming. With any luck, he will be voted out of office next time around. Not only is he a disgusting fat slob; he has so many pals to payback for his election, that the state is going to hell in a handbasket.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/79 "2011-02-03T02:16:52Z")
> [@AshenLady](#): > > We have a really fat Republican governor who thinks he is the second coming. Unfortunately, waaaay too many people share his way of thinking. ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787/80 "2011-02-03T02:18:16Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Unfortunately, waaaay too many people share his way of thinking. And plenty others feel his thinking is a pile of crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-new-jersey-in-three-weeks-what-do-i-need-to-know/566787.md?page=5)