everwoodfan52

So where are you from?

Northern NJ

It's interesting...people who live in Northern New Jersey are New Yorkers. They root for the Giants, Yankees, Rangers.
People who live in Southern New Jersey are Philadelphians. They root for the Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers. It's like two different states.

How many diners do you frequent?

Serveral. But I have a favorite.
New Jersey has a high cost of living because of it's proximity to NYC. It is part of the New York Metropolitan area. Homes are more expensive. You can buy a plantation down south for the price of a modest home in NJ.
But...I believe the salaries in NJ are higher for the most part.

jediwands

Yes, that makes sense. The state of PA is a lot like that.

How far is Northern NJ from Southern NJ?

What would be a typical meal you would order there?

So it all kind of evens out?

That is incredible thinking about the plantation/modest NJ home comparison...

everwoodfan52

New Jersey is 166 miles long from north to south. So...I guess half way.



I go there every Sunday after Mass for breakfast. If I go during the week, I'll get a salad with grilled chicken or a wrap or a burger and fries. I also love their soups.

Not necessarily. Not totally even. It's still difficult to pay the huge mortgages and high taxes.

I may be exaggerating about a plantation...but I do know, personally, people who have moved to North Carolina and bought a huge mansion for half the money they sold their little NJ home for.

jediwands

Got it.

Yum. Do you know how the Jersey/Diner connection got started? Why are you famous for endless diners?

I can only imagine. I am sure many people move to Jersey to have closer access to NYC. It is natural taxing and mortgages would be higher. But what about areas in Jersey that are not close to NYC? Are the taxes and mortgages lower?

That is incredible.

secretk

Betty those are interesting to read. I didn't know that New Jersey is famous with tomatoes and cranberries.

I suspected that the high cost of living has something to do with New York and the way the jobs are paid. It's good to know that coming with the higher standard, there is always good salary that could help you satisfy your needs.

I had to laugh at the malls fact, because I kind of dislike them and there are at least 5 in the city where I live and I just can't get the hype . How do you feel about them?

jediwands

Koni, I can't imagine what you'd think of the Mall of America in Minnesota then.

http://www.mallofamerica.com/home

The biggest mall in the United States. It's enormous, indoor amusement park and all. LOL.

secretk

Michelle I think that the malls here are different than what you are used to . Usually the rent in the malls is way too expensive, so everything there is expensive. You get to buy a piece of clothing for twice the price that it deserves. Besides it's too crowded there - too many people make me suffocate.

And it's not only about the money, but the quantity of the clothes. I don't want to give 1/2 of the minimal salary in our country for a bra that would be tore down after 3-4 laundries. I'm sorry, but that's not acceptable for me. That's why I love to shop in the town that is near my home one. There the same clothes are half the price and hey there is real discount there. So that's why I hate malls. I'm sure that it's different for you and most probably you don't have such problems.

Wow biggest mall in USA. It does seems enormous.

everwoodfan52

I'm not sure how it started, but this is an interesting article about the history..

Hangout - Diners


I hate them, They're crowded, they've become a hang out...but sometimes they're a necessary evil.

secretk

Yes, especially during the winter. Sometimes it's too cold to shop outside and in the malls there is almost everything.

Still though I do go there only in emergency cases .

jediwands

I totally see where you're coming from and I agree.

I am totally a jeans and t-shirt/sweatshirt kind of person so I do not even worry about fashion and all of that. Even if I did, I prefer to bargain shop and get the best deals over overpriced clothing at a mall.

Yes, it is huge, and I do have to say that Camp Snoopy (The Amusement Park) is something else. It is a lot of fun.

I also go to the bars there too. Yes, there is one floor entirely dedicated to bars and comedy shows, entertainment.

The one thing I do like at the Mall of America is it literally has everything you could ever imagine. If you want something very specific and very specialized, I guarantee there will be a shop there that will sell it. Even something very rare and difficult to track down.. 95% chance you WILL find it at the Mall of America.

So if I need a specialty store, I will certainly head to the Mall of America because I will get what I want. Also, I talked in depth with Hilarie Burton, Sophia Bush and Alexis Bledel there a few years ago which was a lot of fun. LOL Hilarie commented on my Ohio State sweatshirt and basically asked me to go out with her that night. I told her I was busy, yes I did, because I truly was.

Jerry D

I wouldn't have turned Hilarie Burton down Michelle!

I miss going to diners in New Jersey. My friends and I would often end up at a diner after the bars closed. I would either get a Grilled Swiss Cheese and Bacon Sandwich or a Swiss Cheese Omelet. I was a creature of habit!

They really don't have diners like that here in Texas.

jediwands

She was very sweet. It was back when the show was in its 1st or 2nd season, I believe. I remember it was quite early because Hilarie and Sophia were doing a promotional event there at the Mall of America. I bumped into Hilarie in the bathroom. The event was right outside of the huge Barnes & Noble. I was in the bookstore, she came in and we met and talked in the bathroom. We literally talked for about 15 minutes. She told me where they were going later on that evening and invited me to come along. I was at the bookstore for something school related because I had a huge project to complete by that Monday. So I said thanks but no thanks. LOL. She was very nice and every bit as real and kind as you could imagine.

What memories you must have during your time with your friends back in NY/NJ Both food choices sound superb, too! LOL

Yes, in Cleveland we had some diners but not like it appears to be in NJ. We have a lot of "dive" restaurants right off of Lake Erie but a few diners downtown.

Of course Minnesota has a hugely famous diner that a bunch of celebrities have frequented and the movie, "Mighty Ducks" really focused in on:

Mickey's Diner

That food is incredible! It is every bit as delicious and rich as the diner is in history!

secretk

Michelle your story about Hilarie Burton sounds fun. I don't care about fashion at all and I don't wear clothes that are just considered as fashion. I wear clothes that I like and suit me. And yes jeans and T-shirt is the most comfortable thing, even for work . I don't need to wear something else, because really my job is to sit on the PC, not to see customers or in the services business.

That being said sometimes I get signals from the spaces, so I will buy some casual dresses/skirts for fun. And I do have some official dresses like the one for my prom since after all my company has annual Christmas party that is black tie option. But that's just because sometimes I need to look like a woman and with jeans I look like school girl .

everwoodfan52

Koni, I wasn't aware that Prom was a universal thing. So, they have Proms in Bulgaria? What are they like?


Michelle, Mickey"s Diner looks so retro and cool. It's very similar to NJ diners.

secretk

We do have Prom that is in the end of our last year in high school.

Usually all students from some year (I have to mention here that we have different organization in high school than in USA) pay for some restaurant. Ours was in 5 star hotel restaurant. So we are there with all the teachers and the director of the high school. This goes till 12:00 or latest 1:00 am. After that we had reservation in bar and we stayed there till 6 am.

Then there is a tradition in our city. See Plovdiv is build on 5 hills (like Rome). There is a monument on one of the hill and we go there to meet there the sunrise. After that we have tradition in our school - we visit every classroom at school and after that we go home. So yeah we do celebrate prom and it's memorable.

After the prom we usually have some excursion with the class and the teacher that was responsible for us for those 5 years in high school (that's also part of our organization). So we went for 3 nights on the beach and it was like parties till 6 am and only 2-3 hours sleep .