The New Jersey Conundrum.

One interesting thing I noticed while I was in Philadelphia was that apparently nobody wants to visit New Jersey.

From my experience this last week, I learned that it is nearly impossible to drive from one state to another on the east coast without encountering a toll road. However, there's something strange about these toll roads when New Jersey is involved. To drive across the river from Camden to Philadelphia costs $3. To drive through the Lincoln Tunnel to New York City from New Jersey costs $6. However, to drive into New Jersey from Philadelphia across that same bridge, and to drive from New York City to New Jersey through that same tunnel is free.

Yes, free.

This leads me to believe that New Jersey is such a terrible place to be that you have to pay to get out. I mean, sure, it's one of only a couple of states where it is legally mandated that you cannot pump gasoline into your own vehicle -- apparently the New Jersey state government doesn't trust its people to put a nozzle in a hole and squeeze a handle that shuts off automatically. Oh, and there's all the scenery -- lots of refineries and depressing industrial areas (i.e., the opening credits of The Sopranos), not to mention Atlantic City and its ample supply of women with big hair. But is it really so bad that you have to pay to get out?

On a related note, the New Jersey Turnpike provided us with a speedy route across the Garden State from Philadelphia to NYC for a mere $4.55. This is pretty cheap considering some of the other tolls. This route also provided us with a fairly straight highway that, for the most part, was lined with trees nearly the entire way. So is that to keep us from seeing what's behind the trees, or are the trees there to keep the turnpike hidden?

I don't know.

Another thing I don't know is what would happen if we didn't have the money for the toll to get back to Philadelphia. I'm sure there are other ways to get over there, but isn't that a bit of a strange way to look at the whole situation?

"Bring your three bucks to get back across the bridge or you'll be stuck in Camden FOREVER!"

Yeesh. What a threat.

Also, another screwy thing about New Jersey -- the exits on the turnpike are numbered, but not like the exits on every other major highway I've ever been on. See, on Interstate highways, the exits correspond with the mile marker. However, on the turnpike, they were just numbered 1, 2, 3... and so on. We had been driving for about 30 minutes when we came to exit 8. I thought, "man, we must be going slow -- we've only gone eight miles!" Seriously. It's quite disorienting.

It's like I was in Bizarro Pennsylvania. With screwy things like having to pay to get out, big haired ladies, lack of gas pump autonomy, and strangely-numbered highway exits, is it any wonder that the New Jersey state government was shut down for a few days this past week?

Thanks, New Jersey, for helping me appreciate Missouri just a little bit more.