Last summer, dad and I introduced ‘future mom’ to our usual USA trip itinerary. Dad would work a whole day and we’d dash to Heathrow after work to catch the late flight to the USA

We’d start our trips on the east coast as that late flight would get in late the same evening due to the time difference. Then, we’d be in the USA the next morning, all ready to start our holiday

I’ve written New Joisey deliberately as that’s the parody that that’s how the locals pronounce New Jersey. New Yorkers look down on those from the wrong side of the Hudson River and in general, the state isn’t held in the highest regard by other Americans

However, dad and I have grown to like it. We both roller coaster fanatics and our favourite park in the world, Six Flags Great Adventure, is in New Jersey. As well as the world’s tallest ride, Kingda Ka, it also has our favourite ride in the world, Nitro. So, we always start out trip with a visit to Great Adventure to get our rush of adrenaline 

 We usually stay in Princeton as it has Penang restaurant where they probably serve the best Malaysian hawker food dad and I have tasted outside of Malaysia

We fly into Newark Liberty International Airport, which doesn’t tend to be as busy as JFK in Brooklyn. Getting onto the I95, which goes north to south along the Garden state, is quick and easy. Interstate driving is always a bit scary for a Brit as Americans tend to drive a lot closer together and more aggressively but it’s only 40 minutes til you pull off onto the US1 down to Princeton

Although New Jersey had a bad reputation, it does have other redeeming qualities like the long coastline with beautiful sandy beaches though some communities are still recovering from the hurricane a few years ago. If you like bright lights and entertainment, Vegas wannabe, Atlantic City is available. Princeton has a distinguished history and looks pretty

  
Dad and I look forward to sharing some of our favourite places and experiences in New Jersey in the next few posts