Things I miss/don't miss about New Jersey

I've lived in Brooklyn now for about three months. It's not the first time I've lived outside New Jersey (I lived in California from 2002-2003), but there are a few things I will probably always miss or not miss about it.


Miss: The Newark Star-Ledger. I love reading newspapers, and this is my newspaper of choice. It strikes the perfect balance between price and quality. It did not take me an entire day to read, but contained all the pertinent local, national, world, entertainment and sports news. Of course, there's the New York Times, which is good, but a bit long-winded, and usually contains sections I care nothing about (most of the Arts and Living stuff is terribly high-brow and boring), the sports section is usually lacking (too many puff pieces), and the daily price is $2 (the Star-Ledger is $0.75). There's also the Post and Daily News (at $0.50 daily), who have a couple positive traits (decent sports and local news coverage), but are generally only a couple steps above the National Enquirer.

Miss: Wawa. The greatest convenience store ever. Good coffee, great sandwiches, great prices, top-notch selection of your standard convenience store products.

Don't Miss: Having to drive everywhere. Kind of goes without saying, but I'm within a five minute walk of: 300 bars, grocery stores, 24-hour delis, pizza, great restaurants of every cuisine imaginable (there's an Australian bar/restaurant on my corner, an Ethiopian joint on the opposite corner, etc.), my band's practice space, thrift stores, coffee shops, hell, there's a Guitar Center and a Target just down the street (although it might be the crappiest Target I've ever been to, it's still Target).

Miss: Grocery store prices. I did brace myself for this, but I'm still not used to it.

Don't miss: Insects.

Miss: Nature.

Don't miss: Gas/tolls.