Filling Out The Map 11: New Jersey, a photo from New Jersey, Northeast

Photographer's Note

The eleventh in a series of images from places I have not posted from yet in an attempt to fill out my TE map as much as possible.

I sincerely hope this is the worst shot I ever post on TE! It is also quite literally the only shot I have from the state of New Jersey. In fact, the only reason I took the shot was that as I was on my way back from Philadelphia late this summer, I stopped at the Woodrow Wilson rest stop (named after the 28th President of the US, and a former New Jersey Governor) and realized I did not have any shots in my collection of New Jersey. So, I opened up the trunk, pulled out the camera, took this one lonely snap of the busy rest stop, and went on my merry way.

In some ways, this shot sums up my feelings about New Jersey, a state that seems to exist only as a place to put the highway from New York to Philly and Washington DC. It is constantly crowded and full of people and cars, but it is necessary to travel through to get to points south of NYC. So in many ways, this shot is emblematic of New Jersey as I know it - crowded, ugly, and full of people trying as hard as they can to get anywhere else.

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Critiques | Translate

mjw364 (1466) 2012-10-22 2:18

Andrew

Your description of New Jersey as "crowded, ugly, and full of people trying as hard as they can to get anywhere else." pretty much sums up my feelings about London. I have to go there regularly since the youngest dances for the Royal Ballet and I hate the pace and the impersonal attitude of the place. Interesting in many ways but as an apparent aspirational pinnacle, in the form of a so called civilised capital city, I find the place the epitome of human folly and stupidity to be frank.

As such the sign "No idling allowed" pretty much sums up the narrative behind the image here. In a capitalist culture - don't be idle, don't stop, keep moving, rush from here to there for no apparent reason. So you may feel indifferent about your "snapshot" but it actually tells a story because of that sign.

TFS

Mike

Lisas_world (1232) 2012-10-22 4:16

Good morning, Andrew,

Too bad you didn't go north and west to see the hills and farmland of Hunterdon, Warren & Sussex Counties. People not from around here tend to see New Jersey from the eastern highways -- as you apparently did. The 6-lane connections between dirty cities is hardly the way to see any state. If you ever come back this way I hope you'll do a little more investigating -- on the back roads -- before pronouncing judgment.

By the way, I've looked at some of your other photos, and you're right, this is your worst.

Regards,
Lisa