Jersey City is located in northeastern New Jersey and is the 2nd most populous city in the state. Whether you are a local or a visitor from out of state, you can choose from a wide range of activities and places to visit.
A Day in Jersey City
Head down the crowds, the cacophony, and the New York City traffic, and you will come across Jersey City—New /york’s quieter equivalent. Jersey City is a mixture of cultures, ethnicities, and communities. It is home to plenty of sightseeing, restaurants, cultural hubs, and parks.
If you want to spend a day in Jersey City, it helps to know that it is situated on a large peninsula. Moreover, it is surrounded by water on three sides, providing spectacular water views.
You can open your day with a waterfront walk or jog, depending on your location. You are never far from the Hudson River when in Jersey City. Walk along the Newport Waterfront or the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway for a refreshing time.
Additionally, the city is abuzz with plenty of modern restaurant choices for you to explore. Whether you want to try the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory, Short Grain, O’Kafe, Sam a. m, or another personal choice, there is no shortage of food joints.
Amazing activities you can try out in Jersey City include:
- Visit the Hamilton Park or the Van Vorst Park
- Check out the Liberty Science Center for a fun-filled family day and educational trip.
- Head over to Jersey City historic downtown for a taste of history or feeling or art
- In the evening, be sure to walk along Grove Street, which comes alive in the evening and features amazing food, music, and people.
Jersey City accommodates diverse demography. There is almost something to do and somewhere to visit for everyone. There is no reason it shouldn’t be your town of the day, whether you want to explore alone or with the company.
In 2001, my brother, a dancer and photographer, lived in a city-funded warehouse for artists. At the time the vibe in Jersey City was completely different to that of Manhattan. It was definitely not a tourist destination of any kind. It was so much cheaper to live in Manhattan and as with many older cities in the early 2000s, would not be gentrified for several more years, so there were mostly locals who had been grown and raised in the area and smaller business supporting the city. The “downtown” waterfront area felt almost abandoned, especially at night. On the last night of a visit with my brother, he took a photo of my boyfriend and I on the roof of the warehouse with a completely unobstructed view of the World Trade Center buildings literally towering in the background between us. In fact, they were so huge that the rest of the skyline is pretty much nonexistent in the photo. Later that night we took the train back to Manhattan through the only way into the city by train that stopped in the bottom of the World Trade Center towers where you could transfer to an NYC train out in downtown NYC. Obviously just a few weeks later after the 9/11 tragedy they were gone. Today, there is so much development in Jersey City that it’s impossible to see what’s left of the skyline of Manhattan the way we did that night and the artist warehouse may not even be there anymore, but that memory will always hold a special space in my heart.
Corrections: It was so much cheaper to live *THAN Manhattan and as with many older cities in the early 2000s, would not be gentrified for several more years
Later that night we took the train back to Manhattan through the only way into the city by train that stopped in the bottom of the World Trade Center towers where you could *EITHER transfer to an NYC train *OR GET out in downtown NYC.
You forgot Jersey city medical nursing school. It also was theater and now a church