Why Visit Elizabeth, New Jersey?

Elizabeth, New Jersey is in the central-eastern part of the state. This location provides convenience and easy access to many tourist points as well as port areas. Roads heading north to New England or east to New York run right through this town making it a good place to stay, whether for a day, a week, or a month.

Elizabeth, New Jersey is a melting pot of nationalities making this a great place to eat! On just about each street is a locally owned eatery boasting ethnic delicacies. Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian, Spanish, and Chinese shops open their doors in the early evening and the smells of food cooking waft through the air. What a place to be!

Early autumn brings cooler evenings. Local folk walk about the old downtown area visiting with neighbors; maybe they sit outside the bakery in a dining area fixed with metal chairs and tables, or perch on their "stoops" holding toddlers, shouting greetings to passersby's. There is a clean, quaint atmosphere, as well as an 'old' feeling because little has been done to modernize the downtown area.

For anyone that once lived in a town where it was safe to be out and about in the evenings, Elizabeth is to be appreciated. Somehow this town has managed to maintain that small town feeling despite the growth all around.

Elizabeth is just off the New Jersey Turnpike making it an easy drive to places north. Head south to beach areas and Atlantic City for an easy day trip. Elizabeth is home to port regions for cruise ship access, and let's not forget that it is just a short hop to Staten Island and Manhattan and Broadway.

Comparatively, lodging costs less in Elizabeth than New York, and the drive into New York City is fairly easy from this location. It's good to note that there are numerous tours from Elizabeth to various New York attractions, to New England for autumn foliage and to Atlantic City with Casino junkets, all providing enjoyment without driving hassles. There is easy-to-figure-out public transportation via bus or transit trains providing an inexpensive way to get around whether staying in town or heading to outlying areas.

Staying in Elizabeth also gives the avid shopper the opportunity to experience the Jersey Gardens Mall, a huge outlet mall just off the Turnpike, and next to the airport. In fact, there is free shuttle service from the airport to the mall if one just flies in to shop! This mall is incredible! I am not sure I have ever been to a mall with Valet parking available. (If I have, I never noticed.) How great is that?! Not being a big shopper myself I still managed to find more bargains than I could comfortably carry when walking back to the hotel. (Yippee! There is free shuttle service from the nearby hotels to the mall also!)

This is this writer's first time in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Having been raised in Pennsylvania, with time spent in New England, New York, Maryland and New Jersey, I just never made it here. Now, I can enthusiastically recommend this area to anyone traveling through the north eastern region. Plan your trip to Elizabeth, New Jersey soon, and bring friends!