What am I nostalgic about? Food. Shopping. Walking. If there are three things in life I do not take for granted anymore, these are it. Food: when I am at home there is not only an abundance of food, but also abundance in the variety of food that I can choose from—Jamaican, Chinese, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, Japanese, Philipino, Nigerian, and the list goes on. No, seriously the list goes on. All of these foods were at my disposal and I indulged in them all. If you’re ever visited the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, then I need you to go to Rutgersville also known as New Brunswick, NJ for a fat sandwich. Although, Rutgers University removed the grease trucks from the main campus, the previous hub for these wonderful sandwiches, that does not mean fat sandwiches are not readily available to send you into food comas. They are amazing and a part of Jersey history; they were even featured on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food program. I would try to explain it to you, but it is pointless. They are amazing. If you’re ever in the mood for Caribbean food, head straight to Brooklyn. Brooklyn has an amazing variety of West Indian foods, oxtails, grilled fish, rice and peas, again the list goes on. SugarCane, located on Flatbush Ave. and just a block or two away from the newly created Barclay’s Center, is a wonderful place to venture for food and drinks. Stop in at Dallas BBQs on 42nd St for large portions of the best of Texas BBQ at moderate prices; Caruso’s Pizza and Pasta in Manhattan’s Financial District for mouth-watering pizza; and or Azucar Cuban Cuisine and Cigars in Jersey City for wonderful, if it is not obvious, Cuban food. And because I am such a foodie, this list goes on as well.
Shopping. If there was an event, there was a new outfit to be bought (a mentality that has since been eradicated thanks to law school and those oh so delightful tuition fees). Many believe that shopping is a “woman’s thing,” but where I am from no such thing exists, for the most part. Both men and women buzz the halls of local Jersey malls and for those, such as myself, who cannot stomach the large waves of teenagers and adults alike, New York City is not at a loss for free standing retail stores. One of my favorite stores can be found by the World Trade Center, the name of it? I can never remember, ironically enough. But I know where it is by heart, the hours, and my favorite dressing room. Luckily, it is not too far from South Houston, better known as SoHo. SoHo is one of the meccas of shopping for many of the area and host styles that are fit for everyone; something can be found for individuals of every fashion background. Shopping overall creates a great sense of nostalgia for me because it serves as a great escape and venture for the day, which leads me to my next “high,” WALKING.
It took two semesters of law school in Morgantown to realize that I missed having to walk. I missed walking from my job to the train station; from one end of downtown to the next for food, shopping, etc.; from class to my apartment; walking from my house to thePATH because whatever mode of transportation I wanted to take was taking too long; I become very nostalgic at the thought of it all. This summer I had to walk four miles per day from the train station to my internship, from my internship back to the train. As draining as it was on those hot summer days, it provided me with a sense of physical fitness accomplishment. Not to mention, walking everywhere keeps you in shape! I am not an avid gym-goer, so walking for me is not only therapeutic, but also a wonderful replacement for the gym—it kills essentially seven birds with one stone. Walking is another form of therapy that I will never take for granted again in life, granted it is not the least therapeutic when running late, but is a majority of the time.
This nostalgia is so real, I’m going home tomorrow!
. . . jk . . . no really.
