A full size map is also available here: http://quikmaps.com/full/104243
Here is an unofficial proposal I have been working on for a bicycle network utilizing existing paths, proposed new paths and bicycle lanes that would be relatively easy and inexpensive to construct covering areas of Woodbury and West Deptford, NJ. By adding approximately 1.6 miles of new bike path and between 2 and 3 miles of bike lanes the total uninterrupted bike network would equal approximately 7.5 miles, be in close proximity to a number of facilities and within 1 mile of the majority of residents of both municipalities.
You can zoom in for much more detail or zoom out if you are unfamiliar with the general area. To zoom in and out or to navigate around the map use the arrows and plus or minus signs at the top left of the map.
Details that become apparent as you zoom in include:type of path, services and institutions that would be served and recreational and educational opportunities denoted by assorted icons explained in greater detail below:
By utilizing existing open public space and taking advantage of roads that would be relatively easy to incorporate bike lanes into the plan eliminates most of not all issues of eminent domain and most more complex engineering issues (the underpass along Woodbury Creek beneath I295 and Crown Point Roads would require some cost and moderate engineering issues but would allow a far greater area to be incorporated into the network while maximizing rider safety and enjoyment.) The exact path from the existing short trail in Woodbury in the vicinity of the High School, sports and health care facilities north to the Crown Point road area would best be determined by siting the route along those portions that would require the least among of environmental research and alteration and by choosing higher ground when needed to avoid bridges or boardwalks of any kind.
An example of a simple and inexpensive bike path can be found in the neighboring towns of Glassboro and Williamstown where an existing but unused railroad right-of-way was used to create a mile simple paved path with a minimum of engineering, construction, environmental and maintenance costs. Plans have already been enacted to extend this path along Rt322 which would increase the length of the trail to a distance of 7.5 miles.
My proposed bike network for Woodbury/Westville NJ
Hey, a bald eagle landed at the polling station while I was voting --- for reals!
I went to vote this morning in Red Bank, NJ at the elementary school that is the polling station for my district. After voting I was sitting in the small park across the street having a scrapple
egg and cheese sandwich and some coffee when I saw my first real live wild bald eagle! it might not be so exciting for folks in other locations but they are a real rarity here in NJ still, only 60 nests in the entire state.
It landed in a tree in the school's playground for a few moments. Me and another two guys saw it. I had my camera and one of the other two guys grabbed his out of his glove compartment of his truck. By the time we started to cross the street to get a close enough shot it started to fly away, I got a pic of it sitting in the tree and two of it in mid flight but all are from quite far away. (i used the "sharpen" feature in GIMP - if you doubt this story and require the originals I can send em to ya - just ask :)
Anyway, I had been sitting on the bench watching all the different kinds of folks go in and out of the polling station, old men, young hipsters, sweat suit moms and pantsuit businesswomen, guys in BMWs and guys in old beat up pickuptrucks, grandmothers and young brothers all getting along and being friendly and courteous, and I was thinking that America is pretty cool after all when... what else can I say, this sign from above came down. I don't know if he was trying to vote or send a message or just tired from flying around but he delivered a message to me, whether he intended to or not :)
Ideal Manufacturing It's not a fancy salon, it's nothing but a Quonset Hut
for those south jersey and philly folks of a certain age this can bring back a flurry of fond memories:
click to hear the original radio jingle! :)
Failed and Forgotten ? - Asbury Park, NJ
"only a few decades ago, every New Jersey kid, young and old, would associate Asbury Park with beaches and entertainment.
Long torn apart by class and race conflicts, and further destroyed by corruption and greed.. the last few years have seen Asbury become one of those alleged cities making a comeback.
But if that comeback is occurring is still a matter of debate. With half-completed projects, investors that pull back their money, abandoned buildings dotting the landscape, and cookie-cutter townhouses in the making; in Asbury Park.. there ain't no garuntee of a comeback."
http://current.com/items/88809883_failed_and_forgotten_asbury_park_nj
Trenton Man Declares Backyard a Sovereign Nation
Trenton Police say a man who calls himself Emperor El Bey must get rid of the two horses he's keeping in his urban backyard. El Bey says his half of the duplex is an embassy for the sovereign Abannaki Aboriginal Nation and immune from Trenton ordinances.
http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/2933151.php?
UNcyclopedia does New jersey
"In order to live in New Jersey one must be at least one of the following; Italian, German, Jewish, Irish, Asian, Latino, Black or Catholic - exception: Indians may live in central Jersey only. If you meet none of these standards then you are to be whacked. New Jersey has a curiosity called the Jewtalian - Italian girls who could pass for a Semite and who act Jewish. (Jewtalians are also deathly afraid of bears) When Jewtalians travel to other parts of the United States, they are almost always mistaken for Jews. Many Jewtalians, who average 4.5 feet tall, can be seen arriving at the Short Hills Mall in cream colored Cadillac Escalades. All Jersey residents hate New Yorkers, because they ordered the whacking of Oscar Wilde.
Another little known fact is that all people from New Jersey know where Jimmy Hoffa is, who killed Kennedy, where to get a good meal at three in the morning, and where to get drugs. New Jersey is divided into the north and the south. The North is the land of pollution and crime and the south is farms, Wawas, the shore, and a dumping spot for corpses. All people in New Jersey live in fear of three things; the mafia, the Jersey Devil, and car insurance. South Jersey people also know how Mexicans fit twenty people into the front cab of a truck, because they have done it with them. New Jersey residents also have been to every business shown on the Sopranos. The only way New Jersey residents are able to survive the taxes is through their Mafia connections.
Moreover, it is important to mispronounce certain words : water as "wudder", garbage as "garbitch", etc. You also are required to live within one half-hour of a mall, within .5 minutes of a Wawa (in south Jersey), and within 500 yards of two Dunkin' Donuts locations. The number of Dunkin' Donuts franchises was required to provide sustenance for the largest police population of any of the United States. However New Jerseyites agree that Wawas are substantially better than Dunkin' Donuts. "
New Jersey has a rich culture in the arts, including but not limited to strip clubs inhabited by middle aged strippers and men in trucker hats, and has been the birthplace of such hit motion picture masterpieces such as "Jersey Girl" and "Gigli".
Amongst the things to do in New Jersey:
* Engage in self-loathing and general misanthropy
* Go to the mall
* Have your job given to somebody in Singapore
* Sit in traffic
* Attempt to swim against a rip current at the Jersey Shore
* One of the many St. Patrick's day Parades w/alcohol
* Shopping
* Do many various drugs
* Flipping off random people
* Curse your fellow man
* Curse your government
* Curse yourself
* Suicide
* Go "down the shore."
* Pay $4 for a slice of pizza at the shore, and then realize you could've gotten one for $2 down the block
* Get shot
* Go to Camden for drugs and then get shot
* Go to Camden and die instantly (you were shot)
* Tailgating
* Volunteer for the Army
* See the sights of Camden, really.
* Various tickets for made up driving offenses
* Dream of better places
* The "Is this Governor secretly gay too" game
* Get harassed by drugged up girls at Wawa (South Jersey only)
* Ride the Riverline, the slowest public transit in the entire universe
* Pay 20% - 30% more for cigarettes than neighboring states, and then not be allowed to smoke them indoors.
* Watch any of the hundreds of absolutely pointless road construction projects unfold.
* Enjoy a traffic light density 3,000,000% above the national average.
* Enjoy red lights while no cars pass for 5-10 minutes.
* Pay tolls
* Make a left turn using a jug-handle
* Circles in the road... that magically turn into triangles... which amazingly are harder to navigate than the circle.
* Order "Coiffee".
* Nothing.
[edit] Places in New Jersey
* ... Bagel Shops.
* Wildwood
* A nuclear power plant in a swamp
* Atlantic City
* Camden aka "Most Dangerous City in the United States of America."
* Wawa
* Doldrums (Lacey Township)
* The Sunken Ruins of Old Jersey
* South Jersey (not related)
* Fair Lawn (The ultimate in suburban living)
* Route 130... a place for hookers, strip clubs and black people
* Parking lots (Everywhere else).
* Every other Wawa
Roads in NJ
Interstate 95 is a road that defies all logic in Jersey. Notice the mile numbers. Notice how they randomly go up and down. Notice how if you are on I-95 North, somehow you end up on I-295 south and if you are on I-95 South you end up on I-295 North? Also in on the Route 295 Conspiracy is Route 130, which randomly joins with Route 295 in the southern area to try to have a four-way orgy with Route 40 and the Jersey Turnpike at the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
Route 73 contains one of the more amusing circles in New Jersey lore, known as the Marlton Circle. Many years ago, New Jersey's founding fathers drank a whole lot of corn liquor and invented the traffic circle. Later, soberer administrations decided that the circles were not the way to go, and bulldozed the living hell out of them and replaced them with humongous intersections where left turns are not allowed. Or are allowed, depending on the circle and the level of drinker's remorse the legislature had been feeling that day. Anyhow, when the Marlton Circle's turn came, the powers that be had apparently fallen off the wagon, for rather than replace the circle with a normal, or even Jersey-style incomprehensible intersection, they decided to run (why not?!) Route 73 straight through the circle.
Route 42 has a freeway section that is meticulously kept to the same maintenance standards as the surface of the moon. You will never see it, however, as for some inexplicable reason, it is just about impossible to re-enter the highway once you have exited it. Just about every road that has an interchange with this freeway will allow you to exit OR enter, but if you want to do both, you are jolly well screwed. An uncyclopedian who has spent his whole life living less than ten minutes from this abomination once tried to find a way to get on the highway. His efforts were unsuccessful and he had to slink home cursing his government (see things to do in New Jersey). The government's theory apparently was that "Wherever you might wish to go, you're already there!" This philosophy was reinforced when the state decided to render 295 North inaccessible from Rt. 42, thus leading to the slogan, "It's either there, or Delaware!" for if you wish to go anywhere else, you are once again jolly well screwed. This road is also in on the Route 295 Conspiracy (see Interstate 95, above) in that motorists wishing to access Rt. 42 must engage in a series of preposterously dangerous curving, weaving, and merging movements. This feature is intended to drum up business for the Camden/Gloucester county auto body shops
New Jersey Translations
* Down the Shore: Go to the beach. Note the absence of the word "to".
* Wooder: Water
* The Parkway: The Garden State Parkway
* The Turnpike: The freeway
* What exit?: What people say when they find out that someone is from NJ
* Mook: Loser/Asshole used to describe a foreigner to the state.
* Cawfee: Coffee
* Jug Handle: Overly complicated traffic thing. "
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey
The UNclyclopedia does Philadelphia
"It is the home of the Philadelphia Iggles, the San Diego Padres and some other sports teams. And due to the horrible diction of its inhabitants, Philadelphia is the only place on Earth where you can enjoy a cheesesteak "wit" fried onions and wash it down with a nice, cold glass of "wooder". Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods. This may account for the racial violence that is exhibited from time to time. Center City is a great place to visit if you like rich snobs, clothing stores, and large buildings. (NB - If you plan to stay longer than 20 minutes be sure sure to carry excessive amounts of cash with you because you will invariably be taxed or fined for something) Have you ever watched any movies or music videos about gangstas and thought to yourself, "Wow it would be so awesome to be in a gang surrounded by daily violence!" Well then head down to South Philly west of Broad Street. You'll find too much of it. Point Breeze makes North Philly look like a nice suburban neighborhood in comparison. This area includes the Art Museum. Look around for a bit, it looks a lot like a certain French city. The Parkway which leads all the way up to the Art Museum, is shamelessly ripped off of Paris' Champs-Élysées. Around the area are many other museums as well. Why is the area famous? For starters, Rocky immortalized it by running up the steps of the Art Museum. Also Live 8 was held there. Behind the Art Museum is the Schuylkill River, where people row and ride their bikes. Of course riding your bikes on the bike path next to the river is only recommended if you enjoy other cyclists who don't understand the concept of "family bike path" and how it differs from a "race." Also you may need to have a high tolerance for people who simply don't understand that the term "bike path" actually implies bikes are permitted to be ridden. If you plan to drive to Plymouth Meeting along the Schuylkill River highway, make sure it's not at quitting time on a Friday. Especially if your dad is driving you to a date that was just moved to the Plymouth Meeting Mall at the last second, but that was full so they moved it to the "great" northeast. The typical North Philadelphia house has distinctive wooden boards over the windows, holes in the roof to let in the breeze in place of air conditioning (and guess what? There's no carbon footprint!), and has not been inhabited since the time when Sylvester Stalone was actually considered cool. And that's just North Philadelphia west of Broad St. You should see the scary neighborhood east of Broad St. Okay, I've lied. North Philadelphia is not only synonymous with black people. It is also synonymous with Irish people. Kensington Avenue (especially where it meets Alleghany Avenue) is a great place to pick up hookers. Or get shot. Watch out for the angry drunk Irishmen and Puerto Ricans there. Aren't we a great city? Stereotypes, sex and violence. In defense of North Philadelphia, those Center City minivan moms can get pretty violent as well. Along with those Mercedes driving rich guys who nearly hit me that one time because they don't understand the concept of a traffic light. Originally named for the distinct rotten fish smell that permeates the area, Fishtown is now the "Up and Coming" neighborhood of Philadelphia. It's called that because when you get there, you're "coming up" on Kensington, and it's about time to turn around before you get shot. Fishtown strives to be Northern Liberties, a bustling neighborhood full of artists, bars, and empty blocks. In that respect, it's doing pretty well, except it doesn't have any artists. Until then, Fishtownies can continue to tell everyone how much it's "up and coming", because nobody will know they're lying, since nobody has any good reason to go to Fishtown anyway. The Little Poland of Philly. You can get some Polish kielbasa and perogies, just avoid Polack jokes...or some crazy huge Polish dude named Czeslaw and his local pub buddies will pummel you. City Hall and the surrounding areas are a commonplace for everyone. Subways, people, everyone bustling around, it's one of those places where a lot of people end up. A lot of stores are around along with some hotels. The stores are generally Dunkin Donuts, department stores, jewelry stores, or stores which sell brands of clothing such as Rocawear and Sean Jean. Stolen, or fake jewelry is abundant on the street along with real jewelry in the stores. This area is also home to The Gallery, a big urban mall where it's common to hangout. Only instead of it being a hangout for suburban private school students, it's where public school students from all over come to gather. The Gallery, like most malls, drains you of your serotonin level when entered, but it is quickly regained when you realize you won't be around a bunch of annoying white, gothic, suburban, teenage mallrats. It also helps that there's a GameStop. This is also where Love Park is, you know the place where people skateboard. Or used to. The sport was killed by the government and the year 2000. Many decry the fact that it was the MOVE cult headquarters that was bombed from the air and not the gallery. Current proposals to seal the Gallery an hour after school lets out and flood the entire building with nerve gas are being considered...but the city's already blown its budget for mass murder of its own citizens, so it's a distant shot. The place where millions of Asians don't get the fuck out of your way. Right nearby the Gallery and its surroundings is Chinatown. What makes Chinatown so good? Two words: Wing Wang's Peking Duck House (9th and Winter, right near the Vine St Expressway). Well that's five words but most people only refer to it as Sang Kee so you can keep your comments to yourself. Also it's just a cool place to get imported Asian things, Like syphilis. Or opium. Yay opium! Now with a booth in the Reading Terminal Market. Chinatown is an excellent place to poison yourself because your drunk, incapable of making informed decisions regarding what you're eating and Chinatown has the only places open. Contrary to popular belief and empirical fact, University City does not actually exist (except on maps, street signs, city government records, and the records of the University City District). The area known as University City successfully seceded from West Philadelphia to establish their own edutopia, led by the University of Pennsylvania and its comic sidekick, Drexel University. There are a bunch of things you might expect to find at a college campus such as food courts, tennis courts, bookstores, and movie theatres. There is also a place where you can buy cereal, only cereal (this is actually true). Now that's clever and alternative enough to attract preppy college kids - oh and lets not forget the stoners who have the munchies and thick wallets! Unique for having been bombed from the air by the city government in 1985 (this is actually true), West Philadelphia is famous for being the home of the University of Pennsylvania and the birthplace of Will Smith and Wilt Chamberlain. The local diet consists of halal, cheesesteaks, and babies. Visiting is not recommended due to a very high probability of getting shot, raped and murdered. Recently the area has been infested by a variety of Crust Punks and other lower primates. While friendly, these creatures sadly lack the ability to communicate vocally. Instead, use a stick. If you don't get shot in the North, then you're sure ass hell to get raped here. Now, one can only assume that this "neighborhood" was named out of sarcasm. If you go out far enough, this looks like some run down blue collar suburb. But it isn't a blue collar suburb, it's the Northeast. It's a fun place to drive to if you feel like a nice one hour drive to somewhere not even outside of your own city. Otherwise known as the "N'East" by residents or ex-residents. The neighborhood is also known as "N'Easty", a word denoting a propensity for comfort with strip malls, bleak futures, row-homes, and winding, unnavigable roads. Northeast Philadelphia frequently discusses breaking away from Philadelphia proper, making it the Quebec of Southeastern Pennsylvania. The Northeast's primary product is boredom and a crippling inferiority complex regarding its relation to the rest of the city, i.e. the parts someone gives a shit about. The Northeast is also home to many, many upstanding policemen who were chosen to be among Philly's finest for their aptitude at being white guys from the Northeast. Mount Airy is famous for being the third most Jewish place on Earth, and created quite a stir a few years back when it actually seceded from the union to join Israel. Famous for having fairly large, nice houses with two kitchen sinks, one for meat, one for dairy products. Home to a few nomadic tribes of black people. Also home to a trolley car diner, which is quite nice if you happen to be a connoisseur of deep-fried rat. Psssst--There are no Germans here! Yes, they were forced out when North Philadelphia invaded circa 1967. This neighborhood is one of the nicer residential options for black people, as it has a nice big park where people still occasionally come across skeletons and unexploded ordinance left over from the American Revolution. It is also home to those Jews who for whatever reason do not live in neighboring Mount Airy. Home to more Nation of Islam Mosques than Las Vegas is home to Casinos. The WASP capital this side of Nantucket. Chestnut Hill is home to several crazy old street people, many more wealthy alcoholics, gourmet dog food stores, bead shops, used record places, tiny family-owned grocery stores, coffee shops, and 97 places to cash a check. The rowhouses are all several centuries old, and the other houses are all the size of a small village. Also spelled Olde City by pretentious mispellers, this is the area of Philadelphia where everything historical seems to have occurred. Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are located here. There are plenty of small shops, museums and historical sites to visit and a fun day can be had by all, old and young, in this area. Of course that was before the day would be spent waiting in more lines than Disneyland due to newfound security measures in place. Now it's just boring. There are horses though, with carriages. This is amazingly awesome the first time you see it. Then it's just another site, with the added bonus that it produces feces capable of being stepped in. The most famous resident is the legendary guy-who-dresses-up-as-Benjamin Franklin. At night this mediocre tourist trap for families is transformed into a mediocre nightlife trap for girls from New Jersey with bad hair. Do not approach them. They all have herpes. Every single one. This is a fairly upper middle class neighborhood near Old City and The Gallery area. Its unnatural darkness at night, illuminated only by yellow street lamps is enough to give someone the creeps and haunt their dreams. Brick is the building material and mugging weapon of choice in this area. At the southern end of this district they have erected a gate ostensibly to keep out the residents of the rest of the city. The Inscription above the gate reads "Here thar be yuppies" in olde yuppish (latin). What can be said about South Street? It's a place you can walk around and buy stuff. This is one of the only places in the city where you run a pretty low risk of getting shot and bumrushed, since the city's abundant deranged violent crackheads are scared off by local Starbucks, yoga shops, rastas, and all that other sissy stuff. Besides, the emo alternative goths or whatever the fuck are real wusses, despite their "badass" tattoos and collars and the rest of Hot Topic products. This relative safety ("relative" is as good as it gets anywhere in Philly) has resulted in making the place one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. Now your choices on items include tattoos, CDs, sex toys, wiccan paraphernilia, skateboards, alternative clothing, and yogic knick-knacks. At night you can get drunk at the bars, and meet beautiful women. It's Philadelphia's mainstream fauxhemian area. There is also frequent flashers, mooners, and sunners. South Street also has the city's highest concentration of cops, since here they are almost safe from being shot at, slept on, bitten and/or begged for change. Also known as Two Street. If you call it 2nd street, you're a terrorist. Quite popular with out-of-towners for its convenient existence as I-95."
There's a ton more on the site but here is an excerpt covering the different neighborhoods:"Neighborhoods
[edit] Center City
If you want a smaller version of one of New York's many shopping districts than look no further! Clothing store after clothing store, you'll never have a problem finding clothes! This section of the city was once very rundown, however real estate is now booming and everyone wants condos! You know Liberty Tower, those two huge blue buildings synonymous with Philadelphia's skyline? They are built on the remains of a porn theatre. Liberty Tower is great for anyone who wants to buy clothes, or eat in a food court. Center City is now stigmatized as being a "rich neighborhood" because it's been cleaned up a lot since the 1980s and everyone wants REAL ESTATE! The Rittenhouse Square area, for example, is extremely expensive. Fifteen years ago, Rittenhouse Square was a place you'd go if you had a fetish for being beaten up and mugged, or if you made a living panhandling while pretending to be disabled. Now, you go to Rittenhouse Square if you want to eat in an overpriced outdoor restaurant and sneer at people walking on your sidewalk. Damn pedestrians. The area is also popular for weird 20 year olds who stand around trying to get people to vote or join their commune. They'll ask your age and when you say that you aren't 18 they'll call bullshit and ask for the year you were born. Unless you're a math whiz, or actually are under 18, you won't be able to answer immediately because you'll be trying to calculate a year which works. When travelling around Center City it is best to have a year already planned in the back of your head. [edit] South Philadelphia
Have you ever watched The Sopranos and thought to yourself, "Wow it would be so awesome to be in the Mafia!" Well then head down to South Philly. Every single Italian stereotype is pulled from there, or Brooklyn, the Bronx, or North Jersey. Now you can be around authentic REAL Italians with tough accents! Imagine that! Yous all could be actin tuff in da neighborhood wit da fam'ly! Get some pizza and cheesesteaks to top it off! Get some "wooder" to wash it down! Your suburban WASP friends will never believe you. Home to a massive open-air market where you can buy, among other things, live goats. Topics not suggested for discussion: [edit] Art Museum Area
[edit] North Philadelphia
What's there to say about North Philadelphia? It successfully became synonymous with black people and it's now the area you don't want to park your car in or drive through at night all. Since Philadelphia police laugh hysterically when people get mugged, Temple University must maintain its own air force and army just to protect its students from the hostile gang members. That's the city of Brotherly Love for you.[edit] Kensington
[edit] Fishtown
[edit] Port Richmond
[edit] City Hall and the Gallery
[edit] Chinatown
[edit] University City
[edit] West Philadelphia
[edit] The Great Northeast
[edit] Mt. Airy
[edit] Germantown
[edit] Chestnut Hill
[edit] Old City
[edit] Society Hill
[edit] South Street
[edit] 2nd Street
Thanks L for sending me the link :)
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia#Philadelphia.27s_Greatest_Contribution_to_the_World
Philadelphia English — spoken here like nowhere else
Me and xtina rode bikes to the river near my house
This is a pic of Christina pretending she is not deathly afraid of the bees that were buzzing all around these purple flowers.
this is the inlet - where occasional small boats will park to fish or whatnot.
uncle matt contemplates....... something?
uncle matt has a ciggie.
