Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware... HERE WE COME!!! Oh wait... let me get some money first....

I live in a great state. I live in New Jersey. I love New Jersey for a variety of reasons. They include:

1. The diversity of the state's residents allows me to get any kind of food that I want at any time of day. Besides New York City...name another community where this can happen...

2. You can go from the shore to farmland to industrial waste sites to honest to goodness mountains all within an hour of each other.

3. Hot Dog Johnny's

4. The people are so colorful and that makes the lifestyle and groups colorful as well.

Now... I noticed something a couple of years ago that made me chuckle.

Ever notice that when you want to LEAVE the great State of New Jersey that you have to pay to leave? Think about it. When you go through any of the major tunnels or over bridges to New York, you have to pay a toll. When you cross over the Ben Franklin or bridges in New Hope Pennsylvania, you have to pay a toll. When you go to the Delaware Memorial Bridge or Cape May Lewis Ferry... you pay a fee.

Also note, that there are almost no instances in which you have to pay to get back INTO New Jersey. I really can't think of anywhere except maybe the Cape May Lewis Ferry....

There are also very ew places where you don't have to pay to leave or enter New Jersey. For example, there is a bridge between New Hope and Lambertville but there is also a toll bridge a half mile up the river. There is also a crossing in Washington's Crossing State Park and one in Trenton that doesn't require a toll... but even the one in Trenton is a 1/4 of a mile from another crossing from a toll.

I worry about what this actually says about our state. I see it as saying one of two things.

1. We know you had such a killer time in New Jersey that we have to charge you for the super funness.

2. Ha ha... if you wanna get out of our Godawful state... you gotta pay... come on... you want out? Pay up!!!!

Either way... it is just something I noticed recently...

We live in the ultimate Pay As You Go state....