Jersey: America's Hidden Treasure

Oh, the border may be deceiving... Two smoking chemical plants flanking the "Welcome to New Jersey" LED sign. A van sporting the URL www.crimescenecleanup.com speeding past. (kid you not)

And I was speeding - I had to get to my destination by noon to meet a friend for a pedicure. "A Jersey pedicure?" my mom inquired. "What's that - Lee press-on nails on your feet?"

But then the hidden nature of the Garden State revealed itself. Frickin' gorgeous fall colors! Frickin' deer! Frickin' bucolic fields spotted with quaint churches and horse farms. Pumpkin pie baked fresh by an Italian family, procured at an Exxon station no less.

At my destination: 20 nails painted in OPI Who Are You Wearing for $26 total (not including tip) - yes, that's manicure and pedicure combined. $26 wouldn't even get me a pass under the pumice stone in Chevy Chase.

Carmella would approve.