Several weeks ago I went through the state of New Jersey while going to the YDA Conference in Philadelphia. I did not have to drive, so it gave me some time to look out the window and take notes on my experiences. I have never been in New Jersey nor this close to New York City in my life, so it very much was a learning experience to me.

Northern New Jersey on I-287 was impressive with the many hills of the Ramapo Mountains. There was a beautiful purple-blue haze, most likely caused by the pollution from the big cities that surround this area. Most of the houses where hidden from the view of I-287, yet this route showed what urban life was like in the greater New York City-area. There was a lot of rusty buildings, guardrails, and signs. Traffic was light going through New Jersey on a Saturday morning, but by the width of the roads it was obvious that a lot of people travel this area.

We got down to US Route 206. This area was largely rich suburbia, with farmland largely replaced by the endless repetition of suburban developments. We passed the headquarters of Bristol-Myers Squid, the pharmaceuticals maker's headquarters. There were a lot of overpriced houses with vinyl siding that represent a stereotypical suburbia. Little farmland continued to exist, and most that was still around these places existed only for the rich folk that had horses.

As I rode through Trenton and went toward Philadelphia, I was impressed by the massive city I was approaching. Everything about Philadelphia seemed larger then life, with massively tall buildings crowding out the skyline in the city center. I had never seen such a big city in my life, and it reminded me of some of the cartoons you see on television. The vast impoverished areas North of Philadelphia were shocking to the conscience as was the massive abandoned factories and power plants along the Delaware River.

Rust belt indeed was the reaction I got looking around the city. I could not believe how much rusty outmoded equipment that had been abandoned. There was a massive power plant along the river that was literally falling in upon itself, along with countless other factories in similar conditions. We passed a massive oil refinery that was a maze of pipes. It was amazing to see the scale of things in the big city, along with all the associated environmental pollution.

I came to realize that while things are often troublesome in Upstate New York, things are a lot better here then urban America. I am still shocked what big cities are like and what the people that live in them are like. Cities like New York City, Trenton, and Philadelphia are vastly different creatures then Albany, much less Plattsburgh. I can not even start to understand how people in such areas live so closely together or how much evil and pollution radiates from the big cities.