[caption id="attachment_333176" width="788"]Nell Irvin Painter Photo: Courtesy of Dwight Carter[/caption] A distinguished historian who’s taught at Ivy League universities including Princeton and Penn, a respected visual artist, and an active member of the New York and New Jersey literary community, Nell Irvin Painter—at 81—sometimes seems as if she’s just getting started. [caption id="attachment_333177" width="350"]Nell Painter’s new collection of essays, I Just Keep Talking, is out now.[/caption] I Just Keep Talking, published this spring by Doubleday, gathers more than 40 essays and dozens ..read more

For a front-row vantage point to one of the world’s most stupendous views—the New York City skyline—head to the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, which stretches along the western shore of the Hudson River. On sunny days, the Hudson River sparkles. On overcast days, it radiates a steely gray. Walking or running along the river, you hear the insistent cries of gulls and the waves lapping against the shore. Watch ferries glide quickly across the water from Weehawken to midtown Manhattan. Pick out landmarks: the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty. “It’s tranquil ..read more

For the last couple of years, New Jerseyans have relished the playful, snarky safety messages plastered across digital road signs around the state by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). Memorable signs have included, “Driving distracted? Fuhgeddaboudit”—channeling Jersey attitude—and “Texting and driving gives me the ick.” During the holidays, drivers saw, “Only Rudolph should be lit, drive high get DUI” and “Don’t be a Grinch, let them merge.” And around Valentine’s Day this year, a message read, “No Valentine? Your seatbelt will hold you.” [RELATED: Retro Road Trips to Take ..read more

[caption id="attachment_332687" width="778"]Sharrott Winery in Hammonton serves enticing wines and gastropub-style food. Photo: Courtesy of Sharrott Winery[/caption] Maybe you already know South Jersey’s Hammonton as the blueberry capital of the world—or as first lady Jill Biden’s birthplace. But this farm-encircled Pinelands town of 15,000 has come into its own as a day-trip or getaway destination. It has a thriving wine culture, intriguing eating, a vintage downtown, and an aura of welcome. “Visitor or resident, Hammonton just draws you in,” says local Kelly Perone. “My family tore ourselve ..read more

[caption id="attachment_331910" width="778"]A group ventures out for a canoeing adventure in Newark. Photo: Courtesy of City of Newark Press Office[/caption] A gas-fired power plant, an incinerator and a pair of smokestack-topped factories all sit in close proximity in a primarily African American community. A child from that neighborhood is diagnosed with severe asthma attributed by their doctor, in part, to poor ambient air quality. Another student from that area notes she doesn’t pass a single park on her walk to school. Yet, discussions about racial inequalities rarely address these kinds ..read more

[caption id="attachment_332963" width="778"] Illustration by Ale + Ale[/caption] When adult-use cannabis sales were legalized in New Jersey in February of 2021, it wasn’t just pot smokers who celebrated. Town leaders saw tax dollars and tenants for empty storefronts, and entrepreneurs saw a chance to get in on the ground floor of a lucrative new industry. Since then, business has indeed boomed: 219 operating licenses have been issued, and 110 dispensaries have opened in 20 of the Garden State’s 21 counties. (58 are recreational only, 12 are medical, and 40 are both.) Jeff Brown, executive dir ..read more

Brute's Roots Dispensary in Egg Harbor is known for its low prices and sun-grown cannabis, both a rarity in New Jersey. Owned by Kelly Gatto, a registered nurse, and her fiancé, Jim DiNatale, who rehabs old industrial buildings, their adult-use dispensary opened in September of 2023 and was voted best dispensary in the state three months later by the industry group Cannademix. Their success hasn’t come easy. A 3.5-year wait for approval because of missteps by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission almost had them throwing in the towel. And then supply-chain issues left them without a key pa ..read more

For Jesse Marie Villars and Cord Schlobohm, opening an adult-use cannabis dispensary in Lambertville has been a dream—and, at times, a nightmare. Both are former opioid addicts with past marijuana convictions who credit medical cannabis with saving their lives by ending their opioid dependency. They became activists, educating patients on healthy ways to consume cannabis and break the cycle of pain meds, through YouTube tutorials and a popular course on edibles and infusion baking at a local restaurant. When Lambertville shut them down and proposed a ban on recreational sales in 2022, despite ..read more

[caption id="attachment_331266" width="778"]Photographer Stephanie Blum poses for a self-portrait, along with photogenic pup Jay, who is being raised by Blum and her husband as a potential Seeing Eye guide dog. Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Blum; hair and makeup by Ericka Medina; blossoms by Colly Flowers in Morristown[/caption] When Stephanie Blum spent her early years in fashion as director of merchandising for Calvin Klein’s design team, she didn’t foresee her future as a full-time photographer specializing in pet portraiture. “I love this job because I always wanted to work with people and ..read more

There is a lot of talk about clean energy these days: Electric cars, offshore wind energy, LED lightbulbs, natural-gas versus electric appliances. But what exactly is New Jersey’s clean-energy future? Governor Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan has set an ambitious goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and includes key strategies to get there, such as reducing energy consumption and emissions from the transportation sector, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, maximizing energy efficiency and conservation, and decarbonizing New Jersey’s energy system—just to name a few. Yet state ..read more