#28: The Moorestown Mall

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When rain and stormy weather strike—and there has been no shortage of either of the two this summer—there’s always one place in New Jersey that’s dry and safe, and that’s the Moorestown Mall. I ventured there a few days ago to beat the terrible weather. The mall itself is really nicely decorated; fountains throughout the mall and in the food court create a comforting and inviting ambience. The food court itself was clean, with a fairly large selection to choose from, including the Jersey mall-staple Saladworks. The layout of the mall is a little abnormal, which at times can make it difficult to follow or find what you’re looking for, but overall it’s not too confusing. The mall feels empty at times, with many vacant storefronts and even fewer passerby (I was there on a Saturday night—what typically would seem like a fairly crowded mall time). But mall rats and shop-a-holics need not worry, because the stores that are there are quite nice—Lord and Taylors, American Eagle, Hollister, several jewelry stores and several other typical mall stores. All in all? The Moorestown Mall is definitely an enjoyable place to spend a few hours!

Tomorrow I’m going down the shore, so I’ll be sure to share some of the fun with you guys! Remember you can follow me on Twitter @thenewnewjersey to get the latest updates!

Until next time,

~Kristen

#27: Stronger Than The Storm

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It’s been just slightly under a year since Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore and inland counties, and although we’ve made remarkable progress in recovering, there’s still work to be done. Sandy caused almost $37 billion in damages, including major floods, property damage and, most notably, extreme destruction to the shore points. Everyone has seen the now infamous pictures of the roller coaster stranded at sea, or the destroyed boardwalk of Seaside Heights. However, as last June rolled around New Jersey faced a new challenge: how to save the shores in time for the upcoming tourist season.

The first challenge was helping displaced citizens—Sandy’s higher-than-13-feet storm surges caused over $10 billion in property damages. Along the shore line, homes were swept away to sea, sand dunes meant to protect the towns were destroyed and larger items such as boats were thrown across cities. In many shore towns, evacuations lasted for weeks after the storm while military crews worked to clean up the mess. Thousands of people were left without power.

As those repairs were underway, so began the repairs of the shore. Boardwalks were destroyed, beaches were narrower due to erosion, and sand was thrown on the streets of the beach towns, making them impossible to drive on or pass through. The Jersey Shore is imperative to our economy, so it was important that crews started working right away. And now, about 10 months later, while there’s still a lot of work to do, we have made great strides towards recovering. The shore towns are repaired and open for business, just in time for the summer season. So come plan a visit, and let us show you why we are undoubtedly stronger than the storm.

Until next time,
~Kristen

#26: Finicky January

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If you’re a snow lover, you’ve been in luck…at least in New Jersey. It’s been snowing off and on a lot lately. In fact, the weather here has been absolutely crazy the past few weeks!

January started off rather warm. As a warm-weather lover, I was beyond happy. Then it suddenly dipped down to below-average-near-record temperatures—mainly in the teens. To me, this was the worst weather that we’ve ever had. My hands feel dry and my lips are always cracked. It snowed a few times, although never anything substantial enough to build a snowman or a snow angel. I hate that, too. If it’s going to snow, I’d prefer to have it snow enough to go have fun and it (and get a day off from school, of course). It pretty much snows for a few hours, causing icy roads and dangerous conditions, then haphazardly stops, leaving nothing but a tracing.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sixty-five degrees, a sharp contrast from the snow yesterday morning and Friday night. The weather feels very finicky, like you never know what will come next. Tomorrow night is supposed to bring spring-like thunderstorms…uh-oh!

How’s the weather near you guys? How’ve you been?

Until next time,

~Kristen 

I’m Back <3

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Hello readers!

I’m really sorry for the gap without posting, and I hope you guys have still decided to stick with my blog for the time being. I’ve been very busy with schoolwork and the holidays, and I guess my blog regrettably hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves.

I’d like to get back to blogging, but I’d also like to take many steps to improve my blog, and something that I think is absolutely necessary is to find out why you guys love New Jersey so much! I know I can’t be the only person who loves this state, so I’d like to know what about it you guys like! Feel free to leave a comment, or for longer suggestions or guest blog submissions, you can email me at kristenlovesnewjersey@gmail.com

I’m going to try to keep blogging on a regular basis, but thank you guys for sticking with me (:

Until next time,
~Kristen

Sandy: We Will Rebuild

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It’s hard to look at the pictures of the shore, destroyed. Sand dunes in the streets, piers in the oceans, homes destroyed, boats thrown around like toys. It’s like watching your home being destroyed.

I know, however, that New Jerseyans are a resilient group of people. We care about each other. We’ve donated to each other, and we’ll see each other through any tragedy or hardship. Which is why, although I’m devastated, I’m not worried–we will rebuild and come back stronger than before ❤

#25: Hurricane Sandy Response

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Good afternoon, readers! I hope everybody is staying safe after Hurricane Sandy! As many of you probably know, she made landfall last night around 8:00 PM near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The flooding was historical, and she is the worst storm to make landfall since 1903. Over one million people in the Garden State are currently without power, and the majority of the shore is still evacuated and underwater.

In the midst of all the destruction and disaster, however, there is one bright spot—I was, and continue to be, very pleased with how the officials in New Jersey responded to the disaster. I felt that I was constantly informed of any danger that could result, all the appropriate evacuations were taken, and Governor Christie even offered to move Halloween to November 2nd to keep the children of New Jersey safe.

I believe we also owe a huge thank you to the newscasters who put themselves in danger to inform us and keep us posted. It’s an amazing feeling to know that when a natural disaster threatens the citizens of New Jersey, we have many people willing to inform us, help us, and guide us through the experience.

If you have any pictures of storm damage, please, feel free to post them in a comment or email them to me at kristenlovesnewjersey@gmail.com as long as you’re safe!
I hope everybody’s doing well!

Until next time,
~Kristen

Hurricane Sandy Is Approaching!

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Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall between tomorrow and Tuesday, very close to where I live. I’m not going to lie, I am a bit nervous!
I hope you guys are all staying safe; this is a dangerous storm and I want you guys to be safe during and after!
I’ll be tweeting throughout the storm, provided the power doesn’t go out, @thenewnewjersey. So feel free to follow me there if you’d like updates!
I plan to also be writing some blog posts throughout the storm (the old fashioned way, with pen and paper of course!) so I’m excited to write and post them.
If your comments or emails don’t get approved or answered over the next few days, please understand I’m probably just in a place where it’d be near impossible to access the Internet. I’ll be thinking of you guys!
Until next time,
~Kristen

Hurricane Sandy

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So, New Jersey usually has very calm weather. This is very out of the ordinary.
But apparently Tropical Storm Sandy is expected to make landfall somewhere in South Jersey (right near where I live) as a tropical storm or Category 1 Hurricane.
Widespread power outages, flooding, inches to a foot of rain, and high winds are expected.
I’m actually pretty scared, but please stay safe! It’s important to bring in outside furniture or anything that could be blown around, have an emergency back up of food and water, and battery-powered weather radio.
Stay safe, readers. I’ll be back with an update on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on when power comes back.
Until next time,
~Kristen