Best time to visit: anytime except November to march 2nd week. Hello friends, this is my first review about New Jersey, the place I have been staying for the past three years. I have been staying mostly in two cities- Teaneck and Hackensack major part in Hackensack. I have found this state pretty comfortable for a quite a good number of reasons; here the pace of life is not that fast. Let me explain. if you step on to the streets of Manhattan, NY the only thing you will see is people walking so fast and in such a confused way that for people used to a slow or regular walking speed would only get one thought- where are these people going so fast and why are they walking so fast. it just seems like they are ready to beat time or at least stay ahead of time. as far as highways are concerned all most all the smaller highways like ROUTE 4. 1&9 are all four lane highways with two lanes for each side of traffic but other bigger highways like interstate highways and parkways are all with four lanes on each side which does ease congestion a lot and also gives smooth traffic mostly. Things to do eating - as for places to eat , there is no shortage at all. There are plenty of places to eat and also you get different cuisines to eat. till now I have had the opportunity to eat Italian, Thai cuisine, authentic Chinese and Japanese cuisine, Mexican, Indian food, but only vegetarian as I don’t meat. There are many options for vegetarians but the numbers of items you find at these places are less compared to non vegetarian dishes. for non vegetarians there is nothing to worry about. Shopping; the state is full of malls and if you are a person who prefers less crowded malls for shopping then the best time to visit malls for shopping is during business hours and on weekdays as malls are relatively less crowded and silent. some fast food joints where you can have a quick bite : looking for something spicy: chillis is the right place something Mexican style: taco bell for chicken : KFC burger fans : McDonalds and Burger King and of course for some white castle seafood : TGI Fridays meat lovers with heavy meal : Boston market coffee : STARBUCKS to sit and sip in relaxation coffee on the go : Dunkin Donuts for limited flavors and lattes and cappuccinos, wide flavors :7-11 convenience store, coffee and newspaper to go. PIZZAS: PIZZA HUT, DOMINOS, and other Italian local pizza shops- some pizzas better than what branded outlets have to offer. Now for some great gambling joints when you feel lucky ATLANTIC CITY-city of unlimited gambling, I have heard that food in the restaurant in the casino building is great as my friend used to go there just for the food. Mohegan Sun-good place but very limited games to play with majority being the slot machines. COST OF LIVING: a little expensive compared to Pennsylvania but cheaper than New York. Some areas more crowded than other areas mainly due to cost of living and owning or renting costs and standard of living. Considerably more safe in certain areas like Hackensack where I stay. I can go out on to the streets even at 1 am walking without fear as there is hardly anyone on the streets not even bad elements. cop response is good as it is a relatively big city in area. Traveling around the state: public transport is best, cabs are expensive to go around for tourist visits or shopping. another option is to rent a car senior residents cannot move around easily as volunteer services like disabled transportation vehicles becoming less due to lack of funds. Interstate public transport to New York needs to be informed in advance for them to make arrangements to accommodate. if you just wait at bus stop without informing them in advance they don’t let you get on the bus- I am talking about disabled people with wheelchairs