Although I now may feel like a California girl—having lived here for nearly a decade—I am truly a Jersey girl at heart. I moved to the Bay Area when I was ten years old from New Jersey, and now I go to school here in Los Angeles.
My family and I flew back to the east coast this summer for a few weeks to visit our family and reconnect with our roots. Although I have now grown to love the west coast more than the east coast (sorry east coasters), I found myself feeling very nostalgic on the trip. Going “back home” really opened my eyes to the fact that I actually may miss more things about the east coast than I’d realized.
Whether you are into history, entertainment, shopping, or nature, the east coast has something to offer for everyone! Below are some fun spots you should definitely check out the next time you’re on the east coast.
History
The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey
If you are an American history nut, or have seen the musical Hamilton, the Hermitage is the right place to visit for you!
The gothic-styled Hermitage was constructed in 1763 and has now been transformed into a historic museum. Although the Hermitage has had several different owners over the years, one of its most memorable owners, in my opinion, was Theodosia Bartow (who is also known as Theodosia Bartow Prevost or Theodosia Bartow Burr).
If you have seen the award-winning musical, Hamilton, you may already know this name. If you don’t, Theodosia Bartow was at one time married to Aaron Burr, an American politician and the third vice president of the United States. Burr is infamous for assassinating Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers and also the musical’s namesake.
Bartow inherited the house during the time of the Revolutionary War. Theodosia Bartow was originally married to James Marcus Provost, who was a loyalist and was fighting for the British during the war. Throughout the war Bartow invited soldiers—including General George Washington—into her home. She offered them a safe place to stay and escape from the terrors of battle. During one of the soldiers’ visits, Bartow met and fell for Burr and they were married several years later.
The tour of the Hermitage is very well done. Our tour guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the house and the rich history behind it.
Anyways, (sorry for geeking out about history for a moment there) the Hermitage is an awe-inspiring piece of American history and is definitely worth seeing…the architecture alone is stunning!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
It’s hard to discuss American history without mentioning Philadelphia. Home to many famous American landmarks, like the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia is a gorgeous city that boasts beautiful brick buildings and lots of leafy greenery.
Personally, American history is my favorite form of history to study, so it was especially interesting for me to revisit Philadelphia and go through the myriad of historical landmarks Philadelphia has to offer.
For instance, Betsy Ross’ house is located in Philadelphia! Ross is believed to have made the first American flag; there is actually speculation as to whether Ross designed the flag or not. Regardless of whether Ross truly made the first American flag, she still remains to be a beloved and important figure in our country’s history.
Known as the “birthplace of America,” Independence Hall is also located in Philadelphia and is where the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution took place. Aside from that, Independence Hall is also where the Articles of Confederation were adopted and where Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
Entertainment
New York, New York
For entertainment, nothing beats New York.
If you are interested in television and how your favorite shows are made, a lot of television shows are actually filmed in New York! My family and I took a tour of NBC Studios. On the tour, we were able to see the sets of the Nightly News with Lester Holt, SNL, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
However, if you love theatre and musicals, New York is also the perfect destination! While in New York, my family and I saw the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.
However, the most incredible thing to me about the musical Dear Evan Hansen is that the actor who plays Evan, Andrew Barth Feldman, is only sixteen years old! His vocals and overall portrayal of Evan were amazing to see.
Shopping
SoHo, New York
I fell in love with SoHo…so much so that it ended up being my favorite place that we visited in New York City. Home to cute little scoop parlors (as pictured below), coffee shops, bookstores, boutiques, and tons of healthy eats, SoHo is the perfect trendy destination for aspiring bloggers (like myself) (JK… kinda).
We walked around the store to admire and test out the various makeup and skincare products that were on display and, of course, took a hundred more photos. Once we had made our way around the store, I ended up getting a coral-colored blush (10/10, recommend!) and we grabbed lunch at a cute Italian restaurant.
After lunch and browsing the rest of the nearby stores, including a spice shop and a stationary store, we grabbed coffee at a cute little coffee shop before taking the subway back into midtown.
Cape May, New Jersey
If you prefer supporting more local brands and shopping at charming boutiques, Cape May is definitely worth a visit. Combined with its colorful facades and never-vanishing ocean breeze, shopping on Washington Street Mall is a true delight.
Not only does the city of Cape May offer an array of unique souvenir shops, but it also is home to a wide variety of locally owned stores. One store I love is Givens, which is pictured above.
Nature
If you are more into the great outdoors, the east coast offers many beautiful beaches and scenic spots.
Milford, Connecticut
Relax on the marina after dinner and grab a scoop of ice cream to complete the evening!
Cape May, New Jersey
Unlike California, (where the water is extremely cold and you practically need to wear a wetsuit) Cape May beaches are perfectly swimmable and the waves are strong enough for boogie boarding and even for surfing.
The beach gets pretty populated pretty fast though, so make sure you go early enough!
Note: All photos (except for those specified) were taken by me! Check out my VSCO if you would like to see more!