What it meant to grow up in Union

If there’s one thing I could say really shaped who I am today as a person, it’s my hometown of Union, New Jersey. I’ve always said I want to get out and move to Manhattan or travel the world, but my heart has always, and will always, be in Union. For any of you who may be from the area, all of these things are not news to you, but I think it’s about time some of my peers at Rutgers know about my city. Here are some of the reasons my city is better than yours.

We have the best food in Jersey

There are definitely towns that have the best pizza, maybe the best bagels, but as a collective (as in breakfast, lunch and dinner), you can have a perfect day culinarily hopping about Union. This is the exact route you should take throughout a day in Union if you want the perfect day with food. Start your day up Morris Ave. and grab yourself a taylor ham, egg and cheese from Bagel Spot; it’s a right of passage for anyone who claims to be from Union.

Next, cut on over to Chestnut St. for some Mr. Sub. Ask for a number 14d, don’t ask me what it is, just do it. Best subs on this side of the Mason Dixon Line.

Finally, you’re going to head towards Galloping Hill for a burger or a world famous hot dog with a large birch beer. I promise, you’ve never seen such a “classic” establishment in your life.

We’re in the perfect location

Union is only an hour from the shore and about 35 minutes from the city (New York, not Philly) on a good day. It offers us the best of both worlds. You can hop on the GSP and be in Seaside in an hour for some Midway Cheesesteaks, Kohr’s Ice Cream and most likely a fight. You can also grab the train and get to Manhattan after a short transfer in Newark.

Ray Liotta is from Union 

Henry fucking Hill is from my town. If you don’t know who Ray Liotta/Henry Hill is, you should probably ask your dad, and then crawl inside a hole in a shameful manner. The fact that the main character in Goodfellas is from our town is something we’re all extremely proud of. Also, if any of you have seen Bull Durham, the assistant coach in that movie is Robert Wuhl, a hilarious actor who also walked the streets of Union, growing up.

Union is the real world

By this I mean there is an incredible amount of diversity in Union. I grew up with people of every color, background, culture, etc. That’s the kind of upbringing that really prepares you for the real word. We were exposed to people completely different than us on a daily basis, and it made everything growing up a whole lot more interesting.

We tend to use regular nouns as locations to meet, but everyone still knows what you’re talking about 

There’s an area on the side of my high school where everyone would exit to go to the parking lot. If you were calling your mom or friends to pick you up in this area, you always said “I’m at the rock” because, you guessed it, there’s a big ass rock just sitting there. We also have “the cannon” on the other side. We keep it simple, but it’s definitely more efficient.

Our culture is different from the rest of Jersey

I’ve always said we’re in central jersey, not because of the actual location but because of the vibes. I’ve noticed we adopt a lot of our culture from the city, and it shows in how we all dress, the type of music we listen to, how we use slang, etc. Once I came to Rutgers, I realized how different kids from every other town in Jersey are, so we definitely have our own little thing going on.

It’s just all around “classic” 

This is the phrase my friends and I made up to describe our town, and reflects how much we love it. I can’t really explain it, because unless you are from Union, you really won’t get it.

In the future I hope to get away for a while, see new things and meet new people, but in the end, Union will always have an insanely deep place in my heart. It’s something you just can’t get away from. It’s where I grew up, met my friends/brothers, made memories with my family and learned a lot. It made me the man I am today and I’m proud to tell people where I’m from.