AZ and NJ: An afterthought

After a month of stay in Tempe, AZ and my brief stay in Jersey City with a quick tour of NYC I cannot contain my observations on the way of life in each state. First off, the airport. When I left Sky Harbor en route to Newark I was able to enjoy a short wifi access for free, that's why I was able to post on my blog as I waited for my boarding time. I could not say the same for Newark International Airport. The wifi access wasn't free. It's a good thing that I only waited a few minutes before I boarded the plane. Otherwise I would have been pissed. I wanted to go back to Phoenix so bad that the 5.5 hours of air travel made me impatient.

It was hard to breathe in NJ. I didn't experience that in AZ. Pollution in the city was that bad that I had runny nose the moment I stepped out of the airport. I knew that it was a colder in NJ and I was prepared for that. But my fleece jacket wasn't enough for the biting cold I had to borrow some of my cousin's winter jacket to help me through the day when we went out.

Traffic was also different. Jersey City and NYC is a lot like Metro Manila. Driving was almost the same. Tailgating was normal. I told my cousins that they couldn't drive like that in AZ. They just shrugged their shoulders and smiled wryly at me. Parking was difficult even in residential areas. My cousins were paying $125 per month for the parking space. Haven't experienced that in AZ.

Public transport was everywhere - buses, trains, taxi. They even told me that if I wanted to go to NYC I better take the train or else my head will split when I try to find a parking space in the City. Even if I do, the price would make my head split.

The only thing that made me appreciate Jersey City than Tempe was the Filipino stores. I could get meals - lutong bahay at that from the next block. It was actually a whole street full of Filipino stores. Consequently, there were a lot of Filipinos too. Thus eliminating the need to speak English for an extended period of time. This, I find to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. But what the heck.

California, at least Orange County, is a lot different from NJ and NYC. But I couldn't say the same for Daly City or South San Francisco.

I've yet to see that. Oh, well. In a couple of days I will.

For now, I am going to savor the taste of the sun. I should get out more often.