Day 3: Red Bank, New Jersey

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Day 3: April 8 - Red Bank, New Jersey
Accommodation: Manhattan Inn Hostel

What I didn’t realise when I booked my hostel was that New York’s Penn Station was only a few blocks away so I booked it well! My plan today was to catch a train to New Jersey, and I wanted to see a bit of America outside the big city as well as a few Kevin-Smith-related places. Kevin Smith , for those who don’t know, is a writer and director and producer and actor who started off with a very low budget movie named Clerks, which was full of twisted humour, and gradually became more and more popular with his unique brand of humour spawning 5 more movies and a cult following, of which I am also a part. Anyway, the train ride was pretty nice. Just outside of New York state, Newark looked pretty dirty and rundown. Being an overcast and rainy day didn’t exactly help its appearance. A bit further on and the houses actually looked pretty nice. Eventually I arrived in Kevin Smith’s home town of Red Bank, New Jersey. I walked down Monmouth Street past Count Basie’s Theatre (the other famous former Red Bank resident) and to Broad Street where I found a few places from the movie Chasing Amy. My first destination was Kevin Smith’s hub of merchandise, Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. I walk in to a cavalcade of movie memorabilia and comics amongst Kevin Smith merchandise, and to my right I see Mr Walt Flanagan, one of Kevin’s best friends who he somehow gives a cameo or reference to in all of his movies, so after taking several photos inside the store I take a photo with him. After buying some Kevin Smith junk, he then gives me a map of other places to visit and even tells me which bus to catch to get to some of them. What a nice guy. The bus ride takes me through some very pleasant neighbourhoods, such a nice change from the dirty look of New York City. Eventually we arrive in the town of Leonardo where it’s pouring down rain, but I just have to get a photo of the Quikstop convenience store and RST Video store, the locations of Kevin’s first movie and places he used to work at while making the film. Afterwards I walk into the Leonardo Deli some 2 or 3 doors down and order an 8-inch hogie sandwich for lunch with assorted meat and salad. When the hogie arrives it’s bursting with around 10 slices of ham, 10 slices of turkey, a lone slice of bright yellow cheese, olive oil, mayonnaise, and several slices of onion and lettuce. It was gigantic! I thought to myself it’s no wonder there are so many obese people in this country. I finished it off with my large 80-cent coffee and I was so full that I didn’t have another bite to eat for something like 6 to 8 hours! I couldn’t find a bus back to Red Bank so I hailed a taxi and the guy was wearing a baseball cap and acted like he was off his face! He wasn’t talking to me, he was half shouting with the stereo blaring, then he says to me “so do you like Motley Crue?” and I say “yeah I don’t mind them” and he sticks on their greatest hits and turns it up full blast and starts singing along and headbanging and speeding! This guy was a nut and I loved it! Back to the station with my goodies and back to New York City feeling somewhat enriched with new experiences from a nice bunch of New Jersey towns. I arrived back and headed back towards my hostel again feeling pretty content with myself.

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