This Is My New Jersey

For the most part, I like New 12 New Jersey. However, this morning during their “Close to Home” program, they were showing off cherry blossom trees and boasting how New York City is the place to go to check them out this spring.

Ahem, I’ll put this as nicely as possible for a Jersey Girl. Wrong!

If you want to see the most beautiful, and plentiful, cherry blossom trees, might I suggest Branch Brook Park, which straddles my hometown of Belleville, with my birthplace of Newark. This park is home to over 5,300 cherry blossom trees. In comparison, Washington D.C. only has 3,700 trees. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has 37 trees.

If you travel through the town of Belleville, which by the way is the Cherry Blossom Capital of America, had an additional 3,500 cherry blossom trees planted throughout the town in 2001.

I mean seriously, why would you go to NYC or DC to look at the blossoming trees when you have a beautiful display right here in Jersey?

April starts the cherry blossom season with a variety of events taking place in Branch Brook Park, including the Cherry Blossom Festival, planned for April 4th. Can’t get there in person or want to keep a close eye on the status of the blooms? Check out the live cherry blossom web cam.

You can walk along the miles of paths or stay in the car and ride through the entire park. You’ll often see families taking photos of kids dressed in the Easter best, along with kids that just made their First Holy Communion, or couples on their wedding day. It is a simply beautiful backdrop to a day outside.

Trust me, it is worth the ride to see nature in all her spring glory!