New Jersey Diner Road Trip
Summer is still here, and the open road calls out to both young and old for a road trip. Lonely Planet’s publication of 99 themed road trips in America includes one in New Jersey – a tour of diners.
Starting in Jersey City and ending in Wall, NJ, the trip covers 150 miles of classic Jersey culinary classics. Residents can start more locally in Hackensack with the White Mana which is actually the second stop after the White Manna in Jersey City…The dropped “n” was a mistake that just stuck. The accompanying video is from the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on a visit to White Mana.
One could even add the Oakland Diner which has played host to the television show Real Housewives of New Jersey. It also is a product of Paramount Modular Concepts located in Oakland, NJ. Founded in 1932, Paramount was known for their stainless steel work on the interior, and they offered the all-stainless-steel exterior before anyone else. In addition they, developed and patented the split-construction method now widely used in the modular building industry. The White Mana is a Paramount built diner, as was the recently closed Cheyenne Diner which had been a fixture in Manhattan for generations. Paramount continues operations today restoring old diners.
New Jersey is famous for it’s diners, having more than any other state in the nation, and local affection has been reflected television shows like the Sopranos and in the music industry via acts like Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper. For those of a certain age, Rosie’s Diner, originally located in Little Ferry, was built in 1946 and became famous in 1970 when Bounty paper towel commercials featuring Rosie the waitress were set there….the diner was re-located to Michigan in 1991.
New Jersey has about 570 diners, more than any other state. About half of all the towns in New Jersey, 284, have at least one diner.
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This would be a cool roadtrip! I would love to tour all of New Jersey’s Diners!