Paterson, NJ Driving Tips
Driving through Paterson can be a nightmare. It's a very small city with tight streets full of potholes and traffic. However, Paterson also has a rich history. It was the first industrialized city in America! Although it's now more well known for crime, drugs and poverty like most urban areas in nor
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thern NJ, there is still a lot of good here. Avoid Main St during rush hours, there's plenty of parking lots you can park up in for the day for a reasonable fee while you wander downtown. There's amazing shops and restaurants all over Main St if you find yourself downtown. You can also catch a free ride on the Paterson Trolley, which will also take you around downtown and through the historic district. If you chose to drive, bring plenty of quarters for the meter because parking tickets are absurdly expensive. Watch out for potholes no matter which street you're on because they're everywhere! If you have time, learn the side streets before you visit as it will save you hours in traffic. Even though Paterson had a reputation as a rough city, the people really are great and are very proud to be from a city they love. Don't be scared to meet new people while you're around, you don't have to lock your doors when driving through. No one is going to attack you here. There's also plenty of public transportation if you want to drink or head into the city for the night. You're only about twenty minutes from NYC.
Paterson, NJ Buying Tips
I think when you buy a car here, you're probably better off going to a dealership. As previously mentioned, the roads in Paterson are horrible so you're much better off getting a full bumper to bumper warranty and roadside assistance package. Winters are very cold and summers are hot, not the kind o
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f weather you want to be stuck trying to change a tire in. Although, no matter where you are, you're never far from a gas station so at least you won't have to worry about having to go far if you run out of gas.
Favorite Driving Memory
One of my favorite memories driving around Paterson, NJ would probably have to involve the notorious potholes. When I first began driving, like any other young girl, I was a little nervous. Learning to control this huge machine and maneuver it through crowded streets was intimidating to say the leas
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t. However, the freedom driving offered made it completely worth it! So here I am, 18 years old, finally off all restrictions from my probationary license with a full tank of gas, a folder full of cds and my best friend in the passenger seat. We have no particular destination in mind but we're just cruising, music blasting, windows down and loving life. Suddenly our awesome girl's trip around the city comes to a crawl as we hit downtown traffic. We refuse to let traffic kill our vibe and continue on, deciding it's better to be seen cruising down Main St than to park it and walk. However, with the narrow street jam packed with traffic, it was impossible to avoid the potholes. Luckily, we're barely moving so at first it isn't so bad, twenty minutes later and we've gone through five or six cds and a what seemed like at least fifty potholes. We finally decide to turn off Main St and get away from the downtown madness. I make a quick right and drive straight over more potholes! The music starts skipping so we throw in another cd. However, we weren't paying attention to which cds we had already played and ruined and which ones we hadn't. Since most of our cds were mixtapes we had burned ourselves, they were mostly blank on both sides with no way to tell them apart. As I drove through the city, my best friend struggled to find us a working cd so we could get back to jamming. After a few more skipping duds, I quickly reached over and hit eject. Before she could say anything I grabbed the cd and flung it out the window in frustration. My best friend looked over at me, momentarily surprised and then busted out laughing. We continued our ride through the city, dodging potholes and flinging cds out the windows every few blocks until we decided it was time to go home and burn some new cds.
Favorite Road
Mill St
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What makes Mill St so great is that it takes you past the falls (a group of waterfalls that run into the Passaic River) and through the historic district. The falls are an amazing piece of calming nature tucked away in a crazy, fast paced city. In the winter they look beautiful covered in snow and i
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ce. During the summer, the cool breeze from the water is a refreshing break from the heat. In the fall, all the leaves changing colors frame the waterfalls like a gorgeous picture frame. Driving past the falls is always such a happy experience for me, not only because of it's beauty but also from all the memories I have there. They remind me of my late father a lot and it brings a smile to my face when I see them and think of him and memories from my childhood. I also enjoy driving down Mill St because it takes you through historic Paterson. Many of the original old factories still stand along the river, now preserved by the Historic Society. As I history geek I love seeing the old buildings and all their features such as old fashioned street lights and cobblestone walkways. It's like a small peek back in time.
Paterson, NJ Driving Tips
Make sure you a lot enough time for traffic, there's always traffic in New Jersey. As most people would say, New Jersey drivers are very fast and not courteous. If your driving on the highways of New Jersey, you can't be scared. The fast lane is for people driving fast, if your going slow then pleas
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e move to the other lanes. So many times there are people driving slow in the fast lane (left lane) and it can cause accidents for those who are trying to drive around them.
Paterson, NJ Buying Tips
Definitely get a car that gets good gas mileage. Most people who live in New Jersey commute for work which puts a lot of miles on your car and causes you to fill you tank more often. I have a Jeep Wrangler and drive about 80 miles a day to work and wind up filling my tank every 2-3 days.
Favorite Driving Memory
I wouldn't necessarily say I have great driving memories around this city, however I can say that I love driving down the shore near Toms River. It's about a hour and half drive and you know when your getting close because you can smell the ocean air and hear the seagulls above. Everyone in New Jers
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ey loves going to the shore and smelling that salt air is the first sign that your close.
Favorite Road
Route 80
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Most people hate route 80 but I often drive on it and would have to say I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love driving on route 80 because it's straight forward and gets you wherever you need to go in the quickest way. However, there's always so many cars on the road, so no matter what time
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of day it is, there's ALWAYS traffic. There's also so many pot holes everywhere, that you have to be very cautious and careful while driving, especially if your in a low car.
Paterson, NJ Driving Tips
One tip I can give to other drivers in this city is to plan ahead when it comes to parking; parking is very sparse and it can be very frustrating to find one when you want to visit a specific store or a restaurant. Even paid parking is pretty limited so it's a good idea to scout the area on foot bef
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ore you drive there to find good parking spots.
Paterson, NJ Buying Tips
When buying a car in this city, make sure it's something that suits your needs. The roads here are narrow and the traffic can get pretty heavy all throughout the day so it's important to think about the physical size of your car. Also, another crucial fact of this city is that public transportation
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is pretty reliable. Getting a car is absolutely optional and using public transportation to get to where you need (including work and school) is definitely doable.
Favorite Driving Memory
My favorite memory from driving in this city was when I met an old friend of mine from high school waiting at a traffic stop as a pedestrian. I yelled out at him and it turned out that we were both free at the time being. We went to the nearest coffee shop and spent hours chatting with each other.
Favorite Road
Main St
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I love driving on this street because there are many stores and shops on this road that I can look at and stop by - most of the owners and employees of these stores recognize me and we always chat for a minute or two whenever I drop by.