Items for Improvement

When I leave my house, sit in my car, and begin driving down the local roads in Franklinville, I find myself often slightly swerving. I’m not a genuinely bad driver nor do I have bad eyesight— it’s just that there are so many deep potholes that I worry for my precious car. When one pothole gets filled in, another seems to appear.

Yet, they’re not pesky enough to cause me major disdain against my township. Yes, driving over a pothole is annoying and can potentially be damaging to a car, but they’re just minor irritants. They are simply holes in the roadways of my township that I can’t control but would love to instantly repair.

Although South Jersey has many perks—being close to major metropolitan areas, the beach, and a strong sense of community to name a few—there are still many hiccups that should be addressed. After all, it’s impossible to find a perfect place to live.

At the end of the day, the populace needs to be comfortable with where they live for a better overall quality of life. If you are so peeved by your location, it may be time to look into other options if that is possible in your current financial situation.

When I came home from studying in Switzerland for a semester in 2010, I began working at a hotel in Deptford while finishing my education. I decided to work at the hotel to continue interactions with travelers and feed the travel bug that was embedded in my brain through their stories. I came in contact with truck drivers who were on the road for months at a time, Californians who couldn’t stop praising their state, and guests who wished to pay for their rooms in “fur.” My next few entries will be switching gears a bit to share some of the experiences I encountered while working there and how they relate to South Jersey life.

In the meantime, I want to know what bugs you the most about your town. Is it something minor like a pothole problem or something more outrageous? Do you really think South Jersey is worth it, or is living here just a waste of your time? Tell us in the Comments section below.