April brings cherry blossoms to Branch Brook Park, one reason to visit Newark, New Jersey's biggest city, home to roughly 320,000 people and about ten miles from Manhattan. It has been around since the 1600s, and its reputation has often lagged behind what the place is actually like. The Ironbound is the main reason to come, with Portuguese and Brazilian restaurants packed along a few walkable streets. NJPAC and the Prudential Center draw crowds for concerts and Devils games, and the Newark Museum of Art and Branch Brook Park fill out a good weekend.
Day to day it feels like a working city with strong immigrant communities and easy train access to New York. Living costs run well above the national average, though below Manhattan. The tradeoffs are real: violent crime is higher than the national norm in parts of the city, and vehicle theft is a serious problem, so park with care. Downtown, the Ironbound and the NJPAC area are busy and well patrolled.
