Jersey City

A melting pot of cultures and people, Jersey City was the first destination for many immigrants entering the U.S. through nearby Ellis Island, which operated from 1892 until 1954 and processed more than 12 million immigrant steamship passengers.
 
Today, Jersey City still reflects the flavors and influences of the international populations that call the city home.
 
An easy urban sophistication instills the downtown area, starting at the waterfront landmark Colgate Clock and extending through the revitalized Powerhouse Arts District, home to some of the city’s hundreds of artists.
 
To sample just a few of the multicultural influences, start with the food: Korean in Jersey City Heights, Indian in the Little India neighborhood (upper Newark Avenue), Filipino on Jersey Avenue and Cuban on pretty much any block in town.
 
Although it’s definitely a city, there’s a surprising amount of green space here – the best known is Liberty State Park, a 1,212-acre oasis in the middle of a major metropolitan area, where you can catch ferries to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (just 2,000 feet away).
 
Follow the pedestrian walkway around the park and relax on the grass. Or stop in at the park’s Central Railroad Terminal, the historic depot where most immigrants’ New Jersey story began.
 
The is also home to the all new Liberty Science Center, which offers hundreds of exhibitions in eight expansive new galleries and amazing films in the nation's largest IMAX Dome Theater.