New Jersey
Pokemon Go Is Apparently Still a Thing and About To Overrun New Jersey
Pokémon ignited my imagination when I was younger in a way I never would have expected. Hell, it does now, too! I haven’t played a new Pokémon game in several years (and am grateful I haven’t gotten a Switch because the new games look like they would ruin my life). But I will still fire up an old Nintendo DS on occasion and explore the worlds of Kanto and Sinnoh, catching and training those pocket monsters with the help of my trusty Ninetales. But there is more to the games (and the anime) than simply catching Pokémon.
The world of Pokémon is rich with lore and history. The stories about legendary Pokémon, which the games are often centered around, tell magical tales about ancient beings that shaped the world. There are cults and criminal organizations built around worshiping these giant (or tiny) monsters. It’s a lot of fun and turns the games and shows into exhilarating and awe-inspiring adventure stories (that also involve cute lil monsters fighting with their powers). It rules, I love it, and I wholly expected to love Pokémon Go when it dropped in 2016. I did not.
The mobile game, which uses AR technology to populate our world with catchable Pokémon, took off like a rocket. I was as swept up as everyone else, but it also helped that when it dropped, I had been fired from a job I had had for seven years. Your boy was as unemployed as unemployed could be, and had plenty of time to explore Washington Heights, catching Pokémon on my phone. But I grew tired of it pretty quickly. It drained my phone’s battery like crazy and used up a lot of data (and I didn’t have an unlimited plan at the time). But, most importantly, the story elements were missing.
Maybe some of my complaints have been addressed in the last eight years. I’m sure there have been advancements, but I moved on pretty quickly and never looked back. Mobile games for your phone lost appeal to me as well, as they are mostly bird feeders that you have to attend to constantly unless you feel like spending money on something you don’t really own. While I may not be the only person who thinks this way, I am likely in the minority because Pokémon Go is still going strong, so much so that it may disrupt my life this weekend.
I live in Jersey City and have been here for about a year and a half. Yesterday was the first day I told my wife that it was starting to feel like home. That doesn’t mean it is without its issues, though. For instance, Jersey City transit gobbles big ole salty goat balls, uncooked and slathered with puss (sorry, but it really is that bad). I spent 16 years riding the NYC subways, and those aren’t perfect, but NJ Transit makes them look golden chariots powered by happy thoughts and positive vibes. Jersey will host the final match of the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium, and I honestly think it will break the buses. They couldn’t even handle Shakira.
So, I was more than worried when I saw an article on Patch about NJ hosting the Pokémon Go Fest this weekend, and basically admitting that they aren’t prepared for it. “Liberty State Park will host Pokémon GO Fest from Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8,” a statement from the state said. “This large-scale event is expected to attract thousands of attendees each day. Motorists and park visitors are advised to expect heavy traffic in and around Liberty State Park during this period, especially along Freedom Way, Phillip Street, Morris Pesin Drive, and Audrey Zapp Drive.” New Jersey is one of the most densely populated states, and the Fest will bring around 90,000 people to one location to look at their phones. Fun!
Jersey goes on to pitch public transportation as an alternative for travelers, but again, their public transportation is bad. The apps for tracking buses and trains are confusing (and often don’t work). Scheduled buses and trains will arrive much later or earlier than stated on the apps without any warning, and that’s if they show up at all. If you miss your 4:15 bus, you could be f***ed, as the next might not come for an hour. The only consistent train I’ve ridden in Jersey is the PATH, but it doesn’t go far, and I’m sure if I rode it more regularly, I would have complaints.
I am not blaming Pokémon Go players for enjoying the event or the game. Everything sucks. Find your happiness. But it was incredibly jarring to discover that something I once dabbled in was still very popular and possibly going to disrupt my life this weekend. But I’ll look at the good side as well. We are in Primary Election season in NJ. If inefficiencies in transit are highlighted this weekend, maybe people will want change and Pokémon Go to the polls! Hey, that was pretty good. Someone should say that on a national stage!
It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the Brooklyn Nets moved out of New Jersey.
The organization has completely revamped its vibe since switching states, ditching the red, white and blue look for a very basic black and white colorway.
The Nets have also intermittently changed the colors of the banners hanging up in the Barclays Center from red, white and blue to black and white, much to the chagrin of traditional Nets fans.
Despite the Nets now playing in a bigger market and being far removed from their days in the Garden State, some fans seem to hope for the Nets to make their return across the river. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill was asked about the matter.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
As time went on, the Nets eventually started to embrace more of their New Jersey roots, which started when they rocked a clean tie-dye jersey from the 90s during the 2020-21 season.
The next season, the Nets followed it up with uniforms commemorating their run in the 2000s, when the team got to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and endlessly broke the ESPN top 10 with each crazy Jason Kidd assist and Vince Carter dunk.
It’s fitting that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom grew up in New Jersey as a Nets fan, got to rock these uniforms, helping boost the popularity of the New Jersey brand to a wide array of fans.
True Nets fans embraced the Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center and the swamps of East Rutherford, getting to witness a winning basketball team for a fraction of the cost of the team mired in dysfunction that happened to play their home games at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Not many marquee free agents would have signed up to play in New Jersey, but real fans remember the good times in the swamps, especially with Sly the Fox as the team’s mascot. Those times deserve to be remembered properly.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (WPVI) — Drivers heading to the shore on Friday afternoon saw slow-moving traffic for several miles coming off the Walt Whitman bridge, but many travelers said the start of the holiday weekend was smoother than they anticipated.
Aldara Madden, who was traveling with her friend Elana Maser, said the trip moved faster than she expected.
“I was expecting it to take a lot longer,” she said.
Maser added that they left school early to avoid delays.
“My mom and I do that every year and then we always stop here as our little pre-down the shore,” she said.
Others shared similar experiences.
“I’m coming from Bucks County, so I was worried there was gonna be some traffic but it really wasn’t bad at all,” said Erin McFadden of Churchville, who was headed to Ocean City.
AAA reported that while slightly more people are traveling by car this year compared to last, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year travel growth rate in more than a decade, excluding the steep drop seen in 2020 during the pandemic.
The organization attributes the slowdown largely to concerns over rising prices.
“Gas is ridiculously expensive and I think all the time before going anywhere these days,” said Debbie Maser of Philadelphia. “But this is our happy place and nothing can keep us away.”
A dreary weekend forecast may also be influencing travel patterns.
“I was thinking that, I wonder if there’ll be less congestion on the roads because of the weather,” said Kyra Wolin of Massachusetts. “It’s not looking to be too good this weekend with the rain.”
Still, many shore-bound travelers said tradition outweighs any concerns about rain or crowds.
“No not at all. You go down. You get it done,” said George Miller of Lansdale.
Eric Wolin of Massachusetts agreed: “Never, never. Margate’s a special place for us.”
As the unofficial start of summer begins, travelers said they remain committed to kicking off the season in their favorite spots, not letting rain, traffic, or high prices keep them away.
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This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
As summer begins, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is urging residents to limit lawn watering, and hand water flowers and shrubs as a drought warning continues. The warning, in place since December 2025, could turn into a drought emergency if conditions do not improve. The state has suffered eight consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, according to officials.
“New Jersey is experiencing a chronic water supply drought, the scale of which we haven’t seen in more than twenty years,” state geologist Steven Domber said in a statement issued earlier this month. “The indicators that we track closely are showing persistently dry conditions. With uncertainty for rainfall in the coming months, we need residents to conserve water today, to ensure we have enough to sustain our needs over the summer.”
The Department of Environmental Protection uses a variety of indicators to determine drought levels, including precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels and demand.
In addition to the last two months, officials say, the state “experienced below normal precipitation for 20 of the last 24 months since September 2024,” despite heavy snowfall events this past winter that helped restore reservoirs in North Jersey.
“While we saw a little relief over the winter, New Jersey is feeling the effects of nearly two years of below-normal precipitation,” Sherrill said in a statement earlier this month. She urged residents to voluntarily conserve water.
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson said that since precipitation has been below normal for most of the last 24 months, the recent winter weather did not provide enough water to help restore streams and groundwater.
Should a drought emergency be declared, mandatory water restrictions would be put in place. The last drought emergency lasted almost a year, between March 2002 and January 2003.
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