The best of 11 states - here in NYC

With bonus factoids from our resident quizmaster, Noah Tarnow of the Big Quiz Thing (bigquizthing.com).

California | Illinois | Louisiana | Massachusetts | New Jersey
Texas | Hawaii | Colorado | Minnesota | Nebraska | Oklahoma

New Jersey

Relive your angsty suburban adolescence by taking a day off to cruise the Staten Island Mall (2655 Richmond Ave, Staten Island; 718-698-9480, statenisland-mall.com), because really, what else is there to do in suburbia? The mall’s two stories are packed with all your standbys of yore (Aéropostale, American Eagle, Claire’s Accessories). A trip wouldn’t be complete without fueling up on spinach and artichoke dip ($10.99) at Applebee’s.

Proving there’s more to the Garden State’s rock & roll legacy than Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys (August Wilson Theatre, 245 W 52nd St between Broadway and Eighth Ave; 212-239-6222, jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway, $62-$127) tells the story of the Four Seasons’ rise to fame, set to a soundtrack of the 1960s group’s music.

Although the show takes place in Jersey, many scenes from The Sopranos were actually shot in New York City. Tour the series’s film spots on the four-hour On Location Tours Soprano Sites (212-209-3370, screentours.com; Sat, Sun 2pm; $42), which makes stops at Father Phil’s parish, the Bada Bing and Holsten’s, the setting for the show’s final scene. Though the tour does drive through New Jersey proper, as long as you don’t get off the bus, you’ve technically never set foot on foreign ground.

Despite being widely available at nearly every beach town from coast to coast, saltwater taffy has its origins on the Atlantic City boardwalk, where it’s peddled as a popular souvenir. Pick up a chewy, sticky mass of boiled sugar at Economy Candy (108 Rivington St between Essex and Ludlow Sts; 800-352-4544, economycandy.com); assorted taffy costs $1.99 per pound.

Grab a bunch of your buddies, claim a booth at Tick Tock Diner (481 Eighth Ave at 34th St, 212-268-8444) and chow down on classic diner fare—like a greasy cheeseburger and fries ($8.95) and a black-and-white shake ($4.45)—while asking each other what you want to do tonight and never quite making a plan. The owners of Tick Tock also run its identical twin in Clifton, New Jersey, an Art Deco landmark that’s dates to 1948.

Fun fact: No, “Born to Run” is not the official song of New Jersey. But the legislature did once propose a resolution to make it “the unofficial theme of our State’s youth.”

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California | Illinois | Louisiana | Massachusetts | New Jersey
Texas | Hawaii | Colorado | Minnesota | Nebraska | Oklahoma

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