TRENTON, N.J. — One of my favorite parts of the ride up the Northeast Corridor is crossing the Delaware River and seeing the “TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES” sign on the Lower Trenton Toll-Supported Bridge. Ironically, the bridge is free, but is supported by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

The neon sign, erected in 1935, celebrates Trenton’s industrial legacy. I don’t know how industrial Trenton still is but Taylor Pork Roll comes from there and that’s good enough for me. It is also the state capital of New Jersey.

Oddly enough, I have been a legal resident of New Jersey and Virginia and I had never so much as set foot in either state capital until this last jaunt up the Northeast Corridor. On the way back, I hopped off the platform and snapped a quick photo on the platform of the Trenton train station. That probably marked the first time since 1979 that I had set foot in the Garden State on three consecutive Saturdays. As for Richmond, maybe someday, no rush.

TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES, Trenton, New Jersey, NJ, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, Lower Trenton Toll-Supported Bridge