Let's Take a Day Trip

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Perched at a corner table on the patio at Lokal Eatery & Bar, I gazed out across the Hudson River as dusk settled over New York City. The Manhattan skyline shimmered just beyond my reach—a nightly drama playing out on the water’s edge, waiting to be chronicled.

It was shortly after dusk. Skyscrapers glowed against the evening sky, their silhouettes punctuated by bursts of orange and blue in tribute to the New York Knicks. Ferries skimmed across the water, trailing gentle wakes. Along the promenade, residents strolled with their dogs, while couples paused to capture the city’s magic with Lower Manhattan as their stage.

I’ve come to the Tri-State region to use my $100 Resy credit that I receive each quarter through my American Express Platinum Card. It was in that moment that I realized the best way to use this credit is not only to try a new restaurant but also to make it an experience.

For many travelers, a dining credit is simply a way to offset the cost of a meal. For me, it has become a lens through which to discover neighborhoods I might otherwise overlook, to seek out communities beyond the well-trodden tourist trail, and to craft memories anchored not just in cuisine, but in place.

That’s exactly what happened during a recent trip to Jersey City.

While I’m no stranger to the New York metropolitan area, this was my first foray into the Jersey City waterfront. Like many visitors, I’d previously confined my explorations to Manhattan—wandering through the neon chaos of Times Square, catching baseball in Queens, delving into the storied streets of Lower Manhattan, and mastering the city’s labyrinthine subway system.

Yet somehow, I had never crossed the river to experience one of the region’s fastest-evolving communities—an oversight I was eager to correct.

The trip began with a short ride on the PATH train from the World Trade Center station. Within minutes, the crowded streets of Manhattan gave way to a quieter atmosphere along the Jersey waterfront. What I found was a community that offered some of the best views of New York City without actually being in the city.

The waterfront promenade stretched for blocks, lined with restaurants, residential towers, and public spaces overlooking the Hudson River. Looking east, the One World Trade Center tower dominated the skyline. Looking south, the Statue of Liberty stood in the distance.

It was a reminder that sometimes the most compelling perspectives come from stepping just beyond the boundaries of the familiar—a lesson I’ve learned time and again on assignment.

That philosophy—of seeking the overlooked—carried over into the dining experience.

Earlier in the day, I used part of the Resy credit for brunch at Lokal Eatery & Bar. The meal featured chicken and waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a decadent French toast dish. It was the type of brunch that encourages people to slow down and enjoy their surroundings rather than rush to the next attraction.

Later that evening, I returned for dinner, this time choosing an outdoor table just steps from the water. My roasted chicken arrived accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a glossy, aromatic sauce. As darkness enveloped the Hudson, the skyline erupted into a tapestry of lights, each window a story in the vast urban mosaic.

The food was memorable, but it wasn’t the highlight of the experience.

The true highlight was discovering a place I had, inexplicably, never taken the time to explore—despite countless trips to the region.

Too often, travelers focus exclusively on major destinations while overlooking nearby communities that offer their own unique identity. Jersey City isn’t merely an appendage of New York. It has asserted itself as a destination in its own right, with a vibrant culinary scene, distinct neighborhoods, verdant parks, and a culture that’s unmistakably its own.

The visit also reaffirmed why I relish using travel as an opportunity to venture beyond airports, hotels, and marquee attractions.

As someone who frequently embarks on weekend escapes, I’ve found that the most rewarding travel experiences often occur when there’s no marquee attraction on the itinerary. Sometimes, the most indelible memory is stumbling onto a quiet waterfront, savoring a meal at a neighborhood spot, or witnessing a sunset from a place that was off my radar just days before.

That’s one reason the Resy credit has become more valuable to me than its dollar amount might suggest.

The credit creates an incentive to seek out new experiences. Rather than simply using it at a familiar restaurant close to home, I find myself asking a different question: “Where can this take me?”

Sometimes the answer is a new neighborhood in Chicago. Other times it’s a restaurant in Southern California, Toronto, or New York.

This time, it carried me across the Hudson River—a short journey that yielded outsized rewards.

As I sat watching the Manhattan skyline from Jersey City, I realized that the particulars of the meal would inevitably recede with time. The flavors, though memorable, would fade into the background of my travels.

What would remain vivid, though, was the memory of standing along the waterfront for the first time—watching the city lights shimmer across the river and uncovering a destination that had been hiding in plain sight all along.

In that sense, the meal wasn’t really the destination.

It was simply the reason to begin the journey.