The Meadowlands are one of the strangest landscapes in America: a vast flat expanse of marsh and reeds along the Hackensack River, criss-crossed by highways, railways and power lines, with the Manhattan skyline rising across the water to the east. Lyndhurst, Rutherford and East Rutherford sit on its edges, old towns of brick houses and main streets, with the giant MetLife Stadium and the American Dream shopping complex looming over the marsh.
The marsh has made a comeback. For decades it was a dumping ground for garbage, industrial waste and, according to legend, a few bodies, but much of it has been cleaned up and protected, and it is now home to herons, egrets, ospreys and even bald eagles. In Lyndhurst, DeKorte Park has boardwalks and trails through the marsh, with views of the skyline and the birds, and it is a surprisingly peaceful place.
Rutherford has a literary claim. William Carlos Williams, one of the great American poets of the twentieth century, lived and worked here as a doctor for most of his life, delivering thousands of babies and writing poems about the ordinary people and places of northern New Jersey, including his long poem Paterson, about the nearby city. His house still stands on West Passaic Avenue.
As the finish of a Finger Lakes trip, it comes after a long ride from upstate New York, with its lakes, vineyards and gorges. The road back usually comes down Route 17 or Interstate 80, through the hills of the Catskills or the Poconos, and then into the traffic of northern New Jersey. The last stretch, on the highways around the Meadowlands, is busy and confusing, with lots of junctions and lane changes, and you need to stay alert.
Fuel, food and services are everywhere, and the towns have diners, delis and Italian restaurants. Stop at DeKorte Park, walk out onto the boardwalk and watch the sun set behind the reeds, with the towers of Manhattan glowing in the distance.