NYC alternatives right here in North Jersey

New York — so we're told — has a monopoly on culture, music, theater, art, entertainment, shopping. The deep dark secret New Yorkers don't want you to know is that — psst — almost anything you can do in New York, you can do here.

Name a Manhattan destination, and we'll name a comparable one in North Jersey. OK, so in some cases, it may not have quite the…well, cachet of its New York counterpart. But these destinations have a charm, class, and fascination all their own. Not to mention being a heckuva lot closer, cheaper, and less aggravating to get to.

Instead of the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim, how about...

♦The Newark Museum. No Cleopatra's Needle in the forecourt, and no temple of Dendur in the Egyptian gallery. But there is the mummy case of Henet-Mer, and many other textiles, sculptures, paintings and pottery pieces that give a vivid picture of Egyptian life from the Neolithic period to the early centuries of our era. And the museum has much more: from souvenirs of ancient Greece and Rome to more contemporary American, Asian, and African art. And they've also got New Jersey's first planetarium, opened in 1953.

To get there: New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 15W. I-280W to Exit 15A. Left on Broad Street. Third right onto Washington Place. Left on Halsey Street. Right on Central Avenue. Right on Washington Street. 49 Washington St. (973) 596-6550, newarkmuseum.org.

♦The Montclair Art Museum

How's this for a collection: Romare Bearden, Thomas Hart Benton, Margaret Bourke-White, Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, George Inness, Helen Levitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Longo, Man Ray, Ma-Pe-Wi, Robert Motherwell, Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko, John Singer Sargent, George Segal, Ben Shahn, Joseph Stella, Kay WalkingStick, Andy Warhol, Max Weber, James McNeill Whistler — and that's just for starters. Not to mention the large trove of Native American art and artifacts.

To get there: Garden State Parkway south to Exit 148, Bloomfield Avenue. Right onto Bloomfield Avenue. Proceed 2.7 miles. Pass Montclair Jaguar, stay to left, and turn left at second light onto South Mountain Ave. 3 S. Mountain Ave. (973) 746-5555, montclairartmuseum.org.

♦The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum. Soviet non-conformist art and 19th century French art are two of the house specials. But the Zimmerli Museum, located at the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, has lots more: some 60,000 works, including children's book illustrations, prints, drawings, and sculptures.

To get there: Garden State Parkway South to exit 130, merge onto U.S. 1 South, proceed 7.22 miles, merge onto Route 18 N, go 2.13 miles, take George Street ramp toward Rutgers University, travel 0.27 miles, take left onto George Street, travel 0.29 miles, make second left onto Hamilton Street. 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick. (848) 932-7237, zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu

♦Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum. Is it an art museum? Is it a natural history museum? Trick question — it's both. This handsome gallery of wildlife art, a public institution for 47 years, is named for a wealthy hunter and collector who died in 1957. You can see Audubon prints; bronze sculptures of horses, wolves and hippos; paintings of soaring egrets, swooping owls and striped bass; and a huge charcoal mural, "The Whalers," by Fred Scherer. Live animals, alas, vacated the premises some time ago.

To get there Take route 80 E to Exit 62A, then Garden State Parkway North to exit 165 (Oradell), turn left on Kinderkamack Road. Museum is at 705 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell. (201) 261-0012, blauveltartmuseum.com.

♦African Art Museum of the SMA Fathers. For more than 150 years, in 18 African countries, the priests and lay missionaries of Societas Missionum Ad Afros have been doing their good works — and, incidentally, bringing home some really incredible art from West Africa. The society, based in Tenafly since 1921, opened its spacious museum in 1980. You can see purple striped gowns from Nigeria, carved poles from Chad, gorgeous masks from Liberia and an 11-foot-high wooden soccer player (it's a portrait of superstar Salif Keita) from Mali.

To get there: Take Route 80 E local to Route 95 North, take exit 71 (Broad Avenue exit) toward Englewood/Leonia, keep right to go toward Englewood, merge onto Broad Ave. (it becomes Dana Place), turn left onto E. Palisade Ave. (Route 505), take first right onto Lydecker St., take left onto Booth Ave., turn right onto Engle St. (Route 501), turn right onto Bliss Avenue. Museum is at 23 Bliss Ave., Tenafly, (201) 894-8611, smafathers.org/museum/

Instead of the American Museum of Natural History, how about ...

♦Liberty Science Center. You've passed the giant golf ball on the side of the Exit 14 Turnpike extension a million times. Isn't it time you went inside that weird complex of buildings to see what goes on? For instance, that golf ball — formerly an IMAX theater, it reopened on Dec. 8, 2017 as the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, billed as the largest in the Western Hemisphere (the dome is 88.5 feet in diameter, 32 percent bigger than the American Museum's Hayden Planetarium in New York). And there are many more interactive exhibits to get your kids hooked on science: a pitch-black "touch tunnel" that allows you to engage your other four senses, a 35-foot-high "infinity climber," exhibits on skyscrapers, infectious diseases, honeybees, and much more.

To get there: Turnpike south to Exit 14C take turnoff for Liberty State Park. (201) 200-1000, lsc.org.

Instead of Lincoln Center, how about. . .

♦New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Like Lincoln Center, this is an arts complex: Prudential Hall (which seats 2,800) is the biggest room, but there's also Victoria Theatre (514 seats), The Chase Room (350 seats) and Horizon Theater (88 seats). Also like Lincoln Center, it's a place for seeing the best of the best: from the New Jersey Symphony, Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, to Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Audra McDonald, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Sting, and countless others.

To get there: New Jersey Turnpike South, take exit 15W to get on Route 280W. Take Exit 15A (Route 21 S) toward Ironbound Section, turn onto McCarter Highway (Route 21 S). Turn right onto Center Street. NJPAC is at 1 Center Street, Newark, 1-888-GO-NJPAC, njpac.org.

Instead of Fifth Avenue, how about...

♦The Shops at Riverside. Where once shoppers flocked from all over to visit New York's big-name stores, now Bloomingdale's, Tiffany, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton are coming to them. Those stores and more can be found right in Hackensack. And while it won't be quite like promenading down Fifth Avenue in your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it, at least you can do it in all weather.

To get there: Take Route 4 to Hackensack Avenue north exit. Turn right into mall. (201) 489-221, simon.com/mall/the-shops-at-riverside.

♦The Mall at Short Hills. Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, Henri Bendel, Prada, Saint Laurent, Van Cleef & Arpel's, Neiman Marcus, Dior and Abercrombie & Fitch are among the upscale New York boutiques that have established beachheads in Short Hills.

To get there: Take 78W to Route 24W to Exit 7C (J.F.K. Parkway). Mall is on the right. (973) 376-7350, shopshorthills.com.

Instead of Yankee Stadium, how about ...

♦Yogi Berra Stadium. It's not the house that Ruth built, but for baseball fans, anyplace where bat hits ball is home. And this stadium in Little Falls, which opened in 1998, is in the family, so to speak — considering that it's named for one of the greatest Yankees of all (Berra, who died in 2015,was a longtime Montclair resident). The stadium on the campus of Montclair State University, which seats 5,000, is home to the New Jersey Jackals and Montclair State University teams.

To get there: Take Route 46 East to Valley Road South ramp towards Montclair. In .15 miles, turn right onto Valley Road/Route 621. In .24 miles, make slight right onto Yogi Berra Drive. Stadium is at 8 Yogi Berra Drive, Little Falls, (973) 746-7434, njjackals.pointstreaksites.com

Instead of the Beacon Theatre, how about. . .

♦Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC). Like the Beacon, bergenPAC is an old movie palace that found a second life as a concert venue. Also like the Beacon, it's played host to stars: Ringo Starr, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Toni Braxton and Willie Nelson are among the greats who have played this 1,367-seat venue.

To get there: Take Route 80 East local to Route 95 North. Take exit 71 (Broad Avenue exit) toward Englewood/Leonia. Keep right to go toward Englewood. Merge onto Broad Avenue. Turn left on to Rockwood Place. Turn right onto Grand Ave (Route 501). Turn left onto E. Palisade Ave. Turn right onto N. Van Brunt. Theater is at 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood, (201) 227-1030, bergenPAC.org

Instead of Central Park Zoo, how about ...

♦Bergen County Zoological Park. Tapirs. condors, alligators, tamarins and big cats are among the critters waiting to meet you at Van Saun County Park in Paramus. They've also got a carousel and train ride for the little ones.

To get there: Route 4 to Forest Avenue exit. Bear right onto Forest Avenue. 216 Forest Ave, (201) 262-3771, friendsofbergencountyzoo.org.

♦Turtle Back Zoo. Jaguars, cougars, Masai giraffes, lions, leopards, hyenas, pandas, and gibbons are among the four-footed denizens of this 54-year-old attraction in West Orange. And they've got a carousel too.

To get there: Turnpike south to Exit 15W. Route 280W to Exit 10. Left at light. Zoo is 3 miles on left. 560 Northfield Ave., (973) 731-5800, turtlebackzoo.com.

Instead of Times Square, how about ...

♦Journal Square.

Jersey City's answer to the Manhattan crossroads boasts two eye-popping movie palaces — the Loews Jersey (which hosts film revivals and concerts) and the Stanley, now a Jehovah's Witness Temple. Also worth a visit: The magnificent beaux-arts Hudson County Courthouse.

To get there: Turnpike south to Exit 15E. Take Communipaw Avenue to a left on Kennedy Boulevard to Journal Square. thenewjournalsquare.com.

Instead of the New York subway, how about...

♦The Newark subway. Subways may or may not be your idea of a tourist attraction. But Newark's 82-year-old system (actually more like an underground trolley) is definitely worth a look for train buffs.

To get there: Turnpike south to Exit 15W. Follow Route 280W to Exit 15, south on McCarter Highway (Route 21) to Market Street. Catch the subway at Newark Penn Station on Raymond and Market. nycsubway.org/nyc/newark.

Instead of Broadway, how about ...

♦Paper Mill Playhouse. This venerable 1,200-seat Millburn theater opened 83 years ago as a classic "summer stock" revival playhouse. But in later years it's become a showcase for original shows on their way to Broadway: the new New Haven. "Newsies," "A Bronx Tale," and "Bandstand" are just some of their recent productions that ended up in Manhattan, at inflated prices. Paper Mill can match the Great White Way, lightbulb for lightbulb, when it comes to glitz, glamour, and star power: among the big names that have appeared on their stage are Eddie Bracken, Betty Buckley, Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, Christine Ebersole, Anne Hathaway, Donna McKechnie, Ann Miller, Stephanie Mills, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Tony Roberts, Patrick Swayze, and Lynne Redgrave.

To get there: Garden State Parkway South to 1-78 W. Merge on Vauxhall Road toward Millburn/Maplewood. Bear left onto Millburn Avenue (Route. 630). Stay straight to go onto Essex Street (Route 577). Take second right onto Main Street (Route 527). Make right onto Brookside Drive. Theater is at 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, (973) 376-4343, papermill.org

Instead of 52nd Street, how about ...

♦Shanghai Jazz. Among jazz musicians, 52nd Street was once the mecca for all that was hip, flip, and gone. Today, the street name lingers on as a synonym for musical cool, even though most jazz clubs are to be found elsewhere. Which brings us to New Jersey: In Madison, the restaurant-nightclub Shanghai Jazz offers a unique menu of Asian flavor and multicultural funk. And there's always plenty of name musicians coming by to blow their horns, tickle the ivories, and pound the skins.

To get there: Route 287 to Morristown Exit 35 (Route 124/Madison Avenue East). Take Madison Avenue for 3 miles into downtown Madison continue as it becomes Main Street. Take left fork after passing Drew University. Shanghai Jazz is on left at second traffic light. (973) 822-2899, shanghaijazz.com.

♦Trumpets. Wynton Marsalis, Art Farmer, Jeanie Bryson, Gato Barbieri, and McCoy Tyner are among the greats who have played at this landmark club, a fixture in Montclair since 1988. (973) 744-2600. 6 Depot Square, Montclair, trumpetsjazz.com

To get there: Garden State Parkway South to exit 151 (Watchung Ave.) toward Bloomfield/Montclair. Turn left onto Grove St (Route 623). Turn right onto Walnut Street. Take third right onto Depot Square. Club is at 6 Depot Square, Montclair, (973) 744-2600, trumpetsjazz.com

Instead of the Statue of Liberty, how about ...

♦The Statue of Liberty. After all, it belongs to New Jersey, right? Right?



