The North Jersey towns we'd love to see adopt open container areas

Pockets of New Jersey will soon have a lot more in common with New Orleans, the Las Vegas strip and Memphis’ Beale Street.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed into law a bill that allows municipalities to designate outdoor areas where people can drink alcoholic beverages. Towns will now be allowed to allot the entire municipality or a section of it, such as a park or a few blocks of a downtown, as an “open container area," where people over 21 can carry and drink open containers of alcoholic beverages.

This ruling got me dreaming. What spots in New Jersey do I think would be enhanced by an open container allowance?

Note, I’ve given very little thought to traffic patterns or safety concerns. Before any open container areas are officially established, towns will likely balance the possible hazards or disruptions to businesses that have liquor licenses.

I am thankfully released of that responsibility and free to muse.

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Church Street between South Park Street and Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair

One of the best corners of Montclair, in my opinion, is the section of Church Street off of Bloomfield Avenue. The little strip is home to top-tier bakeries — like Le French Dad and Jayce Baudry — and restaurants such as classic Italian Fresco da Franco and quirky American brunch spot Raymond’s. Amanti Vino, a wine and beer shop with a selection beautifully curated by owner Sharon Sevrens, often sets up tables in front of its shop for folks to sip on the drinks they just bought. But, imagine if that whole sliver of Church Street was open container. You could get your drink at Amanti Vino and drift from shop to shop, or even enjoy a glass of wine while eating flakey croissants at one of the nearby bakeries. How very French!

Liberty State Park, Jersey City

Liberty State Park is one of the best picnic spots in the state – and dare I say the country? The vast patch of green has a stunning view of downtown Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Winding paved pathways give visitors a place to ride their bikes or walk. Food and ice cream trucks are often parked nearby. Trees provide shade for picnics on the rolling grass. What would make this scene better? A hard seltzer in-hand.

Morristown Green and South Street, Morristown

Despite its deep roots in American history (George Washington spent two winters in Morristown during the Revolutionary War), Morristown has a decidedly young feel. Sure, there are statues of historical figures spotted throughout the Morristown Green. But, head a few feet down South Street on a warm weekend night, and you’ll see twenty-somethings drifting from Iron Bar to South Street Bar to Revolution and back again. Why not block off South Street from Dehart to the Green for open containers and give the area a more festive vibe? I’m sure the founding fathers — who certainly loved their booze — would approve.

Van Nest Square Memorial Park, Ridgewood

Ridgewood has a lovely downtown full of shops and restaurants, which inclines me to want to make it an open container area. But there are plenty of restaurants with bars that offer craft cocktails on the main street. There’s no dearth of places to enjoy an adult beverage. Perhaps a more useful open container area would be Van Nest Square Memorial Park, the little patch of green off Ridgewood Avenue. This would give folks who are uncomfortable dining indoors a place to picnic with a drink — get some takeout from Tito’s Burritos & Wings, crack open a beer and relax.

Lake Mohawk Boardwalk, Sparta Township

The boardwalk at Lake Mohawk is lined with benches and cute cottages made with peaked Alpine architectural style. It looks like a miniature Scandinavian town and boasts a lovely view of the lake. Making this stretch open container would make for picturesque summer nights. Not to mention, one of New Jersey’s only brewpubs, Krough’s, is just a few steps away.

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The parking lot of Rutt’s Hutt, Clifton

If heaven had an address it would be the few yards between Rutt’s Hut and Ghost Hawk Brewery in Clifton. Picking up hot dogs at Rutt’s Hutt then crossing the street to Ghost Hawk to chow down with a pint of cold craft beer is one of the purest pleasures North Jersey dining can give you. In my dreams, this area is free-flowing. People walk from Ghost Hawk to Rutt’s and back again with beer and dogs for meet-ups in Rutt’s spacious parking lot. Rutt’s Hutt does have its own bar, so they might not love this idea so much. But, hey, a girl can dream.

Voorhis Lane to Johnson Avenue, Hackensack

Hackensack Brewery and Alementary Brewing Co. are just around the corner from each other in Hackensack. It's a slightly industrial area, where family homes jut up against small factories and warehouses. The proximity of the two breweries makes it a prime spot for an open container area so folks can do their own mini beer crawl with a walk between the two breweries.

The entirety of Hoboken

Hoboken has few rules that haven’t been broken, bent and flat-out ignored by drunk college students. No judgment — I was one of them once. Hoboken already has a reputation as a party town. Why not lean in? Just make the whole lot open container — one big Bourbon Street.

Rebecca King is a food writer for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.

Email: kingr@northjersey.com

Twitter: @rebeccakingnj

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ open container laws: North Jersey towns we'd love to see