My Sweet Home - Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, 07305

Let me give you a little history about how my home base came to be.

Walking throughout the beautiful and centrally located Liberty State Park, most people do not remember the staggering importance of this land in early American history.

The brilliant views of Manhattan, New Jersey, Ellis Island and the awe-inspiring views of yours truly obstruct the historical significance that once changed the backbone of America.

And yet, as my friends walk through the now-renovated Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, the old train tracks, now overgrown with trees and grass, still manage to whisper their past stories to those willing to listen.

The story began during the 19^th and 20^th centuries with the arrival of thousands of immigrants from all over Europe. As they made their legal transition into their new home country on Elis Island, they used the Central Terminal to board the trains that would take them to their new homes all over the States.

The park as a whole was also far from the jogger-friendly environment it is now. It was a major waterfront industrial area, which served as freight and passenger transportation network and was a major lifeline for New York City and its harbor. The area was the heart of the massive migration of immigrants that have shaped the America we all know today.

But as years progressed, the flow of immigrants slowed and train transportation declined, the grounds of my park became abandoned. The illustrious history of these sacred grounds was forgotten and this area became a desolate dumpsite. Miss Liberty declines to show you these unattractive pictures because they are not pretty, and I prefer pretty.

The revival to its past glory happened on Flag Day, June 14^th, in 1976. As a bicentennial gift to the nation from New Jersey, this site became a highly developed urban park and recreation center consisting of 1,120 acres of land with 300 of those available for the public use.

In helping to preserve the beauty of the park, the Friends of Liberty State Park, an all-volunteer and non-profit organization has been hard at work since 1988 to preserve the beauty of the park. Initiated by Morris Pesin, Audrey Zapp, and a historic preservationist, Ted Conrad, these tremendous visionaries have done countless efforts to improve and protect the great lands and views of the park. I love these people, and the countless friends and volunteers who have followed in their footsteps, including Morris Pesin's son, Sam, who leads the Friends of Liberty State Park today.

With an average of 5 million visitors annually, the Friends of Liberty State Park’s main project entitled the Volunteer Garden Program is always welcoming volunteers in order to continuously beautify, promote and conserve the historic park.

My gorgeous park offers amazing views, picnic areas, playgrounds, the Liberty Landing Marina, Liberty Science Center as well as countless other activities. One of the biggest current events is the All Points West Music and Arts Festival that occurs during the middle of the summer. The tradition started on August 8^th of 2008 and included such bands as Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Kings of Leon and countless other talent.

This year, the 3-day festival kicks off on July 31^st and headlines the Beastie Boys, Tool and Coldplay among more than 65 other bands and acts all located on one of the most mesmerizing and impressive 80 acres in the world.

Even though our festival history is young, the name All Points West celebrates the deep and important roots of the land which became Liberty State Park. The three stages are ceremoniously named after the three most important trains that transported the new immigrants to new destinations. Called Blue Comet, Bullet, and Queen of the Valley, the stages not only provide a playground for rock stars and music fans but also underline the importance of history past.

The name itself is rooted in the directions that the new immigrants from all of Europe were going; all were heading into an unknown promised land -- All Points West.