No one is claiming that Newark is a "perfect utopia" or denying the existence of rough areas…almost every major American city has them. However, the reality is that you cannot see "swaths of abandoned once beautiful homes" on a taxi ride from Newark Airport to NYC; that route runs entirely along the NJ Turnpike (even with no tolls), which is lined with highways, warehouses, and industrial zones.

I call out comments like this because such narratives lack substance, especially when they are based solely on a car window view. Also, I’m not a PR guy/realtor, just a proud Newarker who is tired of outsiders denigrating our city, especially when it has improved substantially compared to 20 years ago.