"BuickMackane's South Hackensack, NJ Page " a South Hackensack Travel Page by BuickMackane

I lived most of my life in Hackensack, New Jersey. South Hackensack is the town which borders it. The town is technically in two locations, and by the same token, it has two distinctly different personalities. Off the highway is an enclave of old-fashioned Italian-Americans who believe South Hackensack is still a good place for families. But for tourists, all you're likely to see is one part of South Hackensack, a very dingy strip of highway called US Route 46 which passes Teterboro Airport and leads to the George Washington Bridge to New York City. It comprises go-go bars, fast-food places and rundown old motels best known for drug raids, armed hostage standoffs, welfare housing and prostitution.

In order to fairly present all sides of this story, I had an intriguing conversation about the Route 46 motels with my brother. Despite everything you will read on this page about South Hackensack, my brother absolutely insisted he would stay there on his next visit, even though he could get a better online deal at the nearby Hilton. He said, "Everything I need is right there. I don't mind the price of the room. The Plaza 46 Diner is next door, and so is the Greek restaurant and the Japanese place, plus those two bars, the Flamingo and the Pleasure Lounge. Also, I can get a bus directly to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan right across the street."

On our own most recent visit to the Hackensack area, we found our host wasn't prepared for company, and he put me and my daughter up at the Congress Inn on Route 46. We later discovered that there was a new Super 8 further down the road. I was surprised at how much more expensive these places are nowadays, and also how friendly the front desk staff have become. The times, they are a-changin' in South Hackensack!