The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City [Paperback]

Robert Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 1999

Imagine a grunge nort Jersey version of John McPhee's classic The Pine Barrens and you'll get some idea of the idiosyncratic, fact-filled, and highly original work that is Robert Sullivan's The Meadowlands.  Just five miles west of New York City, this vilified, half-developed, half-untamed, much dumped-on, and sometimes odiferous tract of swampland is home to rare birds and missing bodies, tranquil marshes and a major sports arena, burning garbage dumps and corporate headquarters, the remains of the original Penn Station--and maybe, just ,maybe, of the late Jimmy Hoffa.  Robert Sullivan proves himself to be this fragile yet amazingly resilient region's perfect expolorer, historian, archaeologist, and comic bard.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I like to think of the Meadowlands as an undesignated national park," writes Robert Sullivan in his end-of-the-millennium take on Thoreau. In The Meadowlands, Sullivan does his Thoreauvian bean-counting in one of America's most infamous dumping grounds, the huge tract of marshy land just outside New York City that has withstood any and all attempts to subdue it with agriculture, industry, development, and an ever-shifting deluge of flotsam and jetsam. He may just be the first person in a century to willingly explore this fascinating but abused piece of real estate, and his investigation gives new meaning to intrepid reporting. By foot he tramps through the muck, and by canoe he navigates polluted rivers and marshes, noting the variegated species of trash and industrial cast-offs with as much zeal as he observes the surprisingly rich diversity of wildlife. Revealed in these stories is a landscape bursting with nature amid the curious man-made detritus of urban consumption. With only a touch of irony, the author refers to his stomping ground as "Big Sky Country, east," imagining he's "in a National Geographic special and visiting little tribes of people unknown to everyone else." He pursues the history of the Meadowlands with equal enthusiasm. Eccentric characters, tall tales, and scuttlebutt haunt the area, from the rumor that the land serves as the final resting place for Jimmy Hoffa (as well as a number of other Mafia hits) to the pitiable stories of the many dreamers who have sunk a fortune in the squelching mud. And throughout this smart, thoroughly researched adventure, Sullivan maintains a witty and lyrical voice that transforms his trip inside a nationally maligned place into a fun, informative romp. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Just five short, swampy miles from Manhattan, the New Jersey Meadowlands are awash in refuse of all sorts, from toxic waste and landfill to tangled heaps of abortive real-estate development?and perhaps even Jimmy Hoffa's remains. A freelance journalist and unapologetic enthusiast for his chosen tract, Sullivan in his first book marvels at the Meadowlands' history and that of the people who continue to explore it, fish it and even swim it. The author hikes, boats and drives through environs that have over the years offered refuge to pig farms, eccentrics, schemers and even pirates. He marvels at the volume of refuse and sheer toxicity of some of the land, explaining that when one notorious landfill caught fire, it burned for 15 years because the local fire department, fearing for its health in the face of toxic fumes, refused to put out the smoldering heap. Today, under the care of the EPA and other environmental groups, the area is showing signs of rebounding. But such reports, even coupled with Sullivan's zeal, cannot fully brighten this sad if intriguing tale of industrial carnage.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (July 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385495080
• ISBN-13: 978-0385495080
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Travel with Pets

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Paddling Through the Muck & Mire, August 15, 2001

By 

Darren (Jersey Shore, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City (Paperback)

Being an avid kayaker, I've often wondered what it would be like to paddle the swampy marshlands of the Meadowlands. Riding on the NJ Turnpike, and amidst the backdrop of the Manahttan Skyline, the Meadowlands looks like an appealing natural area to paddle (..at least from a paddler's perspective). Although the area is historically notorious for being one of the most polluted in the state, I've often seen many wading birds feeding in the area so I figured "how bad could it be?"

Robert Sullivan answers this question in an entertaining account of his canoe expeditions in this area. His trek through the muck and mire lead him on searches for Jimmy Hoffa's body and other 'treasures'while also detailing the local history of the area and the mob related lore of the garbage and solid waste disposal industry. His graphic and detailed accounts of the garbage that have been dumped in the area would make any paddler seriously consider whether they should paddle it. At the same time, Sullivan has also created a curiosity which has motivated more people than ever before to pick up a paddle and check it out.

Beyond the humorous account of his adventure, this book is an easy read that makes us more aware of the vast natural area we have abused and taken for granted. Hopefully it will inspire people to assist restorative and preservation efforts of this area of great potential, preventing it from becoming a continued dumpsite or concrete jungle.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vivid and engaging tale of one man's obsession with a swamp., August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City (Paperback)

Highly readable and engaging, this book allows the reader to go with the pleasantly obsessed author on his many outings to the Meadowlands. We learn a lot, from the checkered past of its epicenter, the much-maligned city of Secaucus, to the true burial site of Penn Station, to the essential disappointment of the much-vaunted Pulaski Skyway. The book doesn't try to be comprehensive or terribly organized, but that's part of its quirky charm. This is a perfect book to take along on any kind of vacation or adventure. Humorous and good-spirited, the author maintains his informative yet comical composure throughout this delightful memoir/travelogue/adventure/nature book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Meadowlands: More Than Meets the Eye, February 12, 2004

By 

Montaigne "markomundo" (Glen Ridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City (Paperback)

This is an enjoyable, easy-to-read book. Though many that live outside the New York Metro area would probably enjoy it, the millions that have passed through the Meadowlands on the way to work or to Giants Stadium to catch "The Boss" will most enjoy the nuggets of info in Sullivan's book.

The Meadowlands is a mix ecology, biology, folk tales, local history, and personal observations that seem to reflect the author's love/hate (mostly love) relationship with the meadowlands. Personally, I found the historical tidbits the most fascinating part of Sullivan's book. Like most people, I rub shoulders with a geographic area on an almost daily basis that I know little about. Why a certain place is named what it is? What was this place about one hundred years ago? The author relates the colorful history behind the town of Kearny and its namesake, General Philip Kearny, a one-armed (you will have to read the book to learn why he had one arm) general killed during the Civil War. Sullivan also relates the fascinating tale of Seth Boyden, a notable inventor from Newark, New Jersey. Now I know who Boyden Ave was named for. The Meadowlands has many of these gems imbedded between its covers.

At two hundred pages, Sullivan's book is a fairly quick read. For the millions of folks that rub elbows with The Meadowlands every year, I highly recommend this book. When you are passing Snake Hill while driving down the New Jersey Turnpike, you can turn to your passengers and say, "Let me tell you a little bit about that hill over there...."