# Paramus

Paramus is a major shopping town in New Jersey. Many people from all over the New York metropolitan area (especially people from New York City and Westchester County) come here to shop at the many stores along New Jersey state routes 4 and 17, and at the Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus Park Mall, Bergen Town Center, Fashion Center, and (by extension, because it's in Hackensack) The Shops at Riverside malls. This is because New Jersey has a lower sales tax than New York overall and because New Jersey does not tax clothing.
Paramus is in Bergen County, New Jersey, which continues its traditional blue laws on Sundays. Nearly every shopping destination is closed on Sunday. Restaurants are allowed to open.

## Get in

There are many ways to get in to Paramus. Many from New York City take the George Washington Bridge straight onto New Jersey state route 4. Overall, Paramus is extremely accessible due to a large network of major highways surrounding it, including U.S. Interstates 80 and 95, the Garden State Parkway, and New Jersey state routes 4, 17, and 208.

## Get around

Car or bus. Everything is within about 3 sq mi (7.8 km$^2$), maybe even a bit less, but a car is necessary.

## See

* New Jersey Children's Museum, +1 201-262-5151: 30 neat exhibits including a kid-sized grocery, the World of Animal Senses, a fire truck, New Jersey's largest kaleidoscope, and a medieval castle where children dress up as knights, princesses, fairies and kings.
* Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, +1 201-261-0012: Founded in 1957 by an early conservationist, the museum showcases the natural world. It includes wildlife art and big game collections.

## Buy

Paramus has the highest per-year retail sales in the United States, at more than $5 billion. There are three major malls: the Westfield Garden State Plaza, the Paramus Park Mall, and the Bergen Town Center. Many major department stores have locations at more than one of these malls. IKEA has a major store in Paramus across from the Westfield Garden State Plaza. If you're planning to shop on a Sunday, your options will be very limited, as the blue laws prohibit almost all sale of non-food items.
* Paramus Park Mall — some stores: JC Penny, Macy's, Swarovski, Brighton Collectibles
* Westfield Garden State Plaza (at the intersections of Rt. 4 and Rt. 17, and off Exits 160 & 163 (Route 17 South) from the Garden State Parkway; from NY City NJ Transit Bus #163 leaves hourly from Port Authority. NJ Transit Buses #171 and #175 leave from the George Washington Bridge Terminal; local NJ bus routes: 770, 758, 756, and 709). Daily 10AM-6PM. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Steve Madden, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Godiva, Jessica McClintock, H&M, Louis Vuitton, GEOX, Juicy Couture, Stuart Weitzman, Ed Hardy, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Kiehl's, Tumi, Apple, and Lululemon Athletica. (updated Dec 2019)

## Eat

The malls are eating meccas. The Westfield Garden State Plaza has many dining choices, including Grand Lux Cafe (a more upscale and larger offshoot of The Cheesecake Factory), Legal Sea Foods, Napa Valley Grille, Ruby Tuesday, Joe's American Bar & Grill, Papa Razzi, California Pizza Kitchen, On The Border, and Chili's.
The Shops at Riverside, has a Rosa Mexicano, PF Changs, Maggiano's Little Italy, the Cheesecake Factory, Houston's, Thai Kitchen, and Morton's Steakhouse. On a Friday or Saturday night, the wait at each restaurant is at least one hour long.
The Paramus Park Mall has a food court.

## Drink

* Houlihans, Route 4 West. Most places in New Jersey stop serving alcohol shortly before 2AM. Houlihans on Route 4 West operates solely as a bar from 2AM to 3AM. It's a nice place to hang out and have a drink. However, watch your personal belongings. Some shady things have happened there.

## Sleep

* Comfort Inn & Suites - Paramus, NJ, 211 Route 17 South, ☏ +1 201-261-8686.
* 40.93068-74.0705741 Marriott Courtyard Paramus, 320 Route 17 North, ☏ +1 201-599-1414.