What’s in a name? News 12’s Brian Donohue takes issue with new Parkway rest stop names

The state of New Jersey announced last year that services areas along the Garden State Parkway will all get new names based on famous New Jerseyans.

News 12 Staff

Feb 4, 2022, 12:20 AM

Updated 982 days ago

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The state of New Jersey announced last year that services areas along the Garden State Parkway will all get new names based on famous New Jerseyans.
Last week, the service area in Forked River was renamed for famous salsa singer Celia Cruz.
But News 12’s Brian Donohue has an issue with some of these renamings – particularly the former Cheesequake Service Area, which is now named the Jon Bon Jovi Service area.
Donohue says that he does not have a real issue with Bon Jovi himself. While Donohue may not like Bon Jovi’s brand of music, he admits that the musician has done a lot for the Garden State, and has not forgotten his Jersey roots.
But Donohue says that Cheesequake is fun to say, and has a history in New Jersey.
Many of the services areas along the New Jersey Turnpike are named for various historic icons of New Jersey, such as John Fenwick, Molly Pitcher and Thomas Edison.
The Parkway rest areas are now named for famous people such as Frank Sinatra, James Gandolfoni, Connie Chung and Judy Blume.
The refurbished services areas on the Parkway will also serve as mini-museums to each celebrity, with displays being supplied by the New Jersey Hall of Fame.