ArmpitNJ.com

So my little break from blogging turned into a longer-than-expected hiatus of five and a half years. Oh well. Better late than never! But before I get back into the types of content you’ve come to expect from me, like my intriguing personal memoirs, award-winning investigative journalism, in-depth interviews, and expert political commentary, let’s start with something quick and fun…

…like meeting Big Rusty!

Located off of some unmarked dirt road in Burlington County, Big Rusty is best described as true Jersey trash. I mean, he’s literally made from trash. And he’s perched against a decaying old warehouse covered in graffiti and full of broken glass, exposed wires, and God knows what else.

Big Rusty is part of Burlington County’s Troll Trek – a series of 18 trolls around the county made by different artists. While all the trolls have distinct names and personalities, Big Rusty is the only one of such large scale; this guy is huge.

While we took the kids to see Big Rusty, I can’t say it’s exactly kid-friendly. Sure, Big Rusty is an attraction himself, but you can’t help but want to explore the decrepit buildings surrounding him. And with the aforementioned broken glass and such, it seems like an accident waiting to happen. Even without kids, it’s a little shady – just one wrong step and you could end up with a puncture wound and tetanus.

But despite feeling like a junkyard, I was surprised at how clean it is in some ways. I didn’t see a single cigarette butt, crushed beer can, or little bottle of Fireball like you’d expect at other such locations in the Armpit of America. Being so far off the beaten path, Big Rusty’s home seems like the perfect place for the kind of wild teenage shenanigans that I was never cool enough to participate in. So either teens these days are much more environmentally conscious and clean up after themselves, or maybe Big Rusty doesn’t take kindly to intruders.