Smithsonian Channel's helicopters do a New Jersey flyover.
When I plugged in my first giant flat screen HDTV a few years ago the first thing I watched -- mesmerized by the stunning imagery -- was the Smithsonian Channel's show "Aerial America" which features solely aerial images of featured locales.
Well, after flying over 45 other states (not that we're complaining) the Smithsonian Channel recently posted its episode 'Aerial America: New Jersey.' As one Youtube commentator put it, "Finally!"
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It's worth the wait. The 46-minute episode touches all the bases of New Jersey history and geography -- or at least flies over them. Highlights include stunning views of the crumbling Central Railroad Terminal in Liberty State Park, the Delaware Water Gap and a look at one of New Jersey's most important and overlooked innovations: shipping containers.
There's stunning shots of the Pine Barrens, Cape May, the Great Falls of Paterson, Atlantic City and Revolutionary War battle sites in Monmouth and Trenton.
The Smithsonian's low flying helicopters even flew over Bruce Springsteen's childhood home in Freehold and the Satin Dolls go-go bar used as the backdrop of the fictional Bada Bing club from the HBO television show "The Sopranos."
A shot of the Delaware Water Gap from the Smithsonian Channel's "Aerial America: New Jersey" You can watch the entire video here on Youtube or on the Smithsonian Channel web site. One tip: find the biggest screen you can.
(Note: the video embedded at the top of this post is just a shorter excerpt of the full episode. The Smithsonian Channel's Youtube permissions don't allow embedding of the entire episode.)
Brian Donohue may be reached at bdonohue@njadvancemedia.com Follow him on Twitter @briandonohue. Find NJ.com on Facebook.