If New Jersey Was Oz, Where Would Emerald City Be?

To say I am hyped about the new Wicked movie, would be an understatement.

I went on a Girl Scout trip to see the show on Broadway with my dad. Here is a bragging moment, I saw it with the original cast including Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

You can be jealous, it's okay.

It is one of the main things I like to brag about from time to time.

The marketing for the new movie adaptation of the musical has been insane, everyone is getting on board. It feels like every brand is hopping on the bandwagon including Starbucks, OPI, Lexus, Betty Crocker, LEGO, and even Walmart's microwave mac and cheese.

Let's jump on the bandwagon as well by figuring out a way to make the magical Emerald City a New Jersey city.

If New Jersey Was Oz, Where Would Emerald City Be?

I am not creative enough to come up with the answer myself so I asked my BFF, ChatGPT.

Okay, maybe I am creative enough, but I'm just too tired.

The AI program said, "It would likely be somewhere that combines both a sense of grandeur and accessibility, considering the magical and fantastical nature of the city."

Jersey City or Hoboken

Any article about cities in New Jersey always mentions Jersey City, so no shocker here.

ChatGPT points out that both have great views of the New York City skyline. Emerald City is the beautiful skyline in Oz, so by that logic, Jersey City and Hoboken would just be suburbs of Emerald City.

Sorry, ChatGPT you have to come up with a better reason for me to agree with you.

The Meadowlands

I am not even going to entertain this one since the Meadowlands is a sports complex, not a city.

Next...

Asbury Park

I'm starting to think I asked ChatGPT too difficult of a question.

With that being said, I do appreciate the AI's reasoning, "With its eclectic, artsy vibe and coastal location, Asbury Park could be a fitting spot for an Emerald City that's vibrant, creative, and just a bit unconventional."

Every time I type "Emerald City" I start singing "One short day in the Emerald City," from the song "One Short Day" from Wicked. This soundtrack has been stuck in my head for weeks.

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Princeton

At first, I was on ChatGPT's side with this response, misremembering where Shiz University is located. For all of those who haven't read the book or seen the musical, Shiz is the school where Elphaba and Glinda attend and meet.

However, Shiz is not located in Emerald City, so no dice.

Out of all of the options, I guess I will have to give it to Jersey City. It's not a perfect fit, but I guess Emerald City is too magical of a place even for New Jersey.

Now excuse me while I sing "What Is This Feeling?" over and over again in my head.