So where
does Jon Stewart escape when the glamorous grind of New York City
works his last comic nerve? New Jersey, naturally. "The state
gets a lousy rap," complains the new star of Comedy Central's
Daily Show, who takes off for the Jersey shore every few months
with his girlfriend and a few six-packs.
"I'm
not into the adventure vacation," he sighs. "I'm not
a hang-gliding, X-Games, 'Oh, my God, I think I broke my pelvis'
type of guy. I basically have the vacation habits of a 70-year-old
Jew. I drive down, find a spot near the boardwalk, and bake in
the sun for eight hours while my prostate enjoys a cool hydra-bath
inside."
The more rarefied rewards of the Hamptons leave
Stewart cold. "In New Jersey, you get proper, wholesome food
like cheese steaks, a little ice cream, a slice. Nobody should
eat a grilled-portobello sandwich on the beach. It's just not
natural. Besides, there are very few spots in the Hamptons.