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The Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore
No - not that dreadful MTV show depicting those stupid Bennies acting like a-holes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_(slang)
Now, in fairness, those kind of shenanigans have been going on in some form or another in Seaside Heights since teenagers could more easily get there after the Garden State Parkway was completed in 1957. Somebody rents a house, word gets out, and all friends and partial acquaintances descend upon same and proceed to wreak a little (or a lot) of havoc.
Yes, even this illustrious writer partook in this quasi-right of teenage passage in 1976, falling asleep at night on the beach in the shadow of the bold and stark amusement pier after too much of that cheap red wine with the straw basket bottom, and getting woke up by the in coming tide (!) But nobody televised, glorified, and profited from that behavior.
The REAL Jersey Shore has plenty to offer along its 130 miles of coastline and barrier islands: the urban vibe of Sandy Hook (with the NYC skyline on the horizon across the bay); the revitalized and partially re-gentrified Long Branch and Asbury Park; the old money in Deal and beautiful multi-million dollar ocean front homes in Spring Lake, Mantoloking, and Long Beach Island; the wild sand dunes of Island Beach State Park; the honky tonk boardwalk of Seaside; the family friendly boardwalks of Point Pleasant, Ocean City, and Wildwood; the bright lights of Atlantic City; the quiet solitude of Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge; the charm and Victorian splendor and robust restaurant scene in Cape May; the quiet towns between AC and Wildwood; crabbing with chicken neck at the end of handlines in the innumerable back bays and inlets for those spunky blueclaws; big surf from any of the hurricanes that pass by Bermuda; and yes, clean water – the state has a rigorous water testing program, pulling samples from 188 beaches between Cape May and Monmouth counties. Pressure on NYC to control their waste streams and funding to upgrade sewer and storm water runoff from shore communities has paid off - New Jersey typically has the fewest beach closings due to water quality issues of any East Coast state.
Any Jersey native worth his salt knows these things, and knows when to go and how to get to their favorite places “down the Shore” without spending hours sitting on the Parkway or Atlantic City Expressway with all of the Bennies and Shoobies.
We love the real Jersey Shore, and on one hand, hate the negative image created by that stupid show. But, on the other hand, maybe it will keep others from overrunning the gems of the Jersey Shore.
Yeah, in fact, all those bad jokes about New Jersey are right – you should stay away, especially at this time of the year.
Nobody needs to be eating all our blueberries, sweet corn, and especially those Jersey tomatoes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_(slang)
Now, in fairness, those kind of shenanigans have been going on in some form or another in Seaside Heights since teenagers could more easily get there after the Garden State Parkway was completed in 1957. Somebody rents a house, word gets out, and all friends and partial acquaintances descend upon same and proceed to wreak a little (or a lot) of havoc.
Yes, even this illustrious writer partook in this quasi-right of teenage passage in 1976, falling asleep at night on the beach in the shadow of the bold and stark amusement pier after too much of that cheap red wine with the straw basket bottom, and getting woke up by the in coming tide (!) But nobody televised, glorified, and profited from that behavior.
The REAL Jersey Shore has plenty to offer along its 130 miles of coastline and barrier islands: the urban vibe of Sandy Hook (with the NYC skyline on the horizon across the bay); the revitalized and partially re-gentrified Long Branch and Asbury Park; the old money in Deal and beautiful multi-million dollar ocean front homes in Spring Lake, Mantoloking, and Long Beach Island; the wild sand dunes of Island Beach State Park; the honky tonk boardwalk of Seaside; the family friendly boardwalks of Point Pleasant, Ocean City, and Wildwood; the bright lights of Atlantic City; the quiet solitude of Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge; the charm and Victorian splendor and robust restaurant scene in Cape May; the quiet towns between AC and Wildwood; crabbing with chicken neck at the end of handlines in the innumerable back bays and inlets for those spunky blueclaws; big surf from any of the hurricanes that pass by Bermuda; and yes, clean water – the state has a rigorous water testing program, pulling samples from 188 beaches between Cape May and Monmouth counties. Pressure on NYC to control their waste streams and funding to upgrade sewer and storm water runoff from shore communities has paid off - New Jersey typically has the fewest beach closings due to water quality issues of any East Coast state.
Any Jersey native worth his salt knows these things, and knows when to go and how to get to their favorite places “down the Shore” without spending hours sitting on the Parkway or Atlantic City Expressway with all of the Bennies and Shoobies.
We love the real Jersey Shore, and on one hand, hate the negative image created by that stupid show. But, on the other hand, maybe it will keep others from overrunning the gems of the Jersey Shore.
Yeah, in fact, all those bad jokes about New Jersey are right – you should stay away, especially at this time of the year.
Nobody needs to be eating all our blueberries, sweet corn, and especially those Jersey tomatoes.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Re: The Jersey Shore
... never been lucky enough to spend time on any Jersey shore, but can say that many visits with good friends in upper NJ in August introduced me to the best of those veggies ever. Until then, I didn't have a clue about the farms of NJ... enjoy!jmq wrote: Nobody needs to be eating all our blueberries, sweet corn, and especially those Jersey tomatoes.
... no longer a stranger to paradise
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silverheels
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dtenel
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- Location: My feet are in Michigan....My heart is in St. Thomas
Was at the Jersey Shore last week for the first time ever. Was only there for the day as we were staying in NYC, but hubby and I have already decided that we would look into renting a house for a few weeks next summer. It is absolutely beautiful there!
Hate to admit this....but we also LOVE the show. We were thrilled to be able to shop at the Shore Store while they were filming! Ronnie, Vinnie, and JWOW were there working!
Hate to admit this....but we also LOVE the show. We were thrilled to be able to shop at the Shore Store while they were filming! Ronnie, Vinnie, and JWOW were there working!
I grew up spending summers at my grandparents' place at Chadwick Beach, about half way between Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights. In the 1960's Seaside Heights was very family friendly. One night we stood outside an open Point Pleasant bar door and listened to a new, young group performing one of their early gigs. I think they were called the Four Seasons. I often wonder if they ever made it big in the music industry. During the day, we would sit on the beach listening to a Yankees game or wait for the DJ on 77-WABC to tell us it was time to turn over during a Coppertone commercial. It was Big Dan Ingram after 2 pm. My grandmother taught us how to catch crabs using a piece of chicken on the end of a string and a long-handled net to scoop them out. When we caught one it went into the bushel basket and was covered with a wet piece of burlap.
It was a great time and place to grow up. It, like so many other things, is gone and it's not coming back.
JIM
During the day, we would sit on the beach listening to a Yankees game or wait for the DJ on 77-WABC to tell us it was time to turn over during a Coppertone commercial. It was Big Dan Ingram after 2 pm. My grandmother taught us how to catch crabs using a piece of chicken on the end of a string and a long-handled net to scoop them out. When we caught one it went into the bushel basket and was covered with a wet piece of burlap.It was a great time and place to grow up. It, like so many other things, is gone and it's not coming back.
JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....
Bennies. I never heard Bennies. I did hear Shoobies.
Ah, down the shore! I've just started going back down the shore in the past few years. And I'm so glad that I have. As a boy, every summer I spent from a week to a month in Stone Harbor. If it wasn't heaven, it was surely paradise. In my late teens and early 20s, I spent time in Ocean City. Then I moved and moved on. Life happened, but the memories remained.
Aunts and uncles continued to vacation there, but those of my generation went our own ways for many years. Then a few began going again, now with spouses and families. Then more and more went. The family is large, approaching clan-size, with a bit of clan mentality. The reports sounded interesting. Finally my wife and I decided to have a look and we absolutely loved it. What was most astonishing to me was that it was the same as I had remembered it as being. The idealized memories of childhood were a reality there. It was as sweet as it ever was.
Stone Harbor had changed, grown, developed. I didn't recognize it as the lazy beach town of my memories. But we didn't stay there. We stayed in Avalon and Avalon is still the way that I remember Stone Harbor as being. It's a romanticized past that continues to exist just as I remember it and that I can actually return to. . It's clean and safe and pretty and spacious. People are healthy and friendly and happy. No one is in a hurry. The ocean is warm, the beach is uncrowded. And my swarm of relatives are also all on vacation and are all at their carefree best. I watch younger generations accumulating the same memories that have remained alive and fill my heart. It's definitely Paradise, possibly Heaven. It's too good to be true and yet it's true. I'm very grateful that things came together as they did to bring me back down the shore.
A warm August night, standing in line to get ice cream at Springer's. It filled me with happiness and delight as a child. As an adult it still fills me with happiness and delight, but also with deep contentment and gratitude. And then the time comes to pick a flavor.
Ah, down the shore! I've just started going back down the shore in the past few years. And I'm so glad that I have. As a boy, every summer I spent from a week to a month in Stone Harbor. If it wasn't heaven, it was surely paradise. In my late teens and early 20s, I spent time in Ocean City. Then I moved and moved on. Life happened, but the memories remained.
Aunts and uncles continued to vacation there, but those of my generation went our own ways for many years. Then a few began going again, now with spouses and families. Then more and more went. The family is large, approaching clan-size, with a bit of clan mentality. The reports sounded interesting. Finally my wife and I decided to have a look and we absolutely loved it. What was most astonishing to me was that it was the same as I had remembered it as being. The idealized memories of childhood were a reality there. It was as sweet as it ever was.
Stone Harbor had changed, grown, developed. I didn't recognize it as the lazy beach town of my memories. But we didn't stay there. We stayed in Avalon and Avalon is still the way that I remember Stone Harbor as being. It's a romanticized past that continues to exist just as I remember it and that I can actually return to. . It's clean and safe and pretty and spacious. People are healthy and friendly and happy. No one is in a hurry. The ocean is warm, the beach is uncrowded. And my swarm of relatives are also all on vacation and are all at their carefree best. I watch younger generations accumulating the same memories that have remained alive and fill my heart. It's definitely Paradise, possibly Heaven. It's too good to be true and yet it's true. I'm very grateful that things came together as they did to bring me back down the shore.
A warm August night, standing in line to get ice cream at Springer's. It filled me with happiness and delight as a child. As an adult it still fills me with happiness and delight, but also with deep contentment and gratitude. And then the time comes to pick a flavor.
Lex – Bennies is a North/Central Jersey thing, Shoobies is the South Jersey version – sorta like subs and hoagies.
Jim and Lex – nice memories. A lot who grew up here have them, and maybe like me, you have some shaky old home movies of you and your siblings toddling in and out of the water and going round and round on some kiddie ride on some boardwalk pier.
We used to go to Wildwood Crest every summer, usually this very week, and in fact I spoke to my brother yesterday and he is there with his family like he does every year, seeking similar comfortable experiences for his kids.
Its funny that he actively seeks to do that, whereas going to the same place year after year as a kid had the opposite effect on me – it’s was a big factor in my initial desire to see other parts of this country and now the on-going wanderlust to see other parts of the world.
The fact that we’ve been to STJ and BVIs four times in the past six years speaks to the undeniable allure and vibe of those places, and even though we do miss it and want to get back, the desire to see other places while still younger and fit overrides that. Plus, we’ve found that for what you need to budget for STJ, you can travel to an awful lot of other places for total expenses that are in the same ballpark. The comfort of a repeat vacation location is nice, relaxing, restorative, etc., but the adventure of the new, while daunting and stress inducing for some, can be soul stirring for others.
This is not to say that we don’t need our Jersey Shore or Virgin Islands fix. We take our shore fix in small doses with long weekends to Cape May and daytrips. Spring Lake is our day beach place to boogie board, to run and walk the non-commercial boardwalk, and choose a flavor at Hoffmans Ice Cream on the way in or out of town. Last night we went to Red Bank for twin lobster night ($24.95 on Tuesday!) at a small BYOB waterfront shack we discovered with outdoor picnic tables and Jimmy Buffett piped in over the soundsystem. Got to grab summer when you can!
We also go down the shore to walk the beach in the winter, fall, and early spring. This is why when we think about places to retire, while we love the high desert of the Southwest, I don’t know if we can live somewhere too far from the ocean. I could miss it too much.
As to the Caribbean fix, sorry (but not sorry) to say that next year Kauai will substitute for the Virgin Islands. Prices for car rentals and waterfront condos there are amazingly reasonable, plus we can maximize our Capitol One points on that airfare, bringing it into the same cost ballpark as a VI trip. The thinking is that Hawaii is also a bucket list place that we would like to experience and that STJ and our other fave Virgin Gorda can wait for now.
Jim and Lex – nice memories. A lot who grew up here have them, and maybe like me, you have some shaky old home movies of you and your siblings toddling in and out of the water and going round and round on some kiddie ride on some boardwalk pier.
We used to go to Wildwood Crest every summer, usually this very week, and in fact I spoke to my brother yesterday and he is there with his family like he does every year, seeking similar comfortable experiences for his kids.
Its funny that he actively seeks to do that, whereas going to the same place year after year as a kid had the opposite effect on me – it’s was a big factor in my initial desire to see other parts of this country and now the on-going wanderlust to see other parts of the world.
The fact that we’ve been to STJ and BVIs four times in the past six years speaks to the undeniable allure and vibe of those places, and even though we do miss it and want to get back, the desire to see other places while still younger and fit overrides that. Plus, we’ve found that for what you need to budget for STJ, you can travel to an awful lot of other places for total expenses that are in the same ballpark. The comfort of a repeat vacation location is nice, relaxing, restorative, etc., but the adventure of the new, while daunting and stress inducing for some, can be soul stirring for others.
This is not to say that we don’t need our Jersey Shore or Virgin Islands fix. We take our shore fix in small doses with long weekends to Cape May and daytrips. Spring Lake is our day beach place to boogie board, to run and walk the non-commercial boardwalk, and choose a flavor at Hoffmans Ice Cream on the way in or out of town. Last night we went to Red Bank for twin lobster night ($24.95 on Tuesday!) at a small BYOB waterfront shack we discovered with outdoor picnic tables and Jimmy Buffett piped in over the soundsystem. Got to grab summer when you can!
We also go down the shore to walk the beach in the winter, fall, and early spring. This is why when we think about places to retire, while we love the high desert of the Southwest, I don’t know if we can live somewhere too far from the ocean. I could miss it too much.
As to the Caribbean fix, sorry (but not sorry) to say that next year Kauai will substitute for the Virgin Islands. Prices for car rentals and waterfront condos there are amazingly reasonable, plus we can maximize our Capitol One points on that airfare, bringing it into the same cost ballpark as a VI trip. The thinking is that Hawaii is also a bucket list place that we would like to experience and that STJ and our other fave Virgin Gorda can wait for now.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
jmq...great post!!
Being that we live outside of Philly, the Jersey Shore has been part of my life forever!!
From spending my summers in Brigantine. Dancing on Steel Pier, to taking boats out in the Atlantic when I was only 14.
Crabbing in the back bays and learning how to sail with all my summer friends bring back great memories.
We now go to Angelsea, North Wildwood. Great beaches, a walking wall that has those beautiful views and nightime in North Wildwood with good friends.
Every weekend Wildwood offers different events. Just had the barbeque festival two weeks ago.
Every shore town is different, which makes it so cool!!
p.s. I just wish the water was warmer....lol
Being that we live outside of Philly, the Jersey Shore has been part of my life forever!!
From spending my summers in Brigantine. Dancing on Steel Pier, to taking boats out in the Atlantic when I was only 14.
Crabbing in the back bays and learning how to sail with all my summer friends bring back great memories.
We now go to Angelsea, North Wildwood. Great beaches, a walking wall that has those beautiful views and nightime in North Wildwood with good friends.
Every weekend Wildwood offers different events. Just had the barbeque festival two weeks ago.
Every shore town is different, which makes it so cool!!
p.s. I just wish the water was warmer....lol
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
LOL the NYT goes to the Jersey Shore. The level of ignorance that many New Yorkers have about NJ is always amusing.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/tr ... v.html?hpw
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/tr ... v.html?hpw
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
This post brings a smile to my face. I spent every summer vacation in either Lavalette, Point Pleasant, and some time in Belmar in college. Great memories of being more than happy with going to mini-golf, the arcade, or crabbing for big Blue claws (they hurt when they get ya). My sister and BIL met in Chadwick many years ago. Great great memories!