The Jersey Shore
Friday, July 24th, 2009I can’t believe it’s almost August and I have not been to the Jersey shore yet! And, worse, I have no plans to make it to the beach at all this summer — well, at least not Ocean City, Wildwood or Sea Isle City, the beaches I grew up visiting each summer.
The Jersey shore is far from luxurious, but a trip to New Jersey’s southern coast was a staple of my childhood — and many of my peers’ childhoods — each and every summer. Most people would probably visit the beaches of Jersey and wonder why they are so meaningful. There are plenty of nicer beaches around, but the Jersey shore is loaded with memories for me, and it reminds me of being a kid. My family would rent a house for a week and I’d bring a friend, or vice versa. As we grew up, the weeks became long weekends, and some of my friends’ families began purchasing shore houses of their own. There were days spent on the beach, nights spent on the boardwalk. No trip was ever complete without pizza from Mack & Manco, breakfast at Uncle Bill’s or yummy desserts from Kohr Brothers or Laura’s Fudge.
After senior year in high school, most of the area graduates head to the shore for Senior Week. That was one of the best summers of my life, as my friends and I rented a house for the entire summer, got part-time jobs and spent our last summer together being beach bums. My early mornings at Ward’s Pastry did not dampen my spirit. We had a blast, and I still think of all my fond memories from that summer often.
Even though it is only about two hours away from home, it was always a favorite summer vacation. After college, my trips to the beach became more infrequent as work obligations and other more exotic destinations called, but last summer I spent the July 4 weekend at the beach with a large group of friends. It was the last time many of us had with our friend Justin before his untimely passing last September. So, now the Jersey shore holds an even more special place in my heart.
–Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
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