Story: Memories of the Jersey Shore

I lived the first ten years of my life in New Jersey - the central area, where it still is the Garden State. Those were my formative days where my earliest memories were created and I just do not remember much bad about them. Even the worst of days seems joyful in retrospect. But, out of all my time in New Jersey, what I crave and miss about them is the Jersey Shore.

My great-grandparents owned a house along Normandy Beach, a small private area between Seaside and Point Pleasant. Every year I would count down the days until Spring when they would open up the house and invite the family down for our first day at the beach. The weather would never be quite warm enough to really enjoy a day at the beach, but it did not matter to us, we would all go and sit and play on the beach until we were too cold. All that mattered was that it was the start of the Shore season.

For me, one of the best parts about the Jersey Shore was the food. Everything tasted just a bit different down there. I am still not quite sure if it was the salty air or the fact it was not food I got to eat all the time when at home. Every time I go back to New Jersey to visit, I still have to go to the shore and get a sausage sandwich from Midway Steaks on the Seaside Boardwalk. Everyone in my family stands by the fact that the food from Midway is not quite as good at the beginning of the summer, before the grill truly gets seasoned - though good all the time at the end of the summer when the grill has been in constant use, it just tastes better.

There were the many, many bags and boxes of candy and fudge brought home from the Berkeley Sweet Shop. So many summer days of chewing away on salt water taffy and trying not to get it stuck in your teeth. Also, even just the food my family would make seemed to taste better. I do not think there is a single person in my family who would not talk your ear off about my great-grandmothers grilled cheese sandwiches. We have all tried to recreate them, but without the salt in the air and the cool summer breeze it is just never the same.

The memories of many nights spent with family and friends along the Boardwalk also make the Jersey Shore hold a special place in my heart. I do not know what happened to all the stuffed animals and miscellaneous toys I worked so hard to earn, but when I was little I had to have them. I still go back and spend more money than I should playing Skeeball or trying to pop balloons just to get that stuffed frog or rabbit for myself, though now that I have grown most end up going to younger cousins or strangers on the Boardwalk. All of the people watching and enjoying fun rides made the nights at the Boardwalk even sweeter. As I grew up and the kiddie rides became no fun, I learned to discover the Fun Houses, roller coasters, and haunted houses here.

My memories of the Jersey Shore could go on forever. However, I truly think it is a place people should experience at least once in their life. Though the beaches can be crowded and Boardwalks full of people, it is still an amazing place to visit. New Jersey may have a reputation for not being the prettiest place in the country, but that usually comes from a person who has not visited the Jersey Shore on a nice summer day and stayed to enjoy the cool evening breezes. At least for me, it will always remain as one of my favorite vacation spots in the country, even as my family slowly moves away - at least I can still get some yummy foods and bury my toes into some sand.