Musing on a Friday Morning ©
I don't particularly know just why, but for a good portion of my Adult Life, I have had a deep seated love for the Eastern Seaboard / New England .. the History, the food, the architecture, the Historical Significance and more fascinated me even before I ever stepped a foot on the actual soil .. Over the years, I have had the pleasure to visit D.C., the Jersey Shore, Atlantic City, Cape May, Asbury Park .. New York City, Niagara Falls, the Finger Lakes, the Poconos and more .. and, I enjoyed it as much as any place I have ever been .. even the names still evoke a longing ..
Within a five mile stretch of the Jersey Shore, north of Cape May, there was/is an area known as the Wildwoods .. where tourists since the 1950's and earlier, during the warm months, stayed at exotically named places such as the Malibu, Sahara and Monaco .. places that we affectionately called Motels (getting to be more of a rarity these days, supplanted by Hotels) .. vacationing, as they say "Down the Shore" .. these exotically named places, which also included the Lollipop and the Jolly Roger, were candy colored structures inspired by Miami Beach and fantasy vacations these families could not afford .. yet gave them a reasonable facsimile and a reasonable price ..
Those that remain are the dreamy leftovers of a long gone era (if any remain at all) ..
Nostalgia that can be visited for a time and then left behind .. the shells of a memory .. still being wandered and populated by the untold number of Ghosts of happy families ..
Ah, the Jersey Shore. Twas a big part of my life. As kids, our family vacations each summer were a week in Atlantic City (way before anyone even thought of Casino's). My parents would rent an apartment complete with kitchen. I look back and laugh .. because my Mom didn't trust the pots, pans, and dishes provided so she'd bring her own. All day on the beach then stroll the boardwalk at night.
Visits to Steele Pier in Atlantic city was always a treat. They always had all the latest TV's, radios', kitchen appliances, etc. on display. Even for us kids it was fun. Oh, and yes there was the Steele Pier diving horse ... yes I did see that show live more than once.
(if ever an animal act should have been banned ... this one should have even sooner than it was).
This picture predates the years I was there as a kid ... but the building still looked the same.
Teenage years many day trips with a female companion or a ground of friends. Later years, pre-kids, we rent a place on Reed's Beach with other couples and spend most every weekend 'down the shore. Reeds beach was close to Stone Harbor, Avalon, the Wildwoods.
Janet and I and spent many summer vacations in Ocean city with our kids. Ocean City is billed as a family town ... not one bar or tavern or anyplace to even buy alcohol or beer. When we re-visited there a couple weeks ago, I mentioned that to Katie ... she was surprised that a Jersey Shore town could be as popular as Ocean City and be a 'dry' town.
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