New Jersey shore question.

May 2024 · 17 minute read

I'd really like to go to the beach this weekend. Just for the day. Where is your preferred spot on the Jersey shore?

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by Anonymousreply 91April 1, 2018 12:04 AM

I'm originally from New Jersey, but we spend the summers on Nantucket, so can't really help you there. Good luck!

by Anonymousreply 1July 28, 2016 3:33 PM

I prefer the green, mossy and dead Georgica Pond, of course.

by Anonymousreply 2July 28, 2016 3:34 PM

First, learn the lingo: It's "going down the shore." Never "beach," and forget the grammar.

Secondly, I'd like the answer, too! I've only ever stayed in Manasquan (okay; no Boardwalk) and AC (okay; prefer the long-gone Boardwalk).

by Anonymousreply 3July 28, 2016 3:35 PM

Ocean City and south along the Jersey shoreline. Cape May is beautiful, although I would avoid Wildwood (too trashy).

by Anonymousreply 4July 28, 2016 3:35 PM

r2 Have you ever been there asshole, or you stuck in some shithole in the South or Midwest?

by Anonymousreply 5July 28, 2016 3:36 PM

R4 if I go to Cape May alone for the day are the beach and surroundings worth the trip since it's quite a trek South? Or should I go for a couple days?

by Anonymousreply 6July 28, 2016 3:38 PM

r6 I would go for a couple of days. You have to have a cocktail at "Martini Beach", and the restaurants are fabulous.

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by Anonymousreply 7July 28, 2016 3:40 PM

Sandy Hook (Gunnison is clothing optional, if you're into that).

Asbury Park has a large (for the Jersey shore) gay presence.

Point Pleasant Beach is quite nice, with a modest boardwalk that's clean and safe.

Some of the really nice towns have private beaches, which are a pain in the ass.

by Anonymousreply 9July 28, 2016 3:42 PM

A lot of squeaky clean Italian holes down there with big fat sausages. Yum......

by Anonymousreply 10July 28, 2016 3:43 PM

r8 Ocean Grove is very clean but still very religious. You can go next door to Asbury Park to raise hell, although they're still in the process of revitalizing that town and doing a splendid job btw.

by Anonymousreply 11July 28, 2016 3:43 PM

r10 You want Belmar then.

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by Anonymousreply 12July 28, 2016 3:45 PM

You might get on WHAT WOULD YOU DO? because it films there! So if you see a bartender insulting fat people or a girl in a hijab struggling to change her tire or a teen boy too shy to buy condoms at the drug store do the right thing and you might be a hero!

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by Anonymousreply 14July 28, 2016 3:49 PM

But the nude beach is at Sandy Hook. Two beeps went there.

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by Anonymousreply 15July 28, 2016 3:50 PM

I second Ocean Grove. You won't really notice anything religious, maybe some Christian music in the covered seating area on the northern end of the boardwalk. It's not loud and scheduled performances are posted if you want to avoid. The beaches are nicer than Asbury, which is next door. Ocean Grove has an older, calmer, more sedate gay population.

by Anonymousreply 16July 28, 2016 3:50 PM

r15 There are more nude trolls at Sandy Hook than hotties, so no one get excited. Oh, and lots of nude fraus with saggy tits.

by Anonymousreply 17July 28, 2016 3:53 PM

I'm intrigued by Asbury Park. Do you have to buy beach tags? Is there a gay beach? Worth just a day trip?

by Anonymousreply 18July 28, 2016 4:01 PM

In honesty, though, r17, it's a nude beach. Not a nude gathering of models.

by Anonymousreply 19July 28, 2016 4:03 PM

Well there goes that idea. . . perhaps Delaware is calling?!

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by Anonymousreply 20July 28, 2016 4:17 PM

r20 As of the end of June they were okay.

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by Anonymousreply 21July 28, 2016 5:00 PM

OP, where are you located?

Cape May is fantastic, but if you live in NYC, it's too long a trip for just one day's visit.

by Anonymousreply 22July 28, 2016 5:03 PM

r18 $5.00 Daily/$6.00 Weekends. I would go for a couple of days. Moonstruck for dinner. The Empress Motel for drinks, pool is open for a small charge with poolside bars, and dancing at night (under thirty-five crowd), but the indoor bars at the motel are for the over forty bunch. Trains from NYC run several times daily, and I think it's about an hour or hour and half trip.

by Anonymousreply 23July 28, 2016 5:07 PM

Brigantine beach, just north of AC. Very pretty and no nonsense.

by Anonymousreply 24July 28, 2016 5:08 PM

r16 You must be a hundred years old. The sale of alcohol is banned, the 'tent' cottages for the descendants of the righteous fundamentalists are something to see, and the revival services on the beach, with the king sized cross in the sand, would raise the dead.

"Ocean Grove has an older, calmer, more sedate gay population." Yeah, in wheelchairs.

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by Anonymousreply 25July 28, 2016 6:00 PM

My sister is at Avon today, it's her fave.

by Anonymousreply 26July 28, 2016 6:01 PM

Aw, R5, I was mocking the Georgica Pond crowd, not the Jersey Shore aficionados!

by Anonymousreply 27July 28, 2016 6:10 PM

I'm from Philly and go to Wildwood, NJ. Free beach, fun boardwalk, and good food. If you want quiet, then go to Cape May. It's lovely but too quiet for me.

by Anonymousreply 28July 28, 2016 6:17 PM

I agree about Cape May. It's really lovely down there, and there's also a three-block long pedestrian that's a really pleasant place to hang out.

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by Anonymousreply 29July 28, 2016 6:27 PM

(R2) Martha, is that you?

by Anonymousreply 30July 28, 2016 6:36 PM

At the same time, just north of Cape May is the trashiest boardwalk in the U.S. (It's in Wildwood and it's several miles long.)

I know of very few people who go to one spot without going to the other because they weirdly compliment each other as polar opposites.

Cape May & Wildwood are like NJ's yin & yang.

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by Anonymousreply 31July 28, 2016 6:36 PM

Actually, R3, as someone who actually lives on the Jersey Shore, we call it the "beach" here. Only North Jersey guido trash calls it "down the shore."

by Anonymousreply 32July 28, 2016 6:37 PM

r32 My husband would have something to say to you if he didn't drop dead of a heart attack.

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by Anonymousreply 33July 28, 2016 6:43 PM

I'd be interested in hearing more about Asbury Park too. Is it really up and coming or just hype?

by Anonymousreply 34July 28, 2016 7:00 PM

[quote]as someone who actually lives on the Jersey Shore, we call it the "beach" here. Only North Jersey guido trash calls it "down the shore."

That makes no sense. "Down the shore" refers to going to any of the seaside communities--naturally you wouldn't use the phrase because you're already located in the area. People who go "down the shore" also call the beach "the beach" because referring to something very specific, namely: the beach. The Shore is a region: the beach is what meets the ocean.

by Anonymousreply 35July 28, 2016 7:01 PM

r35 In southwestern NJ we have always said "Going to the shore" or "Down at the shore." Delawareans say the "Going to the beach." My father is a doctor and a WASP, so before you start with your ethnic insults r32 I thought I'd mention this very minor point.

by Anonymousreply 36July 28, 2016 7:11 PM

All right you Philistines.

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by Anonymousreply 37July 28, 2016 7:14 PM

What R9 said, if you're coming from North Jersey.

by Anonymousreply 38July 28, 2016 7:22 PM

Asbury has been "up & coming" for some time now, I believe.

I tried it there a few times maybe 10 years ago, or so. It was nice-ish, but take a wrong turn down a particular street and you are in the middle of burned out drug houses and the like.

Still the same?

by Anonymousreply 39July 28, 2016 7:26 PM

It's not specifically a guido expression.

by Anonymousreply 40July 28, 2016 7:28 PM

Girls, girls, you are ALL wrong. Let me break it down for you.

When you are not in a sea side community (meaning anywhere else) and you are headed to one, you say you are "going down the shore". People from Phila and Phila burbs say this so it is not only a North Jersey thing and definitely not only a guido thing. It's what everyone says when they are planning a vacation or weekend away in a New Jersey coastal community.

Now, after you get there and you are actually IN a seaside community (Cape May, Ocean City, Belmar, etc.) and you want to go to the shoreline---you know, the place that has sand and water? That's when you say, "hey, why don't you hang back at the house and get dinner started, we're all headed to the beach". See you later.

Got it?

by Anonymousreply 41July 28, 2016 7:40 PM

I live by Asbury Park. It's become very gentrified in recent years, but you definitely don't want to cross the wrong side of Main Street.

If you visit the area, you definitely want to check out Pier Village in Long Branch. Lots of great shops and restaurants. But the area has become very overrun with tourists over the past few years, and traffic and congestion is a real bitch.

by Anonymousreply 42July 28, 2016 7:40 PM

There's also been shark sightings recently about a mile north of Asbury.

by Anonymousreply 43July 28, 2016 7:42 PM

r42--I'm curious: what sort of work do you do? Do you commute to either NYC or Phila?

by Anonymousreply 45July 28, 2016 7:43 PM

r32, Philly calls it "down the shore," even its newscasters.

by Anonymousreply 46July 28, 2016 7:48 PM

Stone Harbor... a great mix of working class and well-to-do.

by Anonymousreply 47July 28, 2016 7:53 PM

My ex, who grew up in Ocean City, referred to any place that was inland as being 'off shore'. I was always surprised about that because, the rest of the world uses off shore to mean anything out in the ocean.

by Anonymousreply 48July 28, 2016 8:04 PM

R45, I'm a professor at one of the local colleges.

by Anonymousreply 49July 28, 2016 8:36 PM

Agree about Brigantine. Beaches are pretty good and mostly uncrowded though you have to have "beach tags" to go to them (you can purchase them on the spot from the people checking if you have them.) Mainly families from the Philly or Eastern PA area.

Also, if you get bored, you can take a quick ride and visit Atlantic City right next door.

by Anonymousreply 50July 28, 2016 9:25 PM

Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. A bit of a drive, but very high class.

by Anonymousreply 51July 29, 2016 1:21 AM

Island Beach state park....bottom of Seaside Park....but go early if the weather is nice because it fills up...beautiful natural settings

by Anonymousreply 52July 29, 2016 1:32 AM

Grew up vacationing in Beach Haven. Loved it. Enough to do but no boardwalk or mob scene.

by Anonymousreply 53July 29, 2016 1:39 AM

Of course, nothing surpasses Gunnison. Forget everything else.

by Anonymousreply 54July 29, 2016 1:41 AM

I'd want to go wherever Ronnie is 😍

by Anonymousreply 55July 29, 2016 2:11 AM

Where at the shore, (if any place) do they have the tent cabana's you can rent out for the day?

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by Anonymousreply 57July 29, 2016 3:44 PM

r57 Atlantic City if you can stand the dregs.

by Anonymousreply 58July 29, 2016 3:46 PM

We've owned a home in Asbury Park since 2004. When we bought there, we weren't expecting the town to change much but it has been very successfully gentrified , mostly in just the last 3 years. The boardwalk and beach are nicer, there are new shops and restaurants, cleaner beaches and a brand new 5 star boutique hotel there that just opened this summer. The beach is in walking distance of the train station. I'm not a beach person but a daily pass, I think, is maybe $12. Much cheaper if you buy a seasonal pass.

But it's mainly the adjacent downtown Asbury area around Cookman Ave. where we see all the improvements. A huge variety of wonderful restaurants, art galleries and quirky antique shops. Pascal & Sabine, Tallulah's, The Cardinal, Barrio Costera, Taka, Vino et Cibo and Moonstruck are just a few of the best restaurants.

Asbury is 55 miles from mid-town Manhattan. If you can drive during non-rush hour times, the drive takes about an hour and 10 minutes. NJ Transit trains leave Penn Station every hour but they make lots of local stops, so the ride is usually about an hour and 45 minutes.

The gay presence is there but it's quiet and not always so obvious. Lots of shops and restaurants owned by gays. Most gay home buyers there are middle-aged and partnered, about half who commute to NY on the weekends and half who are full time and work in NJ.

We love it! Our house is in the northwest corner of town, which is the quietest and prettiest, on the opposite side of town from the beach. And other pretty towns, like Ocean Grove, Avon and Spring Lake are a short bike ride away.

True, there are seedy parts of town, but there's no reason to have to stray anywhere near them.

by Anonymousreply 59July 29, 2016 4:40 PM

r59, and it's just a stone's throw from Gunnison.

by Anonymousreply 60July 29, 2016 8:11 PM

Gunnison in Sandy Hook National Recreation Area is a nice beach, albeit rather primitive and with a hefty charge for entry. I think it's $15 per car. And you MUST get there early or you won't be allowed in once the maximum number of cars has been reached. I guess that's what you have to pay for the privilege of nude sunbathing. And R60, Asbury Park is NOT a stone's throw from Gunnison; especially in heavy shore traffic during the summer months.

by Anonymousreply 61July 29, 2016 8:17 PM

Where do all the hot Guidos go?

by Anonymousreply 62July 29, 2016 10:49 PM

So I spent the day in beautiful Asbury Park on Saturday. It was a perfect beach day with not too much sun and a light breeze. I managed to escape before the rains came in. They beach is well kept and fairly wide with a small boardwalk that had plenty of interesting and high quality food choices, unlike other shore towns with pizza, fried dough and way too much sugar on offer. I'm not really sure there is a gay section of the beach but I did see a few rainbow flags and gays in speedo's and square-cut suits. Lots of families and kids which kinda ruined trying to enjoy the waves, but I noticed there was a decidedly older crowd sans children towards the Paramount Theatre. I will go back and enjoy again before the summer ends. I still need to make it down to Cape May, but that will require more than a day trip I think. Thanks all for your tips.

by Anonymousreply 64August 1, 2016 2:19 PM

If you go to Gunnison and not only is it a nude beach but it has a gay section(do other Jersey beaches have one?) go on a weekend.

Yes it is very crowded and you have to arrive at least by 8:30 or 9 to get a parking spot but part of the joy is people watching as in eye candy.

During the week it is overwhelmingly retirees and you'll be very lucky if you actually see somebody you want to see with or without a bathing suit.

On weekends you'll see a number of naked hotties both gay and straight.

by Anonymousreply 65August 1, 2016 3:29 PM

Bravo, r65. That is it in the essence. I won't say everybody go to Gunnison, because it's too crowded already. Quality, not quantity….

by Anonymousreply 66August 1, 2016 3:58 PM

r64 Next you go, enjoy some of the great restaurants off the boardwalk too. Have a cocktail at "The Empress Hotel" or visit the Berkeley Bar and Grill at the grand old "Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel." Visit the downtown area for some great shopping. The downtown area was originally designed with a French street plan in mind to it's nice to see.

by Anonymousreply 67August 1, 2016 4:05 PM

Gunnison gets a lot of seniors because it is a national park and the senior pass lets them in free

by Anonymousreply 69August 1, 2016 4:47 PM

The seniors can go to the many other beaches on Sandy Hook for free.

Unfortunately there are far too many male seniors who like to walk around naked.

I'm not saying that to be mean but nobody wants to see a naked senior including other naked seniors.

by Anonymousreply 70August 1, 2016 5:19 PM

Is Ocean City still nice?

by Anonymousreply 71August 1, 2016 5:40 PM

r71 Lovely. Grace Kelly and her family had a home there for decades. The writer, Gay Talese, grew up there and still has a home in OC.

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by Anonymousreply 72August 1, 2016 5:43 PM

How many different beaches are there at Sandy Hook? I grew up an hour north of there. I used to go there as a kid, and then, after I was able to drive, but we called the whole thing Sandy Hook. Now I live somewhere else.

Asbury Park Convention Hall is where I went for my first concerts: the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, etc.

by Anonymousreply 73August 1, 2016 5:47 PM

Would that have been The Paramount?

Or was the Convention Hall a separate auditorium?

by Anonymousreply 74August 1, 2016 8:48 PM

R74 If you're talking to R73, here's a poster for the Doors concert at Asbury Park Convention Hall on 9-2-67. It's where I saw every concert I went to before college.

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by Anonymousreply 75August 1, 2016 9:02 PM

And here's the July 1966 poster. I saw the Byrds and the Beach Boys.

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by Anonymousreply 76August 1, 2016 9:05 PM

And here's a ticket for Led Zeppelin.

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by Anonymousreply 77August 1, 2016 9:06 PM

I'm not impressed.

I saw the Beatles in concert in 1964 at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.

You can't top that.

by Anonymousreply 79August 1, 2016 9:08 PM

Well, I didn't see them. It's not a matter of "topping."

by Anonymousreply 80August 1, 2016 9:16 PM

Yes, R71, OCNJ is lovely, but beware, it is very "family friendly" and it is a dry town. Not even BYOB is allowed and as a result there are no good restaurants or bars/clubs. Just pizza & hoagie joints and other standard boardwalk fare. You have to go off island to other nearby beach towns to have a nice dinner out.

by Anonymousreply 81August 2, 2016 12:47 AM

R81, you are very correct. I often venture out to Somers Point and eat at the Crap Trap where there are quiet a few cute gaylings who wait tables.

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by Anonymousreply 82August 2, 2016 2:30 PM

When I was a boy absolutely no cars were allowed on Sundays in Ocean Grove.

Everybody had to get their cars out of town.

The only ones were ambulances.

It was pretty amazing. Very very beautiful.

Also men were not allowed on the boardwalk without a shirt.

I got yelled at by two old ladies and I must have been about 9 or 10.

You went to Asbury Park for fun.

Back then it was a picture perfect old fashioned Jersey Shore town with many old beautiful buildings and movie theaters and rides.

Everything was torn down except The Paramount and convention hall and no matter what they do they can't bring back those beautiful old buildings, hotels, and lake which now seems like an abandoned reservoir.

New over priced restaurants and bars don't seem to me a very good reason to visit it.

Look at vintage postcards of Asbury to see how it once was.

by Anonymousreply 83August 2, 2016 6:32 PM

[quote]When I was a boy, we called Ocean Grove "Ocean Grave."

Fixed

by Anonymousreply 84August 2, 2016 6:33 PM

Well it was very still as if time were suspended on a gorgeous summer day.

by Anonymousreply 85August 2, 2016 6:36 PM

r83 You could say that about a lot of Jersey Shore towns. Ocean City, NJ had one of the most beautiful boardwalks during the first half of the 20th century through the early 1970s. Gorgeous shops, restaurants, clothing boutiques for Philly's Main Line set. Now it's nothing but T-shirt stores, cheap souvenir shops and food stands. Things change........

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by Anonymousreply 86August 2, 2016 6:42 PM

R83, there is still a great deal of the architecture that remains in Asbury. Part of the reason for that is due to the fact that (before gentrification) very low-income families lived there who didn't have money to renovate.

I'd say goodbye to it now that the rich NYCers have turned it into their own personal summer playground.

by Anonymousreply 87August 3, 2016 2:37 AM

Is Paradise still hopping?

by Anonymousreply 88March 31, 2018 11:33 PM

Where can one find guido dogs?

by Anonymousreply 90March 31, 2018 11:57 PM

R42, so am I. It's probably the same university

by Anonymousreply 91April 1, 2018 12:04 AM

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