Here At The Jersey Shore

Winter Endeth!

2009-02-25T13:27:00.003-05:00

Or, almost. But what is keeping me warm lately despite the subzero temps, is the fact that we are making our summer plans already! We just booked our week down at the shore, and we're looking into an additional week of camping too. Used to love camping when I was younger.....in other words, when I was NOT RESPONSIBLE for shopping, packing, cooking, and cleaning up. Now that I'm an adult with a family, I'm not too sure about it! When I go on vacation, I want to be cleaned up AFTER. Not do all the work and get bit by bugs all day. I'll have to think this one through. We used to camp down at Sea Pirate Light in West Creek, down near LBI. It was great fun as a kid, but I'll have to ponder this over before any decision is made for this summer. I'd just as soon book another cruise! lol

What are your summer plans? I can't wait for the movies on the beach in Pt. Pleasant and Seaside (both FREE!) and the lazy beach days, for starters. How about you?

Bye Bye, Circuit City!

2009-01-31T20:38:00.002-05:00

Being the self-proclaimed Tech Freak that I am, I am deeply depressed. My favorite store, Circuit City, is going out of business. I was there yesterday. I was there today. It is very, very sad. :( Yesterday I bought a NexxTech iPod alarm clock radio for my daughter. It stopped functioning properly within 4 hours. HMPH! The part that misfunctions isn't imperative to the way my daughter will use it, but still. It's the point.

Today, I got there and among one of things I purchased was a *gasp* NexxTech set of headphones for my iPod. And alas, they too are already misfunctioning.

Lesson Learned: KEEP AWAY FROM NEXXTECH!

I can't even return either of them. But, whatever. They'll do for now. There's bigger fish to fry.... I.E. getting over the fact that CC will no longer be there in the near future. Booooooo!

On another note, went to see Mall Cop tonight. It was pretty funny! DH and I are big fans of Kevin James, and we weren't disappointed.

Until next time!

Zumba rocks!

2009-01-22T17:49:00.002-05:00

Well as you may have heard, Zumba is the newest fitness craze. And the best, I might add. It is like you are at a party for an hour, and burning around 500 calories in the mean time! It is SO much fun it should be illegal. A lot of the local gyms here in Toms River offer it. Our classes are packed to the gills for every single Zumba class, and just recently there's tons more added to the schedule! WOO HOO! If you find a class near you, do yourself a favor and check one out.

January FREEZE

2009-01-20T13:29:00.003-05:00

Ok so it's January and it's beyond freezing out there. Literally. It's 22 degrees. Summer seems a far, far way off, but it's coming nonetheless. Or at least so I was told in my gym class today! Definitely a good reminder.

So I finally got myself an iPod Touch 2nd Gen. It's pretty cool and has some great features. And, some not so great. When I used to do my cleaning, I used to stick my old 5th Gen iPod Video in my pocket and work the controls without having even to look at it. But now since the Touch goes into a power save/sleep mode, I have to take it out of the pocket, 'unlock' it, and then go about my business on it. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but a little inconvenient.

What is a big deal, however, is the fact that there is NO desktop calendar sync for Windows, outside of either expensive Outlook. And I have no need to purchase Outlook. I can't even believe there's no app available for a desktop syncable calendar. Come on now, Apple! Or anybody, for that matter!

But other than those two things, the Touch is pretty darn cool. I got 32 Gigs worth of space for games, songs, podcasts, books on CD, and anything else that comes along. The display is great, the video play is great, and it's very convenient for long trips or long waits. Not half bad, I must say.

Your opinions on the Touch?

Big plans!

2008-04-01T17:24:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! Well, summer plans are already coming along well. Two For the Road is scheduled to play the opening and closing concert series on the boardwalk, we have our annual hotel room booked, regularly scheduled beach days are all set, ride tickets for Casino Pier are purchased, and we are anxiously awaiting the Movies on the Beach schedule to come out. Ah yes, another stellar summer is in order!

I am working on the next podcast as we speak, so stay tuned....

Don't shoot!!!

2007-09-30T21:20:00.000-04:00

Alright.....I know you are all about to shoot me by now, with my taking so long to post AND/OR to podcast. I'M SORRY. What a crazy, busy summer. But now I will spend the winter telling you of all the things there is to do NEXT summer, so you can be well prepared! See how nice I am?

First let me start off by mentioning a really great guitar duo that plays all around the area in various restaurant locations.

They are Two For The Road.

Check out their website, and you will find their playing dates and even some samples of their original songs, as well as videos of cover songs. During the summer they play right on the boardwalk down in the very northernmost end of Seaside Heights, and it is so nice to go hear them there. It's great to sit on the beach, dig your feet into the sand, and listen to some great music. Of course stopping at Wawa first and getting yourself a big huge coffee doesn't hurt!

So once I get all my summer activities organized, I'll podcast about each of them. We do SO much this summer, so hopefully it'll help you out as to what you're looking for down the shore so you can make the best of it!

Until then.....

PERFECT weather for our beach vacation!!!

2007-08-03T14:26:00.000-04:00

We just arrived home today from a week in Seaside Heights. Yes, I know....I already live here in Ocean County, so why would one want to vacation somewhere that's within minutes from where they live? Easy. We have a bunch of friends from central/north Jersey who stay at Seaside every year for a week in the summer, and we like to hang with them instead of running home every night. And it's well worth it! What a GORGEOUS week we had!!!

I am severely pressed for time for the next two days, since early Sunday morning we are headed to CT for a few days. (YUCK...who goes to New England in the SUMMER when you live right near the shore??? Don't ask....) Anyway, here's a quick rundown, with other blog posts to follow:

We always stay in the quieter northern end of Seaside Heights, near Ortley Beach. The hotel we normally stay at has been sold for condos, so we tried the Sunburst Motel this time. Absolutely fabulous!! Family owned and operated, and they are always on premises. Nice, nice accomodating people. Clean as a whistle, and they only rent to families in the summer so it's a great atmosphere for kids also. Heated pool, free wifi, complimentary bagels & coffee every day, pizza party by the pool on Thursdays, and only a block and a half from the beach. Check out all they offer at their website here.

We went to the beach every single day, and it was beyond gorgeous. Seaside is really doing an awesome job of recreating a family atmosphere. They have free family activities all week long, and Wednesdays and Thursdays are free beach days. Children under 12 are always free anyway! I grew up going to Seaside my entire life, but in the 90's it was really on a downhill run. Well, back uphill we go! It is turning around rather nicely.

More details about what we did each day later, as well as pics!

FINALLY....July heat kicks in!

2007-07-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's just not summer if it's not in the 90's!!! The past few days have been gorgeous, and now I'm getting ready for our week at the beach starting on Monday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate! If not, it's all good, because there's free wifi in the hotel. Always a plus.

Great shot of Seaside Heights pier at night.

Ok I've come to terms with the fact that I probably won't get to another podcast during the summer. July was massively busy, and August is almost filled literally every day! But, look at it this way...I'll have tons of info to report on when the summer ends. Then you can all come down here next summer & experience it all for yourselves! :D

I am disappointed that I missed three great Ocean County events this year: The Ocean County Fair, the Toms River Ice Cream Festival, and the annual Toms River Chili Cook-Off. Those are great events that go on every year down here, but I had plans all those days. :( Bummer. Oh well...I'm still going to try to get to SailFest which is the 2nd weekend in September. That's done on the Toms River, and they have great food and activities there.

Ok it's a gorgeous day, so once again I'm outta here! Until next time...

Lakewood Blueclaws

2007-07-24T09:38:00.000-04:00

Looking for a family-friendly night out at the ballgame? Look no further than the First Energy Ballfield for the Lakewood Blueclaws! We have been going here for about 5 years now, pretty much since it opened. The ballpark is sparkling clean, and a great place for families! Every year I get a big group together and rent a picnic area, and the price of the ticket also gets you all-you-can-eat BBQ of burgers, dogs, chicken, ribs, side salads, fruit, dessert, soda and water.

We've been in just about every seat in the house, from the regular green seats, to the picnic areas, to the Luxury Suites. It's always a good time!

If you want to go really cheap, you can get lawn seats, and bring your own blanket. That way the kids can run around and try to catch some fly balls, and they don't have to stay seated the whole time. Especially good for families who feed their kids a lot of sugar! :D

So again, this is a perfect night out for the family...good food, safe ballpark, and a heck of a lot closer than Yankee Stadium!!

They even have a lot of games & activities for the kids to watch in between innings, so they don't get bored. This is the famous "eyeball race", sponsored by InVision Eyecare Associates. I can't even look at the red eyeball, or else my eyes start to water!! :P

Summer's in Full Swing!

2007-06-24T21:04:00.000-04:00

WOW! It's already June 24th, and I have yet to record another podcast. As one listener put it....summer is keeping me TOO busy! But I promise to get my booty podcasting, as this is what this site's all about, right? We've already done so many fun things. Just got back from a long weekend in Wildwood. LOVE it down there! Even the part where you hear "Watch the Tram Car, please" about 25 times a day. I think the whole 50's motif is awesome. We stayed in a Certified 50's Motel called the Caramara. GREAT place! Building is old, obviously, but it is clean as a whistle. It's a great family motel. Heated pool, kiddie pool area, kid's play area, gas BBQ grills, shuffleboard, and it's right across the street from the beach. We shared a two bedroom room with some friends from CT, and we had a great weekend. Here's some pics: (click on them for larger sizes)

Cool Route 66 diner to get lunch or dinner.

The sunset we caught at Castaways. Great music and great tiki tables.

Their boardwalk is really unique!

Laura's Fudge....a classicly good candy/fudge shop. Every kind of fudge imaginable!!

My all-time favorite part of Wildwood...The Retro Wawa!!! I am obsessed with Wawa's under normal circumstances. Even moreso with some cool design like this!

I'll be sure to podcast about everything we did that weekend. Wildwood is a part of our yearly ritual, and it is a blast everytime! Stay tuned......

Summer Beginneth!

2007-05-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

Well it's the unofficial beginning of summer here down the Jersey Shore! What a weekend. Great food, great weather (except for a couple pop-up showers, but big deal), and great fun. We spent Saturday at a BBQ/pool party, Sunday was spent doing some things around the house, and today we went down the shore & ate at Sunny Hunny in Ortley Beach. It's a great little restaurant on 35 North. Food was great, only marginally ruined by the 4 hung over and LOUD dudes that came in & sat behind us towards the end of our meal. And thank goodness it was towards the end. I must be getting old. LOL

Lots of great fun is planned for the shore this summer. It's going to be one for the books.

Anyways pics & another podcast are forthcoming, so hold your horses will ya. I do have a life. ;)

Scoping out a hotel

2007-04-24T20:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I'm off to scope out northern Seaside Heights for a hotel to spend a week in. I have friends from North Jersey who like to vacation at the shore every summer, so even though I live here, I get my family a room in the Heights too. Why drive 15 minutes when I can be on the beach with only a 2-minute walk? That's what I say!

Every year we used to stay at the Sea View Inn in northern Seaside (the benny-less area, I like to call it). This year however, we were informed they are selling their building to a condo developer. Bummer! It was a great family place. But with all the restoration going on in Seaside, it can only look up. I have to say, they are really building it up pretty nice! So hopefully Seaside's rep will be rising. Northing Seaside is a great family place, close to quiet Ortley Beach, yet close enough to all the fun of the boardwalk too. Nice middle ground.

I'll let you know what gems we find tomorrow! Until then....

Welcome!!!

2007-04-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Here At The Jersey Shore blog! Soon to be followed by a website and podcast.

I live here in Ocean County, New Jersey, surrounded by the most beautiful beaches and boardwalks New Jersey has to offer. I am eager to share with you everything our shore has to offer! Please be sure to contact me with any questions or suggestions you have.

We have a busy summer planned, with everything from a week's vacation at the shore, movies on the beach, Blueclaws games, weekend in Wildwood, etc. I'll be sure to keep you updated on local events and everything else going on down here this summer.

So stay tuned....fun is just a click away!