Sitting on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, listening to a local singer, waiting for the Thursday night fireworks, I realized – Once a Jersey Girl, always a Jersey Girl.
Even though I moved away right after high school, I always loved to visit my best friend at the Jersey Shore. A total renovation converted her beach house into a comfortable year-round home over the past year. It’s almost complete, and Bill has been a huge help with those last-minute details. As I write this, he is switching the doors on the second refrigerator to make it more accessible.
The Food!
We’ve spent three weeks here, the longest time I have spent in New Jersey since high school, and it’s been so much fun. New Jersey gets a bad rap from people that only know the Turnpike or the Newark Airport area. The Jersey Shore has miles of beautiful white sand beaches, boardwalks, great restaurants, and lots of Jersey PIZZA! Then there’s the Jersey tomatoes and Jersey corn. Side note – the restaurants here all seemed well-staffed, and the service was fantastic. Tonight is our last night, and we’re celebrating with our friends. Dinner is take-out lasagna from Joe Leones. If you’ve ever spent time in Point Pleasant, you know Joe Leones.
Cedar Creek Campground
For those of you that have an RV or a Camper, I do recommend Cedar Creek Campground. There are not many campgrounds in this area, but Cedar Creek in Bayville proved to be a good location. It is convenient to Point Pleasant and Mantoloking, where my friends live, and not far from Toms River and Lavalette. The facilities are nice, and the park is quiet in the evening. The pool was never that crowded, and the staff was very friendly.
Atlantic City
We spent one day in Atlantic City. In the afternoon, we enjoyed the Beyond Van Gogh Immersive Experience. If it comes to a location near you, I highly recommend it. Then, that evening, we had tickets to Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons! Yes, he is still with us, and he can still sing! The “new” Four Seasons were younger and kept the beat alive. The crowd chimed in when prompted; the audience was all our age!
Pickleball
Of course, we played lots of pickleball. I always check Places to Play to find good social play. I also checked Facebook groups and found Toms River Pickleball. What a great group of people and some awesome pickleball. They were very welcoming and included us right away in the rotation; they use a board much like what we do in Key Largo. I love this about pickleball.
One day we traveled up to Long Branch to meet up with a pickleball friend we met in Key Largo, Fran Benson. After pickleball, we had lunch at Tommy’s in Sea Bright. Thanks, Fran; see you in Key Largo next season!
The APP New Jersey Open
For the first time, we went to an APP tournament. The APP New Jersey Open in Hamilton, New Jersey, was a great experience. The professional players were very accessible and friendly. I even met Simone Jardim and got her autograph on a pickleball! We got great seats at Championship Court, and it was FREE!
All in all, we had a wonderful three weeks in New Jersey.
Next stop, Myrtle Beach!
Loved your adventure! I too, am a Jersey girl who left there many years ago, but always continued to visit people I know still in NJ. My daughter lives in Hazlet which brought us to play in toms river to play pb yesterday! . Jersey, I always say “has it all” the shore, the mountains, the best produce anywhere,! It’s safe to say I’ll always be a Jersey girl just like you! And that’s a good thing! Thanks for sharing your time in NJ. It’s the only state you can drop the “new” and just say I’m from Jersey.. 😂
It was great playing Pickleball! Safe travels!