I am back again for another 4th of July at the Jersey Shore. My Mother was from NJ and I have been going there every summer since I was nine months old. I go to Manasquan, a small town in Northern New Jersey, which is South of Spring Lake and Sea Girt and North of Point Pleasant and Bay Head. This is the real Jersey Shore versus the one portrayed on the infamous TV show. These towns are easily accessible from Newark Airport by the NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway or by New Jersey Transit from New York and Newark Airport. If you want to head to New York City for a day trip, you can be at New York’s Penn Station in just over two hours. I have seen many a Broadway matinee over the years and been back in time for dinner. It is a great place to relax and recharge, eat some great seafood and just enjoy walking on the beach.
I love the smell of the salt air. The scent is so fresh – not overwhelming- but comforting to me. It is like I am back home in the place that I have been coming to since I was nine months old. It is so relaxing that I often have to take two naps a day! I am also listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the nearby rock jetty along with the screeching of the gulls and birds in the distance as they fly overhead.
I find that as the sounds wash over me, it is very hypnotic. At this special place in my life, using all of my senses brings back a lifetime memories of the sand, the surf as it hits the beach, the gulls and sandpipers, the white lifeguard stands, the colorful beach umbrellas and beach chairs in front of me on the sand, the fishing boats as they head to the inlet, my daily walks on the boardwalk, peaceful morning walks along the beach with my parents who are long since gone or me dodging the waves as I walk in the beach in the quiet of the early morning.
I love hearing the sounds of children playing, the sight of the mothers carrying their babies plus seeing all of the different shades of the blue water with the reflections of the sun overhead. At this time of year, it is made even more colorful by the American flags decorating the cottages for the local 4th of July celebrations and of course fireworks on the beach at night.
All of this makes me want to return every year for the rest of my life to relive these amazing memories!!