Be Right Back

Hello from Long Branch! Just a quick post to say that there won't be a "Your Shore Weekend" today -- I just ran out of time to put it together (those things are labor intensive!)

But check this out.



These are the Queen of Hearts, a very cool lady band I caught at McLoone's Pier House last night. They're playing at Tim McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park tonight if you're in the area! I shot a video of the ladies rocking it, but my internet connection's a bit slow and it didn't upload. Will try again when I'm home!

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

A fellow NJ Monthly blogger shares her favorites from Cape May.

Fourth of July crowds helped make up for a crummy June.

A good sign: casinos added jobs this summer.

Yikes, shenanigans outside of Shenanigans in Sea Isle. What is happening in SIC this summer? Lots of odd stuff going on.

The Philadelphia Inquirer food critic writes about new shore restaurants. I agree with him about the Virginia (and thanks for giving Dixie Picnic a shout out), but I disagree with what he wrote about Blackfish in Stone Harbor. I didn't like it at all. As I wrote in the New York Times: "This spring, the seafood restaurant and bar Blackfish opened in what used to be Henny’s Cafe, a 78-year-old bar and restaurant that closed in 2008. But its raw and stripped-down space, which belies the glamorous image it tries to project, is only a temporary situation." I was underwhelmed.

Pictures from the always-interesting Strathmere Fourth of July parade, where they say what they really feel about Upper Township.

Nice to see someone else notices that Atlantic City has other things to offer than gambling.

More griping about dogs in Lower Township where Bill Connors says what he really thinks about dog owners. From the story: “'So-called dog lovers could care less about our feelings or health concerns and they totally disregard the law and run wild on the beach,'” he said. “'If you say anything to these people, you risk an argument or a confrontation with them.'” Two things to point out as I get on my soap box: One, most of us leash our dogs. Yes, some dog owners are irresponsible, but what about parents who let their kids feed seagulls, kick sand in our faces, or shake out their beach towels over everyone else? Two, dog owners are not some gang prowling the beaches with a pack of wolves looking to pick a fight. Yes, you are a taxpayer, but we pay taxes too, on hotels and food and souvenirs and fill the town's coffers. I guarantee if dogs are banned from those beaches, fewer people will come to Cape May on vacation. When I planned that fall vacation, bringing the dog with me was a must. If Emily was banned from the beach? Why bother? This "no dog" argument is another incarnation of "shoobie go home." That's got to stop. With shore towns scrapping for every possible tourism dollar, this kind of stuff will hurt Cape May. Every other beach in Cape May bans dogs in the summer. Leave us with these slivers of sand.

ANYWAY: I'm off to Long Branch today for work, and I'll be there until Saturday morning when me and Bill run the Belmar 5. Of COURSE after all this glorious weather, Saturday is going to be hot and sticky. I don't expect a spectacular time since I've been cross training instead of straight running, and I hate running in the heat. So we'll see!

Board Games

It's no secret that tourism offices go into overdrive to get as many people to their designated area for the summer. Usually this leads to ad campaigns in other districts. Ocean City, Maryland, for example, runs ads here. Cape May runs ads down there.

But the battle of the billboards has taken an ugly turn for Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City casinos. Here's a billboard that the Trump properties put up in Pennsylvania:



And here's one of a series of billboards Connecticut casinos are putting up on the northeast corridor:



Other slogans include: "Way beyond the boredwalk" and "Escape the Jersey snore."

Well now.

The Trump billboard doesn't bother me that much. It points out the difference, which should be obvious to anyone who has visited both casinos. It points out its advantages rather than making fun of its competitor. But the Connecticut ones? That's just catty, and is it really fair to slap at the whole region when what they're really focusing on are casinos? Why not promote what you do have instead of tearing down another region? It's not a boredwalk. It's a BOARDWALK with a capital B. And the only snoring going on down the shore is if you're catching a beach cat nap to the tune of cool ocean breezes.

The billboard that got it right?



This is a Philadelphia tourism billboard up in Wildwood. It's cheeky. It's fun. It's not going to make people pack up early and zip to Philadelphia, but it's a takeaway for when you get back home that Philly might be worth visiting. It doesn't tick off visitors who love the Jersey shore.

What do you think?

Who Kicked the Dogs Out?

Last September, I took a vacation in Cape May and brought my dog, Emily, along. We spent our days at Higbee Beach, right along the Delaware, and Emily spent her days figuring out how to swim and chasing birds. We saw a lot of dogs on the beach -- always leashed, cleaned up after.

That might no longer be the case as some residents are making a stink about the dogs and demanding they be barred from the beach. Read their complaints here.

Cape May has long been the most dog friendly South Jersey shore spot. Not only is there an inn made for you and your dog, but just about every restaurant with outdoor seating allows you to bring your dog, and there's even a dog park. The bay beaches were always known to dog lovers as the place they could play with their pets.

Kicking dogs off those beaches would change that. I don't know if I would have picked Cape May for my vacation last year if I couldn't bring my dog. That was one of the reasons I picked it -- and what would I have done with Emily if she couldn't be on the beach? Lock her up all day?

No measures have been taken so far. Hopefully those residents will get the sand out of their pants and let the issue lie.

If you do take your dog to the bay beaches, make sure that the dog is leashed and you bring plenty of poop bags (the town provides them on the beach, too). Let's make sure that our dogs have at least one spot to play on the beach.

Birthday Bonanza

My birthday is July 19. It is my last birthday in my 20s, so I have decided to celebrate in appropriate fashion: On July 18, I will be attending the No Shower Happy Hour at the Ocean Drive in Sea Isle City.

If you've never been, here's the skinny: at 4pm, the OD opens its doors and offers $1 bottles from 4-6pm, $2 bottles from 6-8pm and $2 Kool-ade all day, all set to Go Go Gadget, a cover band that does a pretty good Lady GaGa cover. Since the OD doesn't have many windows, it looks like 1am in there by about 6. It's the kind of thing 21 year olds find extremely exciting. If you've ever walked by the main drag in Sea Isle around 8pm on a Saturday, you'll see patrons from this beer special invading Wawa and trapeezing down the sidewalk.

It's like wanting to watch a bad movie. You know it's going to be cheesy, which is why you go.

So if you're in the area and want to come, I'll be there. We've got a group of about six right now. My tip: wear closed-toe shoes you don't mind getting dirty. The floor is quickly coated in a grimy mix of spilled beer and dirt. Also, casual wear is best. I'll be in old gray shorts, a navy blue "Bellmawr Baseball" t-shirt and old running shoes. Will you see girls decked out to the nines? Sure. But considering how crowded and dirty it gets in there? The old running shoes are more appropriate.

I will probably have a very tasteful and appropriate celebration for my 30th birthday next year. But until then? Why not go for something silly?

Fun fact: Matt McCulley, who runs the Sea Isle Tri for our Veterans, met his wife while working at the OD.

Get this Gnome to Atlantic City

Travelocity is running a contest of sorts between Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They're asking readers to pick where their gnome will visit next.

If y'all help get him to Atlantic City, I promise that I will do my best to track him down and interview him -- on camera. So go vote!

Rusty Reno

Back from the beach! Well, I've been back since Saturday morning, but what a glorious weekend it was. I finally got some serious beach time in: Thursday in North Wildwood and Thursday night in a barefoot beach run in Sea Isle (yeouch on the calves), and then Friday in Sea Isle. Each day was packed, busy and beautiful.

One highlight of the weekend was checking out the new Rusty Nail in Cape May. It's the renovation of a classic lifeguard hangout -- it's change for the old bar, but the chill and relaxed vibe is in tact. You can sit outside under the stars by a bonfire, or inside to listen to music. Best part? Beer served in frosted mugs (so says Bill and my brother since I was the designed driver). It opened on Wednesday and was busy yet not overcrowded on Friday -- much different scene from the mess that was the Whitebrier in Avalon earlier in the day. Yikes.

We had also stopped at the renovated Windrift in Avalon before heading down to Cape May. I'm not feeling the changes. It's like when you knock down a quaint shore cottage and build a bland vinyl-wrapped building in its place. It loses character, whether they're now serving sushi or not. Best bet? Head upstairs to the deck. It's still the same. Why did the Rusty Nail renovation work better? Because it didn't try to change the bar. It was an upgrade, not an attempt to make it something it's not.

On another note: I drove home very early on Saturday morning. I was the DD on Friday night because I knew I'd be leaving at about 6am Saturday. I saw not one but two arrests on the Atlantic City Expressway on the way home. Remember, kids: just because it's morning doesn't mean you're sober.