This picture was snapped by Steve "PodcastSteve" Lubetkin. I laughed, of course -- I've been hearing about shoobies all summer.
So what's a shoobie? I say it's someone who comes down the shore during the summer but runs away after Labor Day. Local, year-round residents would probably disagree. To them, I am a shoobie, even though I come down in the fall, winter and spring (and I accept that -- as long as you buy my book!).
So where do you think the term "shoobie" came from? And don't just copy and paste what it says in Urban Dictionary. I heard that it came about because a post man would gather up flyers from local businesses, put them in shoe boxes, and give them to people coming down the shore on vacation, hence shoobies.
What's your version of the story?
On another note, shoobies apparently don't go to North Jersey beaches. They're Bennies up that way. I'll leave that explaination to Steve Chernoski of New Jersey: The Movie.
5 comments:
Shoobies came about because "daytrippers" from Philadelphia would drive down to the shore for a day at the beach. They were armed with blankets, towels, and their lunch-- packed in a shoe box. Hence, the term shoobies became commonplace. In Sea Isle, they have a restaurant called "shoobies". When it first opened, they had a special (burger, fries, coke) and served it in a shoebox.
I grew up in Monmouth County (near Asbury Park).
It was Benny.
We alwasy said it was an acronym for:
Bayonne Elizabeth Newark New York
Elaborating on Matt's comment, I'd like to add that the moniker started circulating when the trains began running tourists from Philly to the South Jersey beaches (Wildwood, in particular) for $1 in the early 1900s. The favored carry-on was a shoebox packed with food.
I have heard this term more lately, for some reason. There are even websites, with variations on the word. I don't recall hearing the term during the '60s and'70s when I vacationed and worked in the Wildwoods. By then most of the bath houses and such that catered to daytrippers were long gone.
Matt -- Yes, I've heard that! And I've been to Shoobies, too. Don't know where the music decor fits in with the shoobie concept, though!
Geoff -- NJ Monthly did a visual explaination of Shoobie vs. Benny in I think their June 2007 issue. New York team wear was highlighted in the Benny picture. Preppy in the shoobie picture.
Wildwoodwaitress - I've heard that theory, too. Something to investigate for the 2nd edition!
A long lost acquaintance from LBI explained that Shoebies referred to people who would dress shoes on the beach. Yes, the beach, not just the boards.
Although I was in sandals, I've just done the Shoebie thing for two weekends in a row. OC the weekend before last, Wildwood for Labor Day weekend (with a couple excursions to Cape May. LOVE the Lobster House!)
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