Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 101: Strathmere's getting another $4 million of sand

Strathmere has one of my favorite beaches. And now it's going to get wider - $4 million worth of sand wider.

This is on top of the $6 million dredging project of 2009. Interesting wording in here about why they're spending the money - because Strathmere has "$400 million in ratables."

So again we're back to the tax issues in Strathmere and why Upper Township wants to hold onto it, even though the township is primarily mainland.

Sometimes local politics in shore towns are so off the wall that I think I'm reporting on fictional towns. That or it's August and I've been writing about this stuff for too long in a row.

Adventures in Book PR

On Saturday, the dude and I drove down the shore early to sit on the beach in Strathmere for a few hours before my book signing at the Shamrock in Wildwood.

I was stopped at the bottom of the off ramp from the Garden State Parkway onto the causeway into Sea Isle when BUMP! The driver behind me rear ended my car.

Sigh.

If he hadn't been driving an old Nissan Pathfinder with a sharp grille in the front, I'd probably have been fine, but that was the result - a punctured bumper. I know it doesn't look like much in the picture, but it's not good.

While waiting for the State Trooper to fill out the accident report, the dude and I started chatting with the guy who hit me. End result: the guy bought a book and had me sign it to his son.

Lemonade out of lemons? Maybe I'll tell you how I feel after I go through the process of getting the bumper repaired, and how much it'll end up costing me (getting the accident report starts at $5.75, and while I have insurance, there's that good ol' deductible...) I haven't been in a car accident since I was 17 when I was was hit by a drunk driver, and my mom handled the insurance claims that time.

Anyway.

Fun signing! They even made a special drink for the event, the "Jersey Jen."

A lot of you have been tweeting and emailing me about where you're seeing the book for sale. If you snap a picture and send it to me, I'll run it on the blog!

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 58: There's a place to 'go' in Strathmere

Wayne Parry of the Associated Press has been doing a bang up job covering the open beach access issues being debated in New Jersey right now. His latest piece is here. To put this in incredibly broad terms: the state has rules that are supposed to make beaches more accessible to visitors regarding things like easy paths toward the beach and a set number of bathrooms according to size of the beach.

But not everyone is happy with those policies. From the article: "The state is in the process of rewriting its beach access rules. It says it is letting individual towns craft their own access policies rather than dictating a one-size-fits-all approach."

Open beach advocates say this is a way for towns to make beaches harder to reach and less friendly to out of town visitors. Don't want day trippers? Don't give them a place to go to the bathroom. Some towns would charge over $15 for single day passes to do the same thing.

Which brings me the long way to my fact of the day: there's now a port a potty in Strathmere. I was shocked to see it on Saturday as this has been my only issue with going to this particular beach. I'd have to drive up to Sea Isle.

It's right around the intersection of Taylor Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue (what most of us refer to as Landis Avenue). Tip: bring your own toilet paper. It runs out quickly.

I took the photo in this post while sitting on my beach chair. Lovely, right? Hopefully we'll have the same weather for THIS weekend.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 44: Strathmere, Wildwood and Atlantic City Beaches are Free

Forget the beach tags. If you just want to sit on the beach for a day, free, head to Strathmere, any of the Wildwoods, or Atlantic City. Their beaches are free.

Also free: the beaches along the Delaware in Cape May. That includes Sunset Beach and my favorite, Higbee Beach. Sunset and Higbee are also dog-friendly. Are we surprised I love them? Emily, my dog, doesn't like Sunset, though. The consistency of the sand hurts her paws.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

Resorts allegedly fires older cocktail waitress who were deemed not good looking enough in new, skimpy 1920s themed uniforms. Yeah, THAT'LL end well.

The casinos are about to face compliance checks that they're ADA compliant. Really? The casinos rely on seniors in wheelchairs playing slots for money. When I first toured Resorts, the PR guy boasted that there are no stairs between their bus depot and the casino floor to accommodate older gamblers. Sheesh.

Big rodeo in Atlantic City this weekend. Of course people are protesting.

Cape May-Lewes Ferry is adding a fuel surcharge.

Firefighters deliver baby in Wildwood.

First, it was pizza boxes. Now coloring books. What's next? A beach ball?

Apparently I missed Sea Isle City Girl's Weekend. Who knew? Also, there's apparently a website called www.seaislerevitalization.com. Scratching my head over that one. In a slip of an island with many million dollar plus homes...what needs revitalizing?

Behold! The Colonial Mills Ridgevale Stone Harbor Chair Pad, available at Walmart. No, this isn't really shore related. But neither was this.

Getting in the quirks

"Hit the Carousel, which isn't really a carousel but an outdoor sandy bar spot that's attached to the Springfield Inn (also not an inn)."

Either that's really funny, or I've read through my manuscript one too many times, and I should put the editing pen down since it's past 10pm.

This is a direct quote from the new book, and I post about it now for three reasons:

1. I'm trying to post more. The redesigned blog will be up in March, so expect a LOT more from me.

2. This quote captures the quirkiness of the Jersey Shore. What bar calls itself an inn if it isn't an inn? And has an outdoor bar attached to it named the Carousel without a carousel? Well, the Springfield Inn, of course, and for those of us who have been going down the shore forever, it makes perfect sense. I really worked on getting these kinds of tidbits into the book (like the sauce hose, like the surfboard/mannequin cream & sugar holder at the Positively Fourth Street Cafe, like the Doo Dah Parade, like what it takes to make salt water taffy, like the entity that is known as Twistie's), which is why the second edition took just as much work to put together as the first one. I'll write more on this at a later date because I'm already getting "oh, it was just a quick update, right?" Not on your life.

3. This quote is from a new feature you'll see in the new book called "48 hours." At the end of every chapter, I give you an itinerary if you've only got, well, 48 hours for the towns in that chapter. Then, if you have more time, I also give suggestions to extend your stay. I wrote all the 48 hours sections at the very end of the initial book writing process. It forced me to make sure I had included EVERYTHING that needed to be in there (because if I put it in 48 hours, why would I not put in the main text), and served as a wrap up to the section.

Anyway - I'm done for the night. The more I read through the book in PDF format and see the full color pictures and read through what makes this edition so different from the first...well, I can't wait for you guys to read it.

P.S. And now I'm up late working on the book and listening to Guster. I've been in this spot before (in book one and book two, over and over again). But you know what? It feels good. This book writing thing, and trying to write about the real Jersey Shore when stupid cable channels make you believe that the shore is something else...it's draining. Thank goodness this new book will be out soon so I can SHOW you what I've been working on.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

Yes, Strathmere is STILL trying to secede from Upper Township.

More on the state's plan to take over part of Atlantic City :::shakes head:::

Will they do something about stuff like this? The Garden Pier, which is home to the Atlantic City Arts Center and Atlantic City History Museum, has been deemed unsafe. If I were a betting woman - which I'm not - I'd be on "no."

Really interesting piece on tear downs - the practice of tearing down an old shore house to build up something that I'd call "monstrous" in its place.

Tony Luke's finally opened in Wildwood Crest (yes, the sign said that it would be coming in summer 2010. Whoops).

Shesh, I'm not finding much nice stuff today: more flat screen TV burglaries from shore homes, this time in Ocean City.

Don't worry, folks. It's still Hoy's, no matter what the sign says.

And a dolphin died in Stone Harbor?! I give up.

Looking back

If you have some time today, check out this page of vintage photos from Strathmere. How AMAZING.

And don't you now really really really want that Strathmere Beach Patrol jacket? I do.

News from around the South Jersey Shore

Newsweek published a big piece about why gambling's taken a hit in NJ.

I don't get why this is a secret beach. Strathmere or Higbee beach, maybe...

Careful out there.

Peter Max is back.

Wildwood, you are going in the WRONG DIRECTION. What are you thinking?!

Alas, Strathmere!

BEHOLD! Strathmere's Bride,the Harlequin historical romance that has nothing to do with the Jersey Shore's Strathmere, but keeps coming up in my Strathmere Google alert.

That's $.75 (plus shipping) of research, people. Big dough for a historical romance bought through half.com. I'll read through it when I'm done with my current book.

I didn't get my butt in a beach chair yesterday, nor did I make it to Atlantic City Beer Fest. But a lot happened. Expect more soon about a secret ride in Wildwood and a fire at an unfinished Atlantic City casino (and how NOT to try and get to said fire). I'm putting the finishing touches on a New York Times travel piece (NOT about the Jersey Shore) and will write up those updates when that story's shipped off tomorrow.

News from around the South Jersey Shore

SNOMG! photos from Strathmere.

SNOMG! photos from Cape May.

How is this not settled yet?! I think I've been posting about this since I started the blog.

Oh no! Get well soon!

More about ties between Cape May County and Les Quebecois.

First, a Strathmere romance novel selling on ebay. Now, this.

And finally: Congrats, Porter! This Cape May pup finished third in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

So...there was a lot of snow this weekend. Lots of shore folks lost power, too.

In the least shocking news of the year, Pinnacle says it's ditching its Atlantic City project. Way to blow up the Sands for nothing, guys. Please take down your billboards.

I've GOT to read this book. I'll buy it someday. Promise.

Whoops.

Interesting bit of history from Atlantic City Weekly.

Welcome, eh? The Jersey Shore's relationship with French Canadians continues.

Charmed

My grandmother, who passed away on Wednesday, had a lot of jewelry. At the viewing, my mom out the jewelry that had not been given to my mom or aunts and let grandmom's daughters-in-law and then granddaughters pick something.

You can imagine why this caught my eye.

It's a sterling silver bracelet featuring charms about historic sites and figures of New Jersey: Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Alva Edison, Woodrow Wilson and, my favorites, the outline of the state, Barnegat Light and a vial of beach sand.

My mom had never seen the bracelet before she sorted through my grandmother's things. She knows nothing about it except she thinks it was a commemorative piece for some New Jersey anniversary. Carol of Strathmere's Dandelion Vintage says she's never seen it before, either. I found one other such bracelet online, but it has different and fewer charms.

I'm determined to find out more about the bracelet and am going to stop in to Robert Jay's in Collingswood to see if he knows anything.

Know anything or where I could find more information?

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

This could be VERY interesting -- a documentary about Strathmere.

Here's a quick reminder of the misery that is the Sea Isle 10 mile island run. I started training for the New Jersey Marathon today and much prefer 40 mile per hour winds on a 29 degree day. Seriously.

I will not be doing an Atlantic City NYE round up post (it would take way too much time, and I'm in Philly for NYE), but they did.

Harrah's is looking for a lean 2010 and stronger 2011.

I'll have to check out this new Wildwood diner next time I'm in town.

Here's a video about a DIY renovation in Sea Isle.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

This isn't about OUR Strathmere, but doesn't it look nice? I also like Maine, especially in the fall. I'm also WAY tempted to buy this because of the name.

More Strathmere! This time from the shore one.

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which runs tons o' fun stuff in Cape May, has changed it's name to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities.

File this one under bizarre Sea Isle news.

Miss'd America is returning to Atlantic City! To BOARDWALK HALL! I am soooo heartbroken that I'll be in Florida during the drag pageant.

In news that surprised NO ONE -- ACES lost $6 million.

Ican's been approved to buy the Tropicana (wasn't I write about this LAST December?)

Not QUITE on the way to Cape May...

Some cool ideas for West Cape May.

A lot of this happened while I was out sick, but Wildwood recalled its mayor and put someone else in office. Reason? Property taxes. But that's a huge problem across the state, and the obvious answer -- to merge North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and West Wildwood into one town to share resources -- well, I can't see that happening any time soon.

Part II

Alright, alright. Two more pics of Emily on the beach. Not bad for an iphone.

Field Trip

I'm still not feeling so great -- call it a combo of a lingering head cold and stress. I'm trying to work through it, but this morning, I found myself just staring at the computer screen. So I packed up the dog, and headed down to Strathmere.

It was beautiful. I shared the entire beach with three other people and one other dog. I thought it would be cold, but the air and water were warm enough that I could have gone swimming if I'd had a bathing suit. This was Emily's first time in the true ocean -- her last beach visit was to Higbee Beach, which is part of the Delaware. She wasn't tentative this time, and ran right in. For about a half hour, we both played in the waves, except when Emily took a break to chase birds.

And that was it -- I drove down and back to stand in the sun for a half hour on the beach. And you know what? It was the best thing I could have done today. I feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready to get going tomorrow.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

Surprised? Casino revenues down again.

Here's a cool Atlantic City night photo.

And here's some cute Cape May pictures.

Like books? Like Cape May? You might like this author's novels.

BUNNY!

I really need to check out the new Strathmere library.

The Chicago Sun-Times takes a trip to Atlantic City.

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

Pictures from the new library in Strathmere!

Here's a nice piece about Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City.

As Monica Yant Kinney pointed out, a guy gets four years in jail for stealing lobsters in Atlantic City, but Sen. Vince Fumo can be convicted of 137 counts of criminal activity, abuse his political power for person financial gain and only get 55 months? Sheesh.

Looks like we'll be getting some Sea Isle food updates from this blogger soon.

And this one would like some suggestions.

Welcome Canadians! Toronto will be connected to Atlantic City by air. Good, eh?

Whine, whine, whine.

Swine, swine, swine.

I don't get it. How can you put a curfew on a beach? IT'S A BEACH, people. Really, Ocean City?

Hey, welcome to the Jersey Shore! I'd drive 10 hours from South Carolina to the shore...but I'm biased ;-)

Careful, shore bikers!

Here's some fun Strathmere vacation pictures.

Once again puzzled by Craig LaBan's food pics. Well, to each his own I guess.

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!