Sometimes, "travel" means far-flung destinations,
involving planes, trains, automobiles...
passports, months of planning,
and detailed itineraries.
passports, months of planning,
and detailed itineraries.
But other times,
travel simply means hopping in your car,
and heading "down the shore."
And that's what we did a couple of weeks ago...
packed up the car with a few essentials,
and headed 2 hours down
the Garden State Parkway to Exit 63...
the Garden State Parkway to Exit 63...
aka, Long Beach Island,
or more affectionately known simply as...
LBI.
LBI.
Being a Jersey Girl,
I grew up driving back and forth
to many NJ shore destinations,
but Long Beach Island didn't hit
my radar screen until college,
when I met a friend who lived there year-round.
LBI is a barrier island about 25 miles
north of Atlantic City
and 55 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
It's 18 miles long,
1/2 mile at it's widest point,
1/2 mile at it's widest point,
and 1/5 mile at its narrowest.
Our favorite part of the island is the northern end,
which is much more residential and quiet.
But "quiet" and "teenagers" are not a good combination,
so this time, we stayed in Beach Haven,
at the southern end,
which is where the action is.
Our hotel, the Engleside,
was located right on the beach,
We did take a ride up to the north end
to Barnegat Light see the lighthouse.
When we were here in 2006,
Junior Goo Shoes and I climbed to the top.
Not this time, though.
It was closed. Phew.
 |
| Barnegat Lighthouse -- View from the top, August 2006 |
Long Beach Island is about as
"Jersey" as it gets.
How about that flip-flop wreath?
And of course, salt water taffy is a must.
Even the seagulls have an attitude...
"Yo, I'm from Jersey,
and if I'm hungry,
I'm gonna take your food.
You gotta problem wit dat?"
Yeah it's Jersey,
but sometimes you don't have to
go very far away
to feel like you're a million miles from home.
Linking With:
Weekend Travel Inspiration
Mosaic Monday
Skywatch Friday
Our World Tuesday
Ladies Only Blog Share
Best Of The Weekend
How pretty! I love beaches and lighthouses, so the two together are really my jam. ;) I'm guilty of forgetting what we have locally, too. Once in a while we take a trip somewhere within a few hours and I'm reminded all over again what we have in our own backyard. Most of the time it's my facebook friends who post pictures of their travels and I want to slap my forehead for forgetting these great spots!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Jennifer. Just put me on a beach and I am a happy camper. And, yeah, there's something about lighthouses, too. Some of the best "vacations" are day trips from home!
DeleteWhen we lived in PA we'd often head for the Jersey Shore on weekends. I have such lovely memories of those times - loved your photos and the reminder of good times!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help you summon up some happy memories! So many people from PA come to the shore - almost more than Jersey people!
DeleteYour time at the beach looks like it was relaxing yet fun. I was admiring the grasses planted behind the fence for erosion, so neat and tidy looking at this point. You wouldn't catch me climbing to the top of the lighthouse - but good for you! You only need to do it once - right? :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was a relaxing couple of days, Judith, and we were lucky with the weather. The dunes have recently been replanted with grass after the area was hit by Superstorm Sandy. The beach is looking great! Yes, once is enough for the lighthouse climb!
DeleteAmy, I love the whole east coast, including Jersey! I love the food, the people, the cute, the kitsch! I love it all!
ReplyDeleteThe kitsch, yes! That's NJ, alright!
DeleteWhat a lovely post on the Jersey beach. I have been there before and to Barnegat light many times... Looks like a fun summer time getaway.. Have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteIsn't Barnegat Light a great place, Eileen? Still so unspoiled.
DeleteWow Amy! After being away from the blogs for so long, what a great post to come back to! I love the beach photos....the sand is so beautiful and white. I miss the seagulls too! I remember growing up on the beach in Long Island (Long Island, not Long Island Beach) and playing in the sand as a child every single day during the summer. (Our sand wasn't as white though.) Beach life is like therapy for me, especially after being on the farm all the time. Great post....thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like Long Island beaches, in my opinion, Nancy! Good to see you back in Blogland!
DeleteThat seagull sign gave me a good laugh!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I was laughing as I was holding on to my sandwich!
DeleteI agree that you don't have to go far to have a mini vacay!!! We live about 1 hour from 3 of the great lakes and don't know why we don't take a trip like this more often!!! Amy - your pictures are breathtaking - I LOVE the one with the shadowy fence!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we forget what's close to home! I've only been to Lake Erie once, and I guess I could count Lake Michigan in Chicago. Glad you like the pics - I'm learning little by little, but have a LONG way to go!
DeleteWhat a fun beach that looks like Amy !!!
ReplyDeleteWe drove down to Atlantic city once ( on our way to Manhattan we decided to just keep driving lol ) My Mother who was with us wanted to put her feet in the ocean !
I love that flip flop wreath - but seagulls scare me ( I'm getting tired of everything scaring me - but I guess that's who I am at this point )
Aren't all Seagulls aggressive? Never met a laid back one in my life LOL
XOXO
Great story about driving to AC! I don't like seagulls - they are mean and dirty! When we used to go to the Hamptons, there was one seagull who had only one foot. We'd see him all the time (named him "Onefoot,", lol. I liked him for some reason! Otherwise, feh!
DeleteHave never been to Jersey! When should we arrive? Strong hot coffee is a must in the morning and something wonderful you bake to go with it. Haha!
ReplyDeleteLove to travel to the East Coast through your story and wonderful photos. Best wishes ~ d
Come soon, Denise! I'll have a cuppa coffee, and a sweet treat in hand!
DeleteQuick trips like this one are so refreshing. Jersey looks like a beautiful place to visit. I'm admiring that long sandy beach and the colour of the water.
ReplyDeleteThere are many beaches in NJ that are really nice...this and Cape May are my two favorites! Thanks for visiting, Lorrie!
DeleteI love Jersey beaches. Grew up going down the Shore all the time. I sure miss it. We get back every few years to visit my Dad and he lives in Long Branch and the beach is gorgeous there.
ReplyDeleteI always forget that you are from "up here!" Long Branch is our favorite beach to go to when we go for the day, since it is pretty close by. Love it there! BTW, we will be heading down to your neck of the woods soon - driving to Kiawah Island. I can't wait!
DeleteWhat lovely beach shots.
ReplyDeleteLong Beach Island makes for a good subject!
DeleteI've never been to the Jersey Shore, but your pictures make me wish I was there right now. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many beaches in NJ, but LBI and Cape May are two of our favorites for vacation spots. Come visit, Lana!
DeleteWhat a lovely place! But seagulls with an attitude? Ours are only very talkative...And yes, they like to make fun of us by laugghing at loud at us...
ReplyDeleteYou've got nicer seagulls than we do, Magali! They scare me, they're so aggressive! And ours laugh at us, too!
DeleteWell if I went there I would be a million miles from home! You're lucky to be so close to the ocean. We're at least 5-6 hours away from the closest ocean. I've never been to a Northern beach. Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteWe don't go all that often, believe it or not. LBI and Cape May are great for vacations; but when we go just for the day, we like Long Branch, which is under 1 1/2 hours to get to. We're heading down to a southern beach soon - - Going to S Carolina!
DeleteThat sand looks so inviting. i can see myself just walking along that beach on the edge of the ocean. Mmmm divine.
ReplyDeleteThe sand on this beach was perfect! White and soft. Oh, and HOT! It was burning hot the days we were there. Shoes were a must!
DeleteLighthouses...something so courageous about these colourful sea soldiers!! They always make me look at them with respect. Now, that flip flop wreath is just TOO smart! Amy, you live so close to so many awesome escapes!
ReplyDeletePoppy
I just love lighthouses, too, Poppy! And they are very photogenic! I do like the location of where we live - close to NYC, close to the Jersey shore, and close to Upstate NY! But it's not Greece!
DeleteAre they something, those seagulls? I love Maine - haven't been too often, but I'll have to check out Islesboro. Oh, I can't take the winters here, either! Time to fly south!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Felicia! The water was particularly pretty because it was so bright and sunny.
ReplyDeleteTalk about the aggressive seagulls! The first time I had an encounter with one on LBI, it came up from behind me and stole my sandwich right out of my hand! I had only taken one bite and I was looking forward to eating my delicious sandwich all morning. I was not happy!! My second encounter was when one of them decided to land on top of my head as I sat in my sand chair minding my own business. Me and my two friends screamed at the top of our lungs because we didn't see it coming from behind us and my other two friends were laughing hysterically because they watched as the bird swooped down and headed towards me and knew he was going to land on me. Both incidents are very funny now but not so much then!! Loved your post and pictures!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I would freak out if a seagull landed on my head! My scream would be heard halfway around the world. Here's another seagull story for you - in Italy a few years ago, we were having breakfast at an open-air restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. A woman was sitting near the "window" and a seagull flew right in and stole food off her plate. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and then apologized to everyone in the restaurant. She wanted to know if she over-reacted - everyone assured her she did not. It was the one morning I didn't have a camera with me = not that I would have been quick enough, I'm sure!
DeleteYour photos brought back so many nice memories for me! When I was a kid, our family used to rent a house in Beach Haven for a week or two every July. I loved everything about that place. Thanks for sharing at Take Me Away this month. It's always wonderful to see where you have traveled! Enjoy your 4th!
ReplyDeleteShelley