New Jersey in the winter can be kinda crummy. But New Jersey in the summertime can be fantastic. Especially where we are…down the shore. And yes, we happen to live within walking distance of the beach and amusement park. As I said in the previous post, Easter weekend marks the start of the season for Jersey Shore amusement parks and boardwalks. On Easter Sunday everything opens for real. But today, on Easter Eve it was a soft opening. A good portion of the kiddie rides, some food concessions, and a couple arcades opened up.
Knowing that tomorrow we'd be visiting with family, today we tried to cram in as much work as we could, and once 5 o'clock rolled around we decided to take a walk down to the boardwalk. First off, it hasn't gotten entirely warm yet, and the wind today was BRUTAL! If I was more agile I would've walked backwards the whole way there. Once we arrived it was apparent that the wind was a big deterrent for everyone. The place was empty, and all of the businesses were just beginning to close their shutters. But this didn't bum us out in the least. Today felt more like we were dipping our toes in to test the water that we'll be swimming in this summer. We really only wanted a to check out the place and see the further improvements since the Hurricane Sandy rebuild.
One thing we noticed was lots more paint! Last year all of the stands were plain white concrete block. And this year we saw so much more color. I love that Lemonade sign up top, and this cotton candy one here.
We were lucky to get the last batch of fries before closing.
Why are fried potatoes so amazing? And how is that they can make simple ketchup and vinegar taste like nectar of the gods?
I love the color of the benches! And I also love how desolate all of these photos are. It really was like me and Aaron were the final two customers of the day.
The big rides will open up tomorrow.
Have I mentioned that I love Skeeball? It's a boardwalk staple and brings back so many childhood memories.
The arcades have changed a lot over the years, but pretty much since Aaron was born, (yes, he's a lifer in this town) the two main arcades have been Bev & Wally's and The Game Room.
Don't these ponies look like they're on ice?…like at the fish market or something?
I wish these donuts were prettier…but then again maybe I don't…because winning at a Crane Game is practically impossible!!
But Aaron still tried…well the stakes were higher here…the prize is real life donuts!
After failing at donuts he tried the candy crane since it looked impossible to lose completely.
And he was right! Look at this tremendous bounty! One whole taffy each!
I'm not even a candy lover, but I sure do like to look at it. I actually took this pic with my friend Lizzy in mind. She'd flip for all those giant candy pillows on the top rows.
Again, all of this will be in full swing tomorrow. We can actually hear this place from our house all summer long. Luckily the scents of the fries and waffles don't reach us…that would be trouble.
On our walk home we stopped for veggie burgers at this great place called Baxter's Burgers. It's in a super old brick building with tin ceilings and great fixtures.
And then we hit our favorite Italian specialty shop Tutto Bene. If your Italian specialty shop doesn't have it's walls plastered with Mafioso memorabilia, then I assume you don't live in Jersey.
We stopped there for what else?…cookies of course!
We got a box full, which we ate half of upon arriving home, and I'm thinking about finishing off that other half right about now. Despite the wind I'm really glad we took the walk. The Spring is the perfect time to come alive again. Get out, get creative, have fun. That's our goal.
I'm so excited to see my entire family tomorrow. My parents and brother are visiting from way upstate New York. My mom will be cooking up a storm as usual, and my brother Jay will be there. We haven't seen him in a while! And holy cow, our niece Olivia is getting so big. She'll be three this month!
Tomorrow should be lots of fun!
Tomorrow should be lots of fun!
Wishing all of you a happy holiday weekend!
xo, Jenny & Aaron
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