Sunday Serial: Ocean City 2024 Edition

I consider myself inordinately lucky that I get to go on vacation for a week in one of Jersey’s many excellent shore towns each summer. We just got back from Ocean City, NJ, yesterday, and here are some things to check out, should you find yourself there.

  1. Swimming: I wrote last year that I was anxious about not being able to row on vacation, but I found out that fairly casual swimming is a great way to burn up some calories. This was in the hotel pool, where you can avoid the crowds and the kids by jumping in right after breakfast. I swam myself silly one day.
  2. Peter Shields Inn: This is not in Ocean City (it’s in Cape May), but Rhonda and I like to nip out one night for a dinner alone, and this year we tried Peter Shields on the recommendation of one of Rhonda’s co-workers. I plan to write up the experience separately, but in short, it’s an excellent BYOB (they do sell bottles of Cape May Winery wine) in that just-a-notch-above casual that shore towns excel in. Definitely in the top ten.1.
  3. Beach walks: Once again, before anyone was up, Rhonda and I took a 2+ mile walk on the beach and boardwalk, heading south from the hotel to a beach entrance, and then marched north back to Gillians Wonderland Pier (which will be closing). We will miss our La Colombe coffee stop next year for sure.
Swimming OCNJ
Swimming OCNJ
Peter Shields Pork Chop
Peter Shields Pork Chop
OCNJ Morning Walks
OCNJ Morning Walks

A quick word about Ocean City, which bills itself as the World’s Greatest Family Resort. It’s kinda Disney-ish, which certainly accounts for its allure for parents of young children (and perhaps teetotalers). Staying at the south end or “Goald Coast,” as it’s called, is a quieter, more beach-goer vibe, while the nortern end offers a walkable downtown, many more dining options, and of course, the boardwalk. We’ve been staying at and preferring the northern end for the past few years, and access to a number of less crowded takeout spots in Somers Point is a big plus. Whatever your thoughts are on Ocean City, it is a town with a true sense of vision, evident in its organization and (sometimes annoying) reminders of local laws and ordinances. We love to scurry around all of these attractions.

1 I don’t actually have a top-ten restaurant list, but I should write that up. Vetri in Philly for sure would be on there.