13 Things I Love About the Jersey Shore

Jersey ShoreBeing a Pisces, you know I’m a water baby and so the Jersey Shore is such a lovely place for me to be. Being near the ocean spurs my creativity in so many positive ways as does soaking up the sun. So here are the 13 things I love about the Jersey Shore.

1. Long strolls along the Boardwalk.
2. DAYS ice cream. The short shot is the absolute best way to end the day.
3. Sitting beneath an umbrella and watching the ocean.
4. Seeing the little kids playing in the sand and water. Such unabashed joy.
5. Taking a nap beneath my umbrella (something I rarely do the rest of the year).
6. Reading lots and lots of books beneath that umbrella and on my little balcony.
7. The assorted fairs and craft events in all the nearby towns.
8. Fishing. Maybe this year I’ll actually do instead of just watching.
9. Watching the tents go up in Ocean Grove.

Tents down for the Season at Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove Tent City

10. Listening to music at the Ocean Grove Auditorium.
11. Listening to the music from the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
12. Looking for shells along the beach. Found lots of sand dollars last year.
13. The Bradley Beach Lobster Festival. Yummy yummy I got lobster in my tummy.

What about you? Are you a Jersey Girl? If so, share your favorite shore things to do.

Thursday 13 – Things to do Down the Shore!

There is nothing more that I like to do than to go Down the Shore as the Jersey folk say. (The real Jersey folk and not Gym/Tan/Laundry crowd from that show that will remain nameless). Being down the shore is so relaxing and stimulates my creative juices. I get a mess of writing done whenever I am there.

So today I am sharing with you those things that I love to do Down the Shore. The real Jersey Shore.

1. Walk along the boardwalk from Avon-by-the-Sea up to Asbury Park. Each town along the way – Avon, Bradley Beach, Ocean Grove and Asbury – has a unique flavor and peaceful surroundings.

2. Grab a lobster dinner at the Columns in Avon. The views of the ocean are great and the food is good.

3. Grab a book and a beach chair and relax in Bradley Beach. Much less crowded than at other beaches and totally family friendly.

4. Go for a bike ride along Ocean Avenue. We’ve gone as far as Long Branch and it’s a fun ride with views of the ocean and some really amazing homes.

5. Lunch at Windmill Hot Dogs. Yum.

6. Browse the many interesting shops along Ocean Grove’s Main Avenue.

7. Explore Ocean Grove’s amazing Victorians and the totally unique tent city.

8. Hit Asbury Park’s Convention Center, Paramount Theatre, WunderBar or Stone Pony for some music or the Jersey Shore Roller Girls.

9. Get some tomato pie from Vic’s or Pete and Elda’s.

10. Get a cannoli from Del Ponte’s in Bradley Beach.

11. Take in a movie at the Palace Theatre Beach Cinema, an eighty year old landmark in Bradley Beach.

12. Visit the library for one of their books, art shows, workshops or community events.

13. Stop and listen to the Pavilion Praise on the Ocean Grove boardwalk on Sunday mornings. No matter what your religious bent, you will feel the positive vibes with the melding of faith and nature on a glorious summer morning.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your suggestions for what you like to do Down the Shore in the comments section.

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Stronger Than Sin Research Part 2

This is a crazy time of year for me! I’m putting the finishing touches on STRONGER THAN SIN, the second book in the SINS series, while also visiting people to chat about SINS OF THE FLESH which will be released on October 27th! Less than a week away.

Be sure to check the calendar to the left of this blog post for the dates of my various online and in-person appearances. There are a tons of giveaways going on for SINS OF THE FLESH and you might be one of the lucky winners of a copy! Also check out the Contests page on the site for other contests that are currently in progress.

But back to STRONGER THAN SIN which I am absolutely loving. It’s about another genetically engineered patient – Jesse Bradford, a former pro football player. Once from the wrong side of the tracks, Jesse now owns a multi-million dollar home in Spring Lake (more on that town in another post).

The heroine – not spilling the name here so that I don’t spoil anything from SINS OF THE FLESH – is smart and strong, but introspective. I needed somewhere that she would feel safe and also very spiritual since she is a devout Catholic and very connected to family. After spending the summer wandering through the various shore towns, I knew the perfect place for her new home would be Ocean Grove.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit, you must do so during the summer. There is always something going on. Plus it’s a lovely landmark historical town filled with Victorian homes surrounded by carefully tended gardens. Main Avenue has an assortment of shops, galleries and restaurants you will totally enjoy. In addition, it’s just a walk over a footbridge or along the boardwalk to hit the renovated Asbury Park boardwalk and take in some of the sights there.

One of the more unique things about the town is the tent city that goes up every summer season. The tents date back to the revival meetings held in Ocean Grove. Today the tents are leased and occupied through the summer season. Here are some photos of the tents up for the season and some that have been closed for the winter.

Ocean Grove was the perfect place for my heroine and as the setting for some of the scenes in STRONGER THAN SIN which will be out in October 2010. So, I’m sharing some of the photos I took during my research and hope you will enjoy them!

If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can visit this link to see more pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037563&id=1130005412&l=6ac91988b1