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(Socal stays in the 60s at night) it's the fact that the air is drier in CA so it feels colder. NJ has moist humid summer air. It's like comparing a desert night to a swamp night.
It's a common misconception that SoCal's nights are not humid. They are very humid. I can't tell you how many times fog developed at night. How many times if I parked my car outside, there would be dew all over my car.
The deal is SoCal's day. The daytime is not very humid, so when the sun goes down, the air temperature falls quicker. On the EC, the low is reached maybe only a couple hours before dawn. In SoCal by midnight to 1-2am you're basically already at the low for the night, with an ocean breeze (if you're on the coast).
I always see BS posted, and thought, about NJ and I'm here to correct it. Some things people are saying here are flat out wrong. And I've corrected them for clarification purposes.
5 State Beaches is barely a shoreline. It's not comparable to NJ's. Where is this water quality survey you speak of?
Well I spent the first 18 years of my life in NJ and a few additional years in my early 20s and I can say that you are wrong in the respect:
1. There is a ton of traffic to the shore. It's even more asinine on the weekends and goes well into the late nighttime hours as well. You are covering up the fact that traffic patterns are gridlock because it's a big long highway toll road with excessive tolls and not nearly enough lanes to keep up with the volume of cars.
2. Few and far between are there free beaches in NJ. Majority (I want to say above 90%) require a near 10 dollar cover charge.
3. You didn't even bother to address the kinds of people the Jersey shore brings about: the boardwalk trashiness factor (you seem to be avoiding that point), the bars which are generally awful (Jersey Shore got it right there) or the affordability of lodging options.
Hmm. I guess I don't think throwing on a light sweatshirt at night is such a big deal. Sure beats being hot and sweaty all night as well as all day OR running the a/c 24/7.
Actually, unless you're actually right ON the beach, July and August nights are pretty warm in SoCal, no long sleeves needed. By 2 in the morning you might be feeling chilly, maybe. Or maybe not. Most of the time I am in bed by 10pm. Have to get up early for work in the morning; we're not always on vacation here in SoCal you know. So sitting on the porch in a T-shirt all through a hot night is really not much of a priority; I'd much rather be sleeping comfortably with a cool breeze coming through the window.
Hmm. I guess I don't think throwing on a light sweatshirt at night is such a big deal. Sure beats being hot and sweaty all night as well as all day OR running the a/c 24/7.
Why is turning on the AC more of a hassle than putting on a sweatshirt? As far as I see it, it's the opposite. If I can climate control my interior, I want my exterior to be as comfortable as possible.
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Actually, unless you're actually right ON the beach,
Which was my problem, I lived right ON the beach, with an ocean view. I went to sleep to the sound of waves crashing and salt air smell. And I found summers to be too cold for my liking. It wasn't terrible, I'd rather SoCal anywhere over the interior of the country or the coastal south except for Miami. But it wasn't great weather either.
The view was a killer though, especially during sunset. It was nice my place was perched on a cliff (Sunset Cliffs, San Diego).
Why is turning on the AC more of a hassle than putting on a sweatshirt? As far as I see it, it's the opposite. If I can climate control my interior, I want my exterior to be as comfortable as possible.
Which was my problem, I lived right ON the beach, with an ocean view. I went to sleep to the sound of waves crashing and salt air smell. And I found summers to be too cold for my liking. It wasn't terrible, I'd rather SoCal anywhere over the interior of the country or the coastal south except for Miami. But it wasn't great weather either.
The view was a killer though, especially during sunset. It was nice my place was perched on a cliff (Sunset Cliffs, San Diego).
Not that it's a hassle-but it is money, energy, etc.
I guess I like humidity-some complain but I only have a window AC I'll use once in a while.
Not that it's a hassle-but it is money, energy, etc.
I guess I like humidity-some complain but I only have a window AC I'll use once in a while.
If I had A/C, I would love 85-95 degrees during the day with 75-80 and humid nights. But without A/C, it's miserable. And a lot of coastal CA doesn't have A/C. Warm nights that allow for shorts, a t shirt, and sandals are amazing. Since I work in an office all day, it's nice to be able to sit outside on a patio while dining, or going for a drink and comfortably sitting outside, or even going for a night time swim. Night swims are entirely impossible in SoCal usually.
5 State Beaches is barely a shoreline. It's not comparable to NJ's. Where is this water quality survey you speak of?
Tell that to New Hampshire, whose residents are probably proud of their beaches, love going to them, and love living at or near them.
On this note, not comparable to NJ's because of size, how is NJ comparable to CA given how large of a coastline CA has? Even Southern CA's coastline is larger than NJ's.
The survey? I can't find the news article, it is now two years old. I remember sharing it on city-data though sometime last year in another beach related thread so if you really want I can go through my old posts to find the link. But here is a study from that year from the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well: The Cleanest (and Dirtiest) Beaches in America | Rodale News Here's what the article says: "NRDC determined the top "Superstar Beaches" by identifying popular beaches that consistently did not exceed pollution thresholds. To appear on this clean beach list, the shore spots also had to score favorably on the Environmental Protection Agency's new, more protective water quality threshold, the Beach Action Value, in 2013."
7 NJ beaches made the list, more than any other state. I remember it was 2013, btw, because I was shocked that it was ranked so high the summer after Sandy hit. I thought the storm would have effected water cleanliness considering people were finding items like refrigerators and front doors in the ocean, right where you swim/surf. A surfer in Ortley hit a refrigerator head-first under the water and needed stitches. And I remember that summer, when I spent two weeks in Seaside Park in August, that the water was exceptionally clear, and it has been since then, I've noticed. It's often clear and clean and always has been since I can remember, like it doesn't usually feel dirty, but consistently since two summers ago now it has been very clear in multiple locations, in my experience. Like, so clear you can see your feet in chest deep water. Surprised me, too.
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Originally Posted by N610DL
I spent the first 18 years of my life in NJ and a few additional years in my early 20s and I can say that you are wrong in the respect:
1. There is a ton of traffic to the shore. It's even more asinine on the weekends and goes well into the late nighttime hours as well. You are covering up the fact that traffic patterns are gridlock because it's a big long highway toll road with excessive tolls and not nearly enough lanes to keep up with the volume of cars.
2. Few and far between are there free beaches in NJ. Majority (I want to say above 90%) require a near 10 dollar cover charge.
Let me point you to my previous post that addresses both these two points:
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Originally Posted by JerseyGirl415
Ehh, traffic is only bad on weekends and holidays - basically if July 4th falls NOT on a weekend. Otherwise, it's fine. And even on weekends, if you leave for the beach early and come back late - so spend the whole day on the beach/boardwalk, you also don't hit nearly as much traffic. I'm going to the beach tomorrow actually (I know tomorrow is Thursday and not a weekend). We're leaving at 9:30, will probably leave to come home around 3 or 4. It'll be fine.
First, I'm not "covering up" anything. There's nothing to cover up. I'm speaking from experience. Second, when you say "gridlock" on the "big long highway toll road," are you referring to the Parkway? Because if so, again not sure how long ago you lived here, but they have added lanes at the shore points and changed some exits around, and improved tolls so those with EZPass (so pretty much everyone) can go through high-speed sensor lanes. No more slowing for tolls. If you're referring to other highways, well please be more specific since NJ has a long coastline and many highways and roads lead you to the many beaches and beach towns. It's not like there's one highway and one beach, and everyone tries to go to that one highway and one beach all at once.
Third, again - traffic is NOT bad during the week. People work, not enough people are heading to the beach during the week. Again - I was there today and two weeks ago. I hit no traffic on the parkway or the highways or roads headed to the beach once off the parkway (35, 36, 18). It IS bad on weekends and holidays, but of course it is. It's the weekend. It's the time everyone is available to go - including New Yorkers, who I always feel for when I see the traffic jam going back to Staten Island. Traffic is rarely an issue during the week unless a holiday falls during the week. Otherwise, the crowds just aren't there - addressing another issue people have claimed here. No, the crowds are not as bad as people think, not on the weekdays.
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Originally Posted by JerseyGirl415
There are also free beaches in NJ. Most notably, and popularly because it's a major destination, Wildwood. But yes you pay for most - but don't be fooled. No beach, or anywhere that requires maintenance, is truly free. Our beaches are among the cleanest in the country, same with the water here. Beaches are well taken care of.
"But yes you pay for most." I acknowledged this. Not sure what the problem is here. It is important to note though that there are free beaches. Wildwood is probably the most popular and it's a town with lots to do so it's a big draw. If someone writes off going to a NJ beach for vacation because they think all the beaches cost money to get on, isn't it important to let them know that there some free beaches/beach towns? Isn't it important to point out, you know, the facts?
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Originally Posted by N610DL
3. You didn't even bother to address the kinds of people the Jersey shore brings about: the boardwalk trashiness factor (you seem to be avoiding that point), the bars which are generally awful (Jersey Shore got it right there) or the affordability of lodging options.
I didn't bother to address it (nor am I "avoiding it") because you're thinking narrowly. You're thinking, I'd guess, primarily of Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant, Wildwood, and Atlantic City. Those are the biggest destinations for partying. The entire coastline is not like that. That's what YOU fail to address. You think all shore towns are like Seaside? Ocean City is a dry town! They don't even allow sale of alcohol there. LBI is potentially one of the most secluded, residential, quietest parts of the coast - and like its name says, it's a long island (Long Beach Island), meaning there's a lot of it. It takes up a good chunk of the coastline. The majority of beach towns in New Jersey are quiet and safe, not rowdy with a bunch of partiers and drunk idiots. What about Seaside Park, Spring Lake, Ocean Grove, Manasquan, Deal, all of LBI (so Surf City, Beach Haven, Loveladies, Barnegat Light, Long Beach, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars), Cape May, Bay Head, Normandy Beach, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Bright, Loch Arbour, Avon, Bradley Beach, Sea Girt, Mantoloking, Ortley, Brigantine? I could go on. None of these towns have that atmosphere you're describing. None of them are trashy. In fact, some of them are very wealthy and rather exclusive. Most shore towns have boardwalks but they don't all have the Seaside Heights type of boardwalk. Most of them simply have walking boardwalks that are nothing but wood beside the beach. No attractions, nothing. You just walk/run/bike it.
Once again, you're proving you have no clue what you're talking about and you're basing your opinion off stereotypes. Jersey Shore got NOTHING right. Try to telling that to any New Jerseyan… At this point, I doubt you even lived here. Once again, someone is basing their thinking about New Jersey off stereotypes. Surprise, surprise.
Not that it's a hassle-but it is money, energy, etc.
I guess I like humidity-some complain but I only have a window AC I'll use once in a while.
True but so are sweaters. In fact I spend more per month on just one sweater than I do on running my AC per month. And if I want to wear sweaters regularly I will need to have an assortment of them, so I think it's about the same. I don't really notice these small costs anyway.
Charging to use a beach? That's such a bizarre concept to me. Comes off as a bit discriminatory to low income people as well imo.
Haha there's no way I would pay to go to the beach.
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If you're referring to other highways, well please be more specific since NJ has a long coastline and many highways and roads lead you to the many beaches and beach towns. It's not like there's one highway and one beach, and everyone tries to go to that one highway and one beach all at once. 
