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Why do I even bother? You people think you know more than me... the one who lives here. If you want to think that most shore towns are blue collar (not true) and most boardwalks are trashy (also not true - almost every town has a boardwalk or promenade of some sort and most are simply for walking with 0 attractions), that's fine. Carry on with your ignorant beliefs... meanwhile the water in NJ was ranked 2nd cleanest in the country after New Hampshire in 2013... but it's not clean right?
NJ will always suffer from negative stereotypes. I've learned to live with it - we'll keep our beautiful areas to ourselves while you all can think they're sh*t.
Oh by the way - I'm on the beach in Asbury Park right now. Sunny, salty breeze, not crowded at all, free because it's still early in the season, warm, with crystal clear water. Just like it was when I was here 2 weeks ago.
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.
Oh the horror!
How do you think any beach or public place is maintained? The money doesn't grow on trees. Rather than charging more hotel or food taxes in shore towns or beachfront businesses, many NJ towns (again, not all) charge directly. Some fees can be as low as 5 daily and 20 for a season. That's unlimited. It's really not the end of the world.
If your beaches are "free" then they're either not maintained well/not up to our quality (and yes - our quality is great) or the money is coming from a tax or fee not overtly shared or blatantly asked for. There have been threads discussing this before.
You're so used to packed, expensive Jersey beaches that you don't understand what goes on everywhere else, and maybe you assume that it's the same? It's not. There are tons of beaches that are free to me (which is all I care about). City parks, county parks, state parks (not free, I suppose, but around $20 covers the entire year and the dozens of parks around the state)....and if you want to factor out any taxes I may have paid towards them, I also go to beaches in Michigan that are free that I've also not been taxed on. I'm not aware of a single "beach club" (like in NJ) or paid admission spot in the entire state of Wisconsin.
It's just a fact - Jersey beaches are very nice, but they are also in the most-populated region of the country, so they're at a premium and they cost dollars to use. The really nice spots cost quite a bit.
Are there even any paid beaches in LA? Everywhere I've ever gone is completely free.
Contrast that to growing up in Jersey, when we'd go to beaches like Belmar or Spring Lake on the weekends we'd have to pay $5-10 dollars per person for a "beach badge" to have the privilege to sit on the beach. And a tiny sliver of beach at that, at least compared to the super wide CA beaches.
The only thing I really liked about the Jersey shore is Sandy Hook. Its a state park, so you're far away from the typical Jersey boardwalk stuff and closer to nature. Its also pretty close to NYC, and its kind of cool to hang out on a beach where you have a full view of the skyline. Just watch out for that nude beach. Made that mistake once.
How do you think any beach or public place is maintained? The money doesn't grow on trees. Rather than charging more hotel or food taxes in shore towns or beachfront businesses, many NJ towns (again, not all) charge directly. Some fees can be as low as 5 daily and 20 for a season. That's unlimited. It's really not the end of the world.
If your beaches are "free" then they're either not maintained well/not up to our quality (and yes - our quality is great) or the money is coming from a tax or fee not overtly shared or blatantly asked for. There have been threads discussing this before.
Taxes like with the rest of the public spaces and parks.
Yeah maybe if you lived in a place with low taxes I can get charging for the beach but we're talking about New Jersey here lol.
All I know are free, accessible beaches. I guess all you know is being charged for something that is more a right than a privilege. Oh well...
Are there even any paid beaches in LA? Everywhere I've ever gone is completely free.
Contrast that to growing up in Jersey, when we'd go to beaches like Belmar or Spring Lake on the weekends we'd have to pay $5-10 dollars per person for a "beach badge" to have the privilege to sit on the beach. And a tiny sliver of beach at that, at least compared to the super wide CA beaches.
The only thing I really liked about the Jersey shore is Sandy Hook. Its a state park, so you're far away from the typical Jersey boardwalk stuff and closer to nature. Its also pretty close to NYC, and its kind of cool to hang out on a beach where you have a full view of the skyline. Just watch out for that nude beach. Made that mistake once.
Sandy Hook is a national park, actually. It's part of the Gateway National Recreation Area along with a strip of beach in either Queens or Brooklyn, on the other side of the entrance to New York Harbor. TBH I find Sandy Hook to be just okay. IMO it's too close to the city. You're practically swimming in the harbor., which I don't like. It's very pretty though and the Atlantic Highlands across the bay are very nice. And the view of the skyline is also nice. It's cool to be laying on the sand and be able to see the city.
The state park most known is Island Beach State Park, which is another untouched natural area with nude beaches and beaches you can drive on. It's really beautiful there. They charge by the car. So one car with however many people can fit is one flat rate. Sandy Hook charges too but since it's a national park I don't think NJ can control that.
Not sure how old you are so how long ago you lived here but beaches are replenished yearly. Almost all of them are very wide - especially Wildwood which is seriously a hike from the top to the ocean. I know that decades ago beaches were much narrower. And again - the beaches are really only crowded on weekends. During the week it is bearable (and traffic is not bad - again I'm at the beach today. Not crowded and 0 traffic.)
California doesn't have fireflies??? What the fudge? That's one of the best things about summer. I was going to vote SoCal but this alone changes my mind.
I was in my early 20s the first time I saw them (grew up in California). I was walking along a path in Virginia Beach late at night and suddenly it lit up with thousands of fireflies -- totally magic. I agree .. fireflies are one of the best parts of summer and one of the reasons I prefer east to west.
Why do I even bother? You people think you know more than me... the one who lives here. If you want to think that most shore towns are blue collar (not true) and most boardwalks are trashy (also not true - almost every town has a boardwalk or promenade of some sort and most are simply for walking with 0 attractions), that's fine. Carry on with your ignorant beliefs... meanwhile the water in NJ was ranked 2nd cleanest in the country after New Hampshire in 2013... but it's not clean right?
NJ will always suffer from negative stereotypes. I've learned to live with it - we'll keep our beautiful areas to ourselves while you all can think they're sh*t.
Oh by the way - I'm on the beach in Asbury Park right now. Sunny, salty breeze, not crowded at all, free because it's still early in the season, warm, with crystal clear water. Just like it was when I was here 2 weeks ago.
Take a chill pill. I'm from NJ, live in CA. I know there are very nice areas of NJ. Nothing to get blown away by, but definitely nice areas.
I've experienced both NJ and CA beaches and CA has a vastly superior (and year round) beach culture to NJ. It's not even close in my book except the weather is usually better in NJ during the summer.
I also said that NJ beaches deliver a below average experience overall. And I think many would agree that it's true since it's just a hassle and a half just to get there.
And NH doesn't have real beaches at all. They are lakefront beaches -- who complied the data in this survey?
I'd take the lush green and weather variety on the east coast. Over the brown hills, weeds, and almost depressingly uniform weather of California. I need thunderstorms, there's nothing like watching a storm build and roll in.
I'd take the lush green and weather variety on the east coast. Over the brown hills, weeds, and almost depressingly uniform weather of California. I need thunderstorms, there's nothing like watching a storm build and roll in.
I think the survey wasn't debating the lush green beaches (FL, GA, NC, VA etc) it was debating NJ beaches which are largely composed of the opposite of what you're looking for.
I'd take the lush green and weather variety on the east coast. Over the brown hills, weeds, and almost depressingly uniform weather of California. I need thunderstorms, there's nothing like watching a storm build and roll in.
This week has been interesting. Some cloudy/rainy/humid days and warm nights. I love it. I like variety in my life.
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