Taking the Kids to the Tropics An Hour From Hoboken
Kathy Zucker discovered that the Jersey Shore has everything from public beaches to full-service luxury hotels equipped with private beaches; all an hour from Hoboken.
Last week, the kids and I strolled on boardwalks in balmy sea air, examined jellyfish stranded by the waves, collected seashells and rocks for collages, and dug endless sandcastles. All under the shade of enormous palm trees.
Where were we? Less than an hour from Hoboken at the Jersey Shore.
I have lived in the NYC area for my entire life, but I was stunned to discover that the Jersey Shore has everything from public beaches teeming with boardwalk stalls and and crab shacks all the way to a high-end luxury hotel where our every need was taken care of before we even anticipated it.
Our week began with a business trip to Ocean Place in Long Branch, NJ. With huge palm trees and valets materializing to unload our car the instant we parked, the place made me think I was in Palm Springs rather than New Jersey. For this work-at-home mother of two toddlers, our trip was a welcome respite from my grueling everyday routine.
Ample, delicious and healthy buffet-style meals were served every day in the dining room and outdoor courtyard. The well-appointed locker room dispensed towels from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. steps from a private beach with complimentary umbrellas and chaises put out every day by hotel staff (retrieval starts at 5 p.m. due to city of Long Branch ordinance). With indoor and outdoor pools, my kids were happily occupied during every waking moment and crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel room at night. At $209 per night via our group rate (typical midweek AAA rate is $279), it was worth every penny. The kids also made a lot of friends both young and old as they careered around the hotel common areas; people were greeting them by name by the end of our stay.
And then, on the last day of our stay, my husband lost his wedding ring swimming in the surf.
We never expected to see it again, but he posted a Craigslist ad that bore results beyond our wildest expectations. A good Samaritan responded within 12 hours and went out to the Long Branch beach in the middle of the night with a metal detector; he found the ring in chest-high water during low tide and did not ask for a reward when he gave us the ring (we insisted he take one).
That is how I wound up making a second trip to the Jersey Shore 24 hours after my first. And at $7 for a Belmar beach day pass (kids under 16 are free) we will definitely be coming back. The beach is much narrower than the ones in Brooklyn and Queens, which makes bathroom trips a breeze. I hear Point Pleasant has a very toddler-friendly boardwalk, so that is on our day trip list for next summer.
Summer isn't over yet, there is still time to try and get down to the beach. And feel free to tell us if you find an even quicker way to get there.
To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://momcondoliving.com/ and follow her at http://twitter.com/kathyzucker
Karen O'Shea
2:13 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Kathy I am happy you've discovered the Jersey Shore. Try Island Beach State park, its a wildlife sanctuary plus camping, surf fishing and whale watching in addition to best swimming my opinion in NJ.
One thing tho, why are you still calling your kids toddlers? I thought between 18 and twenty months was toddlerhood. Your kids look grown? Just curious?
Kathy Zucker
6:14 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
According to clothing retailers, infants are sizes newborn to 24 months and toddlers are sizes 2T-5T. http://www.target.com/Clothing-Sizing-Guide-Shopping-Help/b?ie=UTF8&node=13666801
Journey
2:19 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Not to nit pick, but why do you call your 3 and 5 year old toddlers? Most people I know consider a toddle a child between the age of 1 and 3.
Grafix Avenger
5:04 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Jeez, I'm glad you ladies brought that up... I've been wondering that from the get-go, but didn't want to seem like I was picking on the author. No, they aren't toddlers.
But... if you want to go there, these 2 lines in the author's prior column "Having a Third Child in Hoboken Means Lots of Self Analysis " struck me:
In the last two years, I have gotten my life back.
Having a third child could derail all that progress.
Both suggest the author thinks her kids are obstacles to her "progress". A third child could "derail" the progress? Then don't HAVE it.
Sheeeeesh. I hope they never read that when they grow up. If my mom had written that about me (I'm a third child)... well, the therapy bills would be like a second mortgage.
Grafix Avenger
6:23 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Hmmm... I've been taking my kid to a doctor for 'Well visits', but perhaps I'll try Target next time.
About toddlers:
http://www.cdc.gov/parents/infants/healthy_children.html
Journey
9:24 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
It has been a while since I looked at those milestones... my sunshine seems to have all the 2 year old ones down, most of the three year old ones... I think the only reason she will not say how old she is is that she is down right stubborn. Yesterday I asked her what she did at school, her answer "I don't want to tell you."
Kathy Zucker
7:16 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Humans never cease to surprise me. In the case of Danny, this guy went out twice to the beach in the middle of the night with a metal detector to find my husband's wedding ring and never asked for a reward. Details at http://momcondoliving.com/2011/08/16/the-surprising-human-capacity-for-kindness/
Karen O'Shea
7:20 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
That was truly amazing. I hope you rewarded him tho as he sure deserved it.
Kathy Zucker
7:24 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Of course! We handed Danny a sealed white envelope that he stuck in his pocket unopened, and then emailed us later to tell us we were really generous and he didn't expect to receive any reward.
Teresa
8:40 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Kathy.... I enjoyed your article for what it was. An article about your trip to the beach with your kids and the good natured man who helped you out. It is nice to see that there are still people out there in the world who choose to help someone instead of choosing to bring them down. Personally, I don't care if you refer to your children as toddlers, tykes or even kids.....I'm surprised it upsets some people so much. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your articles !
Journey
9:11 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Clothing sizes are one thing and something completely unrelated to a child's social, physical, mental, and emotional development.
You can also by a straight 3, 4, and 5. The difference is the 3T, 4T, and 5T have more room in the seat to accommodate diapers.
My child is 2. I don't really think of her as a toddler any longer, she doesn't toddle, she runs, climbs, jumps, swings from monkey bars and does her best to keep up with 10 year old (and is not bad at it). Her verbal skills beyond a toddler. Like many younger children she still lacks impulse control, getting her to wait for something is not possible, distractions must be used.
I do hope you are not treating you preschooler and older child like toddlers, it might stunt their social development.
Journey
9:16 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
It bothers some people because there is common assumption in our sociality that caring for a toddler has a different set of demands, and to some might be viewed as more difficult. Toddlers need help with many things, many are not potty trained, some need help getting dressed. They have very little impulse control and not enough experience to be afraid of true risks.
As my 2 year old is maturing I let her roam a little farther from me, I expect her to do more things by herself (so does she, she often refuses help). It is easier and harder in different ways.
The impression I have is that some people call their older children toddlers to get sympathy.
Kathy Zucker
10:05 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
If you go to Long Branch, check out McLoone's restaurant. Informal outdoor seating area (although right next to boardwalk railing with huge gaps between the rails so seat the kids on the other side of the table); ate my first lobster roll there and it was delicious! http://www.mcloones.com/pierhouse/index.php
Teresa
10:56 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Again...the article is about her trip to the shore. Maybe Kathy will address the toddler title dilemma in another article if she choses to do so, but for now can we just enjoy the topic of the beach. Nice rec's, thanks Kathy.
Journey
1:44 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
It does not bother me so much, but reading it over and over again, I was curious. I asked. Maybe I need to work on my impulse control...
MadisonMonroe
3:28 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Kathy, glad to hear that you had a great time down the shore. You have lived in the NYC/Hoboken area your entire life and you are "stunned" to find out that there are nice beaches and even fancy hotels along our coastline? If you are blown away by Long Branch may I suggest you venture farther south to a little place called Atlantic City.
Kathy Zucker
3:38 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I know, right? That is definitely one of the downsides of living with day trip distance of everything; it never would have occurred to me to stay overnight at a beach in NY or NJ. We literally got waited on hand and foot at Ocean Place, which was so nice after the usual grind of grocery shopping, cooking & chasing after the kids all day. If we hadn't had a business trip there I never would have known about it, so yay for business trips broadening our horizons!
Grafix Avenger
4:21 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
MadMonroe,
I would suggest Wildwood, with it's 2-mile boardwalk and multiple amusement parks... the city has the largest collection of 'Doo-Wop' 50's style architecture in the US, lots of funky old hotels with plastic palms. Here's my favorite one, just fabulous and cheaper than where Kathy stayed (but not that cheap in high season):
http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2010/04/caribbean-in-jersey.html
It's also about 10 minutes from Cape May... not so exciting for kids, but loaded with gorgeous old Victorian architecture. And close to a pretty nice Zoo/park.
Journey
4:56 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I would suggest Brigantine Castle, but that was closed in 1984 and burned down in 1987. Saying that was my favorite beach spot dates me doesn't it?