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Ocean Grove
On Main Street in beautiful downtown Ocean Grove. Yep, thats the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon. Today I woke up on the beautiful New Jersey shore, had breakfast with Grandma, Aunt Marilyn, and Mike in historic Ocean Grove, drove up and down the Ocean Avenue through quaint little Avon-By-The-Sea, sunny and vibrant Belmar, and regal Spring Lake. Now I sit in a room at the Newark Liberty International Best Western where I met up with Richard and Sarah. I am surprised I survived the courtesy shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel. We are all too afraid to leave the hotel for fear of getting robbed or catching a stray bullet in Newark. It all just shows the disparity between different parts of New Jersey. Its a small state, but some cities, although located right by each other, are like night and day. I just hate the this part of the state is right across from Manhattan because this is what most people see when they pass through New Jersey. They assume its all factories, poverty, and crime. They probably never will or care to see the New Jersey I was in just a couple hours ago.
The place we had breakfast was great. It's called Nagle's and it has been around for decades.
The Final Send Off
Saying goodbye to Aunt Laurie with Grandma. It actually used to be a pharmacy, at least I presume it was because they inside was decorated with old fashioned medicine bottles. Which is kind of weird to look at while you are eating, but its still interesting to see Listerine and Pepto-Bismol bottles from the 1930s. The town its in, Ocean Grove, sits on a national historical site, so the buildings aren't allowed to be torn down and owners need approval to do any renovations to the houses or even paint them. They are all these huge colonial, maybe Victorian, houses. The main street of Ocean Grove is really artsy and inviting.
Aunt Laurie came down from Freehold and Grandma and she went to the beach, while Mike and I, being typical guys, drove up and down the road the runs along the beaches in his Jeep Wrangler and looked at the, uh, landscapes and scenery and made sure old ladies crossed the street ok. The towns in New Jersey are so small, in about a 8 mile stretch, we had passed through 5 different towns. After a couple hours of enjoying the sun from our car seats, we headed back to the house. I packed up
Its All A Blur
Watching New Jersey whiz by. all my things and said goodbye to Aunt Laurie. Mike and Grandma took me to the train station where I caught the 5:48pm train headed towards Newark. I hated to say goodbye to Grandma and Mike, but she told me she was so proud of me for taking this trip and that I was going to have so much fun. I was very happy I took these 3 days to hang out on the shore with the family.
The train ride took longer than it should. It was delayed for some reason. I just stared out the window and looked at the towns, houses, and swamps. New Jersey is like the Everglades. No wonder the mob families liked it out here, they have quite the choices of prime locations to dump a body. I'll admit it, I was actually looking out into the swamps trying to see a dead body. I know the woman in front of me was too. I got off at the Newark Airport stop and had to take another little monorail thing through the airport to the location where the Best Western courtesy van would pick me up. We drove out of the airport, down
At The Airport, But Not To Fly
So what if I showed up 13 hours before my flight leaves. some gray and brown streets of Newark and then back into the airport where the hotel is. I guess its one giant one-way loop or something. Richard and Sarah told me about their adventures in New York and how they have become masters of the mass transit system. They had a great time, other than this hotel being kind of a dump. I love listening to people talk about their first experiences in New York, because I don't think people realize how electric and amazing city it is. Maybe not to live there, but at least visit. I mean its the heartbeat of America, if you live in this country, you should see it at least once.
Not looking forward to waking up so early and flying 6 hours. But hey, at least its across the ocean and to a place I have never been to. Gotta finish my delicious grilled chicken salad I had delivered from a nearby restaurant. Not near enough to make me go pick it up.
Have fun,
Matt
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sarah the whale
non-member comment
i miss you guys already, be safe.