Jersey Shore
Session one of camp is now over - and I am now off for the weekend for some much needed rest and relaxation, before the second session of kids arrives on Tuesday.
I, along with about 50 to 60 others from camp, have have headed to the Jersey Shore, and are staying in a place called Seaside Heights. First impressions of the place are generally positive. It is quite a small place, all filled with low rise beach houses and motels. It pretty much exists solely for the tourism, especially towards the beachfront area. It reminds me of some of the places in France I stayed in with family when I was younger - in that there are a few holiday parks/motels with a beachfront, restaurants/snack bars and attractions like arcades and funfairs. Seaside Heights is also pretty smart too. I expected slightly tacky and run down (similar to Atlantic City), but that isn't the case at all.
Most from the camp have split a massive house, sleeping 35. The remainder, including myself, are in a nearby motel just a block from the beach. The Dry Dock motel is very basic, yet incredibly cheap at $76pp for 2 nights, so I can't complain at all. Plus, anything is an improvement on camp beds and showers...
The first night we arrived later than expected due to delays on the bus. The bus from New York's Port Authority was $27, and was due to take 2 hours, but was closer to 3.5 hours. We spend the evening having a bit of a party at the house. I have had a quite stressful session on camp, like many others (for various reasons), so it was great to let off some steam. Following the party we left the house and had a swim at 1:30 in the morning - because we are all totally responsible lifeguards. Good night was had by all.
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| Just some of the group from camp |
The morning after the 5 in my room went for breakfast at a local diner (Jimmy's) just opposite the motel. It was a great place and was queueing out the door. I opted for refillable iced coffee and a waffle, which tasted great - and at $9 including tax and tip wasn't bad at all.
Most of the day was spent on the beach. It was a great chance to be able to swim without kids around and the responsibilities of lifeguarding. The waves were pretty great too, and we spent plenty of time diving in and out of the waves. Given also this is the Atlantic, is bears additional French resemblance. The weather was also perfect for most of the day too - hot, cloudless and still, which continued into the final day.
I also felt obliged to try something 'cultural'. As we know, America likes its weird food. Ladies and gentlemen, the state of New Jersey proudly presents the deep-fried Oreo. The first mouthful was quite nice - kind of like a chocolate doughnut. After that, it was just too much. Later that evening, I wasn't exactly feeling great... It didn't 'sit well' in my stomach. Verdict: 3/10: great to have tried it, tasted good at first, but way too heavy. Illness caused as a result ruined the experience.
The final day was much the same as Saturday. Bit of chilling, nice breakfast and plenty of iced coffee. Because of the delays on the bus, we decided to take the train back. At 2h15, that is nearly Northallerton to London Kings Cross - a comparatively long distance in the UK, but a short hop over in the states. Roughly the same price and time, but a lot more scenic. The train follows the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast line, with great sea views out the right hand side of the train.
We are due to be back on camp very late tonight. Tomorrow, we have a day of staff re-training, before the second group of campers arrives the day after. The break has been great, and a fantastic chance to relax and reset. Many counsellors had a tough time in session one - and most, including me, are looking forward to the fresh start session two will bring.
Labels: #intersession, #newJersey, #Travel
