Spring Lake: the real Jersey Shore

I've never seen the show Jersey Shore, but I gather that it has made the beach in New Jersey very popular these days. I was born on a Jersey shore town, and lived there for a couple years, and my grandparents lived in Wall, NJ (which is only about 5 minutes from the ocean) so we visited there a lot when I was a kid. When people say Jersey Shore, I always think of the town of Spring Lake, which is one of the most beautiful towns you'll ever see. I doubt that it's the type of town those Jersey Shore  characters would want to visit; it's not a party town or anything, but I love it there and grew up visiting multiple times a year. The houses are huge and immaculate and have striped awnings and triple-decker balconies facing the ocean. There is an unending boardwalk that stretches from town to town. Absent are high-rise hotels that seem to litter most touristy shore-towns. The waves are big and the water temperature warm. The park in the middle of the town is so cute and the shops and diners are quaint. Spring Lake feels so carefree, with people riding around on beach cruiser bikes, going to grab ice cream at all hours of the night, walking the boardwalk, and kids playing in the streets. That's a very romanticized version of the town, but it's what I feel when I'm there. It reminds me of the best times of my childhood.

We visited this past Friday on our way up to my parent's house and stayed the night at my mom's friend's house. It was a glorious time and I was able to show Tim where I spent many lovely days of my youth.