Is the best Jersey Shore town Sea Isle City?
New Jersey takes vacationing seriously, especially when it comes to unwinding at the beach. Seems most New Jerseyans have a very strong opinion about which shore town is the BEST.
Over the decades I've found that people will rate a town based on the personal experience they had with either a childhood home or a weekly rental with family and friends. For me, it comes down to where Jodi and I first lived when we moved to New Jersey from Washington DC back in 1996.
Our first home was in Sea Isle City.
It was a home owned by my grandparents who were getting up in age and preparing to sell the house that was becoming hard to manage. They bought the house in the late 1970s, if I remember correctly, for about $33,000. Can. You. Imagine?
Although eventually, the house would sell for 10x what they paid for it, if we had waited just a couple of years, it would have been well north of a million.
Money aside, the experiences at the Jersey Shore, specifically in Sea Isle growing up and then as newlyweds, provide some of our best memories. So when it comes to Jersey Shore towns, Sea Isle is our top pick.
Although it's a little different today, the small cottages have nearly all been replaced by monster duplex homes, and Angelo's Pizza on the corner of Landis Ave and JFDK Boulevard is no longer there.
They do have free beach days on Wednesdays in the summer so if you're in the area, you may catch us in the surf on a random Wednesday in between the chaos of multi-event days.
What's your favorite shore town in Jersey? Hit us up on the NJ 101.5 app.
Stunning Jersey Shore rentals, steps from the beach
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.