Jersey Shore Finale
Made it home all the way from Cape May in about 5:40. Major accidents closed the southbound Merritt Parkway in Connecticut (we were going north) but then slowed everything else. After two detours with our GPS, we finally got by the pasta al dente that passes for highway in New Haven. (Connecticut is, I believe, the wealthiest state per capita, yet it has the absolute worst roads and worst cell phone coverage I know of.)
We had seven consecutive days of glorious weather, perhaps our best ever. We’ve decided to make changes next year: We’ll either rent a different condo location, or rent a house on the beach. We’re also going to change some restaurants. Friday night at the Ebbit Room was adequate but not outstanding. We think our former favorites are getting a bit tired, so it’s time to change things around.
The Jersey shore resorts are clearly suffering. You can see a big crowd on the Wildwood boardwalk in a photo I’ve posted below, but the rides were not well populated, the fast food joints were mostly empty, and virtually no one was playing the games. There are “vacancy” signs everywhere in the middle of the summer. We’re in the midst of a slow-but-sure recovery, but it’s not accelerating still more because consumer spending (even at luxury levels) has become very conservative, I think because people don’t know whom to trust any more. But the market had a ferociously good week last week. Now is the time to get bargains.
In another three weeks, we’re off to Nantucket, aka: God’s Country.
© Alan Weiss 2010. All rights reserved.
