Jersey Shore I

July 6, 2012

We made it to our “stopover” point in Red Bank, the Oyster Point Hotel, in four hours, door-to-door. The only traffic we hit was on the Godforsaken Cross Bronx Expressway (GCBE) approaching the Washington Bridge. All else was smooth sailing. As usual, the traffic would have moved even more quickly over the entire route if people stayed right instead of meandering in the high speed lane.

This hotel is part of the Molly Pitcher Inn, where I gave training programs in the 70s! The Inn is just down the road, still hosting weddings and social gatherings. We are on the Navesink River, more properly an estuary (the opposite of a tributary for those of you keeping score). There is superb fishing here, all kinds of boating, and it’s home to dolphins. The river flows along some of the most affluent communities in New Jersey, and New Jersey is the second most affluent state in the nation (measured by average income) behind only Maryland. (Rhode Island is 16th.)

We didn’t want to drive to Point Pleasant Beach, where our house is, on a Saturday morning, hence, we’re here only about 40 minutes away. The restaurant in the hotel has an exquisite view. We’re situated in a corner suite with the only balcony of its kind, which must be 60 feet long by 10 feet wide. I’m planning on a cigar there after dinner. Since we rented a house this year, I’ve packed wine, vodka, cigars, and all necessary vital life supports.

My son is arriving from California, and he’ll drive down tomorrow with my daughter and granddaughters. The house sleeps 8, so of course Jason already has invited a girl over to spend the week with us. It’s incredible how he turns them up when needed.