Wildwood, By-the-Sea

It's a lazy Wednesday morning on day 5 of our vacation, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to blog. Hello there! This week has been all about reliving my childhood, checking out the familiar sights and sounds of Wildwood, NJ. I think it's been about 10 years since I've last been here. I am surprised at how little has actually changed. One new thing: alcohol on the boardwalk! You can actually get beer and other drinks at a handful of places now. I looked this up, and it's a fairly recently change over the last year or so in some parts of North Wildwood. Apparently the rules are still pretty strict about how businesses can sell alcohol (and advertise it) -- for example, it has to be a restaurant that primarily serves food and has 120+ seats -- SO, I don't think they'll be allowing any dirty dance clubs on the boardwalk just yet. Another new law: no kite on the beach! What is this? Maybe they are worried that people will now get drunk on the boardwalk and spill out onto the beach with dangerous kite-flying rage? There are fewer games on the boardwalk too, I think. Fewer ways to win stuffed animals by flipping flogs into floating lily pads, spinning a giant wheel, popping balloons with darts, or throwing small rings around a bottleneck. They're still around though; just not as prevalent. Fewer mini golf courses too, and that kinda stinks. Some things that haven't changed: the tram cars, Fascinations ("Boardwalk Bingo," as some call it, where my family would spend hours a day during our vacations), the same old roller costers, same big weekend crowds, surf shops and sketchy people all over town. We are staying very close to the beach, so we've spent a lot of time there. I've never been a big beach/ocean person. But man, the weather this week has been awesome for it. Plus, the crazy crowds that were here over the weekend completely vanished by Tuesday. Wide-open beach, wide-open boardwalk.

And, some photos!

We packed like we weren't coming back.

View from our balcony.

Evening walk on the beach, first day.

Contemplating all that is humorous and divine.

Blurry boardwalk fun.

Empty boardwalk for our 2-person surrey adventure!


And, some video of our surrey adventure!


ANNNND, one more vid, just to continue my recent trend of recording obnoxious vacation videos.