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Author: Amy S. Rosenberg

  • 🏖️ Overstuffed Sea Isle | Down the Shore

    🏖️ Overstuffed Sea Isle | Down the Shore

    Is Sea Isle City becoming Avalon (which already became Stone Harbor, which is basically the Hamptons)?

    I wrote about Delco’s favorite Shore destination, about how changes in visitor routines, upscaling, development, and new construction have transformed Sea Isle block by block.

    Some like it (like the Kelces, apparently, who are patiently on the wait list for the Sea Isle Yacht Club, at No. 78 of 251).

    Some don’t, like many Sea Isle loyalists who have been priced out and have watched the town change around and without them.

    Is that so different from what’s happening in other Shore towns?

    If you haven’t already, read my story here.

    Here’s a sampling of reaction to the piece:

    Jack Fleming, who splits his time between Sea Isle and L.A., says he loves living in a place people come to vacation and be happy in, with family-owned businesses like Dalrymple’s, Braca Cafe, and Basilicos.

    • “My wife and I had the good fortune to buy our home at 34th & Central in 1985. I was 35 and my wife was 33. Can you imagine two 30-year-olds being able to do that today? I do feel bad that isn’t possible in today’s day and age. Certainly, things have changed; I hate some of these housing monstrosities. Those changes aside, I love Sea Isle and consider ourselves absolutely blessed to call it home.”

    Bernadette Mastrogiovanni wrote that her in-laws purchased a large house in Sea Isle in 1946, and sold in 1997 after her husband’s 100-year-old grandmother passed away.

    • “We saw what the future of Sea Isle was becoming many years ago when the quaint little cottage next door was sold, demolished, and converted into a QUADRUPLEX!”

    Brian Smith thinks the city should focus on using its land for a parking garage.

    • “As a 45-year-old ‘shoobie’ to Sea Isle, your article was spot on. Sea Isle is trying its darnedest to become Avalon. More upscale and ritzier, pricing riffraff like myself out. But what they’ve done, in my opinion, has made ridiculous decisions with the real estate available to the city.”

    Another reader, who said he waited two years on the Yacht Club wait list, said he felt the story didn’t ring true.

    • “What shore point town in NJ have (real estate) prices not risen dramatically since COVID? I don’t know of any. Sea Isle is a popular family town and has always been crowded with limited parking on big summer weekends forever! The same as it was (50) years ago when my wife vacationed with her family in Sea Isle.”

    📮 Are changes in Shore towns like Sea Isle a good thing? Does the Shore feel like the Shore of your childhood? Should that matter? Can’t Shore towns be allowed grow up?

    Let me know what you think by replying to this email and I’ll include your most interesting responses in a future letter.

    ⬇️ Keep scrolling for news, what to do, your thoughts on dress codes, a Shore memory, trivia, and my thoughts about a $5 doughnut.

    🧐 Have ideas or news tips about the Shore or this newsletter? Send them to me here.

    🌞 After some wild weather last weekend and again on Tuesday, this weekend’s forecast looks lovely. The ocean has warmed up quite a bit from the low 60s to around 75.

    — Amy S. Rosenberg (Find me at @amysrosenberg, or on Instagram at @amysrosenberg. 📧 Email me here.)

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here. Join our text group, the Shore Line, here.

    Shore talk

    🌪️ Tornado warnings were issued in Cape May and Atlantic County on Tuesday, and there was a waterspout sighting in Cape May Point that the National Weather Service has confirmed came on shore briefly as a tornado.

    🏢 The Brigantine Citizens Alliance wants to know why commercial land continues to be rezoned residential.

    📸 Rosie O’Donnell and family were posting photos from Long Beach Island.

    💰 Strathmere, one of the last free beaches in South Jersey, is considering beach tags.

    🛻 Jeeps took over the Wildwood beaches, and Bob Kelly was there.

    🇺🇸 U.S. Sen. Andy Kim said he’d secured $1 million in funding for Cape May’s Harriet Tubman museum.

    🤍 Two children died after a family boat hit a buoy in Barnegat Bay.

    What to eat/What to do

    🌊 Watch the newly-renamed Chief Rod Aluise Atlantic City Lifeguard Classic at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Albany Avenue beach.

    🏝️ Tour New Jersey’s islands along the Delaware River.

    🍋 Check out Nuso Cucina, the pretty new Italian restaurant in A.C.’s Orange Loop.

    🍝 A.C.’s extremely popular Cafe 2825 completed its expansion, but it’s still near-impossible to get through to make a reservation.

    🥂 The least dry day in this dry town’s summer, Ocean City’s Night in Venice, is upon us!

    🚴 Bike from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Shore.

    🥙 Attend this weekend’s annual Lebanese Festival at Our lady Star of the Sea in Pleasantville.

    🚌 Take a $5 ride from Philly to the Shore courtesy of Pacifico.

    🍩 Sample a $5 donut from Sonny’s House of Donuts in Margate. I did. I’ve seen some grumbling about the price and if you’re getting a dozen or more, paying $4 or $5 each does add up. I tried a $5 Bavarian cream, and what I’ll say is, they’re big and can be shared. I still lean toward the $1.50 still-warm plain or cider donut found at Brown’s in Ocean City. The winner of the $5 sugar bomb category, for my money, is the Sesame Semolina Sugar Cookie from Ventnor’s Florida Cuts.

    Shore snapshot

    Smaller bungalows are becoming harder to find as they are replaced by larger construction, like here at 79th Street, in Sea Isle City, on June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    👗 Your thoughts on: Shore dress code

    Last week we raised the question of how to dress at the Shore, how casual, how intentional, how repetitive?

    Discreet reader “R from Cape May” has this advice:

    Wear what you want at the actual beach, but step it up if you are going for drinks or dinner at a nice establishment. Rule of thumb: If they have cloth napkins, dress to impress. In Cape May, many restaurants are a little more upscale; no flip-flops or hoodies. Guys — invest in a few nice outfits — shirts with collars and a pair of nice loafers. Ladies — summer dresses and cute sandals. Don’t forget a pedicure (both of you). If you are spending $20+ on a cocktail and $40+ on an entree, dress like you can afford it. No one wants to be publicly shamed by the (cringe- inducing) self-appointed shore social secretary Lady Whistledown.

    OK then!

    🧠 Trivia time

    Maureen Farrow was first with the correct answer to last week’s question about which two Shore towns never rebuilt their boardwalks after the 1944 hurricane: Beach Haven and Stone Harbor.

    This week’s question:

    This sweaty bar in Avalon closed 39 years ago this summer and featured the Greaseband on Sunday nights.

    Was it:

    A. The Bongo Room

    B. Maloney’s

    C. Jack’s Place

    D. Fred’s Tavern

    If you think you know the answer, email us here. First one with the right answer gets a shout-out.

    Any and all memories of this establishment encouraged!

    Your Shore memory

    Joe Farley titled this memory “Breathtaking.”

    The first time my grandson, Iggy, really saw the ocean, he was absolutely stunned. About twenty of us were staying at a large condo in Bethany Beach. We were a force in our caravan of pickup trucks packed to the hilt. We followed the highway to the parking lot where you have to deflate your tires so you wouldn’t get stuck in the sand; then a bumpy ride over dunes.

    I kept my eye on Iggy, who was about four. He was handed a raft which he hugged to his chest, then stumbled in the sand looking for where to set it. He dropped it next to my beach chair, turned toward the roaring ocean and froze. He looked out at the relentless waves splashing onto the shore and uttered his famous often-repeated line:

    “Wait a minute — does this go on all day?”

    📬 Send us your Shore memory! In 200 words, tell us how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space during the summer.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • Strathmere’s free beaches may soon require a beach tag

    Strathmere’s free beaches may soon require a beach tag

    The beaches of tiny, quirky Strathmere may be in their last tag-free season.

    The Upper Township Committee, the governmental body that includes Strathmere and its mainland counterpart, is considering beach tags that would cost as much as $45 for the season, said administrator James Van Zlike.

    Strathmere’s possible move to a paid beach will leave only Atlantic City, Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest as free oceanfront beaches in Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

    “We didn’t want to do it,” Van Zlike said. He said beach patrol personnel costs alone were over $500,000 per season, and the township was responsible for $2.1 million for the current beach replenishment project. “Beaches are expensive to run and maintain and operate.”

    Proposed pricing for the tags would be $10 daily, $20 weekly, and a seasonal tag of $45 with a pre-season discounted rate of $30, he said, which would generate about $320,000. Veterans and active duty military would be exempt.

    The beach patrol’s headquarters had to be demolished in March after bad weather and beach erosion left it in a precarious state. The township has yet to rebuild it.

    Although ending the free beach status is anathema to many, Mayor Curtis T. Corson Jr., said at the July committee meeting that it came down to beaches or parking, both of which are currently free in Strathmere.

    The township determined it would be more cost effective to hire two roaming beach tag checkers than to retrofit the town’s narrow streets for parking meters, and create a parking enforcement bureaucracy.

    “We don’t have parking meters, we don’t have a parking authority, we don’t have any of that,” the mayor said at the July 13 meeting. “We would actually, because of the narrow streets, lose parking spots.”

    Neighboring Sea Isle’s beach tags max out at $30 for the season, but Corson noted the city takes in $1.7 million in parking meter fees.

    “We take in zero for parking fees,” he said.

    Reaction was mostly negative on Facebook groups, with many questioning why any of the beaches in New Jersey required a beach tag. “Terrible idea,” said one poster. “Residents already pay high taxes.”

    Corson said state law would not allow them to give a discounted price to residents of Upper Township.

    A beach tag ordinance will likely be introduced at an August meeting, Van Zlike said. The township last considered instituting beach tags in 2021.

  • Sea Isle’s upscaling feels like a betrayal to many blue-collar regulars. For others, the town is growing up.

    Sea Isle’s upscaling feels like a betrayal to many blue-collar regulars. For others, the town is growing up.

    SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. — This is not the same old Sea Isle.

    Jason and Kylie Kelce are mired in a four-year wait for membership to the Sea Isle City Yacht Club. They are currently No. 78 of 251, up from last year’s 149.

    Neighbors are fighting over noise from the Oar House Pub, which expanded this year into two nearby buildings.

    Prices in this Shore town have skyrocketed: The median home sale price for the three months ending in May 2026 was $1.8 million, according to Redfin, up 27% from the year before. For May alone, it was $2.2 million.

    Blocks in Sea Isle are stuffed with new, side-by-side construction, multiple SUVs in pebbled front yards, with few trees or backyards. People sunbathe in their driveways. Silverados have near-collisions with Audis in the Acme parking lot, as golf carts idle out front.

    Is it still pleasant on Pleasure Avenue?

    People line the beach in Sea Isle City on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in Sea Isle City, NJ.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Depends on whom you ask. For some, the changes feel more like a maturing of Sea Isle, certainly an upscaling, from the beloved Shore town’s raucous old party days. Houses cost too much to risk renting to the rowdy Shore house crews of years past, homeowners say.

    But for others, the town’s rash of new construction, the pricing out of old blue-collar regulars, the impossible parking, even the price of an entree at a restaurant all feel like a betrayal.

    Workingman’s beach

    Colin Ratner, 53, of Fairmount, global director of sales at a medical software company, raves about Sea Isle’s enduring charms, a place where his daughters have found a sense of freedom they don’t have in Philadelphia, riding their bikes barefoot and playing outdoor basketball games to cheering crowds.

    “In Philly, they’re not leaving the street without us knowing where they’re going,” he said. “Here, it’s like ‘Come back before we go to sleep.’ I call Sea Isle Middle America.”

    Colin Ratner and his wife, Cindi, of Center City, at their home in Sea Isle City for the summer think the town has matured in a good way, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    A rowhouse dweller in Philly, he is not bothered by the density or the parking crunch. “Our property [value] has more than doubled since 2018,” he said. “I’m seeing less renters, and more people using their property, less of the crazy house parties. It’s really kind of settled down.”

    Jo Ferenchak bought in 2017 and rents out to cover costs. Her parents bought their Sea Isle house in 1977, she said, for $20,000.

    “When my parents bought their house, it was called the Working Man’s Beach,” she said via Facebook message. “No more!”

    In a sign of the times, she said her children and grandchildren love to go mini golfing, “but we go to Pirate Island in Avalon because it is so hard to find parking at Pirate Island in Sea Isle.”

    ‘Saturation point’

    It has been more than a decade since a town survey found that 62% of responders said traffic was a problem. The survey, taken for a master plan, drew comments that included “Feeling of too much density and congestion,” “Seashore feeling is being lost,” and “We’ve reached a saturation point.”

    Things are more overstuffed than ever, many residents, summer and year-round, say.

    Sea Isle’s year-round population is 2,019, fairly stable despite some declines in the years after Hurricane Sandy and some increases after COVID-19. But it can swell to 70,000 on a busy summer weekend.

    The change in the housing stock is more dramatic. Between 1990 and 2020, there were about 17% more units created, mostly for seasonal residents, according to the city’s data. Although some old bungalows remain, the town is essentially built out, city officials say.

    Sea Isle even proposed partnering with a mainland town to essentially outsource its required share of affordable housing units as required by New Jersey law, but that was not allowed.

    New construction off 57th Street, in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    In a town long known for its rowdy bar scene, there is less tolerance than ever for the spillover effects in dense neighborhoods.

    In June, a dispute erupted between the Oar House Pub and its neighbors, including Mike’s Seafood owner Mike Monachetti, a prominent figure around town and a pal of the Kelces’.

    Monachetti told the city council that the noise from the pub was regularly so loud “the water cups were vibrating on the tables” at his place.

    Monachetti and other businesses in Fish Alley, along with residents, flooded a council meeting with complaints about noise, trash, and other issues.

    “Think about what you’re doing,” he scolded the council. “My neighbors suffer from noise, loud noise, smoke going right up into their properties, and, yes, people out on the streets, beer cans on my property. Please, look at your own laws and ordinances. You are putting an alcohol license closer to a church, as well as underneath a residence that was never intended to be a bar.”

    Council President Michael Jargowsky, 64, says with the town nearly entirely built out, there is not much to do in terms of stemming overdevelopment.

    The city is always looking at adding parking, he said, though he notes that not everyone wants to cross the causeway and see a multistory parking garage.

    “Our town has changed a lot physically,” said Jargowsky, a former city police officer who grew up in Sea Isle and paid $205,000 in 1995 for a century-old bungalow. “A lot of single-family bungalows and Victorian homes are now the side-by-sides: three bedrooms went to a combined 14 bedrooms in some places.”

    The increase in property value has brought new revenue to the town, and a robust capital project agenda, including a new community center. Longtime residents who sold, or whose children sold, did very well, he noted.

    Some things about the town have stayed the same.

    “You still see a lot of banners for Delco,” he said.

    The Oar House Pub, off 42nd Place, at right, would like to expand to the empty lot adjacent to it, and found itself in a controversy with neighbors over the noise, in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    ‘Like a bad AI-generated image’

    Rick Kane, who worked at a family friend’s business for eight years in Sea Isle and lives just on the mainland, said the town is a shell of its former self.

    “Many of the affordable family restaurants and cheap bars are gone, replaced by high-dollar places,” Kane said. “Sea Isle has lost its charm and personality. It’s now like a bad AI-generated image of a ‘Shore town.’”

    Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean signs autographs for fans as a celebrity bartender at former Eagle Jason Kelce’s annual Team 62 fundraising event for the Eagles Autism Foundation at the outdoor Paddy’s Green in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    Christopher Capuzzi, 42, a New York City capital markets attorney originally from Delaware County, said he bought on Long Beach Island even though his extended family gathers in Sea Isle and continues to own houses there.

    Capuzzi said he paid $2.8 million in 2022 for a 3,500-square-foot house on LBI, one house from the ocean.

    On LBI, he said, “My money’s stretched a lot further, and we actually have trees.”

    “When it came time for me to buy, I just felt like Sea Isle has gotten so overdeveloped, the way they cram homes in, every home is basically a side-by-side. The garages don’t fit a single car in them. Parking has become a nightmare.”

    Some things haven’t changed

    For some diehards, like the 165 members of the extended Mannion family of West Chester and other Philly burbs that for a half-century has rented a half-dozen houses in Sea Isle for the last two weeks in June, the Sea Isle memories compound every year, albeit as the rents, along with all the new construction, go up.

    It is a destination they wouldn’t change for anything, family members say.

    Over at Trinity Community Church of Sea Isle City, pastor Chuck Swanson says his church has been a constant amid all the changes. A seasonal nondenominational place of worship, the church has been at 85th and Landis for 103 summers.

    Chuck Swanson, pastor of the historic Trinity Community Church, off 85th Street and Landis Avenue, in Sea Isle City, says the resort town has significantly changed in that the old character of the town has been fundamentally altered, but the change is mostly good and the city is preparing for the future, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    “Sea Isle City has changed a lot of late,” Swanson said. “Lots of destruction of older homes and construction of new ones … the old character of the town has been fundamentally changed. Change is mostly good and the city is preparing for the future.

    “One thing that hasn’t changed is our church.”

    Jim Albright of Bordentown, whose family has owned a house in Sea Isle since 1998, said the town is no longer affordable for most people.

    “My dad was an electrician for GM and my mom was an elementary school teacher in Trenton, and on their salaries they were able to buy this house,” he said. “They would absolutely be priced out now.”

    Homes along Landis Avenue, here near 23rd Street, have grown higher as the summer bungalows are replaced with more elaborate, and expensive, contruction in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    The Kelces can still make Sea Isle the center of the party universe when they hold the Eagles Autism Foundation fundraising days every year in June, but Albright and others see a vibe shift.

    “There’s been a massive influx of money. You can tell even by looking at the cars being driven around town,” Albright said.

    Regina Lewallen lived full time in Sea Isle from 2020 to 2025. “We loved how friendly everyone was,” she said.

    But in those five years, the town transformed, she said. “Many houses were torn down, more people bought homes, parking became scarce, and it was obvious that the powers that be didn’t have a specific plan for what Sea Isle City could be,” she said.

    Former Eagle Jason Kelce draws large crowds when he hosts his annual Team 62 fundraising event for the Eagles Autism Foundation at the outdoor Paddy’s Green in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The two-day event features celebrity bartending and a Beer Bowl, drawing thousands of fans and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    Jen DiMartino, 54, of West Chester, has been going down to Sea Isle for more than 50 years, to 36th and Pleasure Avenue, the third generation of her family to call Sea Isle its summer home.

    She says she misses the “ma and pa shops and everyone knowing who you are,” but says there is still pleasure to be found.

    “I would not go to any other place,“ she said.

  • 😋 Settling the boardwalk pizza debate | Down the Shore

    😋 Settling the boardwalk pizza debate | Down the Shore

    Are we even still talking about pizza down the Shore? Just on the Ocean City boardwalk alone, there are so many other intriguing options: lobster rolls, Greek nachos, pierogis, birria tacos, smash burgers, Korean corn dogs, japchae, acai bowls.

    But, like the rhythm of the tides that everyone should be checking before deciding where to put their chairs (see more on that below), the Shore conversation invariably turns to pizza.

    Even on Peacock’s megahit Love Island USA, where Cape May’s Sincere Rhea barely survived a villain edit this summer, he and Philly not-quite girlfriend Melanie Moreno were planning a pizza date for when they’re down the Shore. “Pizza is such a staple on the boardwalk,” muses Melanie in the Sunday finale. “Walking around with a big slice of pizza on the boardwalk,” agrees Sincere. So here we are. Genuinely, as the Islanders say over and over again.

    In Ocean City, where people can, genuinely, be found walking down the boardwalk with whole pies under their arms, I have tried to settled the big debate: Manco’s, Preps, or, new this year, Alex’s? Or is there a wild card?

    The big three feature the ringed sauce that is Ocean City’s signature. I liked my slice this week at Preps better than at a previous outing, so if you like a thicker cheese-forward slice, yet three solid rings of sauce, Preps is for you. I’m no Manco’s hater, and I am typically happy at the Ninth Street counter with a slice and a diet soda, but this time, at 12th Street, I was underwhelmed. Maybe it was just too hot out. Maybe it was that the hose-applied ring of sauce left too much of the slice near the crust sauce-free. Meanwhile, Alex’s, hailing from Roxborough, is a similar style, but crispier. The sauce on my slice was a bit well done. Maybe it had sat in the oven too long? It didn’t sing. I agree with others, including Craig LaBan in this summer’s Shore food review, that Alex’s standout is its smash burger.

    So which is best? My answer: Roma’s!

    The best slice I tried came from this shop in that famous 600 block of the boardwalk, shared with the former home of Wonderland Pier. That was a New York-style slice straight out of my childhood. Tangy, saucy, fresh cheese, just a hint of oil, charred yet foldable. Nicely done, Roma! If a big hotel will keep business humming at Roma, I say reason enough.

    📮 What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten down the Shore? What do you wish there was more of (fresh seafood shacks)? And, OK, what’s your go-to pizza? Let me know what you think by replying to this email and I’ll include your most interesting responses in a future newsletter. And check out LaBan’s full Shore dining report here.

    Have ideas or news tips about the Shore or this newsletter? Send them to me here.

    🌞 It’s heating up again, with a dreaded west wind and some weekend showers in the forecast. (Not to mention some air quality concerns from Canadian wildfires). But you never know.

    — Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg, on instagram @amysrosenberg. 📧 Email me here.)

    Shore talk

    🏀 Jalen Brunson, the de facto mayor of Margate, was photographed outside the Other Lucy Grille near the Elephant with his arm in a sling. This caused an uproar in New York media and beyond.

    🧹 Brunson, meanwhile, was plugging local business Shore Schleppers.

    🏠 This couple wanted to recreate their Shore memories. So they rebuilt a house in Strathmere.

    🛥️ John Kruk and Randy Quaid were named the grand marshals for this year’s Night in Venice boat parade.

    🏚️ Neighbors demand action on a Wildwood abandoned house.

    💃🏻 Thousands danced on Atlantic City’s beach during the 10th anniversary of the BRT Festival, this year featuring Lauryn Hill.

    What to eat/What to do

    🍅 Eat like LaBan: More suggestions from our restaurant critic Craig LaBan, from LBI to Cape May.

    🏈 Vacation like Kelce: Sea Isle and Strathmere make the perfect Philly road trip, says writer Adam Erace.

    🎭 Eye-gore: Go see the musical version of Young Frankenstein at the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven.

    🎹 One of us: Joan Osborne is coming to Cape May as part of the city’s summer music series.

    🖌️ Check out artist Johnny Dreamawake’s new painted electric boxes in A.C.’s Orange Loop neighborhood.

    👩🏽‍🎨 Visit the new MudGirls Studios on Arctic Avenue in Atlantic City. MudGirls is a nonprofit whose mission is “empowering disadvantaged women through the making of functional ceramic art and architectural tiles.”

    Shore snapshot

    Spectacular sunsets are an almost everyday occurrence in Strathmere. Monday, June 29, 2026.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    🧠 Trivia time

    Which two beach towns had boardwalks that were destroyed in the Great Hurricane of 1944 and never rebuilt?

    A. Margate and Ventnor

    B. Beach Haven and Stone Harbor

    C. Ocean City and Margate

    D. Wildwood and Wildwood Crest

    If you think you know the answer, email us here. First one gets a shout out.

    👙 Ask Down the Shore

    Tony Santini asks: I have been doing the Shore my entire life. I still pack an outfit for every day and an outfit for every night. Am I weird? Do other people do this or do they just throw stuff in a suitcase and wear the same things over and over because they are “on vacation down the shore?”

    So this topic came up when I wrote about the Shore’s ultimate beach bum, Bruno Battaglia, who logged countless hours on Ventnor’s Newport Avenue beach and mentioned to me that he does, in fact, notice (and judge) when people wear the same bathing suit day after day.

    But let’s face it, the Shore, not to mention the entire state of New Jersey, is nothing if not casual (just look at those lines to get into happy hour at classy places like Dock’s and the Knife and Fork). So I appreciate Tony’s effort to keep things elevated. But I think the majority is falling into the “throw stuff in a suitcase” camp. Plus, they need room for the sheets the rentals don’t provide down the Shore.

    What do you think? How casual is casual? Should we be planning outfits for every day and night? Can Tony recycle a few shirts? Let me and Tony know what you think!

    Your thoughts on: Tide chair etiquette

    Does an early setup mean nobody can sit in front of you when the tide goes out? What about when the tide is coming in, do you have to go to the back of the line or just scrunch closer and closer? Is it just a free-for-all on a narrow beach? We asked our Shore Line text group (join here!).

    We sit back, and like to have a line of vision to our kids but it never fails that people are gonna sit in front of you but I feel like that’s just the nature of the beast.

    Ok to sit in front of others as long as you are willing to move behind others as the tide rolls in.

    We try to get the sweet spot of finding the closest possible high tide placement that way we never have to move and those that grabbed the low tide real estate either head out with the incoming tide or relocate behind us.

    Tide clock is a must.

    I always try to put my chair where I won’t blocking anyone’s view of the ocean. I would hope others would do the same for me.

    Send us your thoughts here.

    Your Shore memory

    Donald Haskin shared this Atlantic City memory:

    My favorite memories come from working as a teenager for my grandfather, Lou Segal, at his North Carolina Ave. parking lot, just down the street from the Chalfont Haddon Hall: Lou, stout and ruddy-cheeked, deploying his incredible people skills on customers, friends and fellow merchants; Uncle Sid’s artistic talents displayed in his incomparable pencil-drawings on the interior walls of the shanty; Ray Martain, the perpetual prognosticator who regaled everyone with his mispronounced “trassic” [traffic] predictions; pre-dawn SOS breakfasts at Frank Burns’ Flying Dutchman on South Carolina Ave. and lunch runs to Kornblau’s on Pacific Ave. for their juicy corned-beef sandwiches. But the topper was the fleet of gleaming white Oldsmobile convertibles racing back and forth across the city during “Pageant Week.” Their annual arrival meant that Grandpop could raise the price for parking from $2.50 to $5.00!

    Send us your Shore memory! In 200 words, tell us how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space during the summer.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • 🍦 Is waiting in line the point? | Down the Shore

    🍦 Is waiting in line the point? | Down the Shore

    Here we are, Fourth of July in the rearview mirror. Hang on, make those beach plans because it’ll be Labor Day before you know it.

    It was a long holiday weekend that had towns and beaches bursting at the seams (also my house, with guests). But the heat that descended on Philly — and the towns just over the bridge from the Shore — never made it to the beach.

    Nights cooled off for fireworks, and the daytime breezes stayed blissfully cool off the ocean. Sorry if you missed it, but the Shore was mostly just lovely.

    Which I guess made those ridiculous lines you all waited in — for coffee, for doughnuts, for subs, for ice cream — a bit more bearable?

    What is it about being on vacation that makes it tolerable to wait an hour for coffee in Ventnor, for doughnuts in Margate, for ice cream in Stone Harbor?

    We asked our ever-ready group of Shore Line texters (sign up here) about these wild waits, and while some swore they’d never partake, or only go on off-hours, or find a way to circumvent, others made the case that those lines have actually become a sentimental, even enjoyable, part of their Shore journey. Here’s a sampling:

    I’ll wait in a longer line down the shore. It’s tradition and fun to meet people in line.

    It is akin to vacation time. No schedule; fun time. You just want go enjoy and socialize. Standing in line is a part of that experience and considered acceptable for that reason.

    Only for Springer’s Ice Cream or The Lobster House. Hanging out on the wharf waiting for The Lobster House is as much fun as eating at The Lobster House!

    Welcome to summers at the shore. The one thing you can count on is lines at the ice cream establishments. I often kid that, at a certain time on the weekends, an imaginary bell goes off and people rush out to get ice cream. No way around it.

    Standing in line for ice cream is a social event as well as eating the ice cream. Also, the ice cream is usually special.

    There’s just certain things we have to have for tradition’s sake and willing to wait 1-2 times a year.

    OK, if you all say so! Glad you’re enjoying the lines, and so no need for me to share my avoid-the-line secrets!

    📮 What are some essential Shore traditions you have to do no matter how long the wait? What memories or moments stick with you over the years of coming down the Shore? Keep scrolling for one of my essential Shore memories below, recreated this weekend for a new generation. Plus, send me yours here for a chance to be featured in this newsletter!

    Have ideas or news tips about the Shore or this newsletter? Send them to me here.

    ⛅ After a couple of rainy days, some beautiful weather appears to be on the way.

    — Amy S. Rosenberg (Follow me at @amysrosenberg, 📷 on Instagram at @amysrosenberg. 📧 Email me here.)

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Shore talk

    🧓 Atlantic County has joined Cape May County in having more people over 65 than under 18, new census figures show.

    🔉Somers Point Council tabled a proposed ordinance that would have allowed outdoor music past 11 p.m.

    🏄 The coolest people went surfing under the fireworks.

    📱 His dream Shore house popped up on his phone while eating at a Wildwood tavern.

    🏀 Knicks coach Rick Brunson brought the Larry O’Brien championship trophy around to some Margate hot spots, including Tideline and Betty’s.

    🎡 Eustace Mita tells the Cape May County Herald’s Bill Barlow he will be flexible with his hotel plans for Ocean City’s Wonderland Pier site.

    What to eat/What to do

    🐷 North Wildwood is hosting the annual New Jersey State Barbecue Championship & Angelsea Blues Festival.

    😌 Longport’s new Beach Terrace park with a zen garden is open.

    🎙️ The Stylistics will perform in Cape May on Sunday.

    🍴 Craig LaBan has food recs from LBI to Margate. He seemed especially fond of the deep-fried green tomato tots at Ellis’ Chicken & Crab Cakes in Beach Haven and the spicy Oaxacan chorizo meatballs from the newly reopened Iron Room in A.C.

    🧘🏽‍♀️Try free yoga in Atlantic City’s O’Donnell Park.

    🎹 Angeloni’s Club Madrid is hosting Sunday piano bar karaoke with Joe McGinty, former keyboardist for the Psychedelic Furs and Atlantic City native.

    🛟 South Jersey lifeguard races have begun! Here’s a schedule.

    🤫 Travel and Leisure thinks Stone Harbor is a secret and has some recs.

    Shore snapshot

    Elena D’Angelo and Dre Cook, of the Scranton area, dance during the annual Team 62 fundraising event for the Eagles Autism Foundation at the outdoor Paddy’s Green, in Sea Isle City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    🧠 Trivia time

    In 2001, this city’s fireworks over the ocean led to a real show: The barge caught fire and burned out of control for hours, forcing the rescue of seven workers and a cascade of exploding shells.

    Was this city:

    A. Ocean City

    B. Atlantic City

    C. Avalon

    D. Seaside Heights

    If you think you know the answer, click on my pal Brendan Shur’s story from the wee hours of July 5 that year to find out (I went home to put my daughter to bed, what can I say).

    Your thoughts on: Wonderland Pier

    Ocean City’s City Council finally made it official: The old Wonderland Pier site was designated as being in need of rehabilitation. Let the negotiations over the hotel begin!

    Here are your thoughts:

    Bruce Sauerwine: It’s time to move on and build a hotel at the site. Mita proposed a nice looking hotel but some people want to live in the past and pretend that an amusement arcade was still a viable option at this time.

    Kerri McGinley Kistler: There is absolutely no need or justification for Mita’s hotel plan. … “Hey kids, let’s go see the hotel”- said nobody ever!

    Jeremy Maziarz: It is time for the Wonderland Pier to be re-developed. An amusement park use for this property is no longer a viable option. A mixed-use plan including a luxury hotel may actually be the best use for the site. If the height restrictions are an issue, then start the negotiation process with the developer. If he wants zoning relief, then he should offer up significant concessions to Ocean City to make it a win-win scenario.

    Debbie Federico: We love Playland’s Castaway Cove, but it is now too small to accommodate all of the young children, strollers and families that use it. It would be very beneficial to reopen Wonderland.

    Your Shore memory

    This week’s Shore memory is my own.

    For years, I had a toddler bike seat on an old green bike we’d bought for the boardwalk, and loved riding with one of my daughters on the back. I kept that bike seat on for much longer than they used it, sometimes sticking groceries into it. The rides were so special, so much fun, our way to wave to people we knew, pass the years, that I couldn’t bear to remove it, but finally took it off and stashed it in the basement.

    I kept riding that bike though, a Specialized hybrid which was already used in 1995, and extremely used now, decades of sea air rust swirling through it. But let me tell you, that bike has good bones (better not to try to switch gears).

    This past week, we dusted off the old bike seat, replaced the brake cables on the beloved bike, figured out how to replace the missing straps on the seat, and clipped it right there onto the back of the same green bike. And who wriggled happily into it under his new green toddler helmet, ready to do the obligatory “touch the end” at both the Margate and Atlantic City sides of the Boardwalk but my 2-year-old grandson.

    Send us your Shore memory! In 200 words, tell me how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space during the summer.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • His dream Shore house popped up on his phone over lunch at a Wildwood tavern | How I Bought This House

    His dream Shore house popped up on his phone over lunch at a Wildwood tavern | How I Bought This House

    The buyer: Jacob Wilson, 43, attorney.

    The house: An 800-square-foot two-bedroom, 1½-bath bungalow built in 1930 in Wildwood.

    The price: Listed for $444,000; purchased for $441,000.

    The agent: Marion Rowland, ReMax Surfside.

    The ask: Wilson lives in Venice Beach, Calif., but grew up in Wildwood and Atlantic County and missed the East Coast. When he was a toddler, the family lived at the Regency in North Wildwood, where his parents were the offseason managers. “It was around the time The Shining came out, and my aunt used to tease them about living there with my sister and me when the whole of Wildwood was shut down!“ he said.

    Wildwood was in his DNA for good. His dream was to buy a second home in Wildwood, a place with some old Shore charm, where he and the family could gather and revive traditions.

    The search: Wilson’s aunt is a local real estate agent in Wildwood, and they “combed the market for months,” he said.

    He put in an offer on a renovated triplex in Wildwood Crest toward summer’s end in 2024 but was outbid. “It got 12 other offers above the asking price,” Wilson said. “They were asking $575[000] I was willing to pay them $600,000.”

    After a day of house hunting in September 2024, the two sat down for lunch at the Dogtooth Bar & Grill. “We saw a listing two blocks away pop up,” he said. “We drove over to the house and started the process.”

    The appeal: As soon as he walked in the house, Wilson said he thought, “I know what I need to make this good.”

    The house checked a lot of boxes for him: charm, old-school bungalow feel, close to the ocean.

    Jacob Wilson added a dishwasher to the kitchen along with other improvements at his home in Wildwood.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    “My mom’s been a Realtor in the area for 40 years,” he said. “She has a 1900 Victorian. I’ve always admired the work my parents did on that home. My cousin had a Craftsman bungalow. It reminds me of houses here in Venice.”

    Both Wilson and his aunt appreciated being able to buy an original property in Wildwood and not tear it down.

    “I have deep ties to Wildwood,” he said. “I really didn’t want to do that.”

    A house across from his was recently torn down and a triplex built in its place. Plus, his house has a backyard.

    “That just doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “In the offseason, I can hear the waves from my backyard.”

    The deal: Wilson said he put in an offer for the asking price and beat two other offers. “The house sold in three days,” he said. The inspection revealed some termite damage, and the seller reduced the price by $3,000, he said.

    “The work to remedy the problem was estimated to be over $10,000,” he said, “and it cost me around $15,000 altogether with foundation work and pest treatment.”

    Because of the competitive environment, he said, “I took the $3,000 reduction to make the sale happen.”

    Jacob Wilson wanted his Wildwood property to feel “like a modern beach house” and was happy that the previous owners had redone the floors with light gray planks. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    His aunt was proud of him for buying and preserving a house in Wildwood, he said, the place where two of his grandparents were born.

    The money: Wilson did it in a traditional way: 20% down payment, a mortgage with the local Ocean First Bank. “Kudos to Ocean First,” he said. “They don’t sell the mortgage.” His mortgage rate was 7%, higher due to its being an investment property, he said.

    Using the property part of the summer as a weekly rental and a longer-term winter rental covers his mortgage, he said. “I don’t really have too many out-of-pocket expenses,” he said. “Taxes are $4,000 a year. Utility bills a few hundred a month.”

    The move: There were some changes. He liked the way the former owners used gray plank boards to replace the original parquet wood that made it “more like a modern beach house.”

    But, Wilson said, “some things inside were a little too country.”

    “I wanted to make it more beachy,” he said. There was shelving in the doorways that he got rid of, and some closets that inexplicably had the doors removed and curtains put up. Luckily, he found the original doors in the attic and put them back on. He replaced the door knobs and repainted the entire interior.

    “The big thing that showed up was termite damage,” he said. “I had to do a lot of foundation work when I bought the place.” He replaced the old insulation with spray insulation, he said, and installed a dishwasher and new refrigerator.

    “A lot of things like that to make it look sharp,” he said.

    A cozy bedroom in the Wildwood bungalow. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    Life after close: This will be his second summer using the Wildwood bungalow. He’s spending a month there over June and July and expecting a stream of visitors to revive old family traditions. He plans to block out more time for himself in the shoulder seasons.

    “It’s all kind of like nostalgia for me because we spent so much time there as a kid,” he said.

    “I had a lot of strong feelings about going back,” he said. “As an adult, I appreciate it more.”

    About six months after he bought the house, “Someone called me and asked if I was interested in selling it,” he said. No way.

    “Keeping it long term is my goal,” he said. “I feel like I made a good investment choice. No regrets.”

    Did you recently buy a home in the Philadelphia area or South Jersey? Share the story of how you did it. Email Inquirer real estate reporters at properties@inquirer.com.

  • Ocean City Council moved forward on a plan to build a luxury hotel at the old Wonderland Pier site

    Ocean City Council moved forward on a plan to build a luxury hotel at the old Wonderland Pier site

    OCEAN CITY, N.J. — The proposal to build a luxury hotel on the site of the closed Gillian’s Wonderland Pier on Ocean City’s Boardwalk got a long-sought boost Thursday, 6/25.

    The City Council voted 5-2 to declare the site at 600 Boardwalk “in need of rehabilitation,” a designation sought by developer Eustace Mita.

    Council will now begin a process of negotiating with Mita over what ultimately gets built on the property, which for decades attracted families to its rides and arcades.

    Reached by text message, Mita called the action a “great vote for the populace of Ocean City ! A win for progress in the future of America’s greatest family resort.”

    He added, “But this is only the first step in the process.”

    Mita has proposed a seven-story luxury hotel, but a committee appointed by council to study the property suggested that a smaller hotel might be more suitable.

    Council member Dave Winslow, originally opposed to the designation, said he now saw the rehabilitation designation as a way for the City Council to have more input in what ends up being built.

    “There’s an urgency to restore the north end of the Boardwalk to its former glory,” Winslow said. “The designation gives zero approval to build anything. It puts the future development of the property in the hands of this governing body to make decisions on scope.”

    Council President Terry Crowley Jr. also stressed that the designation was the beginning of a process. He said the council would be mindful of the conclusions of a Boardwalk committee that urged the smaller footprint with public entertainment along the Boardwalk, and which would be mindful of neighbors.

    “We want a state-of-the-art product at that end of the Boardwalk,” he said.

    The nearly three-hour meeting included numerous residents speaking against the resolution, suggesting there might be legal action taken if council passed it, and urging them to wait until July when a newly elected anti-hotel council member, Jim Kelly, will be sworn in.

    A rendering of the proposed new Icona in Wonderland Resort, which is proposed to be built on the site of the old Wonderland Pier. The proposal for a 252-room resort includes saving the iconic Ferris wheel and carousel.Courtesy Icona Resorts

    The meeting was moved to the city’s Music Pier to accommodate the number of people, and turned heated at times.

    Several speakers asked that several council members recuse themselves, accusing them of conflict of interests. Others said declaring Boardwalk frontage in need of rehabilitation in a wealthy beach town was illogical.

    “The rehabilitation designation was created to help struggling deteriorated communities revitalize themselves,” said resident Dave Hayes, during public comment. “It was never meant to apply to expensive beachfront properties so wealthy developers like Eustace Mita could further increase their profits.”

    Numerous business owners on the Boardwalk and elsewhere in town urged the council to move forward on the project.

    “It’s been the better part of a year,” said Caitlin Quirk, president of the Downtown Merchants Association. “You’ve done your due diligence. You’ve done your homework.”

    While neighbors argued the hotel idea was not in keeping with the family entertainment of the Boardwalk, business owners said the entire economic viability of the boardwalk was at stake.

    Mark Raab, whose family owns numerous Boardwalk properties, said one of the stores near the closed Wonderland has no tenant this summer and is boarded up.

    “Next year, it’s even dimmer,” he said. “We have five storefronts up for lease, two definitely not coming back. This is a crossroads that we are enduring. Thousands of people are going to walk by that boarded-up store and wonder why. We are out of time.”

    Council member Jody Levchuk, who runs Jilly’s Arcade on the Boardwalk, said all the planning reports point to “the demise of the north end of the Boardwalk” if action wasn’t taken.

    Mita, who has proposed back in November 2024 turning the property into Icona in Wonderland, had sought the designation initially as a way to fast track his hotel idea.

    That did not happen.

    In January, the city’s planning board deadlocked on whether to recommend declaring the site in need of rehabilitation and sent it back to Council.

    Mita in the meantime moved on to other projects, including a “Soul Sanctuary” Catholic retreat in Ireland on the former grounds of a notorious abbey.

    The future of Wonderland has generated protracted and heated debate in the Shore town, with residents initially vowing to save Wonderland and later arguing that “big hotel” would be a “big mistake.”

    While some cling to the idea that an amusement park could still be opened there, most opponents have tried to argue that Mita’s proposal is too big for the site, would compromise nearby residential neighborhoods, and is not in keeping with the Boardwalk town’s family vibe and need for family entertainment.

    How big the hotel will be remains a topic to be negotiated now between the city and Mita, who bought the land from Mayor Jay Gillian and initially leased it back to him to continue to run Wonderland.

    Gillian made the decision to close the 65-year-old institution in October 2024, saying it was no longer financially viable. He declared personal bankruptcy this year, in part from failed business ventures. Voters elected him to a fifth term in May.

    Council member Tony Polcini said his yes vote was “to give hope to the people that work hard,” in seasonal businesses.

    “The beach and the Boardwalk are a part of our livelihood and why our homes are worth so much,” he said. “I really truly feel that moving this process forward to a yes will allow us to negotiate and do what is best for Ocean City.”

    Voting no were council members Keith Hartzell and Sean Barnes, who said the regular zoning and planning process would be a better way to move forward.

  • 🎠 Ocean City nears decision time | Down the Shore

    🎠 Ocean City nears decision time | Down the Shore

    It may finally be decision time in Ocean City for the site of the former Wonderland Pier at 600 Boardwalk. It’s been nearly two years since the beloved amusement park owned by Mayor Jay Gillian shut down.

    Eustace Mita, the developer who proposed a luxury hotel with a seashore theme anchored by Gillian’s old carousel and Ferris wheel and maybe a kiddie ride or two, told me he’s in the dark about what will happen. The Icona developer has turned his attention to other things lately, he says, like building a Soul Sanctuary Catholic retreat on the grounds of a once-notorious abbey in County Cavan, Ireland.

    Closer to home, Ocean City’s City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday evening on whether to designate the Wonderland site is in need of rehabilitation, a designation Mita has been seeking that would then allow a negotiation with Council over zoning and other matters (the Boardwalk is not zoned for a hotel).

    The council hired a planner to come up with a report, which pretty much said what an earlier report said: that there is justification for such a designation “to prevent further underutilization and deterioration of the Property and to encourage redevelopment of the Property.”

    The city’s planning board in January deadlocked on a recommendation and punted the topic back to Council.

    There are a lot of strong feelings about this in town, though the Save Wonderland movement seems to have resigned itself to the idea that an amusement park is probably no longer in the site’s future.

    Council is expecting a big crowd and has moved the 6 p.m. meeting to the City’s Music Pier. Stay tuned.

    📮 Is it time for Ocean City to move ahead with the hotel plan at 600 Boardwalk? Is it time for another idea? Let me know what you think by replying to this email.

    Have ideas or news tips about the Shore or this newsletter? Send them to me here.

    🌤️ It’s quite lovely out there. Hope it lasts. The recent spate of land breeze days that left the beach a bit suffocating and ocean water temps plunging was not that great.

    — Amy S. Rosenberg (Find me at @amysrosenberg. 📷 Follow me on Insta at @amysrosenberg. 📧 Email me here.)

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Shore talk

    🚲 New Jersey says it is now taking appointments for people to get their e-bikes registered, as a new law requires (though not of Pennsylvanians). Read more about the confusing law here.

    🚨 An Atlantic City police officer who was shot in the femoral artery, then saved during surgery at the city’s emergency room, was released from the hospital as hundreds gathered.

    👰‍♀️ Taylor Swift may have other ideas than Sea Isle City for Jason and Kylie Kelce over July 4 weekend.

    🐢 Diamondback terrapins are trying to find suitable nesting spots and are crossing busy Shore roads, especially causeways and blocks near the bay. Please watch out for them!

    🤍 A plane took off from Ocean City’s airport and crashed on its way back to Maryland, killing its three occupants.

    👑 Egg Harbor Township wrestling alum and Preps Pizza employee Kylie Wright was crowned Miss New Jersey.

    🏀 Margate’s favorite basketball superstar, Jalen Brunson, celebrated Father’s Day with brunch at Steve & Cookie’s. His wife, Ali Marks Brunson, is teaching (sold-out) workout classes in Ocean City.

    What to eat/What to do

    🎡 Go to a pretend Shore Boardwalk at Six Flags.

    🏁 Watch Atlantic City’s offshore powerboat high-speed Grand Prix.

    📖 Read Brother Epistles, by Shore resident Shanda McManus, a memoir of her brother’s Christmas Eve 1992 shooting death in Philly. McManus talks here about holding joy and grief on the same page.

    🫐 Savor South Jersey’s amazing blueberries here.

    ✈️ Fly direct from Atlantic City to Vero Beach on newly announced flights from Breeze Airways.

    🍗 Check out the new New Jersey Black Heritage Trail marker commemorating Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, and the city’s new Black Cultural Heritage Tour.

    🏖️ Spend a perfect weekend on 7 Mile Island.

    🇺🇸 Indulge in a Mino’s Bakery strawberry shortcake (red, white) and the iconic blueberry pie (blue) at Ventnor’s 7311 and get ready for fireworks.

    Shore snapshot

    From left: Lifeguards Kyle Satt, Gavin Mogck, and Paul Connor patrol the beach in rainy and foggy conditions on Memorial Day 2026 in Cape May.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    🧠 Trivia time

    The pizza magnate whose family owns half of Ocean Casino is now buying the entire pie, and will be sole owner of one of Atlantic City’s most successful casinos.

    Which pizza company is it?

    A. Lorenzo’s

    B. Domino’s

    C. Tony’s Baltimore Grill

    D. Little Caesars

    If you think you know the answer, click on this story to find out.

    Ask Down the Shore: Avoiding traffic

    A reader wrote: “Friday used to be the heavy traffic day from Philadelphia to the shore on the Expressway. Now the congestion seems to start as early as noon on Thursday and continues straight through Friday night.”

    We turned to our Shore Line group chat (join us here!) and asked: Which is the best window to drive to the Shore?

    Here are some replies:

    • I go down, believe best time is at 5:30-6 am or after 7 on Friday, still light out at both times, don’t like to drive when dark.
    • Here’s my solution to avoiding heavy traffic to and from the shore. Go down on Wednesday before MDW and come back on Wednesday after LDW (it helps to be retired!).
    • I work in Center City so I leave after work on Friday’s typically. Hit the road around 5:30, use Ben Franklin. Then on the way to the AC, 42 is a parking lot! Anymore, I’m thinking early morning Thursday or Friday before 8 a.m.? Just a guess.
    • No window is better than another — I gave up and moved to the shore.

    Have another Shore dilemma? Or an opinion on traffic? Let us know what you think by replying to this email.

    Your Shore memory

    I’ve been talking to a lot of people about changes in Sea Isle City for an upcoming story, and Diana Dougherty shared these reminiscences of the old days:

    My husband was an altar boy at St. Joe’s. When we got married, we started renting for a couple weeks every year with in-laws, wonderful times, low key restaurants, crowds not as bad, felt safe, no issue with teenagers. Now it’s all changed in maybe last 20-25 years. We finally build our own house in 1985. It looks like a tiny house to what is now. Miss my beloved place, but will never sell and just redid inside.

    Send us your Shore memory in 200 words! Tell us how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space during the summer.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • Hillary Bor closed Philly’s Pumpkin BYOB in 2024 and moved down the Shore. Now, she’s selling hot dogs.

    Hillary Bor closed Philly’s Pumpkin BYOB in 2024 and moved down the Shore. Now, she’s selling hot dogs.

    MARGATE, N.J. — Hillary Bor had had enough of running the acclaimed Pumpkin BYOB in Philly after two decades.

    Around the time Pumpkin closed in 2024, she uprooted her life and moved to the Shore full time. Also around this time, she fell in love with Tim Nedzwecky, whom she met through their respective white pit bulls, Piggy and Loki.

    They hadn’t planned to launch a food venture, but when Scott Bonar, of Scott’s Dock on the bay in Margate, talked about wanting a food option, the pieces fell together.

    Dogs. The Shore. A view.

    Thus was born Dock Dogs (hot dogs with a view), a permanent fixture next to Scott’s Dock, with a complimentary lovely sunset over the bay.

    Tim Nedzwecky and Hillary Bor, the former owner of Pumpkin BYOB in Philadelphia, opened Dock Dogs on the bay in Margate.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    “We wanted to do something together,” Bor said. “He asked us, ‘You guys want to do food?’”

    Hot dog stands have a history in Margate. There’s Junior’s nearby and the old Lenny’s, famous for its pepper hash, which was set up back in the 1960s and 1970s near Lucy the Elephant. Now, Dock Dogs has started carrying — by popular demand — the pepper hash from the original Lenny’s outside Philadelphia.

    But does running a hot dog cart, even one with a beautiful view, offer fulfillment after owning Pumpkin BYOB with its elevated cuisine and prime South Street Graduate Hospital location, for 20 years?

    Bor does not hesitate to answer.

    “This is so fulfilling,” said Bor, who rides a bike everywhere and still doesn’t own a car. Plus, “I get to be with my soulmate. I get to be with wonderful people to work with. We get to be on the water.”

    “It’s a dream come true,” said Nedzwecky.

    Tim Nedzwecky and Hillary Bor at their hot dog stand on the bay in Margate, Docks Dogs. Bor is the former owner of Pumpkin BYOB in Philadelphia, which closed in 2024.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    Dock Dogs has a menu item in memory of Scott’s mother, Robin, a familiar face around the marina, who died in 2021: Robin’s Reuben with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. ($12).

    The Windy Dog with mustard, relish, onions, peppers, pickles, celery salt, tomatoes, and a side of Lenny’s pepper hash, at Dock Dogs in Margate, opened by Hillary Bor, the former owner of Pumpkin BYOB in Philadelphia, and partner Tim Nedzwecky.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    All hot dogs are Hebrew National and served on Martin’s potato rolls with kettle chips, pickles, and coleslaw.

    There’s chicken and egg salad options (no hot dog) as well, and the Keeper, a crab cake shaped like a hot dog ($22). The Captain’s Choice ($14) has bacon, barbecue sauce, and cheddar and a “simple sailor” hotdog with choice of ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, and sriracha is $10.

    They’re hoping people come for the food as well as the vibe. Mondays are for families, with face painting and other kid-friendly activities out back, where picnic tables line the docks. You can come by boat. Wednesdays feature a house band.

    There’s also a “Hook the hot dog” game that carries a prize.

    The response has been enthusiastic.

    “Saturday night, the vibe here, it was so special,” said Nedzwecky. “Everybody, the kids, were dancing.”

    “We were looking at each other like, ‘Oh my God it’s amazing.’, ” said Bor.

    “It makes us really happy,” said Nedzwecky. “People are saying this is exactly what this area needed.”

  • New Jersey’s new e-bike law is causing confusion down the Shore. Pennsylvanians are exempt.

    New Jersey’s new e-bike law is causing confusion down the Shore. Pennsylvanians are exempt.

    VENTNOR, N.J. — The e-bike revolution will not be coming to Ventnor’s famously chaotic boardwalk. The city banned motorized bicycles decades ago, and raised the penalties in 2023, citing dangers from the speeds and heavier bicycles.

    Ocean City tried doing the same in 2024, but reversed course on the lowest speed e-bikes after an outcry, particularly from seniors who have grown to cherish the electric bikes that take them farther and faster, and against the wind without breaking a sweat.

    Wildwood allows them but has a 10 mph speed limit for any vehicle. Atlantic City prohibits them.

    But while boardwalk rules vary, the state’s e-bike law, passed in January with a grace period through July 19, requires New Jerseyans with e-bikes to register them and, in some cases, purchase insurance.

    The law was adopted amid a sense of urgency after a 13-year-old Scotch Plains boy on an electric bike was killed in a collision with a landscaping truck. Earlier this month, Chase Sudano, 16, a rising wrestling star at St. Augustine Prep, was killed after he collided with a UPS delivery truck in Southhampton, Burlington County.

    Community mourns 16-year-old killed in e-bike crash

    The law defines two classes of e-bikes: low-speed, where the motor assists only while pedaling and shuts off when the bicycles reaches 20 miles per hour, and a motorized bicycle that is throttle-capable of assisted speeds up to 28 miles per hour.

    All users of both categories must have a permit or driver’s license and wear helmets. Nobody under 15 can ride one at all.

    ‘It’s a mess’

    So far, there is no way to actually comply. The state’s own Motor Vehicle Commission website has no way to register an e-bike. The state now says it will begin taking appointments only after the grace period ends.

    Scott Chambers, owner of Zippy’s Bikes in Wildwood, says the new e-bike law in New Jersey “is a mess,” with no way for people to comply with registration requirements, and confusion over other issues.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    “It’s a mess,” said Scott Chambers, owner of Zippy’s Bikes in Wildwood. “It’s so overwhelming because they created this law, I don’t want to say haphazardly, but they rushed it.”

    Crawford said his customers are reluctant to buy an e-bike until they know they can ride it in compliance with the law.

    He says the law doesn’t mention e-tricycles, so it’s not clear where those might fall. (The state now says the law does not apply to e-tricycles.)

    In Ventnor, there’s a big electronic sign on Atlantic Avenue alerting people to the new law’s helmet, insurance, and registration requirements. A new sign was added to the Boardwalk itself, highlighting two prohibited categories: e-bikes and dogs.

    Ventnor police Lt. Bryan Gaviria says the department will have its hands full, educating and, at some point, enforcing the new e-bike law.

    But first, he said, they need some answers themselves.

    “We’re absolutely waiting for clarity all around,” he said, adding that the city’s bicycle officers are choosing to ride on non-electric bikes because they don’t want to be out of compliance themselves, and they don’t want to be on e-bikes while enforcing an e-bike ban.

    Ventnor installed this sign on the Boardwalk warning that electric bikes were prohibited (as well as dogs). The state’s new e-bike law goes into effect July 19, but Pennsylvanians will not be required to register their e-bikes while in New Jersey, the state says.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    Waiting on the state

    The state recently clarified some of the issues that were causing confusion.

    William Connolly, the press secretary for the N.J. Motor Vehicle Commission, says the MVC will begin offering appointments for e-bike licensing and registration in July. The law’s grace period ends July 19.

    “We will be making an announcement later this month about when appointments will become available, along with offering newly updated resources and step-by-step guidance for e-bike licensing and registration,” he said.

    He said the delay was due to the “extensive IT upgrades” required for new licensing and registration systems, educational resources and testing procedures, not to mention buying new materials such as “specialized license plate stickers,” that will have to be displayed on the registered bikes.

    “We are establishing a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive process for e-bikes,” he said.

    Ventnor installed this electronic sign on Atlantic Avenue to educate people about the state’s new e-bike law. Pennsylvanians will not be required to register their e-bikes while in New Jersey, the state says.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    Connolly said there is one category of e-bikes that will not require insurance, though they will still require registration: the lowest speed e-bikes.

    “These are the low-speed e-bikes with a motor that provide pedal assist only when the rider is pedaling and cease to provide assistance when the e-bike reaches 20 mph,” he said.

    So what if you’re visiting the Shore and bring an e-bike?

    Connolly said: “E-bike registration through the New Jersey MVC is only available to New Jersey residents.” Meaning, Pennsylvanians can bring their bikes and use them without registering them.

    But bicycle advocates say the law is confusing, because it also states that any bike must display a sticker showing that it is registered.

    While the law was prompted by a series of crashes, and particularly by the ubiquitous use by teenagers, it has been seniors that have taken to the e-bikes and urged towns to let them ride on their boardwalks.

    Annamarie, 70, and Mike Carr, 71, of Ventnor are best known for the Jagielky’s candy shops they own, but it’s e-bikes that have become their passion.

    Loading their bikes back onto their truck in Ocean City, where they began and ended a bike ride around various bridges, Mike Carr said he’d be sure to wear a helmet, because he believes that will be the thing that officers will focus in on in the beginning.

    Annamarie said, “Sure we’re upset,” about not being able to ride on Ventnor’s boardwalk, but they recognize the risks from people going too fast, particularly on electric scooters.

    E-bikes have allowed the couple to go on numerous bike rides a week, for upward of 30 or more miles. They’d never do that on a regular bike.

    “We parked here, we went the whole length of the boardwalk, we went down to 29th Street, we went back to Haven Avenue, came back and went over the bridge to go see the birds,” Mike said, describing the couple’s route that day.

    With the e-bikes, they don’t have to worry about the wind, he said. The couple will typically go 13 miles an hour.

    They are hooked on the freedom, distance, and exhilaration that e-bikes have given them, even as they passed 70. They ride all over the bridges of the barrier islands.

    Mike’s got some of his regular routes timed so that he can get over the bridge without getting a red light and without automobile traffic catching him from behind. “When we’re going into Longport, you turn around, you look at the light. When it’s red, you have four minutes to get over. You hit the throttle and you go as fast as you can.”

    He said they’ll try to register the bicycles and comply with the law, once they’re able to:

    “I’ll have to wear a helmet because I’m guessing they’ll look for the guys with no helmet, pull them over.”

    E-bike riders can sign up for direct updates from MVC here.