Cristina Kiesel

  Going Down the Shore to  Point Pleasant, New Jersey Point Pleasant Beach If you grew up in New Jersey, you know the phrase “ going down the shore ” is part of our summer vocabulary. The Garden State is lined with wonderful beach towns like  Belmar , Spring Lake , Bradley Beach , each with its own personality. But year after year, we find ourselves drawn back to Point Pleasant, a place that combines everything we love about the Jersey Shore : a beautiful beach, a lively boardwalk, amazing food, and plenty of family fun. Point Pleasant Beach is just a short two hour drive from Monroe, New York .  As Bruce Springsteen once sang, “down the shore everything’s alright.” The Beach and Boardwalk Seagull at the Beach Point Pleasant’s beach is wide, clean, and perfect for soaking up the sun or cooling off in the surf. After a day in the sand, the boardwalk is the heartbeat of town. You can walk its full length all the way to the inlet, where you’ll see the fishing boats ...

Bucket List Adventure: Whale Watching at the Jersey Shore Whale watching has always been high on my bucket list, and this summer, I finally got to check it off in the most unforgettable way. Last year, we had taken a trip out to sea with high hopes but only spotted dolphins (still amazing, but… not quite a whale!). This year, we were feeling lucky — and as it turned out, luck was definitely on our side. We boarded the Jersey Girl , a charming whale-watching boat that departs from Belmar, NJ . We scored a great deal on tickets through Groupon , which made the experience even sweeter. It was a sweltering day — the kind where the heat clings to you and even the ocean breeze feels more like a hairdryer than a fan — but we didn’t care. We were chasing whales. The boat cruised north along the coastline, giving us stunning views of familiar Jersey Shore spots like Asbury Park , Long Branch , and Sandy Hook . The ride took a couple of hours, but anticipation kept us all buzzing. We struck u...