My first time visiting an East Coast beach, Avalon New
Jersey (on Seven Mile Island), exceeded any expectations. First of all, I went
with my fiance and his family who, being from just outside Philly, use to spend
summers there growing up...we were all excited to have everyone there
together and just kick back for a few days in a spacious beach house. I knew
Avalon was 'South Jersey' and not going to be the stereotypical 'Jersey Shore'
experience (Snooky and such) but I had no idea how beautiful and different it
would be than my West coast home. Instead of palm trees, pines trees! White sand
with forested dunes and a windy path leading to the beaches...and just a few
blocks of the island a shoreline fronted by large New England style homes. The
town motto is"Cooler by a mile - printed across the water tower and many
other places throughout town. I loved that there was enough to do, but not *too*
much. Mini golf, a bike ride on beach cruisers and stopping for ice cream was about as much activity
spent in a day....other than walking the beach and drinking wine on our deck overlooking
the ocean. Time moved slowly, and I loved that....along with some one of
the most beautiful sunsets I can remember. There’s
also a boardwalk (we didn't end up exploring) and the option to see Atlantic
City - which we only saw from the distance of the seawall. We were just enjoying 'our' beach so much it was hard to do anything else. The last night we walked down to the water close to midnight, feeling like we were the only two people on earth with no one in sight for miles - just the dark sky, moon, and crashing waves. Someone we stumbled upon the sandcastle we built earlier that day, somewhat still intact....miraculous :)
