Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S p r i n g 2 0 1 7 88 her home near the beach and is not going anywhere. I, by all rights, should be the one to claim the title of "Jersey Girl," being New Jersey bred, if not born. Yet the term was something I rejected for years. As I became more aware of the rest of the nation's impression of New Jersey, and in particular of Jersey Girls, it wasn't something I wanted to embrace, especially as a young woman. New York City residents called us "bridge and tunnelers," a derogatory term for unsophisticated suburbanites. The Sopranos was great entertainment but ultimately immor- al. MTV's Jersey Shore was all about clubbing and cleavage. Was this what my New Jersey identity meant to others? Some of my fellow Jersey natives did move on. Too much traffic, too many malls, too much pollution, too expensive. They settled in Maine and Florida and Nevada and California. Yet I kept finding what I needed within the borders of my home state. It wasn't for lack of growth or ambi- tion. I pursued my career, traveled the world, and broadened my per- spective but always found that for me, home needed to be a place of personal history. And I'm not the only one. Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Debbie Harry, and Jon Stewart could live ANYWHERE in the world, and they live in the same county I do. Both within and beyond those county borders lies a diversity of environ- ments and people that offers endless possibilities for experience. If a sin- gle, cohesive, state identity has been our downfall, then perhaps it is our strength as well. We exist in a small, bubbling melting pot on every level. The geography ranges from coastal to mountainous. The atmosphere from rural to industrial. I can be at Home Depot or the beach or deep in the woods or at a rock concert in fifteen minutes. I have friends who are Mexican, Indian, Dominican, and Chinese. I can get fresh seafood or amazing ethnic food within a few blocks. The traffic is crazy, the pace is hectic, the commercialism abounds. There is an edginess that can destroy you or energize you. But, without a doubt, there's always something new to discover, and usually within a two hour drive. Just last year, I visited the amazing art and gardens at Grounds For Sculpture for the first time (don't know what took me so long) and toured a cranberry bog deep in the Pine Barrens. In over thirty-five years of living here, New Jersey can still surprise me. Naturally, my friends who have left New Jersey now have the unique sort of love/hate relationships one tends to have with an ex. During Sandy, they were nothing but truly concerned and compassionate. Yet on visits home to family, they make fun of pork roll and tanning salons. When Jon Stewart's New Jersey animal rehab farm makes nation- al news, they are again New Jersey proud. I greet these reactions with the undeniable bias of someone who has never left. Who has lived though Sandy. Who still eats pork roll. Who is raising two children in a town where the sunset over the bay every night is so beautiful it makes my heart swell. Who saw a whale off her own beach for the first time in thirty-six summers just last year. Yes, my state can be gritty. And if that scares some people off, or gives us a bad reputation, I have now come to accept that as a good thing. We are crowded enough already. At the mall, appropriately, I saw a T-shirt after Sandy that said "NJ: Only the Strong Survive." And finally, I wasn't embarrassed anymore. With age and wisdom and the confidence they bring, I embraced that Jersey Girl I've always been. Instead, I thought with pride, "Hell, yeah!" u Christine Menapace is a freelance writer and a long time contributor to this maga- zine. She lives in Keyport. HOME PORT NEW JOISEE, continued from page 98 Asbury Park Words!, 612 Cookman Ave. Barnegat Light North End Trilogy, 506 Broadway Wildflowers By The Lighthouse, 410 Broadway Bay Head Bay Head Cheese Shop, 91 Bridge Ave. The Jolly Tar, 56 Bridge Ave. Beach Haven The Bywatyr Shop, 13001 Long Beach Blvd. Belmar Paperback Exchange, 703 9th Ave. Brant Beach Gifted By The Sea, 6115 Long Beach Blvd., Ste. 2 Brick David Beaton & Sons, 72 Beaton Rd. Cranford Periwinkle's Fine Gifts, 19 North Union Ave. Edison The Blue Colt Bookstore, 2600 Woodbridge Ave. Fair Haven River Road Books, 759 River Rd. Island Heights Ocean County Artists Guild, Ocean & Chestnut Aves. Lavallette Ben Franklin, 1205 Grand Central Ave. Little Silver Little Silver Family Pharmacy, 10 Church St. Manasquan Booktowne, 171 Main St. Jersey Shore Moments, 209 Rt. 71 Mueller's Flowers & Gifts, 245 Hwy. 71 Point Pleasant Borough Butler's Pharmacy, 2301 Bridge Ave. Ergo Clothing, 2138 Bridge Ave Plethora Boutique, 3112 Bridge Ave. Point Pleasant Beach Borden's, 601 Arnold Ave. Beach House Furnishings, 405 Sea Ave. Garden State Yacht Sales, 101 Rt. 35 S. Sarah's Kiddles, 552 Bay Ave. Red Bank Rumson China & Glass, 105 Broad St. Rumson The Rumson Pharmacy, 22 West River Rd. Ship Bottom Things A Drift, 406 Long Beach Blvd. Spring Lake Frederick Galleries, 1405-1 Third Ave. Kate & Company, 1100 Third Ave. PJ's Car Wash Park, 2000 New Jersey Ave. Sweet Pea, 1222 Third Ave. Surf City The Bookworm, 16th Ave. and Long Beach Blvd. Jonathan Law Fine Art Framing, 2001 Long Beach Blvd. Toms River Ocean Cnty. Historical Society Museum, 26 Hadley Ave. Picture Perfect Gallery, 1307 Route 37 East Tuckerton Tuckerton Seaport, 120 East Main St. Wall Township Colfax Pharmacy, 2510 Belmar Blvd. www.amazon.com Barnes & Noble Booksellers www.barnesandnoble.com Beautiful Books Celebrating the Jersey Shore from Jersey Shore Publications Where to Purchase Some stores may not carry all titles. Please call the store for more information.

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