I Dig My Toes into the Sand

I'm not particularly a beach person. I get restless doing nothing but sitting out in the sun all day, even when I have good music or a book to keep me company. I can do it every once in a while, but unlike most, I never desire a big day in the sun; I'm perfectly content with there being a couple of years in between my beach visits.

Also, I'm generally disgusted by most things that come out of the ocean, from crabs to jellyfish, so I'm in no rush to immerse myself in them.

That said, I like the environment of the beach. In the middle of an extremely hot summer (much like the one we're having now), the temperature is always cooler by the shore. And while I'm not very good at laying out and baking all day, I do love strolling along the beach—and I mean that in the least maudlin way possible. I love beach houses, too; their simplistic decor makes them all seem so clean and fresh and summery.

I think I'd love to own a house or apartment on the beach some day; I'd be able to enjoy the ocean at dawn and dusk (the best times, if you ask me), take long, non-romantic walks on the beach, and enjoy possessing and furnishing a beach residence. But I wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and full-fledged "beach experience" unless I wanted to. Sounds like a great deal to me.

But I digress.

I spent this past weekend in Ocean City, New Jersey, where I'd never been before—my experience with New Jersey beach towns hadn't extended beyond Long Beach Island (which I love).

While about four hours of Saturday morning and afternoon consisted of the typical beach sit, being in the company of four of my closest friends made it incredibly enjoyable. The weather was perfect, too.

I got some reading done, did a little people watching, and took a nice, lengthy walk along the shoreline (on which I almost stepped on a dead jellyfish).

I did get a sun headache, though, which served as a small reminder as to why I sometimes get annoyed at extended periods of beach time. It was a fantastic afternoon overall, though.

We spent a portion of the following day on the boardwalk, which is similar to just about every other boardwalk out there, but was fun nevertheless.

Ocean City's familial atmosphere is akin to that which is found on LBI, and is the kind of environment I prefer. Yes, sometimes kids can be annoying (we witnessed a particularly horrible mother-son combination outside of one of the Mack and Manco's), but I much prefer hordes of families to the trashy, dirty, and sleazy beaches (and people) that are also prevalent down the New Jersey coastline. Ocean City is also a dry town, which means you're less likely to encounter the partying types, who are probably more comfortable in places such as Seaside (or, incidentally, Ocean City, Maryland).

Ocean City, New Jersey, I like you.