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at the Jersey Shore by Scott Kern The kids are back in school, Halloween costumes are starting to appear in the malls and football season is just beginning. By the looks of it, autumn is here, but let’s face it - these current 80 degree temperatures and proximity to the beach are calling your name. So, before the stress of the impending holidays, snow forecasts, and end-of-year deadlines stress you out, ditch your weekend chores, grab your beach chairs and revisit the Jersey Shore. There’s nothing quite as special as autumn at the Shore. Local motels and restaurants trying to lure offseason beachcombers often offer discounted rates, while the beach communities eager to extend their ‘summer season’ promote art and music festivals, food events, and cultural weekend gatherings. Beach tags are no longer required and it almost seems like you have the beach all to yourself. The coast is clear. Our beautiful New Jersey beaches located along our state’s 130-mile sandy coastline suddenly exhale. It’s less crowded on the beaches, metered parking becomes easier to find, and making dinner reservations at your favorite beach haunts has become less stressful. The world seems to slow down just a tad and, almost magically, life becomes more manageable at the Shore in the offseason. Our seemingly solitary beach existence this time of the year recharges our souls with the recommended daily requirements of “Vitamin Sea,” which we will need to accumulate in preparation for the impending winter season. Before the kitchen calendar signals our forced hibernation cycle, we are permitted one last stroll on the beach enjoying that uniquely childlike sensation of the sand and surf tingling our bare feet, awakening our endless summer souls, and bringing us a temporary feeling of peace and tranquility to last all winter long. When was the last time you ran away from responsibility for 48 hours? Take my advice, the time is now. Grab your favorite guy or gal, head east toward the Atlantic, and make some special memories at the Jersey Shore this autumn. Borrowing sentiments from another New Jerseyan, the late Frank Sinatra, rediscover your inner self at the Jersey Shore in the September (and October and November) of your years. 48 www.sparkexploreocean.com One day you turn around and it’s summer Next day you turn around and it’s fall And the springs and the winters of a lifetime Whatever happened to them all? “September of My Years” ~ Frank Sinatra When the Coast is Clear Photo by S. Kern Photo by B. Cuthbert


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