Ready Or Not...It's Summer!

Ready or not Memorial Day weekend is here….a three-day stretch which marks the unofficial start of the summer tourism season at the Jersey Shore. In some ways this is often the busiest weekend of the year and you can be sure that roadways will be packed and the beach communities will be jammed. If you’re looking for peace and quiet then you want to remain west of any bridges because the warm temperatures are sure to drive many to the shore towns.

Of course it’s not like it used to be in Ocean County as traffic and congestion are part of our daily lifestyle, 52 weeks a year. There was a time when the summer months meant a huge change from the rest of the year but unless you are along the beach it’s really not all that different any longer. The reason for that is many who came here as summertime visitors have become all-year residents.

The holiday weekend is also the start of benny-bashing for many and that’s an easy thing to do. But as I often say how many of us adults are life-long residents of Ocean County as opposed to those who have re-located here? Fact of the matter is most of you listening were not born here so before you are quick to rip our summer visitors remember that you were probably one of them at some point. Plus it’s tourism that put us on the map and in many cases made this area such a desirable place to live. I say this knowing that I’ll be screaming this weekend when I’m caught in traffic and probably cursing under my breath but remember….do as I say, not as I do.

Even more than usual it seems like Memorial Day snuck up on us this year.
With such poor weather in March and April it feels like spring only came a couple of weeks ago and now temperatures are well into the 80’s, the air conditioners go on and summer is here. However I vow not to complain about heat and humidity because it’s better than snow, sleet and single-digit temperatures. Now we get to talk about the heat index instead of the wind chill and that’s fine by me.