Wanna Go Down-a-Shore?
We have had monsoon-like rain in Jersey today, and the weekend promises to be just as bad. That’s no reason why you can’t take a flash-photo trip to the Jersey Shore, courtesy of National Geographic. Amy Toensing, a professional photographer, took her camera Down the Shore and created a photo essay, complete with narration. It is called, “Sights and Sounds – Greetings from the Jersey Shore.â€
Ms. Toensing (who’s photos are excellent, at least to my untrained eye) places a bit too much emphasis on the gritty spots (e.g. the Seaside Heights Boardwalk), which make up a small part of the 120+ miles of beach in the state. However, having said that, “Seaside†is a place well known to virtually every Garden Stater. In addition, it is colorful as hell and, therefore, it makes for good photos. When I was a boy, it was the place to go for vacation. And, I might add that there is nothing quite like eating an Italian sausage sandwich (with peppers and onions) with a cold beer on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk.
She also has a segment on the “Surf Club,†a well-known beachfront saloon that has been there forever. Suffice it to say that I misspent a good deal of my “yoot†there, getting bleary-eyed. although I never qualified as a “Guido.â€. Hell, my band even got to play there a couple times.
Take a look.
Thanks to Roberto, a Jersey Blogger, of DynamoBuzz, for the link.
Excellent. Now I can tell my friend I HAVE been Down-a-shore.
btw – my favorite part? The transition slides. 😉
Comment by Tammi — July 23, 2004 @ 8:22 pm
It really is a well done piece, I’m surprised nobody else has ever commented about it. The author has a website, http://www.amytoensing.com/, with some good pictures.
I think part of the attraction of the shore is that it’s not all shine and polish like Miami or the Hamptons. It has something for everyone, kids, young single adults, married couples with kids and older people, rich and poor folk. There are the “gritty spots”, but there are plenty of pretty parts too. I guess gritty makes for better photos.
As a teenager in the late 1970’s, Seaside was the place for me. The drinking age was still 18 and there was plenty of that going on. The night clubs weren’t as big as they are now, but there was still good times to be had by all. Never made it to “The Surf Club” but I’ll take your word for it that it was a cool place.
Comment by roberto — July 24, 2004 @ 12:20 pm