Ocean City, New Jersey. When you hear someone say it, a flood of memories and emotions rush to you. Maybe this was where you had your first kiss, met your significant other, or even opened up your first small business. Only the people who have been here truly understand the deep love that this north-eastern island holds. A few weeks ago I wrote a quick post “10 Memories of Growing Up in Ocean City, NJ”, but it highlighted the more comical aspects of growing up in OCNJ, rather than the true importance of what it was like growing up or spending the summers coming to this beautiful oasis. Ocean City is an island of firsts; first bike ride, first beach trip, first kiss, first wedding (or maybe a few more). It is the place where we have met some of our favorite people and shared our favorite memories. I hope you can find similarities and reminisce on your own favorite memories while reading this post. Feel free to share this post with your favorite people to spend time with in Ocean City! Like and comment your favorite memories at the bottom of the blog :)
As a child, one of my fondest memories was going to Hoys and buying a cheap puzzle. My brother and I would work on it at random times throughout the summer days and would feel beyond accomplished when we would complete it. On Tuesdays, my family would have family game night, where we would play games such as Uno and Yahtzee. Each week we would go to the Blockbuster off of the 9th street bridge and rent a movie. On weekdays, because the weekends were way too busy, we would walk up to the boardwalk and play a game of mini-golf at Tee Time Golf. After I would beat everyone in my family, we would all share a plate of cheese fries from a place a few doors down. We spent our days at the beach, where I would be beyond excited for when the lifeguards would leave so I could ride my boogie board without having to worry about hitting everyone in my path. We would ride our bikes back to the house, a little sunburnt and sandy, while my parents shouted at my brother and I to clean the sand off of our feet before we went into the house (They still do this). After dinner we would ride our bikes around the Gardens, where there was much less traffic so the only thing we needed to worry about was how beautiful everything was. Every bike ride, we would stop at the dead end of a street near the Longport bridge. We would spend a few minutes there watching the sunset and the bay. These are all my favorite memories of growing up in Ocean City, and I was excited to hear about the memories of those who follow @ocnj.photography about their own experiences!
The Dead End of the street where my family and I bike ride to.
Alexa and her husband went on their first date on the Ocean City boardwalk. They were 15 and 16 at the time, and he asked her to be his girlfriend while they were sitting on the last bench that faces the ocean before you hit the fishing pier. Eleven years later, they are married! They go to Ocean City almost every weekend in the summer and they always go back to “their” bench.
Annie's favorite memories were walking all the way from 7th street to Jilly's Fries just to have the seagulls steal them from the bucket on the walk back down the boardwalk, playing skee ball in Jilly's Arcade for an entire week because of the rainy weather everyday, and running right down the street to get ice cream from Hobby Horse before it closes. Her family has celebrated birthdays and graduations in Ocean City over the years. Above all, Ocean City is where she and her family can find happiness when times get tough.
Ocean City is incredibly special to Ali. Her mother suffered from a stroke and this past summer was the first time in over three years where they could go on vacation for over a day. Their vacation over the summer was the first time since her mother's stroke where everyone could truly let go and relax.
Kelsey has been going to Ocean City since she was around six years old, and a year later, she met her now best friend, Lindsay, on the beach. They became GREAT pen pals and they are still best friends today. While she lives in Colorado and Kelsey lives in Pennsylvania, their bond is still strong. Her mom planned her high school graduation party at Oves on the 4th of July and her family celebrated her grandparents 50th anniversary in Ocean City.
Kelsey and Lindsay
Kelsey and her siblings with their Babci and late Dziadi. (Polish for grandmother and grandfather)
Rory shared her mother's experiences in Ocean City. She has lived in Ocean City since she was a baby. She made amazing friends throughout school and even met her husband in high school. She got married at St. Dominics and started her family all in Ocean City.
Caitlin has been going to Ocean City ever since she was a baby. In September, she will be getting married on the 1st street beach. She met her fiance online, but later discovered the houses that they used to stay in when they were younger actually shared the same alley.
One of the more moving stories is that of Eliz Martin:
"I grew up on the the shores of Ocean City. I first learned to ride a bicycle on the boardwalk. It’s one of my dearest memories. My family moved multiple times when I was young but Ocean City always felt like Home. When I was diagnosed with an aggressive case of multiple sclerosis in 2012, my family and friends looked for something tangible they could do for a disease with no cure. This is when we discovered bike MS: City to Shore, a bicycle ride that went from Cherry Hill, NJ to the finish line in Ocean City. My dad and brothers trained, and we as a team, raised over $10,000 for the MS society. Last minute, even though my legs were failing me, I decided I would ride as well in a recumbent tricycle. Multiple sclerosis took away my ability to walk. And yet, there, on the beaches of the Ocean City shore, I showed MS who was still boss by riding despite the odds. That fearless young girl who learned to ride a bicycle with the salty wind through her hair was back. Life had come full circle."
