To the Sea: Seaside Heights, NJ

Sand and surf in a colorful spot.

Yes, Seaside is the bustling, sausage-and-pepper/arcade/amusement-pier boardwalk town where the reality show "Jersey Shore" is based. Today they were filming some footage for future episodes, and it turned out this was the day Moey and I took our 16-year-old daughters to the beach. We try for one weekday a year when school ends; we were going to go yesterday, but it was rainy..so today, lo and behold, Snooki & Co., in our midst.

Seaside=polar opposite of Cape Cod National Seashore, with its quiet beauty....but a drink of Atlantic Ocean air just the same. The Seaside cocktail just has a bright pink paper umbrella and three plump cherries in it, while the Cape cooler has a fresh, crisp celery stalk.

Moey's daughter, Laura, an excellent vocalist, sang on the spot [on film] at the Shore Store, where DJ Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio was, and we had two Snooki sightings. I have to confess: I've never watched the show, but I've read about it. I feel like it gives our good state a really bad rap. But now I'm curious, and I want to catch it.

Postcard notes:

• Cost $5 to get on beach. The sea was calm. I liked standing in the surf and napping in the sand.
• The Kohr's custard was good, perfectly swirled on the cone. Didn't taste lardy or fake, like some other frozen custards. My pizza slice was a giant triangle that flopped over the paper plate. Don't think I've seen a slice so big.
• Lots of fried offerings: Oreos, Nutter Butters, pickles and more. Resisted, but interesting to see.
• Fudge looked good but didn't compare to Cape Cod sources [Candy Manor in Chatham and Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans]. The square I had today was somehow floury and gummy, not grainy and buttery, with some sugar crystals, like good Cape Cod fudge.
• Sky ride!!!! Awesome view of the ocean and sunset. We went on about 8 P.M. Good buy, too: $5 round trip, or $3 one way down the boards.
• Pricey: Laura's beach bag was stolen from the sand while the girls wandered, and Moey got a $45 parking ticket because we were a few minutes late getting back to the car. That puts a burn on our day in the sun.

Good night. Wish I could capture sea air in a bottle and keep it in my pocket. I really and truly do.

TCOY

1. Healthy breakfast.
2. Walked back and forth on boardwalk several times, mostly looking for the girls when they were late meeting us, sunning on another part of the beach, lining up @ the Shore Store, etc.