Atlantic City
Last Sunday we had an opportunity to walk on the world’s most famous boardwalk: The Atlantic City Boardwalk. (Thanks to Monopoly) And, for a windy day in February, it was very enjoyable. We were staying with my brother and his wife who live just 45 minutes from there. It was their suggestion to spent the day there and a good one.
My history with Atlantic City goes way back. I grew up in Woodbury, NJ which is a bit over an hour from there. My parents took us there for the for the the beach, the boardwalk and to take in some amusements. The big attraction was the Steel Pier which is still standing but under some pretty serious repair. Those visiting the pier, including us, would stand in line to watch a horse with a lady on it dive into the ocean - a practice was stopped in 1978.
In my high school years our New Jersey shore location of choice was Ocean City which was about a half hour below Atlantic City which tended to attract more of the younger crowd. But on occasion, we would drive up to Atlantic City. After moving out of New Jersey we didn’t go back there until the Casinos came in. What a disappointment that was. What should have been the new Las Vegas became a seedy mixture of slums and glitter. But that was then. Today you will find a place that is enjoyable to walk around.
If casinos bother you, don’t go there - they’re everywhere. On our walk we cut through a couple of casinos, but we didn’t stop to play. On the other hand, if you like to shop, this is the place. Every specialty store you can think of is there - and more. There is an uptown area, stores on the boardwalk, on the piers, and in the corridors of the casinos. And, no matter where you go no expenses are spared. We were in one corridor with an outdoor theme and it had a very realistic sky, birds, wind, trees, etc - none if it real. As long as the gamblers keep coming, they can buy anything.
The boardwalk is in good shape. Except for a few dunes and piers, there is an ocean view on one side. The beach is wide and long and there is a temptation to walk out on the sand. We walked onto the beach and found once we were past the dunes, the wind became too much. So our walk stayed along the boardwalk with a few detours through the piers and casinos.
As far as health benefits go our walk ended up being a bit low on the aerobic side, but as far as fresh are and enjoyment it was great. We were able to carry in a few conversations and see some interesting man made and natural scenery. It was a good day.
Filed under: Uncategorized, New Jersey on February 11th, 2008 | No Comments »
As I thought back to when my enjoyment of walking began, I came to the conclusion that it started during my childhood. My favorite walk would take me to a small lake that had formed in the shape of a bell (”Bell” Lake). With a muddy bottom, weeds, etc. it was not a swimming lake. Rather, it was more of an over sized pond providing scenery for nearby residents and recreation for kids. I was between the age of 9 and 12 at the time and I remember Woodbury (N.J.) as a small city with its uptown section connecting to the uptown sections of other cities. It seemed that you could travel across the entire state and stay uptown. But as a child, that was not where the action was. (Not yet.) Bell Lake was in another direction and everything a child would want or need could be found right there. If you weren’t at school, you were at the lake! You could go fishing, ride a raft, cut down trees, hunt turtles, bike ride through the woods, skip rocks, or just hang out. A typical day started early and stopped around dinner time. Here’s some reasons why Bell Lake was special: 
One end of the lake an overflow system formed a small waterfall which flowed into a second basin. On the lake’s other side a stream flowing into the lake. That stream flowed through a pipe large enough to enter. There was water in the pipe but only the bottom. By stretching our legs out above the waterline, we could walk into the pipe. But a walk into the pipe was done reluctantly. It was dark and inhabited by rats as evidenced by the activity just outside the pipe. (Rats Swimming) There were two rules to pipe walking: travel in groups and bring flashlights.It took about 20 minutes to go from beginning to end. The pipe went under a set of apartments and a parking lot then ended at another stream. Except for the flashlight held by the “point man”, most of through of the journey was spent in darkness. There were strange sounds from inside the pipe which we assumed to be rats. Once we came across a couple of bats which offered another explanation for the noises. When we reached the other end, we would take a vote to decide on returning through the pipe or walk around it. On one trip we encountered another group of pipe walkers coming right at us. After some discussion, we figured out how they could climb around us so that neither group had to change directions. As an initiation to Bell Lake, newcomers were challenged to pipe walk with us. 
Bell Lake’s second basin was surrounded by woods. On one side there was a peninsula know as “The Point”. The Point was the best spot to fish and to find turtles. Overgrowth of sticker bushes and vines made getting to The Point tough, but it was worth it. One day buried in the bush we found raft complete with a pole. We gathered our fishing gear and launched the raft. Forgetting about fishing, we traveled to parts of the basin we didn’t even know about. There were no canoes or power boats out there – we had the lake to ourselves! At the end of the day we found a new hiding spot for the raft - after all, the raft was now ours. To our dismay the raft was not there when we returned. After a couple of hours of searching, we found it hidden in another spot. This business of finding the raft, using it, then hiding it continued all summer.There is no doubt that we spent more time walking around looking for the raft than we did riding it.
Most of you know New Jersey. You’ve driven through it after surviving a crossing the George Washington Bridge, or the New Jersey Turnpike. You’ve seen the refineries off of the “Garden State” Parkway. Maybe you been in that sprawl of casinos in Atlantic City, or taken a wrong turn in Trenton, Newark, or Camden. The fact is - everybody has a New Jersey story, and somebody else can top it. But, could it be that not everyone knows the rest of the story. That would be the one about the part of New Jersey’s quiet parts - because seriously, they do exist!
Of all the states, New Jersey has more people per square mile than any other state - over 1,100! Yet with all that population there is a large agricultural area located in the South Central part of the state creating wide open spaces which differentiates it from the rest of the state. New Jersey became known as the Garden State in recognition of the many truck farms that feed residents in New Jersey and nearby states. These farms are among the smallest in the nation but rank among the most valuable in output per acre. But, you have to know where to fine them.
Last weekend we traveled to Pittsgrove Township New Jersey. My brother Howard, his wife Linda, and my nephew Sean live there. Howard works for the Department of Agriculture and travels throughout New Jersey. We arrived Friday night and awoke Saturday morning ready for a walk. It was The Best Walk we had taken in NJ. We walked with Linda and Howard and had conversations that we should have had long before that walk. We saw the scenic part of rural New Jersey that most would not even try to find - but we found it and enjoyed it. We walked along the long farm roads that you would only expect to see in the center of the country - and here we were in New Jersey! Even growing up in New Jersey I was only slightly aware of how quiet and peaceful this area is.
As we walked along we were able to see newly plowed fields, a few cows, fields with new crops sprouting, orchids, and houses with an over supply of acreage, all of which seemed to belong there. We then walked for a while and saw horse riding lessens in progress and a barn that had already stood too long. Again, they seemed to belong there. As we turned up the next street we were then able to see swampy areas that were just the right tough of scenery for our walk and a lake that was dumping the overflow water into a stream. All the things we saw seemed to be in balance.
