By now we have all been inundated with news and pictures or the horrors of SANDY, devastating the now lazy season of the vibrant Jersey Shore, and of course NYC and other areas of Jersey. It is one thing to see and hear about it on the news and if you haven't ever been there to still feel pity, angst and sadness for all of the affected people and more than 90 fatalities.
It is something way different to be intimately familiar with these areas. I spent almost all of my teen years at the shore on beach block of Seaside Heights. We stayed almost the entire summer, and I have more memories than I can count on from there.
It was a different world although only like an hour or so from our home in Northern NJ. The smell of the wood on the boardwalk and cotton candy, and sausage and pepper sandwiches along with pizza and zeppoles, are so distinctly burned into my memory. The beach, and tanning all day only to go out and drink or maybe get high at night and then sit under the no more existing boardwalk, laughing and acting like teens do.
Even though I think of West Hollywood as my real home, Jersey is my birth home. The shore was what I knew, and I knew it well. I knew every street, was at the famous Jersey Shore house from the MTV hit show many times, and was a regular at their Shore Store. The smell of coconut oil , the seagulls flocking at us as we threw cheeze doodles to them, and me writing BIG FAG on my buddies chest in suntan lotion while he slept , so it was "tan tattooed" on him for a week, are all unforgettable memories for me.
I am still friends with many of these people, some on facebook and others I get to see once in a while when they travel through Cali or I go to Jersey. We remember Fleetwood Mac playing as a backdrop along with disco hits as the new trend. I remember the roller coaster that is now a pile of scrap metal, and the log flume which I think is also crumbled. .
There is way too much to write. I only pray that there once again is a boardwalk and shore for others to enjoy. My dad was a child there, as was I and my siblings. I hope many other generations get to experience the Jersey Shore again. It is a treasure that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. And to my friends in NYC, where I was a teacher for 5 years, I pray that you are safe and sound as soon as can be.
I am grateful though., that although my family is without power, they are all together, have food and have no flood damage. They are sort of trapped as the roads are closed and there is a strict 7 pm curfew. They have been told there will be no power till next Thursday. I text them every day as they have no house phone service, and are charging their cells in the cars. We are in touch daily and that is a good thing.
SANDY YOU SUCK.
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