My dad's family used to own a house there, so every other summer or so we'd all descend (Dad + five siblings + spouses + cousins + grandma and grandpa) for a week. It was safe enough that when we were thirteen, my cousin Jay and I were allowed "unsupervised" on the boardwalk as long as we stayed together. (We could not go very far on the boardwalk without running into an adult who was related to us, so we were quite safe, but the impression of freedom was amazing.)
Fun fact: the island on which Ocean City NJ sits is land granted to the city by the Methodist Church. Written into the deed of every piece of property is a stipulation that there will be no alcohol sold or served. (You can bring in your own wine/mixed drinks/beer/whatever for at home, but nowhere in OCNJ can sell it.) This is why there is a massive liquor store on the continental side of each of the bridges leading onto the island.
I honestly think it's also part of why OCNJ is so nice. Like, I am by no means a prohibitionist; my basement is full of wine I've bought on vacation, because that's one of the things we do when we travel. But I think making it a plan-ahead sort of thing creates a limitation/expectation of behavior that honestly benefits everyone.
no subject
Fun fact: the island on which Ocean City NJ sits is land granted to the city by the Methodist Church. Written into the deed of every piece of property is a stipulation that there will be no alcohol sold or served. (You can bring in your own wine/mixed drinks/beer/whatever for at home, but nowhere in OCNJ can sell it.) This is why there is a massive liquor store on the continental side of each of the bridges leading onto the island.
I honestly think it's also part of why OCNJ is so nice. Like, I am by no means a prohibitionist; my basement is full of wine I've bought on vacation, because that's one of the things we do when we travel. But I think making it a plan-ahead sort of thing creates a limitation/expectation of behavior that honestly benefits everyone.