Comments on: February 2014 Jersey Shore Trip Pt.2: Ocean Drive

By: DoD3Brian

DoD3Brian — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:45:05 +0000

In reply to Linda. I wish I remember the exact place. It was a couple of blocks south of Casino Pier if I remember correctly, some storefront selling T-shirts and other items...which I guess doesn't help too much as basically every store sells t-shirts and other items. Haha

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 01:53:07 +0000

I am interested in purchasing one of the wheels of chance in Seaside. Do you remember what store was selling them?

By: DoD3Brian

DoD3Brian — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 01:15:26 +0000

In reply to garryg.

Glad you liked the post Gary! Got to say, I really enjoyed your own writeup as well. It’s nice to know that there’s other people that enjoy the shore during the off season. It really has such a different vibe during the winter than during the peak season.

I’ve definitely noticed the changes over the years in Wildwood as well. When my family used to head down there, we’d always do a ride around on the first day to see what was different from the year before. I think three of the motels that we’ve stayed at in the past are gone now (Town & Country, Breezy Corners, and Pink Orchid if I remember correctly.) A lot of them were torn down in a span of a few years for condos which ended up not selling as well as they had hoped thanks to the housing market crash. It’s a shame.

I remember the coaster on Hunts Pier also. It was called Kamikaze and lasted from 1989 to 1991. It was actually relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia and goes by the name Ninja currently. Here’s an on-ride video of it if you ever wanted to take a spin! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIbxlpMBkww

If forgot Seaside had a Turbo. I want to say Wildwood did too at one point, but I’m not entirely sure. That ride does indeed like wild. Kind of reminds me of a sideways Zipper of sorts.

Take care!

By: garryg

garryg — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:30:14 +0000

What a great post! and some wonderful photos. I also found it very enjoyable to visit off season for walks. I started going to Wildwood 2X a year for 5 nights in 1986. Early June from Mon-Thurs at the time still yielded a feeling of desertedness when compared to the seasons height…I continued that until 1994. I made myself a vow that when I got to be a certain size or a certain age going to the beach would become a thing of the past. The size came long before the age did. I did however, return for 2 nights in 2010 sandwiched between a 2 night free stay in AC and and a free stay with a friend and his family at a Cape may house rental.
Wildwood had changed very much. Thank God they started the preservation of the doo wop architecture….so much of it is already gone. I used to love walking around Ocean Ave at night and looking at the different lighting on all those little motels. The Northern end once had many, many tall rooming houses. I stayed at the Maple Leaf
the first 2 years, and then moved on to the immaculately clean and well managed “Heart Of Wildwood” motels for the rest of my stays, which is still ocated at the foot of the southernmost pier. In healthier times I loved long walks, and I would walk north almost up to the lighthouse in Anglesea, and then the next day walk deep down into the crest. These days I don’t walk that much in a month! (gotta change that)
On one trip, I got off the parkway in North Wildwood and discovered the abandoned yet to be torn down houses on the right side of the road that were merely built with the front steps on land and the remainder on pilings in the water in the area known as Grassy Marsh. You could see the wallpaper thru the missing front doors, and I always wondered what great stories had once lived there. I remember when the Seaport shopping pier was just built. The entire area had a very noticeable (dirty diaper) bad pungent odor and there was a sign stating the lumber had been harvested from S. America and it would loose the fragrance over the first season. I remember when they built the massive rollercoaster on the former Hunts Pier….even for Wildwood, that was quite an impressive installation and I was surprised it only lasted a brief period of time. It was on my last trip there in ’94 I realized I was getting old. I was able to handle the Zipper at Seaside after a pint of Southern Comfort at 18, but finishing chewing a Gyro while getting on line for Breakdance was not a good idea at 35. The ride lurched forward and the seat dipped and whipped back, and I knew I was in for at minimum a difficult ride. I managed not to get ugly but got off totally sick! Ocean City seems to be the most traditional and least commercial of the remaining shore amusement areas, and the architecture is wonderful to boot. Seaside Heights was wonderful in the late 60’s to mid 70’s. The Swiss Bob was my favorite ride….it was right in the front on the Casino Pier and very very fast and the operators always gave you the full experience. Later it was moved to the left side of the pier right before the rise to the now missing back section. The 2 seasons that I went when the Turbo was there the ride was out of service both days….pity for me. I saw standing but never moving with my own 2 eyes! Even not moving it looked very devilish and unique…. Please continue with the postings and this site….I find it great fun and applaude your efforts. Thank you!
Garry G / Staten Island NY