Thank you, Ocean City, for a wonderful month. After years of talking about it, my husband and I decided to spend July at the Shore. We rented the top floor of a duplex. The first two weeks, we shared the apartment with my brother and sister-in-law. The second two weeks, friends joined us.
We did all the things we had talked about all winter: bike rides in the morning, afternoons on the beach, day trips to Atlantic City, Cape May and Rehoboth, and walks on the boardwalk at night.
What was my favorite part? Living across the street from the Ocean City Community Center, which, among other things, houses the wonderful Ocean City Free Public Library. For just $10 for a year's membership, I had access to hundreds of books. Summer is my time to read all the books I've wanted to but don't have time for the rest of the year. And read I did - 12 books in four weeks.
I will continue to read at home, but somehow having to drive to my local library just won't be as special as having it right across the street.
Susan Albert
Bensalem
A midweek break
I've perfected the four-hour Shore tour to Ocean Grove. If the weather is nice on a Wednesday, I leave my home at 4:45 p.m. and arrive after the beach-tag inspectors have left at 5:30. I chose Wednesdays because on the weekends traffic is bad and the beach is more crowded.
With my boogie board, I swim and catch the waves until 6:30. After a shower and towel-down, I fly my shark-shaped kite and two delta kites, if the wind is right. At 7:30, I get my fold-up bicycle out of the trunk. With its 16-inch wheels and extended handle bars and seat, my Dahon bike is an attention-grabber. The quaint streets and homes make for a pleasant ride. I watch the sunset at Fletcher Lake and/or listen to the band at the boardwalk pavilion. Finally, I leave around 9:30 and congratulate myself all the way home for squeezing a whole day at the Shore into four hours.
Halfway home, I sometimes stop at White Castle and get two sliders (hamburgers) and a small fries to remember my fast-food childhood days. I still get home by 10:30, just in time to see a rerun of Cheers.
Glen Key Dalessandro
Hightstown, N.J.
