| brigantine |
|
|
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Brigantine
is located on a small island, just north of Absecon Island
(Atlantic City). The only way onto the island is to go
through Atlantic City and take Rt 187 (Brigantine Rd).
Brigantine used to extend to 51st Street , but because
of a series of storms and nor'easters, Brigatine now ends
at 14th Street. I’m a beach girl…always was, always will be. From the time I was small, my parents and grandparents hauled me to the shore—stroller, playpen (the wooden kind), and a beach umbrella, all in tow. From Long Beach Island and “all the way to Cape May,” we stayed at them all. I grew up “down the shore,” I went to dances there and was courted there by my then future husband. Eventually, I became the one hauling the stroller, the playpen and the beach umbrella. To say I grew up with sand in my shoes would
be no misnomer. To this day I still love to walk the beach,
particularly as the sun rises in the sky, and sometimes it’s
only me and the seagulls, squawking at my intrusion. But, I
have a secret….there aren’t many beaches left
that will grant you this tranquility, even this early in the
morning. Even now, I can close my eyes and imagine the feel
of the spray off the surf, the warmth of the sun glowing off
the water as it rises in the sky, the sounds, the smells, even
the seagulls, and I’m gone…
The place I’ve pictured in my mind is Brigantine Beach,
just over the bridge from Atlantic City. There’s one
bridge in, the same bridge out, tucked between three towering
casinos--the Borgata, Harrah’s, and Trump Marina. It’s
changed over the years, becoming more populated with year-rounders
and a bulging real estate market, but it still retains that
small seashore-town feel, with small shopping centers, playgrounds,
churches, and convenience stores on the north and south sides
of the island. At one time, anyone that wasn’t born there,
or raised there, was considered a “shoe-bee,” a
name said to be derived from the vacationers who traveled by
train, carrying their lunches in a shoebox. That’s one
story… But whatever the story, you soon discover the
lure of the island. Starting from the north end of the island and
the New Jersey Wildlife Refuge (where all the “greenhead
flies” have been herded), to the seawall for a casual
evening stroll, and continuing on to the south end overlooking
the Atlantic City Inlet and cove, the six-mile beach draws
you toward the towering casinos in the distance.
Four-wheel permits are available all year round on the island,
with beach access making both sport fishing and surfing extremely
popular. Golfing, too, is available at The Links, an 18-hole
course located bayside; golfing with a view and the best playing
greens at the beach. I could go on and on about the pristine
sands, the beautiful sunrises over the water, the sunsets on
the bay, but you get the picture!
|
|||||||||||
