A Slice of...the Jersey Shore!

This week we head over to the Jersey Shore. Some of you may know this, and some of you may not, but I am a born and raised Jersey Girl myself, and moved to Arizona a couple of years before high school. A lot of my friends and family still live on the East Coast, and my family and I take a trip that way almost every summer. I LOVE NJ, and some of my best memories are from this often under-appreciated and mis-understood state! I am already counting down to our East Coast trip this summer, and I can't wait for Henry's first trip to Island Beach State Park! Here are a few photos from a great afternoon we had on our last trip:









And here's the lovely Jackie to show us her take on NJ!


I'd like to start out by saying a huge thank you to Danielle for creating these "Slice of" features! I love getting to know people's towns and I hope you enjoy mine!

My name is Jackie and I was born and raised - and am currently living- on the Jersey Shore! Ever since the TV show has come out, us Jersey girls sometimes get a bad rep, but really, the Jersey shore is a place of just about everything you could want. I live in Monmouth County, which is in central New Jersey. One of the greatest things about New Jersey is the vast array of weather we have. We have some of the most gorgeous winters but also some very lovely summers! Monmouth county as so many fun and interesting things to do anytime of the year:


1) The music scene is huge on the Jersey Shore. One of the best places to find great music is the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. It's a tiny venue right on the boardwalk, but it has held concerts for Bruce Springsteen, Ingrid Michaelson, and Jon Bon Jovi. In December, Brandon Flowers of the Killers will play there.

2) One of our favorite places to eat on the shore is a little place called Surf Taco. There's multiple locations in New Jersey, and it has amazing tacos. It's located right near the beach, and the entire place is decorated in bright colors. You can't help but feel happy when eating here.


3) The Grove is a shopping center in Shrewsbury, about 5 miles from the beach. It holds a great little lunch cafe, as well as some smaller boutiques. Of course, what really draws people to the Grove is the Lululemon, Anthropologie, JCrew, and Starbucks. What is unique about it, thought, is that the entire center is outside. Even with it's mass appeal, it is still a go to spot for most teenagers like myself when we want to get some fresh air and do some shopping.


4) Red Bank:

The real star of Monmouth County is Red Bank. This is my favorite town on the Jersey Shore. It has some of the best restaurants, shopping, and scenery in all of New Jersey, in my opinion. If you ever happen to be near the shore, spend an afternoon after the beach just walking around Red Bank. Check out a few of my favorites while you're there!

~ No Ordinary Joe's Cafe is my number one place to eat. It's a charming coffee house that has the best lattes and amazing daily soups. As a vegetarian, it's sometimes hard to find places to eat in small towns, by No Joe's has healthy salad, soup, and sandwich options for vegetarians and meat eaters. It also has amazing artwork, and wonderful baristas!



~ Red Bank's movie theater is unique because it only shows two or three movies at a time- and all of them are indie or foreign. I absolutely love spending a Sunday afternoon seeing a movie that isn't released in all the major movie theaters. Plus, the Red Bank movie theater as the best popcorn you'll ever taste.


~ My favorite place to shop for anything unique is a store called Ten Thousand villages. It's a chain found all over the US, however I love it because it's all fair trade and made by people all over Africa, Central America, and South America.


~ Another place to find unique gifts is Funk and Standard Variety Store. It's perfect for finding funny gifts for your friends, but it also has clothing and accessories. It pretty much has everything you'll ever need and everything you've never seen before.


~Soapmarket is owned by one of the nicest ladies in New Jersey. It's a store dedicated to everything bath related and is perfect because it hosts parties and events all year long. ~ My favorite place to eat dinner is Teak. It's an asian fusion restaurant with some of the best Pad Thai I have ever eaten.


~ After dinner, I always head over to Frozsurt. It's Red Bank's version of Pinkberry!


This is just a little glimpse at some of my favorite places on what us Jersey girls consider Jersey Shore. Really, though, the Jersey Shore has so much more to offer then just this! I hope you enjoyed my peak into Monmouth County!