Belmar

May 18th is my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. I woke up early, squeezed into my wetsuit, and watched the sunrise while surfing waves. I was even fortunate to see a handful of dolphins jumping in and out of the ocean about 50 yards in front of me. Witnessing happy dolphins is special and it was the perfect birthday present! I was at my normal Belmar 20th Ave. surfing spot and it was simply one of those mornings that makes you feel thankful to be living at the Jersey Shore. With that, a HUGE congratulations to Belmar for being nationally recognized by Men's Journal.

Last week, I wrote about a contentious situation between residents of Belmar and town officials over the new parking system that went into effect Saturday, May 1. The new design would force full-time residents to pay to park at their own homes.

Parking at the beach has always been a touchy topic. Whether it's the price or location, rarely is anybody happy. However, I can confidently say the residents of this Jersey Shore town have every right to be steaming over the new parking system and policy.

I don't find great food, great food finds me! I'll explain...

The food is good, the drinks are tasty and the views are phenomenal. This May will mark exactly four years since the grand opening of Marina Grille, which cost the borough of Belmar $6 million to build. When the contract was signed in 2017, Belmar expected to receive $24 million over the 50-year contract. After seeing a huge crowd and personally having a fun Friday night at Marina Grille, I think it's safe to say that $24 million in 50 years is easily attainable.

This is the type of news I love writing about! Earlier this week I wrote about how the Ocean County Fair is getting canceled, but for this article, we can celebrate the "reopening" of a classic Jersey Shore event.

Seeing a whale swimming along the Jersey Shore coast is a remarkable experience. It's something so simple yet It's a life moment you never forget.

If you're familiar with the Belmar/ Avon-By-The-Sea community you know exactly where I took the cover photo. While enjoying a nice boardwalk run, I was able to snag a cool picture at the peak of the Ocean Avenue Shark River Bridge. It's real simple, that bridge will have to go up every single time the direct ferry from New York City comes to town. The question most locals are asking is, "Will the direct ferry from Belmar to NYC even be a thing?"

This is remarkable! Picture yourself kicking back and there's a magnificent smell of vanilla cake wafting throughout your living room. The smell simply never gets old. Not bad, right? Well, it gets even better...

Have you ever been to one of your favorite restaurants and thought "this place could totally be a franchise?" Maybe you're a little greedy and want to keep our best of the best right here at the Shore?