5 Things That Make Ocean County Home

Our prehistoric friend, Virginia, has been perched on Route 9 since 1932, and boy did she have her fair share of beatings. From being hit numerous times by passing vehicles, to withstanding blizzards, and of course standing tall during the infamous Superstorm Sandy, Virgina has seen it all. Unfortunately, Virginia lost her head last year and she has a prosthetic one for now ­ but she's still standing tall greeting Route 9 drivers!

No, this is not an advertisement, this is a public service announcement. If you have never been to Sandcastle Diner, you've never lived. To this day, this is my diner of choice. Located on Route 9, this place is always busy ­ but never too busy to seat you. Not only is the food out of this world (and out pretty quick), but the crew is friendly and funny. 5/5 stars and definitely recommend to all my fellow food lovers.

While the rest of the world has a poor image of Seaside Heights because of the reality television show, "Jersey Shore", let me clear the air: NO! From the iconic rides to the legendary food, and of course the beautiful beaches, no wonder people travel from all parts of the country to come here.

Other than the Yankees, this is my household's favorite baseball team. I remember as a kid flipping out every time my parents would take me out to a ballgame (pun intended). Yankee's hot dogs don't come near to First Energy's hot dogs BY FAR. Not to mention, the coolest mascot in all of the minor leagues, Buster! FYI: You can hear all of the Blueclaws games on shoresportsnetwork.com.

Go Vikings! We are so lucky that we live in a county where you can chuck a brick and hit a college. There are some places where you have to drive hours and hours to get to one. I'm a proud student of OCC and I must say that for a community college, OCC beats the competition with it's pricing, it's diverse courses, and it's absolutely beautiful campus.