Why Does Seaside Heights Want To Be Something It's Not?

Did you ever have a friend who's hell-bent on changing everything about themselves? They're always on a diet, they color their hair on the regular, they can never decide on an outfit for the big date...I want to tell that friend (let's call her Seaside Heights) that she's great just the way she is. Sometimes being the fun, gritty girl with a story makes her better than great, it makes her perfect just the way she is. Even with that pep talk, Seaside Heights still wants that facelift.

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I get it, we all want to better ourselves. That's why we go to the gym and read self-help books but sprucing things up is very different than changing who we actually are. So, Seaside Heights just revealed that they have $1 million dollars in state funding to do a bit of a makeover. The idea is getting rid of some abandoned buildings etc. Seaside Heights might be able to offer financial assistance to property owners who would like to demolish old buildings which is a good thing. You know, like going to the gym. The borough is now deciding how to spend those funds.

Mayor Anthony Vaz said...

We know we have it, it's in our coffers. Now we are just discussing how to use it.

Like I said, progress is good however, there has been a big push to "restore" Seaside Heights' reputation as a family vacation destination. Personally, I was just at Seaside Heights and I love it (I have been there 4 times this year alone) but it is what it is...a great day trip destination. What is wrong with that?

I love it for my teenager because it is nostalgic, it is exactly where I used to have fun with my friends in high school. If you go early in the evening, the boardwalk is great for my little one too. However, I keep hearing that the borough wants to make Seaside Heights a place where families spend a week...there are other beaches for that and we all know it. So many people blame MTV's Jersey Shore for Seaside Heights not being considered a full-on family vacation destination but that is total BS. Seaside Heights had exactly the same vibe 25 years ago when I was partying there in high school. We can't blame Snooki for everything. By the way, I accept and love it for exactly what it is, just like that cool, gritty, fun friend that I made all my best memories with...

This injection of money can clean it up more, but will it create a more Cape May, quaint feel? I think it will take a lot more than 1 million dollars and a lot more time to accomplish that. This is a great start though...until then, we'll enjoy it for a day trip (lots of them) and love every minute of it.