Evolution of a Sunrise: Long Branch, July 1, 2010
On June 25, Laurie and I celebrated our "negative-1 anniversary" -- we are engaged to be married on June 25, 2011. To celebrate, we vacationed in Long Branch, New Jersey, during what was by far the most beautiful week of what turned out to be a very hot summer in the NYC area.
On the surface, Long Branch doesn't sound like much of a vacation; it's barely over an hour outside of the city, and has a reputation for being run-down. But the beach city has had an amazing renaissance over the past decade. From our oceanfront balcony at the overpriced but beautiful Ocean Place Hotel, I took these pictures of the sunrise on our last morning there.
I think these pictures speak for themselves, so for once, I'm going to be quiet and let them do the talking.
Here comes the sun!
(Doo doo doo doo)
Here comes the sun, and I say...
...it's all right.
More pictures from Long Branch:
The totally-out-of-our-price-range price for the Ocean Place Hotel included a beautiful private beach and, our personal favorite, a tiki bar. Neither one of us had ever been to a tiki bar before. (Yes, we are both turning 30 this year.) This one even had a bench swing that we parked ourselves on as we got nice and tipsy.
There was also a pretty outdoor pool, complete with a wayward duck floating in it.
The boardwalk at Long Branch has turned from rags to riches in a remarkably short period of time, now featuring several excellent waterfront restaurants, a bunch of attractive shops, and one of the nicest beaches in New Jersey. It would be amazing if one day, the neglected Staten Island waterfront could look like this.
On the surface, Long Branch doesn't sound like much of a vacation; it's barely over an hour outside of the city, and has a reputation for being run-down. But the beach city has had an amazing renaissance over the past decade. From our oceanfront balcony at the overpriced but beautiful Ocean Place Hotel, I took these pictures of the sunrise on our last morning there.
I think these pictures speak for themselves, so for once, I'm going to be quiet and let them do the talking.
Here comes the sun!
(Doo doo doo doo)
Here comes the sun, and I say...
...it's all right.
More pictures from Long Branch:
The totally-out-of-our-price-range price for the Ocean Place Hotel included a beautiful private beach and, our personal favorite, a tiki bar. Neither one of us had ever been to a tiki bar before. (Yes, we are both turning 30 this year.) This one even had a bench swing that we parked ourselves on as we got nice and tipsy.
There was also a pretty outdoor pool, complete with a wayward duck floating in it.
The boardwalk at Long Branch has turned from rags to riches in a remarkably short period of time, now featuring several excellent waterfront restaurants, a bunch of attractive shops, and one of the nicest beaches in New Jersey. It would be amazing if one day, the neglected Staten Island waterfront could look like this.