I went to Ocean City, New Jersey, with an open mind, trying not to feel pressured by the thousands of people who recently voted it the best beach in New Jersey. Could those constituents be trusted? Were they maritime scholars or did they vote while buzzed on saltwater taffy?
Mission truth
To uncover the truth, I hit the beach and boardwalk of Ocean City, noting the texture of the sand, the prevalence of pizza and the decibel level of laughing, splashing children.
“The public says it prefers Ocean City to the others,'' said Stewart Farrell, director of the Coastal Research Centre at Richard Stockton College in Pomona, New Jersey, an organiser of the recently released survey.
The poll, which ranks the top 10 strands in the state, is run by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium and New Jersey Sea Grant, organisations that research and advance marine and environmental topics.
With 127 miles of beaches trimming Jersey's oceanfront shoreline and more than 40 municipalities on the U-pick list, selecting the winner was not easy. So some academic analysis was incorporated.
To determine the top tier, the officials borrowed some of the criteria created by famed sand-and-sea ranker Stephen Leatherman, who releases an annual list of America's best beaches and combined the results with the people's votes (22,315 total).
Best of both worlds
Besides being named best overall in the online poll, Ocean City took home two wins in the four ancillary categories: day trips and ecotourism.
“As far as the beaches go, Ocean City is a little nicer than Wildwood and less expensive than Cape May,'' said Robert Emmons, a New Jersey resident. “There's always something to occupy the kids: be it the beach in the day, the boardwalk at night or the rides, restaurants and shops.''
I ran into the Emmons clan at Gillian's Wonderland Pier, a theme park on the boardwalk packed with rides ranging from mellow to shriek-inducing ones. In a nod to kids, the venue unapologetically practises ageism, banning adults from many attractions. If only I were 31 inches tall again.
But I'm not, so I headed for the boardwalk. The wood walkway stretches two-and-a-half miles and is lined with stores offering all the necessities of summer: saltwater taffy, kettle corn, mini-golf, pizza, kites and pet hermit crabs.
Late into the night, families were out and about, licking ice-cream cones, awaiting a slice of cheese at Mack and Manco or strolling the boards, the rhythmic bumps along the planks putting babies in strollers to sleep.
Something for all
“Ocean City really does have everything for everyone,'' Farrell said.
“We can go out anytime and there is nothing our children can't see or be a part of,'' said New Jersey resident Joanne Jacobson, on holiday with her husband, Eric; 6-year-old twins; and her father.
I asked Eric how the family was spending their day in the Sun.
“We talk about all these things we can do with the girls but all they want is the water and sand. We had to drag them away for lunch.''
To be sure, self-eviction from Ocean City's strand can be tough. The eight-mile strip of sand runs uninterrupted from Great Egg Inlet in the north to Corson's Inlet State Park in the south, with the boardwalk in between.
Vulnerable to storms and erosion, the beach is a beneficiary of some of the $25 million (Dh918 million) budgeted annually by Jersey legislators for shore protection and maintenance in the state. That translates to 650 yards of sand in some sections, a buffer zone of dunes tufted with grass and daily raking.
Clear finish
The more academic portion of the survey focused mainly on the health of the beach and water but it also touched on elements crucial to the summer-loving experience at Ocean City, such as parking, lifeguards and amenities.
With criteria in hand, I organised an informal study, enlisting the help of Jim Keating, on break from digging a crater with his 4-year-old grandson.
As we stood in the shallows, we could clearly see my chipped toenail polish, slick rocks and the rippled patterns in the sand. I determined that the water quality was “clear and clean''. Keating's assessment was more specific: “Tastes pretty good; no worms or bugs.''
As for views and vistas: With the boardwalk at my back, there was only the vast ocean and a seemingly endless horizon.
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Newark, New Jersey, is the closest airport.
Virgin Atlantic flies daily via London.
Fare from Dh4,895
British Airways flies daily via London.
Fare from Dh5,515
Lufthansa flies daily via Frankfurt.
Fare from Dh4,325
— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4380454
Where to stay
- I stayed at the Scarborough Inn (www.scarboroughinn.com), a family-friendly B&B two blocks from the beach. Summer rates $160-$255 (Dh587 to Dh936) a night, beach tags included. Right on the boardwalk is the Beach Club Hotel (www.beachclubhotel.com), which has an outdoor pool and a restaurant. High-season rates $233-$386 (Dh855 to Dh1,417).
Where to eat
- You can get all three meals of the day, including snacks and dessert on the boardwalk. The ultimate slice of pizza is at Mack and Manco from $2.25 (Dh8.26). Off the boardwalk, the Chatterbox Restaurant is a favourite with locals and visitors.
What to do
- Go to the beach. Just remember you must buy a tag for $5 (Dh18) per day; $15 (Dh55) per week per person; free entry for kids below 12. The tags are sold at stations around town.
The boardwalk has mini-golf venues and amusement parks, including Gillian's Wonderland Pier and Playland's Castaway Cove. For untrammelled beach and dune hikes, head for Corson's Inlet State Park (www.njparksandforests.org/parks/corsons.html).
For ecotours, Bay Cats (www.baycats.com) leads two-hour kayak trips for $40 (Dh 146) along the backwaters of the bay. You can also rent a bike or pack the family into a pedal-yourself surrey.
The Ocean City Bicycle Centre charges $5 (Dh18) for a one-hour bike rental; a one-hour surrey rental is $10-$20 (Dh36 to Dh73).
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