I grew up and currently live in a beach community. But, through the years, I had heard a lot about the Jersey Shore. I was interested to see what was there and how different it was compared to Long Beach, Long Island. So, I booked a triathlon there, rented a room at The Matadore Hotel in North Wildwood, and packed up the car and went.
My husband decided to join me and the two of us drove for five hours, for a trip that was supposed to take 3.5 hours. The traffic on the Belt Parkway was horrendous and then there was traffic in New Jersey too.
When we checked into the Matadore (I picked this hotel because of it’s location in proximity to the transition area of the triathlon), I provided the clerk with cash for one night. The hotel required one night paid via credit card and the second night in cash.
“Remember check out time is 10 am on Sunday,” the clerk informed us. We “schlepped” the luggage up a flight of stairs and found our room to be clean and spacious. There was a refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker, but no coffee. Ice was on the other end of the building and they charged $.25 cents for each bucket. (That was a new one for me!)
The beds were typical motel type beds, relatively small for a full, but larger than a twin.
That night we went to a restaurant called Picificos. It was an Italian restaurant and since I was racing in the morning, I was interested in eating pasta. My husband had an incredible piece of Shark there. It was very tasty. I had gnocchi in a vodka sauce. It was a small portion, but fine for my purposes. We started off with a wedge salad that was mighty good.
The next day, I woke up at 4 am for a 4:45 am start at the Tri by the Wildwood Triathlon. After that, my husband met me and we went to a nice breakfast place on the boardwalk called Pompeos. They just had eggs, pancakes and french toast, but the wait staff was very friendly and the food was pretty good so we ended up going back the next day as well for breakfast.
After that, we went to a lovely beach in Wildwood, and let me tell you, that sand was nice and soft. It felt like talcum powder.
We rented an umbrella for $15 and sat close to the shoreline. It was crowded, but we were able to carve out space where we felt we weren’t on top of anyone else.
The water was cold. My husband, Brian, went in a little. I stuck my feet in and wished I had my wetsuit with me.
For me, it was just nice to sit under the umbrella and watch the water. It was so relaxing. We stayed there for a while and then decided to get some lunch. We went to Little Nicky’s Pizza on the boardwalk. The pizza wasn’t very good. It tasted somewhat bland and so my husband spiced it up. It definitely tasted better after that!
We went back to the hotel after lunch and got ready for dinner. (When we go away, we like to eat!) That night, we went to One Fish Two Fish. It was a fabulous little restaurant in Wildwood, about 15 minutes away from where we stayed in North Wildwood.
My only complaint about the restaurant was there was no parking. We parked on the street and had to pay $.25 cents for 8 minutes. Yes, I know. I couldn’t believe it either! We went through a ton of quarters for dinner!
At dinner, we shared a salad and then I had short ribs and Brian had the crab cakes. The food was incredible and the service was awesome as well. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
After that, we went back to the boardwalk. We decided to pay $6 each and take the tram to the end of the boardwalk and back. It was a great little ride, except when the tram said, “watch the tram car please.” It didn’t stop saying that. People were repeating it as they walked by and we even said it with the tram.
The next morning, we decided to get an early start and head home. The Matadore wanted us out by 10 am and not only did they text us at 9 am but they also had the maid knocking at the door at 9:45 am! Boy, they wanted us out!
My friend, Elena, told me she goes to Wildwood with her family and recommended the following restaurants: Beach Creek Exp., Marie Nicole, Dogtooth Cafe, and the Starlux Hotel.
The traffic back to Long Island was just as bad as going out to Jersey! After a five hour drive, we looked at each other and Brian said to me, “I loved spending time with you but that five hours is too much!” I agreed.
It was a nice place to go for a quick weekend getaway, but if you’re coming from Long Island, I would suggest you stay closer to home.
