The idea of the Jersey Shore as a place of escape, of healing, a tonic with an ocean breeze — a very old idea, really — was put to a test the last two years.
Under the stress and restrictions of a pandemic, the Jersey Shore beckoned. People realized what locals have known along: This is a soothing place to hang out, and not just in the summer. You could feel kind of normal, at least once people realized it was OK to open the boardwalks (Atlantic City’s never closed in 2020), and sit together on the beach.
People even looked the other way when others brought their pandemic pups onto the boardwalks. (Not allowed, I know, but so many dogs!)
