⚾ Sandy amnesia, windmill turbulence, and Locals’ Summer | Down the Shore

It’s easy to forget, even when the ocean is whipped up, the fog is rolling in, and streets are flooding. What I remember from Oct. 29, 2012, is making that Monday afternoon decision, like so many others, to evacuate as Hurricane Sandy was approaching, sending my girls offshore with their dad.

Loyal to the job, I rode out the storm with my dogs, and I’m not sure I’d make the same decision again. It was days until most people were allowed back to their homes, checkpoints were set up between Shore towns, and by then, the extent of the damage from three feet or more of bay water in your home was clear. For some, they never got home again.

Fast forward! Ten years later, and things are booming. In reporting this Sandy anniversary story, I was surprised to learn that less than 50% of homeowners in hazard zones in New Jersey’s four coastal counties have insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. As most people know, after a 2013 drop, home prices and property values have soared.

Here’s are takeaways from that reporting, which, along with my colleague Jenna Miller’s excellent video from Brigantine, documented the full force, and consequences, of the post-Sandy boom.

And look for this dramatic before and after photo package.

📮 Ten years later, does Sandy matter? Let me know what you think by replying to this email, or find me on Twitter or Instagram.

🌫️ It’s been foggy and a bit dreary, it seems, since everybody (or a lot of people) went back to their real lives. See below for my personal highlight of what some people call Locals’ Summer.

— Amy S. Rosenberg (🐦 Tweet me at @amysrosenberg. 📷 Follow me on Insta at @amyrosenberg. 📧 Email me at downtheshore@inquirer.com)

🌊 Plans to build windmill farms off the New Jersey coast continues to stir a lot of controversy.

🗳️ Elections: Incumbent Rep. Jeff Van Drew, elected in 2018 as a Democrat but now, famously, a Republican, represents all of Atlantic and Cape May Counties and a good part of Ocean County that make up New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District. Here’s my LBI-datelined look at the long-shot campaign of his Democratic opponent, Tim Alexander.

💰Ocean City raised its beach tag fees.

🏖️ North Wildwood defies a state order on repairing beaches battered by Hurricane Ian and a nor’easter. My colleague Frank Kummer has the scoop.

🍴Get a reservation! It’s easy this time of year, even at the toughest summer destinations. Hey, you might not even need to wait in line for a seat at the best happy hours.

💀 Get scared in Egg Harbor Township at the great Scullville Terror in the Junkyard.

☕ Take a break at this new coffee shop in Ventnor: the lovely Cafe J’Adore.

😱 Here’s a guide to Halloween in Atlantic City, including Sin A.C. at Showboat and the Atlantic City Ballet’s Dracula.

🎸 Look forward to this emo-focused Adjacent Music Festival on the Atlantic City beach over Memorial Day weekend.

📱Locals’ Summer What happens after Labor Day when, like, everybody seems to leave and these lovely little beach towns are left to the locals.

Locals’ Summer evokes a sense of peace and tranquillity, and usually a lot of time left to swim in the ocean and hang on the beach.

This year, my peak Locals’ Summer day was the beautiful afternoon when the Phillies were in the wild card series against St. Louis, making their dramatic six-run ninth inning comeback. I had my phone on the beach to watch, and was not the only one. Little pockets of cheers burst out all over the sand as the team revealed itself to be one of destiny. Fun.

Surfing hero Ben Gravy, meanwhile, marked the end of summer by surfing New Jersey, California, and Hawaii all in one day.

While most of the lower Shore is all in for Philly teams, there are pockets where they root for the Yankees. An epic Phillies-Yankees World Series wasn’t meant to be this year, but which restaurant in Atlantic City would be the place for Yankee fans to gather amid familiar memorabilia?

A. Tony’s Baltimore Grill

B. Chef Vola

C. Chef Sheed’s BBQ Shaq

D. Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern

If you think you know the answer, click here to find out.

Here’s one of my memories. I always thought Halloween was a cool time at the Shore. Decorating your house when so many people are away at their primary residences is like sending up a signal of civilization. We are here! We gathered a group together beforehand for the world’s fastest party: pizza, wine for the parents, and out the door! Of course, 10 years ago, Gov. Christie canceled Halloween in the wake of Sandy, something he has to live with. For my girls, traipsing around the spooky and sparsely populated streets of their Shore towns, climbing all those steps to people’s porches, figuring out finally that the best place to get a critical mass of candy required crossing over the Dorset Avenue bridge, even trying to get a trick-or-treater’s attention back at home to get rid of your own stash of candy, well, those are great memories. At least for their mom.

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📨 Thanks for letting me pop up in your in boxes !