A new year means a chance for change. Each year, the editor of Do the Shore grabs a dousing rod and tries to sus out what to bring into the new year and what to discard. But hey, this is just our opinion! Let us know what you think by emailing chall@cmcherald.com.
In: Making two grocery runs
It’s a never-ending dinner conversation: aren’t grocery prices outrageous? Here’s something to say next time it comes up: Cape May County has really upped its grocery game. ACME and ShopRite once ruled powerful over the land, but more recent challengers – Aldi, Grocery Outlet – have made it easier than ever to find grocery basics and, most importantly, packaged snacks for less. It’s true: You can’t get everything you need at Aldi or Grocery Outlet alone. They have a smaller inventory that rotates seasonally in more dramatic fashion than other stores. But sometimes saving money takes a little bit of work, and that means checking two or even three stores for the best price. It gets easy once you know which places tend to stock what. Fact: I found my favorite seaweed snack, tao kae noi, for just 75 cents rather than the standard $2.50. Those things add up. Thanks, Grocery Outlet (but ShopRite still has the best produce).
In: Visiting Your Beach House Year-Round
Pasaco is a real estate broker focused on the second home market. In 2024 they ranked Cape May County as the hottest second-home market anywhere in America. They also found that the county has the highest percentage of second homes relative to total home ownership out of anywhere in America they do business. Phew!
Year-round readers might find that a bit scary. Living on the Jersey Shore requires an acceptance of the “we’re outnumbered by people who don’t live here” feeling; this tension arises on the pages of Spout Off, on local Facebook groups and at government meetings.
Wander the streets of Cape May in January, with its perfectly manicured lawns before gorgeous Victorian homes, and remind yourself you’re in real life and not a simulation without humans. And it’s hard not to feel annoyed when a new second home on the Villas bayfront blocks the view of the year-round cottage right behind it. We live in a beautiful place, folks naturally want to own a slice of it. But doesn’t it feel a bit tacky to own a big mansion you only visit once a year? To whomever this is: Come visit more often! Cape May County is a beautiful place to visit in January, when scoters–correct, not scooters? fly over the bay and polar plunges take place. Visit in February, when lots of restaurants open for Valentine’s Day. Visit in March, when the Cape May singer-songwriter conference brings dozens of free performances to Congress Hall. Visit in April, when the bees come back and the wildflowers start to show face.
In: Clamming
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but shellfish, an expensive, tasty and easily prepared delicacy, wash right up on our shores. Two of my good friends spend a few hours each week out on the bay when the tide is low: They’re looking for clams. Their last trip was three hours long, and they brought home 120 clams, which we shared over a huge Friendsgiving dinner.
All you need is a big jacket, a $10 license from the state, waterproof boots and a clam rake. There are a number of great places to go clamming in the county, including the bay in Villas, Townsend’s Inlet and Stone Harbor Point, and outside of the county, spots in Somer’s Point and Longport. We’re writing up a more in-depth guide for a future edition, but getting tasty shellfish is easier than you’d think. My grandmother tells me that clamming was huge when she was younger, but the practice has faded. 2025 is the time to bring it back.
Out: Saying There’s Nowhere to Park
Saying “There’s nowhere to park!” is a bit like talking about the weather. Yeah, it’s true, but what are you gonna do about it? It is my lived experience that there is always a place to park during the busiest weeks on the barrier islands, it just takes additional scouting and a willingness to walk half a mile or more.
Out: Forgetting Your Reusable Bag
New Jersey’s bag ban went into effect on May 4, 2022. There are still folks in front of me at Aldi who complain to the cashier: “This stupid bag ban! I don’t have any bags!” You’ve had over two years to prepare for this moment: Always keep bags in your car! Whenever a family member complains about the bag ban I just say: “Skill issue.”
The bag ban itself is flawed; banning paper bags was a mistake that has led stores to sell 15-cent “reusable” bags that are thrown away all the same. But the spirit of it is correct. Don’t let 2025 catch you with your pants down: No more excuses, don’t forget your bag!
Out: Passing
I can’t think of a single two-lane road in Cape May County where it is worth the risk to pass a car. But boy howdy, the number of times I’ve been passed by an angry driver on Route 47, on Bayshore Road in Villas, on the twisty Fulling Mill Road, it would blow your mind. Passing is dangerous, and the time gained is just a few seconds. When somebody passes me on a two-lane road I assume either their brain doesn’t work properly or their wife is in labor. But it’s weird: There’s no maternity ward in Cape May County.
Driving isn’t a competition, but it is the most dangerous thing the average person does each day. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in America, and sometimes that means sitting behind a driver going 45 in a 45 instead of 55 in a 45. Don’t pass! Just be patient!
