(Note: This post is out of chronological order because we just found the photos again! Enjoy this hint of summer, from last summer.)

I realized yesterday that of all the places I've featured on the blog, the one I've lived the longest is noticeably absent: New Jersey. Although I didn't grow up on the Jersey Shore, I'd thought often about the ease of taking the ferry straight to the beach since we moved to NYC.

As it turned out, our friends invited us to join them to celebrate a birthday last summer and we got a Groupon "deal" for the ferry. In full disclosure, we waited over an hour for a late ferry each direction, so it wasn't quite as easy as our usual summer beach trips on the subway to Rockaway. Once we finally boarded the ferry, it reminded me of a commuter bus.

And I was so tired, that I nearly fell asleep.

We pulled into Jersey about an hour or so later and our confusion started again with lines for a variety of beaches. Once we committed to beach C and got in the repurposed old school bus supposedly heading there, it turned out our bus driver had never driven the route before and missed our beach. #comedyoferrors

At last, we made it. Only 3 hours after we'd left home.

Since we got up much earlier than a usual Saturday, by 10:30 when we arrived we were already hungry and hot. After a few hours, we finally gave in and rented a beach umbrella which saved the day. Our group of about 15 friends rotated under it while eating lunch.

The beach was empty when we arrived, but by 1pm, was crawling with radios and umbrellas.

We traversed back the way we came: Wait for bus. Wait for Ferry. First ferry full. Wait for second ferry.

And then took the ferry back under all the bridges to midtown, and then back to downtown.

It lacked the ease we had hoped of hopping on a ferry over to a beach, but we still enjoyed the day with friends, in the sun. Something we are missing right now. Come on, Spring!