💘 Dating and donuts | Down the Shore

Is the Jersey Shore romantic? It’s definitely a raucous, boozy, crowded, and occasionally epic place to meet people and bond over beers, shots, and cover bands. And if day drinking is your idea of a great date, you’ll find plenty of company pretty much anywhere you look.

What about a quieter brand of romance? You can’t beat the sunsets, and those early sunrises (I’m told) are just big flames of magic. My colleague Hira Qureshi recently compiled a beguiling guide to dating at the Shore with 11 great ideas for dates, including mini golf, a luxury beach pop-up picnic company, sunset spots, competitive outings, farmers markets, and beach movies.

Also helpful from Hira (and maybe useful for soothing any heartbreak if the date doesn’t work out?): this guide to the best Shore doughnuts.

Meanwhile, there was sad news this week at the Shore. Atlantic City lost a friend and mentor with the passing of New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, 71, known around town as “the L.G.” as a tearful Mayor Marty Small Sr. reminded me when I called him after Oliver’s death. As head of the Department of Community Affairs, Oliver was in charge of the state’s takeover of A.C., which over the years has blossomed into more of a partnership from its beginnings as a hostile occupation under the Christie administration.

Small and others in A.C. remembered Oliver as a mentor and adviser, a friend and supporter who stood up for residents before the takeover, then advocated for them when she became the L.G. She teased Small (and made his night) by echoing his “We live, we lit, we outside,” slogan in a voice mail to the mayor when she was in Atlantic City one night, he recalled, and was always available for late-night chats and advice over policy.

She told more than one person she was considering retiring to the great city of Atlantic City. Such a loss! Personally, while covering the takeover over the years, I appreciated Oliver’s willingness to answer questions during her many visits and her command over the issues. She was the opposite of glib, and elegantly wielded her power in a male-dominated political hierarchy. She was cool, smart, and stylish, a no-nonsense trailblazer who was the first Black woman to serve as head of the N.J. Assembly She wore flats! She made an impression on everyone she met. I admired her. RIP to the L.G.

📮 Do you have any great date suggestions for the Jersey Shore? Let us know by replying to this email, and I’ll include your most interesting responses.

🌈 Last weekend’s weather was picture perfect, and even that brief evening storm Saturday produced a rainbow. The lovely weather continues.

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

♦️ Times of a sign Strange but true tale of the stolen Sunset Beach sign from Cape May Point that turned up a year later in a North Philadelphia trash heap.

⚖️ Wildwood justice Busy day Wednesday for Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, who was sentenced to three years probation in U.S. District Court on a tax charge. The Inquirer’s Oona Goodin-Smith reports that Byron vows to stay in office with “my head up high.”

🎢 Roller coaster Meanwhile, while Byron sat in court, Oona reports the state attorney general announced that Byron, along with two other current and former Wildwood officials, had once again been indicted by a grand jury.

🥊 Nice guys get punched Who would punch Fox29′s Bob Kelly? Apparently someone well-known in Sea Isle City. My colleague Rob Tornoe has all the details from the Oar House.

⛱️ Biden at the beach: From the official White House press pool in Rehoboth Beach: POTUS (and pool) “was brought to the beach at 2:09 p.m. The first lady was there waiting for him. We were hundreds of yards away but POTUS was tapping on a phone and at one point passed the phone to the first lady. He also waved to onlookers.” And rode his bicycle.

☮️ Gandhi museum Yes, Atlantic City has a Gandhi museum, the Eternal Gandhi Peace Centre located next to the Adidas shop at the Tanger Outlets. Lini Kadaba has the details about the museum, which houses archival footage and photographs in a timeline of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s life, covering his days as an attorney in South Africa, his nonviolent fight for India’s independence through noncooperation, and his search for spiritual enlightenment.

🐟 Vernick at the beach I know, I know, I was complaining about Philly chefs butting in down here, but this was fun last year: The 2nd annual Vernick Fish pop-up at Steve & Cookies runs all next week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Margate mainstay. Here’s more menu info.

🍔 Local in Ship Bottom Reader Robert Atkins notes a new restaurant on allegedly restaurant-starved LBI: Burger25 out of Toms River with a new location on Long Beach Boulevard.

😭 Oh Donna Enjoy seafood from Donna’s Place in Stone Harbor while you still can. Yes, another Shore mainstay has been sold.

Was last week’s question too easy? What else would the most popular Sunny the Seagull plush doll have in its mouth except a french fry, a Curly’s one at that. Dave Karpinski was first with the correct answer.

This week’s question: What pirate is believed to have buried booty along Higbee Beach in Cape May Point?

A. Jack Sparrow

B. Captain William Kidd

C. Jean Lafitte

D. Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard

If you think you know the answer, email me for a possible shout-out here.

A mix of responses to my rant about all the Philly stuff being replicated at the Shore, and whether people should seek out the local gems.

Lisa Jacobson-Katz put me in my place with this possibly spot-on comment: “So the food down the shore can be good when it is simple and clean cooked seafood. Otherwise it is mostly mediocre Italian and despite the varying degrees of mediocrity the pricing for dining out is all within a few dollar range per entrée and app. I welcome these pop ups and collaborations to eat out — as I do in Philly!

Yvonne Yuen, quoted in the story about Philly chefs down the Shore, said, “We adore local restaurants. What we want to see is more local restaurants doing different things. While I am excited to see Philly chefs at the Shore, that’s not necessarily the different thing I’m looking for. We moved to Wildwood because there is an Indian, a Moroccan, a Yugoslavian restaurant, and more than one Chinese restaurant here. A girl can only eat so many crab cakes, especially when she lives here year-round!”

An interesting debate popped up on the Main Liners Shore House Rentals Facebook page about whether weekly tenants should be expected to do the cleaning at the end of their visit to prepare for the next renters. There was spirited debate back and forth, and I have an opinion.

No?

I mean, yes, in terms of leaving the rental basically the way you found it, taking your food and disposing of trash properly, etc. But are owners really relying on renters to do the bulk of Shore turnover cleaning, mopping floors and wiping down counters? Do tenants really want the cleaning up to be the job of … the prior tenants?

What do you think? Any thoughts, or any other late-summer questions, please reply to this email.

David Schechter gets us into the 1980s with this Shore memory:

It was 1983, the era of off the shoulder sweat shirts, Guess jeans with zippers at the ankle, music groups like Wham and Duran Duran played on the radio, and I was 15, spending the summer down the shore.

I grew up going to the Jersey Shore in Avalon. It was a little sleepier of a town back then. My friends and I would spend the day at the beach. At lunchtime, we would walk barefoot to Donnell’s Deli for hoagies, the old screen door creaked as each customer entered. Then at night, it was either Ocean City Boardwalk for Kohr Brothers Ice Cream or The Bongo Room which was a blast! They had two teen nights with live bands.

Kids came from all over to meet, listen to the band and dance. The band always ended the night with Springsteen’s song, “Rosalita.” The song to this day brings my right back to 15 year old me and friends, dancing barefoot on the disgusting, sticky, mucky floor. Then to Circle Pizza for a midnight snack.

Keep those memories coming! Anyone with some from the … 90s? Aughts?

📮 Send me your Shore moment or memory with a picture for a chance to be featured here.

Things are speeding by, winding down. Get ready for locals’ summer.