Peter Genovese

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Peter Genovese

Most people think the Jersey Shore is just about beaches and boardwalk (we’ll ignore traffic on the Parkway and endless waits at your favorite restaurants). The Shore itself is one nonstop experience; I’ve lived there nearly half my life and can’t imagine living anywhere else. This list will offer 41 essential experiences that have nothing to do with beaches, boardwalk food or traffic jams. Seafood fests. Lighthouses. A sandcastle contest and a barbecue competition.

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Peter Genovese

Forget about all those burgers, pizza and chicken tenders for a moment. We sure do love our fish. And shellfish, with shrimp being the most consumed seafood in this country and the world. Americans eat about 20 pounds of seafood a year, spending about $100 billion in the process. New Jersey, not surprisingly, is loaded with seafood restaurants, but they’re not all down the Shore. Two of the top seafood restaurants on this list are in Bergen County, not exactly a short hop to the beach.

3 weeks ago | nj.com | Peter Genovese

Welcome to the NJ.com food and culture team’s local dining guide series, offering recommendations for foodie hubs in North, Central and South Jersey and everything in between. These lists are curated to give diners a mix of cuisines and the best restaurant experiences to indulge this summer and beyond. Let’s dig in!Most underrated dining destination Down the Shore? Point Pleasant Beach, by a mile. Asbury Park gets all the headlines, but I’m here to tell you Point Pleasant Beach is closing in fast.

1 month ago | nj.com | Peter Genovese

Editor’s note: This story was first published in 2023 and has been updated. The Jersey Shore burns in my memory. My best childhood memories are there, amid the cots, chairs and foldup kitchen table in the room my parents would rent every summer at a pink-walled two-story hotel in Sea Isle City. The best year of my life — 1994 — was spent there, in a yellow house with a wraparound porch in Manasquan.

1 month ago | silive.com | Peter Genovese

Editor’s note: This story publishes annually and has been updated. The Jersey Shore is once again open for business. Which means it’s time to brave the inevitable traffic apocalypse on the Garden State Parkway and head for our favorite towns, beaches, and boardwalks. What would we do without the Shore? I’d have to move, for one, because I’ve lived there nearly hallf my life.