My parents drove me to Seaside for the first time when I was two years old. The ride down felt a lot longer than an hour from Hightstown, New Jersey. I kept asking my parents, "Are we there yet?" every ten minutes. My mom and dad took turns telling me, "No, Pumpkin, not yet." I eventually stopped and started talking about everything I could think of.
When the bridge entering into Seaside came closer, my dad shouted my name from the front and tapped my tiny knee. I instantly fell in love with the blue-green water when I first looked down from the bridge. My mouth couldn't think of any words to say for the first time. My father looked for a parking spot as I absorbed the color of the water and sand. Once the cherry-brown 1990 mini van stopped, my parents opened the enormous front doors and instantly I smelled the salty seawater. The ocean smelled like a bitter sour lemon with salt sprinkled on top.
My mom interrupted my thoughts as I tried to soak in this new environment by opening the bulky sliding door and said, "Pumpkin, are you coming?"
I smiled and replied, jumping onto the blacktop, "Yes, I am."
My mom took my hand and guided me across the street as I inhaled the ocean air. The houses on the way to the boardwalk had several stairways leading up to wooden doors. Garbage cans were tucked under the stairways and people stood outside soaking in the air of the ocean as I did for the first time. My dad took my left hand when we reached the boardwalk. The waves splashing on the sand turned into my favorite sound. It looked and sounded like a pool splash, but a hundred times bigger. I snapped back into reality when my parents stopped somewhere to get some food. My dad told me I could have whatever I wanted on the menu, so I asked my dad what fried pickles were. My dad described fried pickles to me as sour cucumbers dipped in dough. I had no clue what he met by that, but I told him to order me fried pickles and Oreos.
These days, real Jersey people cannot go anywhere without someone comparing them to the Jersey Shore show. For example, last semester in my speech class I mentioned I am from Jersey, and from that day forward most of my classmates associated me with different cast members. Everyday I heard about the program and how I reminded them of Snookie or Jwoww. At our speech banquet, the co-chairman said, "One day, Kim will admit her friends and her are just like Snookie." I don't know how I am like Snookie because I'm don't have an orange tan, I'm not short, large chested, or loud all the time either. Her poof hairstyle comes in various sizes. Some girls make small poof to keep their bangs out of their face. Others style their hair with a medium poof for more of a fashionable look. Snookie wannabes style their hair in a larger poof to look like some famous person. The poof hairstyle is worn by New Yorkers and New Jersey natives. My classmates' comparison to Jwoww seems to fit me more because we're both tall girls and always there for friends. Even though I seem to be like Jwoww, people have no right to compare anyone from Jersey to cast members of the show. The cast members are real people and some are natives from Jersey with their own personalities.
MTV discovered this group of people who they refer as "Guidos" and "Guidettes." The cast members also downgrade themselves with this stereotype throughout the show. "Guidos" and "Guidettes" are originally from New York. New Jersey and New York are always in a battle over who's better. The New York Times defines "Guidos" and "Guidettes" as "originally an ethnic slur against Italian immigrants to America, since 'Guido' was a common Italian Christian name ...Among the values espoused by the self-described 'Guidos of Jersey Shore": heavy tanning, muscular definition, a labor-intensive toiletry regimen, family, and hooking up."
Jersey Shore is based around the most popular vacation spot and beach in New Jersey. MTV centered the show around hookups, friendship, drama, work, and love for the cast members. The cast spent three seasons in Seaside Heights as well as one in Miami, Florida, and Florence, Italy. Six out of nine cast members are from New York. Snookie (Nicole) is from Marlboro. Jwoow (Jenny) is from Franklin Square. Mike (The Situation), Vinny, and Angelina (only Season 1 & 2) are from Staten Island. Ronnie is from Bronx. Only 2 out of the10 are actually, from New Jersey. Deena (only Season 3 & 4) is from New Egypt. Sammi is from Hazlet. The last and final cast member, Paul D, is from Johnston, Rhode Island.
Waves rushing on to the shore with a chilly warm breeze and shining sun has always been a perfect way to welcome the warm weather in New Jersey. The massive boardwalk always greets whoever steps foot onto the wooden walkway. The smell of the ocean, fried foods, pizza, and fresh seafood moved toward my nose as I walked down the boardwalk. The Jersey Shore has always been known for fried Oreos, pickles, ice cream, funnel cakes and fries. Seaside's food reminds me of my dad, since he helped me discover my two favorite shore tastes. Fried pickles have a bitter sour and browned taste from the bread covering over the forest green vegetable trying to hide from me. The sour pickle taste lingers on my lips once I first bite into it. Its acid flavor calms down my nerves with the power of my love for pickles. Fried Oreos have a sweet taste that liquefies into my throat as soon as it enters. The sweet taste of the Oreos helps the tickle of the sourness from the pickle disappear. Dippin' Dots always melt in my mouth and cool me off. The little dots, turned in my favorite ice cream form because I never tasted anything like it anywhere else. My flavors are normally Cookies N Cream, Rainbow, Mint Chocolate, and Bubble Gum.
Before the Jersey Shore, Seaside Heights was known as the boardwalk to go to during the summer. Everyone went to Seaside for the good food and fun for all ages. Kids enjoyed the carnival, like games and arcades. Teenagers liked the games too, but they're more into the rides on the boardwalk. People 21 or older appreciated the bar scene and games, but rarely became too crazy.
MTV's Jersey Shore show changed everyone's opinion about people from Jersey and Seaside in general. The show gives people the idea that everyone from New Jersey is Italian American. The truth is New Jersey has very mixed ethic groups such as Russian, Polish, Irish, German, Spanish, African, Indians, Italian etc. Jersey people say that they are embarrassed by the way the cast members act, dress, and style their hair on television. The female cast members act as trashy as they can. For example, Deena and Snookie are 4'9 women who wear teeny dresses and make fools out of themselves whenever they go out. The miniature dresses always show the girls' underwear and barely cover the ass. The male cast members act as jerky as they can to impress the girls. For example, Vinny slept with Snookie's best friend when she visited the shore house because he wanted to get back at Snookie for playing him the whole summer. Vinny also lied to Snookie and told her that he hadn't slept with her best friend at first, so she would sleep with him again.
Nine years after my first visit with my parents, doctors diagnosed my dad with cancer. My father's sickness controlled my family during this time. My world twisted into every direction. I desired a place like Seaside to forget as much as I could during the summer. The breeze used to calm me down when my anxiety hit the bottom and started to affect my everyday life. I had to get away for a few hours with my two best friends. Lissa, Viki, and I would drive down almost everyday to forget about reality. I drove the three of us down in my 1995 two-door snow-colored Mustang. In traffic, my Mustang blasted PST 95.5 or Z100 with the windows down and the three of us singing along to Paramore, Breaking Benjamin, or A Day to Remember. Once we arrived, everything wrong in my life seemed to disappear into the waves and the sea salt smell of the ocean. When I got closer to the water, a grin would instantly show up on my face. Most of the time, I spotted the wooded boardwalk and ran toward it. I felt my pain fly out of me into the waves of the ocean.
Now, the drive to Seaside contains a longer trip with miles of traffic because everyone wants to see the Jersey Shore house and take pictures. Some drivers even stick up a middle finger at anyone who cuts them off in traffic. The drive to Seaside feels like the drive around NYC because no one has any patience. The boardwalk is packed with the fake MTV image of Jersey, unnatural tans and unacceptable outfits. Every line is way too long and not worth the wait unless you're super hungry. Good luck finding a spot to lie on the sand because the orange people have taken over. Karma has always been a popular bar to go to down the shore, but since the show there's no room to move around or sit. Everyone is on top of each other and it's hard to breathe.
The orange people don't even know how to act in public. Orange people are overly tan individuals who use tanning beds instead of the sun's rays or they use both. They are also impatient in lines for the incredible food and cannot wait longer than five minutes. Orange people are now crazy about fried pickles because Snooki loves them. Only people from Jersey knew the great taste of fried pickles before the Jersey Shore. The food shops are now making money off of these orange people because they're like "Oh my god, Snookie loves fried pickles so we MUST have some. I just don't want to wait in line for 20 minutes." The orange people crowd into the "Shore Store" where the cast works, probably hoping to find one of the cast members. The "Shore Store" sells T-shirts with sayings "Jersey girl", "I <3 the Jersey Shore," etc.
The sun's rays hit my pale skin, giving me a natural summer tan as I lay on my dolphin beach towel and laugh with my friends about anything. The normal topic on the beach goes something like this, "When do you want to turn over?" "Ew, look at that girl," "Damn he's fine," and "Ewwwww, look at him" just to get laughs. Good laughs help the reality stop for a few hours. When my friends and I are done working on our tans, we walked toward the boardwalk for food. I always buy a slice of pizza and fried Oreos or pickles for lunch before we walk up and down the two-mile long boardwalk. After I eat the boardwalk shops call my name. I normally stop in at Corner Body Piercing (since I turned 18). Henna Haven, Beach Shoppe, Shore Store, and Alray are the places I purchase handbags and clothes. Shopping takes a few hours on some days. I feel if I spend money everything will be okay again. When I wasn't old enough to get a real tattoo, a Henna tattoo filled, sating my in need for a temporary fix. I normally got two tiny little stars or Taurus zodiac sign on my right shoulder or right ankle. Henna Heaven sells clothes and handbags too. Corner Body Piercing has been a huge part of my life because I finally got my lip pierced to rebel against my dad's views for a perfect daughter. My dad felt it would ruin my innocent-looking face. I think it shows people, before they get to know me how unique I am and that I'm not afraid of anything.
Even though MTV's show has ruined the reputation of New Jersey, I will always go down to the Shore to find my peace when things are not going my way. I don't care how long it takes to get there or who's walking down the boardwalk. I only care about how the breeze and smell from the ocean wins with its charm. The cast may have changed the scene, but it will never change how beautiful the ocean is.