Ready for life to get back to normal? Yeah, us too. Until it does, we’ll keep dreaming about all there is to do in South Jersey.
1. Sit on a park bench. Just sit there.
2. Stand with our toes in the sand and watch the sunset. Just stand there.
3. Blueberry picking.
4. Lay on a beach blanket. Just lay there.
5. Take a hike in one of our beautiful state parks.
6. Hang out at an open-air festival with live music, food trucks and a beer garden.
7. Eat water ice where it’s meant to be eaten – on a picnic table right next to the stand.
8. Eat lots of boardwalk fries, then funnel cake, then a black-and-white cone, fudge and of course a few slices…
9. Spend a full 24 hours at a 24-hour diner. (Yes, this is a challenge we’re ready to take on. And what, you want to go home?)
10. Mani, pedi, please. (And hurry!)
11. Take a fitness class. In person. At the gym.
12. Visit all the 2019 Best of SJ spots in person. (Don’t forget the 2020 list comes out in July!)
13. In-person happy hours. Remember that?
14. Hit the jackpot in Atlantic City.
15. Push someone on the swings at the playground near our house.
16. Spend time at a dog park – stand in the sun and watch pups play.
17. Continue to not pump our own gas (Who’s laughing now, PA?)
18. Take in some magic when Jon Dorenbos performs at Borgata.
19. Celebrate all the 2020 high school and college grads. It may come late, but these grad parties are going to be epic.
20. Stroll along the Camden Waterfront.
21. Watch Gov. Murphy talk about anything other than COVID-19 news.
22. Climb over sharks and giant tortoises across Adventure Aquarium’s Shark Bridge.
23. Pin 2020 [Insert favorite Shore town here] beach tags to our hats.
24. Hop on and off the boardwalk tram car all day and night.
25. Hug our friends. We really, really missed you guys.
26. Stop by and say hi to the animals at Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge.
27. Watch for whales and dolphins off the coast of Cape May.
28. Eat inside every restaurant we’ve been ordering take-out from since March.
29. Take in every bit of South Jersey history we can, starting with Burlington County Prison Museum, Barclay Farmstead and Walt Whitman House.
30. Brewery hopping – on a quest for an imperial stout, an IPA and a Belgian Tripel.
31. Go to every birthday party, wedding and gala that had to be rescheduled.
32. Schedule all those annual doctor check-ups we missed.
33. Stop at every roadside stand along the White Horse Pike to pick up the perfect Jersey-fresh produce.
34. Go on every ride on the boardwalk. Twice.
35. Go see a movie. In a theater. With other people there too (probably a seat or two apart).
36. Take teens who turned 17 during the pandemic to the DMV for driving tests.
37. Get an extreme makeover – but a haircut will do.
38. Take time trying on clothes – lots of them – in a store dressing room.
39. Play sports. With other people.
40. Get the kids back in the orthodontist’s chair for a much-needed tightening.
41. Tour Battleship New Jersey. Make sure we get to the very bottom deck to see the
16-inch gun turret.
42. Thank – in person – all the people in essential jobs who left their homes to provide
much-needed services, including doctors, grocery store workers and mail carriers.
43. Spend Saturday morning on a family hike through Palmyra Nature Cove.
44. Play horseshoes at the pool. Then take a dip.
45. Collect Cape May Diamonds.
46. Cheer for the Birds (plus the Phillies, Flyers and Sixers).
47. Have an epic backyard BBQ. Get seconds of Jersey corn.
48. Go to the dentist for a cleaning. (Yes, really, we can’t wait to do that!)
49. Climb all 228 steps of the Absecon lighthouse.
50. Spend the afternoon at the Cape May Zoo. (We head straight to the giraffes.)
51. Get a massage.
52. Wear shoes, not slippers, to work.
53. Wine tasting – hit South Jersey’s wine trail and stop at every vineyard.
54. Book a karaoke room. Sing with friends at the top of our lungs, probably not in tune.
55. And maybe the best of all: Just feel normal, happy and grateful when we walk out the front door. (Won’t it be great?!)
