The Jersey Shore is undoubtably a time-honored tradition for many families in the Greater Philadelphia area. Generations of people have brought their children to the shore, and those children have brought their own families. But a recent stay in down the shore with my own family has me wondering if those “family friendly” towns are less friendly to families than they think they are.
Ocean City has always considered itself one of the most family-friendly shores resort in the country. Founded by a religious group decades ago, the dry city has no bars, and attractions do trend toward being family friendly, with plenty of arcades and rides along the boardwalk. But as a father of my own child, I found myself evaluating if Ocean City was friendly to my family during my recent visit. The results are much more mixed than I thought they would be, and some pretty dark biases against families emerged without having to dig too far.
Continue reading “Some thoughts on just how “family-friendly” the Jersey shore really is”