Living at the beach sounds like a dream, right? And in so many ways, it really is a dream. Then summer comes and August soon after, and anyone who lives here will tell you, “it’s August,” and leave it at that.
I last blogged in December (oops, time flies when you’re writing at your day job and then do not come home and feel like writing more), hopefully, I can try to start blogging more!
What the phrase “it’s August” means, is living at the beach is great, but the rise in visitors to town makes living here a little less enjoyable. I speak for myself when I say this fact, without knowing if everyone who lives here feels the same way. It goes without saying, we need tourists to survive and keep our economy thriving. I am not and will not ever discount how important tourists are to Cape May – in fact, I was a tourist for over twenty years!
Why is it less enjoyable? It’s because we go from a small town, maybe 1,000 to 3,000 people in the winter, to a number that swells well over 10,000 in the summer! It’s a lot more cars and traffic than we are used to dealing with. And I don’t know about you, but I get a little impatient sometimes.
But then I remind myself (rather, my mom reminds me when I call her to complain) that everyone is excited to be on vacation and to just be patient. It might be easier said than done, but soon enough it will be the fall and back down to the normal and lower population.
So what’s it like to live at the beach? I’ve been asked this question numerous times and every time I answer it I’m sure it sounds great. I mean, I can go to the beach whenever I want! Since Memorial Day Weekend (so about over a month), I’ve only been a handful of times. In the past, I would go fairly often after work. Lately, I’m so exhausted when I get home, I can’t really muster up the energy to go sit on the beach. What is it like to live at the beach? I go to the beach maybe once or twice a week in the summer, especially if it is really hot outside.
An upside to summer in Cape May is the seasonal stores and businesses are open and places also have extended hours. On the one hand, it’s great to have more places to eat and visit, but the parking is difficult (not to mention more expensive now!). Even so, it is nice to have a variety of places to choose from. What is it like to live at the beach? I get to enjoy a lot of local seafood/cuisine.
Living at the beach is either a glass half full or glass half empty sort of deal. It really depends on how you look at life. I could not imagine commuting into D.C. for work, constantly sitting in traffic and lamenting life in a busy town, only getting a few days a year to get to spend on the beach.
On the other hand, living in Cape May means I get to go to the beach whenever I want, not go on vacation in the summer (the busy season) and hopefully be able to squeeze a few days “vacation” to visit my family and friends in Virginia.
For the days where I do not feel like my life in Cape May is ideal, I remember life is what you make of it and I get to work a job in my field of study.
A Millennial in Wonderland 
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