On the East Coast we skipped completely over spring and went from winter to summer so quickly, not even our beaches were ready. Without thinking about the traffic or weather, I headed to Long Beach Island for a Memorial Day weekend at the beach.

When I arrived on the island, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the traffic was until I saw the beach construction. Normally LBI’s light, fine sand is flat and easy, but walking up Memorial Day weekend was more like a dune hike to the ocean, with one mound climbing high enough to block the view of the ocean from the road, to a sand valley and then back up again to the ocean.

There is a wide, long pipe running somewhere between, with sand piled on top in areas as a walkway for beachgoers. Machines were moving in and out of the ocean all day, pulling sand to fill the beach. Construction blocks were set up, so no long walks on the beach for me. Hopefully the construction will be cleaned up soon and LBI will be back to its former glory.

To add insult to injury, it was one of the foggiest days imaginable. Luckily, Long Beach Island has a great little town running through it, with shops and bakeries; world-famous chowder; and an arcade, Fantasy Island. Everyone must have known about the beach construction but us, which made for small crowds and an easy Memorial Day weekend.

— Angelique Platas, digital coordinator