I always joke I spend 10 months of the year waiting for the quick two where traffic builds up every weekend as beach-goers make the commute to their preferred shore town in New Jersey. Well, summer is officially in full swing, and Margate City has become my temporary residence most weekends.

Back in high school, I had spent a couple summers living entirely “down the shore” with my one sister, Sam. She and I got jobs at the local oyster-famous restaurant and spent most days sitting in our Tommy Bahama chairs on the beach. I love to look back on those years and am continually grateful of the opportunity I had when I was younger.

These days, I join the crowds in packed cars sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway so I can squeeze out every ounce of the weekend I can at our rental in Margate. Because time is so precious, I like to fill Saturdays and Sundays with my favorite beach activities.

The first weekend I spent there, I offered the idea of a lobster bake for my sisters and me, along with our boyfriends. With excitement, we went and picked up six live lobsters and brought them home to cook. along with barbecued corn on the cob and a potato salad. A trip to the ice cream shop, Sundae’s, is inevitable each night, even if it meant waiting in the 20-minute line.

If we aren’t cooking for the masses at home, Santucci’s is an awesome pizza joint that doubles as a rooftop bar in Ventnor. Karaoke Thursdays and live music makes this one of our favorite spots. Some other staples of my favorite beach town include Shuckers, the restaurant where I once worked, along with Maynard’s Cafe, the go-to bar in town.

Looking forward to many more beach days and early morning açai bowls this summer. Where do you spend your weekends during the summer?

— Haley Fogarty, advertising manager