Those who don’t hail from the northeastern United States may hear the title of my blog and instantly picture the MTV series. However, growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, the phrase “Jersey Shore” has a different meaning for me.

My earliest memories of the shore were visits to Somers Point as a child. My mother took my sister and me to the beach for a few days. My father commuted back and forth to work. I remember thinking my father was an Olympic swimmer because they said he was going for a swim, and then he would return in the evening after work.

During middle and high school I stayed with friends’ families in Ocean City, falling in love with the boardwalk and Mac & Manco’s Pizza. After returning from college, I rented houses in Sea Isle and Avalon throughout my twenties, where we made the most of local bars including The Ocean Drive, The Whitebrier, The Princeton and P.J. Ryan’s (no longer open).

I returned to Stone Harbor this weekend with my girlfriends for our first girls’ weekend since two of my friends had children. We had an amazing time on the beach and enjoyed great meals and a beach-front happy hour — dinner, drinks and music at the Golden Inn.

I traveled all around the world and fell in love with so many places. However, the New Jersey shore will forever have a special place in my heart. It is a destination for all ages, a summer home in the truest sense of the word.

— Danielle Hudena, director of sales and marketing