Welcome to summer at the Jersey Shore! Sunshine, ocean breezes, warm days and party nights are here for the summer season. But someone else is here too: out-of-towners who bring with them their own set of challenges for the people who live here year ’round.
BENNY. That’s what we call them. There’s some argument over the actual reason why they’re called Bennys. Some folklore says it’s because the most annoying of the visitors tend to be from counties in northern New Jersey that include those letters. Others believe that the nickname started way back when they used the train to get to the shore and that back of their train ticket bore the first letters of the train stop from which they started their journey. Yet another argument is that they’re called BENNYS because they come down with their pockets loaded with hundred dollar bills (with Ben Franklin on them).
Make no mistake, the local economy thrives on visitors to our area. And that last definition (the one with the hundos in their pockets means a lot to the local economy). Local businesses thrive on the economic stimulus that they bring… But for us locals, the influx of people gives us challenges that we don’t see over the other 9 months of the year.
So, we asked the Rat Rock Nation what their best tactic is for how to deal with Bennys.
Here’s what they said:
Know The Back Roads
Solid advice to always know the way around the main roads.
More than one listener with this tip.
Lots of people chimed in with the advice that we feature in our first summer sanity tip. Chris and Deanna know that the main highways get clogged. And they know exactly when they tend to get crowded. Avoid the Garden State Parkway South on Friday afternoons and absolutely avoid the Garden State Parkway North on Sunday afternoon.
Local hint: If you do need to head north on a Sunday afternoon, use Rt 9 or Rt 18. Those two options tend to draw less “Benny” traffic.
Don't Shop On Friday
Fridays are insane at our grocery stores. Shop early for the weekend.
LOL, ok… not too sure about that last part about, “Not leaving your house ’til Tuesday”… but the rest of this tip from Alice is smart. Local grocery stores and liquor stores are a total madhouse on Friday afternoons. Leave that time for the weekend visitors and do your shopping on Thursday. It’ll be easier all the way around… So says the Rat Rock Nation.
Two Words: Back Yard
We’ll be right over!
Pool, pond?! Pond would be good for you…
Floating all afternoon.
Some of the Rat Rock Nation are all about the backyard hang… and quite frankly I can’t fault them for it. Parking is a breeze, you don’t need a daily badge to get it, and there’s a stocked fridge for supplies.
Lets Not Forget
The tourists support our local businesses.
Jobs. Economy. Smart.
With everything our local businesses have been through over the last few years, we gotta cheer them on as they make their “ends” this summer season. Quite frankly, I’m going to stay out of the way on this one and help the local economy every chance I get. I just may opt to do it from Sunday evening to Thursday afternoon…
