Six Months Later: Welcome Back, Point

Six months after Hurricane Sandy.
This past weekend was so gorgeous, and we actually had next to nothing on the calendar.
Point, here we come.

We hit up some rides... played in the arcade... tried out some mini-golf, and ended with sushi from Martell's.

Shootin' some Air Hockey. 

First ride = the Elephants. Irresistible.

Best ride = Motorcycles. Even though they disconnected the buzzers at least two seasons ago.
No worries; Oliver can make his own obnoxious sounds.
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Motorcycles, April 2013 from Sheryl K. on Vimeo.

Got great views from both the Crazy Bus and Rooftop Mini-Golf. As you can see from the picture below, it was very crowded. Amazingly, the only ride that was not in operation was the train. I heard that the tracks got messed up, as well as the train itself... The boardwalk in front of some of the arcades had clearly been replaced, while quite a few other parts were still the original. One large building (beach side of boardwalk) was being rebuilt still. But the place was a-buzzin'.

There are still many shore towns that are in awful shape. Point Pleasant Beach has worked very hard to rebuild and replace the beachfront locations, knowing that the tourist money that it will bring in this summer is irreplaceable and necessary. Unfortunately, many home-owners and landlords have decided to forgo fixing their homes, and have left them abandoned (about 200 in town, a friend has told me). It is unclear how many renters will return to these areas this summer, how many homes will be available for rent, and how Point will fare in the long-run.

But for this weekend, at least, all seemed back to normal.