10th Street & Union?

Yesterday on our way home from Avalon, my boyfriend and I decided to take the long way home and go to Ocean City (NJ, that is) to fish where he fished with his dad when he was little and also drive past the house he stayed in a few times. Being that all his memories are from when he was 12, even if he wasn't 12, ("hey babe, when did you learn to walk?" "I was 12"....), I warned him that the house might not look the same or even still be there!

So we packed up the car and headed north on Ocean Drive from Avalon. About 30 minutes later, we found ourselves at the southern end of Ocean City on a one lane road sandwiched between the ocean and bay. I asked where we were going...."I'm not sure. I know it was maybe 4 or 5 blocks from the beach". Wait, what? We don't have an actual address? Or coordinates?? Or anything that could give us more info than it being a house on a barrier island that is 12 miles long and 2 miles wide?? Are you kidding me??

After driving north for a while, he finally decided to call his mother (who wasn't sure) and then his cousin (whom had gone with them). His cousin was positive it was on the corner of 10th Street and Union Ave. PERFECT! We were already at 25th Street and the numbers were heading down, so in no time, we'd be on the corner of Nostalgia and Old School and then could head to the ice cream shop he used to go to - which he was sure was "nearby" too....great!

We finally got to 10th Street and were just 2 blocks from the beach, so we decided to hang a left off of Central Ave and head towards the bay. Wesley Ave. West Ave. Bay Ave. Water.

Nope.

Turn around...

By the time we hit the ocean, we realized, hey, we never crossed Union Ave. Hmm.... We revised our scientifically devised plan, and decided to just drive around...I mean, it has to be here somewhere, right?

We finally asked a beach-heading older woman if she knew where 10th and Union was. "Union Ave? I've never heard of it." Fabulous. Back to wandering aimlessly....

We finally found what we thought could be the bridge that he fished off of, and called his dad. Not the right bridge, but lo and behold, the bridge was on Wesley Ave and that WAS the right road. Because, you know, Wesley and Union sound the same.

After driving around for almost an hour and a half, we found the house.

HALLELUJAH!

And what's crazier is that it turns out in our scientifically motivated "driving around" we'd passed the house several times! And of course the façade was slightly changed! Though, I'll admit I was so happy we found it I wanted to jump up and down.

And then....we found the old ice cream shop. Only now, its the Island Grill Steak House....but that's ok! We ate there anyway. Because after driving all over Ocean City and seeing every inch of it, I built up an appetite.

I have to admit, though...even if it was my first time in Ocean City, I had a blast! And having him there - and both of us laughing like goof balls because of the craziness we went through - made it even more fun!

Oh, and no, no fish were caught either....but, hey, that's ok too!