The Gateway

 

There is no better feeling than when you get off the shore exits on the parkway, and you can smell the salt water in the air on a breezy summer afternoon. Any time I’m around this scent, it brings back memories of school being out and having the whole summer ahead of you, and since you get used to it after a day, the first time it hits you is really a shock to my North Jersey senses. The whole car would be packed to the brim with suitcases, beach towels, and boogie boards, which made those rides feel like an eternity. When coming over the bridge we pass the first restaurant on the island where every year, my mom would tell us that’s where she met our dad, further making this place feel like my second home.