Opinion | Wildwood, New Jersey — the beach city that will always be nostalgic to me

Wildwood, the small beach city along the New Jersey coast that I have gone to since I was a kid, will always have a special place in my heart. Every time I go to Wildwood, I always have a great time. It will always be the place where I make some of my favorite memories.

I’ve been going to this place since I was a baby. Ever since I was born, we took trips to Wildwood. Many of my friends and family members go there, too. Wildwood is the place where it seems Philly people gravitate towards during the summer — including the “outside of Philly” people. 

Every time I go there, I seem to run into a familiar face. My high school friend group and I went there for our senior week. We stayed at a friend’s place, and we walked 25 minutes every day to go to the beach from her house. We made many fun memories there, and I look back on that time fondly. We were talking to random people who were also there for senior week, talking to the people in the record stores and taking photos everywhere we went. My one friend brought her disposable camera, and I still have the photos I uploaded to my phone to this day.

One of my all-time favorite memories from Wildwood was when my mom, brother, aunt, cousins and I got stuck in a hurricane. I know that might sound crazy, but it was such a hilarious time for us. We didn’t realize the storm was going to start up and we decided to go to the boardwalk. We first were walking around the water park when the heavy rain and wind started. My brother and I were holding onto our boogie boards, which were flying away no matter how hard we were trying to hold onto them. My grandma’s flip-flop flew to the lower level of the water park — a nice lifeguard gave it back to her, though.

We then made our way to the boardwalk, where we sat inside somewhere and got funnel cake, fried Oreos and other various goodies. My aunt and mom posted photos, which are still floating around on Facebook to this day. Every time my family goes to Wildwood, we are always reminded of that day and the joy that it brought us when we were younger. 

I recently went to Wildwood on May 24 for a day trip with a few friends. There was nothing better than being back at that beach city after a long wait. It was Memorial Day weekend, so my friends and I knew that the drive there was going to be bad. It took us about three hours to get there. Usually, it takes an hour and a half or two to get there. Even though we were stuck in traffic for some time and my friend may have taken a couple of wrong turns, we finally arrived at Wildwood. 

Being back on the beach and on that boardwalk felt amazing. I haven’t been there since July of 2023, so being there, especially with friends, brought back a lot of good feelings and memories. We also specifically went a few days before my birthday. My friend Alyssa and I share the same birthday, and it was her idea to get a little group together to go down to the shore to celebrate getting one more year older. 

When we went, I had a not-so-great moment, which turned into a funny memory. I got attacked by a seagull — which is not surprising, they’re crazy there! My friends and I were eating sandwiches and passing the chip bag around, when all of a sudden, a seagull swooped down and almost took my sandwich. I thought I got lucky with it not taking my sandwich, but then the next moment, it took my chips. I felt the seagull land on my head. They are the most annoying birds ever, but my friends and I had a good laugh. 

Overall, Wildwood is a very special place to me and many others in my life. I have been to other beaches in my life, but this one has made the most memories for me that I will never forget. If you are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania or another state close by and you have never been to Wildwood, check it out. Wildwood is especially great over the summer. If you happen to be passing through Wildwood or the surrounding areas, check out the boardwalk and the bay. Maybe you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Do you enjoy Wildwood as much as Irene? You can email her at inm24@pitt.edu and let her know!