There are many areas around the world that are commonly referred to and known as "tourist towns." Luckily (and unfortunately) I was born and raised in one. Many people may know my area as the "Jersey Shore" but I only know it as home. MTV loved coming here to film a certain show or two. People flock to the beaches as soon as Memorial Day Weekend rolls around, and they keep on coming until Labor Day shows up and its time for the kids to go back to school.
Let's start off with the name we give the tourists. Anyone who vacations at the Seaside area during the summer is referred to as a BENNY. It's an acronym that stands for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York which represents the places/areas most of the tourists come from. The history of the term has a couple different origins. One is based off of the letters printed on the beach-goers train tickets on their way down. Another is when New Yorker's went on therapeutic trips to the beach called "beneficials." Either way, today's BENNY's are usually pretty easy to spot.
The traffic is absolutely horrible in the summer. Going to the mall only took about 10 minutes, but when it's summer you're looking at, at least 25 minutes along with a nasty case of road rage the entire way. The roads in town aren't made to have a million cars on it at one time. The parkway is a giant gamble of time. You might be lucky enough to catch it at a time where no one is driving on it and/or everyone is moving along. You might also be the unlucky soul that gets suck in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic that is at almost a complete stop. Also, the tourists never know where they're going or which lanes they need to be in. (Hint: if you need to make any turn on any road that isn't residential, and has more than 1 lane, stay to the right!)
Going to the beach is also a little tricky, but we have a good system. I won't go into detail because if I explain it, this information may fall into the hands of a BENNY, and I would ruin going to the beach in the summer for all locals. Basically, all I can say is we know when and where...that's the system. Each local has their own version, and it works.
Overall, living in a tourist town isn't as bad as it sounds. The nine months out of the year when the BENNY's aren't around are great. The cost of attractions and parking go down, and everything in general is a lot less busy. I love being able to drive to the beach whenever I want to. I love going for walks along the boardwalk. I love where I live, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
