Spring
Lake, New Jersey
For a classic beach vacation, try this sleepy
town
From the April 22, 2002 Issue of New York
Feel overwhelmed with too much to do? Take a ride to Spring Lake,
N.J. -- only an hour and fifteen minutes via NJ Transit from Penn
Station -- and ease into its deafeningly quiet, sublimely unhurried
atmosphere. Founded in 1892, the town consists of rambling Victorian
mansions with wraparound porches and sprawling lawns. There's a spring-fed
lake in the center that, with its pedestrian bridges, swans, and weeping
willows, has a wonderful, feels-so-fake-it-has-to-be-real vibe to
it. And the boardwalk, which runs for two miles along an immaculate
stretch of beach, is noncommercial, perfect for slow walks or quick
jogs. Stay at the Breakers, a charmingly restored Victorian hotel
right on the ocean. (Every room has a view.) For dinner, go to Whispers
in the Hewitt-Wellington Hotel; it's BYOB, but the chef trained at
Bouley. If you get restless, there are five world-class golf courses
within a twenty-minute drive, and some pleasant galleries and shops
along Third Avenue. But most visitors are content to do as little
as possible.
-- MICHAEL STEELE
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