SJM Leisure — Shore - FINAL - Reg1_Dept 2 / 10 / 21 5 : 37 PM Page 1 the end of 2020 , with people anxious for summer to roll around — and a getaway to look forward to . Supko says that her S J M | L E I S U R E advice is that if they haven’t already done so , vacationers should book soon as L inventory is already becoming slim . “ The Shore , for many , is a safe haven with outdoor activities and a chance to connect more with family and friends , ” Supko says . “ This does not mean anyone should throw caution to the wind , but the Shore does give a bit more relax - An Escape ation — and a change of four walls . ” A CLOSE ESCAPE While living in close proximity to the from the Shore , the change of scenery can cer - tainly feel like an escape for families des - perate to get away from the grind of their daily lives . That’s what Mantua’s Jessica Everyday Cogan appreciates about heading down every weekend with her family . THE JERSEY SHORE IS PERHAPS MORE “ When you drive over that bridge , it’s like another world , ” she says . “ I love the APPRECIATED THAN EVER WITH THE Jersey Shore . I’ve been going since I was THREAT OF THE PANDEMIC STILL LINGERING . a kid and just love being there . ” Paul Fortino and his family feel the by Lindsey Getz same way . The Medford resident says that in some ways , experiencing the pan - hile the Shore demic has made him appreciate the season got some - Shore even more as he and his family what of a “ late W were able to spend more time at their start ” for some last year Ocean City house than ever . it quickly picked up and was “ The Shore has always been great , soon as hot a summer as any but COVID made it even better because other . But there was a noticeable it became our escape , ” he says . “ The shift , with many renters or beach was one of the few places this past homeowners extending their summer where things felt ‘ normal . ’ New season into the fall to take Jersey’s restrictions were pretty strict advantage of the still - favorable right out of the gate , but at the Shore , we weather and sparser crowds . As could be on the beach and safely social families across the area begin to distance . The beach never felt too gear up for this summer and crowded and everyone was so respectful make their vacation plans , many of one another’s space . It actually are expecting it to be an even became one of the places where we all better season this year . felt safe to be . ” Diane Wieland , director at What’s great about the Jersey Shore is Cape May County Department that it can be a weekend getaway — or of Tourism , says that although can be an extended vacation . One trend things got off to a slow start in that professionals like Supko report 2020 , it ended up being an seeing is that parents are working amazing , extended season . remotely and children are doing virtual “ We had a record number of schooling from their coastal hideaways . September and October That was the case for the Dorfman overnight visitors , ” Wieland family from South Jersey . This year , they shares . “ And many of those folks have already booked a house in Ventnor have already made their reserva - after having such a great time last year . tions for 2021 . That gives us a THE COGAN While the Dorfmans aren’t typical FAMILY good indication that we’re likely renters — they’d usually stay with either to start our season on time this set of parents who have Shore homes — year but still possibly extend that as many people came to realize the Shore is still a the COVID - 19 pandemic drove them to great place to be in those fall months . ” try something new . Kathryn Supko , real estate broker with The Supko Team , confirms that quite a few “ We ended up renting a house for a vacationers have already booked their rentals for 2021 . For many , this was done toward whole month and temporarily moved SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 17 issue 11 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 46 |