Oh, I am LIVID. Luckily, by now I've had some time to cool off, but I was beyond angry yesterday at the parking situation down near Corson's Inlet in Ocean City.

SoJO 104.9 FM logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

I can't believe I spent almost an hour and fifteen minutes looking for a spot. Let me tell you something, it wouldn't have taken that long if people had some common decency. I got cut off twice. TWICE. Both times, the parking spot I was waiting for was blatantly stolen even though it was extremely apparent that I was being patient while the family packed their car and drove off leaving me with that available spot.

But, no. I didn't get the spots. Why? Because evidently people don't know the 5 UNWRITTEN RULES OF SOUTH JERSEY BEACH PARKING.

Now, before you even ask, let me make extremely clear that if it were PA drivers that made me lose out on the spaces, I would have just cut my losses and chalked it up to their ignorance. Nope, both cars had New Jersey plates.

So, it seems the responsibility has been placed on my shoulders to educate fellow residents about how to PROPERLY park at South Jersey beaches.

  • 1

    Arrive Early

    Of course, some of us can't get to the beach until later in the day depending on the circumstances surrounding that morning, but the best time to find a parking spot without a lot of hassle is before 9 am. So, if you don't want to stress, make a day of it.

  • 2

    Be Patient

    It may feel like you'll be driving around forever to find a spot, but you WILL find one. You just may have to be willing to walk a bit.

  • 3

    Be Mindful Of Your Car's Length

    If you have a Land Rover and you spend ten minutes trying to squeeze into a spot only big enough to fit a Toyota Corolla, who knows how many other spots you missed out on because you were so determined to park that specific one.

  • 4

    DON'T CUT SOMEONE OFF

    This is my biggest pet peeve of them ALL! If you see someone stopped next to family that's clearly packing their car to leave, don't circle the block and try to steal that spot the other person was patiently waiting for.

    Seriously.

    Were you raised by wolves? You can't even deal when someone cuts you off on the highway. Imagine sitting there patiently waiting for a parking spot to open up for about ten minutes only for some ignorant person to cut you off in an effort to make the spot work for themselves.

    I know some people might just cut their losses and move on, and I would have too if the person who cut me off was from out of state. The fact that the plates were from NJ made it personal.

  • 5

    Bring Quarters

    If all else fails, you might have to *gulp* pay for parking. So, in the event that you have to pull into the lot, make sure you have some money to get you through the day.

More From SoJO 104.9 FM