By MADDY VITALE
A brisk sunny Saturday seemed to entice visitors and residents to Sea Isle City’s beaches, the Promenade and the downtown, to stroll, bike, walk their dogs and shop.
And everyone seemed to have one thing in common when it came to enjoying the resort. The calming effect of the ocean waves, the breezes and friendly people took them away from the hustle and bustle of their normal lives and away from thoughts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kevin Gallagher and his girlfriend, Colleen Donegan, live in Haddonfield in Camden County, and visit Gallagher’s parents in Sea Isle whenever they can.
They decided to spend the weekend at the resort and just get away from it all – even for just a little while.
“My parents met here and Colleen and I met here,” Gallagher said as the couple walked on the beach at 44th Street and sipped coffee. “We come here for the memories. It is nice to have the beaches to ourselves. It’s so relaxing and we can do our own thing.”
Donegan was as equally enthusiastic about the town and noted that after a stroll they were going to their favorite restaurant in Sea Isle.
“It’s nice to get away. It is peaceful here,” Donegan said. “In the summer you don’t have all of this room on the beaches that we have now.”
Couple Megan Gibson and Brian Malinowski, both college students who live in Bucks County, Pa., said they are on break from school and thought it would be a good weekend to visit her parents, who have a home on 44th Street.
“I haven’t been here since September,” Malinowski said. “We are spending a week here.”
Like Gallagher and Donegan, Malinowski and Gibson pointed out that there is just something special about Sea Isle.
“Coming down here takes a lot off your shoulders,” Malinowski said. “Back home is busy and bustling. There is something about this atmosphere.”
He and Gibson gazed at a Christmas tree decorated by locals that still stands on the beach at 44th Street.
“It is so calming here. We are taking walks on the beach and relaxing,” Gibson said.
Despite a bit frostier feel than the two like, Malinowski said he plans on doing some fishing if it warms up a bit in the next day or two.
“This is the first time I have been down where I didn’t go fishing,” he said.
For Emily and Kevin Duffy, they didn’t have a long trip to Sea Isle to take their dog Bruce for a walk along the Promenade.
“It is so nice here. We just closed on our (Sea Isle) house in November and we are getting a feel for the town,” Emily said.
“We love it down here. There is a good blend of things to do and it is spread out,” Kevin added.
As the couple was chatting for an interview with SeaIsleNews.com, their dog Bruce was introducing himself to a puppy named Tucker, owned by Tiffany Kmiec, of Williamstown, in Gloucester County.
Kmiec’s parents have a home in Sea Isle and she said that it has been her happy getaway, especially through the pandemic.
“It is really nice down here,” she said, as she tugged on Tucker’s leash while he played with his new buddy, Bruce.
