Jersey Top 5

Four days.  Two best friends.  A lifetime of memories!  Here is my Jersey Top 5 List:

1.  Wine 

Once I arrived and Julie got home from work, we headed straight to the Sharrott Winery, where we were greeted by a wall of perfectly arranged bottles and a chalkboard featuring all the wines you could taste.

We scanned the list, chose our favorites, munched on saltines in-between sips of fruity whites and full-bodied reds, and admired the decor.  It was relaxing and fun and a great way to kick off our long girls' weekend!

We also visited a wine bar when we stayed at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.  Situated on one of the top floors with windows on three of the four walls, it overlooked both the city and the shore.  Happy hour was between 5-7pm and offered a deal that we couldn't pass up: half-price glasses of wine and free appetizers in the form of crusty or soft breads and a selection of artisanal cheeses.

2.  Julie's "House" 

Julie lives with her cousin Rachel, Rachel's husband Rob, and their two boys...and connected to the house is another "house" where Rachel's parents live.  The entire clan shares a kitchen, and the family business is also on the property.

The backyard is full of chickens whose small chicks follow quickly behind them, two ducks whose source of water is a baby pool, a rooster that crows at any time of the day, a beautiful garden full of fresh herbs, a wide selection of peppers, zucchini and tomato plants, a large deck where we had our morning coffee, and a pool that provided us hours of lying on rafts in the sun.

Since the kitchen is the shared living space, it is always filled with people chatting, mixing up batches of margaritas, chopping vegetables for salsa, making food at random times of the day - like when Rob made his famous stuffed peppers and Julie made zucchini bread AFTER we'd already eaten dinner and chowed down on homemade ice cream.  Dishes pile up in the sink, dirty pots and pans line the counters, and the table is strewn with newspapers and coupons...but it's warm and comfortable and full of love.

Homemade salsa only lasts about 15 minutes in this house!

3. Food

Not only did we eat amazing meals at the house, we also had some great fare in the local restaurants.  One of our best meals was at a Thai place where diners are allowed to bring in their own bottles of wine.  We packed up a bottle of Reisling from the Sharrott Winery and were on our way.  I ordered my favorite, shrimp pad Thai, and Julie had a chicken curry full of Thai basil, coconut milk and spices.  It was absolutely delicious and for dessert we shared sticky rice with mango, a perfect ending to a perfect meal!

Our next best meal was at the Palm Restaurant in the Tropicana.  In the hotel information guide, it stated that the Palm was a place where A-list celebrities dined and that the walls were covered in caricatures of famous faces...although except for George Clooney, we didn't recognize most of the names and faces.

Julie ordered one of their specialty drinks, a watermelon mojito.  It was strong, fruity and minty all at the same time.

For dinner, I had a melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon, Julie had chicken piccata full of yummy, tangy capers, and we shared a large bowl of velvety mashed potatoes. 

Last bite of steak...VERY sad.

4. The Tropicana Hotel

Julie booked a room at the Tropicana so that we could spend Sunday and Monday in Atlantic City...and it was not an original idea.  We waited for a half an hour just to check into our room!

Our view!

We headed straight for the pool on the 6th floor rooftop, where we lounged on chairs in the sun, ordered sandwiches and wraps for lunch, avoided the overpriced drinks at the pool bar (seriously, $12 for a small cup of pina colada that came out of a machine?), and got in a good dose of people-watching.

After our dinner at the Palm, we headed into the casino for a little gambling.  Julie started off with the Wheel of Fortune game, but she did not make a fortune.  It was fun to play though!

After gambling and not winning a thing, we walked around the Tropicana to find a cool bar, and we were not disappointed.  A Dam Good Sports Bar lived up to its name with TVs in every direction, a huge circular bar, pool tables, and an awesome drink special - 40 oz beers for $5.  Yes, we felt a little ghetto drinking from a 40, but hey, you couldn't beat the price!  At least we had cups to drink out of, so it wasn't TOO ghetto.

We met several people at the sport's bar, including a really nice guy named Marc - in fact, we spent the rest of the night hanging out with him, drinking, chatting, sharing a cab to a pub...and then walking back to the Tropicana at 4:30am.  Cause that's how we roll.

We also met this couple, who were having a heated discussion at 3am in the pub.  Doesn't she look thrilled?  Their story: they are best friends, but he wants more.  We overheard him tell her, "You are my muse."  Best eavesdropping ever!

We quickly struck up a conversation with them and admitted that we'd heard their conversation.  They were very good-natured about it and soon enough, we were all drinking and hanging out together.

The next morning, Julie and I were up and ready for the beach by 11am.  The hotel is right on the boardwalk, where we grabbed large slices of pizza for lunch and took in the scenery.

After lunch we rented a huge, turquoise umbrella on the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun, breathing in the salty air, and plunging our feet into the cold waters of the ocean.

5.  Spending Time With My Best Friend

Honestly, what more could a girl ask for?  A four day weekend with your best friend who you only get to see two or three times a year?  Priceless!  Julie and I had such a blast.  No matter the distance between us or how long we go without catching up, we can always pick right back up where we left off.  We're already planning a time for her to come out to Indy and visit, and I will count down the days until then!