My friends and i are planning a mini-vacation to the jersey shore. we are from Westchester County in NY and don't want to drive more than about 3 hours. we are looking for a place with nice beaches, nightlife and reasonable accomodations. Being in our late teens, early 20s we are looking for a place where there will be people our age--but we don't want it to be strictly a place for young people. Any suggestions??

Belmar is exit 98 on the Garden State Parkway. That means its about 1 1/2 hours from NYC. Belmar is a great place for people your age!!! Don't bother with Seaside Heights...it has a boardwalk but very trashy!

I've been going to Long Beach Island my entire life. At every age I found great things to do there.(I'm now 29) It is a bit more quiet than Belmar or Seaside..don't go there, trashy is right....but it has beautiful , safe, clean beaches, some great clubs and great restaurants. Because it is family oriented (don't worry, plenty of young people) there aren't that many hotels, but there are a few nice ones on the beach that are centrally located. Call the LBI chamber of commerce..they'll send you a pamphlet of hotels and restaurants. You can also do a search for LBI on the internet...they have a few websites that have great information on them. Good luck and have a blast!

MY HUSBAND'S FAMILY HAS HAD A HOME IN LAVALLETTE FOR 40 YRS. IT IS FAMILY ORIENTED WITH SOME GOOD RESTAURANTS AND BEAUTIFUL, SAFE BEACHES. THE RESTAURANTS ARE THE CRAB'S CLAW,KRONE'S, TEEPEES FOR THE BEST SUBS, MRS. WALKERS FOR HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. AND THERE USED TO BE A SMALL HOTEL 1 BLOCK OFF THE OCEAN ON RT 35N CALLED THE LAMPLIGHTER. POINT PLEASANT IS ALSO NICE, ACROSS THE INLET FROM BELMAR. I TOO SUGGEST STAYING AWAY FROM SEASIDE. LAVALLETTE IS 20 MINUTES SOUTH OF BELMAR AND 45-60 MINS NORTH OF ATLANTIC CITY. DURING THE SUMMER THERE WILL BE NIGHT LIFE ALL ALONG THE SHORE HAVE A GREAT TIME!

This reply is a bit late, but hopefully will help someone considering a vacation at the Jersey shore.

Consider Ocean Beach Unit II in Lavallette, NJ, which is about 60 minutes south of New York City, and about halfway between Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights.

It's a great community with a very clean and beautiful beach, playground, bay beach, fishing/crabbing docks, and clubhouse. The beach usually has some large sandbars which the kids love at low tide. If you like boogie boarding, the wave action is great.

It's a nice family environment, and there are plenty of things to do within just a short drive. Walk to ice cream shops, bakeries, stores, and a laundromat.

There are daily events for the kids, all-you-can-eat ice cream night at the clubhouse, and other activities.

It's worth checking out their web site at www.ob2.org.

Dean