You too can ride in this much style.

So it’s Saturday night and you need a responsible way to reach your favorite watering hole. You have a few options: 1. Recruit a designated driver. 2. Call a cab. 3. Take the train if you’re heading to Point Pleasant or north. 4. Walk. 5. Call a cab.

And yet all those choices seem so boring and tired. Well, we have the perfection solution – call George Hogan, chauffeur extraordinaire. Yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, you too can roll up to your nightlife destination of choice in a LIMO. Yes, a limo.

My dear friend Joe happened upon George on the Friday of MDW, which just happened to be his first night in business. When George picked us up for a night out that Saturday, he explained that to attract customers, he was dropping his prices on a weekend when all his non-limo-driving competitors were jacking their fares through the roof. (No joke – MDW09 we paid $60 to travel the 2.5 miles from Used to Be’s to my house. Thanks, New Mantoloking Taxi.)

George’s roomy limousine fits six or seven quite comfortably and has all the perks one desires when planning such swanky transportation – comfy leather seats, a sunroof, neon tube lighting around the ceiling. It’s like you’re going to the prom, except there’s no chaperones, you’re not clad in some goofy formal wear, you can drink legally and openly when you get there, and there’s only people you like. Win-win-win.

Let George drive you to drink. Call him at 732-551-9336 this weekend!

Seaside Heights Boradwalk

There are signs of economic recovery, and according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll released on May 27, tourism at the Jersey Shore may not take a hit to the extent that had been originally predicted at the peak of the economic turmoil in the winter.

Among the findings of the poll:

• 6 out of 10 New Jersey residents are planning on visiting the Shore area during the summer months;
• 21 percent will vacation for a week or more; and,
• 38 percent are planning visits shorter than a week.

The “length of stay” numbers indicate that the economy is limiting overall tourism vacation days, which may have an impact on shore merchants. However, according a report in the Asbury Park Press, Patrick Murray, the Monmouth University polling director, says “the economic mix will be different from last year, which may actually benefit Shore merchants.”

Perhaps Shore merchants will be forced to become more innovative in their sales approach this year?

We’re looking forward to tracking tourism trends and merchant activities over the course of this summer. If you notice any creative promotions, please drop us a line!