ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. , Families from across the Delaware Valley crowded the sand, boardwalk and amusement stands here on Labor Day, wrapping up the holiday weekend with one last trip to the shore before the drive home.
For Miranda Faroni of Roxborough, the day hit the mark she was hoping for.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” Faroni said.
She and her family spent much of the day near the water, building sandcastles with new buckets and letting the kids run in and out of the surf. Faroni noted the ocean was rougher than expected.
“The water was very rough and the current was a little scary, but it was fun,” she said.
Others stuck to the boards. Ruth Stevens Duncker of Williamstown said she came for the people-watching and the salt air as much as anything else.
“Just enjoy the boards and enjoy the lovely weather,” Stevens Duncker said.
Visitors also stopped at food stands for the usual shore staples and tried their luck at the boardwalk games.
As the afternoon wound down, attention shifted to the trip ahead. Van Truong of South Philadelphia braced for the worst but found the holiday getaway more manageable than expected.
“I thought it was going to be really busy for Labor Day, but I feel it’s OK,” Truong said.
Aerial views from Chopper 6 showed only minor congestion on northbound Route 42 heading away from the shore. Jane Baumgardner of Berwyn, who was making the drive, said the typical bottlenecks near the Atlantic City Expressway never really materialized.
“There’s always little jams getting onto the AC Expressway, but it evens out, and if people just be civil and don’t pass and get there quicker, it makes it better for all of us,” Baumgardner said.
Not everyone was worried about the drive. While parents mapped out routes, at least one young traveler had a simpler plan for the ride home.
“I’m going to take a nap,” the boy said.
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