“Beach” can mean many things in Jersey City, but it doesn’t usually mean the sun-surf-and-swim variety. In this photo montage, we show you the yin-yang of JC beaches. Near Liberty National and the nature preserve is a little stretch of sand which some folks call “hidden” beach. It is definitely that. You would never guess that a path overgrown with beach grass and vegetation would open on to a sandy expanse with views of Liberty State Park, lower Manhattan, and Port Liberte. The beach is often strewn with refuse, but it is also home to horseshoe crabs, which have been spotted clawing their way along the shore. The species is 20 million years old.
A far cry from hidden beach is Newport Beach, on the waterfront walkway, just before you get to the Hoboken line. This white sandy beach is strewn with Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, laptops, smart phones, and bikini-clad sunbathers playing hooky from Wall Street West. Behind it is an upscale kids’ playground complete with a carousel. Barriers keep beachgoers from getting anywhere near the water, but the overall feel is that you’ve channeled the Jersey Shore—not the show, but the shore.—Kate Rounds