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Welcome to Waterfront Properties NJ’s first blog post! If you don’t know me already, I'm Susan, a life-long Jersey girl with over 20 years of Real Estate experience. I am very excited to use this blog to share with you:
My expertise in buying and selling a home
Tips on renovating and decorating
The best waterfront towns in New Jersey to live in and visit
What life is like along the Jersey Shore
Local businesses that you won’t want to miss
I will also bring you valuable information that will help you decide where to live, when to move, as well as fun tips on what to do and where to go. I hope you will stay with me as we tour the shore, and if anyone has an interesting landmark, business, or fun fact that pertains to living in New Jersey, I would be happy to hear from you!
Now let’s start off with somewhere that I happen to know A LOT about.
Keyport.
I have lived in Keyport for 26 years now and have grown to adore its small-town charm, often discovering something new to appreciate and share with others all the time.
Living in Keyport, I walk around town every day with my crazy one year old black lab, Stella. Stella is very accustomed to going for walks twice a day and every morning, right around 7:00, she starts getting that look like “Let’s go already!” Usually we are out the door no later than 7:30 and this morning we decided to walk toward Main and Maple where the streets are lined with some of the most beautiful historic homes and tall trees that look absolutely stunning in any season. Making our way toward Maple Place we stop off at the Community Gardens located on Elizabeth Street, where members of the community can grow fruits, vegetables or flowers if they don’t have the space to do so at their own home. Here, we find everything from organically grown vegetables to bright, towering sunflowers. It’s obvious many people have put lots of love into making this garden grow and flourish.
Fortunately, the morning air was a bit lighter than the last few weeks; July and August can be brutally hot in New Jersey, even early in the morning. Many mornings we run into the same people out walking, with or without a dog in tow, or in my case a human being pulled by a dog. If you live in Keyport you will know exactly who I am. I’m the middle-aged woman being dragged around by a leash yelling. . .
“STELLA STOP!”
This morning was no different than any other. Stella saw a woman walking and insisted we do a meet and greet. She loves meeting new people and making friends with all the other dogs she sees. We didn’t exchange names but talked for a few blocks about how nice it is walking around town and seeing new faces.
Finally, we get to Maple Place and the first thing I always notice are the gorgeous Queen Ann Victorians and Colonial style homes, most of which are meticulously cared for and framed by equally stunning gardens. The gardens are spectacular and the wrap-around porches are so inviting and cozy. I often see my neighbors sitting out on their porch with a cup of coffee on a nice morning, watching all the early risers passing by. It gives you that nostalgic feeling of when life was simpler and people were friendlier.
Some houses have been labeled with plaques revealing the dates they were built, many going back to the mid and late 1800’s and even still have small details such as the hitching posts that were once used to tie off horses and large stone blocks used as house markers. It is just fascinating to me to think about how life was here almost two centuries ago. There is so much historical charm packed into this quaint little town.
As we make our way downtown toward the Bay, we come across a marvelous painting depicting the town of Keyport on the side of the Reimagine Home Design antique store. This is one of four wall art paintings you can find painted on the sides of buildings that have been done to reflect the history of the town and add some color to the streets.
Turning on to West Front Street, which runs parallel to the Bay, there are a number of antique stores to pop into and look for some unique treasures. One of my favorites is Simply Homes Shabby Decor located on the corner of East Front and Broad Street. There are always new pieces to admire and it is so fun to imagine how it could spruce up your home. I stopped in to browse their newest collection and fell in love with a table that I saw, which was made from a refurbished Singer sewing machine. I had never seen anything like it and decided instantly I needed to have it! I told the owner I would stop by later to pick it up and went on with my day.
The Keyport Coffee Cafe is located right down the street and is a wonderful place to grab a fresh brewed cup of coffee and homemade donut or breakfast sandwich, all of which are to die for. My morning walk had worked up quite an appetite and I definitely could use the energy boost, so I opted to get an iced caramel coffee and a cranberry scone for the road.
Coffee and scone in hand, Stella and I head down to the Bay to enjoy the morning views and subtle breezes. We always see people out on the dock fishing, crabbing and offering morning greetings. There is so much to take in here; the 9/11 Memorial, the Keyport Rain Garden, and the beautiful hand-made mosaic benches. About 30 minutes later after our morning of socializing and exploring, Stella and I arrive back at home to rest up for our next adventure through Keyport.
Living in Keyport has so much to offer and I've only touched the surface of what's here. I will be sharing my new discoveries with you through this blog, so please follow along as I discover the History, Mystery and Wonders of Keyport along with all of the other fascinating places along the Bayshore and Jersey Shore. If you are looking for real estate advice, interior design tips or suggestions on the best place to eat on the water in Jersey then make sure to check back on my website for all the latest info! What are a few things you'd like to know more about New Jersey or Real Estate?