The Jersey Shore is the coast of New Jersey. If you are not there, you might say, if you’re in North Jersey, or sometimes Pennsylvania, that you are going “down the shore.” I never heard it till I moved to the North. I grew up on the shore.
“Down da shore” is, I think, how people think people talk in North Jersey. That actually sounds more like old-fashioned Brooklyn to me–no one I know talks like that. Maybe they do in the Sopranos? Dunno, never watched it. But it never seemed very realistic from what I’ve heard.
Slowly raising my hand here, many people where I live talk straight out of the sopranos depending on where in Northeast NJ they grew up. I have friends and family from Jersey city (my moms entire family grew up there, starting at Ellis island, my grandmother who lived until 91 was the last, she was 1 of 8). My mom managed to lose the JC accent, but not her sister. My sister lost her jersey accent (lives in the Chicago area), apparently I did not (her friends use to laugh at my messages when she was at Richmond). My accent gets stronger if I’m around others who talk the same, especially if alcohol is involved. My middle has the strongest, definitely a cawfee girl. I’m smack in the middle of the gabagool/gavadeel/mutz crowd (which has a pretty cool history).
I found the archived version and it put me most similar to different areas where I lived until I was six and for 40 years as an adult (also another part of the country where my mother grew up) but not where I lived from age 7 to 21.
I know all about saying “down the shore” but have never had cause to say it in the applicable region. I will say when I lived in Chicagoland, everything outside the greater metro area was "downstate,’ even if it was north and northwest. We also referred to the burbs, the boonies, and the superboonies.
But I digress.
I am currently binging something called Versailles season 3; never saw the earlier seasons. And trying to decide if I want to watch Who is Erin Carter.
“Down the shore” has become a topic of philadelphia tv news station, because many broadcasters use this grammatically incorrect phrase.
( the NJ shore points for many philadelphia residents are “south” hence down the shore )
This is recent discussion Philadelphia magazine about this phrase. I grew up in central NJ, and everytime I hear it seems like nails on a chalkboard,
“ But if you’re a regular viewer of the 6 ABC newscasts, you might have noticed that the various on-air personalities don’t use this localspeak when referring to the Jersey Shore. They say “down at the shore.” And that feels a little bit like ordering Swiss cheese on your cheesesteak. Meanwhile, over at Fox 29, the anchors, reporters and meteorologists routinely use “down the shore.” (Hell, they even have a recurring segment called “Orr Down the Shore”!)
Binging The Indian Doctor, ( season 1 free on Amazon prime video, then subscribed to acorn tv free for week to watch seasons 2 and 3 )
Fascinating to see this 2010 production deal with fictional smallpox epidemic in Wales 1960. Who could imagine in thirteen years the world would be dealing with Covid pandemic.
When I was growing up in northern NJ in the 1970s it was downthashore. And the best day of the summer was when my Mom announced we’d be going downthashore to eat dinner and play skee ball and other games.
And to transition back to this thread. I’m catching up on the latest seasons of Reservation Dogs and Only Murders in the Building.
Just finished Detectorist- watched on Amazon Prime that went to Freevee. Some commercials but very short and not caustic. Thanks for the referral.
Wow- loved the show. Slow paced with writing, acting, and photography were great. I did several LOL times and I am sure I missed a lot of British/ metal detector humor. Dramatic irony? When you know more than the characters. Found my self talking to the characters on the screen. Don’t read the review until after you finish it (spoilers)- the BBC has a great article on it.
We’ve been watching Mad Men- in season 6. I think it lives up to all the hype. Jon Hamm is just mesmerizing as Draper and I’ll find myself defending some of his awful behavior and ask myself “what are you doing?”
The writing is wonderful. Laugh out loud funny sometimes, melancholy the next.
My only critique is that basically everyone is a cheater. I know it’s a tv show, but it’s a bit much.
