There may be no NJ beach bar at Hard Rock this summer

There’s something special about a drink at the beach. As long as you’re of age and not driving, kicking back with a drink or two in the sun with the ocean eternally rolling before your eyes and the sounds and smells of the shore is one of life’s great pleasures.

Many of us have tempted fate by sneaking a drink in our coolers on Jersey beaches. When you have a bar right on the beach, you don’t need to.

That’s where the beach bar at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino came in. It’s served people well there at Pennsylvania Avenue Beach in Atlantic City. But now there’s big trouble.

Beach erosion is spelling possible doom.

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There’s been a lot of winter storm damage and nj.com is reporting parts of Hard Rock’s beach bar is sitting taped off and crumbling. Their deck appears to have partially collapsed into the unstable sand.

The same type of sand cliffs that have created gaps between walking paths and beaches are surrounding and plaguing Hard Rock’s beach bar. Atlantic City officials said this week that sand replenishment plans are being considered by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but it can’t come soon enough.

Hard Rock Atlantic City General Manager Mike Sampson said, “If we don’t get some action taken very, very quickly, this looks like this is going to be a post-summer project, and we will not be able to resume the same type of beach operations that we had in the past.”

Say it isn’t so.

During the summer season the beach bar has afforded gorgeous ocean views and a look at the amusement rides. The full Jersey Shore atmosphere. It sits between the Steel Pier and the Resort Casino Hotel’s Landshark Bar, but it may not be open at all this year. Hopefully, emergency repairs can come quickly enough to save the season.

If so, we could all drink to that.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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