OCEAN CITY — The home at 120 Roosevelt Blvd. is ideally suited to those who enjoy America’s Greatest Family Resort for its alcohol-free environment but would like something stiffer than a soft-serve cone when it’s 5 o’clock (somewhere).
Featuring an open, spacious great room, maintenance-free grounds and a sweeping view of the wetlands, the home is the epitome of a Merion Park getaway — a short distance from everything the island has to offer and within close proximity of the nightlife in Upper Township, Sea Isle City and points south.
Somers Point and its bayfront historic district is also just a couple of miles up the Garden State Parkway, which conveniently offers north and south access just on the other side of the 34th Street bridge.
The newly renovated rancher features three bedrooms and three full baths — two of them ensuite — as well as a recently remodeled kitchen, dining area and large living room with a stone-faced fireplace that extends from floor to ceiling.
On the side, the main door opens into the heart of the home, which is large and inviting with its peaked cathedral ceiling sporting an exposed center beam and adjustable spotlights.
Multiple windows and a sliding glass door that opens onto the front deck provide abundant natural light and let the cool sea breeze flow inside.
To the right is the kitchen, which features a center island with a granite countertop, seating and cabinets. More of the ivory-colored wood cabinets stretch along two walls with a backsplash of mini glass subway tiles. Appliances include a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, four-burner range/oven with a microwave above and a dishwasher to the right of the stainless-steel sink.
Just a couple of steps away, a wood table that seats six sits atop the plank flooring.
The fireplace is against the far wall, allowing those seated on one of the two sofas to keep one eye on the wetlands and the other on the wall-mounted corner television.
A long hall leads back to the bedrooms, as well as a hall bathroom, linen closet and laundry.
The hall bath has a one-piece fiberglass tub/shower with a curtain, so is convenient for bathing small children or pets.
Across the hall, the first bedroom has wall-to-wall carpeting and twin beds. The second bedroom, next door, is identical except that it has a private bathroom with a shower.
The primary suite is in the rear and features a king-size bed atop carpeting and a bathroom with a shower and vanity.
The home, situated on a 50-foot-by-120-foot lot with plenty of room for a boat or pool, also has new central air conditioning and a new roof. It is just a short walking distance from the beach and bay, a playground, Acme supermarket and plenty of restaurants and retail shops on 34th Street.
Ocean City is one of the most popular shore resorts on the East Coast, featuring a 2.5-mile-long oceanfront boardwalk filled with hundreds of shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as miles and miles of pristine beaches. There also is an award-winning downtown business district centered on Asbury Avenue and a watersports district around Third Street on Bay Avenue.
A great location doesn’t only mean beachfront or bayfront on this 8-mile-long island — there are 10 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own characteristics.
Merion Park lets homeowners experience everything that one of the top family resorts on the East Coast has to offer without the crowds and hustle and bustle of living downtown or in one of the more densely populated neighborhoods on the island.
It is filled with homes where residents live year-round as well as those used mostly during the summer. Its seclusion and size create an atmosphere where children can play, explore, ride bikes and just be kids without the threat of traffic and other dangers. Yet it is just blocks away from the 34th Street business district, which contains a major supermarket, gas station, convenience store, ice cream parlor and multiple restaurants.
Unlike the Goldcoast, Riviera and Gardens neighborhoods, Merion Park is closer to nature, literally and figuratively. The wetlands environment is home to red fox, diamondback terrapins, egrets, gulls, ospreys and more.
