New in town? A handy shore-to-shore conversion guide

NOTHING'S exactly the same from one beach town to the next, but a lot isn't foreign either, even in places where going "downashore" is going "downy shore" (Ocean City, Md.) or "to the beach" (the entire, misguided state of Delaware).

We've matched some beloved South Jersey Shore standards, from Lucy the Elephant to Brown's doughnuts, with their near-equivalents in the Not-So-Distant Shores - Belmar to Beach Haven, N.J., and Lewes, Del., to that other Ocean City in Maryland.

This way, you can stretch your comfort zone without busting a seam.

LANDMARKS

Downashore standby

Lucy the Elephant, Margate

Other Shores substitute

Old Barney the Barnegat Lighthouse, Long Beach Island

He's tall, aged, known by a fond first name and can be climbed from within for panoramic views of the seascape. Alas, no big, floppy ears.

More

near-equivalents:

In Bethany Beach, Del., watch for Chief Little Owl, the totem pole. In Ship Bottom, on Long Beach Island, it's hard to miss the original Ron Jon Surf Shop. Stop in to pose for snapshots with a giant surfboard.

A string of 11 World War II observation towers that were used to track enemy warships dots the Delaware coastline from Fenwick Island north to Lewes. Only one, in Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Del., is open to visitors.

SEASONAL ANNOYANCE

Downashore standby

Beach tags

Other Shores substitute

Parking meters, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Delaware beachgoers tsk-tsk the notion of paying for beach tags, since most of their beaches are free. (The exceptions are the state park beaches: Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island, where admission is $4 a car for state residents and $8 a car for others.)

But parking will cost you. In Rehoboth Beach, the best spots are $1.50 an hour. Keep feeding the meter or you'll face a $30 fine that goes up to $45 if you don't pay within three days and climbs to $75 after a month.

TRAMS AND TROLLEYS

Downashore standby

Wildwood boardwalk tram

Other Shores substitute

Ocean City, Md., boardwalk tram

Like its Jersey cousin, the Maryland tram runs the length of the boardwalk - but without the endearing announcements to "Watch the tram car, please!" To clear people out of its path, this alterna-tram employs a recorded train sound.

More near-equivalents:

In Delaware, the boisterous Jolly Trolley, used largely to bar hop, connects Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches. In North Jersey, the Manasquan River Water Taxi offers bar-to-bar transport in Brielle and Point Pleasant - and has its own bar on board.

SELF-PROPELLED

TRANSPORT

Downashore standby

Boardwalk biking, Wildwood

Other Shores substitute

Boardwalk biking, Ocean City, Md.

A near match, with plentiful rentals of bikes and family "surreys" and a handful of boardwalk restaurants open for breakfast. In the OC, posted biking hours are from 2 to 11 a.m. weekdays and 2 to 10 a.m. weekends, although people generally wait until sunrise to set off.

More near-equivalents:

One interesting variation is walking the dogs on Dewey Beach, allowed daily until 10 a.m., with widespread observance of poop-scooping protocol. BayView Park on the bay side of Brant Beach on Long Beach Island also welcomes dogs.

Driving on the beach is allowed in Delaware in designated areas of Cape Henlopen State Park and Delaware Seashore State Park, but only for those with a surf-fishing permit who are actively surf-fishing. (And park rangers are definitely wise to joy riders who try to cheat by bringing a fishing pole as a prop.)

RETAIL THERAPY

Downashore standby

The Borgata Shops, Atlantic City

Other Shores substitute

Tanger Outlets, Rehoboth Beach

"In Delaware, we have outlets, and of course we have tax-free shopping," explained Connie Guest, a Kennett Square resident who vacations in Lewes, Del.

With 130 off-price outlets in three separate complexes, it helps to plan ahead. The Web site http://tangeroutlet.com/RehobothBeach has a useful map and store list.

OLD-TIMEY ICE CREAM

Downashore standby

Springer's, Stone Harbor

Other Shores substitute

Show Place Ice Cream Parlour,

Beach Haven

The Show Place is known for talented servers who can really belt out show tunes - and for strong-arming customers to sing along. We'd call it one-of-a-kind, but there's a similar shtick at the Music Man "singing ice cream shoppe" in Lavallette on the Barnegat Peninsula, just north of Seaside Heights.

More near-equivalents:

Other longtime favorites for scooped ice cream include Hoffman's Ice Cream & Yogurt in Spring Lake, N.J., King's Homemade Ice Cream in Lewes and Dumser's Dairyland, in Ocean City, Md.

SEAFOOD

Downashore standby

Busch's Seafood, Sea Isle City

Other Shores substitute

Hemingway's, Seaside Heights

Like Busch's, Hemingway's is a bastion of straightforward fish. "It's kind of the steak-and-potatoes of seafood places," said Danny Cappello, executive director of the Jersey Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau.

More near-equivalents:

Other iconic seafood joints in the northernmore Jersey shore towns include Howard's Seafood Restaurant in Beach Haven, known for its french-fried lobster; Viking Village in Barnegat Light, a commercial fishing dock with fresh and cooked fish to take out; and Jake's Crab Shack (plain) and Brandl(fancy) in Belmar.

In Ocean City, Md., insiders recommend Phillips Crab House. Frequent eaters in the Delaware beach towns are partial to Striper Bites Bistro in Lewes, Jake's Seafood House in Rehoboth Beach (no relation to the Jersey crab shack), and the Blue Coast Seafood Grill in Bethany Beach.

MOD BOUTIQUE HOTELS

Downashore standby

The Chelsea, Atlantic City

Other Shores substitute

Hotel Rodney, Lewes

The towns they're in couldn't be more different, tidy Lewes being as under-the-radar as Atlantic City is over the top. But the clean, luxe aesthetic is similar, down to the high-thread-count sheets.

More near-equivalents:

Other boutique hotels in our Other Shores territory include Daddy-O in Brant Beach on Long Beach Island and Hotel Rehoboth in Rehoboth Beach. Hotel Bungalow, which opened in May in Long Branch., N.J., is the newest member of the swanky breed.

HAPPENING NIGHTLIFE

Downashore standby

The Ocean Drive, Sea Isle City

Other Shores substitute

Joe Pop's, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island

These two have a lot in common, "except we get Jon Bon Jovi on stage fairly regularly - ha," crowed one Joe Pop's regular.

More near-equivalents:

Crawling northward on the club scene, there's the Bamboo Bar in Seaside Heights, Jenks Club in Point Pleasant, and Belmar's big three: D'Jai's, the Boathouse and Bar Anticipation, universally known as Bar A.

In Dewey Beach, the party town of the Delaware Coast, the Rusty Rudder and the Lighthouse are hot spots. Revelers warm up for the night at the Dogfish Head brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, featuring locally made (and nationally renowned) Dogfish Head craft beer.

The Jamaican-themed beach club Seacrets on the bay in Ocean City, Md., is in a class of its own, with 17 bars and wade-out tables in the bay itself.

BEST FRIED DOUGH

Downashore standby

Brown's Restaurant, Ocean City, N.J.

Other Shores substitute

Fractured Prune Bake Shoppe, Ocean City, Md.

This is where Maryland shoregoers line up for donuts - notably the "sand" variety, glazed with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, although there's also an option to pick your own-toppings.

The name of the store is the stuff of legend.

"I believe there was a woman named Prunella involved and some sort of fractured limb," said Ocean Beach publicist Donna Abbott. (Details are on the Web site fracturedprune.com.)

SCENIC BEACHES

Downashore standby

Cape May Point State Park

Other Shores substitutes

In the category of untouched natural beauty, the substitutes north and south of Cape May County easily trump the original.

Island Beach State Park near Seaside Park, N.J., boasts 10 miles of undeveloped beachfront. The catch is that park management holds a strict line on attendance, closing the gates to incoming cars after all the parking spaces fill (as early as 10:30 a.m. on busy summer weekends).

Bike riders and walkers are never turned away, but it's a 3 1/2-mile trek to the nearest bathing area.

In Delaware, the six-mile long Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes is the standout, with towering dunes on the ocean side, including the 80-foot-high Great Dune, and placid waters on the bay side for timid swimmers.

"The beach there and the dunes are comparable with some national seashores I've seen," said Philly-based travel-advice columnist Don Groff - read him at dgroff.com - author of Frommer's Best Beach Vacations, Mid-Atlantic (and a Daily News copy editor by night).

BILL'S AT THE GRIDDLE

Downashore standby

Uncle Bill's Pancake House

Other Shores substitute

Mustache Bill's Diner, Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island

Another case where the Other Shores have the edge. This May, the prestigious James Beard Foundation honored Mustache Bill's as one of "America's Classics."

Owner Bill Smith's cyclops pancakes, with an egg in the middle, are an LBI breakfast tradition. For kids, he'll also shape pancakes to order, as a mermaid or an octopus, for instance. Regulars here also rave about Mustache Bill's fluke and chips.

PRIMO AMUSEMENTS

Downashore standby

Morey's Piers, Wildwoods

Other Shores substitute

Trimper's Rides

Ocean City, Md.

The main attraction at Trimper's is the carousel, a hand-carved beauty from the early 1900s. It has horses, of course, but also some more exotic mounts, including a frog.

More near-equivalents:

Other beach towns with boardwalk rides are Rehoboth Beach (Funland), Beach Haven (Fantasy Island), Point Pleasant (Jenkinson's), and Seaside Heights (Casino Pier).

SUNSET SPECTACULARS

Downashore standby

Deauville Inn, Strathmere

Other Shores substitute

Bayside Ocean City, Md.

Day's end is celebrated nightly with recorded musical accompaniment at Fager's Island Restaurant and Bar (the 1812 Overture) and Macky's Bayside Bar & Grill (Kate Smith singing "God Bless America").

OUT-THERE EVENTS

Downashore standby

Miss Crustacean pageant

Other Shores substitutes

In all truth, there is no comparison to the annual Miss Crustacean Hermit-Crab Beauty Contest in Ocean City, N.J., slated for Aug. 5 this year.

However, other beach towns do have their signature events, including:

_ New Jersey Sandcastle Championships, Wednesday in Belmar;

_ 31st Annual Sandcastle Contest, Aug. 1 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.;

_ White Marlin Open, the big-money ($1.5 million in prizes last year) fishing tournament, Aug. 3-7 in Ocean City, Md.;

_ Crabcakes Festival and Shore Chef Cookoff, Aug. 22-23 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. *