Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 98

JERSEY LIFE ONLINE INSIDE CELEBS 2 SINGLES CALENDAR 2 ANTE UP 3 MEAL PLANNER 4 PUZZLES 5 COMICS 6 TELEVISION 7 A A I MAY 6 2 0 0 5 IPlHIIIIIIJflkl BACHELOR PAD OUR TOWNS 1 it- J- WARETOWN urn 4 im 1 Jill jJJ QJ -LJ I kijl 4, ''V' ByMattKatz A 1 1 Meeting the parents in real life (UK Holiday Harbor Marina is one of five Waretown businesses that cater to boaters and fishermen. (FILE PHOTO) It's all in the name MM Maid of the Mist tour boats sail into new season By CAROLYN THOMPSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Capt. Gary English powered the Maid of the Mist away from its dock and headed toward Niagara Falls and its walls of rushing Whitewater looming more than 17 stories high. He had 300 people aboard the boat for its first run of the year on April 21. By the season's close in October, more than 2 million tourists will have been showered by mist from the famous waterfall aboard one of the double-decker boats in the Maid of the Mist fleet.

Haylee Hasson of Peaks Island, Maine, tries to keep dry during a ride on the Maid of the MiSt. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) "The water temperature is 36 degrees. They're going to be cold out there English said as the steel boat churned through the lower Niagara River and into the basin that catches the water after its drop over the falls. Passengers standing outside on the decks pulled the hoods of blue disposable raincoats tight against the spray but made no moves to avoid it, not wanting to miss the spectacular view of Niagara Falls from below. See Falls, Page G3 IF YOU GO MAID OF THE MIST: www.maidofthemist.com or (716) 284-8897 (U.S.) or (905) 358-5781 (Canada).

Boat tours of Niagara River and waterfall basin run every 30 minutes daily through Oct. 24; check opening and closing times, which vary slightly as the season progresses. Adults, children 6 to 12, $6.75. By MICHAEL RILEY STAFF WRITER Officially, the name of this community of 7,400 residents is Ocean Township. It should be noted that no part of the nearly 21 square miles is actually on the ocean.

People who arrive there from Exit 69 of the Garden State Parkway know the place as Waretown, which is what the original settlers called the village when they named it after their leader, whose namet incidentally, was Abraham Waier, not Abraham Ware. Which is just as well, since the place has changed its name quite a few times over the years from Waier Creek and Waier Mills in 1762 to Wiretown in 1802, Ware-town in 1809, Weartown in 1828, Wiretown Branch in 1839, Waretown Mill in 1866 and back to Ware-town in 1872. The Township of Ocean was formed on April 13, 1876. When the Township of Ocean was originally formed, Waretown was the major village; but seven miles to the west was the village of Millville, which changed its name to Brookville in 1892. The Brookville post office no longer exists, and since there is no municipal government there, Waretown and Ocean Township are one and the same.

There are other named sections of the township, particularly between Barnegat Bay and Route 9, where one finds such communities as Pebble Beach, Barnegat Beach, Holiday Beach, Sands Point Harbor, Skippers Cove and Bay Haven. With the issue of nomenclature settled, perhaps its time to locate Waretown more precisely. It is a generally flat, wooded area lying between Barnegat Bay and See Name, Page G3 A few days before I was supposed to meet Deb's parents, I woke up in a pool of sweat. It was my first nightmare since I dreamed about the mouse that periodically poops on my kitchen counter. This one was much more terrifying.

It was about meeting Deb's family. What originally was supposed to be an evening with just her parents had somehow morphed into a weekend with the extended family. In my nightmare, the news got worse. Instead of going to her parents' house, the number of relatives who wanted to meet me forced us to rent out the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. So, in that hazy, out-of-control nightmare sort of way, I wandered around a packed arena meeting a procession of people with the same last name as Deb.

Worse, the crowd wasn't happy with my formance. Boos rained down on me. When I woke up, I was happy it was all a dream. But it was clear that this weekend was not going to go well. I could make a reference here to "Meet the Parents," but I've never seen the movie.

I don't need to pay $9 to have Ben Stiller tell me that meeting the significant other's parents is stressful especially for people like me who are, well, sort of neurotic. What if they don't like me? What if I say something ridiculous? What if I kill the cat? Do they even have a cat? Fortunately, the weekend went smoothly. Deb's parents were sweet and welcoming, even if there were a few "Meet the Parents" moments, like when her dad asked, out of nowhere, if my family owned guns. He said he didn't own a gun, either. We joked that this was a good thing for me, otherwise he would have been polishing his double-barrel shotgun on the front porch when.

I pulled up to the house. But, he added with a straight face: "I do own an ax." Deb and her mother laughed. I didn't. When we stopped at Deb's grandmother's place, I wasn't really worried about my safety. But Deb gave me enough reason to worry when she issued a set of instructions: When we take her to dinner, don't drive too fast When we get there, open the door for her.

When the check comes, pick it up. Grandma and I ended up getting along great and I played it cool when she leaned in and whispered a personal question. "Tell me, Matt. Were you nervous meeting the family?" "No," I said. "Of course not." Matt Katz is a Gannett New Jersey writer.

The Bachelor Pad appears Fridays. Email Katz at i .1 Passengers on one of the Maid of the Mist boats (top) get a spectacular view of Niagara Falls from the bow of the ship. Above, Maid of the Mist IV plies the waters of the Niagara River, (associated press) YOUR FAVORITE SHOT Jean Olszak of Dover Township sent us this photo of "Delicate Arch" in Utah. This is probably "the most famous arch in Arches National Park," outside Moab, Utah, she writes. "My husband and I spent a day hiking in the park.

The arch is composed of stark red sandstone. A sea originally covered this land and evaporated in the desert heat. Erosion caused by rain and wind formed the arch," Olszak writes. "We had this photo blown up and it is displayed in our living room." We're looking for photos of you, your family and friends at your favorite travel destination (but no more than three people in the shot, please). We'd also like to see your favorite scenic shots of places in our Northeast region, the nation and world.

Please include your name, address, daytime phone number and some information (no more than 250 words) about the place. Send photos for consideration to Victor Zak, travel editor, Asbury Park Press, 3601 Highway 66 Neptune NJ 07754-1551. Photos become the property of the Press and cannot be returned. ,1 lfrfcV "-Tt.