EXIT ZERO The Essential Cape May Outdoor Summer Food Guide, all 14 pages of it. Plus... why you love the lifeguards.
July 2013 ÂŤ $4.95
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the big events guide 7
inside this issue
The events and happenings you need to know about
the a to z of cape may cocktails 18 Part two of a three-part series. Meet the bartenders, and the drinks!
the ultimate food and drink chart 29 Everything you need to know about indulging in Cape May.
the essential outdoor summer food guide 40 A ridiculously comprehensive look at the best alfresco eats around.
betty, queen of the beach 59 A chat with the grand old lady of the Steger family.
all about alice 70 A beautiful new book revels in the talent of artist Alice Steer Wilson.
the ultimate cape may bargain 78 How to spend $25 and save $460 while having a blast!
a life well played 86 Jack Wichterman on golf, rock-n-roll, politics, and giving back.
stories from the sisters 94 A portfolio of the nuns at Saint Mary by-the-Sea.
playing for laughs 105 Lend Me A Tenor is wowing the crowds at Cape May Stage.
Intrigue and drama in an acclaimed new play.
light of our life 116 Twenty-five things you likely didn’t know about Cape May Lighthouse.
the ultimate cape may to-do guide 129 All the recreational activities you need to know about.
the definitive cape may trolley guide 140 From ghosts to oceanfront mansions... it’s all here!
welcome to cape may wine country 150 Sample what The New York Times called a great wine-growing area.
our heroes 160 What our readers think of the folks of the Cape May Beach Patrol.
cover painting by marie natale
Photograph by Joe Evangelista
a ‘lost’ cause at east lynne 110
about us editor/publisher/designer Jack Wright jack@exitzero.us advertising manager Jason Black jason@exitzero.us staff writer Diane Stopyra diane@exitzero.us staff artist Mike DeMusz mike@exitzero.us interns Eliza Crawford, Nicole Dever, Meghan Meehan creative consultant Victor Grasso
Serving fine food since 1988
historical editor Ben Miller photographers Aleksey Moryakov, Frank Weiss graphic artist Doree Bardes contributing writers Kate Chadwick, Mark Chamberlain, Catherine Dugan, Jack Fichter, David Gray, Terry O’Brien, Tom Sims distribution Ashley Larson labeler Mary Smith exit zero store & gallery manager Michele Mulligan exit zero store & gallery team Diane Carson, Martha Kesler, Sharon Holden, Beth Olivero, Michelle O’Leary
Open Daily for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (609) 884-9119 322 Washington Street Mall, Cape May www.tishasfinedining.com Pet Friendly Back Patio! exit zero
exit zero color magazine is published six times a year. Annual subscription is $25. Or $50 for these AND our 47 black-and-white issues. It’s a great deal! To subscribe call (609) 770-8479 or visit ezstore.us Published by Exit Zero Publishing, Inc. 109 Sunset Boulevard, Suite D, Cape May, NJ 08204 Telephone: (609) 770-8479 Fax: (609) 770-8481 E-mail: info@exitzero.us Website: exitzero.us Online store: ezstore.us
2 July 2013
If you really want to experience Cape May, show your mug at ours.
A local institution for more than half a century. Classic traditional bar meets full-service family-friendly restaurant. Live entertainment nightly! 426 WASHINGTON STREET MALL, cape may • (609) 884-3459
Down-home cooking... with a terrific view!
Beach Avenue & Grant Street, Cape May • 884-3772 exit zero
4 July 2013
editor’s letter
Meet Joe Battle — he’s one of the local artisans who make eating in the great outdoors of Cape May such a quality experience. Photograph by Frank Weiss
A
MONG the experiences that suggest a perfect summer day, having a picnic on a blanket lain on a piece of lush grass or a spot of white-golden sand is up there with the best of them. If you agree, turn immediately (well, okay, finish this article first) to page 40, where you will find something called The Essential Cape May Outdoor Summer Food Guide. Maybe not the catchiest title we’ve ever come up with, but, hey, it gets to the point. In this comprehensively reported, 14-page article, Staff Writer Diane Stopyra supplies you with all the information you could possibly need if you are the kind of person who likes to commune with nature while filling your stomach. She chats to food-focused artisans at both ends of the age range. There are exciting newcomers like Gina Peterson (awesome crepes) and Brooke Dodds (awesome empanadas) and established veteran/local legend Joe Battle (awesome pork, if you like that kind of thing — I’m no longer a meat-eater). There’s also Courtney Romberger, who, along with husband Gary, is turning the Cape May Crab Cake Factory into a business with serious credibility (you might soon see them in Trader Joe’s). Diane Stopyra is one of the best interviewers I’ve worked with in, oh, 29 years (yikes!) of newspaper and magazine publishing. Add that to the brilliant work of Frank Weiss, a young photographer who hails from Wildwood Crest, and you have a package that will have you salivating. These two folks (Diane and Frank) also combined for another exit zero
piece in this issue that makes me very, very proud, and that’s the portfolio of the nuns on retreat at Saint Mary by-the-Sea in Cape May Point, a place that many of you likely know of but, I’m guessing, know little about. Read Diane’s interviews (the story starts on page 94), enjoy Frank’s photographs and you will get a serious insight into the women who chose to give up the kind of life most of us take for granted in return for something that I can only call a service to a higher calling. Speaking of those who dedicated their life to a cause, don’t miss our feature on Alice Steer Wilson, an artist who has become a legend in these parts. You could say that Alice helped put Cape May back on the map with her beguiling watercolors. And now you can all have the chance to see that talent at work with the release of a new book, Light, Particularly, which was produced by Alice’s daughter, Janice Wilson Stridick. In between all that inspiring stuff, there is some really, really useful information in this issue, such as part two of our A to Z of Cape May Cocktails (which starts on page 18). Meet more local bartenders, discover the drinks they like to serve (and consume) and find out which celebrities they’ve served in Cape May. All I’m saying is... Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey and Philip Seymour Hoffman sure like to patronize the bars in this town. Gotta love that. Enjoy the issue, and have a fantastic summer in Cool Cape May. How could you not? JACK WRIGHT Editor/Publisher
5 July 2013
From the owners of the Southern Mansion
Visit our 200 Year Old Farm Land for Daily Wine & Sangria tastings, tours, & private wine paired events.
Willow Creek is proud to feature premium estate grown wines from New Jersey’s outer coastal plain. Wine & Sangria Tastings Daily... Reservations Strongly Recommended Vineyard Farm Tours on Our Electric Farm Cart Private Wine Paired Events 160-168 Stevens Street, Cape May 609.770.8782 • 609.884.7171 willowcreekwinerycapemay.com
The big July events guide
July 1 A NIGHT BACK IN TIME WITH BILL HALEY JR AND THE COMETS Enjoy the great acoustics of Cape May’s Convention Hall at this concert, featuring special guest The Jerry Spathis Rockabilly Band. Show starts at 7:30pm. Call the Cape May Convention Hall Box Office at 609-884-9563.
The 34th annual Independence Day Parade will be held along Beach Avenue on Saturday, July 6. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse located in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, becomes a beacon of fun. Enjoy kid-friendly activities, performers, entertainment and unique craft vendors at the base of the lighthouse. 9am to 2pm. Call 609-884-5404. July 3 - August 28 BEACHCOMBING THE COVE On Wednesdays from 8:30am to 9:30am, explore the area’s ever-changing coastal habitats — the beach, ocean, and dunes — of Cape May’s Cove beach. Call 609-898-8848.
July 2 CRABBING 101 Come aboard the 40-foot Skimmer for a hands-on crabbing experience and demonstration. Call 609889-8848.
July 4 FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA Summertime is the time for simple American pleasures — like running through sprinklers, chasing ice cream trucks and, of course, enjoying fireworks. From Congress Hall’s lawn or the surrounding beaches and streets, you’ll see a five-star show while savoring salty ocean breezes. Kicks off at 9pm.
July 2-30 HARBOR SAFARI Tuesdays and Thursdays, pull a 20-foot seine net through the shallows of Cape May harbor. Call 609-898-8848. July 2-30 FAMILY FISHING TRIPS Every Tuesday and Thursday, it’s fun for the whole gang aboard the Cape May Lady. Call 609-7807900.
July 5 princesses and pirates luncheon Young buccaneers and little maidens are invited to the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, for a pirate/princess-themed luncheon. Lunch includes
July 3 family fun day at the lighthouse exit zero
7 July 2013
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Dinner from 5:15pm (closed Tuesday) oceanfront porch dining available 3 course prix-fixe $24 from 5:15-6:15pm
weddings • rehearsals • private parties
Beach Avenue & Howard Street at the
H o t e l M a c o mb e r
609 884 8811 unionparkdiningroom.com
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8 July 2013
princess dress-up, mani-pedis and etiquette tips for the girls, and pirate gear, lessons in pirate walking and balloon swords for the boys. $23 for adults, $15 for children (ages 3-12). 11:30am. Call 609-884-5404.
ages of 12 and 16. They’ll learn safety, basic paddling skills, and rescues. Call 884-5600. July 9 CRABBING 101 Come aboard the 40-foot Skimmer for a hands-on crabbing experience and demonstration. Call 609-889-8848.
July 6 34TH INDEPENDENCE PARADE Who says the Fourth of July celebration has to end on the 4th? We’re still just as happy about our independence on the 6th, so why not have a parade? The fun starts at 1pm in front of Convention Hall. July 7 teddy bear tea party BYOB — Bring your own bear (or dolly). Teddy Bear Tea Parties at the Emlen Physick Estate feature kid-friendly menus and teddy bear music. 11am and 1pm. 1048 Washington Street. Call 609-884-5404. July 8 JOHN FORD COLEY: STOCKTON GOES TO THE BEACH CONCERT This show by the Grammy-nominated musician (who shot to fame as one half of England Dan and John Ford Coley) starts
July 10 COVE TO HIGBEE BEACH KAYAK TOUR A thrilling sunset tour designed by Nature Center of Cape May for more adventurous paddlers. Call 609-898-8848.
John Ford Coley plays at Cape May Convention Hall on July 8.
8pm at Convention Hall. Call the box office on 609-884-9563. July 8-12 KAYAK AND PADDLEBOARD CAMP Aqua Trails Kayaking and Paddleboard Camp is fun for adventurers between teh
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9 July 2013
July 10 DIPPIN’ FOR FISHES: A HARBOR WADING TOUR Join an expert naturalist to explore and learn about the marine species that make the harbor and salt marsh special. Cost for member is: $8, adults; $5 children. Call 609-898-8848. July 10 CHILDREN’S THEATRE Stockton Performing Art’s Center, in
partnership with the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, presents children’s theatre at 10am at Convention Hall. Call 609-884-9563. July 10 family fun day at the lighthouse The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse located in Cape May Point State Park, becomes a beacon of fun. Enjoy kid-friendly activities, performers, entertainment and unique craft vendors. 9am to 2pm. Call 609-884-5404. July 10-14 24TH VIKING/ OCEAN SHOWDOWN If you own either a Viking or Ocean fishing vessel, usher in the start of billfishing season by competing in this tournament, hosted by South Jersey Marina. Call 609884-2400. July 10 - August 28 SUMMER FAMILY CAMPFIRE Wednesdays from 7:30pm to 8:30pm, join a Nature Center naturalist for an evening hike, campfire, and some marshmallow roasting. Call 609-898-8848.
July 11 NIGHTTIME GHOST CRAB SEARCH What can run sideways, dig a hole without a shovel, and has 10 legs? Join the Nature Center for an evening storll to look for these and other nocturnal creatures. Call 609-898-8848. July 12-14 49TH ANNUAL PROMENADE ART SHOW We love hand-crafted pottery and jewelry, paintings of classic Cape May scenes, and awesome photography. We love it even more when it’s local. Check out the show, on the promenade, between 10 and 5pm. July 12 princesses and pirates luncheon Young buccaneers and little maidens are invited to the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, for a pirate/princessthemed luncheon. Lunch includes princess dress-up, mani-pedis and etiquette tips for the girls, and pirate gear, lessons in pirate walking and balloon swords for the boys. Call 609-884-5404.
July 13 delaware bay lighthouse adventure Come aboard the Cape May Whale Watcher or the Spirit of Cape May to view and photograph historic lighthouses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Each cruise includes narration on Delaware Bay lore and legend, with information on fishing, spawning grounds and more. 10am to 5pm. Call 609-884-5404. July 13 KAYAK CLINIC This class, by the Nature Center of Cape May, will introduce the paddler to kayak equipment, water conditions, and self and aided rescues. For details, call 609898-8848. July 15 CHRISTOPHER CROSS: STOCKTON GOES TO THE BEACH CONCERT He was the biggest new star of 1980, defining adult contemporary radio with a series of smoothly sophisticated ballads including the number one hit, “Sailing.” And now he will entertaining the folks in Cape May. The show starts at 8pm at
“100 Most Romantic Restaurant” in America — 2013 o p e n t a b l e Open Seven Days Live
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and
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Saturday
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1 3 0 1 B e a c h Av e n u e C a p e M ay
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609.884.9090
10 July 2013
petershieldsinn.com
An exquisite gourmet experience... so much more than olive oils to indulge in. Plus, three words... bacon olive oil. Need we say more?
• OLIVE OILS • BALSAMIC VINEGARS
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324 CARPENTERS LANE • CAPEMAYOLIVEOILCOMPANY.COM
609.898.4441 exit zero
11 July 2013
Convention Hall. Call 609-884-9563. July 16 CRABBING 101 Come aboard the 40-foot Skimmer for a hands-on crabbing experience and demonstration. Call 609-889-8848. July 16-18 PRIVATE BUTTERFLY GARDEN TOURS From 10am to 3pm, gardens will showcase native nectar plants, key caterpillar plants, and a blizzard of butterflies and hummingbirds. Call 609-898-8848. July 17 CHILDREN’S THEATRE Stockton Performing Art’s Center, in partnership with the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, presents children’s theatre at 10am at Convention Hall. Call 609-884-9563. July 17 family fun day at the lighthouse The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse located in Cape May Point State Park, becomes a beacon of fun. Enjoy kid-friendly activi-
and
ties, performers, entertainment and unique craft vendors. 9am to 2pm. Free Call 609-884-5404. July 18 NIGHTTIME GHOST CRAB SEARCH What can run sideways, dig a hole without a shovel, and has 10 legs? Join the Nature Center for an evening storll to look for these and other nocturnal creatures. Call 609-898-8848. July 19 princesses and pirates luncheon Young buccaneers and maidens are invited to the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, for a pirate/princessthemed luncheon. Includes princess dress-up, mani-pedis and etiquette tips for the girls, and pirate gear, lessons in pirate walking and balloon swords for the boys. 11:30am. Call 609-884-5404. July 21 teddy bear tea party BYOB — Bring your own bear (or dolly). Teddy Bear Tea Parties at the Emlen Physick Estate feature kid-friendly menus and
CLIPPER SHIP PUB
A Taste for Every Palate! Dinner from 5pm Early Dinner Specials 5-6pm Lite Fare Pub Menu from 5pm 1/2 Price Raw Bar Items 5-6pm in the Pub Reservations: 609-884-5878 991 Ocean Drive, Cape May www.blueclawrestaurant.com exit zero
12 July 2013
teddy bear music. Miss Jeanne and a special guest from The Cape May Teddy Bear Co. will be presenting stories and activities. 11am and 1pm. $18 for adults; $10 for children (ages 3-12). 1048 Washington Street. Call 609-884-5404. July 21 CAPTAIN KIDD TREASURE HUNT Kids ages 3-10 will follow Captain Kidd on a treasure hunt on the beaches in front of Convention Hall. 1pm. Call 609-8849565. July 21-23 FULL MOON KAYAKING TOURS This is a tidal marsh tour, with the added attraction of seeing a sunset over the water and the ascent of a full moon while an exceptionally high tide rises. Call 609898-884. July 22 HELEN REDDY: STOCKTON GOES TO THE BEACH CONCERT Helen Reddy is a Grammy award-winning songstress with hits such as “Angie Baby.” Show starts at 8pm at Convention Hall. Call 609-884-9563.
“At the Beach” 715 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-1233 zoescapemay.com OPEN EVERY DAY
B E AC H F R O N T E AT E RY Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Get Hooked on Zoe’s Seafood
ICE CREAM COFFEE DESSERT
Breakfast - Homemade Muffins, Pancakes & Omelettes Lunch - Our Own Roasted Turkey & Roast Beef, Cape May’s Largest Cheese Steaks & Hoagies. Vegetarians, Enjoy Our Homemade Veggie Burgers!
Entire Menu Available for Take-Out Patio Dining/Pet Friendly... BYOD/BYOB exit zero
13 July 2013
July 23 CRABBING 101 Come aboard the 40-foot Skimmer for a hands-on crabbing experience and demonstration. Call 609-889-8848. July 24 family fun day at the lighthouse The 1859 Cape May Lighthouse located in Cape May Point State Park, becomes a beacon of fun. Enjoy kid-friendly activities, performers, entertainment and unique craft vendors. 10am to 2pm. July 24 COVE TO HIGBEE BEACH KAYAK TOUR It’s a thrilling sunset tour designed by the Nature Center of Cape May for more adventurous paddlers. For more information, call 609-898-8848. July 24 CHILDREN’S THEATRE Stockton Performing Art’s Center, in partnership with the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, presents children’s theatre at 10am at Convention Hall.
July 24 DIPPIN’ FOR FISHES: A HARBOR WADING TOUR Join an expert naturalist to explore and learn about the marine species that make the harbor and salt marsh special. Call 609-898-8848. July 18 NIGHTTIME GHOST CRAB SEARCH What can run sideways, dig a hole without a shovel, and has 10 legs? Join the Nature Center for an evening stroll to look for nocturnal creatures. Call 609-898-8848. July 26 princesses and pirates luncheon Young buccaneers and maidens are invited to the Physick Estate. Lunch includes princess dress-up, mani-pedis and etiquette tips for the girls, and pirate gear, lessons in pirate walking and balloon swords for the boys. 11:30am. Call 609-884-5404. July 29 RONNIE SPECTOR: STOCKTON GOES TO THE BEACH CONCERT She’s the lead singer of ultimate girl
group, The Ronettes. Show 8pm at Convention Hall. Box office: 609-884-9563. July 30 CRABBING 101 Come aboard the 40-foot Skimmer for a hands-on crabbing experience and demonstration. Call 609-889-8848. July 31 81ST QUEEN MAYSEA CORONATION Support her highness as she takes the throne at Convention Hall. Begins at 7pm. Call 609-884-9565. July 31 family fun day at the lighthouse Enjoy kid-friendly activities, performers, entertainment and unique craft vendors. 9am to 2pm. Call 609-884-5404. July 31 CHILDREN’S THEATRE Stockton Performing Art’s Center, in partnership with the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, presents children’s theatre at 10am at Convention Hall. Call 609-884-9563.
Over 40 Varieties of Local, American and International Honey! Gifts from the hive and Much More!
Try Our Tasting Bar!
135 S unset B lvd ., W est C ape M ay ( behind the E xit Z ero S tore ) 609.425.6434 • F ind us on F acebook ! exit zero
14 July 2013
Aleathea’s Restaurant
AT 7 OCEAN
Superb food, elegant bar, antique store, dining room with ocean views... it’s all here! Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Served Daily Enjoy a Cocktail on our Ocean Front Porch!
HAPPY HOUR
Sunday thru Friday 3-6pm Food Specials 4 to 5pm 7 Ocean Street at the Inn of Cape May 609.884.5555 | www.innofcapemay.com exit zero
15 July 2013
a cape may moment
Glamorama — some of the staff at Cabanas. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
Seaside Cheese Co.
A Little Slice of the Caribbean
Over 100 Imported Cheeses & Meats... Gourmet Olives & Dipping Oils... C a v i a r, E s c a r g o t & G o u r m e t I t e m s . . . P r i v a t e Ta s t i n g s A v a i l a b l e !
ISLAND GRILL’S FRESH FISH PREPARED GRILLED, SAUTÉED, OR BLACKENED WITH YOUR CHOICE OF SAUCE. LEMON NAGE, TROPICAL FRUIT SALSA, OR MANGO BEURRE BLANC... AND TRY OUR CHEF’S JERK SEASONING
ISLAND GRILL does catering! PROVIDING FULL SERVICES FOR ALL OCCASIONS PROFESSIONAL SERVICE • CREATIVITY INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS • DETAIL ORIENTED CAROL HERFORTH - 609.408.0612
311 MANSION STREET, CAPE MAY RESERVATIONS 609.884.0200 * CASH ONLY
NEW Location... 110 Park blvd WEST CAPE MAY • 884-8700 exit zero
16 July 2013
breakfast, lunch, a nd delicious di nner s. di nner sp ecials dai ly!
Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-Free Options Live Musicians on Weekends Visit Our Gift Shop in The Garden Gift & Crafts By Local Artists Crafts Workshops, Art and Storytime For Kids By Penelope
479 WEST PERRY, WEST CAPE M AY NJ 08204
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17 July 2013
The ofA to Z Cape May cocktails WE CONTINUE THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE ON WHERE AND WHAT TO DRINK, AND ASK THE BARTENDERS TO DISH ON SOME OF THEIR OWN FAVORITE THINGS. INTERVIEWS BY MARK CHAMBERLAIN photographs by aleksey moryakov
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18 July 2013
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19 July 2013
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } ebbitt room A N AWAR D- WINNING MICRO BRE WERY
Visit Our All-New Tap Room!
TAP RO O M HO U R S
Wednes day & Thur sday 4-8pm Fr iday, Saturday & Sun day 12-8pm P I N T S • TAST ING S • G IFT CERTIFICAT ES ME RCHAND IS E
Live M u s i c on Sat u rday s ! H OST YOUR NEXT PART Y AT THE BRE WERY !
1 2 8 8 HO R N E T ROA D RIO GRANDE NJ C AP E MAY B R E W E RY. C O M 6 0 9 . 8 49. 9 933 ( at t h e c a p e m ay c o u n t y a i r p o r t )
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The bartender: Leo Moryakov. The signature cocktail: Basil Lemon Drop Martini. The ingredients: Vodka, basil leaves, Cointreau, Limonchello, lemon juice. How long have you’ve worked here: Ten years. Your own drink of choice: Old-fashioned. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: No such thing — I like to call it a challenge. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “You are so beautiful you made me forget my pickup line.” And the worst pickup line: “You know, the more I drink the prettier you get.” Best thing about Cape May: All the great restaurants. One thing you would change about Cape May: I would like to be able to have a Bloody Mary on the beach, while watching the dolphins swim by. Most annoying cocktail to make: I like to make them all. Ever served a celebrity: Tina Fey. Biggest tip you’ve ever received: $300. Favorite beach in Cape May: The Cove. Dream job? Action movie actor.
20 July 2013
KICK BACK and RELAX... with good food and fun drinks
Open Daily • Lunch • Dinner • Late Night Daily Happy Hour 4-7pm • Live Music
Chestnut & Olde NJ Aves • North Wildwood 609.435.5691 • www.northendamericangrill.com
Seafood • Steak • Ribs • Gourmet Burgers • Great Apps exit zero
21 July 2013
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } 5 west
Modern American cuisine with a cool and casual vibe...
1 Sunset Boulevard, Cape May (609) 898-0100 • www.blackduckonsunset.com
A family place A first-date place A dinner-and-a-movie place A perfect place for any occasion.
godmother’s
broadway & west perry street cape may (609) 884-4543 .godmothersrestaurant.com
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The bartender: Nichole Koch. The signature cocktail: The 5 West. The ingredients: Dragon Berry rum, fresh lemonade, splash of sprite, splash of cranberry, garnished with a strawberry. How long you’ve worked here: Well, we just opened! Your own drink of choice: A stinger. Worst thing a customer can do at a bar: Drives me crazy when a customer is sitting at the bar and points out another customer who wants to order a drink. We call them traffic directors. Best pickup line you’ve heard: Is there such a thing? And the worst pickup line: Too many to mention. Toughest cocktail to make: Mojitos, because they take so long. Best thing about Cape May: The beach, of course. One thing you’d change about Cape May: The meters. I don’t think I’ve ever made it through a season ticket-free. Ever served a celebrity? Yes, Anne Hathaway, but I had no idea it was her until she walked away and my partner told me. What’s your dream job: I’m living it! Best tip you’ve ever received: $700 from a fisherman during the Mid-Atlantic tournament.
22 July 2013
DRAMA... PASSION... EXOTIC SETTINGS... GREAT REVIEWS... FABULOUS FOOD
410 Bank Street
O NE o f A M E R I C A ’ S T O P R E S T A U R A N T S — Z a g a t 2 0 1 3 410 Bank Street Reservations: 609.884.2127 410 Bank Street, Cape May
Frescos
V O T E D B E S T I T A L I A N R E S T A U R A N T i n S O U T H E R N NE W J E R S EY Frescos Reservations: 609.884.0366 412 Bank Street, Cape May
ON BANK STREET... PARKING AVAILABLE... DINNER NIGHTLY FROM 5PM 23 J 2013 exit zero
uly
Open Daily • Dinner from 5pm Late Night, Desserts & Cocktails 3 Course Menu • $30 Anytime • New Extended Bar & Menu • 9510 Pacific Avenue • Wildwood Crest, NJ reservations recomended 609.522.5425 www.marienicoles.com exit zero
24 July 2013
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2
sta rt
ing t4 decade 2... just righ
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} harbor view
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jackson at beach avenue, cape may
(609) 884-8388
UKAI
A s ia n r e s tau r a n t Japanese, chinese, Thai, malaysian CUISINE Lunch | Dinner | Take-out | Reservations Available
The bartender: Blake Farrell. The signature cocktail: Aurora Mochatini. The ingredients: Stoli Vanilla, light and dark Godiva, light and dark Starbucks, dark creme de cacao. How long you’ve worked here: Five years. Your own drink of choice: Captain and Coke with a lime. Worst thing a customer can do when ordering: When they wave you down in a hurry only to freeze up when you take their order. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “I really like your last name. Can I have it?” And the worst pickup line: “I lost my number. Can I have yours?” Favorite thing about Cape May: The beaches and the history. One thing you’d change about Cape May: Don’t fix what’s not broken. Favorite beach in Cape May: Steger’s. Ever served a celebrity? Yes, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Biggest tip: $200. Dream job: To own my own restaurant. exit zero
www.sushiukai.com OPEN 7 DAYS: Mon-Thur 11am-10:30pm Fri & Sat 11am-11pm | Sun 12noon-10pm
PH 609-770-7773 1500 Route 47 South, #E1E2 (next to Dollar Tree) Rio Grande NJ 08242
25 July 2013
Great food, great drinks and great music...
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } harpoon henry’s
...are always guaranteed.
106 Decatur Street @ Columbia Avenue Cape May (609) 884-8363 www.merioninn.com
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The bartender: Joe Ryan. The signature cocktail: Harpoon Sunset. The ingredients: Vanilla vodka, Amaretto, pineapple, grenadine. How long have you’ve worked here: Two years. Your own drink of choice: Jack and Coke. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Procrastinating when ordering a drink. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “Can I stay until you’re done?” And the worst pickup line: “Is there a back room?” Best thing about Cape May: The beaches. One thing you would change about Cape May: Lose the winter. Most annoying cocktail to make: None. Ever served a celebrity: Yes, many times. I’m a celebrity. Biggest tip you’ve ever received: $2,000. Favorite beach in Cape May: Steger’s. Dream job? Doing nothing and getting paid.
26 July 2013
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27 July 2013
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28 July 2013
The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe
Meals served
Price range of entrées
Bar or BYOB?
Should I book?
Food for kids?
B, L, D
$15-$45 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
Other details
Aleathea’s 7 Ocean Street, Cape May (609) 884-5555, Ext. 226 www.innofcapemay.com
Offers superb food in a graceful setting at the glorious old Inn of Cape May. Plus, there’s a cozy-but-elegant bar with access to the oceanfront patio. Check out the antique-filled lobby first.
Avalon coffee 7 Gurney St, Cape May, 898-8088 & 3823 Bayshore Road, North Cape May
Superior coffee that’s always fresh, and healthy food that’s perfect for breakfast and lunch. First-class wraps, sandwiches and bagels, along with a good range of smoothies and cold drinks.
B, L
$3-$8 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
NO
YES
Axelsson’s Blue Claw 991 Ocean Drive, Cape May (609) 884-5878 www.blueclawrestaurant.com
Enjoy fine dining near the harbor — just go over the quaint old drawbridge. There is an elegant dining room, a cozy fireplace, and the classic Clipper Ship Pub.
D
$24-$30 Cards: V, MC, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
backstreet 600 Park Blvd, West Cape May (609) 884-7660 www.backstreetcapemaynj.com
Downhome cooking, a laidback vibe and superior desserts in this gem of a place, a few minutes from Cape May. They have plenty of free parking and delicious nightly specials.
B, D
$13-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE
BYOB
YES
YES
BELLA VIDA CAFÉ 406 N. Broadway, West Cape May (609) 884-6322 www.bellavidacafe.com
“The local café with a wholesome aroma” is what they call it... and that’s how we describe it. You can tell that everything is home cooked here. Always fresh, always delicious.
B, L, D
$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, D
BYOB
NO
YES
ben and jerry’s 414 Washington St. Mall, Cape May (609) 884-3040 www.benjerry.com
There’s ice cream, and then there’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Centrally-located on the mall, it’s a great spot to take a break from shopping and people-watch for a spell.
Ice Cream
$3-$7 Cards: V, MC, D
N/A
NO
YES
The Black Duck 1 Sunset Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 898-0100 www.blackduckonsunset.com
A chic interior and stylish Modern American cuisine from acclaimed chef (and owner) Chris Hubert, but the ambience is anything but pretentious. There’s a nice laidback vibe.
D
$15-$28 Cards: V, MC
BYOB
YES
NO
The Blue Pig Tavern 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com
Congress Hall’s restaurant is better than ever... and so many of its menu items are coming from the local Beach Plum Farm. The Pig serves classic tavern food with quite a a twist or two along the way.
B, L, D
$12-$36 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
The boiler room 251 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com
Congress Hall’s chic basement nightclub – all bare metal and brickwork – has an assortment of great music on the weekends and a cool vibe. Say hello to Shane the bartender!
Cocktails
Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
NO
NO
u
The brown room 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com
Congress Hall’s lovely lounge is called Cape May’s Living Room for a reason. The decor is elegant but casual, the drinks are great, the staff is cool, and the place just says “classy.”
Bar Menu & Cocktails
Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
NO
NO
u
cape may bakers 482 W. Perry Street, Cape May (609) 884-7454 www.capemaybakers.com
At the same location since 1979, Cape May Bakers serves fresh coffee, fine pastries, gourmet desserts and cakes for all occasions. Plus great daily specials, too!
B, L
$2-$12
N/A
NO
YES
Cape May brewing co. 1288 Hornet Road, Rio Grande (609) 849-9933 www.capemaybrewery.com
It’s the first microbrewery at ther Jersey shore, and it’s creating quite the buzz... they won Best IPA at the 2012 Atlantic City Beer Fest. Check out the new tasting room.
Brewery
$5-$11 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
Bar
NO
NO
u b H
Cape May Honey Farm 135 Sunset Boulevard West Cape May (609) 425-6434
Cape May Honey Farm offers local raw honey, imported honey, and home and beauty products that have been homemade using beeswax.
Honey
$7-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b H
Cape May olive oil co. 324 Carpenter’s Lane Cape May 800-584-1887
This spot features 20 different varieties of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, pastas, spreads, jams, mustards, infused salts and sugars, and much more.
Olive Oils and more
$3-$60 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
NO
b H
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Handicap accessible exit zero
H
29 July 2013
Takeout available
ub HU b H u b H u b H u H u b H u b H u b H
b H
U Dog-friendly patio
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2
LITTLE ITALY II RISTORANTE
Home-cooked food that will satisfy you, your family, AND your wallet.
} harry’s ocean bar and grille
PIZZA • VONGOLE ALLA CASINO • PENNE ALLA GIOVANNI SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO • FLOUNDER MEDITERRANEAN VEAL ALLA VINCENZO • CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA
3704 Bayshore Road, North Cape May (Cape Plaza Shopping Center) • 889-6610
The ONLY place for Southwestern cuisine. At the heart of the Historic District.
Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner!
The bartender: Brandon Gevaudan. The signature cocktail: The Kae Punim. The ingredients: Vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice. How long have you’ve worked here: Just started this summer. Your own drink of choice: Million-dollar margharitas. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Yell out my name and pound the bar. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “Come here often?” And the worst pickup line: “Come here often?” Best thing about Cape May: The beach views. One thing you would change about Cape May: The price of the meters, and no beach tags. Most annoying cocktail to make: The ”Pain-in -the-Ass” frozen drink. Ever served a celebrity: Tina Fey. Biggest tip you’ve ever received: $1,000. Favorite beach in Cape May: Trenton. Dream job? Elementary schoolteacher and summer bartender.
carpenter’s square mall cape may • (609) 898-7750
exit zero
30 July 2013
The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe
Meals served
Price range of entrées
Bar or BYOB?
Should I book?
Food for kids?
Other details
L
$12-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
u b
THE Carriage House 1048 Washington Street At the Emlen Physick Estate (609) 884-5111
The Carriage House offers everything from hearty wraps, salads, quiche and paninis to classic teas. Best of all is the location — the gorgeous Emlen Physick Estate.
cocktails at the cape (609) 898-7390 cocktailsatthecape.com
Cocktails at the Cape provides customized dining tours, pub crawls, and signature cocktail sampling tours, to take out all the guesswork!
Cocktail Tour
Please call for more info
N/A
YES
NO
corinthian yacht club 1819 Delaware Avenue (609) 884-8000 www.cyccm.com
For a truly unforgettable wedding experience — or any big event, for that matter, check out the Corinthian Yacht Club. Harbor view plus excellent cuisine equals obvious choice.
Special Event Venue
Please call for more info
N/A
YES
N/A
u b
crab house Two Mile Landing, Ocean Dr. Wildwood Crest (609) 522-1341, thecrabhouse.com
Owned by a commercial fishing family, the Crab House serves only the freshest of seafood. The waterfront views and live entertainment are just really great bonuses.
L, D
$6-$32 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
Cucina Rosa 301 Washington Street Mall (609) 898-9800 www.cucinarosa.com
Nicely located at the beginning of the mall, on the Congress Hall side, this Italian restaurant is a must-visit. Simply superb food in classy-but-casual surroundings.
D
$12-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
b H
C-View inn Texas & Washington Avenues Cape May (609) 884-4712
A locals’ favorite, this is the oldest and friendliest tavern in town with great wings, excellent pub fare and cold beer. And these days they accept credit cards, too!
L, D
$4-$18 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
u H
depot market cafÉ 409 Elmira Street Cape May (609) 884-8030
Owners Chris and Lisa Shriver are keeping the old favorites at this much-loved café AND adding new specials. Cape May’s movers and shakers often eat lunch here.
B, L, D
$6-$14 Cash Only
BYOB
NO
YES
u b H
The Ebbitt Room 25 Jackson Street, (609) 884-5700 www. virginiahotel.com
Enjoy your meal on the Ebbitt Room porch, overlooking tree-lined Jackson Street, or enjoy the simple beauty of this dining room.
D
$26-$33 V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
NO
u
ellie’s bakery 301 North Broadway, West Cape May (609) 884-4007
A from-scratch, small-batch bakery that uses only real and fresh ingredients in all their decadent baked goods, Ellie’s is a sweet tooth’s best friend.
Bakery
$1-$30 Cards: V, MC
N/A
NO
YES
u H
emilia’s garden cafÉ 479 W. Perry Street West Cape May
It’s new this season, and the buzz has been big. And why wouldn’t it be? The food and coffee are as lovely as the atmosphere. Look out for their arts and crafts workshops!
B, L, D
$12-$24 Cash Only
BYOB
NO
YES
u b H U
fish and fancy 2406 Bayshore Road, Villas (609) 886-8760 www.fishandfancy.com
Expect superb seafood however you like it — fried, broiled, grilled, blackened or sautéed — and great salads, too. Eat in (there’s an outdoor patio) or take away.
L, D
$5-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
u b H
5 West Pub 3729 Bayshore Road, North Cape May (609) 889-7000, 5westpub.com
This sure-to-be hotspot is a gastropub coming to you from the owners of Tisha’s. Expect the same high-quality food and high-quality service, in an at-the-beach atmosphere.
L, D
$6-$20 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H U
410 Bank Street 410 Bank Street, Cape May (609) 884-2127 www.410bankstreet.com
After more than 25 years, 410 still one of Cape May’s finest restaurants, serving food that’s as brilliant and inventive as ever.
D
$25-$37 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
u
frescos 412 Bank Street (609) 884-0366 www.frescoscapemay.com
From the same owners of 410 Bank Street, this restaurant wins awards for its Italian food every year for a reason. This is authentic cuisine served in a beautiful location.
D
$18-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
u
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Handicap accessible exit zero
H
31 July 2013
Takeout available
U Dog-friendly patio
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } lobster house
The absolute freshest blue claw crabs Local seafood Live entertainment Great for the whole family
Fish Dock Road Wildwood Crest NJ (at the base of the Wildwood Crest Bridge)
609.522.1341 thecrabhouse.com
exit zero
The bartender: Diana Poullott. The signature cocktail: Classic Rum Runner. The ingredients: Light and dark rum, pineapple juice, sour mix, shaken and topped with a blackberry brandy floater. How long have you’ve worked here: Twenty-three years. Your own drink of choice: Apple Martini. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Being rude. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “Hey, my Viagra just kicked in!” And the worst pickup line: “Remember my name... you’ll be screaming it later.” (Ewwwwwwwwwww) Best thing about Cape May: The beach. One thing you would change about Cape May: I wish it was just a little less hectic in the summer. Most annoying cocktail to make: Chocolate Martini because of the set up. Ever served a celebrity: Taylor Swift Biggest tip you’ve ever received: $100. Favorite beach in Cape May: Philadelphia. Dream job? Architect.
32 July 2013
The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe Gecko’S Carpenter’s Square Mall Cape May (609) 898-7750
On a balmy summer night, there’s nothing quite like Gecko’s in Cape May. Serving superb southwestern food, including great vegeterian options, on a tropicalvibed patio.
GODMOTHER’S Broadway & Sunset (609) 884-4543 www.godmothersrestaurant.com
Excellent downhome Italian food, just like your mama, or your grandma, or your great aunt Roberta would make. Reasonably priced and great for a family dinner.
green street market 3167 Route 9 South, Rio Grande (609) 463-0606 www.greenstreetmarket.com
It’s a family-owned and operated organic market, committed to providing healthy and fair trade cerftified foods and products. Check out their rewards program.
green street market 3167 Route 9 South, Rio Grande (609) 463-0606 www.greenstreetmarket.com
It’s a family-owned and operated organic market, committed to providing healthy and fair trade cerftified foods and products. Check out their rewards program.
harbor view 954 Ocean Drive (609) 884-5444 www.harborviewcapemay.com
A locals’ favorite for a reason. There’s a Key West vibe, good food, regular entertainment, and the views are spectacular. Spend the day — or night. Enjoy sushi on their beautiful deck!
HARPooN HENRY’S Beach Drive and Browning (609) 886-5529 www.harpoonhenrys.net
It’s become famous for its sunsets. Sip on a cold beer or a funky iced cocktail, listen to fun live music, and watch a beautiful day slip away.
harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille Madison & Beach Avenue (609) 884-2779 www.harryscapemay.com
The Hirsch family relaunched their restaurant at the Montreal Inn. It successfully mixes a friendly, family feel with a stylish oceanfront vibe. And there is indoor AND outdoor bars.
hotdog Tommy’S Jackson Street @ Beach (609) 884-8388 www.hotdogtommys.com
If there are better dogs at the Shore, we’ve yet to hear. Tommy and Mary Snyder are hot dog jedi warriors. Their menu is creative and as healthy as hot dogs get!
Island Grill 311 Mansion Street Cape May (609) 884-0200
The interior design and menu concoctions are similar — Caribbean-influenced and very, very colorful. The sauces and combinations are creative and delectable.
la verandah 107-113 Grant Street, Cape May (609) 884-5868 www.hotelalcott.com
The ambience at this restaurant in the Hotel Alcott may be High Victorian, but the fare is delicious, contemporary American. A superb, three-star restaurant with an attentive staff.
the lobster house Fisherman’s Wharf, (609) 884-8296 www.thelobsterhouse.com
Take-out, fish market, restaurant, raw bar, breakfast, dinner... The Lobster House has it all. Drinks on the Schooner American, watching the boats before dinner, is a lovely experience.
louisa’s chocolate bar 108 Jackson Street Cape May (609) 884-5519
Have a sweet tooth? This is the place for you. The chocolate is of the highest quality... in both familiar and adventurous flavors. Plus chcocolate is good for your soul!
mad batter 19 Jackson Street (609) 884-5970 www.madbatter.com
It’s the original fine dining restaurant in Cape May and still one of the best. The food is always creative and the breakfasts and brunches, hard to beat — hence the lines.
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Meals served
Price range of entrées
Bar or BYOB?
Should I book?
Food for kids?
Other details
L, D
$8-$24 Cards: V, MC
BYOB
YES
YES
b H
D
$12-$28 Cards: V, MC
BYOB
YES
YES
u H
Health Food Store
Varies Cards: V, MC, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b
Health Food Store
Varies Cards: V, MC, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b
B, L, D
$6-$30 Cards: V, MC
BAR
NO
YES
ub H
L, D
$10-$21 Cards: V, MC, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b H
B, L, D
$8-$24 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b HU
L, D
$1.40-$4 Cash Only
N/A
NO
YES
b H
L, D
$13-$26 Cash Only
BYOB
YES
YES
u b H
D
$19-$32 Cards: V, MC, AE
BYOB
YES
YES
B, L, D
$5-$48.50 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b HU
Chocolates
$2 - ? Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
NO
YES
H
B, L, D
$19-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
b H
Handicap accessible exit zero
H
33 July 2013
Takeout available
b
U Dog-friendly patio
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2
Uncle Bill’s
} lucky bones
& FAMILY RESTAURANT Open every day!
Outdoor seating! BEACH AVENUE & PERRY STREET, CAPE MAY (609) 884-7199
Thanks to You! for a successful first year.
Open Daily • Phone 609-435-5052 Beer • Wine • Spirits Ice • Snacks • Free Parking
exit zero
The bartender: Matt McGaffney. Signature cocktail: Cosmo. The ingredients: Citrus vodka, triple sec, splash lime juice, cranberry juice-shaken, served in a chilled martini glass. How long you’ve worked here: Seven years. Your own drink of choice: Sailor Terry Rum or Summer Shandee draft. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Not being ready to order. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “Are your legs tired? They’ve been running through my mind all night.” Best thing about Cape May: Month of September and striper fishing. One thing you would change about it: Take out the parking meters. Most annoying cocktail to make: Beach Plum Mojitos. Ever served a celebrity? Philly Flyers —Tim Kerr, Brian Prop, Dave Brown. Best tip you’ve ever received: $125. Favorite beach in Cape May: Philadelphia. Dream job: College basketball coach.
34 July 2013
The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe
maRIE NICOLE’S 9510 Pacific, Wildwood Crest Diamond Beach (609) 522-5425, marienicoles.com
This award-winning restaurant serves modern American cuisine in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. Savor summer nights on the terrace with a hand-crafted cocktail.
martini beach 429 Beach Avenue Cape May (609) 884-1925
A lively nightspot with a friendly vibe, great Mediterranean dishes, and a panoramic ocean view. It’s also the place that brought tapas to Cape May — the food is even better shared!
merion inn 106 Decatur Street, (609) 884-8363 www.merion inn.com
The dim, amber lighting, dark wooden bar, period fittings and classy staff give this place a special ambience. Great food, great cocktails, and great music!
Montreal Liquor Store Beach Ave and Madison Cape May (609) 884-6114
Grab a bottle of your favorite vino on your way to a BYOB, or stock up on beer and spirits for your next party.
north end american grill 206 Olde New Jersey Avenue North Wildwood, (609) 435-5691 northendamericangrill.com
A premier destination for food and fun in North Wildwood. Casual family dining offering upscale barfood and American cuisine. Experience a laid back California vibe at the shore.
ocean view Beach & Grant Avenues (609) 884-3772 www.oceanviewrestaurant.com
At this oceanfront staple, expect a large menu, full of classic diner food that’s reasonably priced. Locals frequent it, and you know that is always a good sign.
original fudge kitchen Washington Street Mall and on the Promenade, Cape May 800-23-FUDGE • fudgekitchens.com
It’s family-owned and operated, and you can tell. The service AND the fudge are exceptional. And their saltwater taffy? It’s the perfect seashore treat.
oyster bay 615 Lafayette Street (609) 884-2111 www.oysterbayrestaurantnj.com
A lovely dining room, a beautiful new bar, a new bar menu, great martinis and classic, generous dishes. Check out their happy hour daily from 4-6:30pm.
peter shields 1301 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-9090 www.petershieldsinn.com
The Georgian Revival mansion on Cape May’s beachfront is magnificent, and the creative modern American menu matches it all the way. This is one classy eating experience.
THE PILOT HOUSE 142 Decatur Street (609) 884-3449 www.pilothousecapemay.com
A classic pub and restaurant offering great burgers, excellent comfort good and an authentic ambience. The burgers are big favorites among locals.
rio station 3505 Route 9 South Rio Grande (609) 889-2000
While all around it has changed, the Rio Station is still serving excellent food with old-style, friendly service. Their chicken wings are particularly good.
Seasalt restaurant 1035 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-7000 capemayoceanclubhotel.com
Black wood and granite tables, mother-of-pearl barfront, river rock decor... the vibe is as cool as the food is delicious. Reserve the chef’s intimate private table for up to 14.
Seaside Cheese Company 110 Park Boulevard (609) 884-8700 seasidecheesecapemay.com
A huge plus for the area when it opened, and this place, a short walk from downtown Cape May, continues to delight with gourmet treats. Private tasting room is available to reserve.
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Meals served
Price range of entrées
Bar or BYOB?
Should I book?
Food for kids?
Other details
D
$19-$44 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
NO
u b
D
$15-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
D
$18/Mrkt Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
ub HU
Spirits
$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
Liquor Store
NO
NO
u b H
L,D
$7-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
ub H
B, L, D
$9-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
NO
YES
u b H
Chocolates and candy
$3-$15 V, MC, AE, D
NA
NO
YES
b H
D
$12-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
D
$22-$39 Cards: V, MC, D
BYOB
NO
NO
H
L, D
$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
H
L, D
$13-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
B, L, D
$8-$20 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
L, D
$4-$12 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b H
Handicap accessible exit zero
H
35 July 2013
Takeout available
U Dog-friendly patio
Coffees • Smoothies Breakfast Sandwiches Specialty Sandwiches Bagels • Baked Goods Cappuccinos • Lattes Gourmet Cream Cheeses
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } mad batter
7 Gurney Street, Cape May (609) 898-8088 Open Daily @ 6am 3704 Bayshore Rd., North Cape May (609) 846-0040 Open Daily @ 6:30am
Oyster Bay STEAKS SEAFOOD
Dinner Nightly from 5pm Happy Hour Daily • 4:00-6:30pm Check Out Our Fabulous New Bar featuring a New Bar Menu!
Tom Snyder photographed in The Brown Room at Congress Hall on May 16. Photo by Frank Weiss
(609) 884-2111 • 615 Lafayette St, Cape May
exit zero
The bartender: Marta Kulkowitz. Signature cocktail: Blue Batter Twist. The ingredients: Muddled mint, fresh blueberries, fresh squeezed lemonaid, Absolut vodka. How long you’ve worked here: My whole life! Your own drink of choice: Vodka club. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Snapping their fingers at you. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “If I knew you worked here I would’ve vacationed here sooner.” And the worst pickup line: “I must be in heaven because you are an angel.” Best thing about Cape May: Tight-knit community. One thing you would change about it: More kid-friendly events. Most annoying cocktail to make: Patron Gold margharitas. Ever served a celebrity? Anne Hathaway. Best tip you’ve ever received: $200. Favorite beach in Cape May: Baltimore. Dream job: Travel writer.
36 July 2013
A Cape May tradition for over 30 years!
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Cocktails Live Music • Happy Hour Daily 3-6 PM
19 Jackson Street, Cape May (609) 884-5970 • madbatter.com
The trouble with eating Italian food
...is that five or six days later you’re hungry again. — George Miller
Cucina Rosa
898-9800 | 301 Washington Street Mall & Perry Street www.cucinarosa.com
exit zero
37 July 2013
From the makers of Tisha’s An exciting new eatery
Cape May cocktails: The a to z guide... Pt 2 } martini beach
combining a classic pub with a fine restaurant Result? A great time. Every time.
Great food and awesome cocktails...
...in a cool casual pub atmosphere
37 2 9 b a ysh ore ro ad, n o rt h ca p e may ( 6 0 9 ) 8 8 9 - 7 0 0 0 | 5 w e st p u b . c o m
exit zero
The bartender: Zack Smith. Signature cocktail: Ocean View Martini. The ingredients: Vodka, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, blueberry schnapps, shaken with a blueberry sinker. How long you’ve worked here: Two years. Your own drink of choice: Godfather — Jack and Amaretto on the rocks with a cherry. Worst thing a customer can do at the bar: Stiff me. Best pickup line you’ve heard: “I was gonna buy you a drink, but I see you have one... can I buy you a house?” And the worst pickup line: “Someone better call god, because one of his angels escaped.” Best thing about Cape May: My family is here, it’s home. One thing you would change about it: Make it easier for locals to afford to live here. Toughest cocktail to make: Twelve at a time. Ever served a celebrity? Philip Seymour Hoffman. Best tip you’ve ever received: $150. Favorite beach in Cape May: Behind Convention Hall. Dream job: Travel author.
38 July 2013
The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe Star coffee shop 29 Perry Street, Cape May 800-297-3779 www.thestarinn.net
Here for a getaway fromt the city, but reluctant to leave your Starbuck’s behind? This is the answer. The Star carries a variety of their products, and plenty of sweet treats.
Sunset Liquors 106 Sunset Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 435-5052
A new liquor store has hit town, conveniently located on Sunset Boulevard. Spirits, wines, beers, ice and snacks — and some of the coolest light fittings you ever saw.
Tisha’s 322 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-9119
In case you’re wondering why they’re not at Convention Hall — they moved to the mall, where they are still serving up irresistible concoctions, PLUS breakfast and lunch!
TOMMY’S FOLLY COFFEE 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-6522 www.congresshall.com
Situated in the lobby of Congress Hall, this shop has great coffee and some lovely to-go breakfast goodies, as well as healthy and tasty lunch wraps, plus soups, shakes and more.
Turdo vineyards & winery 3911 Bayshore Road, N. Cape May (609) 884-5591 www.turdovineyards.com
Turdo is a family-run, award-winning vineyard and winery, and the only one in New Jersey that is run on 100% solar energy. See what all the buzz is about.
The Ugly Mug 426 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-3459
A Cape May legend, and even better now that they’ve put those wonderful booths in there. Such a treat. It has a classic pub vibe, and always a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Ukai 1500 Route 47 South, Rio Grande (609) 770-7773 www.sushiukai.com
Enjoy delicious, fresh and nutritious, authentic Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai cuisine — all homemade!
Uncle Bill’s Pancakes Beach Avenue & Perry Street Cape May (609) 884-7199
Reliably excellent food; there is a reason why people wait a while to eat here... Excellent breakfasts and brunches at this circular restaurant overlooking the Atlantic.
union park Beach Avenue & Howard (609) 884-8811 www.unionparkdiningroom.com
Exquisite dining in a classic old hotel, where both the decor and the food are inspired. Voted one of the best restaurants in the state by New Jersey Monthly magazine.
vincenzo’s little italy ii 3704 Bayshore Road North Cape May (609) 889-6610
If you want to bring the family for a fine and fun Italian meal, look no further than here! The kids will love it. Excellent pasta dishes, and they’ve recently expanded their pizzeria!
West Cape May Farmers Market 732 Broadway behind borough Hall West Cape May
One of the must-do activities of the summer. Around 50 vendors, offering local eats and crafty items, while you are entertained by local bands. Behind West Cape May Borough Hall, on Broadway.
willow creek winery 168 Stevens St., West Cape May (609) 770-8782 willowcreekwinerycapemay.com
Willow Creek is the newest and largest winery in Cape May. Check out the stunning villa, set on this idyllic 50-acre vineyard.
zoe’s 715 Beach Avenue Cape May (609) 884-1233
Zoe’s has large portions at affordable prices. Plus one of the best vegetarian selections in town. And they have a great patio if the weather is nice... bring Fido!
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Takeout available
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Articles by Diane Stopyra exit zero
Photography by Frank Weiss 40 July 2013
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41 July 2013
{ THE ESSENTIAL CAPE MAY OUTDOOR SUMMER FOOD GUIDE }
gina peterson, of crespella gourmet creperie Where are you from? My husband, John, and I are both from Springfield, PA. How did you end up in Cape May? John’s parents had a house here, so when we started dating — we were high school sweethearts — we would visit Cape May in the summertime, and that continued throughout college. And where did you go to school? The Culinary Institute of America in New York. For my internship in 2000 I got a job at the Washington Inn, where Chef Mimi [Wood] was a great mentor. I believe I was the restaurant’s first intern. Where else did you work? La Patisserie and the Pelican Club. And I would fill in with waitressing at other restaurants, like Henry’s on the Beach and Harpoon Henry’s. Because John worked on fishing boats, he was gone
for long stretches of time, and it was easy for me to spend a lot of time working. I really came to appreciate all of the fine restaurants here, and how different this place is from anywhere else I’ve traveled. And you’ve traveled quite a bit? Follow-
ing graduation, I spent a year-and-a-half in New York, working as a recipe tester and food stylist for magazines. Following that, I spent summers working in Cape May and off-seasons snowboarding in Lake Tahoe, Utah, and Colorado. In 2003, I spent four
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Patio Dining Kids Menu
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Inspired by a recipe from her grandmother, Gina Peterson experiments with all sorts of flavors, both sweet and savory.
months backpacking through Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I needed to go out and explore the world before I settled down. It was killing me that I hadn’t done it already. Fondest travel memory? I accompanied my cousin and my aunt to China when my aunt adopted her little girl. We stayed for two weeks, and it was a great adventure to experience that culture, and to meet this little girl, who is my goddaughter, for the first time. Where were you when you had the idea for a crepe cart? It was 2005, and I was snowboarding in Colorado. I saw one at the bottom of the mountain, and that’s when I got the vision. It’s something I had always been interested in; now I could see how to make it work for a large crowd. Why crepes? I had an Escoffier class toward the end of my time in culinary school. Half the time was spent in the back of the house, and half in the front, doing everything from waiting to bussing tables. During that portion, when people ordered a certain dessert, we’d roll out a little crepe cart and make bananas foster tableside. People got to enjoy it visually before they got to enjoy it physically, and that stuck with me. How did you pick the name? Crespella means crepe in Italian. And though crepes are French, it’s a nod to my grandmother, and our Italian heritage. Each Thanksgiving, my grandmother would make crepes rolled up into long tubes for crespelle soup. It’s a tweaked version of her recipe I’m using. What are your best sellers? Handsdown, my hickory ham with swiss, asiago, and chipotle ranch, the smoked salmon with homemade cucumber dill cream cheese, the banana nutella, and the s’mores. The wonderful thing about crepes is that the possibilities are limitless. Do you feel as though you’re part of a food renaissance in Cape May? There are so many cool things going on within my age group on this island; I think of Elizabeth Degener, who sells her homemade bread on Sunset Boulevard, or Doug and Andi Marandino, who have begun harvesting their own honey and selling it at their new store, also on Sunset. I’m excited to see where this movement goes, and I hope to be part of it. But you work other jobs too, right? I bartend at The Ebbitt Room twice a week. And you have children? I have a threeyear-old daughter, Keira.
How do you balance work and family? Well, I wouldn’t call it balance right now! If I didn’t have the support, this wouldn’t be happening. My mother-in-law has been taking Keira on the weekends, my sisterin-law is my other cooker, and my husband is the fix-it guy. Fortunately, we get a lot of family time in the winter. Considering all the stress that comes along with being an entrepeneur, what makes this all worthwhile? When I’m packing up my crepe cart in the rain, rushing to drop Keira off where she needs to be, while trying to look presentable for work, I remember that people have been coming to eat my crepes. Not only am I fulfilling a passion of mine, but I get to make something others exit zero
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enjoy. I hear people as they approach the cart, even if they’re not talking to me, telling stories about a crepe they had in Germany a while ago, for instance, or remembering a special moment. Having happy customers is so rewarding; it’s what keeps me going. Where can we find you? I cater private events, but I am at Hawk Haven Vineyard every Saturday from 12-6pm and every Sunday from 12-7pm. I’m also at the West Cape May Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 3-7:30pm, and the Stone Harbor Farmers Market on Sundays from 8am to noon. I’ll also be at all the major festivals in town. Check out Crespella online at capemaycrepes. com, on Twitter (@capemaycrepes) and on Facebook (Crespella Gourmet Creperie).
{ THE ESSENTIAL CAPE MAY OUTDOOR SUMMER FOOD GUIDE }
Brooke Dodds, of Empanada Mama’s How old are you, Brooke? I’m 27. And where are you from? Here; I went to Lower Township High School. You’ve worked a lot of places in town, correct? I worked at the Old Grange restaurant when I was 13, then George’s Place, Cucina Rosa, Daniel’s, Gecko’s, Whale’s Tale, Brad’s Beachfront Café (now YB), and Depot Market. I also helped out a few shifts at Oyster Bay and, last summer, I worked at Goerge’s again. At the restaurants, I was mostly serving, but I also worked in the kitchen at Gecko’s and George’s. Is that where you learned to cook? Working at Gecko’s was my version of culinary school; they put a lot of time into teaching there. What inspired you to start your business? I spent a few years living in Vermont, and I met a woman there who was from Argentina. She had a little shack — an empanadas hut — on Killington Mountain, where I liked to snowboard, and her empanadas, which she sold at he farmers’ markets, were delicious. The day I was set to close on the house I’d purchased up there, I found out I was having my son, so I moved back home to be closer to family. After Connor was born, I couldn’t waitress, but I was anxious to get out of the house, so I had the idea to make empanadas. I premiered them at Connor’s second birthday party, and they’ve been evolving ever since. Now, Connor is five and he’s my official taste-tester. Do Connor’s opinions factor into your decision-making? I’m definitely aware of all the most kid-friendly flavors! He’s so funny; he’ll tell me everything is delicious, and then, if he doesn’t like it, I’ll catch him throwing it away behind his back because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. Did anyone ever try to talk you out of doing what you’re doing? Absolutely. From time to time, I still hear, “When are you going to get a real job, Brooke?” But I’m very happy. The most rewarding thing is when people order just one empanada, start to eat it, and turn around before they can get 10 steps away to order three more. What is an empanada? It’s a South
Brooke Dodds (right) was inspired by the work of an Argentinian woman she met in Vermont.
American festival food, kind of like a hot pocket. Mine are made with a vegan flour and cornmeal dough and stuffed with a variety of fillings — vegan, vegetarian, sweet, and savory — and they are baked, not fried. You can put anything inside. Black bean and corn, and chicken and cheese are some of the classic options, but we’ve also done pork and provolone with spinach, roasted walnut hummus, chicken parmesean, and “guy flavors,” like chicken parm and sausage and pepper. What’s the wildest empanada you’ve ever put together? I did an Irish Potato St. Paddy’s Day at Cape May Brewing Company. They didn’t look as pretty as they normally do, but they were tasty. Anything new for 2013? We’re offering a gluten-free dough, which is very exciting. I’m also working out of my own health department-approved kitchen so I’m better able to do catering of events, which people can book on my website, empmamas.com. I’m looking into wholesaling as well. This is my commitment summer, I’m not working anywhere else. I’m so fortunate the empanadas have been so well-received... I just need to bake as much as I can sell. How labor intensive is empanadamaking? The first year, it took me a whole day just to make dough, which I can make in about an hour now. I can bake 150 empanadas an hour. I’m very excited because my father invented a mini pizza roller to crimp the edges; before I was doing it all with a exit zero
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fork. It’s the little things in life... How many empanadas do you sell in a season? Over 10,000. How do you spend your free time? Bike-riding, and Connor loves the arcade. We also spend time with our two little dogs, Porter and Stout. They’re both Jack Russel Terriers, and one of them is blind. She’s Connor’s little love. Why do you always wear the red flower in your hair? I always have! And now that I’ve gotten this new tatoo on my arm, with the red flowers, I realize I’ve totally, unintentionally branded myself. Do you enjoy being in the spotlight? When I’m working, I get to be a character, and I do enjoy that. I wasn’t always this way; I used to be so shy. If a stranger so much as looked at me, I’d burst into tears. Someone would tell me I was cute, and my mother would say, “Don’t look at her!” But all of the waitressing has helped break me out of that. Do you have a goal for your business? I’m just a simple businesswoman trying to make it work, like a lot of people in a small town. I want to make ends meet, be a good mom, and find that balance. Where can we find you? I am at all of the festivals around town — strawberry, lima, and tomato — and I work the West Cape May Farmers Market. I was at the boat show recently, and I’ll be at the Dragon Boat races on the harbor and Oktoberfest this fall. In the off-season, I’m also at Cape May Brewing Company a great deal.
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{ THE ESSENTIAL CAPE MAY OUTDOOR SUMMER FOOD GUIDE }
joe battle of JB’S BAR-B-Q Where are you from? A little town called Nashville, North Carolina. And when was your first trip to Cape May? I came with my high school teacher and coach in 1966 to help him work on the tennis courts here over the summer. So you were a tennis player? No! He was my basketball coach. He tried to teach me tennis but I was terrible. But I loved Cape May! Was this your first trip to a coastal town? Yes. What was it like seeing the ocean for the first time as a teenager? It was exciting, but I’m not a water person. I don’t swim. The only things I like the water for are fishing and bathing. And when did you move here permanently? Let’s see… I went to St. Augustine College in Raleigh for two years before moving here in 1973, I think it was. Then I went to Glassboro State [now Rowan University] for two years. I worked as a bartender at Vance’s, and I worked on the fishing docks until I got hired by Lower Cape May Regional High School, where I’m still working as the transportation supervisor. So how did JB’s Bar-B-Q come to be? I bought a grill when I got the supervisor job, because I wanted to host an barbeque picnic for all of the drivers. People kept saying to me “Cook a pig, cook a pig, cook a
Joe’s son, Joe Jr, helps out with the business — here he’s prepping the famous pork.
Joe adds in his special North Carolinastyle, vinegar-based barbeque sauce and, opposite page, with his iconic old bus.
pig,” and I figured if I was doing it anyway, I might as well try to make a little money from it. Now, I’ve been doing it for 27 years. How has the business changed in that time? Nothing has changed. We started out doing chicken and ribs, and we’re still doing chicken and ribs. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? What is it that makes your product so good? It’s mostly the sauce, I think. For our pork, we use a North Carolina-style, vinegar-based barbeque sauce, whereas most people up here use a red, ketchuplike sauce. Where does your meat come from? A butcher in Vineland, and one in Clinton, New Jersey. How many pigs do you go through in one summer season? About 80 to 100. And how long does it take to cook one pig? About 15 hours. So how many hours would you say are you putting in? On a busy weekend, I may get only six hours of sleep, but I cat-nap when I can. And we don’t do much cooking in the off-season. Everything we cook is done outside on the grill, and it’s difficult to do that in the snow, though I did exit zero
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once for a wedding. How did you learn to cook? Growing up in North Carolina, everyone had a grill, and cooking a pig was just a way for people to get together; it was a community thing. I learned from my father. What’s your fondest childhood memory from that time? We used to go out and dig a hole to cook the pig in with a shovel in the backyard. He used good strong wood, like oak, back then. Today I use only Kingsford Charcoal because it burns even, longer, and a little hotter. Do you miss the south? You know what they say... You can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man. Has your accent softened at all? I think it’s gotten a little better. Where can we find JB’s? People can call my cell — 609-602-7850 — or my home number — 609-884-3918 — to place an order or book an event. We’ve done birthdays, graduations, reunions, rehearsal dinners and weddings. I also do the West Cape May Farmers Market, and the strawberry, tomato, and lima bean festivals, things like that. But I won’t enter any kind of competition; I just don’t feel as though I need to do that. We did operate a store out of Rio Grande for the last seven years, but this year, we’re just using that as a base where we can cook and people can pick up orders. And when you say “we,” who do you mean? My son helps me out a great deal; we do most of the cooking ourselves, but we have about five employees. Tell us about the JB’s Bar-B-Q bus. It’s a 27-passenger school bus I bought from the district many years ago. It had expired for transporting kids, but we painted it a grayish-pink color, and use it mostly for storage of equipment. What is the most important thing for people to know about JB’s? We make everything ourselves, including all of our salads. What’s the best advice you’ve gotten since you’ve started this? People have told me: “Keep up the good work.” And it makes me so happy to hear that people think it’s good. I love seeing them enjoy their food. Is it fair to say you’ll never be a vegetarian? Some people feel like they’d die if they ate pork. I’d die if I didn’t.
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NO FRILLS FARM
generations,” he told us. “I can remember rolling bales of hay as a young boy for my father, so he could drive between them. I’ve always wanted to take over.” Now, Charles — who studied agriculture and horticulture at Cumberland Community College and owns the stand along with his brother, Ken — spends 16 hours a day tending to the land. When the sun goes down, he moves into his greenhouses. “The big one is 48 x 30 feet,” he told us, “and the four smaller are 48 x 17 feet.” And Charles maintains all of this during his months “off”. During the schoolyear he works as a one-on-one classroom aid. “It’s especially fun for me to bring some of our animals into school come springtime, because it’s so exciting for the kids,” he said. “We keep goats here who eat our overripe produce, and some of the kids have never seen a goat before. A while back, even some of their parents mistook them for dogs.” No Frills Farm, located just before the West Cape May Bridge, is open from 9:30am to 5pm every day.
o Frills Farm lives up to its name. The stand itself — which sells produce, bedding plants, vegetable plants, herbs, fresh eggs, cut flowers, and arguably some of the best heirloom tomatoes you’ll find in New Jersey — was hewn from trees and reclaimed wood that used to make up the Cape May and Wildwood boardwalks. The cut flowers for which No Frills is so well-known drink their water from glass Snapple ice tea bottles. “Everything is recycled,” said owner Charles Taylor. Which just proves you don’t need a high-end set-up to put out a high-end product. All you need is the right land — Charles farms 50 acres adjacent to the stand — and the right experience (he’s been honing his skills since he was five years old). “This place, which used to be a dairy farm, has been in my family for at least three
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Beautifully decorated cakes for every special occasion. Organic coffee and tea. Sweet and savory pastries. 482 West Perry Street Cape May 609.884.7454 capemaybakers.com
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DUCKIE’S FARM STAND hen Debbie Bright’s nephew was a child, he couldn’t say Debbie. Instead, every attempt came out more like ‘Duckie,’ a nickname the family came to love. So 16 summers ago, when Debbie and husband Tracy launched their farm market on Broadway, the name was a no-brainer. And so was launching a farm market — growing food is in this couple’s blood. Debbie grew up going to Wheeler’s Farm in Goshen, owned by her grandparents and then her uncle. And Tracy runs Bright’s Farm in Burleigh, where he tends to the six acres that produce vegetables for Duckie’s. It’s a life that, according to Debbie, brings great reward. “We get such pleasure from seeing the same people come back year after year, excited about buying local vegetables instead of stuff that’s been shipped in from who knows where,” Debbie said. “It’s hysterical to see them pull up on their bikes with bungee cords for holding down their produce. Or they’ll throw watermelons in their backpacks, and we’ll joke, ‘If we see a watermelon down the road a ways, we’ll know what happened!’ (We’ll leave to the imagination how folks attempt to pedal after a purchase of live, local crabs, which Duckie’s began carrying last summer.) Her enthusiasm for the space is shared by the whole family — her parents take the reigns while Debbie’s working shifts at CVS in Cape May Court House (Debbie’s father was on an asparagus run as we typed this article), her niece and nephews are employees, and her oldest daughter, 14-year-old Alyssa, will be a friendly face behind the register this summer, too. “It works out great,” Debbie says. “Everyone knows their role.” As for this summer? Get excited, Cape Mayans. For the first time ever, you can expect a Duckie’s bike rack. “It’s about time,” Debbie says. Duckie’s, located at 736 Broadway, is open daily from 9am to 7pm.
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Les and Diane Rea at their legendary farm market in West Cape May
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ou won’t find 17 different kinds of squash at Rea’s Farm Market on Stevens Street in West Cape May. And you won’t be overwhelmed by different pea varities; there’s just one. Owners Les and Diane Rea, who recently celebrated their 53rd anniversary, believe in selling only what they grow. And since Les, a third-generation farmer who turned 78 last month, is tending to all 100 of his acres largely by himself, he’s just a bit too busy for planting 35 different kinds of tomato. “This work is rewarding,” Diane told us. “It’s rewarding being able to teach people that their vegetables don’t simply appear on the Acme or Shoprite shelves. Today, for instance, we keep running out of strawberries, and people are not understanding that you can’t simply go pick more, because of all the rain we’ve been having. The berries are so porous, that if you pick them before they dry, you’ll end up with a handful of mush!” This message is being heard by Cape May’s youngest generation. “Our grandson is just finishing up his first year of boy scouts,” Diane said. “We keep one field green, where he and the others can come to camp and have cookouts.” Working with children is nothing new for Diane, who was a 4H leader for 30 years, and a teacher for 35. “And I’m still working with kids,” she said. “We do hay rides through the pumpkin patch.” It was while doing her student teaching in Cape May that Diane reconnected with Les. (They had met in high school orignally, but Diane, being the daughter of a constantlymoving coast guardsman, hadn’t stuck around long). It didn’t take long for Diane to become the farmer’s right-hand woman, working by his side back when the main crop was still the lowly lima bean. “We used to grow between 700 and 1200 acres of limas a year,” Diane said. “Now, it’s closer to 10 or 15, and most of those are for the West Cape May Lima Bean Festival in October. The company we had been growing for decided to start growing limas in Guatemala, so we decided we needed to do something else.” That something else is the farm stand. What started in 1996 as a tractor repair garage has grown into one of the hottest spots in town for quality produce. While the farm is not certified organic — a pricey designation to achieve — the Reas don’t spray their fields, so you can be sure what you’re eating is as pure as it gets. Honey from the Reas’ own hives, and all kind of jams and preserves are made with the Reas’ own pickings. “We don’t want to waste anything,” Diane said. Rea’s Farm Market, located at 400 Stevens Street, is open from 10am-4pm every day. exit zero
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beach plum farm
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aime Alvarez grew up working on his parents’ 300-acre farm in Mexico, until he moved to the States — without knowing a work of English — at the age of 15. For a long time, he worked breaking horses and managing gardens in Princeton and West Hampton, but for the last three years, he’s been managing Beach Plum Farm in West Cape May. This idyllic little piece of the planet — 62 acres strong — provides most of the produce for dishes and drinks served at The Blue Pig, The Rusty Nail, and The Ebbitt Room restaurants, all located less than two miles away. “I’m very happy here,” Jaime said. “I consider this home now.” Part of the reason he’s so comfortable, Jaime says, is that he loves interacting with the many guests who visit the farm — so many guests, he tells us, that bike paths which weave throughout the property have recently been paved with ground-up oyster
shells to make the experience even more accessible. “People are always impressed here, and always trying to learn something new,” he said. “That’s the fun part.” Or the funny part, depending on who the guest is. One couple wouldn’t believe Jamie when he told them that the farm’s chickens were producing eggs for local restaurants. “He thought there was a mini factory doing that,” Jaime said, “until I told him, ‘You’re right, it is a factory. Let me show you the workers.’ Then I swung open the door of the chicken coop.” Since last season, farm visitors have been able to purchase these eggs, along with fresh produce, at the farm stand which overlooks the property’s herb garden. “Right now, we’re selling baby greens, arugula, baby lettuce, mixed greens, leeks, onions, lettuce, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, herbs, and even honey which we’re harvesting,” Jaime said. “We pick it at 8:30 in the morning, and it’s in the stand by 10, which is great because vegetables are tastier and more nutritious the less time they spend out of the ground. If you buy from a grocery
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market, it will have been at least two weeks since they were picked.” Browse the offerings, and then purchase them at a counter made from a stillin-the-ground tree trunk. Or, buy a readymade sandwich for lunch — that egg salad is courtesy of Jaime’s “factory workers” — and enjoy it at one of the stand’s picnic tables with a homemade glass of lemonade or iced tea. And get a whiff of the lemon verbena growing nearby. It’s a sweet experience. Before you head home, say hello to the farm’s baby pigs and adorable piglets — expect to see 10 of the latter — which you can choose to feed if you wish. And be sure to say hello to Jaime, too, who will likely be hard at work tending to the land or misting his crops with a non-chemical bug repellant (soap, garlic, and cayenne pepper). “It’s rewarding to do this job,” he says, “because growing plants is like raising children. You can’t help but feel proud when they turn out.” Beach Plum Farm, located at 14 Stevens Street, is open every day. The stand is open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
Frenc h-inspired cuisine at its best. A truly Victorian experience with truly tasty food, located in the wonderful historic Hotel Alcott.
107-113 grant street cape may, new jersey (609) 884-5868 hotelalcott.com The perfect venue for an elegant wedding by the sea.
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courtney romberger of cape may crab cake factory Where are you from, Courtney? My husband, Gary, and I are both from Buck’s County, Pennsylvania. We’ve known each other our whole lives; when we were 11 and 12 we had the same circle of friends. A while after I graduated and moved away — I was in my early 20s — Gary came over to see my roommate. I answered the door, we realized we knew each other, and we’ve been together ever since. How did the two of you end up in Cape May? Gary has always been a chef, and my mother, who had a summer home on Broadway, told us about a little restaurant that was for sale here. At the time, it was West Cape Café — now it’s Bella Vida —and we fell in love with it. We moved here in April of 2000 so that we could take it over, and we got married the following September. It was a wild year. Did you love Cape May instantly? I’ve always enjoyed the small-town feel of this place. When I was a kid, we used to stay in Ocean City, but we’d always come here on a rainy day. At one point in time, my great grandmother and grandfather lived in South Cape May. What happened to your restaurant? We sold it, and bought the Fishing Creek Grill in Lower Township. Then we sold that, and Gary started working as the chef for The Ugly Mug. How did the Cape May Crab Cake Factory come about? Our crab cakes were the most popular item in both our restaurants. As for the name, that was my husband’s idea, and I didn’t argue… I usually do! What makes your product so special? I get that question a lot. The best answer I can give is that we keep our recipe simple. We don’t add a whole lot to our crab cakes so what you end up tasting is the crab, not a lot of other spices. And we’ve developed a way to make every one taste like the one before. I have to give kudos to Gary; the crab cakes are his recipe. Where can we find them? There’s a whole list of festivals! In town, we do Har-
bor Fest; West Cape May Farmers Market; the strawberry, tomato, and lima bean festivals; and Art in the Park events in Wilbraham Park. I also do the Farmers Markets in Hammonton on Saturdays, the Irish Festival and 50s Weekend in Wildwood, and the Italian Festival in North Wildwood. The Ugly Mug, Seaside Cheese, Rea’s Farm Market, Westside Market and Gaiss Market in the Villas all sell them as well. My fondest memory is probably the day that Acme called to ask if they could sell our crab cakes because one of their employees had tried them at a festival and immediately contacted his manager. Now we’re in 15 different Acmes. In your wildest dreams, did you ever envision this happening? This business started out as a way to make a little extra money for our family, but it was always the goal to move from just festivals to mass production some day. I hold that Acme employee who made it happen in such high regard; maybe he didn’t know what he was setting in motion, but he changed my whole business and helped me flourish. I was forced to figure out how to mass produce, and now I’m in talks with other stores, like Trader Joe’s. I want this to be a big business with a future for my children. How many crab cakes do you sell in a given year? Just at festivals from June through October, we sold over 11,000. Are you sick of crab cakes yet? I eat one every single time I do an event; it’s a silly exit zero
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superstition. I’m not sick of them, but I do all of my own cooking for all of the festivals, so after eight hours of that, I can’t say I’m eager to make them for dinner when my beautiful son Christian requests them! He loves them. How many children do you have? Christian is the oldest; he’s 11. Then there’s Hannah — she’s eight — and Charlotte, who is five. My customers have watched me working festivals with a baby in backpack for six hours at a time. They’ve watched all three of my children grow up that way. And I have to say, they are the most supportive, wonderful people I have had the privilege of meeting. When you have free time, how does your family like to spend it? We love the beach in the summer, walking around the Washington Street Mall, and hitting the boardwalk in Wildwood, too. My kids also love West Cape May Farmers Market, which is great, since I’m there working. Is it ever difficult working with your husband? When we sold the restaurants, I missed working with him day to day. Of course, there were times when money was tight and we were overworked, tired and cranky, and there would be a fight, but we have a great 50-50 relationship; if I’m having a bad day, he picks up the slack, and if he’s having a bad day, I pick up the slack. It’s a good rhythm. Doing this is a dream of mine, and he’s very supportive of that. Is everyone else in the family supportive, too? Fantastically so. My mother shows up at every event, and my sister has started a franchise business in the Chicago area. I’ve been traveling back and forth to help her set up her festival business. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My grandfather owned a successful concrete business that my dad took over. When my father passed away four years ago, I went through a rough year. But I realize he’s up there telling me I can do this on my own. Do you have any crab-cake selling rituals? I dance while I cook – I’m an energizer bunny — and I sing and I laugh with my customers. I have the best job… ever. And what’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I’ve worked so many different places. I was an aerobics instructor, a student services manager, I worked for Jenny Craig… but the job that I couldn’t stand was selling flowers wholesale. You had to get up everyday at 4am, but I did learn a lot about cut flowers.
Here is how this caption would look in all bold. does it look strange?
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{ THE ESSENTIAL CAPE MAY OUTDOOR SUMMER FOOD GUIDE }
THE BEACH AVENUE HOT DOG VENDORS Unless you’ve been vacationing on the moon these past few years, you likely know about the superbly made and really well-publicized dogs (and other goodies) turned out by HotDog Tommy at his holein-the-wall on Jackson Street. (There’s a reason why the Potato Tornado became one of the best-loved snacks on the island.) This time around, we decided to shine the spotlight on the guys who dish the dogs on Beach Avenue (all of whom need to be veterans in order to qualify for a permit to sell). Tony’s Dog House Beach and First Avenue Who are you? Tony and Ann Marie Genaro, from Cape May. Veteran of what branch of the military? The US Army. What do you serve? Hot dogs and Italian
sweet sausage. How long have you been doing this? This is our tenth season. What’s your specialty? Red onion sauce. Favorite local fast food place? McDonald’s in North Cape May. Eltz Hot Dogz Beach between Madison and Philadelphia Who are you? Brian Shorez, from Wildwood Crest. Veteran of what branch of the military? The US Army. What do you serve? Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, ice cream, Italian ice. How long have you been doing this? This is my third summer. What’s your specialty? My chili cheese dog. Favorite local fast food place? HotDog Tommy’s! C Breeze Beach and Philadelphia Who are you? Richard Cooley, from Wildwood Crest.
Veteran of what branch of the military? National Guard. What do you serve? Hot dogs, sausage, meatballs, kielbasa, water ice, potato chips, candy. How long have you been doing this? Twenty-five years. What’s your specialty? My hot dogs. Favorite local fast food place? Oh, I like them all. Lucy’s Dog House Beach and Trenton Who are you? Joe Paruta of Cape May. Veteran of what branch of the military? The US Army. What do you serve? Hot dogs, gourmet hot dogs, sausage and peppers. How long have you been doing this? Five years. What’s your specialty? The Chicago dog, and the Reuben dog, which has Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. Favorite local fast food place? Cappelletti’s Pizza.
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Taste one of our exclusive Cape May home made flavors like Vanilla Caramel, Peanut Butter Softee or Greek Strawberry Cheesecake. Or Try our new Belgian Waffle Sundae! Greek Strawberry Cheesecake
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T U R I S
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{ THE ESSENTIAL CAPE MAY OUTDOOR SUMMER FOOD GUIDE }
THE JUICE BARS The Red Store 500 Cape Avenue, Cape May Point Fresh-pressed juices include Red (pressed beets, carrot, celery, ginger, apples); Green (kale, celery, wheat grass, fennel, green apple); and Orange (carrots, fennel, lemongrass). Smoothies include Health Bar (granola, banana, coconut milk, honey, low-fat yogurt); Banana Nut (organic peanut butter, honey, almond milk, bananas); and Pita (pineapple, fresh coconut water, ginger). Fun Fact: Add a shot of wheatgrass to your beverage. It’s organic, and grown on the Red Store’s own roof. Cape May Organic Market 120 Park Boulevard, West Cape May Smoothies include simple classics like Strawberry, Banana and Mango; and cool new twists like The Bad Wolf (spinach, kale, blueberries, bananas, flaxseed, milk, yogurt, honey) and the Double-shift (coffee, ginseng, milk, yogurt). Fresh-pressed juices are whatever you want them to be! Choose from a list of fresh, seasonal produce that’s updated daily, and they’ll make
it on the spot. Fun Fact: The Organic Market don’t use ice or syrups and also offer non-dairy alternatives to their milk-based smoothies. Good Earth Organic Eatery 600 Park Boulevard, West Cape May Fresh-pressed juices include Veggie Blend (carrot, celery, kale, parsley); Red Root (carrot, beet, ginger); and Sweet Green (celery, apple, lemon, kale or green cabbage). Fun Fact: Good Earth sources as seasonally and locally as possible, obtaining much of their produce from Hazlet Farm in Goshen and Elfin Farm on Sunset Boulevard. (Because of this, you may not see tropical offerings on the menu all of the time.) “All of our ingredients are 100 percent organic,” says co-owner Hilary Keever. Congress Hall 200 Congress Place, Cape May Fresh-pressed juices available at the new Veranda Bar include Carrot & Greens (carrot, ginger, apple, parsley); Beach Juice (beets, pear, and pineapple); and Ultimate Green (kale, spinach, celery, pineapple). Smoothies (offered at the Blue Pig Tavern and pool bar) include Mango, Strawberry, and Mixed Berry.
Fun Fact: Congress Hall Food and Beverage Manager Jordan Rowan has a juice from the Veranda Bar every morning. “It’s as good as coffee for a pick-me-up,” he says. As many ingredients as possible come from the company’s Beach Plum Farm in West Cape May. Bliss 326 Carpenter’s Lane, Cape May Syrup-free smoothies include Green Power (local organic kale, spinach or beet greens with apple, banana, ice, and water); and Purple Power (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, acai, ice, water, banana). Fun Fact: Honey purchased within 150 miles is considered local — Bliss carries honey from several different beehives in Cape May County. Chill 301 Beach Avenue Smoothies include Banana Coffee, Strawberry, and Strawberry Banana. Fun Fact: Chill doesn’t just refer to how refreshing the products are, but to a state of mind, says owner Mike Tsiartsionis. “It’s a relaxed attitude,” he told us. All of Mike’s produce comes from the Produce Place in North Cape May, as well as his own farm in Goshen, called 1 Ethos.
The hardest part is picking your favorite... A Cape May Tradition!
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Website
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There’s Rio Crab Cakes. Then there’s everybody else.
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open 7 days 3167 RT. 9 South Rio Grande NJ 08242 (next to Avalon Coffee) 609-463-0606 www.greenstreetmarket.com email: info@greenstreetmarket.com
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Grande Center Shopping Mall Route 9 • Rio Grande, NJ • 609-889-2000 Visit us at riostation.com
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Dreamy summer afternoon.... ENJOY A CLASSIC TEA LUNCHEON
then stroll across the street and visit this year’s
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Betty, queen of the beach
Local legend Betty Steger at her home in Cape May, her favorite place in the world.
How old are you, Betty? I am 83... just a little bit older than Steger’s Beach Service! And you’re still running the business... how many hours do you put in a week? It’s a full 40. Let’s start at the beginning. Where are you from? Philadelphia, originally, although I did spend all of my summers here. And I did live here for two years as a child — on the corner of Hughes and Decatur, what’s now the Empress — because my father opened a funeral service establishement on the island in 1935. But this was right after the Depression, and no one had money for a funeral, so we did end up going back to Philadelhpia full-time. Interview by Diane Stopyra Photo by Aleksey Moryakov
Were you sad to leave? I was a firstgrader at the time and a bit too young to know what was happening, but as I got older, Labor Day did become the saddest day of the year for me, because I knew it meant leaving Cape May. I still remember the August I came down with a very bad case of strep throat, and the doctor recommended my parents not start me in school come September. I was thrilled because it meant I could stay here, in this place that’s so different than any other seaside resort. The most beautiful day I remember is the day after the 1944 hurricane; I was so happy to have the beach all to myself. What kind of things did you do here as child? My brother and I used to go into Ricker’s Gift Shop, where my future husband, Bob, worked as a 14-year-old boy. exit zero
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Actually, it’s that job that convinced Bob he wanted to work in retail when he grew up. At Ricker’s, he was told to follow people around, especially children, and make sure they didn’t destory anything. So we used to go in and tease him by touching everything. Then, when I turned 14, my mother said, ‘Okay, time you got a job rather than lying on beach all summer long.’ So I started working for Ricker’s Ice Cream Parlor and Bob would come in and order from me. Was he really coming for the ice cream, or secretly to see you? Well to see me, of course. He finally got the nerve to ask me out. Is it true that he was one of Cape May’s first surfers? Yes, that’s right. Is that one of the things that attracted you to him? What attracted me to him is that he lived in Cape May! When he asked me
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The late Bob Steger (far right) in Cape May in October 1967. Bob might have been the first surfer in town.
91 Beach Drive, North Cape May (609) 886-5529 exit zero
to marry him — I was 21 at the time — I didn’t even skip a beat. I thought, ‘Oh, boy, I don’t have to go home on Labor Day!’ And he was running the beach service at the time? That’s right. His father had started the business in 1933; he’d come here to teach physical education and coach football in 1928, and he became a legend. The football field at Lower Cape May Regional is named after him. From 1929 to 1932 he spent his summers off working as a lifeguard, and that’s how he came up with the idea to start a beach service. How was the business different in those early days? First, we owned a bathhouse, between Jackson and Perry. Back then, you weren’t allowed to enter a hotel in bathing suit, so people needed somewhere to change into their suits and, at the end of the day, change back out of them. Our boys would pick them up, wash them, and hang them on the roof to dry. Eventually, people stopped using bathhouses, and this space was turned into a store called Steger’s which sold all sorts of things for the beach, and a surf shop, the first of its kind in Cape May. When my husband was stationed in Japan with the Army, he ran the on-base store, so retail came naturally to him. As for the beach service part... we hardly had any stands north of Convention Hall. In addition to umbrellas, we would rent canvas
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cold beer in frosted mugs, great Tavern food and great value! eight flat-screen HDTVs kids welcome!
Monday - Rib Night Tuesday - Tavern Pizza Night Wednesday - Wing Night Thursday - $2 Slider Night
C-View Inn
Voted “Best Casual Eats” Best of the Shore 2012 South Jersey Magazine
Texas Avenue & Washington Street Cape May • (609) 884-4712
Open daily from 11:30
609-884-8296 thelobsterhouse.com facebook.com/TheLobsterHouseRestaurant
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When you see a restaurant packed with locals, you KNOW you’ve come to the right place.
Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Eat In • Take Out TALK TO US ABOUT PLANNING YOUR NEXT CATERED EVENT!
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Sample signature cocktails at Cape May’s most popular places including Ugly Mug, Mad Batter, Cabanas, Aleathea’s, Hemingway’s, Carney’s, Pilot House & Jackson Mountain Professional photographers accompany tours with photos available for purchase online Customized Dining Tours and Pub Crawls Available... perfect for weddings, bachelor/bachelorette parties, showers, birthdays, and more! Call (609) 898-7390 Cocktailsatthecape.com
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mattresses for the water called surfriders. You couldn’t buy them, because rubber was needed for the war effort and very scarce. Now, we stretch from Trenton to the Cove, all the beaches that are serviced by lifeguards. When was the beach named Steger’s? Way back in the forties when my fatherin-law bought the store. He also acquired Queen Street beach from the city; apparently it needed money at the time. What kind of work did you do for Stegers at the beginning? When I first came down here, I taught at Cape May City Elementary for a year, but I soon realized I couldn’t help with the business and teach; it was too much. I worked in the store and eventually took over payroll and bookkeeping from my father-in-law. It’s a good thing he taught me those things, because he died very suddenly of a heart attack in August of 1990, and I had to take over the books completely. Did you have any moments of doubt? Every day. I was completely overwhelmed. But an accountant gave me a great piece of advice: Take it one day at a time. What happened to the store? My son,
The old Steger’s beachfront store being demolished in 1992. In the picture is the late Harry Hirsch, scion of the family who redeveloped the retail zone at the old Steger site.
Steve, had graduated from Atlantic Cape Community College and he had no interest in merchandising, just the beach. So we kept the beach service and sold the store to Larry Hirsch of the Montreal Inn, who turned it into several stores along the beachfront. [Editor’s Note: Including the new Exit Zero store!] How many children do you have? There’s
Harbor View RESTAURANT, BAR & DECK
Steve, who has two sons of his own — they’re 22 and 16 — and my daughter, Linda, whose two sons are 36 and 31. They’ve all worked for us at one point or another. My son’s oldest boy just graduated from Monmouth University, and he’s very excited to take over Steger’s. Tell us your fondest memories of watching the kids grow up in the business. There
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were a lot of learning experiences for them. When Steve was 13, he wanted to work a beach of his own, so his grandfather gave him a small one. He wasn’t watching closely, and when he went to set up someone’s umbrella, someone stole all of his money. He never did that again! And one night, coming home from a dinner during which we’d left my daughter in charge of the store, I saw a man walking out with a stack of beach towels. I went inside and sure enough, Linda was in the back, having fun with some friends. She never did that again, either. You’ve probably watched other people’s children grow up over the years as well? Oh you get very close with the customers. When I was pregnant with my son, some of the kids were so excited they ran to tell their mothers, and then their mothers came back to look at me. It was cute. And you’ve grown close with your employees, too? There have been hundreds of them! We visited one young man who used to work with us who is a teacher now in Florida. He told me, ‘You know, I hold a couple of records from the years I worked. I
could carry 12 surfriders at one time.’ Some start working for us at 14 and want to continue through college. One young man is 52 and still working for us. How about a not-so-nice experience you’ve had with Steger’s? Our employees know how to put an umbrella in the sand correctly, so that it doesn’t blow in the wind, but one time one did. Well, it hit a woman in the leg and she claimed she had all sorts of problems. But the insurance company put an investigator on her and caught her walking! What is the proper way to put an umbrella in the sand? You have to stand with your legs apart and rock it back and forth. If you open it first it’s much easier. Using your arms and legs, you can feel it sinking deeper and deeper. Of course, you always face it into the wind. Whose idea were the beach boxes? That was Bob’s idea, and what a great one! People rent them, so they don’t have to carry their belongings to and from the beach every day. What’s so special about the color they’re painted? It’s specially mixed by Swain’s
Freshest Ingredients Fantastic Specials Friendly Atmosphere Reservations Recommended
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Hardware for us. It’s named Steger’s Blue. Can anyone buy it? Sure! Have the storms been kind to you over the years? In the hurricane we had two years ago, we lost about 90 of our boxes. We had a lot of unhappy customers that year. Considering all of the time you’ve now spent working on the beach, dealing with things like storms and lawsuits, is it ever difficult to see the beautfy of it, or to tap into the serenity it provided for you as a child? Oh no, I’m really, really lucky. There’s a song about Cape May — not ‘On the Way to Cape May,’ which everyone knows — but a song written in the 40s by a local man named Ludy Love, and it sums up Cape May to me. I’ll sing it to you... ‘Pack up your grip and come to Cool Cape May, where you’re 20 miles out at sea. Those ocean breezes send you right on the beat, and on the beaches you’ll meet peaches out of a dream. Stroll on the boardwalk when the moon is bright, or take a sail out over the bay. You’ll love romancing and dancing on the pier... Come on down to Cool Cape May…’ I’ve always loved it here, and I always will. n
Take a stroll on over, just minutes from the Washington Street Mall!
Tuesdays 3pm -7:30pm June 25 - August 27 Proceeds benefit Environmental Commission and Shade Tree Commissions of West Cape May
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All About Alice
Nobody has painted Cape May like the late Alice Steer Wilson. Now the acclaimed artist’s brilliant body of work has been immortalized in a beautiful new book, thanks to a major labor of love by her daughter Janice. Interview by Jack Wright
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Above: Janice Wilson Stridick first discussed a book with her mother in 1997. Left: Alice Steer Wilson at work in 1963.
For three decades, Alice Steer Wilson painted Cape May’s most memorable buildings and landscapes, compiling a collection of beautiful watercolors that hasn’t been equalled since. Her oldest daughter, Janice Wilson Stridick, set out to capture Alice’s work in a book, a major endeavor that culminated in the publication this summer of Light, Particularly. We spoke to Janice about this marriage made in heaven — a brilliant artist and the bewitching city-by-the-sea that captured her heart, and imagination. exit zero
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When did you start visiting Cape May? In 1957, my parents brought us four children to Cape May for the first time. A colleague of my father’s who had grown up in Avalon suggested they might enjoy Cape May for its historic buildings and ambiance. He was right! I was five, my sister Debbie was four, Jim was three and Kate was 18 months old. We stayed at the Stockton Inn, but what I remember (vividly!) is the Hotel Macomber next door. I recall walking up those steps, which were quite impressive and unusual to me, and being enchanted by the magnificent historic building so close to the ocean. Cape May imprinted itself on my visual memory that weekend, and apparently it did the same for my mother and the rest of the family. Where did you stay? In 1976 my parents rented the third floor of the Sea Mist on Beach Avenue, and in 1978, the last summer before they purchased our home on Congress Street, they rented in Cape May Point. What are your earliest memories of your mother painting in Cape May? In 1971, my mother was able to stay all summer, and that was when she began painting Cape May seriously. I recall driving down for a visit after Labor Day. The buildings were neglected, mostly white with black-green shutters, the town was empty, but she was very happy. My brother Jim worked at the Merion Inn one summer, and he said, “I remember her setting up on the boardwalk and cranking out those sketches, about 15 minutes each, often with someone waiting.”
Top: “The Chalfonte” from 1989; and above, “Windsor Beach” from 1993. Previous pages: “Going to the Chalfonte” from 1998. The Alice Steer Wilson book, Light, Particularly, is available from the Exit Zero stores at 109 Sunset Boulevard and 316 Beach Avenue, online at ezstore.us, and also at selected local stores.
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Right: “Good Drying Day” from 1995
When did you realize how important your mother’s work was in chronicling Cape May? I suppose it began to dawn on me in my twenties, when I was at the University of California. I was studying art and filmmaking, and all of my friends were artists in the MFA program. They had heard of her Cape May paintings, which surprised me. By then, the note cards my mother had painted had become popular. Did you have any artistic talent? According to my mother, everyone does, and she encouraged it. Mine was channeled into poetry, storytelling and photography. How much time did your mother spend on painting when she visited Cape May? For many hours each sunny day, and it was part of her ritual, like some people go to the beach. She also painted in the afternoons, and evenings, and off-season. She was drawn to the light, and she knew when she had to be at a certain location. Her sketchbooks and journals reflect that attention to schedule — she would note that the light was bad on a certain day, or that she had to arrive earlier. Did she ever take photographs of favorite scenes, or was she all plein air? Alice was a dedicated plein air painter, and she didn’t trust the objectivity of a photograph. Her aim was to create an image that conveyed the emotional resonance of a person or place. As she wrote, in 1974, on the back of her wonderful light-filled Windsor sketch, “I loved the appearance of things, light particularly, and I tried to copy it as accurately as I could, leaving out what was boring and exaggerating what I liked.” That phrase, ‘light particularly’... that’s where the title of the book originated? Yes, that phrase was from my mother’s manifesto, a secret message she wrote on the back of that Windsor painting. The phrase describes in her own words what it was that drew her to paint the subjects she loved. Did you ever accompany her on painting trips, or did she like to spend that time alone? She loved painting with others, as long as she was allowed freedom to paint. In the summer of 2000, a time in which her health was so compromised that we were not certain she would make it through the summer, my husband Paul arranged a trip to Maine so she could paint the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse for a friend. We had a wonderful week. She knew how to focus and block out distractions when she painted, but she was a very social person so I think there were times when, like many
creative people, she felt torn between her need to work alone and her desire for company. Did she have any particular rituals or favorite accessories? I still have her favorite bag, a cheap straw hat from Mexico, a few of her palettes, and some of the early signs she created to draw people into her shop in the 1970s for charcoal portraits. For how long was she painting Cape exit zero
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May scenes? More than thirty years, from 1970 until 2001, the year she died. What were her favorite things to do for fun when she wasn’t painting? Alice loved to party, so among our favorite places was The Shire and the Ugly Mug. The Lobster House was another favorite. Do you think your mother had a favorite spot in Cape May? Our home on Congress Street. She loved to entertain
family and friends, and gather them at the big eight-leaf dining room table restored by her father. But she made many paintings of Jackson Street, and dubbed it “My Favorite Street.” Knowing my mother, that was both true and... well, a bit of an exaggeration. She often painted the Windsor Hotel, Congress Hall and the Congress Place neighborhood, St. Mary’s and the dunes at Cape May Point. But as she said in her
manifesto, “Why I loved certain sights better than others, I never knew and neither do the people who are explaining it to you now.” Where else in the world did she love to paint? And do you think that Cape May was her favorite place of all? She enjoyed Maine, Guatemala, Greece, Antigua, Arizona, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Switzerland, Belize, and Jamaica. But I think it’s safe to say that Cape May was her favorite place, exit zero
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hands down. She was never happier than when she was in Cape May. There’s so much to love about Cape May. The light is rare and privileged – she titled a late beach painting “Privileged Light,” and that image and title seemed to convey her feeling of being transported by this place. When did you decide that you had to publish a book of your mother’s work? My mother and I discussed doing the book
in 1997, but we were both busy with other projects and never found time to focus on it. In 2001, weeks before she died, I reviewed her archival slides with her and interviewed her about the images she would like included in a book or retrospective. I knew from the time we talked about it in 1997 that I needed to do the book, but after she died I felt compelled to dig in and get it done quickly. I thought it would take a few months to a year. I had no idea. What was the most rewarding part about putting the book together? I am not sure if it was sharing the book with family, friends and students of Alice’s, or watching the pages roll off the presses, or holding
Top: “Cape May Skyline, circa 1973; and above, “Congress Hall” from 1997. Right: “On Ocean Street,” circa 1976 and “The Colonial” from 1984.
the book in my hands. Maybe the most rewarding aspect has been the journey, and the team of helpers who have cheered me. And the most challenging part? Staying focused. Many times, I questioned the wisdom of devoting so many hours and resources to the cataloging of such a large body of work. My mother’s paintings had not become part of any museum collection, and this seemed wrong to me. I believed exit zero
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her work was outstanding, but I wondered if I lacked perspective. In 2007, an art dealer told me to give it a rest. She said I’d done as much as I could. It made me very sad, but it seemed true at the time. Now, I feel differently; I’m glad I pushed on and I appreciate those who kept cheering me on. How do you hope your mother will be remembered by the people of Cape May? As a seminal artist whose work is worth cherishing and protecting. Also, as a woman whose life embraced the challenges of caring for people and places under pressure, but who always found time to encourage others to devote themselves to making a positive difference on this planet. n
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SPECIAL PROMOTION
how to have fun in cool cape may... and save $460! Presenting the greatest collection of money-saving offers you’ve ever seen... elegantly packaged as a designer deck of cards
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the CAPE MAY EXPERIENCE Discount Deck
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sually, something that seems too good to be true is just that. Well, here’s the exception to that rule! The Cape May Experience Discount Deck, from Exit Zero magazine, really IS everything it appears to be... which is THE best way to enjoy Cape May while saving a lot of money. To be precise, you will save $460 if you use all 52 cards in the elegantly designed pack of cards. And all you pay is $25. Go for dinner at The Peter Shields Inn or Tisha’s, followed by breafkast at The Blue Pig Tavern the next morning and you already got most of your money back! And unlike many other special offers, there are no exceptions or blackout days. These cards are good for every single day, from May 1 this year to April 30, 2014. You can buy The Cape May Experience Discount Deck from the Exit Zero Store and Gallery, 109 Sunset Boulevard, our beachfront store at Beach Avenue and Jackson, online at ezstore.us (with free shipping)or call us on 609-770-8479 and pay by credit card. You will also see it for sale at selected establishments around town.
Savings you can taste! Having dinner at the magnificent Peter Shields Inn, located in a Georgian revival mansion on Beach Avenue, is a can’t-miss Cape May experience. With your Discount Deck, you can save $10 at this great restaurant, with a minimum spend of $50.
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} participating restaurants
Aleathea’s Save $5 on breakfast/lunch — minimum spend $20. Backstreet Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $50. Bella Vida cafÉ Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend of $40. Black Duck ON SUNSET Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend of $40. THE Blue Pig TAVERN Save $10 on breakfast — minimum spend of $20. Cabanas Save $10 on B/L/D — minimum spend of $40. CAPE MAY Fish Market Save $10 on a minimum spend of $50. Cucina Rosa Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $50. THE Ebbitt Room Save $15 on dinner — minimum spend $75. 5 West Pub Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $30. Frescos Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $60. Godmother’s Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $40. Harpoon Henry’s Save $5 on lunch/dinner — minimum spend $25. Harry’s OCEANFRONT BAR AND GRILLE Save $5 on B/L, beach service — minimum spend $15. Island Grill Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $40. Mad Batter Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $50. MagicBrain CYBERCAFÉ Save $5 on a minimum spend of $15. Merion Inn Save $15 on dinner — minimum spend $75. Oyster Bay Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $50. Peter Shields INN Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $50. Rusty Nail Save $5 on lunch — minimum spend $20. SeaSalt Save $10 on breakfast — minimum spend $30. Tisha’s Save $10 on dinner — minimum spend $30. Ugly Mug Save $10 on lunch, dinner — minimum spend $50. Zoe’s Save $5 on B/L/D — minimum spend $25.
Cre ati n g y o u r ow n b a c k ya rd h e a ve n? We c a n h e l p.
indoor & outdoor furniture | candles | decorations | cushions | souvenirs
2 0 3 S U N S E T B LV D., W E S T C A P E M A Y (6 0 9) 8 8 4 -18 49 exit zero
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the CAPE MAY EXPERIENCE Discount Deck } participating stores
Savings that will inspire you
T
HE best thing about The Cape May Experience Discount Deck? It’s packed with the kind of establishments you already frequent, like Wanderlust, located in the charming old yellow wooden building on Jefferson Avenue. Owners Bob
A Place on Earth Save $5 on a minimum spend of $30. Bath Time Save $10 on a minimum spend of $30. Bird House of cape may Save $10 on a minimum spend of $35. Cape may Olive Oil Co. Save $10 on a minimum spend of $35. Carpenter’s Square Mall Save $10 on a minimum spend of $30. Exit Zero store & gallery Save $15 on a $25 color issues subscription. Flying Fish studio Save $10 on a minimum spend of $40. Good Scents Save $10 on a minimum spend of $50. italian Garden Save $5 on a minimum spend of $40. Louisa’s Chocolate Bar Save $5 on a minimum spend of $15. Red Store Save $5 on a minimum spend of $25. seaside Cheese Save $5 on a minimum spend of $25. tommy’s Folly Save $10 on a minimum spend of $40. Wanderlust Save $10 on a minimum spend of $30. } participating salons & spas
get a return on your $25 investment. Wander into the shops at
accent on Beauty Save $5 on a minimum spend of $25. Artizan Salon & SPA Save $5 on a minimum spend of $25. Cape may Day Spa Save $10 on any massage or facial Sea Spa at congress hall Save $15 on a minimum spend of $75.
Carpenter’s Square Mall, where you could save $25 in minutes!
} participating activities
Or you could spoil yourself with a signature treatment at
Cape May Stage Save $10 on a show ticket. Cape may Whale Watch & research Save $10 on a trip. East Coast Jet Boat, jet Ski & Parasail Save $10 on a trip or rental. East Lynne Theater company Save $10 on a show ticket. Miss Chris Kayak rentals Save $5 on a kayak rental Osprey Cruise Save $5 onany trip.
and Brandy sell a cool range of coastal-themed furniture and accessories. Wherever you choose to go, it won’t take long to
Accent on Beauty or Sea Spa at Congress Hall. Or maybe you’re feeling a little bit adventurous and in need of some activity during your vacation? In which case, Cape May Whale Watch & Research would be a great place to start. And for some quality theater, both Cape May Stage and East Lynne are offering $10 off their regular ticket prices. That’s a saving of around a third! Let the fun, and the savings, begin.
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Roman Candle Fireball Blaster
Blasts Out Colorful Balls of Light Up to 25 Feet! Sound Effects too! Cape May’s source for window coverings since 1973 Family owned and operated for 40 years Fully licensed and insured
The
Toy Shop of Cape May
Shutters, blinds, shades, woven woods, draperies Desatnick’s Window Fashions 609-884-2545 desatnicks.com
Turkish Towels
Wherever You Need A Towel, It’s Just Right! Elegant & Lightweight!
Wildly Imaginative Toys
Open Every Day!
Fun for the Kids ... and grownups too!
510 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-0442
If you love Italy if you love Italian products if you love unique fragrances and luxurious skin care if you want to look beautiful you must visit Italian Garden.
NEW * NEW * NEW 5 luscious fragrances with scents of ivy, citrus, viola, tahitian flower, and poppy; and several new miraculous skin care products!
Open All Year 318 Washington St. Mall Cape May 609.884.9234 Bathtimecapemay.com
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italian Garden 510 Carpenter’s Lane, Cape May (609) 884-2300
83 July 2013
Exit Zero Store & Gallery
Visit our beautifully designed store... 2,500 square feet and two floors of ridiculously cool Cape May souvenirs!
And don’t miss our brand-new store on BEACH AVENUE, near corner of Jackson. Open daily from 9am-10pm! A stunning range of gifts and goodies for the home, from sugar bowls to candle sticks, coffee mugs to pillows... and a nautical line of jewelry! exit zero
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109 Sunset Boulevard, Cape May « 609-770-8479 Open daily 9am-9pm « Online at ezstore.us
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A life well played
Jack Wichterman left his high-powered sales job and retired to Cape May... but he couldn’t stay still for long. He’s been a resourceful, hard-working council member and a Kiwanis fundraiser and past-president. We met him on the golf course to find out what makes him tick — and what ticks him off. Article by Jack Fichter
Photography by Frank Weiss
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magine this: it’s the top of the ninth inning with two outs, runners on second and third, and a powerful left-handed batter stepping up to the plate. Young Jack Wichterman, with a neat crew cut, a deadly serious look in his eyes and a wad of bubble gum in his cheek, is pitching on a sand lot in Pompton Plains, in northern New Jersey. Somewhere down the street someone puts a radio on their windowsill and blasts the Yankees game to the neighborhood. Wichterman throws a couple of curve balls and a sinker and strikes out the mighty lefty and wins the game for his team. He liked winning in 1939 and today, at the age of 76, he still does. Those who attend meetings at City Hall in Cape May know Wichterman as the city councilman with the deep booming voice who questions unfairness or anything that doesn’t seem right to him. He is also known for his hearty laugh. Like his father, John, Jack had a successful career in sales. It’s probably hard to say “no” to a Wichterman carrying a book of order forms. The senior Wichterman was in commercial chemical sales, while Jack built a career in paper sales. “I always wanted to be a salesman,” he said. “It fit me.” Jack was selling an early version of photocopying machines in 1956. In those days, the copier company would hire a large staff, saturate an area and fire them after many machines were sold. They kept a few on staff to service the copiers. Jack was fired three weeks before his wedding date and a planned honeymoon in Bermuda. “Our honeymoon was half paid for,” he says. The couple still made it to Bermuda but, says Jack, “I came home flat broke.” He landed on his feet after bumping into a former co-worker who was working for the Continental Can Company. He interviewed with them and was hired two days later. “That’s when I told Susan I had lost my
Left: Jack as an ace right-hand pitcher with the Post 450 team, which played American Legion ball. And above, from 1959, serving with the US Army Artillery division.
job but I got another one,” says Jack. He met Susan at Upsala College in East Orange, where he was taken into a fraternity as an honorary member — Susan was a member of a sister sorority. The couple will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in August. Jack spent 10 years with Continental Can and went to work for the Federal Paper Board Company, based in Montvale, northern New Jersey, after Continental sold their folding carton division. He advanced to sales manager. Some of his coworkers bought three of the carton manufacturing plants through a leveraged buyout and asked Jack to become vice-president of international sales and marketing. He retired from that position in 1998 at 62. “I wouldn’t trade a minute of my career, I loved what I did,” he says. Jack traveled to Hong Kong, China, Argentina and Mexico to stimulate business. So where did the appetite for politics come from? Jack and Sue moved from an apartment in Nyack, New York to Ringwood, New Jersey on July 1, 1966 — three exit zero
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days later, on July 4, the whole water system went dry. Jack wasn’t happy. “I had a house full of company,” he said. “That’s what got me into politics.” He testified before the Public Utilities Commission. Eventually, Ringwood purchased and upgraded the privately owned water system. At the age of 34, he was elected to Ringwood’s council. In 1993, the Wichtermans bought a twin in Village Green, on the east end of Cape May, as a second home. They had vacationed in the city since 1969. They have since purchased a larger home. Jack attended high school in Pompton Plains with former Cape May City councilman Joe Fox, who asked him to consider getting involved with politics in his adopted home town. “I said, ‘Been there, done that,’ because I had spent 13 years on council in Ringwood and not just on council — I was on two sewage authorities. Very involved up there,” says Jack. He was also in charge of Ringwood’s road department for seven years. So his plan to simply retire and take it
IMMIGRANT WORKERS. OIL ON PANEL. 2013 JUDITH ANDERSON.
Trains & Trolleys - the Cape May Story Judith Anderson Exhibit of Paintings & Photographs Opens on July 6 The Gail Pierson Gallery launches its fifth season in Cape May with a special exhibit of Judith Anderson’s paintings and photographs.
You Are Invited July 6
Art Opening and reception for Judith Anderson “TRAINS & TROLLEYS” Saturday, July 6 - 6-9 pm Good food, live music & good conversation.
Trains and Trolleys figured importantly in the building of Cape May. Anderson’s paintings tell the story. In recent years, she has focused on paintings inspired by trains - their geometry, their surfaces, their colors. This series, begun last fall, draws from vintage photos of trains from South Jersey, and Cape May in particular. The paintings meld Anderson’s fascination with capturing the ethos of a time gone by and her fascination with the powerfully iconographic images of trains and train travel. The idea for this exhibit grew from the collection of historic photographs made available from the Walt Campbell and Ben Miller collections. The Gail Pierson Gallery is open all year and welcomes new artists and art lovers from all over to Cape May. July Hours: Friday to Monday Noon to 5pm.
658 Washington Street | Cape May | 609.884.2585 gailpiersongallery.com | www.facebook/GailPiersonGallery | Twitter @GailPierson exit zero 89 July 2013
Jack with his wife Sue performing at an annual church talent show in Ringwood, NJ in the 1980s. Sue is talented singer who has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
easy in Cape May never quite panned out. “I found out you can only play so much golf and tennis,” he says. “You’ve got to do something to stimulate your brain.” He won a seat on city council in 2000, lost it in 2002, and returned to council in 2010. He served as deputy mayor for two-anda-half years. “You’ve got to have thick skin, you can’t get upset when someone says you’re a jerk…” he says. “You just do what you think is right.” Jack is known for saying what he thinks. “I can spot a problem,” he says, pointing out that he has more government experience than most of the members of city council. When all is said and done, he may best be remembered for fighting the funding formula governing the school tax rate for Lower Cape May Regional school district. During his first term on council, Cape May taxpayers were paying $38,000 annually for each student sent to the district. That has increased to $100,000 per student, he says. A decade ago, Wichterman and then mayor Jerry Inderwies drove to North Jersey to meet with attorney Vito Gagliardi, a specialist in changing school funding formulas. Gagliardi offered suggestions to Cape May, but little progress was made. When he was reelected in 2010, Jack returned to the issue. Gagliardi has had successes in changing school funding formulas since that time and returned to Cape May June 18 for a council meeting to discuss the subject. With 18 months remaining on his term on council, Jack said he realizes the funding formula is not going to change during his watch — he won’t be seeking reelection, noting that he will be 78 years old exit zero
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RIDE with MARK Cape May Bike Tours
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see ridewithmarkcapemay.com for details RidewithMarkcapemay@gmail.com JACKSON STREET & CARPENTER’S LANE, CAPE MAY 800-777-8027 • 609-884-0014 • goodscentscapemay.com
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on FaceBook as littlebluestudio
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at that time. Anyone who has attended council meeting would know Jack spends time on the golf course, generally Mondays and Thursdays. “I’m normally in the 90s, and every once in a while I’ll break 90 and every once in a while I’ll be above 90,” he says. He has also played tennis throughout his life and won a number of tournaments in his younger years. Tennis for Wichterman began in 1944 at age eight with weekly lessons. At 15, he won a junior’s tournament and a senior’s tournament. “I was too young to go to the dinner so they brought the trophy to my house,” he said. He had a passion for baseball, beginning as a first baseman and becoming a pitcher at 12. “I played competitive hardball until I was 23,” said Jack. He said the Pittsburgh Pirates “looked at him” but he did not have major league level skills. He played windmill-pitching softball until he was 45 and switched to slow pitch until age 50. “I’m extremely competitive,” he said.
“My parents always knew if the team had won or lost when I’d get home because the spikes might go flying down to the basement.” Recalling the old feature in Reader’s Digest — ‘My Most Unforgettable Character’, Jack names his father for always supporting him in his athletics. “In third grade I wanted a violin for Christmas,” he says. “He bought me a baseball glove instead. He knew what was better for me.” He got his first pair of spikes for Christmas when he was in the sixth grade. “I couldn’t wait for the snow to get off the ground, so I could put my spikes on and walk outside,” says Jack. His father stopped him from joining the Army immediately after graduating from high school. A few years later he was drafted and joined the National Guard and was on active duty for six months. “I was all spit and shine, my fatigues were all starched, I kept my boots shined well,” he said. He was sent to the NCO Academy at Fort Dix, NJ and was promoted to sergeant in two years. He served a total of
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nearly seven years. He calls moving to Cape May the “icing on the cake” of a great life. During his hiatus from city council, Jack sold beach tags next to the city’s beach patrol headquarters. “You meet so many nice people,” he said. “People love to come to Cape May.” Folks he met as a beach tagger sent him cards on his birthday and anniversary. Music looms large in the Wichterman household. Susan sings in the choir of First Presbyterian Church, while Jack is a member of the Cape Harmonaires, a local barbershop quartet known for their patriotic and Christmas programs. Jack sang lead in a quartet in high school. “My voice was higher then, I caught pneumonia in the Army and couldn’t talk for a few days and when my voice came back it was lower,” he says. An electric piano, which Susan plays, has recently been added to their living room. In 1986, Susan was singing back up in a band in Ringwood — Rick Bolt and the Nuts. Jack would join the band for two songs. One was Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,”
understandable with Jack’s deep voice. The other song defies imagination. Jack is about as a far away from Mick Jagger as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is from Def Leppard and yet he would sing the Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’ with the band. If you ride with Jack in his Ford, he will be listening to the 1940s channel on Sirius satellite radio or Escape, the station that he describes as “elevator music.” “I’m not big on rock ’n’ roll,” he said. “I’ll put the 50s on occasionally.” A fraternity brother brought him into the Cape Harmonaires. He sings bass and handles all the bookings for the singing group, which number 21 shows this year. “It’s just a bunch of guys who like to sing,” said Jack. He doesn’t read music and learns his part by listening to a CD. He also gets plenty of assistance from Susan. What would comprise a very good day for Jack? “Every day is a good day,” he said. “I don’t have many bad days.” He said he enjoys going to City Hall and out to dinner. Jack joined the Kiwanis Club in 2000 and he will be happy to sell you a chance
“Every day is a good day,” says Jack. “I don’t have many bad days.” to win a Ford Mustang on display at their Beach Avenue clubhouse. He served as president in 2005-2006. “Nobody there has an agenda — they are there to help children.” He is a part of the Kiwanis Club’s Conversation Comrades meeting every other Wednesday, where they have lunch with kindergarten-through-second-grade students at Cape May Elementary School. “You’ve got to watch yourself or you get too attached to these kids,” he says. He’s seen a number of children grow up and seen those from Coast Guard families move away after a two-year stint in Cape May. The Wichtermans have a son and a daughter and two grandsons. Daughter Leslie is a pharmacist and audits pharmacies to make sure they comply with the rules and regulations of Medicare. Son Chris works for KPMG, one of the world’s
big four accounting firms, in the marketing department. He works with PGA golfer Phil Mickelson, who is sponsored by KPMG and wears a cap in tournaments bearing the company name. Chris directed videos featuring Mickelson. “Whatever we did, it worked,” said Jack of their successful offspring. As much as they love Cape May, the Wichtermans spend several weekends each year in New York City. Jack entertained clients in the Big Apple for decades. They make two trips a year to New York to see the live radio broadcast of Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. “We’ve seen Garrison probably 30 times,” said Jack, adding that he does not share Keillor’s liberal political views. Jack’s days are full and his evening may begin with a gin on the rocks with a “splash of tonic.” So, after all these years, is there anything that bugs him? “Complainers who don’t want to get involved,” he said. “If you’re going to complain, do something about it.” n
turn your old fur into a beautiful teddy bear...
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Mother Grimm’s Bears (609) 886-1200 mothergrimmsbears.com
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CAROLINE BOUTIQUE CAROLINE
93 July 2013
BOUTIQUE
• Johnny Was • Chan Luu • Susana Monaco • Velvet • Splendid • Michael Stars
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Velvet • James Perse • Ella Moss • Eileen Fisher • Sanctuary • Johnny Was •
Michael Stars • James Perse • Ella Moss • Eileen Fisher • Sanctuary
Stories from the Sisters
Saint Mary by-the-Sea,
Cape May Point’s HQ of serenity, is a special place where people go to stay, and pray. We met five of those people there... women who have devoted their lives to a higher cause. You know them better as nuns, but you can check your preconceptions at the door...
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he history of Saint Mary by-the-Sea is a colorful one. The building, constructed in 1889 and complete with 150 rooms, began as a fine hotel called the Shoreham of Cape May Point. But nine years later, lack of guests deemed the venture a failure. The building was sold, and turned into the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People — another failure. It was a minister by the name of Daniel McDermott who would come to the rescue, purchasing the property for $9,000 and transforming it into a retreat house for the sisters of Saint Joseph in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. In the 80s, it was opened to sisters of other congregations, and in the 90s, it was opened to non-sisters in need of a retreat in a peaceful setting where spectacular skies (it’s one of the few on-the-water spots where the sun both sets and rises), views of surfing dolphins and migrating monarchs, and cool breezes make even the greatest non-believer feel just a wee bit closer to the heavens. Now, 800 people make their way through Saint Mary for retreat every year, according to Administrator Joan Dollinger who, as an alumni of Star of the Sea School, was herself taught by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. “My classmates and I would ride our bikes here when we were little and peek over the fence,” she told us. “We wanted to see if we could spot our teachers.” Those teachers (and therapists, counselors, and members of the “God Squad’, according to one nun we spoke with) have watched Saint Mary withstand hurricanes, nor’easters, even the mistreatment of the US Army soldiers who occupied the space for five years during World War II. While the narrative of Saint Mary by-the-Sea — a story of resilience — has been told time and again, it’s the personal narratives of the women who stay and pray inside this space that are still so mysterious, and just as inspiring. We met with five of them — all Sisters of Saint Joseph, and all as tough as that iconic Cape May building most of us will never see inside. Here are their stories... Sister Gerry Kenty, Philadelphia
No one ever thought I’d be a nun. My siblings told me I was crazy, and my mother kept asking if I’d changed my mind yet. I got so annoyed and finally shouted, “No, I have not and nor will I!” When I was in high school, and I’d go out dancing or enjoying myself, there was always this little voice in my head saying there has to be more to life, so by my senior year, I was convinced that this is what I wanted to do. On the day I entered, as I was getting ready, my father, who was not Catholic, asked me, “Will you come home if you realize this isn’t for you? Because when you go in, you go in with a group, but when you come out, you come out alone, and that’s going to be much harder.” When he dropped me off at the motherhouse, he hid car fare money under a tree out front, in case I ever decided to leave. I had quite a few loves. One continued to pursue me even after I entered the motherhouse. He would say to my mother, “I just don’t understand how she can live there if she’s not allowed to dance there.”
We were caged up, so to speak. I taught for 47 years. In Maryland, I worked in a place that wasn’t an orphanage, but a home for boys with disturbed home lives. I remember thinking, “I wish I knew what I did to deserve this job, because I’d never do it again.” The kids were wise guys, and they blamed us for their being there. They would try to run away, and I would tell them, “Go ahead.” When they got cold and hungry, they always came back. From the porch at Saint Mary’s, I once saw a baby dolphin being tossed into the air. I learned from the captain of the dolphin watch boat, which I used to take rides on, that a mother dolphin throws her babies like that until they get the hang of it and learn to swim. I just love the ocean. We had fun breaking the rules. We weren’t supposed to have money, but sometimes a friend or family member would give you a few dollars. There was a store in Cape May Point that had great hoagies, and with our little bit of cash, we went there to order some, which also wasn’t allowed. The man who worked behind the counter had exit zero
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run out of rolls, so we returned to Saint Mary’s. When he got the rolls and was able to finish the sandwiches, he called to say they were ready, which gave us away. Then, of course, the big question became, “Who ordered the hoagies?” But those in charge weren’t too familiar with the word, so it came out more like “Who ordered the hoggys?!” Eventually, we had to admit we ordered the hoggys, and we weren’t allowed to participate in recreation the following day. During World War II, the US Army rented Saint Mary’s. We had to clean up after those soldiers. They left it in shambles. The mines were still in the water, so we weren’t supposed to go swimming, but we used to hide behind the jetty, pin up our habits in the back and the front, and go wading. I love my congregation, and I love being a Sister of Saint Joseph. Even though it changes — it will never be the same as it once was — the sisters will last and, I’m quite sure, so will Saint Mary’s. n
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“I love Downton Abbey, and I can watch Pretty Woman over and over... People tell me I don’t look like a nun. I don’t know what that means.”
Sister Marie Olwell, Wildwood I like adventure. I very much enjoy parasailing and kayaking. I was 17 when I entered the convent. I didn’t even ask for permission from my parents. I have been attracted, but I’ve never been madly in love, unlike some of the sisters, who’ve been engaged. I was really focused. At one point, I considered becoming a carmelite nun, who never comes out of the convent, but God calls us in different directions. I am 83. At my age, you can imagine all the changes I’ve seen. I remember when exercise wasn’t allowed. I’d write home and say, “It would be nice to throw a ball or go for a swim once in a while.” I’m a fan of change, but... how can I say this? Not everyone is on my page. I love Downton Abbey, and I can watch Pretty Woman over and over. My becoming a nun made for mixed emotions from my mother. I learned later from relatives that my mother would sob, because she missed seeing us — my older sister had entered, too. We could not visit home until we were professed, which took five years. I left behind two younger siblings, a two-year-old and a two-month old. My little sister learned later, in a therapy session, that she had grieved my loss without even realizing it. People tell me I don’t look like a nun. I don’t know what that means. I do not miss the habit. I hear, “But they were so beautiful,” and to those people, I say, “Would you like to wear it?” The clothes don’t make the nun. When we were founded in France, women weren’t supposed to be out by themselves, so nuns dressed like widows in order to go into the prisons and help the inmates. When we came to America, we simply got stuck. People think they’re going to hell because they haven’t gone to church. What kind of God do they worship? I knew from third grade that I wanted to be a nun. I grew up in Wildwood, and I exit zero
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was taught by the sisters there. They lived in a big house, and during the summer, between working shifts at my parents’ doughnut shop, I used to sit and talk with them on their porch. At the beginning, the toughest part was the silence. Stopping someone in the hall to have a conversation just wasn’t allowed. First, I taught music to junior high. Then I served as a principal in Harrisburg, PA. In Baltimore, I earned a masters in education with a minor in psychology and I worked as a counselor after that. Then I became a pastoral associate, and although the priests were wonderful, they didn’t know everything about married life. I thought I could be helpful if I studied that, so I became certified as a marriage and family care counselor at the University of Pennsylvania. After that, I got my doctorate of ministry from Lancaster Theological Seminary. I love working in therapy, and I’m still doing it. I suppose a nun can study whatever she wants — Marine Biology, even — if she has a good reason. I never doubted. And I know that many did. Some women who entered the community with me only made it a couple of days, but I never doubted. We didn’t get permission to drive until 1966. It was exciting, but I remember hitting our high hats as we’d get in and out of the car. Someone will say “shit” or “damn,” and then he’ll look at me apologetically. I tell them, “Have at it!” I first came as a novice to Saint Mary’s. It was a big deal. We were teenagers and we came by bus. Of course, we couldn’t go in the water because of the mines that were still buried there from World War II. A convent isn’t always what you think. I live in a townhouse. The balcony of St. Mary’s, with the breezes and the sound of the gulls and the boats passing by — the people on them often wave as they pass — that provides a quiet reflection. That salt air is so healing. n
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“The most fun I ever had was living in Washington, DC. The other sisters and I would go out every Wednesday to different restaurants or to see a rock concert.”
SISTER ELIZABETH FERGUSON, DELAWARE COUNTY I wanted to be a nurse. But when I was in high school, I became a driver for the nuns at school. They needed rides to and from their classes at the college where they studied on Saturdays, so I got to see them in a new light. The one I took piano lessons from had an especially great impact on me because I saw that she was real. She was a nun and she was a real person. I can remember taking final vows thinking, “Oh, my God, what am I doing?” But it’s probably the same right before a marriage or any lifetime commitment. It takes eight years to get to your final vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. I don’t know that one of those is any more difficult than another; it just depends on where you are in life at a given moment. I think most women go through a period in their 20s or 30s where they think, “Oh my God, I’m never having children.” You get past it.
After the storm of 1962, I was a novice, and they sent novices down here to clean Saint Mary’s. The pews in the chapel were screwed to the floor, and I can remember scraping sand from those screws all day, every day, for two weeks. I live with 16 other women. People say, “How can you do that?” but it’s very energizing. We pray together and we socialize together. I taught for 35 years. One year you could be teaching in a very affluent school; the next, in abject poverty. What I loved most was teaching religion to eighth graders because we could talk. They could express their opinions and we could bat things back and forth. I used to tell them to discuss these things over dinner with their parents, and they’d say, “Oh no, I can’t do that.” The last retreat I came to at Saint Mary’s was silent. No talking for 30 days. That’s something that may happen only once in a lifetime, and it’s a gift, believe me. I used to go up to the second-floor porch exit zero
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of Saint Mary’s every day to pray around 10am, and every day at 11am, the dolphins came. I used to love watching them play; it was beautiful. Sitting up there with a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers, that’s a guilty pleasure; although, if it relaxes me and makes me feel good, I’m not going to feel bad about it. The most fun I ever had was living in Washington, DC. The other sisters and I would go out every Wednesday to different restaurants or to see a rock concert. The military shows were always the best. I’ve been here during storms I thought would blow the whole top of the building off. I’d lie there thinking, “This is it.” But this place has been standing for 100 years. I can’t help but think that’s some kind of divine intervention. Mary — see the statue of her on the lawn — she’s not standing out there in the courtyard with her arms outstretched for nothing. n
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SISTER RITA WOEHLCKE, PHILADELPHIA When I was a kid, I had heroes. The sisters fit that bill. They were like the God Squad. I don’t think you make any vocational choice — marriage or a religious life — without coming to a point where you have to choose again. Sometimes, I would think, “What’s a girl like me doing in a nice place like this?” and sometimes I would think, “What’s a nice girl like me doing in a place like this?” It’s a matter of choosing again. I was once on a mission in Philadelphia. I came across a group of kids on a basketball court who weren’t supposed to be there. So I went up to them in my habit and looked them over, and they were pretty tough guys. I said, “Let’s play 20 and two, where you have to score 20 and win by two. If I win, you leave.” They were like, yea, sure, but they put their best guy on me, and I did what I know how to do; I won and they left. Later, someone came up to me and said, “What were you doing with the 59th Street Hoops Gang?” I had no idea. God fights fair. I do a lot of work with people in relationships and I’ve learned that partners don’t always, but God does. My family came to Cape May when I was a child and I didn’t know we were poor. My parents would have us walk from Second Street Beach to the concrete ship and back because by that time, we’d be too exhausted to ask to go to the boardwalk. So I’d walk by St. Mary’s, and there was something about seeing the sisters there; it was powerful being around these women who were part of something that really mattered. So when I came down here as one of them on my first retreat, it was exhilarating. There were 300 of us under 30, and there was so much passion. Of course, it was the 60s, so we were passionate about everything. People treat you — and the people around them — differently when you’re in your habit. You get deferential treatment. The classic example: in my habit in the grocery store one week, I saw how a mother handled her irritable child. A week later, in normal clothes, I saw how the same mother handled her child, and it wasn’t pretty. When I’m in the habit, I don’t get to see
“I once had a girl overdose on the steps of the convent... Now, she’s a very successful entrepreneur.” people in their rawest moments. I have rage. I don’t think people expect that. I get angry when people endanger the safety of others, and that comes right out of my history. I’m a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, and when I feel like someone is using power to endanger someone else, I can get ballistic. The people I admire most are the ordinary blue-collar people who put their feet on the floor every day and try to live decent lives and support families and one another. These are my heroes. I once had a girl overdose on the steps of the convent. My most rewarding moment was being able to get her squared away. She eventually got clean and has been ever since. Now, she’s a very successful exit zero
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entrepreneur who adopted a baby boy. I used to fish on the jetties outside Saint Mary’s with my father. After his death, I took my fishing pole out on my own, and there formed an incredible rainbow that gave me a sense of well-being. When my mother died, I walked onto the porch of Saint Mary’s. On the other side of the building was a whole rainbow, and I had a sense of God bringing all things to completeness. That’s the most at peace I remember feeling here. I’ve been in love, yes. It’s an important life experience. There are people who know us and like us because they know we’re serious about God, and yet we’re real and like them and we have feelings. And there are people who find that same thing very disconcerting. For over 100 years, women have gathered here seeking to be people who are vehicles for good in the world. With all of their own heartaches, successes, and failures, hundreds and hundreds of women have faithfully stayed and prayed here, and I think that permeates the whole place. People need me to be a certain way, and I’m not sure what that’s about. There’s more than one way to live a chastity, poverty, and obedience. God has a flair for diversity. n
seven minutes to five. My mother made me wait a year after high school before becoming a nun. She wanted grandchildren, but my brothers gave her those. I just never thought much about getting married. Some convents have resident dogs. In one place I stayed, the German Shepherd called Heidi pulled open the curtain while I was in the shower and nearly gave me a heart attack. I love Exit Zero... I’m surprised you’d want to take pictures of us, and not people on the beach in bikinis. I’ve been teaching English as a second language to Arabic-speaking Egyptians for the last seven years. And no, I don’t speak Arabic. Brownies are my guilty pleasure. I’ve been to Europe and several states in America, but my most terrifying travel experiences have happened in Canada. I took high school kids there as part of a school trip, and they snuck out of their rooms, probably to go drinking. We found them, but it can be scary, being responsible for children. The least nun-like thing about me? I have a problem being told what to do. I taught at Star of the Sea in Cape May 50 years ago, and I loved that job a great deal. I still keep in touch with those students.
“The novitiate is where you go for the first two years... It’s like boot camp for nuns. The alarm would go off every day at 4:53am.”
SISTER WANDA DAVIDSON, VENTNOR, NJ I cannot stand all of the bad stories about Catholic school education and the mean nuns. That’s all you hear; none of the good stuff. The sisters I had were so kind and loving, I wanted to be just like them. The novitiate is where you go for the first two years after you enter the community. It’s like boot camp for nuns. The alarm would go off every day at exit zero
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I’ve worked at St. Mary’s for 31 summers in a row, doing different jobs. This week, I’m on laundry. There’s quite a bit of bath towels and bath mats, considering how many people stay here. In my free time, I enjoy sitting in a rocker on the second-floor porch. That’s a little piece of heaven. n
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Cape May Stage piles on the laughs
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ape May Stage Artistic Director Roy Steinberg has brought familiar faces to town for Lend Me A Tenor, the farce which is wowing crowds and runs through July 26. Veteran Chris Dolman directs a cast which includes Steinberg and another face familiar to Cape May audiences, actor Scott Greer. The show is a Tony award-winning romp, full of mistaken identities, romantic confusion, doors opening and closing, and actors in their underwear. It’s 1934 when selfinvolved opera superstar Tito Merelli, known as Il Stupendo, arrives at an Ohio opera house to sing Otello. He is late, and mishaps render him unable to perform. A surprising understudy takes over, and the evening is secure, until Il Stupendo awakes and there are two Otellos running around being mistaken for each other. Merelli reportedly was inspired by the tenor Placido Domingo. Instead of being insulted, Domingo loved the
David Arkema, Roy Steinberg, Carey Van Driest, and Jeremy Konopka in Cape May Stage’s production of Lend Me A Tenor, running through July 26. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
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show, but insisted that he identified more with Max, the singing gofer who saves the day — proving that everyone loves the story of the understudy who gets to be a star. Lend Me A Tenor took Broadway by storm when it debuted in 1989, earning multiple awards and instant recognition as a classic farce. Summer is the perfect time for farce, Steinberg notes. “Summer is a time to relax. The same is true for the theatre. Farce is pure fun — there is no presumption of weighty intellectual or philosophical treatises — there’s no intention other than a hearty laugh.” Greer agrees: “It makes no sense to do Ibsen in July.” That’s why Cape May Stage will follow Lend Me a Tenor with another farce — Dolman directs Steinberg in Lend Me a Tenor, but their roles will be reversed when Dolman returns to Cape May as an actor for Boeing, Boeing. “I’m directing Roy, and then he’ll get to direct me,” Dolman says. With a large cast of eight, Steinberg says Lend Me a Tenor is “the largest cast we have ever assembled.” The show runs Tuesdays-Sundays through July 26. Visit capemaystage.org for more information. n
Aly Viny, David Arkema and Stacey Harris in Lend Me A Tenor.
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Jeremy Konopka, Marlena Lustik, Roy Steinberg, Aly Viny, Stacey Harris, Carey Van Driest, Scott Greer, David Arkema in Lend Me A Tenor
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609-886-4863 | patriciaraineystudios.com exit zero
511 Washington Street Mall, Cape May (next to Fudge K itchen) • (609) 898-8786 Other Location: 15 N. Black Horse Pike, Runnemede • (856) 939-0230
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Learn to capture the essence of the seashore... in summer events with artist Marie Natale. “ LO O K I N G BAC K - M OV I N G F O RWA R D ” O c e a n C i t y i n Wa t e r c o l o r by M a r i e N a t a l e
July 2-30, 9:00am-9:00pm Ocean City Art Center 1735 Simpson Avenue 609.399.7628 Artists Reception July 12 7-8:30pm
” “SUMMER RIDES ON THE BOARDWALK
Marie uses her brush and the beauty of watercolors to create before and after images of iconic Ocean City locations such as the Flanders Hotel and the Ocean City Bridge, both of which have undergone recent changes. In addition, favorite family memories are captured on the beach and boardwalk, covering many generations.
S U M M ER W EEK LY e n P LEI N E A I R WO R KS H O P S 9:30am - 3:30pm Locations change every week. Contact Marie at 609-214-9905 Leave tight, drab, laborious style behind and take your paintings to a new level. Join Marie as she guides you on a journey exploring your inner artist, showing you a fearless method of using the vibrancy of color, and understanding the importance of color theory and the values of contrast, light and shadow in your work.
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A signature member of both NJWCS and Philadelphia WCS, Board member of NJWCS, Marie Natale is an award winning and highly recognized artist who says her goal in life is to use her talents to make the world a brighter place while she continues to share with others the joy that art has brought into her life. exit zero
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A “Lost” cause at East Lynne Theater
Tom Byrn, Leon Morgan and Stephanie Garrett in East Lynne’s production of Lost on the Natchez Trace. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
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ast Lynne Theater Company’s riveting production of Lost on the Natchez Trace continues, as another production, the world premiere of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow goes into rehearsal. After exploring the meeting between Malcolm Jeters, an injured slave auctioneer, and Tom, a runaway slave in the South in 1825, ELTC tackles the famous tale of the Headless Horseman looking for a head in Terrytown, New York in 1792. Compelling mysteries and confrontations — some humorous and some menacing — abound in both plays. Since the Natchez Trace was a swampy wasteland covering 440 miles between
Louisiana and Tennessee, it was a popular place for runaway slaves to hide. Most “white folk” traveled by steamboat on the Mississippi in 1825, but auctioneer Malcom Jeters (played by Tom Byrn) had to leave New Orleans in a hurry during a violent storm. He was running for his life. Another character in this masterfully structured play is Mary (Stephanie Garrett), who appears to be living in the Natchez Trace – but does she? Award-winning playwright Jan Buttram’s Lost on the Natchez Trace was wellreceived in New York City, and is proving to be so again, in Cape May. Leon Morgan takes on the role of the runaway slave. Right before coming to exit zero
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Cape May, he was in the Off-Broadway production of Gym Shorts. Tom Byrn was in ELTC’s It Pays to Advertise and The Ransom of Red Chief, among others, and recently performed in Trip to Bountiful at People’s Light & Theatre Company. Stephanie Garrett was in ELTC’s Christmas in Black and White and Rain. Lost on the Natchez Trace runs Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30pm through July 20, expect there is no show on Thursday, July 4, and an added show on Sunday, July 7. On Friday, July 12 is a special American Sign Language performance. After that, the classic Washington Irving story comes to life in Cape May with the world premiere of The Legend of
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Sleepy Hollow. The adaptation is by James Rana, who so skillfully adapted Poe for last season’s ELTC world premiere of The Poe Mysteries. “It was during the successful run of The Poe Mysteries that I asked James if he’d like to tackle The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” says Gayle Stahlhuth, Artistic Director of ELTC. “As with Poe, the exciting challenge for James and me, as the director, working on Sleepy Hollow, is to be true to Irving, while making the story accessible to a modern audience. With his own blend of humor and horror, James has accomplished this.” In Sleepy Hollow, the townsfolk of Tarrytown believe that the headless body of a Hessian soldier astride his horse haunts their isolated village. When Ichabod Crane suddenly disappears, is it the fault of the Headless Horseman, or something else? In the role of Ichabod Crane is Matt Luceno, who was in ELTC’s It Pays to Advertise. Recently he was in Chemistry of Love at La Mama in New York City. Cast members who play many roles include ELTC favorites Suzanne Dawson, Thomas
Raniszewski and John Cameron Weber. New to ELTC are Elisa Pupko and Colin Ryan. Elisa was recently in The Crucible at The Gallery Players in Brooklyn and is a host for About.Com, where she talks about everything from getting a cheesesteak in Philly to how to cold-brew your coffee. Colin’s credits include being artistic director for Actors Shakespeare Company on the campus of New Jersey City University in Jersey City, where he has played many roles over the years. He also performs with other theaters in New Jersey and New York and teaches stage combat. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow runs from July 24 through August 31, with an 8:30pm curtain, and a Wednesday through Saturday schedule. On opening night, Wednesday, July 24 there is an after-show party at The Washington Inn, 801 Washington Street. It’s a great opportunity to mingle with theater professionals and fellow theater lovers. On Friday, August 2, is an aftershow Q&A with the cast and crew. ELTC performs in the historic First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, a
block off the beach at the corner of Hughes and Decatur in Cape May. Tickets are $30 general admission, $25 for seniors (ages 62 and over), $15 for fulltime students, and anyone ages 12 and under is free. For reservations and information, call ELTC at 609-884-5898 or go online to eastlynnetheater.org. Dine at The Washington Inn, 410 Bank Street, Frescos Seafood Trattoria, or Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May for ticket-price savings. On opening night of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Washington Inn is giving 10% of the evening’s proceeds at the restaurant to the nonprofit ELTC. East Lynne’s production season would not be possible without season sponsors Curran Investment Management, Aleathea’s Restaurant, and The Henry Sawyer Inn; show sponsors La Mer Beachfront Inn, The Washington Inn, and Exit Zero; The NJ Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism; NJ State Council on the Arts/ Dept. of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the generosity of many patrons. n
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have more energy? look and feel younger? get rid of mood swings, depression and anxiety? lose that stubborn 5 or 10 last pounds that just won’t come off? eliminate your sugar and carbohydrates addiction and get off the emotional roller-coaster? sort through all the confusing and conflicting information out there? give up “dieting” forever?
Could one conversation change your life? Why not schedule a consultation with me today?
Mary Lou Gartland, R.N., Certified Holistic Health Coach • 609-820-0002 www.holisticapple.com • marylou@holisticapple.com exit zero
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a cape may moment
Gavin, Denine and Danielle at the beach on Saturday, June 15. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
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The Best of Cape May Only at Henry’s! FOUR-SIDED BEAD
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Bayshore Shopping Plaza 3845 Bayshore Road, North Cape May (near the Acme Market) 609.846.7643 Open Mon thru Sat 10am-5pm (Fri. until 7pm!) 302 N Route 9, CMCH, Hospital Campus 609.465.5553 Open 10am to 4pm
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C ape R egional M edical C enter . exit zero
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it’s been a part of the landscape, and local lore, for more than 200 years. this year marks the 25th anniversary of its restoration, and its integration into everyday life. here is everything you need to know about everyone’s favorite cape may landmark. article by john bailey
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George Gordon Meade, who would go on to lead the Army of the Potomac into battle at Gettysburg, designed the current lighthouse, built in 1859.
1. On May 7, 1822, Congress appropriated $5,000 to build a lighthouse in Cape May. The following July 15, they paid Mr. and Mrs. John Stites $300 for an acre of unstable sand upon which to build a lighthouse. 2. The first known lighthouse to mark Cape May began flashing its signal out to sea in October 1823. However, there may have been unknown sentinels guarding the Cape before 1823. Indicators abound... 3. In 1776, Colonial Philadelphia businessmen financed the seventh lighthouse to be built in the colonies on Cape Henlopen. Why didn’t they build one in Cape May? Could it be that Cape May already had a lighthouse? 4. In 1785, the Pennsylvania Board of Port Wardens purchased land on Cape May from “one Thomas Hand 2nd, for the purpose of erecting a navigational beacon.” The tract is believed to have been on a high bluff in front of Congress Hall. 5. The July 1801 edition of the Philadelphia Aurora contains an advertisement entitled, “Seashore Entertainment at Cape May.” Cape May’s first real tavern owner, Ellis Hughes, placed that ad for his Atlantic Hall. It contains this remarkable passage, “The situation is beautiful, just on the confluence of the Delaware Bay with the ocean, in sight of the lighthouse, and affords a view of the shipping which enters and leaves the Bay...” 6. According to the Hand family genealogy, “Foster Japheth Winfield Hand (d: 1896) was born in a lighthouse at Cape May, New Jersey” in 1817.
7. By 1847, the first lighthouse had become a victim of erosion. Using bricks from the original sentinel, two local contractors, Samuel and Nathan Middleton built the second lighthouse 400 yards inland from the ocean. It stood 78 feet tall. 8. In 1851, the Lighthouse Board inspected the 1847 lighthouse and found it totally inadequate. It was poorly built, leaking and rusty. The light revolved irregularly and lacked ventilation. Its reflector beacon couldn’t hold a candle to the new first-order Fresnel lens. Their report called for replacing that lighthouse with a taller tower and an up-to-date First-Order Fresnel lens. (Most seacoast lighthouses are First-Order.) 9. George Gordon Meade, the great Civil War general who would go on to lead the Army of the Potomac into their victorious battle at Gettysburg, then a young Second Lieutenant, Army Corps of Engineers, designed the present lighthouse, built in 1859. Meade’s lighthouse soars into the sky 157 feet (and six inches) from the ground to the ventilator ball on its roof. It has a spiral stairway of 198 leaves plus one step up into the watch room, for a total of 199. Then a wooden stairway of 12 more steps leads up into the lantern. If you count the six concrete steps outside leading into the vestibule, that totals 217 steps. 10. The tower contains inner and outer walls of curved bricks. The inner wall is a straight cylinder from top to bottom. The outer wall is cone shaped — wider at the bottom — and joins the inner wall just below the watch exit zero
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deck. Arched brick ceilings, known as barrel vaulting, reinforce and join the two walls at each window. Ventilator holes at the windows allow air to freely circulate between the walls. 11. The original First-Order Fresnel lens was made in Paris and shipped to Cape May. It stands seven-feet-10-inches tall with a 6-foot diameter. The lens resembles a giant beehive of prisms girdled about the middle with a series of 16 bull’s-eye magnifying lenses. As the lens rotated the bull’s-eyes caused it to flash every 30 seconds, hurling a beam of light 24 miles across the ocean. The original lens resides at the Cape May County Historical Museum in Cape May Courthouse. A clockwork weight system, similar to those in grandfather clocks, turned the Fresnel lens. The keepers simply wound up a weight and let it slowly descend, driving the lens. 12. The lens rotated around a hydraulic float lamp of five wicks saturated with sperm whale oil, also designed by Lieutenant Meade. The keepers stored the sperm whale oil in the two little rooms on each side of the entry hallway. 13. The first keeper, William C. Gregory, climbed the stairs and lighted the lamp for the first time at sunset on Halloween eve, October 31, 1859. That date makes the lighthouse a Scorpio, a fixed watery sign, energetic, independent, passionate, determined. Its color is deep red. Scorpio’s harmonious signs are Cancer (the crab) and Pisces (the fish). Seems like the Cape May Lighthouse is a solid Scorpio. 14. A kerosene lamp, designed by Joseph
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east coast parasail, jet ski & waverunner 1121 Rte 109 @ Utsch’s Marina, Cape May (609) 898-8754 • eastcoastparasail.com
ELEGANCE
Take home some memories of your wonderful days in Cape May with our exclusive Beach Tag glasses and mugs. Decorated with the unique designs of Cape May’s annual beach tags, they are the perfect way to reminisce about your visits...and plan the next one!
AVAILABLE AT BOTH OF OUR SHOPS Plus lots more Cape May memorabilia!
Special gifts for special people.... Waiting for you at MAC’s Museum Shops
The Carriage House Gallery Shop at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St.
T
The Cape May Lighthouse Museum Shop FREE In-Home Consultation
in the Lighthouse Oil House at Cape May Point State Park
T
www.budgetblinds.com
For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278
Shutters | Blinds | Shades | Draperies Hunter Douglas-Signature Series
Your purchases benefit on-going restoration and preservation efforts of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC)
609-513-8595 exit zero
MAC MEMBERS GET 10% OFF!
119 July 2013
Funck, an engineer at the Lighthouse Service’s supply depot, replaced the sperm whale oil lamp some time after 1878. The Service converted all lighthouses to kerosene at that time, as whale oil had become prohibitively expensive. They built the Oil House, now the museum shop, for oil storage as the volatile kerosene was too dangerous to store inside the tower. Keeper Harry Palmer (1924-1933), an avid gardener, complained that he could never grow flowers around the oil house because of the oil leakage. 15. In 1902, a new incandescent oil (kerosene) vapor lamp replaced the Funck lamp. The oil vapor lamp had a bright white mantle similar to those in Cape May’s gas lights. 16. In 1933, the Service electrified the lighthouse with an experimental lamp that simply replaced the oil lamp. The keeper’s daughter, Ada Palmer, told us that the electric light wasn’t as bright as it was with the oil lamp. 17. Following keeper Harry Palmer’s heart attack in July, 1933, the Superintendent of Lighthouses appointed Harry’s wife, Florence Arabelle Palmer, as Custodian of the Cape May Lighthouse. She served until 1935 when she retired to care for her ailing husband. They moved into Cape May at 656 Washington
Harry and Florence Palmer in 1940... Harry’s wife became the only female keeper of the Cape May Lighthouse after he suffered a heart attack. Right: The couple’s daughter Ada, at the lighthouse.
Street where Harry died. Florence was the only woman and the last keeper of the Cape May Lighthouse. 18. On July 7 1939, President Roosevelt consolidated the US Coast Guard and the Bureau of Lighthouses. 19. In 1946, the Coast Guard removed the Fresnel lens and installed a rotating beacon with two Fresnel lenses that rotated once every 30 seconds, causing a flash every 15 seconds, changing its signature from its tradi-
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tional 30 seconds. This particular beacon was an advanced one-of-a-kind experimental system that worked perfectly from 1946 until the Coast Guard removed it in 2002 and installed the present beacon. Sadly, this historically significant World War II rotating beacon was misplaced and has never been seen since. 20. An unknown vandal burned the duplex keeper’s cottage on September 5, 1967, after which the State Park kept a ranger and his family on site in the remaining cottage.
city like Cape May should NOT be without a book store. Thanks to these guys, it isn’t...
REAL BOOKS for REAL PEOPLE.
Cape Atlantic Book Company 421 washington street mall (609) 846-7688 capeatlanticbookcompany.com exit zero
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Right: An arsonist (never caught) destroyed one of the cottages in 1967, leading to a State Park ranger being stationed on-site in the remaining cottage.
21. Due to steep budget cuts, the Coast Guard now maintains only the lighthouse beacons and not their towers. Consequently, the Cape May Lighthouse fell into disrepair. Its paint peeled, its lantern rusted, sandy mortar seeped from between the bricks like its life blood. With Tom Carroll as its champion, the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC), took up the challenge of restoring this valued landmark. Rumors flew about increased tourist traffic at the lighthouse. One rumor said MAC was going to paint the tower blue. A blue lighthouse would not stand out against a blue sky. The rumor may have started when the restoration architect found that the tower was not actually white, but an off-white with a tint of ochre. Its official day mark colors are off-white tower with red lantern and cannot be changed. 22. MAC opened the lighthouse to visitors with a grand opening ceremony on May 28, 1988. The attendees at that ceremony were the first to climb the tower in years. 23. The official name as listed on maritime charts, early lighthouse establishment and
“Light Particularly” ... an intimate view of the art of Alice Steer Wilson
Book Signing at Splash Sunday, July 14 7-9pm
Meet author, Janice Wilson Stridick, Daughter of artist, Alice Steer Wilson
WHALE’S TALE GALLERY
312 Washington street Mall CAPE MAY NJ 08204
513 Carpenters Lane
609.884.4808
WHALE’S TALE
Cape May, NJ 08204
whalestalecapemay.com
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WHALE’S TALE GALLERY
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609.846.7100
white
Viviane Rowan Design 6 0 5 H u ghe s St r eet C ape M ay N J 0 8 2 0 4 P hone 6 0 9 8 8 4 - 5 0 6 1
Transcend Come
t h e c lu tt e r .
visit our stylish shop
where elegant and unique home furnishings, g i f ts a n d j e w e l ry r es i d e .
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This large metal can was placed over the lighthouse during the brutal winter of 1994 so that workers could continue to carry out restoration work. Right: This beautiful shot by Joe Evangelista shows the lighthouse and its neighbor, Saint Mary by-the-Sea.
Coast Guard reports is Cape May Lighthouse (not Cape May Point Lighthouse). Lighthouses are all named after their geographic land masses, shoals, or waterways. This lighthouse marks the peninsula of Cape May. 24. Over the winter of 1994, after receiving numerous grants, MAC contracted International Chimney Corporation (ICC) of Buffalo, New York to restore the lighthouse. They removed the roof intact and trucked it to Buffalo for renovation in their warehouse, and placed a 7000 pound “can” over the lantern room so that workers could proceed with their work in relative comfort through one of the coldest winters in Cape May’s recent history. (This period and during WWII are the only times that this lighthouse was dark.) ICC repainted the tower with a cement-like coating called MODAC in its true color, white with a hint of ochre. 25. Masonry Preservation Group erected scaffolding around the lantern in 1998 in order to repair stubborn roof leaks. They repointed the foundation masonry and performed major restoration to the interior of the vestibule, the spiral stairway, and watch room. With this new generation of keepers, the Cape May Lighthouse’s future seems secure. This article is based on the book, Sentinel of the Jersey Cape (third edition), by John Bailey. The book is available from selected local stores and the Exit Zero shops. exit zero
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127 July 2013
Make your bathing experience fun and fresh with our hand made body products. We’re constantly creating new and innovative products to keep you happy and clean. Enjoy!
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526 washington street mall, cape may • 1-866-400-soap • aplaceonearth.com exit zero
128 July 2013
the COOL CAPE MAY to-do list } Kayaking
}surf lesson
Float in the back bays
See what all the fuss is about
WHY: Because it’s a good workout (especially if you paddle board instead) in the serene setting of the wetlands. WHERE: From Aqua Trails at the Nature Center of Cape May, 1600 Delaware Avenue, 609-884-5600, aquatrails.com. WHEN: There are two daily tours of the wetlands, at 9:30am and 1pm, plus sunset tours on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For an extra layer of enchantment, try the full moon tours — makes for a change from the usual date night.
WHY: Because you’re never too old to learn to ride the waves. (Okay, if you’re 96, then maybe you’re too old.) WHERE: Surf anywhere before 10am and after 5:30pm. Otherwise, stick to Poverty or the Cove. WHEN: Why not schedule a lesson with Summer Sun Surf Shop on the Washington Street Mall (609-884-3422), or The Southend Surf Shop on Beach Avenue (609898-0988).
} volleyball
Sweat it out on the beach WHY: Because you get to enjoy the beach AND get a killer workout. WHERE: On the sand, across from Cabanas. WHEN: Hone your skills any time; the nets are up all season long. Or show off your serving prowess at Cabanas Beach Bash Volleyball Tournament on July 14, with divisions for beginners, amateurs, and professionals. See greatamericanvollebyall. com.
} parasailing
} biking
Beat the traffic, enjoy the beauty
Enjoy the best views of the cape WHY: There are few better ways to enjoy an aerial view of Cape May, and it’s super-safe. WHERE: East Coast Parasail, at Utsch’s Marina (609-898-8359); and Atlantic Parasail, at Two Mile Landing on Ocean Drive Highway (609-5221869). WHEN: Mid-may through September, see the early morning light refelcting off the water, or take in a sunset from the air... there’s no bad time.
WHY: Because driving in Cape May during the summer is NOT fun, while biking is a pleasure AND a workout. Randomly explore the island or maybe go on a wine trail (see page 22 for details). WHERE: There are four on the island: Bike Shop at Congress Hall (609-884-8421), Cape Island Bike Rentals (609898-7368), Shields Bike Rental (609-898-1818) and Village Bicycle Shop (609-884-8500). WHEN: That’s up to you! } yoga
Strike a pose on the sand
} PHYSICK ESTATE
Tour the ultimate open house WHY: Because the Emlen Physick Estate is a 19th century masterpiece by famed architect Frank Furness. WHERE: At 1048 Washington Street, next to the tennis courts. WHEN: Call 609-8845404 for the complete schedule... there are a lot of options, including a spooky midnight experience!
WHY: Downward dog is more fun on the beach. WHERE: Balance Pilates and Yoga teaches on Jackson Street; Congress Hall, on the beach across from the hotel; 18-year yogini Karen Manette Bosna, at Cape May Point State Park and on the beach; and Andrea Magda, on paddle boards at Harbor View Marina. WHEN: Use yoga to wake up, or relax before bed.
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} tennis
Try courting on your vacation WHY: Because the feeling, and sound, of connecting racket with ball on an aesthetically pleasing tennis court is a satisfying experience. WHERE: The lovely William J. Moore Tennis Center, at 1020 Washington Street, has 16 courts. Call 609-8848986. WHEN: Courts open at 7am. Best to call in the morning to book your game. Private lessons cost $60 per hour. } antiquing
Explore a city full of treasures WHY: Antiquing on an island full of historic buildings is so right. WHERE: West End Garage on Perry; Antiques Emporium on West Perry; Cape May Antique Center at the harbor; Out of the Past on West Myrtle; plus several scattered on Broadway, in West Cape May. WHEN: Any time you want a break from the beach — or when it’s raining.
the COOL CAPE MAY to-do list fishing. Across the road, at South Jersey Marina, join a charter trip or rent a private boat. WHEN: Any time. PS: South Jersey Marina’s Mid-Atalntic $500,000, the world’s richest marlin tournament, takes place August 18-23.
} vintage village
Watch history come to life WHY: Because Historic Cold Spring Village is a wonderful way for the whole family to see how folks lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. WHERE: On 22 beautiful, wooded acres at 720 Route 9, three miles from downtown Cape May. Call 609-898-2300, or visit hcsv.org. WHEN: There are themed weekends all through the season, from antiquing to Civil War weekends. There’s a Community Open House Weekend on June 1-2 when there is free admission.
} fishing
} lighthouse
Catch your own dinner
Take the stairs for an epic view
WHY: Because being on the water is a calming experience... that can end in a very tasty meal. WHERE: Every year, 100,000 people make their way through the Miss Chris Marina, many of them looking to go
WHY: Because skipping this landmark would be like going to New York and cold-shouldering the Empire State Building. It’s beautifully maintained, and the views are stunning. Plus you’ll get a little bit of a workout
from climbing the 199 steps. WHERE: In beautiful Cape May Point State Park. Take Lighthouse Avenue off Sunset Boulevard. WHEN: Open seven days in the season, evenings too. For more information on romantic moonlit climbs, call 609884-5404.
} ferry
Visit Delaware just for the day WHY: Although we don’t encourage you to make a habit of leaving Cape May, taking a trip across the Delaware Bay can be a pretty magical experience, especially if you’re watching a pod of dolpins while sipping a glass of wine on a sundappled evening. WHERE: The Cape MayLewes Ferry terminal is at the end of Ferry Road in North Cape May. WHEN: The ferry runs several times a day during the season. Visit capemaylewesferry.com to check schedules.
the
MUSEUM C M C of
ape
ay
ounty
The Cape May County Historical & Genealogical Society 504 Route 9 North • Cape May Court House NJ 08210 PH 609.465.3535 • FX 609.465.4274 • museum@co.cape-may.nj.us
of
E xperience 500 Y ears C ape M ay C ounty H istory
through beautifully preserved
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a cape may moment
A horse and carriage ride through the Historic District passes by Wanderlust, on Jefferson Street. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
For the perfect escape... let us pamper you.
Cape May Day Spa | 607 Jefferson Street, Cape May (609) 898-1003 | www.capemaydayspa.com exit zero
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the COOL CAPE MAY to-do list } carriage ride
} county zoo
Travel the streets in grand style
Imagine you’re on the savanna
WHY: It’s such an obviously tourist-type thing to do, but so what? It’s also the best way to see the historic district. And that clip-clopping sound is so good for the soul. WHERE: Pick up your horse from Cape May Carriage Company at Washington Commons, across from the mall. WHEN: Every day during the season, from 10am to 10pm. If you want to layer on the romance (and avoid the heat of the day), twilight is probably your best option.
WHY: Because — ready for this? — Cape May County Park and Zoo was voted the third best zoo in America by TripAdvisor last year. It has more than 200 species on 80 beautiful acres, including an African savanna.
} lookout tower
Experience the wartime cape WHY: For decades, the former World War II lookout tower (used for surveillance on German submarines) was nothing more than an iconic sentinel on the island. In 2008, the Mid-Atlantic
Center for the Arts and Humanities developed a museum there. WHERE: At the end of Sunset Boulevard. WHEN: Open every day during the season. Become a charter member of the Friends of the WWII Lookout Tower, and you’ll get unlimited free admission.
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WHERE: Exit 11 on the Garden State Parkway. WHEN: Open every day, 10am-4:45pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome (and needed!) } eco tour
Get up close with the sea life WHY: Because with the Original Skimmer Salt March Safari, you can explore the area’s normally inaccessible wildlife and plant life. WHERE: On placid inlet waters, where there’s slim chance of a sea-sick safari goer. WHEN: The boat sails seven days a week. Call 609-884-3100.
ith a flai w t i r... y a S by Air!
Atlantic City to Cape May
Aerial Ads don’t Cost... They Pay!
Your Premium Child Care Sitting Service Professional & Screened Sitters Since 1998
609-465-0840
sittersattheshore.com Owned and operated by a NJ certified Elementary Teacher
2013 Yoga on the Beach Only $5 per "Yoga On the Beach" class
Plenty of free parking!
Barbara Tomalino
Visit yogacapemay.com for a complete schedule.
609-886-9090
Or, for more information, contact Karen at 609.827.8886 or visit yogacapemay.com or call Cape May City Rec. Dept. at 609.884.9565
www.paramountair.com Part of the Cape May Community since 1945 exit zero
at Cape May Point State Park/Lighthouse and on the beach behind Cape May Convention Hall.
Rain or Shine - there is Shelter from the Storm with Ocean Views
133 July 2013
the COOL CAPE MAY to-do list } dolphin watching
} mini golf
} 18-hole golf
Cruise with the coolest creatures
Take a silly game very seriously
Play a course you won’t forget
WHY: Because it never gets old seeing these beautiful creatures. And if you’re lucky, you might catch a sight of a humpback whale. WHERE: Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, at Utsch’s Marina. Call 609-898-0055 or buy tickets at capemaywhalewatch.com. WHEN: There are four tours every day (lasting from two to three hours), starting at 9:30am and ending at 6pm with the Sunset Dolphin Watch, which includes free pizza and hot dogs.
WHY: Because it’s still one of the best ways to give the whole family a laugh (while trying your best to beat them). WHERE: Cape May Miniature Golf on Perry Street (which has the added attraction of Cocomoe’s Ice Cream Parlor); Ocean Putt on Beach and Jackson; Stockton Golf on Beach and Howard; and Sunset Beach, Sunset Boulevard. WHEN: You can be the best judge, but we recommend building up an appetite by playing pre-dinner.
WHY: Because Cape May National Golf Club is a 50-acre sanctuary where you will hear birds singing, waterfowl landing in the lakes, bass leaping, ospreys circling overhead then diving to capture a fish for breakfast. And the course is pretty great, too! It’s been acclaimed by magazines across the country. WHERE: Two miles north of Cape May, on Route 9 at Florence Avenue. Call 609-884-1563 or visit cmngc.com. WHEN: Course is open daily.
} sunset beach
Taste a slice of Americana WHY: Because it has become a Cape May tradition to visit this gem of a site and listen to “God Bless America” by Katie Smith over the tannoy while a veteran’s flag is lowered. Plus,
there is some great shopping, mini golf and a snack bar. WHERE: Aim for the flashing red light at the end of Sunset Boulevard. WHEN: In the morning, shop and grab breakfast; play mini golf in the afternoon; but don’t miss the aforementioned sunset ceremony.
The BEST way to spoil yourself.
circle of light H o l i st i c & M a ss a g e
We bring massage to you! 600 Park Blvd. West Cape May 884-4499 exit zero
Offering Therapeutic Massage, Reiki & Sound Healing Call Terri for an appointment... 609 457 6311 134 July 2013
Blow Dry • Cuts SETS • UPDOS Color Foils • Low Lites Perms • Manicures Pedicures
1400 Texas Avenue Cape May (609) 884-3011
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the COOL CAPE MAY to-do list } MOREY’S PIERS
} birding
Enjoy the best rides of your life
See something really amazing
WHY: Because the Cape May Experience isn’t complete without a visit to the iconic Wildwood boardwalk and, particularly, to one of three piers owned by Morey’s. There are more than 100 rides and attractions and two world-class waterparks WHERE: Exit 4A on the Garden State Parkway or, better still, drive via idyllic Ocean Drive. Visit online at moreyspiers. com. WHEN: We favor an early evening on the boardwalk.
WHY: Cape May is the capital of the known birding universe. WHERE: A great birding bonus? Taking in the island’s most beautiful spots... by trail or boat! WHEN: See the Cape May Bird Observatory’s schedule of tours at njaudubon.org. Or call 609-846-3807 for the Young Birders Club.
} aviation museum
Discover a hangar of war planes WHY: Because at Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum you will see a collection of aircraft dating back to the Second World War.
The collection includes an F-14 Tomcat and an AH-1 Cobra helicopter, used in Vietnam. WHERE: In a hangar at Cape May County Airport, on Forrestal Road. Call 609-886-8787, visit usnasw.org. WHEN: Open daily from 9am to 5pm.
} ALPACA FARM
Hang with cute, cuddly animals WHY: Because the animals at Bay Springs Farm are so cute and
Superb technical ability and gentle treatment combine for an experience your mouth will enjoy!
Louis J. Feldman, Dds 741 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-4260 drlouisfeldman.com
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curious. Your kids will love them. Plus, you can treat yourself to some world-class woven goodies in the alpaca shop. WHERE: A couple miles west of downtown on beautiful, rustic New England Road. Call 609-884-0563, visit bayspringsfarmalpacas. com. WHEN: Only open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
ONE YEAR SPECIAL - $34.99/ Month
Includes T-Shirt, Gift Cert. for Massage, 3 month freeze option (12 month membership agreement)
Justin Glover Age: 13 Grade: 7
I decided to get in shape like my Uncle Chad so I changed my diet to include more protein and started working out every week with Matt Lucas. We do CrossFit, interval training and lots of plyo-metrics. I’ve lost 47 pounds in six monhts and feel great. I love North Beach Gym.
Over 6o group exercise classes per week, including: crossfit yoga ZUMBA boot camp stretch pilates spin boxing & boxercising interval training and more...
DAILY • WEEKLY MONTHLY RATES 3845 Bayshore Road, North Cape May • 609.898.3800 exit zero
137 July 2013
a cape may moment
A fundraiser for Cape May Dragon Boat Festival was held at Cabanas June 14 — Ron, Judy, Gerry, Cathy, Lynne, Arlene, Phil. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
relax rejuvenate repeat
consistently voted best day spa
Accent On BEAUTY
609.884.7040 128 sunset blvd. west cape may accentonbeautycapemay.com exit zero
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S L A I C E P S WEEKLY MONDAY Piers and Pizza - $29
Double-the-Fun THURSDAY
Start your week with a slice of Pizza at Jumbo’s or Joe’s Fish Co., a regular soft drink and a spin on ALL THREE PIERS with a ride wristband.
Double your pleasure as the MOR-EZ ticket card goes twice as far on our amusement rides. Ride for only half the tickets until 6pm. Also, look for great Double-the-Fun offers at many of our games and food outlets.
Valid Mondays from 1pm until 6pm. Waterpark admission is not included in this package. Adventure Pier opens at 4pm. Ghost Ship opens at 5pm.
Valid Thursdays from 1pm until 6pm excluding July 4. Adventure Pier open at 4pm. Ghost Ship opens at 5pm.
TUESDAY Special - $24
FRIDAY Splashtacular - $40
Our best deal on Pier Ride Wristbands! Loop, spin and swing until you can’t take it anymore on ALL THREE PIERS.
Splash into the weekend at one of our beachfront waterparks, Raging Waters or Ocean Oasis Waterpark and Beach Club AND go wild on ALL THREE PIERS.
Valid Tuesdays from 1pm until 6pm. Waterpark admission is not included in this package. Adventure Pier opens at 4pm. Ghost Ship opens at 5pm.
Expires at 6pm. Available beginning July 19. Valid Fridays from 9:30am until 6pm. Adventure Pier opens at 4pm. Ghost Ship opens at 5pm.
XTREME Ride WEDNESDAY - $34
Fired Up FRIDAY NIGHTS - $20
Receive a Pier Ride Wristband valid until 6pm PLUS two Xtreme rides of your choice.
Light up your night by riding the rides underneath Coca-Cola’s weekly fantastic fireworks display!
Available beginning June 19. Valid Wednesdays from 1pm until 6pm. Waterpark admission is not included in this package. Xtreme rides open at 1pm. Adventure Pier opens at 4pm. Ghost Ship opens at 5pm.
Valid Fridays from 10:30pm until closing. Fireworks each Friday night at 10pm from June 28 to August 30.
Waterpark Specials Morning Special - $29 Swim and slide from park opening until 12:30pm.
After 3pm Special - $29 Sold after 3pm. Valid until park closes. Closing times and operating hours are subject to change at anytime based on various factors including weather and crowd conditions. All specials are subject to operating hours. Visit www.MoreysPiers.com for up-to-date operating hours and complete details on all of our specials. Some restrictions apply.
Make family memories that will last a lifetime. MOREYSPIERS.COM • 609.522.3900 • WILDWOOD, NJ
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The definitive trolley guide Here is a handy guide that tells you the what, when and why of trolley tours. For even MORE information, get in touch with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities, the local cultural behemoth which runs these tours, along with many, many other fun activities. Visit them online at capemaymac.org. Behind the Walls Under the Crawls Where It Goes: Throughout Cape May. How Long It Lasts: 60 minutes. When It Runs: Wednesdays at 2:30pm. What It Is: See Cape May from a builder’s perspective. Sewage and drains, water supply and heat, structure and foundations. Discover who had toilets and who didn’t! Learn how things really worked on this new, one-hour, guided trolley tour. Who It’s For: You like to tinker with things — your garage or your local hardware store are favorite spots.
CAPE MAY
MODEL TRAINS
Children’s Trolley Ride Where It Goes: Through the streets of Cape May. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: Sundays through Thursdays at 4pm. What It Is: Funny, informational, smart-alecky, like your kids. Who It’s For: Ages 3-7, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents or guardians accompanied by kids aged 3-7.
CMMT.ORG • 609-432-1690 current Hours
10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. Saturdays 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sundays 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Call for additional hours on days with inclement weather 609-432-1690.
525 Elmira, Cape May
from washington street mall, go left on ocean, cross broad; we are 100 yards on the right. fun for children of all ages! over
25 tracks on 5 layouts.
Featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, Polar Express, Spongebob, Christmas village & More!
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Ghosts of the Lighthouse Where It Goes: Begins and ends at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth, traveling through parts of West Cape May to the Cape May Lighthouse. How Long It Runs: One hour. When It Runs: Tuesdays, Thursdays at 8:45pm (except July 4). What It Is: Get spooky stories on the way to the lighthouse, accounts of ghosts at the tower from a costumed guide, and a chance to climb to the top. Who It’s For: Those who know what an “orb” is — or would like to. Gaslight Where It Goes: Through Cape May’s historic district. How Long It Lasts: About 30 minutes. When It Runs: Mondays; Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:30pm; and Sundays at 9pm. What It Is: Ladies in long dresses and their gallant suitors, tea
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Historic Hereford Inlet
} the definitive cape may trolley guide
Lighthouse and Gardens ~ 1874 ~
National and State Register of Historic Places • Museum • Gift Shop • Award Winning Gardens • Open Year Round Please call (609) 522-4520 for days and hours
Enjoy architectural gems such as the Stockton Row houses on Gurney Street as part of the co o Gaslight l c a p eTrolley m a yTour.
parties and dances; sweat and stink and tuberculosis and ladies of ill-repute; this was Victorian Cape May. An engaging gaslit trolley tour with local stories and architecture. Who It’s For: Anyone curious how Victorians survived in all that clothing during the summer.
Located at 1st and Central Avenues, North Wildwood www.herefordlighthouse.org
Tours Daily!
9:30 kayak 10:00 SUP 1:00 kayak
Sunset kayaking Tue. & Sat. Nights
Renting Kayaks & SUPs all day every day!
Full Moon tours July 21-23 at 6:45pm
All Tours and Rentals at the Nature Center
Stand-Up Paddle Boards!
kayak nature tours, sales & rentals
N ature C enter , 1600 D elaware A venue , C ape M ay (609) 884-5600 • aquatrails . com
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Ghosts of Cape May Where It Goes: Through the streets of Cape May. How Long It Lasts: About 30 minutes. When It Runs: Every evening (except July 4); hours vary. What It Is: What was that?! That was the undead of Cape May come back to settle their scores. Just be grateful that you’re in a trolley with an experienced guide to tell you about the many hauntings discovered by the Ghost Writer, Craig McManus. Who It’s For: Those who enjoy a good ghost story. Historic District Where It Goes: Through Cape May’s historic district. How Long It Lasts: About 45 minutes. When It Runs: Daily (no evening tour on July 4); hours vary. What It Is: It’s beautiful. It’s charming. Cape May — one of the few places you can wander through and feel that it’s more than 100 years ago. Tour guides will explain how and why it survived. Who It’s For: Anyone who finds Cape May charming. Insider Tip: Combine this tour with a guided tour of the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate and save $2. Mansions by the Sea Where It Goes: Along Beach Avenue, through the early 20th century East Cape May development areas How Long It Lasts: About 40 minutes. When It Runs: Daily; hours vary. What It Is: See how the rich lived in the early 20th century. When $1 million really meant something — before income tax. Also, see new beachfront second homes. Who It’s For: Anyone who’s curious how the one percent lives. Tales of Terror Trolley Ride Where It Goes: Along the streets of Cape May. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:45pm and Saturdays at 8:30pm.
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Aviation Museum at the Cape May County Airport A Hands-On, Interactive Museum
INSIDE HISTORIC HANGAR #1
R FUN FOTIRE THE ENILY! FAM
HALF PRICE Child Admission
• Climb a real air-traffic control tower! • Sit in the cockpit! • Learn about the aircraft that helped shape our history! • Coast Guard and 9/11 exhibit area
Supported in part by a grant from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism
Limit two. With paid adult by mentioning this ad. Not valid with any other offer.
OPEN YEAR ROUND RAIN or SHINE (609) 886-8787
N 39° 00.307’ W 074° 54.553’ 500 Forrestal Road Cape May County Airport Rio Grande, NJ 08242
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Audres Quintuna, Ali McClung, Jamison MacMain, Dillan Buetner, Grace Boyle, Abby Pilla, Emily Pilla Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
V Dr. Arlene Hughes Gorny Optometric Physician
We provide old-fashioned, professional, personal service in a quaint setting
NJ#5336
937 Columbia Avenue 898-0800
TO#663
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} the definitive cape may trolley guide
The Peter Shields Inn is one of many impressive beachfront properties on Cape May’s east end... see Mansions by the Sea tour
What It Is: Scary stories on streets lit by flickering gaslight. Who It’s For: People who are a bit… twisted. Welcome to Cape May Where It Goes: Throughout Cape May. How Long It Lasts: About 45 minutes. When It Runs: Daily; hours vary. What It Is: Best introduction to Cape May for first-timers. Find the hidden gems and the little-known treasures. Who It’s For: First-timers to Cape May. Bienvenue á Cape May — en Francais Ou: Tout Cape May. Combien De Minutes: 45 minuits, Quand: Chaques vendredi a 4:30pm, commencement le 19 Juillet. Qu’est Que C’est: Voila l’introduction parfait a Cape May. Decouvrez les activités, les spectacles, et les expositions. Pour Qui: Particulièrement pour nos visiteurs Francophone. Autre Chose: Visitez le musée Emlen Physick Estate — en Francais.
Guardians of the Cape Where It Goes: Along the Cape May beachfront and into the US Coast Guard Training Center How Long It Lasts: Sixty minutes. When It Runs: Sunday, July 7 at 7:15pm. What It Is: A very limited and exclusive opportunity to visit the highly secure TRACEN Cape May, the only US Coast Guard Training facility in the United States. Who It’s For: Anyone inspired by patriotic music and parades … or dashing men (and women) in uniform. Don’t Forget To Bring: A photo ID. It’s required at the base. Lighthouse New Moon Climb Where It Goes: From the Washington Street Mall down Sunset Boulevard to the Cape May Lighthouse and back How Long It Lasts: Two hours. When It Runs: Monday, July 8 at 8:45pm. What It Is: Enjoy the view from the top of the lighthouse when the dark sky lets the stars sparkle their brightest. Who It’s For: Stargazers… adventurers… romantics… lovers… anyone with a healthy sense of wonder.
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Christina, Madeleine and Anthony enjoy a moment on the promenade. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
Save the Date!
Kid’s Tennis Programs
Saturday, September 28 - 8am-12noon
New USTA Quick Start
Rain Date September 29
On the Promenade
SIX-WEEK Session - July 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30 August 1, 6, 8 Pee Wee Clinic- Ages 4-6 4:00pm - 5:00pm $240 Junior Clinic - Ages 7-16 5:00pm - 6:30pm $360
Registration near Convention Hall Donation $1 per leg ($2/person, $4/dog)
Daily and Weekly Drop-ins are Welcome! Sign up for the full 6-week session and receive a FREE One Love Kids Tennis T-shirt and water bottle!
Benefits K-9 Protective Vests for CMC Sheriff’s Dept. & area dog training programs
Contact: Matt Gilbert (609) 602-5195-Certified PTR Professional Matthewrgilbert@yahoo.com | Registration: OneLoveKidsTennis.com
Sponsored by Cape May County Dog Obedience Training Club
HISTORIC CAPE MAY TENNIS CLUB, INC. 1020 Washington Street | P.O. Box 148 Cape May, NJ 08204
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Email CMCDOTC@comcast.net
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TICKETS 609
770-8311
Robert Shackleton Playhouse 405 Lafayette Street Cape May, New Jersey CapeMay Stage.org Tickets also available at
Lend Me ATenor by Ken Ludwig
directed by Chris Dolman COMEDY/ FARCE
It’s 1934 and the Grand Opera Company of Cleveland is poised to welcome the world famous tenor, Il Stupendo, for a highly-anticipated onenight-only performance. But when the star arrives late and falls over dead... what then? He must be replaced! The show must go on! Yet, is he really dead? This madcap, door-slamming, plot-twisting screwball comedy of mistaken identities spins out of control and leaves the audience in tears.
June12– July 26, 2013
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Gracie, Cole and Mikenna Price, and Delaney enjoy a perfect beach day (finally!) on June 15. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
TM
New Camp Adventures Daily: • • • •
Deep-Sea Fishing Floating Classrooms Snorkeling Beach Games
• • • •
Skimboarding Marine Biology Bodyboarding Nature Walks
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How to explore Cape May wine country Cape May Winery The Craig family is already well known among south Jersey foodies... they’re the folks who brought The Pelican Club, Lucky Bones and The Washington Inn to this island. Now, they’re building a reputation within the wine world. The operation — 150 acres strong — has grown quickly over the past two decades. The tasting room, a mere shed in the beginning, has been transformed into a large, year-round, multi-purpose building with meeting rooms for small parties, a second-floor deck overlooking the vineyard, a barrel room, and a number of tasting bars. The newest addition? A cedarpaneled great room with 20-foot ceilings and a beautiful fireplace to enjoy while indulging in good drink and good conversation with friends. Be sure to check out Grill Night, happening every Wednesday between through September 11. Beginning at 6:30pm, the
event includes a buffet provided by the Washington Inn. Cape May Winery is located on 711 Townbank Road in North Cape May. Visit capemaywinery.com, or call 609-884-1169.
The goal at Cape May Winery is to help find a wine for every preference. Why not taste-test from the 20 different styles they produce in front of their new fireplace in the cozy Barrel Tasting Room?
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Willow Creek Winery A short bike ride from the center of town, through the rustic, rural, totally charming streets of West Cape May, will land you in the middle of a stunning plantation estate. On breezy, sun-dappled afternoons be sure to take advantage of the winery’s spacious red brick patio, an ideal place for savoring the sights and sounds of nearby wetlands and woods... and the tasty snacks, of course. Think cheese from Seaside Cheese and breads by Rea’s Farm. Willow Creek Winery is located at 168 Stevens Street in West Cape May. Visit willowcreekwinerycapemay.com for more information, or call 609-770-8782.
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Turdo Winery Turdo is a boutique winery run by Sal Turdo, his wife Sara and their son, Luca. Sal worked in a vineyard in Sicily from age 11 and, after years as an electrical contractor in north Jersey, wanted to get back to his passion. Like many of our area wineries, Turdo has won a batch of awards, but Sal is proudest of the Silver Award given to his Nebbiolo at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It’s a special product... they only bottle 25 cases per year. So what’s their secret? “We get a very high sugar content in our grapes by growing only one vine per plant, where usually it’s two,” Sal said. Meaning? The plant can pay more attention to caring for the grapes it does have, meaning your wine is full of TLC. Turdo Winery is located at 3911 Bayshore Road in North Cape May. Visit turdovineyards. com, or call 609-884-5591.
Sample award-winning wines on the charming patio at Turdo Winery in North Cape May.
Hawk Haven Railroad Avenue, where Hawk Haven is located, starts out as Seashore Road and
Experience All Four Seasons in Cape May!
Rent a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 kitchen, comfortable, welcoming home just 1.5 miles to the beach and town on double tree-filled lot in quiet neighborhood. Perfect for an extended family! $3,350 for one full week in the summer and one weekend in the fall, winter and spring. For more information call Jana at 845-594-5229.
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then, inexplicably, changes names. You’ll want to know this because you don’t want to be late for Sangria Sunday (which is exactly what it sounds like — a lazy day of drinking sangria in a beautiful setting, complete with catering by Cape May Fish Market). Hawk Haven sits on a third-generation, former dairy farm owned and operated for the last 15 years by Todd and Kenna Wuerker. Contributing to the transformation of the nine-acre space — from milk to pino, cabernet, and chardonnay over the last 15 years — is a European-style cedar and stone tasting room, complete with Italian tile floors. Although the operation is very 21st century, much of the architecture lends a distinctive going-back-in-time feel. And an outdoor crash pad — the area where grapes would literally have been “crushed” underfoot to release juices in days gone by — is now a site for eating, drinking, being merry, and enjoying live music. Saturday on the Crush Pad is a popular event which features the sweet and savory offerings of
Contact Us For All of Your Sale and Rental Real Estate Needs!
Sol Needles Real Estate 512 Washington Street Mall, Cape May, NJ 08204 609-884-8428 1-800-441-8428 www.cbcapemay.com Lynn Gleeson / William Bezaire, owners
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Route 47, Cape May Court House. Visit jessiecreekwinery.com, or call 609-536-2092.
Crespella Gourmet Crepes. Hawk Haven is located at 600 South Railroad Avenue. Visit hawkhavenvineyard.com, or call 609-846-7347. Jessie Creek Winery and Inn The vines here are babies, only having been planted in 2002, but Jesse Creek Winery shares property with an 1800s bed and breakfast and a wedding/event space, all overseen by owner Art Reale. The hall/tasting room is an Amishbuilt pole barn that sits behind the residence on 10-acres of green lawn and old shade trees. There are four acres of vines just to the side of which Art, a one-time deep sea rescue diver with the US Navy, speaks proudly. There’s a fire burning every night outdoors, so bring your favorite person and share a bottle under the stars. And don’t forget about Fridays from June 21 to Labor Day, when sunsets over the vineyard are the main event, and live entertainment plays from 5-9pm. Jesse Creek Winery is located at 1 North
Hawk Haven owner Todd Wuerker planted his first grapevines, cabernet sauvignon, in 1997, before he was even of the legal drinking age. Now, he consults for two other local vineyards.
Natali’s In addition to more traditional varietals (cabernet, merlot, sauvignon blanc) Natali’s has a robust selection of not-too-sweet, perfectly balanced fruit wines, including blueberry and banana flavors. Tours are offered every day, and don’t be surprised if you come across Al or his partner Ray Pensari working hard in the vineyard. And bring your favorite mutt along... he’s welcome, too. Bocce lovers in the family? There’s a court on site! Other things to look out for include Monday Music in the Vines, from 5-8pm; Wine it Down Wednesdays, from 5-8pm; and tastings and educational sessions on Saturdays from 11am-1pm, in the oh-so-cozy tasting room. Natali’s is located at 221 North Delsea Drive in Cape May Court House. Visit nataliwines.com, or visit 609-465-0075.
A healthy pet has lots to smile about.
TOP NOTCH A TREE CARE B ISA-Certified Arborist Matthew Notch Fully Licensed & Insured Free Estimates | Reasonable Rates
CONSULTING PRUNING & PLANTING CABLING & BRACING REMOVALS
427 James Street, Erma
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Robert Panaccio, VMD Robert Moffatt, VMD Nancy Reilly, VMD 694 Petticoat Creek Lane, Cape May • 884-1729 • www.capemayvet.com
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The Real Estate Market is Alive and Well! Thinking of Signing, Just Call Ryan!
S
D L O
RYAN GRIFFIN, SALESPERSON | CELL: 609.602.5578 EMAIL:rgriffin@desatnickrealestate.com DESATNICK REAL ESTATE, LLC 1001 Lafayette Street, Cape May OFFICE: 609.884.1300 | FAX: 609.884.1304 | desatnickrealestate.com
C astline Realty Search Sale & Rental properties online at www.CoastlineRealty.com
19 Jefferson Street, Cape May. Beach block with ocean view, 7 bedroom, 3 bath newly remodeled home with front porch, dining room, parking, and brings in $83,000 in weekly rentals. $1,599,000
2905 Shore Drive, Cape May Beach. Spacious 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath beachfront home with private access. Large front decks on two levels overlooking the bay. Located in a quiet neighborhood. $799,000
722 Jonathan Hoffman, Cold Spring. Water front 3 bedroom, 2 bath charming home located on the canal. Watch the boats drive by while entertaining friends and family on your deck. $499,000
317 Knox Avenue, Cape May Point. Fabulous 4 bedroom, 3 bath home just a short 1.5 blocks to the beach. Newly remodeled in 2010. Open living room/kitchen, screened porch, and so much more! $950,000
Call us at 609.884.5005 1400 Texas Avenue, Cape May N.J. 08204
Carol A. Menz, Broker/Owner exit zero
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Beautiful 路 Functional 路 Affordable ou r wor k s peak s for it s elf
Complete Landscaping Design & Services L aw n S e rv i c e s H a r d s c a p e I n s ta lls Landscape Lighting
609-780-0096
capeatlanticlandscaping.com
Theresa Senico
Quality service... with that personal touch
ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES
Apex
Realty, Inc.
2505 bayshore, villas (609) 408-4655 800-894-2739 ext. 103 www.jerseyshorehomesbytheresasenico.com exit zero
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The perfect company for ALL your vacation needs!
Cape May Fire Department 712 Franklin Street, Cape May New Jersey
Buy a Brick Program Makes a Great Gift!
property management Cleaning, landscaping, property inspections, emergency services concierge services child care, pet services, dinner reservations, spa and salon appointments, personal errands, photography
One call does it all!
Property Management & Concierge Services
1400 Texas Avenue, Unit 2, Cape May (609) 884-8444• www.wkrservices.com
Help The Cape May Fire Department raise money AND own a piece of Cape May history! Personalize your own paver! These pavers are available in 9x9 and 8x4 inches and will make up a new walkway and flagpole courtyard.
EXCEPTIONAL COTTAGE 908 Wenonah Avenue, Cape May Recently renovated 4 BR, 3.5 BA two story Cape May Cottage with dual zone heat/air, garage. Rear deck with awning, an outside shower, detached one car garage. $789,900
PERFECT CONDITION! 927 Farmdale Drive, West Cape May First Floor Master Suite. 5 BR, 2.5 BA, 2-zone heat/air, gas fireplace, 2-car attached garage. Beautiful landscaping and separate well for irrigation, located on a lovely cul-du-sac. $639,000
Memorial bricks.... • • • • • •
Honor a loved one Support an honorable cause Keep a memory alive Serve as great gifts Commemorate significant dates Preserve our history Consider a memorial brick today!
Purchases are tax deductible. To learn more or get an order form for your bricks, please call the Cape May Fire Department at (609) 884-9512.
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RESTORED MAJESTIC VICTORIAN 261 Grant Street, Cape May Custom built kitchen with every amenity. 6 BR, 3.5 BA, multi-zone heat/air,in-ground heated pool with water fall, close to beach & town. Very strong rental history. $1,395,999
MINT CONDITION CUSTOM HOME 1131 Cape May Avenue, Cape May Custom built 6 BR, 3 BA two story with wrap around front porch, multi zone heat/air, gas fireplace, garage, heated swimming pool, two water meters. $1,379,000
JERSEY CAPE REALTY
739 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-5800 F www.jerseycaperealty.com
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Lauren Slipek and Shane Fessel married at Congress Hall on June 2, serenaded by saxophone player Tyron Frederick. Photograph by Aleksey Moryakov
Your investment in seashore living is my specialty! Cape May Court House, NJ
Patricia “Patti” Piacentine 609-741-1212 seapatti@comcast.net Realtor
(609) 465-6670 Serving all of South Jersey
Save energy AND money. It’s a win-win.
HomeStead Real Estate Co., LLC 846 Broadway, West Cape May homesteadcapemaysales.com O# 609-884-1888 • f# 609-898-1944
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Now Open in Cape May! Visit our 9th and newest office in the Washington Commons Shopping Center at Ocean & Lafayette Streets The power of the #1 brand in real estate, the #1 agency in Cape May County and the names you trust in Cape May real estate!
At the Shore Contact one of our experienced agents for any of your sales or vacation rental needs! Brian Groetsch, Broker-Manager Christine Rothwell, Broker-Associate Kathy Sigerson, Broker-Associate Brian Giancola, Sales-Associate
Gregg Giancola, Sales-Associate Jill Giancola, Sales-Associate Veronica Giancola, Broker-Associate
315 Ocean Street, Suite #24 | Cape May, NJ 08204 609-884-4242 Of fice | 609-884-4343 Fax | AtTheShoreCapeMay.com exit zero
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our heroes
We asked our readers to tell us why they appreciate the efforts of the Cape May Beach Patrol, who grace the cover of this issue... here are some of your responses “I was lucky enough to meet many wonderful guards —AG, Sam, Jeff, Frank — during the summers of 1988 and 1989. Were me and my friends beach bunnies? Absolutely. But I have to say, even though we hung out around the lifeguard stands, hoping for invites to parties, every one of these young men was professional and gentlemanly. Sam Downes, a lieutenant on the patrol and a substitute math teacher, became an especially good friend and even in the off-season we would write to each other. Sam is now married with a lovely daughter and is still very much a part of the community. To me, the lifeguards were just friendly guys doing a courageous job, but taking time to humor high school girls. Wonderful memories (although all my memories of Cape May are wonderful), even 25 years later!” - Dana Clemons “It must be 20 years ago now. The storm clouds were rolling in from Delaware. I had just told the girls it was okay to walk to the arcade. Then I heard the rumbling and began to pack up. I have no idea what the Cape May lifeguards saw or heard, but all of a sudden they started blowing their whistles, arms in the air, telling everyone to get off the beach. As I hurried to my car, I felt the energy and a crack behind me. I’m not sure if I threw my keys or if the energy in the air pulled them from my hand. I turned to see if others were rushing from the beach, saw another crack of lightning, and saw a beach chair crumpled. A woman was screaming and her husband was lying next to her on the sand. The lifeguards ran toward him while everyone else ran for cover. They performed CPR in the pouring rain with lightning raging. I will never forget that day or the courage and selflessness of those amazing young men.” - Maggie Taylor “I have been coming to Cape May for 21 years. Since my child was born in 2002, I have become acquainted with Max [Samuelson], the lifeguard on Jefferson. From filling up our coffee mugs to waving to us while we’re on our bikes, he has always been an icon of safety and hospitality. As my son has grown, we have wondered about riptides, jellyfish, and surfing conditions, and we’ve always received reassuring answers. In 2011, we needed help locating the nine-year-old boy we were entertaining. I naively said to Max, ‘He has brown hair and a Sponge Bob bathing suit’ (like no other child might look like that). He laughed and assured me, ‘We’ll find him.’ And he did, almost instantly. The other day we walked onto the beach for the first time this summer. He waved and mentioned how amazing it is to
This photograph was shot last August as part of a series that later inspired the cover of this issue — pictured are Max Samuelson, Jake Samuelson and Christian Baron. watch the families and their children grow over the years. We have a painting of Max from Exit Zero hanging in my son’s playroom at home, so he is with us all the time!” - Jennie Ray “I worked with them on numerous occasions as a medic... members of the Cape May Beach Patrol are professional, efficient, and downright impressive! Thanks for keeping us safe, guys and gals.” - Genevieve Whitcraft “Ralph [Atwell] has been our guy at Patterson Avenue for the 24 years we have been going to the beach. Attentive, friendly, and stays in great shape!” - Bev Wait Murphy “They always have vinegar spray on hand for jelly stings, and a lifeguard spotted my son out too far on a raft and went out to get him. Babysitter grandma fell asleep!” - Nancy Topolski exit zero
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“Jack [Bosna] and his crew from Howard saved a seagull being trapped by some kids playing around on the beach.” - Lori Lefko Bujalski “We have always felt safe while our kids were growing up on Philadelphia Beach every summer.” - Laura Lieb Nardi “They are always so professional with their duties, but can take the time to answer the millionth tourist question of the day. I watched them rescue a couple of people and am thankful they are there.” - Christine Bay “I once saw them do six saves in about 20 minutes on Philadelphia Beach. It was very impressive.” - Catherine Dugan “A hot lifeguard definitely makes my view better.” - Ami Menz
Plans for independent contractors, families, individuals and groups at competitive rates.
610-222-9400 www.millennium-tpa.com