OCTOBER 2014 « $4.95
609.884.1300
www.deSatnickRealEstate.com Todd H. deSatnick/Broker of Record
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editor’s letter 5 The season when Cape May is cooler than ever.
inside this issue
the big fall events guide 7
16
The October and November happenings you need to know about.
it’s time to get jazzed 16 Everything you need to know about the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival.
the ultimate food & drink chart 27 Four-page guide... the lowdown on indulging in Cape May.
shooting the swell 46 The remarkable photography of Matt Ciancaglini.
running with kashi 56 Meet the woman who really WILL make you want to hit the streets.
resurrecting the livesaving station 64 The plan to bring back a maritime landmark rich in history.
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hidden gem 70 How one determined woman created a horse haven on the island.
the cape may fall shopping guide 78 Forty of our favorite stores, and the goodies you must have!
search and rescue 90 Meet Jeff Laag, Cape May’s Most Valuable Person!
the art of cape may 99 The artists behind two compelling new shows at SOMA.
the definitive cape may trolley guide 109 From ghosts to beachfront mansion tours... it’s all here!
making war 113 Photos from Civil War Encampment at Historic Cold Spring Village.
bird is the word 120 Our great cartoon strip, featuring Rosemary Dery’s loveable seagull.
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cover painting by marie natale
about us
editor/publisher/designer etc Jack Wright jack@exitzero.us
Serving fine food since 1988
staff artist Mike DeMusz mike@exitzero.us creative consultant Victor Grasso historical editor Ben Miller photographers Aleksey Moryakov, Gabi Urda, Frank Weiss graphic artist Doree Bardes contributing writers Catherine Dugan, Karen Fox, David Gray, Lynn Martenstein, Tom Sims, Susan Tischler distribution Ashley Larson exit zero store & gallery manager Michele Mulligan exit zero store & gallery team Diane Carson, Sharon Holden, Martha Kesler, Adam Larson, Michelle O’Leary, Beth Olivero, Janet Westcott
Serving Lunch & Dinner Daily (609) 884-9119 322 Washington Street Mall, Cape May www.tishasfinedining.com Pet Friendly Back Patio!
exit zero color magazine is published eight times a year. Annual subscription is $27.50. Or $50 for these AND our 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: www.exitzero.us Online store: www.ezstore.us
If you really want to experience Cape May, show your mug at ours.
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4 October 2014
editor’s letter
Life is swell... check out the magical wave photography of Matt Ciancaglini, starting on page 46.
D
on’t know about you, but I love the segue from summer to fall, when Cool Cape May turns even cooler, in more ways than one. The sunny days are no longer humid, the best restaurants are no longer so difficult to get into on a weekend night, and the quality and quantity of cultural (and just plain fun) events on offer means your time in this great little place is even more inspiring than usual. A good many pages in this issue are devoted to the cultural highlight of the fall season in Cape May, and that’s the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. It’s only in its third year but this festival is already feeling like something very special. I’ve been talking to the festival founder Michael Kline and he has some great ideas that he’s ready to unleash on us over the next few years. We at Exit Zero are very proud to be a sponsor of this event, and no wonder — check out pages 16-44 to see how many quality acts Michael has lined up. And if you think you don’t like jazz, my guess is you’ll surprise yourself if you attend some of the gigs during the festival, which runs November 7-9. Truth be told, I’d never call myself a jazz fan. I just happen to love music, and with Michael pulling the strings you always get a mixed bag of all sorts of musical genres. If you’re afraid of making a commitment, buy a Pop’s Pass for exit zero
$38 and you’ll get to enjoy more than a dozen shows at various bars and restaurants in Cape May. Think of it as musical tapas — hop from place to place, enjoying drinks and snacks as you go, with this great festival as a backdrop. It’s a special weekend in Cape May. If you live here, don’t miss it. If you don’t, come visit! Another exciting upcoming attraction is a show of Marie Natale’s Exit Zero covers at SOMA NewArt Gallery in Carpenter’s Square Mall. Come to the opening night on Saturday, October 18, enjoy some quality hors d’oeuvres and appreciate what a fantastic job Marie did this year — the cover of this issue is my favorite so far, but I’ve said that every single time Marie has dropped off a cover this year. As well as perusing the original watercolors, you will also have the chance to buy affordable giclee 16 x 20 prints. See you there? Elsewhere in this issue, look out for the fascinating story behind Cape May’s old lifesaving station (page 64), Hidden Valley horse ranch (page 72), be wowed by the photography of Matt Ciancaglini (page 46) and appreciate the generosity of Cape May fireman Jeff Laag (page 90), who’s become something of a savior to people who lose their valuables on our beaches. Enjoy the issue and enjoy the fall. JACK WRIGHT Editor/Publisher
5 October 2014
THE SEASON IS WINDING DOWN BUT THE PILOT HOUSE IS GEARING UP FOR SOME FOOTBALL! Watch games on our NEW FLAT SCREEN TVS Sunday Specials 12-6pm: 1/2 Price Apps $4.99 Cheesesteaks $2.00 Coors & Yeungling Drafts $2.50 Miller Lite, Bud, Bud Lite, Yuengling Bottles $10 for a 3-Craft Beer Bucket
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The big fall events guide
October 4 Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival Count the ways to have fun... every Saturday in October, from 11am-5pm, Cape Resorts (owners of Congress Hall, Virginia and Beach Shack) host the Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival. There are hay rides, pumpkin picking and decorating, face-painting and T-shirt tie-dying. But it won’t just be the kids who have fun. There will be craft beer from the awardwinning Cape May Brewing Company, homemade pies from The Blue Pig Tavern, a bonfire, s’mores roasting, pumpkin and zucchini bread, plus live entertainment.
Mark Kulkowitz, owner of the Mad Batter restaurant, gets into the spirit of Oktoberfest, which will be held on Cape May’s Jackson Street on October 4. Aleksey Moryakov
promenade with authentic music and food. Visit the Beer Gardens and browse the artisans tables selling crafts, antiques and collectibles. For more information call 609-884-5508 or visit www.capemaychamber.com. October 8 Lighthouse Full Moon Climb Take advantage of the light of the full moon and let it guide you up the 199 stairs to the starry top. From 8pm to 10pm, $7 for adults, $3 for children (ages 3-12). Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
October 4 Harvest Festival Crafts & Antiques Show Celebrate the fall season with your family at the beautiful Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street. Crafters and antiques dealers from throughout the region display and sell their wares on the lawn. Festival includes hands-on activities and games for children. From 10am to 4pm. Free admission. Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
October 10 Mad Batter Craft Beer Dinner Celebrate Oktoberfest with a four-course comfort food menu paired with craft beers, at the famous Mad Batter restaurant, 19 Jackson Street. Starts at 7:30pm, $65 per person, seating limited to 60. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
October 4 Oktoberfest Celebrate the famous Bavarian tradition on Historic Jackson Street as it is transformed into a German
October 10-13 Cape May’s 42nd Annual Victorian Weekend Celebrate Cape May’s Victorian heritage, featuring the Chocolate Championship Tour & Tasting, His-
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toric House Tours, Murder Mystery Dinners, living history programs, lectures, workshops and performances. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Visit www.capemaymac.org. October 11 Chocolate Lovers’ Feast Enjoy dozens of different chocolate creations and return as often as you like for more of your favorites. This is a limited event so reserve early. Held at the Blue Rose Inn, 653 Washington Street. Admission is $35. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit the organization online at www.capemaymac.org. October 11 West Cape May Lima Bean Festival The West Cape May Annual Lima Bean Festival features all things lima — soup, tacos, salad, jewelry, T-shirts and more. Great food, quality vendors, antiques, entertainment and fun. Come out and celebrate West Cape May’s farming heritage — at Wilbraham Park.
October 11 and 18 Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival Every Saturday in October, from 11am5pm, Cape Resorts (owners of Congress Hall, Virginia and Beach Shack) host the Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival. There are hay rides, pumpkin picking and decorating, face-painting and T-shirt tie-dying. But it won’t just be the kids who have fun. There will be craft beer from the award-winning Cape May Brewing Company, homemade pies from The Blue Pig Tavern, a bonfire, s’mores roasting, pumpkin and zucchini bread, plus live entertainment. October 12 Lessons of History Distinguished Lecture Series David O. Stewart presents “The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution.” Where does political gridlock in Washington come from? Find out when the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) brings distinguished constitutional lawyer and author David O. Stewart to Cape May. The lecture will explore the conflicts and hard bargaining that invented a government to meet the crises of the not-quite-united states — huge
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debts, hostile neighbors, armed rebellion, and the very real prospect of dissolving into three nations or more. Starts at 4pm at Cape Island Baptist Church, 115 Gurney Street. A Meet the Lecturer reception will follow at 5:30pm at The Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast, 102 Ocean Street. Admission (purchase before Labor Day) to the lecture is $25, lecture and reception $45. Admission (purchase after Labor Day): lecture $30, lecture and reception $50. Visit www. capemaymac.org. October 12 Victorian Weekend Crafts & Antiques Show Crafters and antiques dealers from throughout the region display and sell their wares on the lawn of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street from 10am to 4pm. Free admission. Free parking available. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Visit www.capemaymac.org. October 12 Cape May Wine School Learn about that tasty stuff in your glass in this class designed to refine your palate
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The West Cape May Lima Bean Festival celebrates all things lima beanish. This year’s festival will be held October 11. Aleksey Moryakov
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Tasting Room with Over 100 Items to Try Before You Buy! An Extensive Variety of Quality Olive Oils
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9 October 2014
— at the Washington Inn, 801 Washington Street, starting at 1pm. Admission $30. Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org. October 17 to November 1 Halloween Happenings in Victorian Cape May More than two weeks of specially-themed tours and events including Walks with the Ghostwriter, Madame Parmentier’s Psychic Teas, Scarecrow Alley, Midnight at the Physick Estate, Historic Haunts Combination Tours, Phantoms of the Physick Estate and much more to help you get into the spirit of the season. Call 609-884-5404 or visit www.capemaymac.org. October 17-19 Cape May Film Festival Experience great feature movies and short films from talented artists from the state of New Jersey in this inspiring weekend festival which features, among other highlights, a showcase of Beatles movies. The location has moved from the Chalfonte Hotel to West Cape May Borough Hall and Banquet Hall. For more information, visit www. njstatefilmfestival.com.
October 18 Pumpkin Festival The Lower Township Rotary Club presents the 22nd Annual Pumpkin Festival at Historic Cold Spring Village. Fall family fun with craft and food vendors, face painting, pumpkin painting, hayrides, a haunted barn, games, activities and more. Free admission. The Village is located just a couple miles north of downtown Cape May. Visit www.hcsv.org.
invited (and challenged) to visit all participating lighthouses over the weekend and help raise funds for continued lighthouse preservation. The lighthouses participating in the Challenge encourage the public to take advantage of this special weekend to financially support and preserve the maritime history of our state. Visit www. lighthousechallengenj.org.
October 18 Harvest Crafts & Antiques Show Crafters and antiques dealers from throughout the region display and sell their wares. Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton from 10am to 4pm. Admission is $2. Sponsored by the MidAtlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
October 19 TEDx Cape May: The Pursuit of Happiness A fan of the TED talks? Don’t miss the acclaimed Cape May version, now in its third year. Explore The Pursuit of Happiness through a variety of novel perspectives and 12 outstanding presenters, with added TED talk videos at Cape May Convention Hall, including lunch and an open bar reception at Congress Hall. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information, and to register, visit www.tedxcapemay.com.
October 18-19 Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey Weekend New Jersey Lighthouses, museums and life saving stations host a Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey weekend. The public is
October 19 Halloween Parade Save the date and dress the part for Cape May’s 31st Annual Halloween Parade, starting at 3pm. The annual parade features music, entertainment, and of course,
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10 October 2014
Cape May’s Halloween Parade will take to the streets of America’s Original Seaside Resort on October 19. Aleksey Moryakov
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dozens of costumes from spooky to kooky. Awards will be given in many different categories, groupings, and age ranges. The parade is complemented by trick or treating on the Washington Street Mall, starting at noon. The Cape May Halloween Parade is the most chill and chilling event of the season.
An exciting new eatery October 19 Trick or Treat on Washington Street Mall From noon to 2pm, Cape May’s shopping thoroughfare is overtaken (in the cutest way) bit little witches, superheroes and the like.
combining a classic pub with a fine restaurant. Result? A great time. Every time.
October 24–26 NJ Audubon Cape May Autumn Festival Cape May Convention Hall hosts this event, more commonly known as The Bird Show. But it’s not just birds that are on show — one of the most popular attractions is a pack of wolves! October 25 Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival From 11am-5pm, Cape Resorts (owners of Congress Hall, Virginia and Beach Shack) host the Beach Plum Farm Fall Festival. There are hay rides, pumpkin picking and decorating, face-painting and T-shirt tie-dying. But it won’t just be the kids who have fun. There will be craft beer from the award-winning Cape May Brewing Company, homemade pies from The Blue Pig Tavern, a bonfire, s’mores roasting, pumpkin and zucchini bread, and live music. October 31 Trick or Treat at the Physick Estate Some spooky characters are waiting at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, with treats for good little ghosts and goblins and pirates and princesses. From 5pm. November 1 Fall Arts & Crafts Festival More than 40 vendors come to Cape May to sell handmade novelties including seasonal decorations, gift items and more. From 10am to 4pm. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
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November 7-9 Exit 0 International Jazz Festival You don’t have to be a jazz fan to appreciate this fantastic festival, which is in its third year. Some of the acts are world class, and it brings a great energetic buzz to the town. Visit www.exit0jazzfest. com for more information. November 7-9 Sherlock Holmes Weekend Join Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr Watson for a weekend of mystery and intrigue. Get into the spirit by donning Victorian attire. Stalk the gaslit streets in search of clues and compete for the $250 grand prize and a variety of other valuable gifts as you attempt to solve the mystery. Full weekend packages are available at $200 per couple or $105 per person and include the welcome reception, performances, tour and luncheon. Weekend overnight packages are also available. The Search for Clues tour on Saturday, Novem-
12 October 2014
Hanging with wolves at the NJ Audubon Cape May Autumn Festival at Convention Hall October 24-26. Aleksey Moryakov
516 Carpenter’s Lane, Cape May
(609) 898-4444 • capemaypeanutbutterco.com
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ber 8 can be purchased separately. Visit www.capemaymac.org. November 8 Search for Clues Tour Travel from inn to inn in Victorian Cape May while you try to solve a murder mystery. From 1pm to 3pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children (ages 3-12). Tour begins and tickets are available at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth. Part of Sherlock Holmes Weekend. Visit www.capemaymac.org. November 8 Fall Arts & Crafts Festival More than 40 vendors come to Cape May to sell handmade novelties including seasonal decorations, gift items and more from 10am to 4pm at Cape May Convention Hall. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org. November 9 Cape May Wine School Learn about wine in this class designed to refine your palate at the Washington Inn,
801 Washington Street, startng at 1pm. Admission $30. Sponsored by the MidAtlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Call 609-884-5404 or visit www. capemaymac.org. November 21 to January 1, 2015 Cape May’s Holiday Season Five-and-a-half weeks of special holidays tours and events including Holiday Preview Weekend (November 21-23), 41st Annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours (December 6, 13, 27), plus Lamplighter Christmas Tours, Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides, Physick Family Christmas Tours, Holiday Inns Tours, Evening Holiday Lights Trolley Rides, Evening Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides, Santa’s Trolley Rides. Visit www.capemaymac.org. November 21 to January 1, 2015 An Old-Fashioned Christmas Exhibit An exhibit of holiday traditions through the years complete with model trains, toys and much more! At the Carriage House Gallery at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, Cape May. The gallery is open daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas); hours vary. Free admission.
1288 HORNET ROAD RIO GRANDE, NJ 08242 609.849.9933 CAPEMAYBREWERY.COM
OPEN EVERYDAY 12-8PM exit zero
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Visit www.capemaymac.org for info. November 21-23 Holiday Preview Weekend Santa and his elves have decked out the Physick Estate with thousands of lights and holiday trimmings. Enjoy a wide variety of holiday tours and food and wine events to get you into the Christmas spirit. Visit the Estate on Saturday, November 22 at 7pm as Santa arrives to flip the switch for the treelighting ceremony. November 28-December 31 Winter Wonderland Cape may’s magnificent Congress Hotel and its Grand Lawn becomes the setting for a festive fairytale. A 35-foot tree sits in the middle of the lawn, flanked by a tented shopping village arranged around the swimming pool, while the Congress Hall Express train does circuits around the grounds and kids shout with joy as they ride the classic carousel. There are booths selling hot chocolate, elves wandering the grounds dispensing candy canes and four Breakfast with Santa events. Yes, it’s as magical as it sounds. Visit www. caperesorts.com.
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it’s time to exit zero
16 October 2014
get jazzed
jon roth guides you through the exit 0 international jazz festival
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Exit 0 International Jazz Festival founder, Michael Kline, in the Boiler Room, one of the festival venues. Aleksey Moryakov
E
arly this November, Cape May will welcome a new group of lodgers. Not the sun-worshippers we see each year between June and August, but a world-class cohort of jazz musicians and the audiences who love them. The performers have shared stages with Herbie Hancock to Prince, from Lou Rawls to Lauryn Hill. They’re coming with guitars and keyboards, melodicas and sousaphones, and they range from Cape May favorites to globetrotting touring acts. Altogether they comprise the 16 showstopping acts of the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival, which will have the town swinging for three jam-packed days. We couldn’t enjoy any of it without the vision of festival founder Michael Kline. A Cape May resident by way of New Orleans, he says he first really caught the jazz bug while working for Wayne Piersanti at Cape May’s late, great jazz bar, the Shire. “I worked there for a couple of years, right around the time when Pat Martino came to the Shire four or five times a summer,” he remembers. “It’s pretty amazing to think that Wayne was doing that back in the ’80s.” From there Kline moved to the country’s jazz capital, New Orleans, where he got his start as an agent and hosted a weekly radio show for the next 10 years, learning how to spot top-notch musicianship and share it with the world. exit zero
When the prior Cape May Jazz Festival ended its 17-year run in 2010, Kline got angry, and wanted to do something about it. “The new festival got started the day I read the old festival was going under,” he says. “It really pissed me off, because the problem wasn’t that it wasn’t successful — that was a really successful festival in a lot of ways.” So he set about planning a new musical season for our city, leveraging contacts at his organization, Spyboy Productions, and bringing in stellar musical talent from the Motéma record label. Now in its third year, the festival has only grown bigger and better with time. The fall 2014 line-up features headliners like Caribbean jazz powerhouse, Monty Alexander and the HarlemKingston Express, musical supergroup The Cookers, the dashing young bandleader Jon Batiste and his group, Stay Human, and Rene Marie, who never hesitates to speak her mind through music. Twelve more exciting acts round out the festival program, and concertgoers have their pick of several ticket packages to make the most of the experience. Options range from the Duke’s VIP Pass to the Pop’s AllWeekend Club Pass (for more info, see the next page). Whatever you choose, make sure you’re in town the first weekend in November — it’s not every day you’ll find this much talent in one place.
18 October 2014
the man who made the shire is a jazz festival host
CARRIAGE HOUSE
fe a C & TEAROOM
At the Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May, NJ
1048 WASHINGTON ST.
Plenty of Free Parking!
A la carte Café menu with.... SIGNATURE SANDWICHES SALADS An inauspicious facade, but the Shire is a Cape May legend Talk to any music fan who frequented Cape May between 1982 and 1997, and they’ll invariably mention the Shire. Owned by Wayne Piersanti, the bar was the go-to spot for solid jazz music for the duration of its run. Although the Shire is no longer, Piersanti is still engaged with the local music scene and will host the performances in Carney’s Other Room, a testament to his role as one of the biggest and earliest advocates for jazz in Cape May. Piersanti spent several summers in Cape May and Wildwood, but he grew to love music back in Philly, largely thanks to his father’s side of the family, which was full of musicians. “My cousin was a trumpet player, another cousin was a drummer,” he says. “They had access to a lot of people — when I was a kid, I had dinner with Dizzy Gillespie at my aunt’s house.” So when he opened a bar in Cape May, the choice seemed simple: “I looked at all the other venues, and everybody was doing the same stuff. That’s why I went into jazz — it took off and everybody liked it, and it was cool. It worked.” During the bar’s heyday Piersanti hosted several of the performers from this year’s festival at the Shire. Edgardo Cintron, for example, came down to play in the ‘80s. “I was looking for something with more of a Latin beat, Latin rhythms, salsa, merengue — if you can believe it in Cape May — and I hooked up Edgardo and he came in early.” He’s also got fond memories of bassist Steve Green, who played the night Piersanti was married, as well as Denis Diblasio and Steve Betz. “We probably had a Rolodex of close to 200 bands over the years,” Piersanti says. He’s happy to emcee the events at Carney’s Other Room for the festival. “I don’t have as much responsibility as when I ran the Shire — you’ve got other people doing sound and lighting — but it’s great to introduce the acts and make people feel at home,” he says, then pauses for a moment. “I think the Cape May music scene has been revitalized in the past few years. I think it’s as good now as it’s been since I left. There are a lot of local people who are really doing a great job.”
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CLASSIC TEA LUNCHEON ELEGANT AFTERNOON TEA CHILDREN’S MENU • TAKE-OUT Available for Weddings, Receptions, Anniversaries or parties for any occasion when it needs to be special! Open Daily through Nov. 2: 12 Noon-4pm
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www.capemaymac.org Operated by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) 19 October 2014
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9
Monty Alexander The Story: Put Monty Alexander behind a piano and he’ll bring audiences to their feet with his infectious mix of reggae, jazz and pop styles. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1944, Alexander’s earliest experience with jazz involved Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole’s performances in the town’s Carib Theater. At 17, he moved to Miami with his family and continued on to a legendary career in music, working with industry giants and sharing his talents in concerts and festival performances around the world. Alexander’s keyboard work has made him a much sought-after collaborator. He’s played with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland to Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Brown, and worked with Natalie Cole on her tribute album Unforgettable, which won seven Grammy awards. A prolific recording artist in his own right, Alexander has
70 albums to his name. His most recent release, Harlem-Kingston Express Vol. 2: The River Rolls On was released in April from Motema Music. Hailed as “an outrageously good time” by The Wall Street Journal, the tracks range from soul hits like “People Make the World Go Round” and “What’s Going On” to original compositions. In a recent interview, Alexander said, “I don’t like the idea that jazz is a museum. It is entertainment. Your job is to uplift people and make them feel better than when they came in.” Pull up a few of Monty’s videos before his Saturday performance and you’ll see what he means: his hands fly across the keys, playing with a sparkling, frenetic energy. The Sound: Rhythmic, bright and eclectic, Alexander and the Harlem-Kingston Express (he’s backed by bass, drums and guitar) draws from a variety of genres, but focuses on fusing exit zero
20 October 2014
American jazz and Jamaican reggae, creating a distinctive sound. On his website Alexander puts it simply: it’s a “reggae-fied one love groove jazz party.” Any questions? From Broadcast to Band: Alexander’s first album with the Harlem-Kingston Express was recorded in 2011 at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City. The pianist mixed his own jazz trio with a full Jamaican rhythm section, and the concert was recorded for live broadcast on Sirius XM. When Motema Music founder Jana Herzen heard the performance, she had to have it on her label — and she made the right call. In 2012 the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album, and the group’s been performing ever since. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 9pm on the Xerox Main Stage at Cape May Convention Hall.
WHERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS While you can purchase tickets to single events (headliners are $48, clubs are $20), it pays to buy a festival pass… DUKE’S PASS — $158 A three-day, all event pass — headliners and club performers included. VIP DUKE’S PASS — $178 All the access of the Duke’s Pass, plus perks like wine tasting, meet-and-greets with the artists, preferred seating at MainStage concerts and a weekend trolley pass. For a VIP pass, be among the first 100 patrons to book a Hotel & Festival package with Congress Hall, or purchase a Duke’s Pass and call the festival office to upgrade, at 609-849-9202. COUNT’S PASS — $102 Access to all of the Friday Main Stage performances, and all of the club concerts throughout the weekend. LADY DAY PASS — $102 Access to all Saturday Main Stage performances, and all club concerts throughout the weekend. POP’S PASS — $38 All-weekend general admission to festival club venues, plus a Jazz for Wine Lovers Passport. Tickets from Cape May Convention Hall box 0ffice (609-884-9563) or at exit0jazzfest.com/planning/.
FISH & FANCY SEAFOOD TAKE-OUT Try Our Award-Winning Crab Chowders!
“The Locals’ Favorite” FRESH WEEKLY SPECIALS FRESH HOMEMADE SALADS OUTDOOR PATIO SEATING PARTY TRAYS
OPEN DAILY! 2406 BAYSHORE ROAD, VILLAS (next to Robinson & Son’s Produce)
(609) 886-8760 fishandfancy.com
10% Military Discount
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21 October 2014
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9
Jon Batiste and Stay Human The Story: Jon Batiste, the charismatic frontman leading Stay Human, made his first musical forays at eight, playing percussion in his family’s group, the Batiste Brothers Band, based near New Orleans. At his mother’s prompting, Batiste switched over to piano (he’s now added vocals and melodica to his strengths) and he’s been making great music ever since. At 27, Batiste is the youngest headliner to play at the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival, just the latest stop on a musical journey that’s seen him play everywhere from Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw to the subways of New York City. Batiste is backed by a trio of world-class musicians trained at his alma mater, Juilliard. Alto saxophonist Eddie Barbash has played with greats like Wynton Marsalis and Wycliffe Gordon; tuba player Ibanda Ruhumbika’s work has been featured on nationwide television broadcasts; and Joe Saylor’s skill on percussion has taken him to the stage with Roy Hargrove. All together, Jon Batiste and Stay Human
bring their genre-breaking blend of jazz, blues and more to the world with one goal: to remind us that live music is a vital, dynamic experience. That’s the message behind the group’s 2013 release, Social Music, which sets songs like “St James Infirmary” alongside “The Star Spangled Banner,” with riffs on the “Maple Leaf Rag” and even a nod to Debussy’s “Claire de Lune.” When the group played on The Colbert Report in July, Batiste told the host, “Music is social because it’s meant to be shared. It’s meant to be danced to; cry to it, laugh to it… it’s about sharing.” The Sound: A musical melting pot of jazz, gospel, ragtime, classical and pop-infused R&B, Jon Batiste and Stay Human deliver a brand of foot-stomping, upbeat music best enjoyed in person. The group’s Juilliard training no doubt helps when it comes to hopping between styles — Saylor drives the beat forward, Barbash plays with white-hot intensity, and Ruhumbika’s tuba adds an unexpected tonal layer to the overall sound, while Batiste moves from piano to vocals to melodica with the facility of a seasoned pro. exit zero
22 October 2014
From Stage to Screen: Batiste has performed in more than 40 countries alongside musicians like Prince, Lauryn Hill and Cassandra Wilson, but he’s no stranger to TV and film as well. He’s appeared in HBO’s Treme, a New Orleans series partly based off of his family, where he plays himself, and in Spike Lee’s feature film Red Hook Summer. Subway Sounds: Prior to the release of Social Music, the group put out a self-produced EP titled MY N.Y., recorded on the moving subway trains of New York. Batiste told The Village Voice at the time: “Jazz performances can seem esoteric, like a recital or an experiment. Here, we’re playing at the highest level we can, and we’re doing it two feet from your face, right where you live.” Featuring riffs on everything from Jimmy Davis’“You Are My Sunshine” to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” you’ll hear New Yorkers singing along with the band — and they’re a tough crowd. Where and When: Friday, November 7, 9pm on Xerox Main Stage at Cape May Convention Hall.
A family place A first-date place A dinner-and-a-movie place A perfect place for any occasion.
Modern American cuisine with a cool and casual vibe...
GODMOTHER’S
broadway & west perry street cape may (609) 884-4543 .godmothersrestaurant.com
1 Sunset Boulevard, Cape May (609) 898-0100 • www.blackduckonsunset.com
Presenting... a spectacular harbor setting for your special event
THE CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB of CAPE MAY Our traditional clubhouse, gorgeous sunset views and exceptional cuisine lend a memorable, distinctive touch to any gathering. Relax around our new firepit before and after!
1819 DELAWARE AVENUE, CAPE MAY (609) 884-8000 • cyccm.com and capemaybeachwedding.com continued on page 56 exit zero
23 October 2014
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9
The Cookers The Story: Forget what you’ve heard — this is one ensemble that proves it’s okay to have plenty of cooks in the kitchen. With Billy Harper on tenor sax, Eddie Henderson and David Weiss on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto sax, Cecil McBee on bass, George Cables on piano and Billy Hart on drums, the group boasts a line-up of jazz veterans that helped shape the form as we know it today. That said, there’s a bit of luck adding to their sizzle as well — as founder Weiss put it, “You can’t just put a bunch of names together and expect it to be great. These guys just turned out to be the perfect combination.” Cape May is just one stop on the Cookers’ world tour, planned to celebrate the release of their third album, Time and Time Again. The recording, which released in September
and features nine flawless tracks, shows the ensemble at their finest. Spanning 40 years of composition, the Cookers deliver each track with precision and passion, from the brassy curtains of sound introducing “Sir Galahad” to the crunching chords and sudden unisons in “Three Mulgrew.” Even before this album, critics haven’t been shy in their praise for the Cookers. The New York Times calls them “a dream team of forwardleaning hard bop,” and the Los Angeles Times says “they might reference the past by name, but they never sound less than current.” Those writers know a thing or two about jazz, but it’s always best you see for yourself on Friday night — sit back in Convention Hall, watch the sun sink over the waves, and let the easy musicality of the Cookers wash over you. The Sound: Usually termed post-bop, the exit zero
24 October 2014
Cookers channel a style of small-ensemble, selfcomposed jazz that hit its stride in the mid-’60s (when most of these musicians first came on the scene). The band shifts from big, boisterous, brassy chords to understated, syncopated moments of quiet where each soloist can really shine. By The Numbers: With long-running careers as sidemen and bandleaders, the musicians in this septet boast a combined 250 years of musical experience (ranging from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group) and more than 1000 recordings (including bassist Cecil McBee’s Grammywinning Blues for Coltrane). Where and When: Friday, November 7, 6:30pm on the Xerox Main Stage at Cape May Convention Hall
SEAFOOD
STEAK
PASTA
MARTINIS
• OPeN DAily • Dinner from 5pm • late Night • Desserts • Cocktails 3 Course Menu • $30 Anytime
• e x t e N D e D b A r W i t h C As u A l M e N u •
9510 Pacific Avenue • Wildwood Crest, NJ Just over the bridge from Cape May
reservations recomended 609.522.5425 www.marienicoles.com exit zero
25 October 2014
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Rene Marie The Story: Rene Marie didn’t start singing professionally until after she was 40, and already she’s hit heights most musicians dream about. Working in the tradition of outspoken female vocalists like Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln and Eartha Kitt, Marie is an force onstage and off, and is never one to back down from a challenge (when her ex-husband told her to stop singing or move out, it didn’t take her long to leave). Since then, her career has been a whirlwind journey — she’s recorded 10 full-length albums (one netted her the Best International Jazz Vocal Award from the French Academie du Jazz), wrote, directed and starred in her own one-woman off-Broadway show, and made a name for herself composing new pieces in a field largely dominated by standards. Through it all Marie has never shied from controversy, using her music to address homelessness, racism and sexual abuse and taking on criticism with grace and good nature. Whether she’s singing bluesy original songs, adding sizzle to Cole Porter classics or juxtaposing pieces for an entirely new effect, Marie knows how to captivate an audience. Her butter-smooth vocals and electric stage presence make her a can’t-miss highlight of the festival this year. The Sound: Marie infuses every song with her own smooth style — she’ll go from a whispery coo to a full-throated belt in no time, and skips up and down the scale with a rich, ringing tone. The voice is golden but it’s Marie’s delivery that makes each song — she knows just when to pause, when to sigh or smile for maximum effect. Lady Finds Her Muse: The singer once said she’d never do a tribute album, but her latest release, I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt), certainly seems like a glowing tribute. The ten tracks on the recording range from Kitt’s iconic “Santa Baby” to the slow-burning favorite “Peel Me a Grape,” but her rendition of Porter’s “Let’s Do It” is the real stand-out: bluesy, loose and incredibly sexy, her version takes a classic and turns it on its ear. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 6:30pm on the Xerox Main Stage at Cape May Convention Hall.
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26 October 2014
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
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 cozybut-elegant bar with access to the oceanfront patio. Check out the antique-filled lobby first.
B, L, D
$15-$45 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
ub HU
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
u b H
BELLA VIDA CAFÉ 406 N. Broadway, West Cape May (609) 884-6332 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
u H
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
u b H
THE BLUE PIG TAVERN 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-8422 www.caperesorts.com/bluepigtavern
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 twist or two along the way.
B, L, D
$12-$36 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
u b H
THE BOILER ROOM 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-8422 www.caperesorts.com/boilerroom
Congress Hall’s chic basement nightclub – all bare metal and brickwork – has an assortment of great music on the weekends and a cool vibe.
Cocktails
Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
NO
NO
u
THE BROWN ROOM 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-8422 www.caperesorts.com/brownroom
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
CABANAS 429 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-4800 www.cabanasonthebeach.com
The party is here — always warm and friendly in this lively beachfront bar, featuring great food and some of the best live bands around.
B, L, D
$8-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
FULL BAR
YES
YES
b H
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
b H
CAPE MAY BREWING CO. 1288 Hornet Road, Rio Grande (609) 849-9933 www.capemaybrewery.com
It’s the first microbrewery at the Jersey shore, and it’s creating quite the buzz... their IPA is award-winning. 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, as well as 40 other domestic and imported honey varieties; natural supplements; honey and beeswax-based beauty products
Honey
$7-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b H
CAPE MAY PEANUT BUTTER CO. 516 Carpenter’s Lane, Cape May (609) 898-4444 www.capemaypeanutbutterco.com
A pretty awesome idea... devoting a whole shop to peanut butter, right? And you will not be disappointed. There are all sorts of irresistible treats inspired by the American classic.
Peanut Butter sandwiches & products
$5-$27 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
YES
u b H U
CAPE MAY WINERY 711 Townbank Road, North Cape May (609) 884-1169 www.capemaywinery.com
Open daily from 12-6pm (7pm Friday and Saturday). Enjoy a glass of wine along with some delicious cheeses and meats on their lovely deck or patio. Look for their new wine releases too!
Winery
$5-$27 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
WINERY
N/A
NO
b H U
CARNEY’S Beach and Jackson, Cape May (609) 884-4424 www.carneyscapemaynj.com
Live music on the weekends, great early bird and happy hour specials, and casual fare that’s reliable... all across the street from the beach.
L, D
$12-$28 Cards: V, MC
BAR
NO
YES
b H
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE 1048 Washington Street At the Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May (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.
L
$12-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
u b
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Wheelchair accessible exit zero
H
Takeout available
27 October 2014
U Dog-friendly patio
AMERICAN CUISINE WITH A UNIQUE COASTAL VIBE SAX offers an all-new intimately casual dining experience in Stone Harbor. Enjoy dinner and drinks at this exclusive seaside restaurant anytime of the year…any day of the week.
SAX STAY PACKAGE Enjoy a romantic stay at The Reeds, a $100 and 2 SAX Lounge drink vouchers. Call 609.368.0100 for more details or to reserve your stay.
DINNER Daily 5pm – 10pm LOUNGE Friday & Saturday 2pm – 12am | Sunday – Thursday 4pm - 12am
Reservations suggested 609.961.3010 | 9601 Third Avenue | Stone Harbor | reedsatshelterhaven.com/sax
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28 October 2014
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
CRAB HOUSE Two Mile Landing, Ocean Drive Wildwood Crest (609) 522-1341, www.twomilelanding.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
$7-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b H
CUCINA ROSA 301 Washington Street Mall, Cape May (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
DRY DOCK 1440 Texas Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-3434 www. capemaydrydock.com
With something for the whole family to enjoy, Dry Dock is a favorite among the youngsters because their meal is served on a Frisbee!
L, D ice cream
$3-$22 V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
NO
YES
u b H U
THE EBBITT ROOM 25 Jackson Street, Cape May (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, which is one of the finest in South Jersey.
D
$26-$33 V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
NO
u
ELAINE’S DINNER THEATER 513 Lafayette Street, Cape May (609) 884-1199 www.elainescapemay.com
It’s been voted one of the top five dinner theaters in the country by the Food Network. Call them for their current hours and schedule.
B, L, D
$44.95 for dinner and a show
FULL BAR
YES
YES
u b H
E. M. HEMINGWAY’S 1045 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-5611 www.hemingwayscapemay.com
Casual and family-friendly, E. M. Hemingway’s offers great seafood, prime beef and nightly specials. Enjoy their happy hours daily from 4-7pm and weekend DJs.
B, L, D
$15-$38 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
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 www.5westpub.com
This sure-to-be hotspot is a gastropub coming to you from the owners of Tisha’s. Expect the same highquality 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
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.
L, D
$8-$24 Cards: V, MC
BYOB
YES
YES
b H
GEORGE’S PLACE Beach Avenue and Perry Street Cape May (609) 884-6088
Whether it’s the Nutella waffles for breakfast or a healthier Mediterranean dish for dinner, it’s impossible to go wrong with George’s. Consistently good every time.
B, L, D
$8-$13 Cash Only
BYOB
YES
YES
b H
GODMOTHER’S Broadway & Sunset, Cape May (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.
D
$12-$28 Cards: V, MC
BYOB
YES
YES
u H
HARBOR VIEW 954 Ocean Drive, Cape May (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 outdoor deck!
B, L, D
$6-$30 Cards: V, MC
BAR
NO
YES
ub H
HARPOON HENRY’S Beach & Browning, North Cape May (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.
L, D
$10-$21 Cards: V, MC, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b HU
HARRY’S OCEAN BAR & GRILLE Madison & Beach Avenue, Cape May (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.
B, L, D
$8-$24 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b HU
SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Wheelchair accessible exit zero
H
Takeout available
29 October 2014
U Dog-friendly patio
Pumpkin Ginger Chocolate
l rame d Ca e Spice hocolat C s Dark pkin Pum
Roas t Dark Almond Choc olate
Pink Hima lay Salt Toffe an e Salted Honey Caramel Bees
e ipotl
h key C Smo ocolate Ch Sea S alt
u Exit 0 International Jazz Festival
rk n Da Vega olate Choc
Cara
mels
hers s Brot e Mast Chocolat san Arti
Peanuts and Peanut Butter Bars
d y Re Jerse ocolate New Ch y r r be Rasp Choc ol with ate Figs Bar n the key i ate s i h l W o Choc
609-884-5519
108 Jackson Street, Cape May
Frank Bey
A Local Café with a Wholesome Aroma OPEN DAILY ~ YEAR ROUND Please call for fall hours Signature Sandwiches ~ Sensational Salads ~ Bodacious Burgers Vegetarian ~ Gluten-Free Friendly ~ Outdoor Doggie-Friendly Dining Freshly Pressed Carrot Juice ~ Espresso Bar ~ Frozen Drinks Free Parking ~ Take Out ~ Family Affordable ~ BYOB Ultimate Omelets & Flapjacks ~ Succulent Seafood Delicious Dinners ~ Homemade Desserts & Soups Costa Rican Fair Trade Organic Coffee
406 North Broadway, West Cape May 609-884-6332 • www.bellavidacafe.com
The Story: Few things bode better for a blues and R&B singer than a Georgia upbringing in the gospel tradition. Frank Bey learned from his mother, gospel singer Maggie Jordan, as a child, eventually leading a quartet with his five-year-old brother and two cousins. He sang throughout the Southeast in his teens and went on to tour with the Otis Redding Review, then Archie Jenkins & The Incredible Saxons. During that time he would travel through the US, as well as Spain and Canada. After a hiatus of almost 20 years, Bey returned to the stage, his voice as strong as ever. He performs widely in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and has become a celebrated guest at the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. His performance this year continues that great tradition. The Sound: A foot-stomping, energetic performer, Bey’s voice can range from a low growl to a full-throated howl in the gospel tradition. At his best, Bey’s warm, textured tone and stage presence evoke the great Lou Rawls. Where and When: Sunday, November 9, 2:15pm and 4:15pm at the Carney’s Main Room — Just 4 Wheels Stage.
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30 October 2014
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
ISLAND GRILL 311 Mansion Street Cape May (609) 884-0200
Freshly made American classics with the accent on local produce and seafood, served in a bright setting that recently got a big revamp from local interior designer Viviane Rowan.
D
$13-$26 Cash Only
BYOB
YES
YES
u b H
THE LOBSTER HOUSE Fisherman’s Wharf, Cape May (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 Americana, watching the boats before dinner, is a lovely experience.
B, L, D
$5-$48 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b HU
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 chocolate is good for your soul!
Chocolates
$2 - $36 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
NO
YES
H
LUCKY BONES 1200 Route 109, Cape May (609) 884-BONE www.luckybonesgrill.com
A huge hit and locals’ favorite for a reason. Excellent food, great bar vibe, superb service. Lucky Bones gets it right every single time.
L, D
$6-$22 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
For tables of eight or more
YES
u b H
MAD BATTER 19 Jackson Street, Cape May (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.
B, L, D
$19-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
b H
MAGNOLIA ROOM 301 Howard Street, Cape May (609) 884-8409 www.chalfonte.com
Warm, southern-style hospitality paired with excellent southern-style cuisine is what you can expect at the Chalftonte’s acclaimed dining room. And stop by for cocktails at the King Edward Bar.
B, D
$10-$34 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
b
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 handcrafted cocktail.
D
$19-$44 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
NO
u b
OCEAN VIEW Beach & Grant Avenues, Cape May (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.
B, L, D
$9-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
NO
YES
u b H
ON THE ROCKS Cape May – Lewes Ferry, 1200 Lincoln Boulevard, North Cape May, 1-800-64FERRY
Casual waterfront dining watching the ferry and other vessels transit the Cape May Canal to and from the Delaware Bay. There is a very cool vibe at the outdoor bar.
B, L, D
$4-$10 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
u b H U
OYSTER BAY 615 Lafayette Street, Cape May (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 from 4-6:30pm.
D
$12-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
u b H
PETER SHIELDS 1301 Beach Avenue, Cape May (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.
D
$22-$39 Cards: V, MC, D
BYOB
NO
NO
H
THE PILOT HOUSE BAR & GRILLE 142 Decatur Street, Cape May (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. Great live entertainment too.
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$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
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THE RED STORE 500 Cape Avenue, Cape May Point (609) 884-5757
Awesome food in a secluded, serene setting. Join them for a scrumptious breakfast, grab a coffee and muffin, or relax on the porch with a delicious lunch.
B, L
$5-$35 Cash only
BYOB
NO
YES
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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.
L, D
$13-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
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MERION INN 106 Decatur Street, Cape May (609) 884-8363 www.merion inn.com
The dim, amber lighting, dark wooden bar, period fittings and classy staff give a special ambience. Plus we love just sitting at the lovely bar.
D
$10-$34 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
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SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
Wheelchair accessible exit zero
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Takeout available
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U Dog-friendly patio
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Aaron Parks Trio with Ben Street and Billy Hart The Story: Some musical prodigies burn out or switch careers — others just come into their own as world-class artists. Lucky for everyone, Aaron Parks is the latter: at 30, a still-young musician who’s had the clear benefit of playing at the top of his game for years. The jazz pianist attended the University of Washington at just 15 as a triple major in math, computer science, and jazz, before switching coasts and attending the Manhattan School of Music. While in New York he became a frequent collaborator with trumpet great Terry Blanchard, recording three Blue Note albums with him, and setting the stage for a fruitful career. Parks names Bela Bartok, Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett as some of his greatest musical influences, though in listening to his latest recording, Arborescence, you’ll also hear shades of Arvo Part and Erik Satie. He describes this 2013 release, a collection of improvised tone poems, as an inventive enterprise: “like something half-dreamed, halfremembered.” News outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times have been outspoken in their praise, calling him “a fast-rising star” and “a step ahead of everyone else.” On Saturday he’ll take the stage with double bassist Ben Street and percussionist Billy Hart to give locals a night of evocative, thoughtful jazz. The Sound: Parks’ playing thrives on the build-up of repetition (the ostinato in the left hand doesn’t sound far removed from Philip Glass), the massing of increasingly complex chords, and the beauty of a wandering melodic line that winds its way throughout. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 12:30pm on the Whale’s Tale/ Splash Stage at Aleathea’s.
Harbor View Come check out our Fall Menu!
Deck Open Fri - Sun
Like us on Facebook!
TURKEY DINNERS - EVERY SUNDAY... ONLY $16
Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner
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Breakfast: Sat/Sun
954 OCEAN DRIVE, CAPE MAY ¯ (609) 884-5444 ¯ HARBORVIEWCAPEMAY.COM exit zero
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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
RUSTY NAIL 205 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-0017 www.caperesorts.com/rusty-nail
Coldest beer and coolest vibe in town. The iconic Rusty Nail is the place to be for a uniquely Cape May experience. And they even have non-alcoholic brew for dogs!
B, L, D
$10-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
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SEASALT RESTAURANT 1035 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-7000 www.oceanclubhotel.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.
B, L, D
$8-$20 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
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SEASIDE CHEESE COMPANY 110 Park Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 884-8700 WWW.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.
L, D
$4-$12 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
N/A
N/A
YES
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STAR COFFEE SHOP 29 Perry Street, Cape May 800-297-3779 www.caperesorts.com/thestar
It’s important to get your coffee from people who understand how important quality coffee is. The Star is that place...
B, Cafe
$1-$7 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
NO
NO
YES
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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.
Liquor Store
Please call for info
N/A
N/A
NO
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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 for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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$18-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
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TOMMY’S FOLLY COFFEE 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-6522 www.caperesorts.com/tommysfolly
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.
B, Café
$1-$7 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
NO
NO
YES
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TWO MILE RESTAURANT Two Mile Landing, Ocean Drive Wildwood Crest (609) 522-1341, www.twomilelanding.com
Good food with some seriously good views of the back bays. There are actually two restaurants to choose from here. What’s not to love?
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$12-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE
BAR
NO
YES
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THE UGLY MUG 426 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-3459
A Cape May legend. It has a classic pub vibe, and always a warm, friendly atmosphere, reliably good service, live music at night, and cold beer.
L, D
$12-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
NO
YES
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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.
B, L
$4-$9 Cash Only
BYOB
NO
YES
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UNION PARK Beach Avenue & Howard, Cape May (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.
D
$18-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE
BYOB
YES
YES
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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!
L, D
$8-$20 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BYOB
YES
YES
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WASHINGTON INN 801 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-5697 www.washingtoninn.com
Superb gourmet food, and a cool but cozy bar. Check out an amazing wine list of over 10,000 bottles; they’ve got the largest wine cellar in South Jersey.
D
$18-$34 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
BAR
YES
YES
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THE WINE CELLAR Beach Ave and Madison Cape May (609) 884-6114
The Montreal Liquor Store has changed names and is now called The Wine Cellar. Grab a bottle of your favorite vino on your way to a BYOB, or stock up on beer and spirits for your next party.
Spirits
$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D
Liquor Store
NO
NO
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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!
B, L
$4-$12 Cash Only
BYOB
NO
YES
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SYMBOLS KEY
u Onsite parking
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U Dog-friendly patio
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Steve Green & the Elevators The Story: Bassist Steve Green was a musical staple at the now-closed Shire bar in Cape May, where according to festival founder Michael Kline, the dancing at his performances was legendary. “Cape May got all shook up when Steve Green played,” he said, and there’s no doubt the town will be shaking again — former Shire proprietor Wayne Piersanti will even host the night’s performances. Green, who was the house bass player for Philadelphia International Records and sat in on sessions with Lou Rawls and Santana, is supported by a five-piece backing ensemble playing hip hop, funk, gospel, and Afro-Cuban fare. Just as important as the music is the feeling it creates. Green says, “We’re on a mission to elevate the heart and soul of the audience.” The Sound: Green has decades of experience on the bass and the chops to show it. He solos with serious speed and intensity in a kind of funky slight-of-hand, and the effect is mesmerizing. A Higher Calling: Green runs a weekly segment on Philadelphia local TV called The Steve Green Show: Playing and Praying. Where and When: Friday, November 7, 9:30pm and 11:30pm on Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Carney’s Other Room.
The ONLY place for Southwestern cuisine. At the heart of the Historic District.
Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner!
LITTLE ITALY II RISTORANTE
Home-cooked food that will satisfy you, your family, AND your wallet.
PIZZA • VONGOLE ALLA CASINO • PENNE ALLA GIOVANNI SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO • FLOUNDER MEDITERRANEAN VEAL ALLA VINCENZO • CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA
CARPENTER’S SQUARE MALL CAPE MAY • (609) 898-7750
3704 BAYSHORE ROAD, NORTH CAPE MAY (Cape Plaza Shopping Center) • 889-6610
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9
Johnny O’Neal The Story: Here’s a performer with a colorful story to tell. Born in Detroit, he began his career as a child, learning the musical ropes in churches, and later on the bandstand, in his hometown then in Birmingham and St Louis. In 1980 he made his way to New York City and began playing with greats like Art Blakey, Mitt Jackson, and Clark Terry. In 1985, when he opened for Oscar Peterson in Carnegie Hall, his star was unequivocally on the rise. A year later, O’Neal was mugged outside of his Harlem apartment and left New York for the next two decades, performing at smaller venues in Atlanta and Detroit. His playing was as sharp as ever, but staying out of the spotlight limited his reach — his second big break came in 2004, when director Taylor Hackford chose him to play the role of his old mentor, Art Tatum, in his 2004
biopic Ray. Says O’Neal, “They had me a ticket to the screen test in a few hours. They cut me right away, shaved my head to give me the look, and I sat down and started playing. The director didn’t even let me finish: ‘That’s who we want.’” In 2010 O’Neal returned to New York, where he now has a residency at jazz club Small’s in Greenwich Village, playing nightly to a crowd of young pianists who gather to learn from a great. But you don’t have to be a musician to appreciate O’Neal’s story, or his inimitable style — you just have to come and hear him play. The Sound: The New York Times says he “may be the leading exponent of mid-20th century jazz piano technique.” O’Neal plays the way he did when he first hit the music scene — with a classical sensibility. He can’t read music, but he’s got 1500 songs and lyrics in his head. A Jazz Conversion: Originally O’Neal had his exit zero
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sights set on a career in gospel music. He was hanging out in St Louis, waiting for a singer from Birmingham to meet him, when a taxi cab pulled up and offered him a ride. When O’Neal said he was there for a gig, the cabbie said he was a jazz guitarist and drove O’Neal to another concert nearby, where he sat in on piano. It didn’t take long until he was booed offstage. “They were yelling at me ,‘Get off the piano stool with those church chords!’” he remembers. Nonetheless, the band saw something in O’Neal and offered to let him play six nights a week. And that’s how a jazz legend got his start. Where and When: Friday, November 7 at The Ebbitt Room, on Jackson Street, Cape May (for reservations, call the Ebbitt Room at 609-8845700) and Saturday, November 8, 8:30pm and 10:30pm on the Whale’s Tale/Splash Stage at Aleathea’s.
u Exit 0 International Jazz Festival
All-You-Can-Eat Blue Claw Crabs Enjoy your last taste of summer! Our outdoor deck & bar are open... $2.50 Coors Light Draft, $3 Corona Light Draft & $3 Coors Light bottles. All day, every day.
CRABBY HOUR 2-5PM
$5 app menu & $1 off all drink (bar only)
FISH DOCK ROAD, WILDWOOD CREST (at the base of the Wildwood Crest Bridge)
609.522.1341 • twomilelanding.com
Lili Añel
Casual Upscale Waterfront Dining FOOTBALL SPECIALS
During All NFL Games — bar only
$5 App Menu & $5 Pizza Buck-a-Shuck Oysters $2.50 Coors Light Draft
3-COURSE EARLY DINNER $25 before 6pm
HAPPY HOUR 4-6pm Open Thursday to Sunday at 4pm exit zero
The Story: Born in Spanish Harlem, Añel honed her craft as a musician in the jazz clubs of Greenwich Village, eventually touring with her band and opening for giants like Etta James and Taj Mahal. A Cuban African-American, she makes the most of her roots, delivering a heady combination of jazz, folk, blues, Latin and pop sounds with her fullbodied voice and sensitive guitar skills. Anel has recorded six albums — her latest, I Can See Bliss From Here, was cut after she left New York City for Philadelphia, then took several hits during the recession: losing her job, selling her car and her prized guitar just to stay afloat. Her song “Climb the Wall” deals with the difficulty of those times with pathos and pride: after all, Anel came through just fine. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear a few select favorites from that recording, as they’re tailor-made for sharing with a live audience. “I believe there is so much in these songs for people to connect with,” Lili says. The Sound: Once described as “Joan Armatrading meets Joni Mitchell,” Añel’s music also recalls the rhythm-heavy traditions of African drumming and the Cuban call-and-response format. She’s a natural on the guitar, and her voice is thick and rich as molasses. Where and When: Sunday, November 9, 1 and 3pm on the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Carney’s Other Room.
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Nigel Hall The Story: This Washington DC native has brought his thrilling fusion of soul and funk to some of the world’s best jazz cities (he recently moved to New Orleans after a long stint in Harlem), and on November 7 and 8 he’ll add Cape May to the list. The accomplished keyboardist and vocalist credits Frank Zappa and Herbie Hancock as major musical influences growing up, while his own talents have made him a sought-after performer for acts like (Exit 0 Jazz Festival alum) Jon Cleary and Boston-based funk band Lettuce, in addition to his own ensembles (the Congregation and the Nth Power, most recently). The Sound: Hall plays a mix of original compositions and favorites from the soul canon, singing with a smooth tone and an easy upper register. Of his performance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, the Times-Picayune wrote, “Hall alternates a soft, nimble touch with soaring, church-worth sustained notes.” Where and When: Friday, November 7, 9 and 11pm on the Just 4 Wheels Stage at Carney’s Main Room, and Saturday, November 8 at 9:15pm and 11:15pm on the It’s A Breeze Stage at The Boiler Room
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... Best Wings In South Jersey! 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 exit zero
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Brian Betz Quartet featuring Denis DiBlasio The Story: In an art form so dependent on collaboration, finding a solid musical partner is like hitting the jackpot. Lucky for DiBlasio and Betz then, that they happened to both be teaching at Rowan University. The pair have collaborated on several projects, including two albums, and have taken their show on the road down to Cape May with the backing of Betz’ quartet. Both men have serious credentials to their name: Betz, a guitarist and composer, has recorded six albums and performed at the Villanova Jazz Festival, the Gettysburg University Jazz Festival, and the Somer’s Point Jazz Festival. He’s also a two-time winner of the Betty Carter International Jazz Competition. He teaches both jazz and improvisation at Rowan University. DiBlasio, a saxophonist, flautist, and composer, cites Duke Ellington and John Coltrane as some of his first jazz favorites, but he’d eventually go on tour with Maynard Ferguson, where he met Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Art Blakey and more. As the head of Jazz and Composition at Rowan, DiBlasio’s written six books on those topics, and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz Studies (Betz also serves on the faculty). The Sound: Betz and DiBlasio volley solos back and forth between them, so attuned to the other’s style that their transitions feel both organic and carefully planned. They play their respective instruments with the ease of seasoned professionals, and keep the show lively with occasional rapid-fire scat singing. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 1:30 and 3:30pm on the TIto’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Carney’s Other Room.
Down-home cooking... with a terrific view!
Seaside Cheese Co. Over 100 Imported Cheeses & Meats Gourmet Olives & Dipping Oils Gourmet Items P a r t y Tr a y s • S a n d w i c h e s P r i v a t e Ta s t i n g s A v a i l a b l e !
Beach Avenue & Grant Street, Cape May • 884-3772 exit zero
110 PARK BLVD, WEST CAPE MAY (609) 884-8700
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Bluebone The Story: A Cape May institution for years, locals need no introduction to Bluebones’ redhot boogie blues style. For the uninitiated, this trio has been a constant source of top-notch live music in town. Guitarist, vocalist, and founder Jay Bethel fronts the group with skillful playing and a warm, soulful voice — he credits Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers as some of his most important influences. He’s written a great deal of original material for the group, and has won songwriting awards from Billboard and ASCAP. Also on vocals and bass is Van Burriss, who’s been playing on the same Fender since 1977 and was a fixture at Cape May Jazz Festivals past. Rounding out the group on drums is Frank Araneo — a globe-trotting percussionist whose chops are unmatched in South Jersey. Hear them play and you’ll see why they’re one of Cape May’s favorite bands. The Sound: Bluesy boogie with an undercurrent of funk, Bluebone plays songs best enjoyed on the dancefloor — so don’t stay in your seat for too long. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, noon and 2:30pm on the Just 4 Wheels Stage at Carney’s Main Room
Uncle Bill’s
Some Scarily Good Fall Brews in Stock!
SUNSET LIQUORS 106 SUNSET BOULEVARD, WEST CAPE MAY 609-435-5052 sunsetliquorsnj.com OPEN DAILY TILL 10PM
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& FAMILY RESTAURANT
Our pumpkin pancakes are back!
BEACH AVENUE & PERRY STREET, CAPE MAY (609) 884-7199 • www.unclebillspancakehouse.com
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9
Davina & The Vagabonds The Story: When one singer has been compared to Bessie Smith, Adele and Bonnie Rait, you’d figure one of those comparisons is off the mark. But then you hear Davina Sowers and realize just how much range one voice can cover. As the lead vocalist in DATV, Davina sets the tone for their rollicking stage shows, heavy on New Orleans horns, inventive percussion, and precise keyboard work. The band puts an emphasis on acoustic instruments and analog recording techniques (for more on their latest release, Sunshine, see below), all in keeping with their respect for jazz generations past. Sowers hails from Key West, but relocated to the Twin Cities in 2005, earning herself a reputation as “the hardest working Blues woman in Minnesota.” She soon fell in with trumpeter Dan Eikmeier, trombonist Ben Link, drummer Connor McRae and bassist Andrew Burns, and not long after the quintet founds themselves performing together regularly, citing everyone from Fats Domino to Tom Waits as seminal influences. DATV perform upwards of 300 times a year, travelling extensively throughout the North
America and Europe to bring their own brand of blues to the world. The band clearly channels a past era in their sound, but never end up feeling dusty or archival. Instead, they’ve taken the best bits of an older aesthetic and infused them with fresh vitality. The Sound: A clean, precise interpretation of New Orleans blues runs through almost everything DATV perform, and many songs make good use of a call-and-response structure to keep things lively. Sowers herself has a voice that contains multitudes, from a cool coo that recalls Regina Spektor to a full-bodied wail. The Album: In July, Davina and the Vagabonds released their fifth album, Sunshine. The recording travels all over the musical sphere, from a red-hot cover of “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” (inspired by Aretha Franklin) to new numbers like “Throw It To The Wolves For Love” — a ragtime tune with an infectious melody. It’s been called “good, old-fashioned fun... like ice-cold lemonade on a summer afternoon.” Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 9pm and 11pm on the Just 4 Wheels Stage at Carney’s Main Room. exit zero
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THE BEST VALUE PASS At just $38, the Pop’s Pass is a great way to enjoy the superb acts at the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. The Pop’s Pass is available either online at exit0jazzfest.com or in person at the Exit Zero stores at 109 Sunset Boulevard (open seven days) and 316 Beach Avenue (Fri-Sun).
5 Reasons4CEZ4/2014
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Tasty reasons to visit Our brand new
Adult Mac ‘n Cheese
Best Crab Cakes
Rio Station
Our brand new
WINNER:
Loaded
Wine Spectator
Pork Chop
Excellence
Porterhouse Award of
SJ Magazine four years in a row
five years in a row
All of our food is made from scratch and you can tell the difference!
riostation.com American Steak & Seafood House Grande Center Mall • Routes 9 & 47 • Rio Grande, NJ • 609-889-2000
A Cape May Tradition for 40 Years!
Now serving Our famous Pumpkin Pie Fudge!
THE ORIGINAL FUDGE KITCHEN Facebook
728 Beach Avenue & 513 Washington Street Mall 800-23-Fudge • fudgekitchens.com • We ship anywhere! exit zero
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Website
u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Feedel Band The Story: The seven members of Feedel have made their reputation playing ethiojazz, a genre that takes the best aspects of Ethiopian and world music, then mixes in jazz, reggae and the occasional jam-band groove. Taking their inspiration from well-known Ethiopian groups like Walias, Ibex, and Roha Band, Feedel make it a goal to transport audiences with their music, and have done quite a bit of traveling themselves, moving up and down the East Coast to play residencies at a variety of venues, and participating in world music events like FestAfrica and the Global Roots Fest. With so much demand for their musicianship, it’s no surprise that radio program Afropop Worldwide credits the band with “keeping the funky experimentation of ‘70s Ethiopia alive today.” The Sound: With an airtight brass section, twanging guitar riffs and a mellow, percussive base, Feedel manages to sound both familiar and exotic (thanks in part to the minor scales more prevalent in Ethiopian music). Where and When: Friday, November 7, 9:15pm and 11:15pm on the It’s a Breeze Stage at the Boiler Room, and Saturday, November 8, 9:30pm and 11:30pm on the Cape May Brewery Stage at Cabanas.
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 exit zero
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Gem City The Story: The eight members of Gem City are bringing old-school funk, rock and R&B to an entirely new audience with their enthusiastic performances. Based out of Dayton, Ohio the group played so well at Carney’s last year they were immediately invited back for an encore. Founded as a temporary project, the guys realized they had a hot property on their hands and decided to stay together, a decision that’s taken them to the Rochester International Jazz Festival and the Downtown Dayton Revival. The Sound: Billing themselves as funk-rock with a heavy dose of R&B, Gem City is fronted by Zach Lemons, who leads Peter Mills, David Watanabe, Dillon Corrigan, Matt Schroder, Terry Staten and Mike Francis with husky vocals and impressive trumpet chops. Where and When: Saturday, November 8, 9:45pm and 11:45pm on Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Carney’s Other Room, and Sunday, 1:30pm and 3:30pm on the Cape May Brewery Stage at Cabanas.
A cool relaxed setting in a red tin roofed Victorian. A warm welcome with professional service and contemporary coastal cuisine. A quaint byob with parking.
Aleathea’s Casual Oceanfront Dining in Cape May
We accept reservations & cash only. Catering available. Open Thursday through Monday.
CHEF l S DINNER CLUB SERIES COOK & BREAK BREAD with CHEF JOSHUA DAY Every Monday - fee $100 Please call to reserve 311 MANSION STREET behind Colliers Liquor Store 609-884-0200 islandgrillofcapemay.com FIND US ON FACEBOOK
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Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner - Please Call for Hours Ask about our $25 First Seating Dinner Offer! MURDER MYSTERY MEALS!
Dinners: Oct. 4,12,13,18 & 25 - Cocktails at 6:30pm - Show starts at 7:15pm Luncheons: Oct. 5, 19, 26 - Cocktails at noon - Show starts at 12:30pm Adults $50 for Dinners, $35 for Luncheons. Children’s menu $15 per meal. Limited event. Reservations are necessary. Call 609-884-5404 for info.
7 Ocean Street, Cape May
800-582-5933 • www.innofcapemay.com
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u The Exit 0 International Jazz Festival... November 7-9 Cintron The Story: If you’re looking for a night of upbeat Latin rhythm, add Cintron’s performances to your calendar now. The jazz orchestra of horns, guitar, percussion and vocalists is headed up by Edgardo Cintron, who credits Charlie Parker, Carlos Santana and Tito Puente as some of his biggest influences. Edgardo’s father, Pablo, likely gave him the music bug — he got his start in the business touring as the percussionist in his dad’s group, Los Tropicales (at eight years old, he’d already secured the first chair in the percussion section). Cintron remembers traveling up and down the East Coast, performing at hotels and Latin dances. “We used to wear the ruffled shirts, the red suits and get the people dancing” says Edgardo. “We played all the great Latin standards.” Since then Cintron has made his own waves, carrying on the tradition today as a great bandleader with a catalog of recordings under his belt. In addition to his 1995 debut with the Tiempo Noventa Orchestra (a Naxos release entitled Musica Caliente), Cintron has had two Grammy nominations, for recordings of “Spanish Eyes” and “Straight, No Chaser.” Ever since Cintron’s performance in May
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of last year, they’ve been a festival favorite. Swing by Cabanas on Friday to see why.
richly stacked harmonies and razor-sharp percussion.
The Sound: Cintron’s live performances bring plenty of heat, drawing on Latin jazz, soul, and funk, with a bombastic horn section,
Where and When: Friday, November 7, 9:30pm and 11:30pm on the Cape May Brewery Stage at Cabanas.
Oyster Bay
Axelsson’s Blue Claw & Clipper Ship Pub
STEAKS SEAFOOD
Dinner from 5pm Call for days open
Dinner from 5pm Wed thru Sunday HAPPY HOUR 4:00-6:30PM Returning soon: Comfort Food in the Bar!
Early Dinner Specials 5-6pm ~ $22.95 1/2 price Raw Bar 5-6pm ~ Pub only Affordable Pub Menu Featuring... Bacon & Beer PLUS AMPLE FREE PARKING!
RESERVATIONS: 609-884-5878 • 991 OCEAN DRIVE, CAPE MAY www.blueclawrestaurant.com exit zero
(609) 884-2111 • 615 Lafayette St, Cape May
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Shooting the Swell
how a love affair with the waves led matt ciancaglini to try out photography. turns out he’s a natural.
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47 October 2014
We discovered the work of Cape May’s Matt Ciancaglini via the Exit Zero Facebook page. Matt recently sent us some shots of waves and we were blown away, as were thousands of our Facebook fans. We wanted to know more about this 24-year-old talent and knew you’d appreciate seeing some highlights from his portfolio. Interview by Jack Wright The most obvious question is… how do you do it? I started taking photos with a GoPro at the beginning of last summer. I saw some pictures of people inside waves and thought — ‘hey, I could do that.’ I bought a GoPro and with no knowledge of photography I went out into the water and started shooting. I just swim out with fins on, camera in hand, on a pole. Get inside the tube and click away. How do you decide when to shoot? Do you study the surf report, for instance? There are many factors that go into deciding when and where to shoot. First of all we have to be getting a swell. Right now it’s hurricane season so we hope for hurricanes to come up the coast and produce swells. exit zero
And the wind is a major factor. Depending on where you shoot, you need the wind to be blowing in a certain direction so the waves form nicely. How about the tides? Around here, the best time to shoot is incoming tide to high tide. There are plenty of other things that come into play, too — can’t just wake up and say I’m going to go shoot and hope for waves. Have to really plan it out. What’s the best time of year for you to shoot this kind of stuff? In New Jersey, our best time for waves is winter. A lot of people think we’re crazy for getting in the 35-degree water when its 20 degrees outside and snowing. It’s something that takes getting used to, but it’s amazing. No one realizes how good we actually have it in Jersey, swell wise. You just have to suck it up and deal with wearing a full wetsuit and swimming in cold water. Even with the best of planning, can things go wrong? You have to realize you’re dealing with mother nature. Anything could change at any time so when things don’t work out (which happens plenty of time) you have to just keep your head up and hope you’ll get it next time. So these wave shots are amazing. How many do you have to shoot in order to get THE one? With my GoPro I used to always shoot in burst mode, which could take 30 pictures in
48 October 2014
Previous page: Shot at Stockton Avenue Beach in August, before Hurricane Bertha hit.
The Lobster House fishing fleet was shot in August, 2013 in the late afternoon. The shot of the Cove on the previous page was shot at sunset in September, 2012.
Left: From Poverty Beach during Hurricane Arthur in July. This page: One of the first sunrise shots Matt ever took in the water — at Poverty Beach in July, 2013.
a second. Now I use a DSLR camera, a Canon 70D, with a a waterproof case. With my Canon I can do so much more and have full control. I usually shoot in manual mode with my ISO either set between 100-200 or on auto ISO, depending on the lighting. I adjust my shutter speed and aperture in the water depending on the situation. How many photographs do you typically shoot during one session? On a good day I come out with around 2,000-2,500 photos. This is because I just click away on almost everything so I know I won’t miss anything. Are you a surfer yourself? I used to surf, bodyboard, skimboard, bodysurf — all of it. If you really love the wave you’ll ride it any way you can. I went to college in Southern California and fell in love with bodysurfing, which is the most natural form of riding a wave. After that I realized I wanted to capture the beauty I experience inside the wave and share it with everyone. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Did you grow up here? I’m from Vineland, 40 minutes from Cape May. My parents have a house here and I spent every summer here since I was six. I’m now 24. People can say that I’m not a true local but in my eyes I am. I moved to California when I was 20 and came back last summer. I missed almost three summers when exit zero
I lived there. How does SoCal compare with Cape May? Don’t get me wrong, I love Southern California, but there’s something here that just brought me back. I now live here year-around. People will always say once they move away they’ll never come back but when you’re away for a while you realize what’s most important in your life and where that’s at. For me it’s here in Cape May and this is where I want to be. What’s a perfect day for you in Cape May? Getting a solid swell and me just out there shooting from sun-up to sundown on a sunny day. Then going out with friends for drinks at the local bars. I usually would be so stoked on days like these to view my pictures after I shoot but that’s a whole other process. I’m usually over-excited when I know I had a great session and just need to relax and wait till the next day to actually go through all of my photos and edit. You shoot a lot of waves. What is it that draws you to them? I love very scenic and epic landscapes. I always had an interest in the ocean. Waves just seem right. I could be out in the waves all day by myself and have the best time of my life. The force and energy they produce is unreal. It’s so natural and beautiful, it’s unlike any other thing. Tell us about the aerial shots. They’re just a hobby — it’s
49 October 2014
Here is how this caption would look in all bold. does it look strange?
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50 October 2014
Here is how this caption would look in all bold. does it look strange?
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51 October 2014
Poverty Beach at sunrise in July of this year.
Matt used a drone to shoot this aerial photo of Cape May Point in May of this year.
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52 October 2014
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53 October 2014
basically a point-and-shoot camera on a drone. I’ve been getting into film a lot lately and use the drone for that type of shooting more than photography. I haven’t released any film stuff but have just been practicing and getting better at it before I really push it. For readers who don’t know what a drone is, please explain. The drone is like a remote control helicopter with a camera on it. It’s the toy you wish you had when you were 12 years old. Cinematography-wise, it’s actually really difficult to shoot with and take a lot of practice to get good steady footage. Is photography just a hobby or is it something you want to turn into a career? Photography started out in June last year as a hobby, but it has turned into my passion. All I want to do is photography now. I’ve only been shooting for a year now and feel I will never stop learning. I can’t wait to see where it takes me. It’s definitely my passion now and I am giving it everything I have. I’ve always loved this quote from Buddha. It really inspires me and it sums up how I feel about my photography — “Your work is to discover your world and then with all of your heart give yourself to it.”
Matt Ciancaglini goes in search of the perfect Cape May wave — this photograph was shot in August of this year. Johnny Glogowski
So what other work have you been doing to pay the bills? I had a full time 9-5 job recently, working for a modular home company in Millville NJ, but I quit to pursue my passion. Working that job I didn’t have time to shoot at all and I realized I needed to make a choice. So now I work at night making minimum wage at a restaurant and have my days open to shoot. I have no idea what will happen to me, but that’s the beauty of life. Just go with it. Got any ideas for future photography projects in Cape May? This winter I will be shooting every swell that comes up and plan to really bring my photography to another level. I also plan to film a lot and release videos. What’s the one place in the world you would most love to shoot if you could go there tomorrow? Probably Tahiti. The water there is just so clear and I love seeing pictures on Instagram from other surf photographers shooting there. It seems just perfect. Perfect weather, water as clear as bath water, and constant swell. Nothing could be better.
You can find some of our favorite Matt Ciancaglini images for sale in the EXIT ZERO STORE & GALLERY at 109 Sunset Boulevard and at 316 Beach Avenue (near Perry Street), and also at our store in West End Garage, on West Perry Street. Or buy online at www.ezstore.us. exit zero
54 October 2014
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55 October 2014
Running with Kashi Maybe you don’t love to run, but you won’t be able to avoid the enthusiasm of our new columnist, biologist and nature-lover KASHI DAVIS. Join her on the beautiful streets of Cape Island, and discover some nature lessons en route.
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56 October 2014
That’s Kashi Davis in front, heading along Higbee Beach with fellow runners and nature lovers. Frank Scott exit zero
57 October 2014
RUNNING WITH KASHI f you run (or when you decide to start), you will hear an endless string of reasons why you shouldn’t from people who mean well, but are misinformed. Running will ruin your knees, they’ll say. It’s too high impact — all that pounding can’t be good for you, they’ll say. Did you hear about the guy who died at the finish line of the marathon, they’ll ask? It’s dangerous, they’ll say, shuddering as if you’ve told them you are considering dusting arsenic on your donut and following it with a chaser of snake venom. And at face value, their points may seem valid — it does seem like a lot of pounding on your body and people have died at the end of races. Your intuition may even be telling you they are right. But there is a reason that we can’t always trust our instincts, and running is a textbook example of this. Here’s why... Research has shown that runners’ knees hold up just as well, if not better, than non-runners’, and osteoarthritis actually occurs less in runners. Part of this is because activity causes cartilage to expand and contract, pulling in oxygen and flushing out waste products, keeping the area happy and healthy. And get this, knee cartilage might even like the pounding — the load-bearing and releasing caused by running may stimulate cell growth and repair. High-impact exercise is also good for you because it stimulates bone growth, rendering a stronger, steadier you that is less likely to succumb to bone loss as you age. Yup, it might not seem logical — but running and jumping, subjecting your bones to stress, is exactly what they need to carry you into old age with a smaller chance of winding up like the Life Alert lady, grasping a broken hip and yelling, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” People do die at races but, especially for those under 40, it is often due to previously undetected structural heart conditions that are not related to running. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not downplaying the tragedy of a vibrant life lost at the zenith of the accomplishment (deaths often happen at the finish line), but the percentage of people who die doing marathons is entirely too small (estimated at 0.5 to 2 deaths per 500,000 runners) to be a legitimate claim that running is too dangerous. For those who are keeping score, you’re three times more likely to die after falling from your bed. If you want to go the extra mile (ha!) to convince them, and maybe even yourself, that your body is a-okay with running, consider recent contributions to the field of evolutionary biology. Now, stay with me here, I’m not gonna get all sciency on you. All
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right, that is a lie, I am... what the heck is wrong with science? It’s a perfect companion to the cup of coffee and pumpkin muffin you might be munching on while perusing this issue. So, there is a body of work known as the Endurance Running Hypothesis which seeks to explain that humans have certain adaptations that make us more suited to long-distance running than most critters roaming the earth. These adaptations only make sense if we were meant to run — they aren’t advantageous to walking. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it — it reminds me of when I first saw The Usual Suspects and was all, “Oh, my gosh, all the pieces of the puzzle were there from the beginning?! How did I not see it?!” So let’s get down to it and then you can have the same feeling too. Or you might just go watch The Usual Suspects again, which is where I am headed after I finish writing this. Feel along the back side of your lower leg, just above the ankle — that is your Achilles tendon, one in a network of tendons and ligaments in your legs and feet that provides a springiness and efficiency that is not that useful for walking but great for running. Run your hand along your arched foot to those short, straight toes of yours — better for running than the flat feet with long, splayed toes that belong to our walking chimp friends. Now touch the back of your neck — this is your nuchal ligament, responsible for keeping your head stabilized when you run. At those higher speeds, your upper body also needs stabilizing, and that is where your big ol’ booty comes in handy — walking mammals don’t need so much maximus in their gluteus (remember, running is essentially controlled falling and your glutes help you keep it
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These plover ponds, behind the dunes at Cape May Point State Park, were created in the mid-2000s for the benefit of piping plovers, a federally listed species. What looks like a pond to us looks like a buffet with no plate limit to the plovies!
Keyser Soze, from The Usual Suspects, looks highly skeptical of the science but it must have been enough for Jersey-born Kevin Spacey, who is a runner himself!
*FUN FACT: Kevin Spacey named his dog Boston in honor of the city in response to the the marathon bombings. exit zero
58 October 2014
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59 October 2014
RUNNING WITH KASHI
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all know, the beach walk from town to the lighthouse is a favorite of everyone, but it creates a near impenetrable wall of people for the birds, who try to lead their chicks to the water’s edge but still avoid perceived danger (people and their dogs). The chicks were not eating enough to survive, so a solution was to create fenced-off plover ponds, where chickies could feed to their hearts content, disturbance-free. It’s been a smashing success! Now, if we could just convince predators to stop munching on eggs and chicks, we’d be golden... There are not too many plants that are still blossoming in October, but goldenrod is a superstar in this respect. Monarchs gather on it by the hundreds as they nectar up to fuel their flights to Mexico. It is also often mistakenly blamed for people’s allergies — but that is more likely to be the result of ragweed, which blooms at the same time. In fact, folk medicine touts the attributes of goldenrod — it has been used to treat arthritis, eczema, for inflammation, as a diuretic, to relieve muscle spasms and to treat kidney stones. Impressive, eh? The leaves and flowers are all edible and can be used in tea, soups and salads. So it’s good for wildlife, for people and is just plain pretty to look at. I think they call that a triple threat. Next, we arrived at a site that is exciting news for runners AND walkers. Many people do not realize that the track of land between the lighthouse and the cove is owned by two entities — the state manages Cape May Point State Park (where the lighthouse is) while The Nature Conservancy has Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (where the lighthouse isn’t). To the average person, they are virtually
from it becoming uncontrolled falling). None of these adaptations are necessary for a two-footed mammal that is primarily walking — they are all meant to help us run. Add these together with the ability to cool ourselves (through sweating) and you have a species that can outrun any other species on the planet. No matter who you pit us against, given enough distance and the ability to keep cool, we will prevail. You could outrun a horse. A cheetah. A rabbit. You, me, Keyser Soze (if you don’t know, watch The Usual Suspects) and every other member of Homo sapiens have bodies that years of evolution have sculpted into perfect running machines. So I ask you, why are you letting your Ferrari rust in the garage? Take that body out for a spin — it’s begging for it! On a recent morning, I met up with my running bud Alice and we took our finely tuned engines out for a ride. We explored Cape May Point State Park, The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge and the surrounding roads. Heading east behind the dunes you will find a path that runs past a series of ponds. Some of you may recall they were built a few years back as part of a huge ecological restoration project. They were designed as foraging habitat for the endangered piping plover (otherwise known as the coolest bird of all time) who nest on the beach in spring and summer. Plovers will happily forage at the shoreline of the ocean, but they much prefer a mudflat habitat. Plus, their chicks are precocial, which means that they are able to walk and feed themselves upon hatching (same as ducks and geese, whereas songbirds’ altricial young hatch naked, blind and must be feed). As you
Goldenrod isn’t just another pretty face — this plant, which can be seen blooming through fall all over the dunes, is something of a superstar in the natural medicine world.
Right: This bright beauty, a damselfy called a bluet, and can be seen flitting around the natural nooks in Cape May though the fall.
*FUN FACT: October is high season for marathons — more than 120 in the US this month, including Atlantic City. exit zero
60 October 2014
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61 October 2014
RUNNING WITH KASHI
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Above left: A bonus feature of this trail is that it is wellmaintained and wide enough that you don’t have to worry about your ankles kissing poison ivy, a move which they will very much regret later! Below: Hi Alice! And that is my shadow, which should mimic me taking the picture but apparently has a mind of its own because it looks as though it is saying, “Running buds, I salute you!” Which I guess is kinda cool, because I do!
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indistinguishable. There is a brown sign on the beach that shows the property boundary — if you look close, you’ll notice each agency’s signs throughout, but it’s not like there is a Berlin Wall between them. So, since there are two landowners, their respective trail systems were never connected — until now! The Nature Conservancy has created a path from their Main Trail that connects to the east side of the park. This means it is now possible to traverse the two sites without hitting the pavement. Let’s not get crazy — it’s no Appalachian Trail — but it is a great addition to our local landscape. If you start at the state park, you can make a four-mile loop through the two properties (including the western spur from the TNC East Trail, also new) which is fantastic! Many thanks to the TNC and CMPSP! Note: If you can’t figure out the four mile loop, contact me and I can send you a map of the course. On warm days in October you can still find dragonflies and damselflies flitting about (sometimes even migrating). These species play a trick on us because they are so small and unassuming (no one has ever complained about being bitten by a dragonfly) that they can easily slip into the background noise of things you may not notice while running. But if you have the time, I suggest slowing down and taking a closer look because I bet you will be surprised at what you find. One electric beauty, a bluet, is one of the more common damselflies in our area. They look exotic and fancy, but they are an everyday occurrence around these parts. Who knew! Now back to my fellow pavement-pounder, Alice. Running can be, and largely is, a solitary pursuit and there is a lot to be said for letting thoughts float through your mind when piling on miles alone. But for all the enjoyment that comes from spending time wandering around your grey matter, there is just as much that comes from running with friends. The miles melt as you chat them away, sometimes exposing sides of yourself you might not in everyday
Above: Spotted outside a home in Cape May Point. I 100% agree with this sentiment, unless the change is into warm running clothes in advance of winter, which is not something I want. At all.
conversation. I once read that it is easier to bear your soul on a run because you are looking straight forward, thereby avoiding the awkwardness that can come from direct eye contact. There might be something to that, but whatever the reason, I cherish my running buds and the miles we share. These runs are like mini-therapy sessions, but with more sweat and no co-pay (note: if your running buddy is charging you, it is definitely time to find a new one). While running, I like to look for signs (you know, the physical ones painted on wood). It’s a little quirk of mine. As we were heading through the Point, we came across this little legend — Be the change you want. I don’t need to say too much about this one because it already neatly states it all. What I will say is that I love the font of this sign — it makes me feel like it belongs outside a castle in a princess movie. Is that because I recently returned from Disney World? Possibly. By the way, you may have noticed a lack of fall pictures in this article. Deliberate. Every year, I go into a deep denial that summer is over so I still like to find the echoes of it in October and hang on as long as I can. Sure, by November I will have been beat down by dried corn stalks and cornucopias but for now it is blooming flowers, bugs and shorts! Hope to see ya out there! You’ll know it’s me because I’ll be decked out in the Forever Summer! shirt. No, really, I actually have one of those. For more running tips, inspiration and general enthusiasm about all sorts of things, follow Kashi’s blog on www.capeislandrunners.com.
*FUN FACT: The Ocean Drive Marathon, in March, starts in Cape May. Start base training now then get serious in December! exit zero
62 October 2014
a cape may moment
At Cape May Brewing Company on September 17: Kevin, John, Ed, David, Lind, John, Roy. Aleksey Moryakov
318 Washington Street Mall 609.884.9234 Bathtimecapemay.com
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CAROLINE BOUTIQUE
63 October 2014
• Johnny Was • Chan Luu • Susana Monaco • Velvet • Splendid • Michael Stars
Open All Year
Velvet • James Perse • Ella Moss • Eileen Fisher • Sanctuary • Johnny Was •
Michael Stars • James Perse • Ella Moss • Eileen Fisher • Sanctuary
BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE
the plan to rebuilD life-saving station #40 at cape may point article by lynn martenstein
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64 October 2014
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65 October 2014
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ounded by an insistent northwest gale, the schooner Emma Robinson anchored near the steamboat landing at Cape May Point to await more favorable weather. With a load of lime and a crew of six, she had nearly finished her run from Tomkin’s Cove, New York, to Milford, Delaware. Unfortunately, the wind grew even stronger, and her journey ended when she was blown ashore. Luckily, a surfman from Life-Saving Service Station #40 at Cape May Point was on his regular
patrol of the beach that night and saw the ship in distress. Hurrying back to the station for help, he returned with a crew of men and an arsenal of rescue equipment. The US Life-Saving Service documented the April 29, 1885, rescue in its annual
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66 October 2014
The wind had attained a velocity of sixty or seventy miles an hour, and created a perfect sandstorm, which nearly blinded the [station[ crew and made it almost impossible for them to drag the apparatus-cart, even with the aid of two extra men and a team [of horses]. At one place, where the road lay over a stream, it was necessary to halt and repair the bridge before it could be crossed. Indeed, the entire journey of three miles was beset with so many obstacles that the men were fully two hours in making it, and were nearly worn out. With the first glimmer of dawn, communication was effected with the vessel by means of the wreck-gun. The [rescue] gear was then rigged, after much difficulty on account of the unsteadiness of the vessel in the heavy sea, and in due time all hands were brought safety ashore. [The ship’s crew] were in such wretched condition from the drenching and exposure to which they had been subjected, both on board the vessel and in transit to the shore, as to be almost helpless. As they reached the beach, one by one, they were wrapped in blankets and carried to a place of shelter until all were safe and the surfmen were ready to resume the homeward march. Later that day, several surfmen returned to the vessel in their surfboat to recover the crew’s belongings but, by then, the schooner had submerged. Little was found. A week later, on May 5, 1885, a letter from the captain of the Emma M. Robinson appeared in the New York Herald... Previous page: A late 19th-century scene from Life-Saving Service Station #40 at Cape May Point, a replica of which is set to return close to its original site. Cape May County Museum Left: Before being moved to the Point, the station made its debut at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Library of Congress Below: A postcard of #40 before it was decommissioned and the service replaced by the US Coast Guard.
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Through your valuable paper, I wish to thank Captain Hand and crew of the Cape May Point Life-Saving Station for rescuing myself and crew from the schooner E.M. Robinson, which went ashore one mile north of the steamboat landing at Cape May Point in a terrible northwest gale, on the morning of the 29th of April. — John A. Hall, Master The valor of the station’s captains, known as keepers, and surfmen would be documented many times during the outpost’s service of three-quarters-of-a-century, as would the contributions of other stations of the US Life-Saving Service. Ultimately, though, motorized watercraft and helicopters eclipsed the stations’ usefulness. Kevin and Sandy Maloney could be called the modern-day keepers of Station #40’s legacy. Working with an all-volunteer crew of historians, surveyors, architects and boat-builders, the couple recently received approval from the state of New Jersey to build a replica of the station at Cape May Point. Yet, it is only a toe in the water for them. Their bigger dream is to showcase the area’s maritime history via a dedicated museum and youth boat-building program. “This is where it all started, our entire maritime heritage, right here in the Township of Lower,” Kevin told an audience last month at a council meeting, “from Captain Mey to the whalers to boatbuilding and commercial fishing. What we’re building at Cape May Point is a reflection of this community. It will be a beautiful gathering place where we can all come together and celebrate our proud heritage, whether it’s for Fourth of July fireworks, a Memorial Day barbeque, or the flag-lowering ceremonies at Sunset Beach.” The Maloneys’ journey to preserve Cape May’s sea-going past began four years ago. “We looked around the county, and there was very little about our maritime history,” Sandy said.
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The need for a maritime museum galvanized the couple and soon a group of volunteers joined their quest. It was finding the right place at the right time that proved difficult. “Our first choice was the old solarium building behind Convention Hall,” Sandy said. “We hoped to move it over to the harbor next to the Nature Center. Unfortunately, the city had other plans for it.” While the Maloneys continued their museum hunt, they logged thousands of hours in libraries and government offices from Cape May to the nation’s capital searching for local sea lore. They also organized a non-profit, Cape May Maritime Museum and Education Center. Fate steered the group slightly off its initial course when Sandy came across a photo of the 1876-style life-saving station that became Station #40, a discovery that changed the nonprofit’s priorities. Over the next two years, volunteers obtained drawings of the station from the National Archives, drew up new construction plans and waded into the permit-and-approval process. The organization reached an important mile marker last April when it received a land-use permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to construct an historically correct replica of the 1876 station near the site of the first life-saving station built at the Point. The state also imposed habitat and publiceducation requirements that included the removal of beach debris, restoration of dunes, roping off of walkways, posting of signage, provision of restrooms and enlargement of the parking area. Starting in August, truckloads of rocks, jagged metal and old pipes — leftovers from the site’s previous tenant, the magnesite plant — were hauled from the site for recycling. A sign was also erected to announce the coming attraction. The Maloneys estimate that the station’s boat-size double doors will swing open to the public in 2016. “We want to create a moment in time to show people what it was like to be in the Life-Saving Service in the late 1800s,” Kevin said. “When they visit, they’ll see apparatus that surfmen used to save lives: surfboats, flares, beach-carts and breeches-buoys (imagine short pants attached to a life ring strung on a zip line). We’ll also do re-enactments of rescues with the help of local Coast Guard personnel. Since we have to be historically accurate, there will not be a gift shop in the station.” For the last several years, the Maloneys have been collecting maritime artifacts. They now have a steam box (equipment once used in boat-building) in their backyard, and a 2,000-pound wooden Monomoy boat in their garage that boat-builder and volunteer George Loos is carefully restoring. “We started with five boats,” Sandy said, “because the auction company that was selling them wouldn’t split them up, so we bought the lot and donated four to museums.” The 1876 Life-Saving Station had another tour of duty before entering service in South Jersey — a five-month public-relations appearance at the Centennial International Exhibition held that year in Philadelphia. Reportedly, the station arrived at the fair unfashionably late — a month after it opened. The exposition provided a world stage for the United States and the nearly 50 countries that participated in the fair to exhibit their ingenuity and inventiveness. The US government showcased sevexit zero
eral of its agencies, including the Life-Saving Service, which previewed its latest 1876-style life-saving station, designed by J. Lake Parkinson, on a lake at the fairgrounds. Officials equipped the station with a full complement of rescue apparatus to convey its rapid-response capabilities to a world audience. With more than 10 million visitors attending the fair, it is likely they accomplished their mission. Soon after the exposition ended, the 1876 Life-Saving Station was dismantled, transported by train to Sea Grove (which became Cape May Point), and reassembled near the lighthouse. Unfortunately, that site is under water today. A second building from the Centennial celebration also traveled to Cape May Point that year. The Episcopal congregation in Cape May Point purchased another of the fair’s ginger-breaded buildings for an entirely different purpose — saving souls rather than lives. That refuge, St Peter’s by the Sea, is still in use today. “As far as federal service goes, New Jersey was the birthplace of the Life-Saving Service,” explained Bill Thiesen, Atlantic Area Historian for the US Coast Guard. The state’s primacy had as much to do with its geography as its politics. “In the mid-1800s, the state had the highest rate of shipwrecks and related fatalities in the country,” Kevin said. “The New Jersey shore had a heavy concentration of shipwrecks because sailing vessels regularly used that route,” Thiesen explained. “It also had extreme weather that damaged ships and caused them to come ashore.” William A. Newell, a young congressman from New Jersey’s Second District, can claim paternity for the forerunner of the US Life-Saving Service. As a young physician, he witnessed the tragic consequences of a shipwreck off of Barnegat Bay, in which all 13 crewmembers drowned. In his first of three terms in Congress, Newell secured a $10,000 appropriation to fund eight unmanned life-saving stations between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor “for the better preservation of life and property from shipwrecks.” Seven months later, he obtained an additional $20,000 allocation to construct eight stations on Long Island and six more on the Jersey shore between Egg Harbor and Cape May. It was this latter appeal that landed Cape May Point its first lifesaving station. The Bay Shore station was built in 1849, just south of the steamship landing at the foot of Sunset Boulevard. Ultimately, its function was usurped by the 1876 Centennial station, whose replica will rise close to the site of the former Bay Shore station. With little regulation or federal oversight, the loose network of all-volunteer stations struggled to provide consistent service in its early years. It found surer footing in 1871, when Sumner Kimball, a young lawyer in the Treasury Department’s auditing office, was appointed head of the Revenue Marine Bureau, which oversaw the stations. Kimball overhauled the service, building new stations, hiring full-time, six-man crews, setting uniform performance standards and requiring all stations to file an annual report detailing rescues, lives saved and fatalities. Five years later, he could report that only 16 lives had been lost since reforms had been introduced, compared to more than 1,500 in the previous 20 years. In 1878, the US Life-Saving Service was offi-
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Kevin and Sandy Maloney met model maker Bob Stork, from Adamstown, PA at Hereford Inlet Light during the Lighthouse Challenge in 2012. He volunteered to build the half-inch scale model from photos and drawings and consulted with Sherwin Williams to capture historically accurate colors. Sandy Maloney
cially made a separate agency of the Treasury Department. “Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the use of steampowered ships and better navigation aids gradually decreased the number of shipwrecks on shore, which reduced our reliance on the network of life-saving stations along the coasts,” said Thiesen. Later, in 1915, President Woodrow Wilson combined the shorebased Life-Saving Service and sea-based Revenue Cutter Service to create the US Coast Guard, which will celebrate its 100th year of service next year. Reconstruction of the former 1876 Life-Saving Station is expected to cost $740,000. More than half of that will have to come exit zero
from private contributions, according to Kevin, so he and the nonprofit’s board are beginning to get their feet wet in fundraising. This summer, the Women’s Advisory Board of the Cottagers’ Association of Cape May made a small donation to the cause and, this fall, the C-View Inn contributed its net proceeds from their annual Crabapalooza event. As permits are granted, grounds are cleared and checks are written, the recreation of the 1876 Life-Saving Station seems to be riding a wave of goodwill, public support and, perhaps, gratitude to its uncelebrated heroes. “People today are accustomed to safety, technology and everything happening quickly,” said Thiesen. “The 1876 station is important because it reminds us of the hardships and difficulties involved with saving lives in a day when there were no powered life-craft and lives were saved because of ingenuity and muscle, and going in harm’s way.”
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A hidden gem HOW ONE WOMAN’S DREAM LAUNCHED A HORSE HAVEN, TUCKED AWAY IN THE HEART OF CAPE ISLAND Article by KAREN FOX Photography by ALEKSEY MORYAKOV
Cindy Bilbao has written and photographed two books on collecting sea glass — they’re available at the Exit Zero Store and Gallery at Sunset and at Beach, where Cindy will be signing copies during the Sea Glass Festival in Cape May on September 27-28. exit zero
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There is nothing more enchanting, more freeing than riding a horse on the beach in the moonlight. — Mary Ellen Taylor-Dickinson
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he is the grand dame of Cape Island equestrians, the founder of Hidden Valley Ranch, and the reason why today this charming landscape of field, swamp and forest remains a riding center. Mary Ellen Taylor-Dickinson at age 87 is retired now, but equestrian programs she began more than 60 years ago continue under the management of her granddaughter Angi Dickinson. Angi has been running Hidden Valley Riding Center for five years. Her office is a picnic table under the shade of a maple tree, alongside the paddock where half a dozen horses are kicking up their heels in the afternoon cool. Hidden away from the beach city of Cape May, this equestrian facility is located down a long treelined, vine-laced lane off Bayshore Road between Sunset Boulevard and New England Road.
Clockwise from top left: Mary Ellen Taylor-Dickinson with her son Raymond Dickinson; Mary Ellen in a jumping class in the late 1940s; her granddaughter Angi Dickinson, who now runs Hidden Valley; an aerial shot of the original Taylor Farm on Seashore Road; 1948 riding club program. exit zero
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Angi says hello and introduces the horses. There’s Stella, Cooper, Patty Cake, Comet, Suzie and Bernie. In the barn there’s another couple dozen horses. It’s late August and Angi is on her cell phone making arrangements for tomorrow’s kiddy classes and upcoming horse shows on the weekends of October 4 and 11. These equestrian events are as much a ritual of autumn here as the monarch butterflies migrating, the hawks counted, the pumpkins picked. “My grandmother Mary Ellen TaylorDickinson was among the Cape May horse people who started annual shows in the late 1940s,” says Angi. “They were sponsored by the Cape May County Riding Club, as you see here in this old brochure, held at the club’s riding grounds on Dias Creek Road in Cape May Court House. By then my grandmother was an established outstanding horse woman and riding instructor. Her first riding school was at her family farm – the Taylors’ on Seashore Road, where No Frills Farm plant and produce market is now. Taylor cousins still
own the farm. Grandmother had a riding track there, in the field by the road, where No Frills grows zinnias and sunflowers.” Grandmother Mary Ellen’s first horse was a pony, she recalls, as we talk in a telephone interview from her retirement home in Greensboro, North Carolina. “I was about four years old. My father was Walter Phillips Taylor. There were four of us — me, Doris, Nancy and Sheppard. Daddy gave each of us a pony. Sundays Daddy put us in his horse-drawn cart, all dressed up in our Sunday school best. He’d drive all over town showing us off to his customers. He had a horse-drawn wagon, later a truck, for delivery of Taylor Farm milk and produce. He operated a general store on Columbia Avenue in Cape May, in what is now the Cliveden Inn.” Taylor family Sunday excursions included horse-and-cart trips from their farm, traveling about three miles down New England Road to Higbee Beach on Delaware Bay for beach plum picking and picnics. Fields and forests, later called Hidden Valley, sandwiched between the bay
This photograph of Hidden Valley was taken in 2003. The roof of the barn on the left was destroyed during the blizzard of February, 2010, but the community rallied to raise $10,000 for a new roof.
and Bayshore Road, were part of the Taylors’ plantation, as large farms were called in the 18th century. The patriarch, George Taylor, was an early settler dating back to 1675. Historic documents indicate he was an agent for Dr Daniel Coxe, the London land speculator who acquired ownership then sold off land parcels of most of what is the South Jersey peninsula. The Taylor farm was known for its rich Guernsey milk, a butcher shop and seasonal produce. Walter P. Taylor cultivated crops with a team of Clydesdales, Betty and Bob, and loved ponies as much as his children did. “As early as I can remember I wanted to spend all my time with horses,” says Mary Ellen. “Daddy taught me to ride. When I was 12 he bought me a partsaddle-bred horse, a jumper, and brought down an instructor from Medford Lake so I could train in the finer points of riding exit zero
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English. I never rode Western until after I was married.” The happy-go-lucky life on the Taylor farm ended abruptly one day. “On the way back from Trenton, Daddy was in an auto accident,” Mary Ellen remembers. “He was in awful pain, but he just kept going. He managed his Saturday deliveries. I went with him, ran the milk and produce to the doors on the route while he stayed in the truck in pain. The next day the pain was so bad he went to the hospital. He never came home. He had an internal infection. It was 1940. He was 46 years old. He was a state assemblyman, a leader of the Grange, the Masons. Daddy was one of the first dealers of John Deere tractors. He was well respected, a community leader. “Mother had been a secretary. She didn’t know anything about farming. We all pitched in — milked cows, picked produce. I got married as soon as I got out of high school and moved across Seashore Road to Farmstead Dairy with my husband Louis Dickinson, whose family had worked at the dairy for many years. I had horses at
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both farms. It was my dream from childhood to raise and train horses.” When Mary Ellen’s mother split up the Taylor property among her children in the late 1950s, she gifted 245 acres off Bayshore Road to Mary Ellen and her husband Louis, who at the time were working at both the Taylor Farm and Farmstead Dairy. “We were looking at our new place, and someone came up with the name Hidden Valley,” she recalls. “That’s it, I thought — perfect — hidden away. This beautiful property stretched from Bayshore Road clear back to the bay, the Pond Creek marsh, along Sassafras Island where Mike McPherson cut hay for his dairy farm on New England Road. Parts of Hidden Valley ran alongside his farm which we used for trail rides exiting on New England Road.” Mary Ellen and Louis Dickinson moved to Hidden Valley in 1960. They built the barn first with Mary Ellen’s design of a clubhouse on one end. They lived in the clubhouse until they organized their dream of a riding stable and were financially able to build the house. “I had 10 or 15 horses,
Above: Horsing around during a riding day camp at Hidden Valley in September. Right: Joey America Tozer, Dempsey Ryan and Brynne Didinato learn the ropes, guided by expert advice from Angi Dickinson.
was teaching riding, attending every equestrian seminar possible. My husband was farming 300 acres — soybeans, corn and hay. We grew all our own feed. The dairy business was changing. We switched to beef cattle — Black Angus — for a while at Hidden Valley. We also had sheep, a deer, a couple llamas and traded a horse for a buffalo.” It was an ambitious operation — Mary Ellen soon was stabling 200 horses, raising colts, training horses, teaching riding, supervising summer camps, showing horses, running thoroughbreds in races (they competed in only non-gambling events), sponsoring horse shows with participants traveling to Hidden Valley from all over the East Coast and parts of the Middle West. At the same time, she was exit zero
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rearing two children of her own, Linda and Raymond. The Hidden Valley summer camps ran from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. Mary Ellen picked up the children in her station wagon. The camps at $3 a week became so popular she bought a bus. Her mother and sisters ran the clubhouse serving breakfast and lunch at the Chuck Wagon Grill. “Grandmother was a creative merchandiser,” says Angi Dickinson. “She offered long Western trail rides, through field and forest, moonlight rides, beach rides — some packages featured dinner at the clubhouse. There were horse shows and jamborees and 4-H club competitions.” Angi says she thinks her babysitter was a pony. Her mother is well-known equestrian Nancy Dickinson-Hall. “Mom was five and in love with a pony. Then she fell in love with the boy who owned the pony, my dad Raymond, Mary Ellen’s son. My mom and dad’s lives were wrapped around horses. Dad used to entertain under the
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lights here at Hidden Valley. He did roping tricks — mounted on a horse, he’d rush my mother on the ground, swing her up on the horse, like in rodeos.” Raymond and Nancy eventually divorced and he moved to Oklahoma. Nancy stayed on with the horses at Hidden Valley and continued programs Mary Ellen had initiated. Nancy is living a new dream now — training a small stable of horses on the elite circuit of Southampton, Long Island in summer and Palm Beach, Florida in winter. Hidden Valley remains a riding center today because of what Mary Ellen calls “the toughest decision of my life.” Her husband passed away in 1983 at a time that housing developments were eating up farms across the tip of the Cape. Deciding on preservation of the horse woman’s life she so loved, Mary Ellen sold her property to the Nature Conservancy which in turn sold it to the state of New Jersey in 1986. It became part of the 1,123-acre Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, under the Division of Fish and Game. Higbee Beach contains
the last remnants of a coastal dune forest on the bayshore. The dunes soar more than 35 feet high in some places, the sand cliffs dropping sharply to the shoreline. The forest of holly, red cedar, sassafras, persimmon, northern bayberry, scrub oak, wild black cherry, common wax myrtle and beach plums stabilize the dunes. Several hundred acres of woodland upland shroud the beach with a dense under-story of tangled vegetation. There are a freshwater marsh, two freshwater ponds, a hardwood swamp and old farm fields, all of which combine to provide a nurturing environment for migratory songbirds, raptors and butterflies. Higbee grows in size as the state of New Jersey buys land threatened with development. There are six areas of Higbee named for their geographic differences: Signal Hill, Davy’s (or Davey’s or Davis) Lake, Pond Creek, Sassafras Island, the defunct Magnesite Plant grounds, and Hidden Valley. The Dickinson family has continuously leased about 100 acres from the state for equestrian activities. Farm fields and exit zero
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woodlands which are part of the larger Higbee area provide the backdrop for the horse show grounds. When it’s show time, a few hours before the opening volley, big rigs roll down Bayshore Road, the super-cab pickups pulling the horse trailers. They turn at the Hidden Valley Riding Center sign, enter the narrow lane, cross the dark green swamp on both sides and pull into a country fair scene. There are families tailgating and playing field games, music, food — and Angi Dickinson on the microphone announcing the competitions. In the fenced riding ring there are the Baby Green Hunters — riders in their first and second year of showing with jump fences. The Bit O’ Straw Hunter Classic features novice riders and a two feet sixinch jump. There are the Short Stirrup, Mini Stirrup and Long Stirrup in vertical and cross rail competitions and, finally, a Pleasure Class open to all horses and ponies with a jump class course of 18-inch cross rails. Angi Dickinson gives lessons year-
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round at Hidden Valley and stables horses at about $500 per month. (“It used to cost a dollar a day,” her grandmother remembers.) Angi admits she’s a Dr Dolittle type. Her menagerie includes more than a dozen horses of her own — two Jack Russell Terriers, Birdie and Barney, her Golden Retriever Thor, three cats, Steamroller, Bob Cat and Spooky, and pet bald eagles, Howard and Harriet. “The eagles seek me out, talk to me, I talk to them,” says Angi. “When I mow, they sit there in the grass and just look at me. They lost their nest in Hurricane Sandy, but they built a new one and this past season had two babies. They are so proud.” As 3:30pm supper time approaches, accompanied by a choir of whinnies, nickers and neighs from the barn, a feisty chestnut snorts along the fence. “Oh, Prince Charming is not so charming,” says Angi. “He’s here for an attitude adjustment. He’s handsome and he knows it.” Angi is a horse whisperer with the ability to talk to the animals — and her young students. She reigns from the picnic table
Angi Dickinson with Simon — she took over the running of Hidden Valley, initiated by her grandmother Mary Ellen TaylorDickinson.
along the paddock speaking a sort of rap as the last summer camp class of the season trots around the ring. “Oh, bad steering. Make her march, now march with energy. Wake her up. “No trotting. Walk. Walk. Walk and canter. Sink down in your heels, you are relying on your hands, sink down. “Get your butt in your saddle, drop those reins. Heel. Your butt is popping up, get those heels down harder. “Sit up and canter and serve a cup of tea. Drop reins to the buckle, heels down. No knuckles. Hands out like an airplane. “Post and trot, post and trot. Come up taller, lean back, sink back. With legs, hold up body tall. Get him on the rail...” And so it goes, another class of youngsters learning from a third-generation Dickinson horse woman how to ride tall in an English saddle, and jump with precision exit zero
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and grace. “So many kids have come back and told me or written me,” says Mary Ellen TaylorDickinson, “that their experiences at Hidden Valley were some of their most important lessons in life. None of us had money. We were a community. We all pitched in, parents and kids, took care of the horses, cleaned the barns, forked the hay and had a good time. I remember a youngster who came to camp, sat on a hay wagon and petted a cat all afternoon. Animal friendships are like that.” When the great blizzard of 2010 dumped more than 30 inches of snow on Hidden Valley, knocked down part of the barn and isolated the ranch, help was on the way. They plowed through the drifts and helped dig horses out of the barn. “Before we could feel sorry for ourselves,” says Angi, “friends and neighbors were organizing a fundraiser at the VFW and contributed $10,000 for a new roof.” Seems there are a good number of horse whisperers on this beach resort island.
SOMA NewArt GALLERY
Carpenters Square Mall | 31 Perry Street | Cape May | NJ 08204
Two New Exhibits TULIP: BEFORE AND AFTER DIGITAL PAINTING, “24 X 30”
ELIZABETH STREB” OIL ON LINEN 60” X 40”
RICHARD SAM UELS ON
SANDR A BLO ODWORTH
Digital Paintings
New O il Pain tin gs
GALLERY ONE
GALLERY TWO
“Progressions and Crescendos”
ARTIST OPENING RECEPTION
“Si x i n t he C it y ”
Saturday, October 25th 5:00 to 8:00pm You’re Invited!
E X H I B I T IO N C O N T I N U E S T O D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 4 . Gallery Hours: Open daily 10am - 9pm 609.898.7488 | somagallery.net | Facebook: SOMA-newart-gallery
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The Fall shopping guide to Cool Cape May must-haves from 40 of our favorite stores in america’s original seaside resort words by susan tischler  photography by aleksey moryakov
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The fall shopping guide to Cool Cape May
Cape May Bird Observatory
Cape May Olive Oil Company
Cape May Peanut Butter
Cape May Wicker
Caroline Boutique
701 EAST LAKE DRIVE, CAPE MAY POINT
324 CARPENTER’S LANE
516 CARPENTER’S LANE
203 SUNSET BOULEVARD
400 CARPENTER’S LANE
The Vibe: It ain’t your grandpa’s nature center. The Must Have: CMBO is famous for the three things the visiting naturalist needs most: optics, field guides and info. They are an authorized dealer of Kowa, Leica, Nikon, Opticron, Swarovski and Zeiss, and they let you “try before you buy.” Plus, they have nature-themed clothing and gifts that make your fanny pack look so last year.
The Vibe: Artisanal... AKA, so in right now. This is shopping local at its best. The Must Have: At $18 a bottle, Cranberry Balsamic Vinegar is a great addition to the holiday table or a perfect hostess gift. Serve it over turkey, duck or goose, drizzled over figs, in a caprese dish or as a vinaigrette for salad with walnuts, raisins and cranberries. Or you could just go right ahead and drink it.
The Vibe: Cool and niche, but you’ll be too consumed with the awesome smell to notice. Fresh nut butters are ground in-store. The Must Have: Peanut butter hot chocolate. Sold in old-fashioned tins, it’s expected in stock some time late October. Good drinking times include: pre-carriage ride, post-snowman building, or while snuggled up with a special boo, one who appreciates your love of all things PB, natch.
The Vibe: Overwhelming... in a good way. There’s more than just wicker... think beach umbrellas and chairs, scented candles, decorative items and holiday décor. The Must Have: At $5.65 each, adorable little scarecrows will add panache to your doorway. And for the inside of the house, the even tinier scarecrow men and women priced at $3.15 will leave you feeling festive. Now if they only had a brain...
The Vibe: High-end but accessible. This boutique, open Saturdays through 2014, offers comfortable, casual clothing for women of all ages. The Must Have: A dress topper poncho in cashmere. For $156, you get more than you pay for... the washable garment can be worn as a scarf, too. Choose from 56 colors, all good for fall or winter. Disclaimer: you will have to take it off eventually.
Carriage House Shop
Exit Zero Store and Gallery
Flying Fish Studio
Good Scents
Italian Garden
1048 WASHINGTON STREET
109 SUNSET BOULEVARD
130 PARK BOULEVARD
CARPENTER’S LANE AND JACKSON STREET
510 CARPENTER’S LANE
The Vibe: Victorian! Located in the 1876 Carriage House on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, this place is stocked with teapots and teas, jewelry, books, scarves, toys, games, clothing, souvenirs and... you get the idea. The Must Have: Scarves (and scarf jewelry) are the most versatile accessory for fall. You’ll find a lovely selection here: light, airy and beautiful.
The Vibe: Rustic-surf chic. Is that a thing? It is now. There are souvenirs, clothing and art, much of it made locally, displayed in a beautifully designed 2,500-square-foot space. The Must Have: The pirate decanter by Two’s Company ($75) is one of the store’s hottest sellers. Why? Because it’s quirky and fun enough for the guy, and stylish enough for the lady to let him have it around the home.
The Vibe: Full of creative energy — they sell creative clothing and accessories for creative people, after all. The Must Have: The fish on the bike T-shirt ($22) is a funky kind of cool. Octopus messenger bags ($29) fit everything from iPads to overnight gear. And a soft, long-sleeved, full-zippered hoodie printed with CM’s nautical address is silkscreened with eco-friendly, water-based inks. And much of it is designed here.
The Vibe: An awakening of the senses via twinkling lanterns, jewelry and unusual gifts for the home. The Must Have: Bora Jewelry. It’s handmade from real stones set in sterling or bronze. There’s everything from $60 earrings to $400 knock-your-socks-off pendants in turquoise, amethyst or rose quartz. Or check out the Moon Phase jewelry which, we promise, is as cool and unusual as it sounds.
The Vibe: They sell Italian imports including perfumes, skin care products and Aliviero Martini map bags from Milano. All that’s missing is the gelato. The Must Have: The perfumes L’ambraliquida and Neroli Neroli, each priced at $40 a bottle. The first conjures spices and honey; the latter brings to mind orchards of flowering orange trees. And you can’t go wrong with either.
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Cape May Sports Memorabilia
Contemporary & Estate Jewelry We Buy Diamonds, Gold and Silver!
Large selection of high quality vintage sports cards & memorabilia at reasonable prices. Current Stars, Hall of Famers and Rookies Certified Autographed Items Vintage Yearbooks, Programs & Publications
Located in Cape May at Antiques Emporia 405 W. Perry Street 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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Phone: 609-898-3332 email: SprtsCardsRus@aol.com www.capemaysportsmemorabilia.com
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The fall shopping guide to Cool Cape May
Just For Laughs
Kaleidoscope
Mary Ann’s Fine Jewelry
Patricia Jackson Jewelry
Patricia Rainey Studios
504 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
506 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
511 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
414 BANK STREET
WWW.PATRICIARAINEYSTUDIOS.COM
The Vibe: Funny! The Must Have: Dr Who fans will want the latest Whovian tee celebrating the 2014 season as well as a Dr Who Disappearing Tardis Mug. For serious readers? Star Wars Book of Sith and the complete Farts collection, including Farts Around the World. For the practical: Maybe You Touched Your Genitals hand sanitizer. And for the holidays: Rudolph the Red Assed Reindeer Hot Sauce.
The Vibe: Magical mystery tour-esque — like the name says, it’s kaleidoscopic. The Must Have: Infinity scarves priced at $12 in every color will accent your wardrobe. Ponchos and jackets will help you get through the fall and early winter months looking stylish. And hats, hats and more hats, well, they’ll do what hats do — make you feel fun. Or feminine. Or flirty. Or fierce. Or... you get the idea.
The Vibe: Beauty, beauty everywhere... The Must Have: For 15 years Mary Ann’s has specialized in buying and selling stunning estate jewelry with an emphasis on engagement rings and an eye for modern and contemporary pieces. For men, check out the large selection of watches. For women, their stand-out pieces are antique wedding bands to accommodate estate rings.
The Vibe: Shiny! The Must Have: There are original jewelry designs in platinum, gold in all karats and colors, and sterling silver. But by far the most popular items are reminders of Cape May and the seashore. The Exit 0 and Cape May charms designed by Patricia Jackson are available in both sterling silver and gold ($40- $275). And the Sea Life Collection incorporates cool local shells.
The Vibe: Patricia Rainey’s love of the landscape and of Cape May are focal points for her watercolor and oil art. The Must Have: Patricia’s 16x20, custom-framed oil paintings, feature such iconic Cape Island locations as the Gazebo, the Bandstand, Lake Lily and the Red Store at Cape May Point ($375). Put your orders in now for the holidays; they are selling as fast as she can paint them.
Red Oak
Bird House Of Cape May
Sea Bags
SOMA NewArt Gallery
Splash – Whale’s Tale Gallery
324 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
109 SUNSET BOULEVARD
LIBERTY WAY, 507 WASHINGTON MALL
31 PERRY STREET
513 CARPENTER’S LANE
The Vibe: Cozy. This boutique specializes in American-made products and accessories. The Must Have: Handcrafted handbags. Check out the Vegan – Matt-Nat (material and nature) selection from our Canadian neighbors made from faux leather on the outside and recycled soda bottles(!) on the inside. Also handmade are Marcua limited-edition bags from Boulder, Colorado.
The Vibe: Environmentally friendly, and fun. The Must Have: Made in Pennsylvania, hand-crafted gourds are battery lit and range in price from $10 to $90. Also check out the scented wax pottery made in Georgia. These items have a potpourri effect without the nuisance of having to burn them. Think fall and winter and all the scents which come with — cranberry, cinnamon, bayberry and evergreen.
The Vibe: Nautical, green and innovative. Made from recycled sails. If they don’t have it, chances are they can make it! The Must Have: There are five Cape May bag styles in stock, and they range in price from $30 to $150. And the classic wine and bucket bags are perfect for BYOBing to one of Cape May’s outstanding restaurants. Toss in a little bit of ice and your wine will be as chillin’ as your outfit.
The Vibe: Artsy! SOMA is dedicated to providing a quality exhibition space for the many local and talented artists working in the MidAtlantic region. The Must Have: Original watercolors of artist Marie Natale’s magical Exit Zero covers from this year. They will be on show at an exhibition at SOMA opening October 18. If you can’t swing for the originals, snap up a beautiful 16x20 giclee print for $150.
The Vibe: Celebratory! Splash celebrates the work of Cape May artists and craftspeople. The Must Have: A piece of sea glass from their large selection and/or a piece of Cape May diamond jewelry. Check it out during American Craft Week on October 11 and 12 with demos featuring local artists and craftspeople. Makes for a pretty special souvenir of your time in Cool Cape May.
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the
ANTIQUE DOORKNOB Specializing in Architectural Antiques! Lighting, Mantels, Stained Glass and Original Restored Pieces
CAPE MAY 609.884.6282 NEW OILS ON CANVAS AND BOARD. SEASCAPES AND LANDSCAPES. NOW AVAILABLE. VISIT MY GALLERY OR SEE THEM AT MY SHOWS...
Inspired by Nature, Beautiful Home and Garden Decor for You and the Birds.
Oct 4 Octoberfest on Jackson Street Oct 11 Lima Bean Festival in West Cape May Oct 18 Arts And Crafts In Convention Hall Nov 1 & 8 Arts And Crafts In Convention Hall Nov 28-29 Holiday Arts And Crafts In Convention Hall
Patricia Rainey Studios
609-886-4863 | patriciaraineystudios.com exit zero
109 Sunset Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 898-8871 • www.birdhouseofcapemay.com Also, visit us at West End Garage
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The fall shopping guide to Cool Cape May
Tommy’s Folly
Whale’s Tale
West End Garage
White
Bath Time
200 CONGRESS PLACE
WASHINGTON STREET MALL
484 WEST PERRY STREET
605 HUGHES STREET
318 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
The Vibe: Fashion-forward (with great coffee, for when you run out of shopping steam). The Must Have: Cozy sweater wraps and sparkly ponchos, itouch gloves, hats and scarves have all arrived in time for fall. If you haven’t purchased your Fall purse yet, check out this affordable selection. and the the man in your life is covered, too, with new Johnnie-O vests and plenty of new dress shirts.
The Vibe: It’s a wideranging emporium that’s been a Cape May classic for 40 years. Happy birthday! The Must Have: Be sure to check out an Exotic Sands piece by Bill Tabor, the inventor of the lava lamp. (Bet you’ve always wondered who was behind that little bit of genius.) Bill has collected sand from all over the world and encased it between glass. Flip one over to create a soothing, ever-changing landscape.
The Vibe: Eclectic treasures in an industrial setting. The Must Have: Whatever treasure speaks to you. We’re not giving this one away, because all of the fun here is in the finding. Plus the inventory changes all the time. With over 50 stores represented under one roof, you’ll find antiques, vintage and repurposed items, art, clothing, pet supplies... it’s all the things you never knew you needed.
The Vibe: Sophisticated beach elegance. This lifestyle shop features home furnishings, tabletop, jewelry, candles and gifts all in varying shades of White. The Must Have: Spectacular handmade jewelry, both local and global. Among the choices: Byzantine style jewelry, featured in Smithsonian magazine, handcrafted in Istanbul using centuries-old techniques. (See owner Viviane on page 92!)
The Vibe: Will make you want to take a bath... in a good way! This is Cape May’s exclusive shop for bathing luxuries since 1994. The Must Have:From plush robes and warm slippers to exotic soaps and men’s shaving accessories, Bath Time has everything to pamper and please the spa lover on your Christmas list... but be sure to visit the fragrance blending bar to sample over 100 natural fragrance oils.
Cape May Honey Farm
Henry’s Jewelry
Happy Baby
Louisa’s Chocolate Bar
The Original Fudge Kitchen
135 SUNSET BOULEVARD
407 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
JACKSON STREET
JACKSON STREET, CAPE MAY
513 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
The Vibe: Pure, natural, raw, delicious and healthy. The Must Have: Honey, of course... it’s harvested from the bees of owners Doug and Andi Marandino, and imported from all over the world as well. We like the varieties that are especially high in antiviral and antibiotic properties like Neem, Ulmo and Manuka. Don’t love the taste of honey? There are pure beeswax candles, honey soaps, lotions and books.
The Vibe: It’s the vibe of a place selected to be among America’s Top 50 Designer Retailers by JCK Design Center. The Must Have: Henry’s is Cape May’s exclusive retailer of Alex and Ani, and carries the largest selection you’ll see. The products are sustainable and earth-friendly... and really beautiful. Pick your poison: there are bangles, necklaces, earrings and rings to choose from.
The Vibe: Happy and adorable! The Must Have: As humans go, babies are the cutest, and deserving of the cutest stuff. Enter The Winter Water Factory Organic baby clothing line, silk-screened on 100% cotton fabric. All products are designed, created and sewn in New York, making for a stunning USA-made product start to finish. Designs include Swedish florals, anchors, owls and a whole lot more.
The Vibe: Irresistible and artisanal. The Must Have: There is now the Louisa’s Chocolate Bar eponymous line of chocolates. It was a collaboration between owner Louisa and a thirdgeneration chocolate maker, as well as designer Heidi Cummings of the Inkwell in Cape May. Flavors include salted caramel dark chocolate, fig, peanuts and peanut butter, roasted almonds and sea salt.
The Vibe: As friendly as it is busy. The Must Have: ’Tis the time of year for pumpkin pie fudge. Yes, you read that right. Why should pies have all the fun? But if you prefers your pumpkins in a patch, another todie-for option are the Fudge Kitchen’s famous chocolate-filled Christmas straws and their newest fudge, vanilla or chocolate sea salt caramel. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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Because EVERYONE needs a GUARDIAN ANGEL MARIANA GUARDIAN ANGEL PENDANTS Handcrafted jewelry, layered with 18-carat rose gold, antique silver or antique gold with hand-cut gemstones combined with Swarovski crystals.
324 WASHINGTON STREET MALL, CAPE MAY shop@redoakcapemay.com 609.827.8320 facebook: redoakcapemay
Wear a piece of beautiful history. BORA Jewelry of Brooklyn began with three brothers’ vision in a small, makeshift New York studio. Today, the Bora collection showcases a variety of handcrafted rings, pendants, earrings, and cuffs. A masterful balance of strength and delicacy, the colllection is handcrafted out of robust semiprecious and precious stones set in oxidized sterling silver, accented with bronze or gold.
Available at
JACKSON STREET & CARPENTER’S LANE, CAPE MAY 800-777-8027 • 609-884-0014 • goodscentscapemay.com
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85 October 2014
The fall shopping guide to Cool Cape May
Bay Springs Farm Alpacas
Victorious
Galvanic
Casale’s Shoes
Wanderlust
542 NEW ENGLAND RD & WEST END GARAGE
CONGRESS HALL & 33 PERRY STREET
514 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
415 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
609 JEFFERSON STREET
The Vibe: Farm store featuring yarn from the farm, hand knits and fine imported Peruvian apparel including sweaters, capes, blanket throws and accessories. The Must Have: Don’t miss out on the Alpaca socks. (Comfy anklets $16, Warm dress socks $19, Outdoor boot socks $20, and Extreme Alpaca socks for coldest weather $24.) Of course, there are scarves and gloves and hats, too.
The Vibe: Hot. As in, a hot selection of estate and modern jewelry, and a hot selection of clothing and shoes. The Must Have: An antique diamond and platinum three-stone engagement ring from the 1920s. Three gorgeous bezel set diamonds totaling just under two carats with 24 natural sapphires accent this timeless piece, which is priced at $8,400.
The Vibe: Galvanic is a beautifully designed lifestyle-based shop with a rustic industrial feel. It carries handpicked quality clothing, accessories, and home goods for men. A great addition to the town. The Must Have: It changes often, since the merchandise is updated so frequently. Right now, it’s the three-quarter button, tri-blend hoodie from TVK for $68 — well-made, light and comfortable, stylish.
The Vibe: Stylish and knowlegable. Casale’s has been serving vacationing feet for over 55 years. The Must Have: Those would be the Glerups dk® priced at $90 a pair. From when the wool is on the sheep, until a pair of glerups dk® felted shoes are ready, they go through many hands and processes. The wool is treated naturally and the product followed closely, all the way from the animal to your foot.
The Vibe: Totally beachy, all the time. Funand-whimsy beachy, colorful-and-brightFlorida-kinda-beachy, cool-and-surprising Caribbean-fancy-beachy, and what-would-RalphLauren-do?-beachy. The Must Have: A swivel / glider chair (spin it around town or rock the night away)in one of 400 options for a slipcover. Priced at around $1,200. It is, well... really beachy!
Cape Atlantic Books
Lace Silhouettes
Pink
Sunset Beach Gift Shops
Cape May Artists Coop
412 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
429 WASHINGTON STREET MALL
33 PERRY STREET
SUNSET BOULEVARD
122-124 SUNSET BOULEVARD
The Vibe: Book, books everywhere... the REAL kind!
The Vibe: A place where a lady can browse some beautiful underwear and assorted garments, in the knowledge that expert staff are right on tap. The Must Have: Designed by Lace Silhouettes founder Karen Thompson, the warm and fuzzy Wish Wrap ($25) comes with a pocket within a pocket. Inside that pocket is a wish card. Make a wish and then “wish, dream, realize.” Variety of colors for women AND men.
The Vibe: Given that it’s located in Cape May’s famous Pink House, the mood here is fabulous, classy and — thanks to the owners, sisters Jen and Julie — fun! The Must Have: Free Bird boots are all handmade in the USA and meticulously distressed to give a time-worn patina. We’re particularly enraptured with the $275 Laredo Fringe Bootie — cowgirl chic at its coolest.
The Vibe: One of the quintessential Cape May shopping experiences — located right at the end of Sunset Boulevard, facing the Concrete Ship. Has the feel of a bazaar. Plus, there’s mini-golf, open yearround! Yes, even in January. The Must Have: A pair of sterling silver Cape May diamond earrings ($29.99). The diamonds are collected on Sunset Beach and set right there on the premises. Beautiful souvenir.
The Vibe: What you’d expect when talented artists pool their resources. It’s arty, it’s crafty! Works in all media at all price points. The Must Have: Candlemaker Dennis Dowe goes into overdrive for Halloween (and any holiday season truth be told). If you’re looking for traditional seasonal candles or if the Walking Dead is more your style, he’s a got a candle or two for you. Most are priced $20-$40.
The Must Have: It’s primarily a children’s book, but it also gives adults a really handy, beautifully illustrated guide to Cape May. In the Land of Exit Zero features 24 paintings by Janelle Di Lizio, with words by Ben Miller. And yes, we’re biased — we commissioned and published the book.
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86 October 2014
CASALE’S SHOES
® LOVE ® ALEX AND ANIAND MADE AMERICA WITH LOVE ALEX ANI INMADE IN AMERICA WITH
415 WASHINGTON STREET CAPE MAY 609.884.3148
HENRY’S Since 1972
407 WASHINGTON ST | CAPE MAY, NJ | 609.884.0334 407 WASHINGTONPOSITIVELY ST | CAPE MAY, NJ | 609.884.0334 AUTHORIZED RETAILER POSITIVELY AUTHORIZED RETAILER
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87 October 2014
Happy Baby Baby Boutique
Made in the Beautiful USA • Certified Organic Babiators • Unusual baby items Jelly Cats • Hats of all kinds Handmade Original Wipey Wallets One of a kind • Egyptian Cottons 106 JACKSON STREET | 609-884-5922
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a cape may moment
Ready, steady sell! The staff of Coldwell Banker Sol Needles Real Estate. Aleksey Moryakov
PINK By Victorious
Always carrying a stunning variety of antique, estate and designer jewelry; clothing, shoes and accessories.
2 FLOORS
of everything you love... now double the space.
Don’t miss it. Voted “Best Women’s Boutique” by My Fox Philly’s Best at the Shore
IN THE PINK HOUSE 33 Perry Street Cape May 609.898.1113
315 Washington Commons - daily 10-5 Victorious of Congress Hall - daily 10-5 Pink by Victorious at the Pink House - daily 10-5
FOLLOW US ON
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IN THE PINK HOUSE 33 PERRY ST, CAPE MAY 609.898.1113
89 October 2014
AT CONGRESS HALL 251 BEACH AVENUE CAPE MAY
SEARCH & RESCUE TO MANY, THE MEN WITH METAL DETECTORS ARE DISMISSED AS GEEKS, LONERS WHO ROAM THE DUNES AND THE SURF FOR SLIM PICKINGS. BUT CAPE MAY FIREFIGHTER JEFF LAAG HAS A HIGHER CALLING. HIS NOT-FORPROFIT TREASURE HUNTING HAS MADE SOME FORLORN PEOPLE VERY HAPPY. STORY BY DIANE STOPYRA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEKSEY MORYAKOV
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Firefighter Jeff Laag with Viviane Rowan, who thought she had lost three precious rings, until Jeff stepped in.
I
t isn’t playing chess. Or collecting vintage Star Wars memorabilia. Or even competing in quidditch. (Yes, Harry Potter fans have turned the broom-wielding game from the young adult book series into an actual sport complete with a world cup tournament.) The hobby that local firefighter Jeff Laag is busy reinventing — and making, against all odds, cool — is arguably the hobby with the dorkiest reputation: metal detecting. Never mind that metal detectors have been responsible for the unearthing of everything from Roman-era skeletons to Civil Warera weaponry to modern-era meteors. Never mind that metal detectors saved the lives of countless US soldiers during World War II, when they were used to locate landmines. And never mind that a metal detector nearly saved the life of President James Garfield after he was shot by an assassin in 1881. The machine was brought in to find the bullet in the president’s body, and the plan might have worked had Garfield not been lying on a metal-coiled mattress at the time. No matter the good that detectorists, as they’re popularly called, have done, their bad rap remains. We don’t picture them uncovering pirate treasure or some rare archeological find… the image we conjure is that of Hawaiian shirt-clad grandpas scouring beaches for someone else’s pawnable property. Even the BBC sitcom Detectorists has come under fire recently for making enthusiasts the butt of a joke via obsessive, oddball characters intent on finding some elusive prize. A representative from Britain’s exit zero
National Council for Metal Detecting responded by saying, “Any serious detector knows there isn’t much money in it.” Jeff Laag would agree. One might think the 34-year-old father-of-two (aged four and eight months) who married his elementary school sweetheart is busy enough with home life and work and his other pastime, maintaining the antique fire trucks at Cape May’s fire museum, as well as the one he keeps in his garage. “Sometimes my family piles in and we take it for ice cream,” he said. “People don’t expect to see that parked outside of a restaurant.” But between family and fire, Jeff finds time to run a not-forprofit “business” on the island called Lost Ring and Jewelry Recovery Service. When people’s valuables go missing during a day on the beach, Jeff shows up with his metal detector and finds them for free — even if it takes him weeks on end. “I’d read about other people who’ve used the hobby to help people,” he told us. “It didn’t seem like there was anyone down here offering this kind of assistance. I thought I could help some people out, too, and so far it seems to have worked out pretty well.” ‘Pretty well,’ meaning Jeff has made about 50 recoveries since he started the service three years ago. Of the two dozen or so calls he’s answered this summer alone, there was only one item he was not able to locate. Some of the success stories are humorous. At least in retrospect. Maybe. Like the time one woman purposefully flung her
92 October 2014
The Carriage House Gallery Shop
& Bears' Lair
Where the hugs are free!! The Carriage House Gallery Shop is now home to
Cape May Teddy Bears
Meet Honey Bear and Cocoa Bear and choose from lots of cute outfits, too. engagement ring, a family heirloom, into the dunes during a heated argument with her fiancé and then, after emotions settled, realized what she’d done. After more than two hours of searching in the dark through three-foot dune grass full of “creepy crawlies,” Jeff uncovered the diamond. By this point, even the ring’s owner had given up hope and returned home, leaving Jeff her phone number in case of a miracle. “People often tell me their item is half way to Europe by now or that it’s gone forever,” Jeff says, “and in some cases, depending on where it was lost and the item’s weight — whether it’s made of tungsten or gold or pewter or platinum — this is true. But nine times out of 10, I am able to find it.” Even if this means, in the case of one ring, spending nearly 18 hours searching. Danny Miller, a Millersville, Pennsylvania native was playing with his granddaughter on St Peter’s Beach in Cape May Point on August 9 when he lost to the surf what his mother had given him on his 60th birthday, a 14-carat gold band with a diamond chip in the center. “The thing you have to understand,” he told us, “is that she scrimped and saved for this. She’s a very conservative person, and she doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, so this meant an awful lot to her. And it had huge sentimental value to me.” Such sentimental value that Danny cried when he got the call from Jeff nearly a month, and several searches later, saying he’d recovered the gift in chest-deep water during one last-ditch exit zero
WE ALSO HAVE...
UNIQUE JEWELRY & GIFTS TEAPOTS • TEAS • COOKBOOKS BOOKS & TOYS & LOTS MORE! T at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. • OPEN DAILY •
and don’t forget to visit
The Cape May Lighthouse Museum Shop in the Lighthouse Oil House at Cape May Point State Park
Lighthouse & Nautical Souvenirs T-shirts • Sweat shirts Toys • Books • Snacks
All to remember your trip to the lighthouse! MAC MEMBERS GET 10% OFF!
T
Your purchases benefit on-going restoration and preservation efforts of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC)
93 October 2014
Let us help you find the Perfect Fit! look good... feel comfortable
Bra Therapist Available Daily! Walk in or by Appointment. Sizes 32-44
Est. 1988
429 WASHINGTON STREET MALL, CAPE MAY Across from the Ugly Mug. Open daily 10am to 11pm.
609-898-7448 ALSO AT: 51 Palmer Square, Princeton, NJ & Peddler ’s Village, Shop #30, Lahaska, PA
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“When I look at my rings, I see my 30 years of marriage — all of the struggles and all of the good stuff. We have lived all over the country and we’ve raised two fabulous boys and my rings represent that union. Jeff is very much a hero to me.” — viviane rowan attempt, in the hopes that recent tidal action would work in his favor. “I tried early in the morning, and I tried late at night,” Jeff said. “You get pretty determined.” So determined that, like a doctor, Jeff will leap from the dinner table the moment he gets a call, even during a tropical storm. And it’s not just the enjoyment he gets from the hobby itself that drives him, although this is a bonus. “First thing in morning, when you’re up to your waist in pitch-black water and the ocean is like a sheet of glass, the sun is just coming up, and there’s a warm breeze in your face, it’s pretty spectacular.” But the real motivation comes from seeing all of the happiness this brings to others. “My wife didn’t really understand it… until she got to witness a couple of reunions between an item and its owner.” Among the most grateful of Jeff’s clients is Viviane Rowan, owner of White interior design shop on Hughes Street. While on the beach, she rested her rings — a 30th anniversary ring, an engagement ring and a wedding ring — on her stomach, in order to apply her sunscreen. But when Viviane leaned forward to pay one of Congress Hall’s beach servers for an order, the rings fell to the sand without her noticing. “I went out that evening and noticed my rings weren’t on,” she said. “I thought, ‘That’s odd; I must have left them at home.’ It wasn’t until the next day that it clicked, and I knew they were in the sand.” It would have been a traumatic realization at any moment, but this happened within days of the passing of both Viviane’s father and a beloved pet. “I filled out a report at the police station after work, and I was just weeping,” she said. “The timing was terrible.” An officer told Viviane about Jeff’s service and, without any hope, she met him on the beach. Within 45 minutes, he was digging out the jewelry and she was “leaping” into his arms. “When I look at my rings, I see my 30 years of marriage — all of the struggles and all of the good stuff. We have lived all over the country and we’ve raised two fabulous boys and my rings represent that union, where we’ve been and what we’ve done. Jeff is very much a hero to me.” And like the job of any hero, Jeff’s work isn’t always easy. It requires a lot of study time, learning about the behavior of different items in the water. Not only that, but other detectorists sometimes resent Jeff for cutting into their bounty. And his fellow firefighters, he says, are going to give him quite a bit of flak for this article being published (it could have been worse — we unsuccessfully tried to persuade Jeff to pose in a Superman outfit for our photographs). But all of that is a small price to pay for the joy and relief he gets to witness. “This,” Jeff says, “is what makes it all worthwhile.” Check out Lost Ring and Jewelry Recovery Service on Facebook, or contact Jeff directly at 609-780-4525.
94 October 2014
a cape may moment
The Loop playing at the Ugly Mug on September 12. Aleksey 9Moryakov
Get Your Turkey Tee!
Newest Stimpson Lane residents (who are getting to know the turkeys rather well) Lindsey & Dan Casale
Our newest Tee, inspired by the Stimpson Lane Turkeys. Super soft Canvas brand 100% cotton in pebble. Available in S, M, L, XL and XXL. $15 (add $2 for XXL)
Hats • Tees • Tanks • Sweatshirts Hoodies • Zip-Ups • Jewelry • Art Wholesale Orders Too! exit zero
130 Park Boulevard & West End Garage West Cape May • 609-884-2760 www.theflyingfishstudio.com
95 October 2014
SPECIAL PROMOTION
SAVE 50% OFF THE EXIT ZERO DISCOUNT DECK!
Presenting the greatest collection of money-saving offers you’ve ever seen... elegantly packaged as a designer deck of cards. Save hundreds of dollars with local businesses. And now the pack is only $10! Buy the packs at the Exit Zero Store, at 109 Sunset Boulevard, which is open SEVEN days a week from 9-5. Or buy online at www.ezstore.us. exit zero
96 October 2014
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97 October 2014
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
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ÂÂ OPENING AT SOMA NEWART GALLERY ON OCTOBER 25
Artist Richard Samuelson in the studio at his home in North Cape May — his new work includes this kaleidoscopic piece, “Risen.”
Richard Samuelson’s long, strange trip
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rtist Richard Samuelson’s work has been exhibited in New York City (including a MoMA gallery) and Philadelphia — and from Elmira, in upstate New York, to Ocean City Arts Center and Noyes Museum. On October 25, his latest show will open at SOMA NewArt Gallery in his adopted home town of Cape May. Jack Wright chatted with Richard about how he went from being an artist in the edgy New York downtown of the 1970s to owning his own B&B in genteel Cape May. Your website bio gives a very brief but illuminating story of your life. Sounds like you lived the classic downtown New York bohemian artist’s life. While going to New York University, I lived four blocks from the Fillmore East venue, so there was an endless supply of great music at five dollars a pop… and the denizens of that St Mark’s Place neighborhood seemed to me like escapees from the surrealistic imagination of some other worldly being after I had spent long years at a New England boarding school.
What was New York City like back then? After college I can remember having the impression that I was witnessing — through a smoky haze — the disintegration of the financial and social order of the city. Yet there was still a palpable sense of excitement in the art world. You could actually go to galleries and they’d look at your slides in person. And hell, I was renting a 2500-square-foot loft for $188 a month. Ever meet Andy Warhol? No, thank god. Not really a fan of his. Some of the work’s okay, but his influence was decadent and insidious. He may have had big ambitions but not much high-mindedness. You had a New York City show. What kind of work was it? I was doing modernist landscape painting at the time. I exhibited with a downtown artist studio tour which I believe was the first of its kind in New York. Each artist passed it on to another. So what brought the move to Cape May? Seems like quite a drastic life change. We were having dinner on the Mad Batter exit zero
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porch in 1976 when a friend of my then wife, Harriett, happened by and suggested we buy the house next door. Bright and early the next day we went over to check it out and see if we could strike a deal, only to find out it had sold the day before. But three months later I came home from work one day and found the above-mentioned friend hanging out with his shoes up on the kitchen table while he delivered the news that the purchaser of the house had reneged on her first mortgage payment and that we could pick the place up for $40,000 if we could move quickly. Never regretted that move for a second. You and Harriett then opened a B&B, Poor Richard’s Inn, at that property. Whose idea was that and did either of you have experience of that kind of thing? We didn’t really figure out what we were going to do with the house until we got the lay of the land in Cape May. We moved in during a deep Arctic freeze during which you could literally walk out to the sunken ship on the ice. That was a lot more fun than fixing all the frozen pipes
Two works from Richard Samuelson’s new SOMA show, opening on October 25 — “Darwin’s Misunderstanding” and “Awakening.”
under the building. Compare the life of a cutting edge NYC artist with a Cape May innkeeper. The late ’70s was an exciting time in Cape May. The city had recently been awarded national landmark status and that first cohort of innkeepers… well, I think we thought ourselves as the self-appointed guardians of the city’s heritage, in spite of the fact that we had all just moved to town. I was the first one in town to use a bold multicolored paint scheme on one of the landmark buildings, which I somehow construed to be an act that was going to start a social revolution. We were young and naïve, but there was a real camaraderie among the small group of B&B owners. We had a lot of fun together and a common sense of purpose. And you had two children who are well known to Cape May visitors and locals since they are both beach patrol veterans. Did Max and Jake show any interest in art as a hobby or career? They were both artistic standouts at Cape May Elementary School, but they seemed to outgrow it when they entered junior high school. Yet Jake (who is now at Drexel law school) has done quite a bit of website design and Max uses his aesthetic talents constructing bicycles with handcrafted wooden frames. You seem like you’ve experimented with a lot of different forms — from French oil pastels to black and white cartoons. Your
new work seems like a dramatic digression. What brought that about? I was working on some Matisse-like paper cutouts with complex patterns, progressions and color transitions. After spending four months working out and putting together my largest and most advanced piece and then noticing that the blues and pinks weren’t quite right... it was then that I felt like a bit of a fool knowing there was technology sitting in the other room that could solve problems in minutes rather than months and years. How do you put this work together. What’s the process? I start with ideas, drawings and scans from some of my paintings and photographs. I collage them together in Photoshop, add digital painting, repeat certain patterns with variations, then fuse the parts together with the painting program. Got it? Where are these images coming from? I’m assuming you would call them abstract? But talk about some of the titles. “Incident in Central Park” — what’s going on there? The smaller pieces, which I ‘compose’ into the larger compositions — the completed works — are essentially archetypal in nature. You know, mountains, valleys, flowers, ascensions, birth and death. To me they have the advantage of being both abstract and meaningful. Some of what I’ve been talking about may be simpler to understand when you do it in the context of a picture like “Incident in Central exit zero
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Park.” The bottom half of the picture is actually based on a photograph of my sculpture garden; but in the top half the real world tree that sits behind the white vase on the pedestal has been transformed into an upward outpouring of inner energies and imaginings. How important is it for you to sell your work at this upcoming show versus getting your work out there to be seen and appreciated? My strong convictions are that art is a communicative process — I don’t buy into the notion of the solitary artist in his garrett working solely for his own gratification and immune to the responses of the six or so billion people on earth. So getting my work out there to be seen is really important. And appreciation — who doesn’t like that? But this sort of work can be very expensive to produce and incoming resources are vital to me being able to develop my ideas fully. When you’re not working, what are your passions? I eat, walk, read, listen to music, garden, cook occasionally, love my wife, travel, try to see my friends on a regular basis, watch old movies and sitcoms, talk to almost all the members of my extended family, seldom do cartoons anymore, try my best to take care of my health and enjoy life... all this while engaging in long-term, off-and-on hostilities with the more persistent of my inner demons.
Here is how this caption would look in all bold. does it look strange?
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101 October 2014
DRAMA
NOW PLAYING
“Astutely drawn …juicy and surprising.” NY Daily News
directed by Roy Steinberg
byJon Robin Baitz “Spending time with these messed-up, complicated people is a genuine pleasure.” NY Post
SEPT 24 thru OCT 31
OTHER DESERT CITIES reopens a deep family wound when the estranged daughter returns to announce a tell-all memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history.
7PM | Wed thru Sat • 3PM | Sat and Sun MONTREAL BEACH RESORT | CAPESCAPE | CAPE MAY WINERY LUCKY BONES | CHRIS CLEMANS SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY FRESCOS | WASHINGTON INN | 410 BANK STREET | EXIT ZERO THE CORNER COTTAGE APARTMENTS | NORTH BEACH HEALTH CLUB These programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
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BOX OFFICE / INFO
SEASON SPONSORS
SHOW CO-SPONSORS
Robert Shackleton Playhouse • 405 Lafayette Street, Cape May, New Jersey 08204 • CapeMayStage.org • facebook • twitter
TICKETS (609) 770-8311
ÂÂ OPENING AT SOMA NEWART GALLERY ON OCTOBER 25
Sandra Bloodworth splits her time between New York City and Cape May — “it’s the best of both worlds.” Frank Weiss
Sandra Bloodworth is thinking big
S
andra Bloodworth is an accomplished artist in her own right as well as a powerhouse of the New York City cultural and non-profit scenes. Her latest show at Cape May’s SOMA NewArt Gallery, “Six in the City,” features portraits of cultural luminaries that are nearly lifesize, measuring five feet in height. Jack Wright chatted with Sandra about her dreams and inspirations, and how she balances her responsibilities in the big city with life in laidback Cool Cape May. You have a very strong signature style, both in the paintings themselves and in the actual, physical size of the work. What’s the intent? To bring the person into the room and to capture a glimpse of their personality in the process. I want the viewer to feel the presence of the subject and to instill in
the viewer the desire to engage the person in conversation, or merely to occupy the same space for a while. The paintings are of some prominent people. Did they all want to see the finished work, and if so, how have the reactions been? “Six in the City” presents six new portraits of a choreographer, a novelist, a poet, and three visual artists. While it is not my intent to obtain a response from the subject, to elicit a reaction to the work, I often share the work when it is finished but I hold my breath on the response. Recently, I shared an image of the portrait of Duke Riley with him and he smiled. He was asking around his tattoo parlor, “Hey, did you see this?” Jane Dickson also seemed to be comfortable with her portrait. I am always reluctant to hear their reaction and always exit zero
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relieved that they are okay with it. Do any of them plan on seeing the show at all? I don’t know. Jane Dickson was recently visiting in Cape May and saw the painting. We will certainly invite her to the show, but I don’t know if she will make it back so soon. Duke Riley will be traveling at that time. These are very busy people, most often booked up for months to come, but who wouldn’t want to come to Cape May? You never know. Also, I like to think that they will all be here, that I have captured their presence and they will be here in fact for the entire show. I hope all your readers will stop by and meet them. Tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you start painting and how have you worked it into your life, as career vs passionate hobby? I have always painted and
chose to be an artist at a very early age. I had achieved success as a regional painter when I decided to move to New York in the eighties to experience the energy of the big city, something I felt critical in my practice. While I had an MFA in painting, I also had experience in arts administration, and along the way, I had an incredible opportunity that would become my day job from 1988 untill the present. All the while, I continued to pursue my career as a painter and continue to this day. It is often difficult to pursue two full-time careers simultaneously, but I have a phenomenal support system with my partner, Fred May. What’s your association with Cape May? When did you first come here and how do you think it has changed over the years? I first visited Cape May with a friend in the early nineties and it was charming. It still is. When my husband Fred and I met, I lived and worked in New York and he worked in Washington and lived in Maryland. For a number of years we commuted on the weekends to be together. But in 2006, we bought our house in Cape May and began building our life together here. We loved Cape May from the moment we saw it together. In particular, Fred and I feel fortunate to live in a community where the arts are valued and celebrated. It is the air we breathe.
How do you split your life between Cape May and New York City? Fred and I love Cape May, but we also love New York City. We live during the work week and many of the winter weekends in New York, where I still work full-time in my day job. We love our life in Cape May and we love our life in New York. We feel we have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, both our apartment in Long Island City and our house in Cold Spring were in evacuation zones during Hurricane Sandy. We decided to ride it out in New York since we live on the 26th floor, never dreaming the East River would come up into the lobby of our building! So what happened next? We were stuck for one day because the elevators were turned off. The ground floor was sandbagged, the building ran generators and dried it out quickly. They were extremely prepared and we were very fortunate. The worst was the loss of the elevator in the garage, a five-story structure. In other words, we were extremely fortunate. How did you come to be associated with SOMA NewArt Gallery? I went to the first exhibition opening at SOMA in 2007 and was excited that a gallery of this caliber would be presenting artists in a contemporary gallery style, as opposed to salon style. I was showing in New York at the time and
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sent an announcement of the show to the gallery. I received a call from [SOMA owner] Janet Miller and she made an appointment for a studio visit. Later she and [her husband] Steve came back and not only wanted to see my current work, they ended up asking me to pull out years of paintings. And before you knew it we had paintings unwrapped all over our house. They were excited and wanted to exhibit both the still-lifes and the portraits. Janet offered me a show that day of my portraits, which opened a couple months later and a show that spring of the “Intimate Feasts” series, painting of meals that celebrated Fred’s and my shared culinary experiences. I have been exhibiting with the gallery ever since. What artistic ambitions do you still have? My ambitions as a painter are the same as they always have been. I paint. I will always paint. If lucky, I will have the opportunity for many people to see the work I do and if I am luckier still, we will sell enough for me to give up my day job. Other than art is there any ONE skill you wish you had, but don’t? I have always believed I had the heart and soul of a singer, a la Joni Mitchell, but unfortunately I do not have the voice. For many years, I said, “I paint because I cannot express what I have to say with this voice.”
ÂÂ SOME OF THE LUMINARIES IN SANDRA BLOODWORTH’S NEW SHOW
Duke Riley is an acclaimed fine artist and tattooist from Boston who now plies his trade in New York City.
Writer Reif Larsen reportedly received an advance of nearly a million dollars for his novel The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet.
Jane Dickson is a prolific painter whose work has been shown at around 200 galleries internationally and published in 40 books.
Alex Katz is a maverick American figurative artist whose work is as vital and in demand as ever, even in his late 80s.
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the
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Featuring the work of artist MARIE NATALE All in one place! Marie’s vintage-inspired covers for Exit Zero this year. Originals and giclee prints available.
SNewArt OM A Gallery
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ARTIST OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, October 18, 6-8pm
Exhibition continues till December 14. Gallery Hours in October - 10am to 6pm, Closed Tuesday & Wednesday.
106 October 2014
September 14: Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village Here is how this caption would look in all bold. does it look strange?
Reenactors form a Confederate firing line during the Civil War Weekend. Aleksey Moryakov
Cranberry Firming Collagen Facial
Hair • Nails • Massage • Facials Tanning • Waxing • Weddings
- Enhances Cell Turnover - Firms & Brightens - Eliminates Free Radicals - Strengthens Collagen and Elastin Fibers. - Reduces Signs Of Aging
609.884.7040
128 Sunset Boulevard, West Cape May accentonbeautycapemay.com Like us on Facebook for Giveaways, Specials and More
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107 October 2014
When was the last time you took a moment for yourself and your health? WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE TO... • Have more energy? • Look and feel younger? • Get rid of mood swings, depression and anxiety? • Lose that stubborn 5 or 10 last pounds? • 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? Schedule a consultation with me today... Mary Lou Gartland, R.N., Certified Holistic Health Coach • 609-820-0002 www.holisticapple.com • marylou@holisticapple.com
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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108 October 2014
The definitive trolley guide
If you haven’t seen those cute trolleys rolling through the streets of Cape May then either you’re not paying attention, or this is your first time visiting America’s Original Seaside Resort. In any event, here is a 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, who run the trolleys, as well as very many other fun things in Cape May. Visit them online at capemaymac.org. 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: Friday, October 10 at 8pm; Saturdays, October 11 at 8:15pm, and October 18 through November 1 at 8pm; Sunday, October 12 at 8pm. What It Is: Knees shaking, heart pounding, terror in your eyes... are you possessed? No, it’s the Ghost of the Lighthouse trolley tour, where you 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, or want to know, what an orb is. tales of terror Where It Goes: Through the streets of Cape May. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: Fridays, October 10-31; Saturdays, October 11 through November 1; Sundays, October 12-19 and Thursday October 30. Hours vary. What It Is: Scary stories on streets lit by flickering gaslight. Who It’s For: People who are a bit… twisted. Mansions by the Sea Where It Goes: Along Beach Avenue, through the early 20th century East Cape May development areas How Long It Lasts: 40 minutes. When It Runs: October 1, 3-5, 10-12, 18 and 25 at various times. What It Is: See how the rich lived in the early 20th century. When $1 million really meant something — before income tax. Also, see fabulous new beachfront homes. Who It’s For: Anyone who’s curious how the one percent lives. keep turning the pages — there’s much more...
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1 4 0 0 T E X A S AV E N U E C A P E M AY • (6 0 9) 8 8 4 -3 0 1 1 C h e c k O u t O u r N e w We b s i t e ... w w w. s h e a r s u n s a t i o n s . c o m
Enhance your getaway at Cape May’s finest Day Spa, featuring a range of superb spa treatments. Escape for a few hours or indulge in a full day of pleasure. MASSAGE • FACIALS BODY TREATMENTS • NAIL SERVICES We offer a full line of Aveda & Phytomer skin & hair care products for your shopping convenience! Please Visit Web Site For Specials!
607 JEFFERSON STREET, CAPE MAY, NJ 08204 609.898.1003 | WWW.CAPEMAYDAYSPA.COM
109 October 2014
C E L E B R AT I O N S B Y M O R E Y ’ S P I E R S
Celebrate your special occasion with Memoreys by Morey Resorts. Life’s special occasions are meant to be celebrated. From weddings and anniversary celebrations, to milestone birthdays and family reunions, Morey Resorts pair together our casually elegant indoor and outdoor spaces along with our concierge event planning to create spectacular events – and wonderful memoreys for your guests.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.MOREYSPIERS.COM/MEMOREYS
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110 October 2014
} the definitive cape may trolley guide
Enjoy, up close and personal, Cape May’s architectural gems during the Historic District tour — pictured is the Mainstay.
Behind the Walls Under the Crawls Tour Where It Goes: Throughout Cape May. How Long It Lasts: One hour. When It Runs: Saturday, October 4 at 11:30am. Tuesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 9 at 12:45pm. 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 workshop or your local hardware store are favorite spots. Gaslight Where It Goes: Through Cape May’s historic district. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: Tuesday, October 7 and Thursday October 9 at 7:30pm. Friday, October 10 and Sunday, October 12 at 8:45pm. Saturday, October 11 at 8:30pm. What It Is: Ladies in long dresses and their gallant suitors, tea 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. Who It’s For: Anyone curious how Victorians survived in all that clothing during the summer. Ghosts of Cape May Where It Goes: Through the streets of Cape May. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: In the evenings October 3 through October 13, October 17-19, 24-26 and 30. 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. Cape May After Dark Where It Goes: Through Cape May’s historic district. How Long It Lasts: 30 minutes. When It Runs: Saturday, October 4 at 8:30pm and 9:30pm. What It Is: For the Victorians, was Cape May after-dark a time of engaging entertainments or dangers in the darkness? Hear how the proper, and not so proper got on. continued on page 112
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111 October 2014
Flow into the Indian Summer
} the definitive cape may trolley guide
Yoga on the Beach in October On the Beach behind Cape May Convention Hall Saturday and Sunday 8am Visit yogacapemay.com for a complete schedule of indoor classes, too. Or contact Karen Manette Bosna at 609-827-8886
Dr. Arlene Hughes Gorny OPTOMETRIC PHYSICIAN
We provide old-fashioned, professional, personal service in a quaint setting
V Comprehensive Eye Exams Contact Lens Fittings Large Selection of Unique Frames
937 Columbia Ave., Cape May (609) 898-0800 NJ#5336 TO#663 exit zero
The Peter Shields Inn is one of many impressive beachfront properties on Cape May’s east end... see Mansions by the Sea tour.
Welcome to Cape May Where It Goes: Throughout Cape May How Long It Lasts: 45 minutes. When It Runs: Daily through October 13 and Saturdays beginning October 18. Hours vary. What It Is: The best introduction to Cape May for first-timers. Find the hidden gems and the little-known treasures. Who It’s For: You just arrived to Cape May and can’t wait to see the town. You’ve been to Cape May before, but it’s been a while. You’re a local, but you’ve never taken this delightful tour. Historic District Where It Goes: Through Cape May’s historic district. How Long It Lasts: 45 minutes. When It Runs: Daily; 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 old. Tour guides will explain how and why it survived. Who It’s For: Anyone and everyone who finds Cape May charming. A Little Extra: Combine this tour with a guided tour of the Emlen Physick Estate and save $4 Cape may time capsule Where It Goes: Through Cape May including the Lighthouse. How Long It Lasts: An hour and a half. When It Runs: Sunday, October 12 at 2:15pm and 4:15pm. Monday, October 13 at 1pm. What It Is: Time travel seems distinctly possibly on this tour of Cape May from the 1880s to the 1970s. Colorful characters from Cape May’s past come to life, including a lady gambler of dubious repute, a ubiquitous news reporter, a Cape May Lighthouse keeper, a passionate historic preservationist, and others, who together weave the fascinating tale of Cape May’s history by sharing their stories. Who It’s For: Anyone who can easily imagine speaking to John Philip Sousa or President Benjamin Harrison in their living room.
112 October 2014
September 14: Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village
The Union Army line prepares for action during the Civil War Weekend. Aleksey Moryakov
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113 October 2014
A healthy pet has lots to smile about.
September 14: Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village
Maria and Tom D’Arcy
Robert Panaccio, VMD Robert Moffatt, VMD Nancy Reilly, VMD 694 Petticoat Creek Lane, Cape May • 884-1729 • www.capemayvet.com
TOP NOTCH A TREE CARE B
Luke, Henry and Kate Kroll, Denny and Rich Fronapfel
ISA-Certified Arborist Matthew Notch Fully Licensed & Insured Free Estimates | Reasonable Rates
CONSULTING PRUNING & PLANTING CABLING & BRACING REMOVALS
West Cape May
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Maria Jimenez, Scott Hewitt
114 October 2014
C astline Realty Search Sale & Rental Properties online at www.CoastlineRealty.com
214 STITES AVENUE CAPE MAY POINT 3 BR, 2.5 BA home just two properties to the beach. First floor master, upstairs and downstairs living spaces. Screened in porch. Large, private fenced back yard. Strong rental history. $1,100,000
805 PITTSBURG AVENUE UNIT 110, CAPE MAY Immaculate 2 BR, 1 BA condo at Cape Manor offers quiet, maintenance free living. There is a covered deck and sun deck overlooking a fabulous pool. $375,000
1181-1183 WISSAHICKON AVE. LOWER TOWNSHIP 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath home across from Spicer’s Creek and public dock. Enjoy water activities kayaking, paddle boarding & whale watching. Within walking distance to some great restaurants. Remodeled in 2006-07. $675,000
22 OCEAN STREET, CAPE MAY LEITH HALL B&B 9 Bedroom, 8.5 Bath home just a half block to the beach. Located in the center of town. Fireplaces, Jaccuzis, Wrap Around Porch. $1,545,000
609-884-5005
1400 Texas Avenue, Cape May | Carol A. Menz, Broker/Owner
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115 October 2014
September 14: Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ
(609) 465-6670 Serving all of South Jersey
Save energy AND money. It’s a win-win.
Rodger, Steve and Jay Wilson
To schedule a free estimate, please visit www.airtightnewjersey.com
Is your home ready for fall & winter? Carpentry/Repairs Walk-Throughs Property Inspections House Cleanings Fall Landscaping Storm Preparation & Cleanup Snow Removal
Alex, Mark, and Alyssa Mazak
One call does it all!
Property Management & Concierge Services
1400 Texas Avenue, Unit 2, Cape May (609) 884-8444 • www.wkrservices.com
Terrie McClay, Kelly S. Payne exit zero
116 October 2014
deSatnick’s Window Fashions LLC Cape May NJ Call for Appointment. 609-884-2545 www.desatnicks.com
Duette® Architella® Trielle™ Honeycomb Shades Provide
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© 2014 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas.
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ELEGANCE Bob Kay - Proprietor
WEST CAPE MAY PAINTING CONTRACTOR Offering 35 years’ experience We cater to all interior and exterior work
Wallpaper removal • Tape and plaster repairs All refinishing knowledge All staining and custom matching All hand done quality work!
FREE In-Home Consultation
Licensed and insured #13VH01445600
609-513-8595
Call now and schedule any painting needs
Plantation Shutters | Blinds | Shades Hunter Douglas-Signature Series
(609) 884-5158
www.budgetblinds.com
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117 October 2014
September 14: Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village Call on Us for All Your Real Estate Needs! 1412 TEXAS AVENUE, CAPE MAY WATERFRONT LIVING... Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy your own private single family home and live directly on the water with a dock for your boat. Fabulous views, bright and airy, great deck for entertaining. One bedroom and full bath on the first level, two bedrooms and bath on the second floor. All recently and tastefully renovated with super kitchen, and views, views, views! Heat and air conditioning, too. Boat dock is one side of an approximately 40-foot long dock. $710,000
Bob and Timmy Palena, Aaron and Jim Bliss
501 LAFAYETTE STREET, CAPE MAY NJ 08204 TOLL FREE: 877-884-8907 • LOCAL 609-884-1007 FAX 609-884-4407 • WWW.WILSEYREALTY.COM
Theresa Senico
Quality service... with that personal touch
ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES
Greg and Sara Wolf
Apex
Realty, Inc.
2505 Bayshore, Villas (609) 408-4655 800-894-2739 ext. 103 www.jerseyshorehomesbytheresasenico.com exit zero
Steve and Angela French
118 October 2014
512 Washington Street Mall, Cape May, NJ 609-884-8428 / 1-800-441-8428 www.cbcapemay.com Lynn Gleeson & William Bezaire Owners
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18 STOCKTON AVENUE, CAPE MAY 2-story, 5-bedroom, 3-bath home steps to the beach and Convention Hall. Living room, dining room, kitchen, front porch, off-street parking. REDUCED TO $849,000
308 CONGRESS STREET, CAPE MAY Three blocks from beaches and walking distance to the mall, 1st-floor front unit has screened porch, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, bath. $327,500
832 KEARNEY AVENUE, CAPE MAY Duplex on large corner 2 short blocks to beach. 1st/2nd floor combined 3 or 4-bedroom apartment and 1-bedroom 3rd-floor apartment. Large side yard with patio. Excellent rental income. — $949,000
1104 PITTSBURGH AVENUE, CAPE MAY Village Greene twin on large corner lot offering 3 bedrooms, 1/2 baths, central a/c, gas heat. Very nicely decorated and maintained. — $395,000
119 October 2014
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120 October 2014
Plans for independent contractors, families, individuals and groups at competitive rates.
610-222-9400 www.millennium-tpa.com