After 20 years of life spent exploring my hometown of Cape May, I thought I had a well-rounded understanding of what it has to offer. But by the age of 21 I became aware of the limits of what I had been exposed to: an entire nightlife undetected because of […]
Paige Cunningham and I decided to meet on the Washington Street Mall one late afternoon just after she left work. As she walked toward the bench where I was seated, I was preparing to compliment her on the brightly colored jean jacket she was wearing—a jacket that I pretty much […]
If you’re familiar with Cape May, it’s almost difficult not to be familiar with Janet Payne’s work. Whether you’re already a fan of her sea glass jewelry or have seen it displayed at Cape May shops Whale’s Tale or Splash, or even dangling around the neck or from the earlobes […]
Tucked on the outskirts of the central shopping district of Cape May sits a quaint antique shop, Out of The Past. The owner and operator of this hidden treasure is Jeanne Hermann, a woman filled with life who cherishes yesterday’s history. It’s amazing how such an unimposing little (24’ by […]
The official first greeting when we visited the sylvan Fishing Creek location of Cape Island Woodworks came not from owner John Hassay, but from shop dog Gracie. We heard her excited bark before we saw her, then spotted her wagging tail as she bounded through the grass, John behind her. […]
If it were not already taken, A Tale of Two Cities might be a perfect title for the life story of West Cape May resident Barbara Freels. Born in Harlem in 1923, Barbara spent her childhood between Manhattan and Cape May, often returning to the city during the summer months when […]
It’s summertime on Howard Street, and the evening sky casts a dusky shadow on the crowded lawn of The Chalfonte Hotel. The block buzzes with the melodic funky fusion sounds of The Ramble, beckoning the community to truly unwind on any given Thursday, from a week before Memorial Day until […]
The Cape May Antique Center, located on Rt. 109, on the approach to Cape May after the big bridge, has plenty of parking on a crushed seashell lot. ANTIQUES and COLLECTIBLES, in three-foot- high letters, appear on the front and side of the battleship-gray building, itself an antique at over […]
If you never thought that strolling Cape May’s gaslit streets or walking along our promenade would afford you the chance to view the rings of Saturn or study the details of a nebula thousands of light years from Earth, then you’ve never encountered our island’s street corner astronomer, Kevin Beare. […]
I find it delightful that men of the Cape May and Philadelphia Physick family were doctors, including Cape May’s Victorian gentleman, Dr. Emlen Physick, Jr., whose legacy is the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May. It’s like meeting or knowing an artist named Art. Or a chef named Cook. […]
It takes a natural musician to create sound that reflects the originality of their character. Violinist Daisy Castro uses music as a channel to transmit her individuality. Her journey began early, at age six, and she was quickly recognized as a musical prodigy. Daisy’s introduction to violin was via the […]
When winter temperatures fall into the teens, it’s a good time to appreciate the modern heating systems in today’s homes that work hard keeping inhabitants warm and to learn a bit about how most homes were heated during the Victorian era.
It’s no secret that Cape May has a lively entertainment scene. Through my local lens I’ve witnessed how Cape May’s increasing popularity results in higher demand for performance artists, and there is currently a buzzing scene of talented and extraordinary musicians. Regardless of how much music you’ve heard around town […]
It’s not surprising that Cape May would be home to one of the most respected hospitality consultants on the east coast. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Patrick Logue, a young University of Delaware graduate who had worked for Hilton Hotels, was a key player in one of New Jersey’s […]
Learning Life: A Memoir by Sylvia BaerHardcover, 2022, Nostos Press, 252 pages Cape May is home to many creatives, especially writers (as evidenced by the magazine you hold in your hands). Cape May’s very own—and first! —Poet Laureate, Dr. Sylvia Baer, is among this grouping. Baer, a teacher of over […]
When you come from a well-known local family and then you marry into another well-known local family, what does that make you? In this case, it makes you Lindsay Givens Casale, co-owner with her husband Dan of GIVENS, a funky boutique on the Washington Street Mall with a carefully curated […]
Even now, in semi-retirement, radio and television personality Phil Pizzi continues to earn the same respect that he has given to so many during his 43-year career. Currently heard on FM stations 98.7 The Coast and 106.3 The Shore, Phil remains a dependable presence in the lives of many in […]
Rye is a self-taught artist based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When asked for a quote on this painting, the artist provided the following poem, which he wrote and says has inspired all of the sailing ship paintings he has done. Follow him on Instagram @ryetippett Early spring night. I wish […]
Like many who choose to settle in Cape May, Stephanie Garrett has a passion for the past.
Personal Beauty by Philadelphia doctors D.G. Brinton, M.D. and G.H. Napheys, M.D., was published in 1870, under the title, The Laws of Health in Relation to the Human Form. The book is an interesting window into the Victorian mind and attitudes toward beauty and sex roles. Perhaps not surprisingly, despite […]
Catching Kisses 24″x26″Acrylic Palette Knife “This lady in red is sipping a Grey Goose Dirty Martini. She is across the room from a gentleman in another of my paintings, Cocktails, who is blowing her a kiss.”