Field Trip
North East, MD
Roadtripping adventure takes us to North East, Maryland, a town of such seeming obscurity that my GPS refused to recognize it.
This is Cape May
Featured Shop
Sea Gear
Home to one of the largest commercial fishing ports in the country, Cape May is full of fishing culture. From whale watching excursions and charter fishing boats, to loads of fresh seafood and plenty of local fishers —both commercial and recreational—we’re a community of people whose livelihoods and hobbies often […]
Featured Shop
Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy
If you’re in the mood for some candy, there are plenty of places to go. Whether it’s a Snickers Bar, a pack of Starburst, or a bag of Sour Patch Kids, popular candy brands can be found at just about any supermarket, Wawa, or gas station. But if you want […]
Wish You Were Here
Long Live the Christian Admiral
The expression “nothing lasts forever” could dim the light in a room full of things that we wouldn’t want to live without. But it’s true; things decay, even the things we love. The people of Cape May seem to have had a quite personal attachment to the colossal Christian Admiral. […]
This is Cape May
To: Mrs. L. S. Hall…
Vintage Cape May Postcards Among our collection of old postcards of Cape May, we came across four postcards addressed to the same woman for four consecutive years. We don’t know who the addressee is and there’s very little information on the cards to clue us in on the relationship between […]
Field Trip
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Now may be the best time of year to visit Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Known as the Christmas City, the former steel town has special ties to the season. The city puts on its holiday best for visitors with beautifully lit and decorated streets and storefronts. As local lore has it, it […]
Nature
Fall Bird Migration
When’s the best time to visit Cape May to see bird migration?” This is the question I get asked most often by visitors who have just learned about how Cape May ranks as one of, if not the top, fall birding hotspots. The answer can only be given tongue-in-cheek: “Easy: […]
Field Trip
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
In this edition of Roadtripping, we went off-road for an unexpected and meaningful adventure. Our original destination was Jersey City, an up-and-coming mini-metropolis called the sixth borough of New York. But I never saw the city proper, because other attractions beckoned. I rendezvoused with a friend at Liberty State Park […]
Wish You Were Here
Struck by Bad Luck
Post Cards from Cape May’s Past The experiences described in postcards from past visitors usually dance between eat, sun, swim, and sleep—normal vacation stuff. We’ve sifted through the stories from plenty of family vacations that sound downright delightful. The few exceptions we’ve come across include cases of the flu, missing […]
Wish You Were Here
Short Tales by August Visitors Long Ago
Each of these postcards features a picture of different historic Cape May structures. Of the four pictured, two are no longer standing on our beachfront. The Hotel Stockton was torn down only two years after this postcard was sent. The Admiral Hotel had a much longer journey until its demolition […]
Featured Shop
Collar & Bone
Photographs by Michelle Giorla and Kate Chadwick Collar & Bone 421WashingtonStreet They say that dog is man’s best friend—and there is quite a substantial amount of evidence to support this. From their four-legged devotion, comfortable companionship, and willingness to eat whatever crumbs drop to the floor, dogs seem to love […]
Field Trip
Lancaster City, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is renowned for its Amish and Mennonite populations, horse-drawn buggies, hex signs, and towns with funny names like Blue Ball, Bird in Hand, and Intercourse. Lancaster City is a different story: a little edgy, very artsy, quite contemporary, yet vividly historic. For culture and entertainment, this place […]
Brit's Eye View
White-eyed Vireo
It is one of those birds that sneak under the radar for just about everyone. At about six inches and staying well tucked away in bushes, prickly thickets, and woodland, it is found in just about every spot except for marshes and downtown Cape May. Having said that, the White-eyed […]
Featured Shop
The Cheese Shop & Cape May Creamery
Indulge in fromage at Cape May’s newest answer to all things cheese.
Wish You Were Here
Fire at the Iron Pier
These two post cards were rescued from the fire that destroyed Cape May’s iron pier and lived to tell the tale.
Nature
Nature: Watching Whales
Spend the day at any of the Cape May beaches this summer and you’re sure to see at least one of the various whale-watching boats motoring to or from port. I’ve heard locals joke about them as “dolphin watching” boats, and there’s some truth as at least one company offers […]
Nature
Gray Tree Frogs
Summer is the season of the frog chorus, and Cape May is a great place to experience a diverse array of singers. From Spring Peepers (no jokes!) to the most recent new addition, Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog (a cool story for a future column), to the “of course I can […]
Field Trip, This is Cape May
Road Tripping
Peddler’s Village Lahaska, Pennsylvania For the first road trip of 2022, I set my cap for Lahaska, Pennsylvania and the family attraction known as Peddler’s Village. After a bitter winter, it was sunny and mild, the kind of day that brings people out of hibernation. By the time I arrived […]
Nature
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Growing up in sub-tropical Miami, Florida, I could divide the year into wet and dry seasons, rather than the four distinct ones typical of temperate regions. If you had to, you could further dissect wet and dry into oppressively hot wet (or dry), and moderately hot wet (or dry). Spending […]