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A Cape May Travel Journal There are places you visit that change you. Cape May New Jersey is just one of those places. The city romances you with a charm that is hard to put into words. Maybe it's the marvelously preserved Victorian homes, the incredible cuisine, the beach after sundown, the romantic b&bs, the little shops, the expansive boardwalk, or just the salty sea air, whatever it is, it changes you. Regardless of whether you are looking to get-away from your routine, your work and your troubles or to get-back to your calmer, more focused self, Cape May is what the doctor ordered. This charming spot located at the tip of New Jersey surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay, has been a vacation destination for centuries. Cape May is "America's First Resort". In July of 1766, the Pennsylvania Gazette, published an ad for a prime piece of Cape May real estate near the seashore,"where Numbers resort for Health, and bathing in water". In July of 1801, the Philadelphia Aurora published an ad inviting travelers to come and enjoy the beach, lodgings, liquor and seafood of New Jersey's Cape. At a critical point in the 1970's, the town avoided the temptation to bulldoze the dilapidated Victorian buildings and build a modern resort to compete with Atlantic City and chose it's current path of restoration and preservation. This Victorian resort village now hosts a vibrant tourist economy with small bed and breakfast inns, large luxury hotels, incredible restaurants, festivals, museums, boutique shopping, history and eco-tours. Tourism is Cape May's middle name, but it is a different type of tourism. It is not a crass, fake, neon, drink till you drop, kind of tourism but one based on the natural beauty of the place and respect for what man has built here. Our personal experience with Cape May began a few years ago when my partner and I decided to take an early spring vacation to restore our souls and bodies. We had heard about this incredible place from our friend J.T. who had grown up taking family vacations there when she lived in Philadelphia. The whole gang would pack up and get in the car to spend a few days there. Her mother was especially fond this annual Cape escape. She planned and saved money all year long for this family tradition, and Cape May was her favorite place on the face of the earth. It turns out that the first year after J.T.'s mother died that she could not bear the thought of going to Cape May without mom, so she decided she would take mom with her. Thankfully, mom had been cremated or J.T. would have arrived with mom's casket tied to the top of her tiny car. Instead, she got mom's urn and ashes off of the mantle, put it in the front seat, securely fastened the seat belt, and turned on the air conditioner to make her comfortable as she could never stand the ride down in the hot car. As strange as that recommendation was, we knew that this place must have some incredible draw, and we decided to check it out for ourselves. Both of us were somewhat reluctant about taking a vacation to the Jersey shore because of past bad experiences in some really tacky beach towns. In our research online however, Cape May seemed different. It was actually a menu that peaked our interest. This menu from Executive Chef Andrew J. Carthy at The Ebbitt Room at The Virginia Hotel, was of a caliber and sophistication not usually found outside of New York or Philadelphia. The opportunity to stay at the hotel, dine in house and wander around the antique stores and shops convinced us that it was worth the four hour trip. We decided that we would not make a reservation because we wanted to be sure that the town and the hotel were everything they were cracked to be.  A few days later, we embarked on our little journey, without mom, looking forward to exploring this new place we had never seen. The part of the trip from Frenchtown to Philadelphia went fast enough, but the part from there to Cape May seemed to take forever. When we arrived on the outskirts of the city, we knew that this was going to be a special time for us. When we saw The Virginia, we knew that it was the place for us, if they only had room for us. Luckily, that day they had one of their premier rooms available on the front of the hotel with a sunny balcony facing Jackson Street complete with lounge chairs. We booked a package deal complete with wine and dinner and a two night stay.
After checking in we went out to grab a quick bite to eat and do a short walking tour of the historic district. We stumbled across Atlantic Books on Washington Street and my partner, the chef, proceeded to buy an armload of wonderful cookbooks at incredible bargains. We walked back to the Virginia to bask in the sun on our front porch and have a glass of wine before dinner. My partner read his cookbooks while I engaged in my favorite pastime, dreaming of things that have yet come to pass. The tension of our jobs and our frustrations slowly began to subside in this place that we were just beginning to get to know. When it came time for dinner, we walked down to the dining room that features an understated and refined elegance. The Ebbitt Room is a large space that is made more intimate by the romantic use of light, a coffered ceiling, palms and columns. Our waitress that night was wonderfully helpful in recommending choices from the menu and the night's specials. Our meal was one of the best gastronomic experiences we have ever had and well worth every penny, even if we did spend quite a few more than our dinner voucher granted. Chef Andrew Carthy has an incredible talent for delivering modern cuisine, artfully presented without getting ridiculous, cute, or too tall with his stacks. After dinner we walked the beach in the moonlight and down some of the side streets looking at all the Victorian homes before retiring for the night. In the morning, we took advantage of the Bulgari soaps and shampoos and got ready for our breakfast on our private porch delivered to our room. It was a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries and fruit juice and coffee.  Our tour of Cape May on our first full day here took us to some of the antique stores in the downtown area and just outside of town, to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, and to Cape May Point State Park for birdwatching and hiking. After a full day of running around we once again retired to our favorite spot on the porch again enjoying another bottle of wine from the hotel's well stocked wine cellar, and got ready for dinner.
Being really tough on restaurants, and having been so incredibly happy with our dinner at the Ebbitt Room the night before, we decided to stay at the hotel and test the restaurant again but with a much lighter dinner of appetizers and salads. Chef Carthy was incredible once again. The next morning we knew we would be leaving this New Jersey paradise in a few hours and we were very sad to have to say goodbye, but delighted that we had found The Best Romantic Getaway in New Jersey because we would have a place to resort to, to come back to, over and over again through the years. |
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