Summers in Cape May As I sat in my elementary classroom that first day of school after summer break, the teacher asked us to raise our hands if we went away during the summer. I quickly raised my hand and smiled feeling gitty. When it was my turn to say where I went that summer, 1 blurted out in a proud voice, “I went to Cape May” At that point the teacher would look at my puzzled and said, ‘Oh… you mean Cape Cod. ” And before I could disagree she was on to the next student. “Cape May, New Jersey, the southernmost tip of New Jersey.
It is exit 0 (zero) on the highway,” I thought to myself and itched to shout it out. The teachers mistaking my vacation spot for another went on for all my elementary school years but it did not bother me, it made me feel good that I had a special place that no one else I knew had seen or even knew about. I spent every summer in Cape May as a child and still go there as an adult. As a child the journey down to Cape May in our bright orange and white WW Bus was the first part of the adventure each summer.
All five kids, two parents, my Grandmother, and a second cousin (we picked up along the way) were piled into the van for an 8-10 hour trip. My Father drove and Mom sat shotgun. After loading the luggage (each child one backpack of stuff) we would push and scramble into the car fighting for the coveted seats next to the windows. My Mother would quickly stop the squabbling and assign us seats. We were off! The first mile stone is leaving Massachusetts and entering Connecticut. The real action starts as we go into New York State towards NYC.
My Father would cross the Hudson River on the Tappanzee Bridge. I could see the far off outline of the NYC. He would drive south down the Palisades Parkway which ran along the opposite shore of NYC. So as we drove we got a spectacular view of NYC the George Washington Bridge and the water crafts on the Hudson River. Every year I looked forward to seeing NYC and the awe of its enormity. The next adventure on the drive was entering Newark, New Jersey. Quick!! Roll up your windows! The fumes from the oil refineries smelled like rotten eggs.
We would roll our windows up fast while above us large passenger jets were making the approach to Newark Airport. It was over in about 20 minutes but it sure was an exciting 20 minutes. Now we are on the Garden State Parkway still heading south, this is the last highway we take, ending at exit 0 (zero). Along the right hand side of the parkway are small green mile markers counting down the miles to Cape May. I wanted to look at them all the time to confirm we were getting closer, but I learned time went by faster if I distracted myself and only looked every once in a while.
It’s 37 more miles! ” my Mother rang out and we all went into a loud, raucous version of 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall song. When we got to one bottle of beer on the wall we were at exit 0 and Cape May. Hey we made it! “If the car is unpacked can I go to the board walk? ” I quickly asked my Mother. “We’ll see,” she answered. All of us kids worked frantically to unpack the car and put the luggage in each person’s bedroom of the house they were staying at. We stayed on my Grandfathers (Grandtom) properties when in Cape May.
He had a large Victorian house (called 909) for him and my Grandmother (Granddot) and their guests and next door was a smaller but still grand Victorian house (called 907) for his children and their families and friendsthat is where I stayed. There was a tennis court behind GrandToms house and a large garage with a one bedroom apartment above behind 907. As we brought our stuff into 907 we went in the backdoor which opened into the kitchen, thru the kitchen into a large pantry, push thru swinging doors into large dining room with huge rectangular table.
If I went straight | would go into a large fire placed living room that connects to the large front porch, instead I would go right and then left up some old wooden stairs (great for playing Slinky as a child) up to the second floor that had four bedrooms, two baths and the third floor which had a huge room called “The Boys Room” that fit up to twelve boys. Across from the Boys Room” there was a master size suite with a bathroom. There is a boardwalk that has an arcade which as a child drew me like a moth to a light. After the car was unloaded I again asked my Mother, “Can I please go? “Yes but I want you home when the street lights come on. ”
She answered. I eagerly agreed and after my mother gave me a little bit of the money I had saved all school year for the arcade games. Once I had my money it was a race to the boardwalk 2 blocks away. Ignoring the stairs I would run up the cement sea wall and jump onto the slippery wooden boards of the pier. First stop Family Fun Time Arcade with its flashing lights and the sounds of games and people laughing. It is straight to the pinball machine for me. I would slip my quarter into the machine – 3 games – 5 balls per game and commence playing.
I loved the flashing graphics, controlling the ball with my fingers on the flipper button and giving the machine just the right english (shake) to get that extra ball or even a free game. Before I needed to go home I would use 50 cents I had tucked away earlier and got a chocolate/vanilla twist soft serve ice cream cone. I would devour the cool creamy desert that was made extra special because Cape May was the only place I could get it. During the long cold snowy winters of New England I go back in mind to the warm beaches, salty sea breeze and the summer sun over the ocean of Cape May and bask it all in. I’ll be there soon my friend.
