I knew it was down there – I just didn’t care. After 25 years in North Jersey, aka “the very West Side,” I’d never ventured down the shore to Cape May.
I’m not alone. Randomly polled neighbors – who routinely head to the Hamptons and Cape Cod – showed zero interest in the Garden State Parkway’s Exit Zero, hailed for its gingerbread Victoriana by the sea. As one put it: “My husband hates that quaint s–t.”
But quaint it ain’t; at least, it doesn’t have to be.
Lured this summer by clean beaches, modestly priced B&Bs and sheer convenience (no flying! no Euros! E-ZPass!), my husband and I headed down to find all that and more: exquisite dining, easy biking, heavenly hydrangeas – and an astonishing lack of attitude.
In six days, we didn’t hear a single car honk. Even the cellphone babble seemed subdued.
This much Ilearned: You can have Cape May your way, if you know where to look.
For starters, you need to book a few nights at Akwaaba by the Sea.
Run by a former editor of Essence magazine, it has African-themed décor, amazing breakfasts – and ample afternoon teas in its more traditionally furnished sister B&B, Buttonwood Manor, across the street.
Both attract a savvy, eclectic clientele – our group spent three hours one morning discussing the fate of the world over waffles.
Ditch your car and bike down Sunset Boulevard. (Only here does that not sound ironic.) Along the way, check out the pre-war, brilliantly restored bungalows – a rebuttal to McMansions everywhere: Less is more.
Look for the horses along the way (they love carrots), and bring your binoculars, because Cape May, on the migratory flight path, is birding heaven.
Cape May Point State Park even has a Bird Observation Deck, but I’ve gotten close to piping plovers right on the beach.
Speaking of which, secluded Higbees Beach – a onetime nudist hangout – is a beachcomber’s dream, studded with driftwood and smooth pebbles.
Stop en route at Rea’s produce stand for honey-blueberry jam, and say hey to the alpacas at Bay Springs Farm, open weekends only. (Alpacas are like llamas, only hairier.)
For worldlier pleasures, we vote for Congress Hall, a four-acre wonderland by the sea.
Boogie in its techno-sleek subterranean Boiler Room, shop its boutiques or simply chill on the Adirondack chairs by the koi pond.
Whatever you do, nip into the cocktail lounge to see sepia photos of hotel staffs past, lined up smiling on the lawn.
Remember that scene in “The Shining?”
You’re living it.
Let the connoisseurs of quaint linger amid the candle-, Christmas- and tchotchke-shops along Carpenter Lane.
I’ll take Cheeks at the Beach, with its cool, cotton and flax clothes and naughty postcards, or Cheeks Warehouse, where you can score more for less; one woman I know did so well, she came back with a van.
Which may come in handy, actually, if youhit the Cape May Linen Outlet for inexpensive but swell sheets, towels and tablecloths.
Stick around ’til Tuesday and you can shop the Farmers Market, a once-weekly explosion of produce, jam and even fresher crab cakes, cooked on the spot.
There’s even armchair massages (courtesy of the popular Well spa in town), live rhythm-and-blues and a barbecued pork stand.
(Get in line, buddy!)
For sit-down fare, head to the excellent Black Duck on Sunset for Asian-fusion dishes like shrimp and crab spring rolls and seafood crepes. For something a little different, book a table at Tisha’s Fine Dining, where they do first-rate risottos and New American cooking overlooking the beach. (Just remember to reserve early for a seat on the balcony around sunset – trust me when Isay that it’s very much worth it.)
Both places are BYO, which keeps the price down.
If you are in the market for a martini -and why not? – there’s no better place than Martini Beach.
Granted, it’s in the most chaotic part of town – rife with “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas” T-shirts and taffy – but a few sips of the signature ‘tini and you won’t care.
You might just wonder what took you so long to get here.
I know I did. In fact, my first visit turned into a second one just weeks later.
Summer’s not quite over yet -maybe one more for good measure?
HITLIST
STAY: Akwaaba by the Sea, from $125; (609) 898-1109.
SEE: Congress Hall, 251 Beach Ave., (609) 884-8421.
SHOP: Cheeks on the Beach, 101 Ocean St.; Cheeks Warehouse, 600 Park Blvd.
EAT: Black Duck on Sunset, 1 Sunset Blvd., (609) 898-0100.
DRINK: Martini Beach, Beach Ave. at Decatur, (609) 884-1925.