Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993 TAG: 9312190227
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Barbara Shea Newsday
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Mammoth old wedding-cake houses with wrap-around verandas sometimes three tiers of them line tree-shaded streets a short walk from the water. Canopies of magnolia and wisteria sweeten the air over back-yard swings and croquet lawns. During the two days I lingered, I also noted a distinct southern influence in the cuisine and certainly in the hospitality of Cape May's citizens many of whom cleverly turn all these qualities into delightful bed-and-breakfast experiences.
Literally and figuratively, Cape May is about as far as you can get from the typical beach town on the Jersey Shore.
Yes, you can fill up on fudge and saltwater taffy if you must - but why not save yourself for the Virginia country dinners at the ancient Charlfonte Hotel? Yes, there's a small arcade, a couple of miniature golf courses and a few lively bars, but room TVs are rare and many visitors apparently agree that an old-fashioned band concert or an evening around the parlor piano can be more fun than a barrel of Seinfelds.
Cape May does offer several modern motels for travelers who dislike lace curtains and velvet cushions - and for families with young children, who frankly aren't welcome at many of the inns stuffed with priceless antiques. But exceptions do get made for "well-behaved" kids, and though innkeepers tend to be less flexible about pets, they often assure animal-loving guests, "You can use ours."
The central summer attraction, of course, is four miles of beach (there's even an unofficial nude area). But what keeps visitors coming back year-round - and year after year - is the hominess-away-from-home quality at the eye-popping array of Victorian inns. So many of Cape May's buildings qualify for the National Register of Historic Places (more than 600) that the government stopped counting and simply gave Landmark status to the entire 2.2-square-mile downtown which also bills itself as the nation's oldest seaside resort. During its grand era in the late 19th century, it was host to numerous presidents.
I couldn't imagine how I'd choose among the dozens of B & B charmers so I called ahead and asked the Cape May lodging bureau to suggest a few that weren't outrageously priced ("Some are ridiculous," agreed the woman who answered the phone). Her list included the Abbey, which shows up in many "best inns" guidebooks, so I hurried to book a room there for one night.
For the first night's stay, I waited until I arrived and decided on the Brass Bed, a couple of blocks from the Abbey on Columbia Street, Cape May's prime Guesthouse Row. What clinched it was the large glassed-in porch, which looked warmly welcoming through the rain. Owner Donna Dunwoody showed me to a room with antique furnishings including a red-velvet loveseat and, of course, a trademark brass bed. I had a bath to myself but it was down the hall.
At 4 p.m., as Cape May custom seems to dictate, Donna served tea and homemade cookies and chatted with guests on the porch while a Shetland sheepdog named Clancy stood by on crumb alert and housecats Clouseau and Clarice dozed in vacant chairs. When I asked for restaurant suggestions, Donna agreed that one of my two dinners in town should be at Louisa's, which seemed to be everyone's favorite.
A tiny, funky storefront operation, Louisa's like many Cape May eateries has no liquor license but also no qualms about patrons' bringing their own. It also doesn't accept reservations or credit cards. Daily specials (all meatless) are written on blackboards and also posted in the window. The 10 artistically painted tables are so close together they might as well be joined and the most timid singles will come away feeling they haven't dined alone. But that's part of the appeal. The night I went a full house was served by one ever-smiling, ever-efficient young woman.
Grilled mako shark with lemon, oil and garlic ($12.50) was sweet and juicy. Bread was wonderfully fresh whole-wheat French and foccaccia. I ultimately couldn't resist apple-rhubarb cobbler with whipped cream (also delicious) though it took several minutes to rule out toasted almond bread pudding with almond rum sauce, chocolate blackbottom pecan pie, basmati rice pudding broulee and chocolate mousse pie (each about $4.75). Louisa's is only open 5:30 to 9 p.m. Don't miss it.
Cape May's B & B's take their second B as seriously as the first. After a night of floating amid satin and lace, guests at many inns are treated to a breakfast to end all breakfasts, served at an elegantly set formal dining table (most inns offer two seatings, which you sign up for the night before). At the Brass Bed, we gorged ourselves on fresh fruit salad, quiche, apple cake, toasted bagels, white grape juice and coffee or tea while we solved the problems of the world.
Decidedly in need of a walk, I checked out and despite the rain set off for one of the city's half-hour narrated trolley tours. The guide pointed out landmarks and offered tidbits of history: Cape May has more Mayflower descendants than Massachusetts thanks to all the sea captains who settled there; many of the fanciest homes were built after a fire destroyed half the city in 1878; hurricanes usually spare the city because it's not on a barrier island. But after a 1962 storm spread the boardwalk around town, they have stuck to a paved promenade. Some tours add a visit to Cape May's treasured Physick Estate, a Victorian showplace on Washington Street next door to the Cape May County Art League, which mounts first-class exhibits in its small gallery.
My room at the Abbey's Cottage, next to the Gothic main house, was spacious and authentically, if busily, Victorian: stenciled ceiling, carved wooden bed with mint green satin coverlet, green velvet loveseat. There also was a thriving plant, a few fresh flowers, a small refrigerator and a true private bath.
I dropped my bag and ran across the street to get in on a tour of The Mainstay, an Italianate mansion generally considered the most elegant of Cape May's B & B's. Teatime tours ($5) are offered on alternate days from the Abbey's. Mainstay owner Tom Carroll led about two dozen visitors on a tour of this lovingly restored one-time gentlemen's gambling club, which he said was built in three months in 1872 for $7,000.
When an old music box signaled that tea was served, I raced back to the Abbey so I could join my fellow guests in meeting its owners, Jay and Marianne Schatz. A brochure had mentioned "Entertainment by Jay" and teatime at the Abbey turned out to be part Noel Coward, part Benny Hill. Jay donned one after another of the hundreds of hats in his collection, transforming himself into an Italian prelate or a 109-pound high school football player ("I was a drawback") as he bantered with Marianne and their guests and showed off a beefy cat called Sarah Ferguson (named for her long red hair, among other features). Amid the repartee, the Schatzes served wine, tea and homemade snacks along with sound tourist tips.
Cape May visitors not staying at lodgings serving breakfast feasts might consider McGlade's on the beach and the Bodacious Bagels across Beach Drive. For lunch, locals love the Filling Station, which features a little number called "The Original Jayne Mansfield": a pound of beef on a homemade nine-inch bun. I jumped too quickly at the Welcome Center's luncheon suggestion on my way into town and wasted a meal on a very visible seafood place that quickly revealed to me why locals dismiss it as a "food mill." On the other hand, the same tourist-office volunteer also suggested the Pilot House, where I had a delicious crabcake sandwich. And I'll forever be grateful to the one who urged me to try the Abbey.
by CNB