Doo Wop Wildwood and Vegetarian Cape May

Did you make almost annual trips to Wildwood, NJ as a child as my family did?  Do you remember renting bikes and riding the boardwalk early in the morning?  Didn't it feel like it was at least 10 miles long and you never wanted it to end?  (It's about 2 miles)  Do you remember your same motel that your family stayed in year after year and you loved it but you were always amazed at all the other motels and secretly wanted to stay in the one called a Hawaiian name or the one with giant sized animals around the pool?  Wildwood has a special place in my heart and is filled with nostalgic memories that I treasure.  We always stayed at the All Star Motel on Buttercup Rd.  As we would enter in to Wildwood, we would watch the streets go by and we couldn't wait to see the sign for Buttercup knowing we were close to the fun beginning.  My dad chose this motel because it was right at the start of the boardwalk and he liked that it was owned by professional baseball players.  It used to be connected to the Aqua Beach which is still in existence.  Sadly the All Star name is no more.  Recently we stayed at the Pan American hotel and have really enjoyed this renovated retro hotel.  The outside still has the spinning globe which was placed there in the '60s and has the retro feel to it but the inside looks like a modern hotel.  They have a lovely pool area and are right on the beach.  They have a wonderful collection of historic photos inside when the hotel first opened.  Back then, they offered the ultimate in luxury and it was touted as a modern almost futuristic establishment.  You might be familiar with Morey's Pier today.  Well the Morey family originally opened the Pan Am hotel and still own it along with a few other motels in the town along with the pier. 

A definite must see while in Wildwood is the Doo Wop Museum.  Not to be confused with Doo Wop music although that was very much popular at the time, Doo Wop is a term relating to the bright, funky architecture that Wildwood was famous for. Opened a few years ago, the museum is housed inside the original Surfside restaurant that was disassembled and moved to a location directly across from the Wildwood Convention Center on the boardwalk.  They have a wonderful collection of old neon signs from now non-existent motels and restaurants.  It is also set up as a cafe with old vinyl tables so you can sit and have a bite to eat as you gaze at all the cool signs and furniture.  The highlight of the museum is an electronic wall that has videos and photos from the 1960's featuring the Doo Wop architecture, the music, the motels and the beach scene.  We sat and enjoyed this feature, it was a real throwback to that time.  Sadly there were about 100 hotels and motels in the height of the Doo Wop architecture era and today there are only about 50 left.  Most have been replaced by condos which look very pleasant but there is something about those neon lights and tacky buildings that just felt fun and childlike no matter what age you are.

One of my favorite rides as a kid (circa approximately 1975) was The Golden Nugget rollercoaster.  It was so exciting back then but to today's standards it would seem tame, almost kiddie-like.  The ride had an Old West theme to it and much of the ride was indoors with then scary coal miners and cow skulls about.  In the beginning of the ride, you were up very high and had a birds eye view of the ocean and boardwalk.  We also enjoyed watching the Go-Karts ride underneath the boardwalk and I was in awe and jealous as my brothers raced around the track.  I guess since I was a girl and too young I wasn't able to go on. Check out this video, it has footage of an actual ride on the Golden Nugget. (it's the 2nd roller coaster in the video)

While in Wildwood, we always spend an afternoon or two in Cape May.  We were happy to see a few new vegetarian options in the area.  Good Earth Organic Eatery just opened and has a nice selection of vegan and vegetarian options. They are located in West Cape May which has become our favorite section.  We thoroughly enjoyed an almond nut spread sandwich made on freshly baked grain bread with freshly grated carrots and lettuce.  They also have herbal teas, juices and they house Bliss Organic Ice Cream which offers a few vegan ice cream options which we had the fun of sampling(they were delicious!)  And then there's our favorite standby, Bella Vida which has such an extensive list of vegetarian options that it becomes a tough choice of what to order!  We really enjoy their Tempeh Reuben and Tempeh Quesadillas.  They have great vegan options with vegan bacon and vegan cheese and many gluten free options too.  We didn't get a chance to check out Ella's Good to Go, but the folks who own Bliss also own this cafe which serves smoothies and sandwiches so it will definitely be a stop on our next trip. 

If you haven't been to Wildwood or Cape May in a while (maybe it's been since childhood) I fully recommend taking the trip to enjoy all the nostagia and memories.  You won't regret it! 

10 Year Olds....Hunting?

There is a new bill being pushed through the senate, Bill S1083 - The Hunter Apprentice Bill which will allow children ages 10-16 to obtain a hunting license without going through any type of safety training program. The child would need to hunt with an adult 21 years or older. So basically the law would allow a 10 year old to pick up a rifle and go out hunting with his oh so responsible 21 year old brother without ever having shot a gun or handled a gun before and off he can go in to the woods and start shooting. Our local senator Jennifer Beck is helping to push this bill along. At a preliminary senate hearing on February 9, she encouraged the bill, stating that it was a good way for a child to see if he liked hunting. Even afer those who opposed the bill stated the facts regarding the accidents which are sure to occur and needless to say, the animals who will be cruelly wounded by an untrained child, she still continued to state her support for the bill. It's a terrifying world we live in with crime, terrorism and war yet we find no problem with recruiting our children to go out into the woods with guns to kill? This bill is simply a way for the pro-hunting groups to try to build up their numbers which are in severe decline. In the past 2 decades, the number of hunters has fallen as much as 50% in some states. So now the hunting lobbyists are pushing bills such as this one to recruit younger and younger aged hunters so they can support the hunting groups who in turn promise to support and fund political campaigns. It's not about common sense when these decisions are made.

Eating Our Way Through NYC

We were offered free tickets to see the Rangers/Canadiens game in NY last Friday night so we decided to turn this trip in to the city into a ‘not so free’ event and stay the night. We always talk about staying over in NY even though it’s only an hour away but there’s something about leaving a game late at night and not having to rush home or get stuck in tunnel traffic. We found a pretty decent price for a room at the Holiday Inn a few blocks away from the Garden and off we went. The game was awesome, so many Canadiens fans that made the night really energetic and exciting. I love Canada and love to respect them and their country and gladly sang along to their national anthem ‘O Canada’ along with the other couple hundred Canadiens fans we were sitting near. I even enjoyed chanting along to their “Go Habs Go!” chant. I didn’t expect to see so much red in the stands! And so much French being spoken around us. Very fun night and the Rangers won 6-3. So Saturday we awoke in the city and felt so relaxed to know we had the whole day to enjoy. We really like the Lower East Side for their veggie restaurants and bakeries and the Tenement Museum. If you haven’t been, it is a must stop if you’re in the area. The Museum folks were able to purchase a Tenement building in the late 1980’s that hadn’t been inhabited since the 1930’s. It was left exactly as it was back then and you can go on a tour to see what it was like to live there at the turn of the century. Very cool stuff. They are located at 97 Orchard St, http://www.tenement.org/ . This time we did the tour “Piecing it Together” where you see the home and garment shop(their living room) of Jewish families and hear about their struggles at that time. It was really interesting and makes you wonder why we complain about anything today….we have it so easy now.

A few doors down from the museum is one of our favorite shops, Mooshoes, 78 Orchard St, http://www.mooshoes.com/. They sell non-leather footwear and a few accessories including bags, wallets and belts. We love the kitties who roam freely throughout the shop. They know they own the place.

Our next stop was Babycakes, 248 Broome St, http://www.babycakesnyc.com/. Vegan bakery extraordinaire. I wanted all the cupcakes with their pastel pinks and lavender frostings. They all looked so good to eat so we indulged in one those heavenly cupcakes and a scrumptious pumpkin loaf.
There are so many great veggie restaurants in this area but I had made a list before we left home of what was where and I was determined to go to a new place since we always wind up at Red Bamboo in the Village, our absolute favorite place in the whole world. This time we opted for Organic Grill, 123 First Ave (East Village), www.theorganicgrill.com. We had been here before many many years ago and it was worth the trip back. They were serving brunch for the day and since I had previewed their menu online, I was really salivating for the tofu frittata with bits of vegan sausage, home fries, peppers and onions all mixed in. I enjoyed it immensely along with my black current iced tea. My other half had the tempeh portabella burger with home fries which was just delectable. They also have a huge selection of hot teas and desserts which would be perfect to linger over.
And off we were again. Since it was only 2 blocks away, our next stop was Live Live, a raw, living foods shop, 261 E 10th St, http://www.live-live.com/. They sell all kinds of yummy raw packaged foods and whole food vitamins and cosmetics too. It’s the ultimate place to go if you enjoy Living Live. Tiger the cat was most welcoming to us and all the other patrons as we mingled about and chose some treats for ourselves.

Next to Live Live is Quintessence, a raw foods restaurant. We’ve eaten here before and it is amazing but how much can one eat in one day ? A new bakery just opened up a door or 2 down, Cowgirl’s Baking. Since we were heading home soon, we thought why not get some more goodies for the ride. We got a peanut butter and jelly bar(picture crumb topping, with gooey jelly and a peanut buttery crumb bottom) and a glazed donut, all vegan, all yummyness. So this ended our journey as we found a quick cab back to the train station and back to home. It was a really fun filled day as we ate our way through the veggie big city!

Hanging in Lewisburg, PA

We had a great trip recently to PA to visit some friends in Clearfield. It’s beautiful countryside with rolling hills, would have been great to bring our bikes. We were treated to a lovely dinner at Luigi’s in Dubois and I have to say, their pasta meals were excellent, I even brought my leftovers home for the 5 hour trip the next day. We had a cooler, so why not? And we certainly appreciated not having to cook dinner after the long drive. On the way home, we found this quaint little town near the Delaware River called Lewisburg, home of Bucknell University. Since most college towns have a great downtown, this one does not disappoint. It’s full of cute sidewalk cafes many with great veggie options. We had lunch at Mya's cafe and had a nice table outside so we could relax and watch the world go by. There’s also an amazing historic theatre, Campus Theatre (http://www.campustheatre.org/ ) that shows recent films along with classics and also film festivals. We had the pleasure of getting a sneak peak inside this beautifully restored theatre that originally opened in 1941. The work that’s been done is spectacular with murals on the walls and restored seating. There’s also a special seating section with tables on a raised platform near the entrance to the theatre where you can sit and dine on snacks with old fashioned prices. You can just feel the nostalgia and imagine couples holding hands on their first date watching the old classic films. It is a must see, we only wish we could stay till evening to catch Pulp Fiction which was currently playing. "Bring out the gimp".

Burlington, VT -

Just got back from a great trip to Burlington, VT. It's May 17 and the weather is glorious. 70 and sunny. Crisp blue sky and lilacs are blooming everywhere. They must be native to the area, we even heard there were 400 varieties of them although I thought they came in either a lilac color or white! Almost every front yard has one or two. There’s this amazing bike path that runs along the lake front (that’s Lake Champlain) where we biked several times. It even turns into this narrow strip of land about 15 feet wide where you are surrounded by water on both sides. This is as you head north and get near the islands in the lake. It’s such a beautiful area, you feel like you’re in Canada. We even saw two beavers swimming along in the water. Very cool ! Another really cool thing we saw for the first time was bike polo. We came across an outdoor hockey arena and saw a bunch of guys and one gal on bikes hitting a ball with homemade mallets. So we stopped and chatted with some guys watching and they told us it is indeed bike polo and it’s not that new, there are many places in the US where people play. They do have to rig up a bike to work for this. They change the gears so you can pedal forward or backward and they take off the brakes. If you want to slow down you just go in reverse. And many put on a shield to cover the spokes on the wheel since as you can imagine, your mallet can get caught in the spokes of your opponent quite easily.

We stayed at the Howard Street Guest House which was perfect. It's a converted carriage house with two rooms, one up and one down. It's one of the most charming, spacious, beautifully decorated places we've ever stayed. This is my ideal when travelling. If only I could find an inn like this every time I went away. http://www.howardstreetguesthouse.com/rooms.html

A must stop in town for all your food needs is The City Market http://www.citymarket.coop/ – the town’s co-op, this is an amazing natural foods and then some store with a deli, bakery, wine section and hot and cold food bar. I could eat here every day and never get bored. They had an entire vegan section on the food bar with creative tofu, seitan and tempeh dishes that changed every day. Burlington is so bike friendly that they have a huge bike rack area. If you build it, they will come! Almost every other customer came by bike. Very eco-friendly.

For dinner one night, we ate at Stone Soup, College St – we had the Seitan Reuben which was heavenly and they also have a vegan hot food bar which I indulged in – seitan stew, barbecued tempeh, steamed kale, rice pilaf.

Dinner another night was at The Skinny Pancake, a creperie, Lake St. http://www.skinnypancake.com/ The decision here is whether to get a meal type crepe or a desert crepe. So we had both. The Vegan Monster-House-made
Seitan, baby spinach, VT wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, and roasted red peppers served in a vegan crepe shell. And the Hot Apply Crispy – tart
Vermont Apples, Pure Vermont honey, Cinnamon Sugar. They have great outdoor seating across from the lakefront and it was fun to see the grads from UVM dressed in party dresses racing down to catch a party boat for a sunset cruise on the lake. This place is extra cool since they source most of their ingredients from local farms and food producers.

There were so many great restaurants with veggie options that we didn't even get to them all. Be sure to check out Happy Cow if you're planning on visiting the area.

There’s also a great fair trade shop, Peace & Justice located on Lake St (right next to the Skinny Pancake!) They are an organization working on racial justice, peace and human rights and also have this great shop with fair trade products from around the world. We got a new peace sign magnet for the car here.

All in all, it was a great trip; the weather was delightful and the sights were a treat. And of course the veggie food was divine.