Cape May Magazine – Life in America's oldest seaside resort

Cape May’s birding history

As I have got older in life, I have begun to realize just what an impact our history has on shaping how we act and think, even today in this era of information. Although America is a young country, it has quite a rich history in regard to birds. When I first arrived in 1985,…

Review: The Sound of Wings by Suzanne Simonetti

Just as the monarch butterflies float through the Cape May skies during migration season, monarchs are found in many chapters of The Sound of Wings. This story is told from the perspective of three Cape May women who are all at various stages in their lives. Although at first the narratives appear unrelated, the reader…

Wawa turned real estate office

Though the look and feel—and, perhaps the hoagies—of Wawas along the East Coast have changed over time, the one that once stood at the gravitational center of town represented the original archetype of this east coast convenience store. Nevertheless, the building at 502 Bank Street now boasts a drastically different appearance compared to what previously…

Heads of the Glass: Colorful Artistry in Cape May

Life in the Glass Lane As far back as he can remember, Christopher Michalek has been an artist. But working with stained glass has changed his life. His father, the late Mike Michalek, was a local porcelain artist who displayed his work throughout New Jersey. “My Dad turned me on to working with stained glass…

A Village within a City

Village Greene passes 50 years old…but who is counting or even thinking about this mid-century modern subdivision designed to bring people into Cape May following the 1962 Nor’easter? The front page of the April 29, 1965 Cape May Star and Wave features a photograph of the key players at the groundbreaking in front of a…

Let the Music Play: Exit Zero Jazz Festival in the time of COVID

Prologue Upon my arrival in Cape May in 2014 I learned of the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, produced by Michael Kline’s Spy Boy Productions. I immediately offered volunteer sweat equity in exchange for an opportunity to experience all the festival had to offer. I’ve worked it each year since the fall of 2015 with no…

Finding holiday greenery in your own backyard

Decorating with greenery is one of the oldest holiday traditions on Earth, but in the northern United States, it didn’t become commonplace until the 1800s. Not surprisingly, varieties of greenery used varied by region. Today, the materials available, either at your local garden center or on the internet are seemingly limitless. Still, I would encourage…

To B&B or not to B&B …that is the question

Definition: A bed and breakfast (B&B) inn is defined as a private residence that offers sleeping accommodations to lodgers in 14 or fewer rooms for rent, is the innkeeper’s principal residence while renting rooms, and serves breakfast at no extra cost. One of my favorite things about this job is writing the You Are Here…

Fifty Years of Family

The Montreal Beach Resort celebrates five decades and three generations of a family enterprise