Lighthouses, beaches and more

Lighthouses, beaches and more, that's the Jersey Shore!

Bob and I had a room for four nights at the Coast Guard's facility in Townsend's Inlet/Sea Isle, NJ, about a half-hour south of Atlantic City and a half-hour north of Cape May, NJ.  It was about a 7-hour drive from Rome.

The facility is a former Lifesaving Station, built in the 1890s, now converted to 4 "apartments" for the military.  You can see the photos, below, of how it used to look, and how it looks now.

Our room was huge, and included a queen bed, couch, futon, easy chair, table and chairs, cable TV and WiFi, and a bathroom big enough to put a fold-down bed in!  It was only $53/night!  That also included shared use of a big living room and kitchen, with a big table and chairs, big couch, and TV; the kitchen had 2 big refrigerators, 2 microwaves, a dishwasher and tons of cabinets loaded with pots and pans, dishes, etc.  In return for the bargain price, we had to clean our rooms before we left -- easy enough, with just the two of us.  And we brought our own sheets and towels, so we did not have to wash theirs and put them back.  (There were also 2 big washers and dryers.)

What was really nice was that no one was in the other 3 apartments for 3 of the 4 nights we were there -- so we had the whole, big place to ourselves!

The facility sat on an open tract of land -- a full block.  It is surrounded by big two- and three-story beach houses, with big windows, decks, docks, porches and patios.  Each house had less than one-fourth the yard that our house did!!  Ours also had a big porch, volleyball court, basketball court and horseshoe playing place.  And an outdoor shower to wash off the sand for those who go to the beach.  And 2 big picnic tables.

And -- We were just a short walk from the ocean!

The first day we got there, it was like a ghost town.  Maybe 5% of the hundreds of big beach houses around us were occupied, and the streets were nearly empty of traffic.  Great for our biking and walking!!!   We were told told that Sea Isle has about 2,400 year-round residents, but it hosts 30,000-40,000 people every summer.  So again -- we just about had the whole city to ourselves!!  And the beach!  I went to the beach every day, and there were never more than 1-6 people anywhere in sight. 


On our first day, we drove to Cape May.  I had always wanted to go there.  It is filled with more than 600 old Victorian homes and other buildings, and it's beautiful!  It is a National Historic Landmark, and is billed as the "Nation's Oldest Seashore Resort."

We stopped on the way to visit the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse -- a very, very charming place.  It served sailors from 1874 to 1964.

We also visited the Cape May lighthouse, built in 1859.  It is said to be the second-oldest continually operating lighthouse in the U.S.

On our second day, we headed north toward Atlantic City.  We stopped in Ocean City, and walked their beautiful 50-foot-wide boardwalk.  We could see Atlantic City across the water, and decided we really did not want to go there.  We don't like to gamble, and we don't like to fight city traffic and trying not to get lost!  We watched some surfers doing their thing in wetsuits in the cold water.

On our third day, we drove south again, and went shopping in Stone Harbor.

Every day, we rode our bikes, or walked, and went to the beach. 

Because most of the restaurants were closed, 3 out of 4 nights we just got take-out food.  It was better than the restaurant we went to!

Below are some of my photos:

THIS IS THE OLD PHOTO OF THE PLACE WHERE WE STAYED, A FORMER LIFESAVING STATION.  THESE STATIONS WERE SET UP BEFORE THE COAST GUARD WAS CREATED.



THE LIFESAVING STATION, AS IT LOOKS TODAY.  OUR ROOM  WAS ON FIRST FLOOR AT RIGHT -- WHERE THEY USED TO KEEP THE RESCUE BOATS WHEN IT WAS A LIFESAVING STATION.



ON OUR WAY TO CAPE MAY, WE ALSO SPOTTED THIS OLD LIFESAVING STATION.  IT IS NOW OCCUPIED BY AN AMERICAN LEGION GROUP.  THE TATHAM LIFESAVING STATION WAS BUILT IN 1895.  IT WAS USED TO RESCUE SHIP SURVIVORS UNTIL 1915.  ABOUT A MONTH AGO, BOB BOUGHT A BOOK ABOUT THE OLD LIFESAVING STATIONS, SO WE REALLY ENJOYED SEEING THESE 2 IN NEW JERSEY!

BOB AT THE LIFESAVING STATION, WITH A "GUN" USED TO SHOOT A ROPE OUT TO SINKING SHIPS.

THIS IS THE HEREFORD INLET LIGHTHOUSE, JUST NORTH OF CAPE MAY.  VERY CHARMING!  IT SERVED SAILORS FROM 1874 TO 1964.




CAPE MAY LIGHTHOUSE

 

A COOL LITTLE OLD VICTORIAN CHURCH IN CAPE MAY.

A BIG OLD HOTEL IN CAPE MAY.

ATLANTIC CITY, AS SEEN FROM BOARDWALK IN OCEAN CITY.

BIG BEACH HOUSE WITH LOTS OF WINDOWS.  THIS IS TYPICAL OF THE HUNDREDS OF HOUSES IN THE AREA.  MOST RUN $500,000 TO $1 MILLION.  ALL ARE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE BEACH.  AND MORE THAN 90% OF THEM ARE EMPTY AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR!!



SOME VIDEO:

"The End"