Tuesday, December 20, 2011

My Parent's Trip to Cape May NJ

Our most recent CCBC bus trip was to Cape May, NJ and it was a very nice overnight trip. Our hotel was the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel centrally located on the ocean and at the same time within easy walking distance of downtown Cape May, the view from our room of the ocean was very nice. 
We had both talked of a visit to Cape May but had never made it there until now and we're happy we did because of all the Victorian homes in Cape May, the tour guide told us that Cape May had the most Victorian homes of any city in the US, plus Cape May had one Colonial period home that has been restored.  
Our house tour was of the Emlen Physick Estate, a beautifully restored Victorian home that was built by a doctor. A group of concerned historians took possession of the Emlen Physick Estate after it had fallen into a total state of disrepair and from there totally restored it. 
While touring the Emlen Physick Estate we were happy to see that all the "ginger bread" wood decorations had been totally restored inside and out. We were also happy to see the dark and somewhat cluttered house decor of hanging paintings, family portraits, furnishings, mounted animal heads and all the period holiday decorations faithfully restored to the Victorian era. 
We walked around the town taking photos plus we had two trolley tours, during the daytime tour so we could see all the houses and the tour after dark so we could enjoy the holiday lights on the same houses. The largest Victorian in Cape May that is open to the public is the Southern Mansion and nearby is the Inn of Cape May which is still a hotel, according to the tour guide it once provided a setting for a party for Bessie Wallis Warfield before she married either Mr. Simpson or the Duke of Windsor.  Another large and old hotel in Cape May, the Congress Hall, it's where President Harrison stayed, it became his summer White House. While there he was entertained by the US Marine Corp band.
 


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