Cape May Jazz Festival, Nov 12 & 13
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As hard as it is to believe, the Cape May Jazz Festival is
returning in just a few days! Sure, summer is over, and winter
is on its way, but the music will be HOT for the 17th annual
Cape May Jazz Festival. In April our friends at Cape May Jazz
brought us the incredibly exciting, talented and popular band
Spyro Gyra. I’m pleased to say that they’ve managed to top
that spectacular act for their fall festival.
The
headliner this time around is the Yellowjackets, a band that
has achieved wide popularity and fame throughout the world for
many years. For a long time Cape May Jazz seemed very focused
on traditional jazz and fans of fusion movement like me always
felt a little left out. Obviously I’m thrilled that the
mindset has changed a bit and we’re being treated to great new
jazz sounds.
If you’ve never been to Cape May for Jazz Fest, then you
can’t imagine the energy and excitement that is visited upon
our fair town. There are great acts all around town all
weekend long, with music bursting out of every imaginable
venue. Anna Marie and I bought a pass last April and spent an
entire evening bouncing from one act to another, all over
town. What an amazing experience!
If you love music
and Cape May, then start planning your visit soon. Don’t wait,
our rooms are going quickly!
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Cape May Christmas Parade Sat Dec. 4
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It occured to me that I’ve never really featured the Cape
May Christmas parade in any of my emails before. Believe me
when I tell you that this is certainly one of the biggest
events of the year in Cape May. When I say big, I mean BIG!
When was the last time you went to a parade that people
tailgate all day for? How about restaurants on the parade
route that take reservations a year in advance for window
seats on parade night?
The parade is popular because
it is fun. It is basically an old fashioned small town parade
with the usual cast of characters. A parade that you really
won’t see much in America today. You’ll see Santa sitting atop
an amazingly lit up fire truck (just about every fire truck in
the county will be in the parade) throwing candy to the kids.
There will be floats from organizations all over town which
will amaze you with the quality and scale. The marching bands
from several schools will be participating, as will baton
twirling drill teams. You’ll even see one or two mummer string
bands strutting their way through Cape May in their last big
practice before the New Year’s parade in Philadelphia. Yes,
you’ll see just about everything you would hope to and
probably a little more. Best of all, you’ll be in Cape May.
By the way, once you’ve had your fill of the parade,
join the Candlelight Tour, which will take you through about
25 beautifully decorated inns and homes throughout Cape May.
It is the biggest, most popular tour of the year and it runs
the first three Saturdays of December.
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Designer Show House, Nov 19
through Jan 2, 2011 |
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This year’s Cape May Designer Show house is open and looks
great. Anna Marie and I attended the Gala Opening the other
night and really enjoyed it. It is a little different than our
previous show houses because it is in an operating bed and
breakfast. That means that only the first floor spaces are
open, but they are magnificent. The good news is that the
price is half of what it has been in past years, so it is a
great entertainment value.
The location can’t be beat
this year either … it is right next door to The Queen
Victoria. If you’re looking for something new and dfferent to
do this year, check out the show house. I think you’ll enjoy
it.
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Spend
Christmas at The Queen Victoria |
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Everybody celebrates Christmas a little differently. For a
surprising number of folks, it means gathering at The Queen
Victoria in Cape May for a relaxing, special and memorable
celebration. In fact, many of our guests simply view The Queen
Victoria as their home away from home for the holidays.
While many of our guests return every year to celebrate
Christmas, each year we’re joined by couples who are either
looking for something different, or find themselves away from
their normal Christmas tradition for one reason or another
(children away with either friends or in-laws, etc.).
Whether you are looking for a new Christmas tradition,
or just need someplace special and magical to spend Christmas
this year, give us a call. We’ve already got a record number
of Christmas reservations, but we still have room at the inn
for you.
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Gift Certificates … Truly the Perfect Gift
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So, with the looming Christmas season comes the agonizing
search for the perfect gift. Since I’m such a thoughtful guy,
I’ve decided to step in and take this burden off of your
shoulders. You see, it is so incredibly easy. The perfect gift
for your special loved one is obviously a gift certificate to
The Queen Victoria.
Sure, it might seem like my suggestion is a little self
serving. If you step back and think about it, though, I’m sure
you’ll agree that a Queen Victoria gift certificate truly is
the perfect gift; for so many reasons. First of all, it is
sure to please whoever you give it to. Who wouldn’t like to be
given a trip to Cape May? Secondly, there are absolutely no
concerns about size or color. Depending on who you give it to,
you might also get to enjoy it yourself as well, which
definitely enhances the appeal of the gift. Perhaps the best
thing of all, however, is the ease of it all. One 2 minute
phone call is all it takes (and a credit card, of course) and
you’ll be done shopping. Could it possibly be any better?
Give us a call today and order the gift certificates
you need (Notice my use of the plural. Imagine getting ALL of
your shopping done with one phone call!).
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| Best of Cape May! (again) |
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Well, it is official! Thanks to you The Queen Victoria has
been voted best in Cape May for a third straight year. Anna
Marie and I are obviously very pleased. What pleases us the
most, however, is that we’ve got so many wonderful guests who
are willing to take the time to get on the capemay.com website
and vote for us. Thank you VERY much for making this happen
for us.
Once again, we were awarded “Best of Cape May” in multiple
categories, including Best B&B, Favorite Victorian
Building, Best Accommodation Customer Service and Best Over
All Customer Service. I can’t tell you how much it means to us
that you feel this way about us. Thanks for putting us on top
again!
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| Upcoming Events |
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Designer Show House – Nov 19- Jan 2
Sherlock Holmes Mystery Weekend Nov 5-7
Cape May Jazz Festival Nov 12-13
Christmas Preview weekend Nov 19-21
Christmas in Cape May Nov 19 – Jan 2
Christmas at The Queen Victoria Dec 24-25
New Years in Cape May Dec 31
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I know, you feel like I do that the Christmas season starts WAY
too early these days. Have you been to a store yet that already has
all their Christmas decorations out? Really, it is way too soon for
that. I’m still wearing shorts, for goodness sake.
It is NOT
TOO EARLY to start planning for your Christmas season though! In
fact, it is definintely time to start planning your Christmas season
visit to Cape May and The Queen Victoria. We’ve been taking lots of
reservations for December in the last couple of weeks, so you are
definitely in good company.
Christmas in Cape May is very
special. I don’t know exactly what puts so much cheer in everybody’s
heart when they visit during Christmas. Maybe it is all the
beautifully decorated old homes. Perhaps it is the Christmas parade
or the big Candlelight tours. Maybe it is the shops all full of
Christmas ideas for that special person (that is probably not what
does it for the guys). Whatever it is, most people I know agree that
Christmas in Cape May is very special to them.
Whether you
are planning a December weekend in Cape May or want to spend
Christmas at The Queen Victoria, it is probably time for your
planning to turn into action. Give us a call and be sure to get the
room you really want.
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Featured “Room of the Month” … Buckingham
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Back in my 2nd ever newsletter in July of 2006 I featured
Buckingham (yes, I’ve featured all 34 of our rooms over the
years), but I’ve never shown you the new bathroom we recently
put in the room. The time has come to tell you about this
great room again. Many of you already call Buckingham “your
room” when visiting The Queen Victoria, but many have never
seen this gem.
Buckingham is located on the 3rd floor of the Queen
Victoria building, one of only two rooms on the 3rd floor. It
is a quiet, cozy room with some great architectural features
and a fantastic bathroom. You’d be surprised how many people
are passionate about a great bathroom.
When you walk
in the room you’ll notice the deep window wells created by the
sloping “Mansard Roof” walls. The walls are sloped, but the
ceiling is high, so it doesn’t give you that closed in feeling
at all. One of the windows even features a glimpse of the
ocean!
A couple of years ago we took out the rather
sad old fiberglass bathtub and replaced it with a beautiful
custom 2-head/2-person walk-in shower. Whether you’re looking
for a romantic and playful way to cleanse yourself or a really
big space to luxuriate in, this shower fits the bill. We also
took up the old cracked tiles, leveled the floor and put in a
really pretty new tile floor. I’ll save the story about the
flood we created with our “last nail” during construction for
another time.
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| The Convention Hall NEWS |
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This just out! Last week the city received 9 bids for the
demolition of the current convention hall ranging from about
$109,000 to $316,000. There were at least a few below the
$150,000 estimated cost the city had been forecasting.
According to our city manager the award should be made at the
next city council meeting early in November.
If all goes according to plan, the demolition of the
current hall will be complete by the end of the year. I
couldn’t help but laugh when the city manager pointed out that
the winning bidder would need to receive a demolition permit
from the city before starting demolition. Am I the only one
who finds this ironic/idiotic? I mean, is there a possibility
that they won’t be issued a permit? Is it about getting the
fee for the permit? How much could we possibly be talking
about? Maybe I’m missing something, but the foibles of
bureaucracy never cease to amaze me. I can just see the
project slipping behind schedule because the construction
office is a little short staffed and taking their vacation
before the end of the year so nobody is there to process the
permit. It could happen!
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Favorite Guest Photos … Late Victorian Tree
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Once again I get to play with the meaning of the title of
this section of our newsletter. Is this a favorite photo from
a guest? Is this a photo from a favorite guest? In this case
it it is both!
In keeping with my Christmas theme, I searched through my
archives of guest photos looking for shots related to
Christmas. Don & Jeannie’s photo jumped out at me and
certainly fit the bill. If I had to guess, I was probably the
one taking this picture of them in front of our late Victorian
tree in the parlor of the Queen Victoria building. I guess
that explains why they look so good (remember, it is always
all about me).
Seriously though, what better way to
get into the Christmas spirit or actually spend Christmas than
coming to The Queen Victoria. I can assure you that Don &
Jeannie loved their Christmas visit. They liked it so much
they’re coming back this December too!
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Now Playing at Cape May Stage … The Complete Works of
William Shakespeare (abridged) |
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I haven’t featured a Cape May Stage article in my recent
newsletters because, quite frankly, I didn’t want to recommend
the shows that were playing. With the opening last week of
their latest show, I’m pleased to include this section again.
Anna Marie and I saw this show the other night and LOVED
it. It is a zany, crazy, fun show with three gentleman
performing every single play William Shakespeare ever wrote in
about 90 minutes. We’re obviously talking about a rapid fire,
frenetic and humorous interpretation of “Bill’s” works. I have
to say that even the tragedies weren’t very tragic.
We
had a great time at this show and I’ll just say that I had my
own personal theatrical debut in this play. You’ll have to ask
me about this next time you see me.
This production
runs through November 20th, so you still have time to plan a
trip to Cape May. Remember, any excuse to go to Cape May will
do.
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Doug & Anna Marie’s Restaurant Pick Of The Month
… Merion Inn |
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I’m guessing that just about every guest who has ever
stayed at The Queen Victoria knows where the Merion Inn is. If
you’ve stayed in Prince Albert Hall, then you’ve probably seen
it from your window. For many, no visit to Cape May is
complete without a meal or at least a drink at the Merion Inn.
It is a special place.
Anna Marie and I really like the Merion Inn. The food is
wonderful and the comfortable and pretty dining rooms are
about as close to a Victorian experience as you can find in
this Victorian town. The Merion also has a wonderful old
fashioned bar with live piano music just about every night and
a Jazz night once a week.
So yes, there are lots of
reasons to go to the Merion, but let’s focus on the food. The
Merion has one of the largest menus in town, ranging from
their traditional “Merion Inn Classics” to more creative
offerings like Horseradish Encrusted Atlantic Salmon or a
“Cake & Steak” crab cake and filet prepared any of 7
different ways. They’ve also got some great specials including
a $15 “Express Dinner” and $16.95 “Earlybird” & “Night
Owl” dinners.
Really, you can’t go wrong with a visit
to the Merion during your next visit to the Merion
Inn.
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Make your reservations today for a romantic getaway at The Queen
Victoria Bed and Breakfast. We are looking forward to helping you
plan your next visit!
Sincerely,
Doug & Anna Marie McMain, Innkeepers
The Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast
phone: 609-884-8702
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