Has Summer passed you by without allowing for a trip
to The Queen Victoria? Believe it or not, it is not too
late! If you want to squeeze in a last minute Summer
weekend at The Queen Victoria, we’ve still got a couple
of rooms available before the end of the season.
Labor Day is the traditional end of Summer, so it is
only fitting that you should get your last minute
reservation for Labor Day weekend. Surprising as it may
be, we still have 3 rooms left for this grand finale to
Summer.
For the literal minded, I should point
out that Summer really doesn’t end until September 20th,
so there is actually more Summer ahead of us than some
people may think. Either way, don’t let Summer slip by
without your annual trip to The Queen Victoria! Call us
today.
Not the wine thing again! Is he going to go off about
wine again? Well …. yes.
The New Jersey wine
growers association is hosting its 2nd annual Cape May
Wine Festival this October 11th and 12th during our
Victorian Week festival. I’m here to tell you that I
can’t imagine a better combination for a wonderful
weekend. Holding these two events at the same time is a
little bit like having Christmas and the 4th of July on
the same weekend.
So what is the festival? Very simply, the wine
festival is one of the most enjoyable events I can
imagine. If you’ve never attended one of these
festivals, then you should seriously consider attending
this year’s event. Imagine 25-30 tasting tents set up
around a meadow with a live band playing music all day,
the soft breezes blowing off of the bay, and the
wonderful aromas of the food vendors wafting over you as
you sample the wines of New Jersey. I know people that
don’t even like wine that attend these festivals
regularly.
We’ve still got a few rooms available
for that weekend, but I don’t think they’ll last very
long. Give us a call today to be sure you’ll have a
place to stay when you come for the
festival.
One of our favorite events every year is the Cape May
Designer Show house. This year we’re excited to see what
our region’s best designers are going to come up with at
the 2008 Show House.
Anna Marie and I toured the house in the “before”
preview. It was already apparent that there was a lot of
magic in the works to create a wonderful showcase,
literally starting from the bottom up. To start with
they dug out the crawlspace to create a basement for the
media and entertainment room. Every designer was there
with conceptual drawings and materials, all of which
promised a craftsman fantasy in the making.
The
showhouse is already open and is receiving rave reviews.
if you’re looking for a real treat on your Summer or
Fall visit this year, make plans to visit the 2008
Designer Show House.
So how do you get beautiful women to flock to you?
One way is to marry one. Another is to get all dressed
up in your Victorian best and attend Victorian Week this
October in Cape May. Joan Hartley contributed this photo
from her 2006 Victorian Week trip here and I couldn’t
imagine a better image for the event.
Yes, Victorian Week does allow sensible people to
have fun getting dressed up. More significant, however,
are all of the entertaining events available for your
enjoyment. How is this for an amazing array of
possibilities: Vintage Dancing, Chef’s Dine Around,
Antique and Craft Shows, Murder Mystery Theatre, Fall
Harvest Beer tasting dinner, Chocolate Fantasy Buffet,
Vintage Fashion show … There really are too many
events to list.
Victorian Week in Cape May is
truly unique in the world. It is Cape May at its very
best. Don’t miss it this year. We still have
availability throughout this event, so give us a call
and secure you place in Cape May’s Victorian
Week.
Come Home for the Holidays (to your
Queen Victoria home)
Did you ever wonder where the perfect place to spend
Christmas was? Believe it or not, you already know of
the place, but were unaware of it. The Queen Victoria
really is the perfect place to spend Christmas. Why you
ask? I was hoping you would!
First let me explain that Christmas as we know it was
introduced to the world by Queen Victoria and her German
husband Prince Albert. They popularized Christmas,
making it what it is today (though they aren’t
responsible for the Christmas Carols in stores beginning
in mid-October). So if Christmas is a Victorian
tradition, and Cape May is the premier Victorian town,
and The Queen Victoria is the best place to stay in Cape
May (in my not so humble opinion), then it stands to
reason and mathematics (transitive destination theory)
that The Queen Victoria is the best place to spend
Christmas.
Beyond that, it’s fun! Every year lots
of great couples return to their home for the holidays
at The Queen Victoria. We’ve got amazing decorations,
loads of cheer, special dinners and banquets and even
little elves scurrying around in the middle of the night
on Christmas Eve to make your Christmas special.
If you are searching for a special Christmas
experience this year, we’re just a phone call
away.
Every year there comes a time when I start mentioning
Thanksgiving in these newsletters. That time has
obviously arrived (did you notice I did it out of order,
placing it after Christmas? Just trying to keep you on
your toes!), and as usually happens, I pause to reflect
on how much Anna Marie and I have to be thankful for.
We’re very thankful for all of the usual things like
good health, a wonderful marriage, and a comfortable
life. We’re also incredibly thankful for the friendships
that we’ve made with many of our wonderful guests. Some
guests never even meet us, nor do they care, but many of
you have taken us into your hearts and shared your lives
with us as well. I hope and trust that you already know
how much we value your friendship, but I wanted to spell
it out anyway. Thanks to you for your friendship and for
brightening the halls of The Queen Victoria by your
presence.
Having dispensed with all the heartfelt emotional
stuff, let me get back to the commercialization of
Thanksgiving. Every year Cape May and The Queen Victoria
become a Thanksgiving destination for so many. Think
about it: Do you really want to cook all day, clean up
all night, and battle “the mall” on Friday with the rest
of the world? Wouldn’t it be much more relaxing to
arrive at The Queen Victoria in time for tea Wednesday,
enjoy a leisurely and relaxing Thanksgiving strolling
the beach and town before a sumptuous meal at Union Park
(our favorite Thanksgiving spot), and then stroll “our
Mall” for unique Christmas bargains on Friday? It sounds
much better to me!
Thanksgiving weekend is
always a very popular weekend at The Queen Victoria, but
why not arrive a couple of days early. You probably
don’t have to work, and what a great escape from the
“Black Friday” crowds!
I have to admit that I was always really bad at the
“Halloween Thing”. I’m not saying I was a bad kid who
wreaked havoc in the neighborhood (not much, at least).
I actually mean that I was always incredibly uninventive
about Halloween. Amazingly, Anna Marie was Halloween
challenged as well. I’m sure that explains our
successful marriage. Anyway, as you can imagine, I was a
little reluctant to embrace the growing popularity of
the event in Cape May. As it turns out, though, Cape May
really is just about the perfect place for big kids to
celebrate Halloween. We’re on board with it now, and
even encourage the wearing of the evening’s costume at
tea.
Yes, Halloween has become a big to do in Cape May in
the last few years, and no wonder. We’ve got spooky
looking houses. We’ve got ghosts and ghost tours (all
year long too, not just when everyone else is doing it),
and we’ve got some fun places to celebrate that are
really into it.
If you have an urge to “Do the
Spooky” this year (yeah, I just made that up … I’m
probably getting too full of myself here), I think you
should give some serious consideration to a Cape May
get-away. Cape May’s Halloween events actually start
early this year, running from October 17 and running
right through the Hallowed day itself (if, indeed it is
hallowed). It seems like quite a long time frame, but I
guess Halloween has just gotten too big for a single
night, at least in Cape May.
Upcoming Events
Doubt opens at Cape May Stage Aug 20
Cape May Crafts Sep. 6
Food & Wine Festival Sep. 20-25
Cape May Wine Festival Oct 11-12
Victorian Week Oct 10-19
Halloween Events Oct 17-31
Sherlock Holmes weekend Nov 7-9
Cape May Jazz Festival Nov 7-9
New Jersey Film Festival Nov 21 – 23
Cape May Christmas Nov 21 – Jan 4
It is hard to believe, but Summer is already drawing down,
with each passing day bringing us closer to all of the
wonderful Fall events in Cape May.
I know that lots of
you have already discovered the joys of late Summer and early
Fall in Cape May and it has become your favorite time of year.
And no wonder! With the Food & Wine Festival, Victorian
Week, the NJ Wine Festival, Sherlock Holmes weekend, the Cape
May Jazz Festival and NJ Film Felstival there is plenty to do
and enjoy. Did I mention the wonderful weather, diminished
crowds and lower rates at The Queen Victoria?
As much
as I love Summer, Fall really is my favorite time of the year
in Cape May. I’ll bet it might become yours too if you give it
a try.
The Perfect Start to the Day … Breakfast on the
House of Royals Porch!
What?! You’ve never stayed in Gilbert & Sullivan?
Unbelievable. Gilbert & Sullivan is the favorite
room of MANY of our long-time and frequent guests. It
offers privacy, has a bright, cheery atmosphere, is cozy
in the Winter and cool in the Summer. What more could
you be looking for in a room?
To say that Gilbert & Sullivan has character is
an understatement. With its charming fireplace, slightly
sloping floors (it was once a “sleeping porch”), odd
shaped bathroom, this room is just full of charm.
Gilbert and Sullivan also has 6 windows, which is
probably more than any other room in the inn, providing
great cross-breezes in suitable weather.
Gilbert
& Sullivan is also one of our best values. It is
actually a two room suite, but priced two levels down as
a Large Standard room.
The folks at Cape May Stage are winding down their
latest production, “Private Lives” by Noel Coward, so I
thought I’d mention the upcoming production: “Doubt”.
This one looks like a departure from the kind of funny,
comedic performances that Cape May Stage often produces.
The truth is, though, that they’re usually good for a
drama or two each season. This looks to be a great one.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I had never
heard of this Pulitzer prize winning story and Tony
Award winning (Best Play) production. I guess I
shouldn’t be. Most of you know I’m about as cultured as
a clam on the beach. Anyway, you are probably well aware
that this is a story about a Nun’s efforts to have a
priest removed for inappropriate behavior with a
student. Yes, this one might be a little
intense.
On a marginally interesting side note, I
met the lead actress at the Depot Market Cafe the other
day. It was a little awkward, since I was not aware of
what the next production was or what it was about.
Luckily, as an innkeeper I have pretty decent chatting
skills, so I was able to pull it off. Can you believe
she had never heard of The Queen Victoria?
Shocking!
As you may have guessed, one of the very best things
about our lives as innkeepers of The Queen Victoria is
that we get to meet some really special people. It is a
blessing that never ceases to amaze us. One of these
people is a gentleman named Ben Miller. If you’ve ever
read a copy of “Exit Zero”, you have probably read some
of the columns he has written. Ben is an interesting guy
with an interesting story. Now he is on an interesting
mission that I wanted to share with you. It really is
inspirational.
Ben started his adult life as a pretty averaged size
guy, but through the course of years and life’s
experiences became what you would have to describe as a
BIG GUY. Ben is working hard to put that behind him,
though, and he has an innovative and wonderfully caring
program to motivate himself to lose weight while helping
others.
Ben has founded an organization called
“Donate My Weight”, which is dedicated to raising food
and cash donations to the “Second Harvest Food Banks”.
Ben is obtaining pledges of both food and money for each
pound he loses. Literally, his is getting food donated
to hungry people for each pound he loses.
When I
met Ben he had already dropped 60 pounds to weigh in at
400 lbs. Since then, he has lost an additional 40
pounds. You may have seen Ben on TV or on posters around
the metro Philadelphia area. Ben won’t be big for much
longer, I hope, but he will always have a big heart. If
you would like to help in Ben’s mission, visit his
website and join him.
This is not one of my usually uplifting, fun little
segments, but we’ve made a decision at The Queen
Victoria that I wanted to share with you.
We no
longer accept bedandbreakfast.com gift certificates or
gift cards.
Due to the amazing expense to us of
redeeming them, along with the rampant abuse of their
program through discounting, we’ve decided that we can
no longer participate.
If you’ve got a relative or friend that loves to give
you gift certificates to bed and breakfasts, suggest to
them a Queen Victoria gift certificate. It works just as
well as the other ones, and we’re always excited about
redeeming them.
