June 2005 (Retro Report)

We were down to Wildwood for just one day to close up the shore house and enjoy the island one last time before everything closes for the winter. It was closing day for Mariner's Landing and their Oktoberfest celebration. It wasn't too cold, but there was some clouds and occasional drizzle. Here are some pictures from the day. We got some Curley's and they were great. We didn't try the "beer cheese". I had my last fix of Mack's for the year. I hope it will last me through the winter... They were selling these huge cheese-covered pretzels on Mariner's Landing. I didn't have one, but this lady let me take a picture of hers. I should have asked her for a bite too. I had to get my pumpkin and cinnamon Kohr's cone. Things were pretty quiet on the beach and boardwalk. The pier was adorned with blue & white bunting. A lot of chairs in storage. Where Ferris wheel cars go to hibernate for the winter. Randy was bringing in some stuff to his arcade. I'm not sure if it was just to store or he was going to set it up. "See you in May." That says it all...

Hello everyone, I'm a bit late with this but I've been extremely busy. My girlfriend and I went down the 22nd-25th of August and stayed at the Shalimar. Here is a video I put together. I tried to make it fun by adding facts about Wildwood, personal stories, or asking the viewers questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obDJVoH4VUE&t=1s And another video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTpckpuIiMM&t=92s I call this trip "unfinished business" . There were things I had planned to do, but couldn't. Anyway, here's a recap: 22nd: -Left in the morning, got there by lunch and did our usual first stop at Curley's. Played some ski ball at Lime Ricky's after it (where it's still only a quarter to play) . Checked in, took a quick nap, then hit the gym. Our favorite, Bandana's for dinner, the vegetable wrap there is so good. Hit the boards where we soaked in the sights and sounds for the night. Of course, I played a good half hour of Fascination, so happy it's back! 23rd: -Drove to Fresh on 5th in North Wildwood for a big green smoothie for breakfast, I was filled with energy and ready to go. For lunch, we went to The Mad Batter in Cape May. There was quite a wait, but it was worth it. We ordered take out since it would have been quicker. We ordered the seitan wings which were so incredibly good. My gf also ordered a black bean burger to eat at a later time. Ate in our room. And then....the rain came. It rained (pretty heavy) for the rest of the day and into the night. I did drive out for some soy ice cream at Cool Scoops, but other than that, we stayed in the room and watched Mindhunter on Netflix. The day was pretty much lost. 24th: -It was beautiful the next morning. We rented bikes and drove from the Crest to the boardwalk and back, and then a bit in the streets. This was a huge accomplishment for me, as I have only learned to ride 2 years ago and have only ridden while on vacation pretty much. So that was my first time riding in the streets. Next year, I plan to go more than a few blocks in the streets. After showering we hit the boards, had a smoothie from Alohoa. I planned to conquer my fears and go on roller coasters. I told my gf "I'll go on tonight when we come back to the boards" . After a nap in the room, went to Bandana's again (to go this time) so I can get another veggie wrap while my gf had her black bean burger from Mad Batter, which she said was great. It became cool and breezy, and we realized we didn't pack anything for cooler temps, so we just hung out on the balcony/the room for the night, no boardwalk. 25th: -After checking out, we went to the board for one more round of Curley fries. We usually get fries and leave right away, but this time we stuck around on the boards for another hour or so, playing some more ski ball, and soaking everything in one last time. Of course the weather was finally perfect the day we were leaving. I had a hard time leaving. There was a lot of uncertainty job wise back home. I didn't get to go on the rides like I had hoped. We didn't do our usual fun times in Old City Pub and then going in the Ghost Ship. No Ferris Wheel. Didn't get to Sunset Lake, or any of the wineries. I wanted to do more bike riding. As we were walking back to the car, I said "I have unfinished business here" . I didn't want it to end. And so, the long wait for next summer begins.

We arrived in Wildwood Saturday the 31st around noon and headed home on Sunday around 1 pm. We had to make it a shorter trip this year because my son joined marching band and he had a Friday night football game that the band played at. The weather in Wildwood was great on both days and we managed to pack a lot in. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Although it was a short trip we had fun. The summer ended way too fast again...