Greetings readers.
Can you believe it? We are two weeks into July already. For the most part, the weather has been delightful. Thankfully, the afternoon sea breezes kick in on schedule.
Cape May started the month off with a bang. Literally, on the Fourth of July, Cape May saw one of the better firework displays in recent years.
Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Cape May, Congress Hall hosts the Great American Picnic. One estimate had the town bursting with over 45,000 people over the weekend.
I always wonder how places like Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard regulate traffic and the flow of visitors into their towns. Cape May in July is always busy. To me this year felt busier than usual.
Fins opened at the end of June, a refreshing renewal from the old Pilot House, bringing some excitement to the Cape May restaurant scene. Everyone is talking about the “blue bar,” and Whiskey in the Jar has returned to Sunday afternoons, via Barry Tischler.
Right after the Fourth of July, John Byrne visited Cape May. John previously performed outdoors at Elaine’s and then again Thursday July 9th in the Boiler Room of Congress Hall. John has almost completed his upcoming CD, called the Immigrant and the Orphan, due out in September. John Byrne recently revamped his website and is undertaking a crowd sourcing or pre-selling of his new CD. John once worked here at the Jersey shore, and wrote a song while staying at the Marquis de Lafayette.
In May and June, the Great White Shark Mary Lee was all the rage. Cape May in July has us on the look out for another monster of sorts. The dreaded Portuguese man-o-war is drifting helplessly into our waters. As the warm gulf stream water comes closer to Cape May in July, the jellyfish goes along for the ride, according to Tracie Cicchitti of the Whale Watcher and Research Center. They can’t steer, so the stinging jellyfish drifts where the tide takes it.
Open microphone nights take on a new element in Cape May in July. Loyal visitors to Cape May pack their musical instruments and seek out places to perform. A recent Victorian Motel guest packed her guitar and stopped at the Mad Batter one Sunday night. Katie Tenenbaum wowed the crowd with her voice and intense focus. Katie told me the next day, it was an uplifting experience. She felt the love of Cape May in July.
There is still plenty of summer left. Enjoy it.
