Number 13 not unlucky for Victorian Cape May

Frommer's names resort town one of 13 top destinations for travelers in 2008

(Cape May, NJ)  No one in Cape May, NJ, is superstitious these days about the
number 13.  In fact, it's safe to say that everyone thinks it's their lucky number
after their resort town was named one of 13 places worldwide as the top
destinations for travelers in 2008.  The list was announced by Frommer's, a
New Jersey-based travel guide publisher,  in early December, just in time to
make it the perfect holiday gift for America's First Seashore Resort.           

"Cape May's laid back Victorian charm is minutes (and generations) away from
Wildwood's go-go '50s-style architecture," noted the editors at Frommer's,
telling anyone who has ever spent time in Cape May something they already
know.                                                                                                                                

Cape May has long been a favorite of vacationers. Steamboats brought
visitors from Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. to
enjoy the cool sea breezes, the refreshing ocean waters and the leisurely
lifestyle. Later, during the heyday of the railroads, tourists thronged to
the seaside resort for the day, the week or even the summer.                                                                                               

Presidents Harrison, Pierce, Grant and Buchanan vacationed here, John Philip
Sousa played at Congress Hall and Henry Clay visited for several weeks in
1847, reinforcing the town's position as the major seaside retreat in the
country, the Queen of the Seaside Resorts.                                                                             

Cape May's popularity is actually linked to several devastating fires in the
19th century that destroyed huge hotels, homes and businesses. After the
Great Fire of 1878, the town was rebuilt in the Queen Anne, Gothic,
Victorian and American bracketed styles of architecture  For a generation or
two, these magnificent, ornate cottages, as they were often called, were the
summer homes of coal barons, titans of industry and wealthy families from
Philadelphia and other cities.                                                                            
                                  
After a period of decline, a renaissance started when a group of concerned
citizens rallied to save an aging and decaying landmark, the Physick Estate,
from demolition.  The group coalesced in the Mid- Atlantic Center for the
Arts and became the touch stone for an amazing revitalization.                                                          

In the early 1970s the entire town was listed on the federal government's
National Register of Historic Places and in 1976 Cape May was named a
National Historic Landmark City, one of only five such designations in the
country.  Huge Victorian homes that might have faced the same fate as once
awaited the Physick Estate were purchased, refurbished, and opened as bed
and breakfast inns, shops and restaurants, adding to the town's Victorian
ambiance.                                                                 

Today, over 30 years later, the restored Physick Estate is the home of the
Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which - as the name implies - has also
been the motivation behind an arts movement that includes a six-week
music festival each year, two equity theater companies, jazz and film
festivals and a full calendar of cultural events as well as historic preservation.                                                               

In the 1970s a four-block pedestrian mall opened, adding yet another
attraction to the beaches, the Victorian architecture and ambiance of this
seashore resort.  Currently, Washington Street Mall is undergoing a massive
restoration project to replace pavement, replant trees, and update services
to make the mall more attractive and appealing to residents and visitors.
The city also has plans to replace town's aging convention hall on the
Promenade with a structure that will replicate the ornate design of the
original convention hall that was destroyed in a massive coastal storm in
March 1962.                                      

Cape May continues to be a vacation destination with beautiful beaches and
its collection of restored Victorian buildings, gourmet restaurants and
nearly year-round activities. The area is also one of the most popular
birding spots in the United States.  Accommodations range from beachfront
hotels to luxurious rentals, guesthouses, and bed and breakfast inns.                                                       

Cape May is easily reached from points south by the Cape May Lewes Ferry
across Delaware Bay or from the north via the Garden State at exit zero, the
actual location noted in Frommer's list, a name used by most local people
that has become synonymous with Cape May.                                                                                                                                    

Each year, Frommer's editorial staff ferrets out places around the world
that are worthy of a traveler's attention. A location is selected for what
it has to offer or simply the fact that it often falls under the radar and
deserves a little attention.                                                                                                              

The other 12 places, in no particular order according to Frommer's, are
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New Orleans; the American Whiskey Trail from
Mount Vernon, Virginia, through Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania;  
Denver; Essaouira, Morocco; Cardiff, Wales; St. Lucia; Quito, Ecuador;  
Romania;  Seoul, South Korea; Bras d'Or Lakes, Nova Scotia and
Kosrae, Micronesia.

                                             &nbs
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