Doreen Orsini

A loop convo brought up Cape May, NJ.  This quaint Victorian seaside town on the southern point of New Jersey used to be a romantic getaway for the hubby and me.  We started going shortly after our second child’s birth.  At first, we would visit in September when the summer crunch waned a bit.  We had the beach to ourselves, but we also had fewer shops, restaurants, etc.  Oh, but the romance still embraced us whenever we’d stroll along the quiet streets.  Cape May has so many Victorian homes, the entire town is a historical landmark.  For those who love historical romances, I highly recommend fitting a weekend here during the year.  Anytime.  In the summer, you’ll have the beach and hustle of a seaside attraction.  Why bother going to a dolphin pool in Florida when you can swim with wild dolphins and minky whales in Cape May?  Surrey covered bikes for four and horse and buggy rides are a nice way to explore during the warm days and nights.

During the fall, plan to visit in October.  For Victorian buffs this will surely become an annual event you’ll visit again and again.  The entire town goes Victorian.  Homes open up to the public with teas while the owners — usually dressed in historic garb — regal you with tales about the town.  So many of the townspeople stroll around in Victorian costumes, you wonder if you entered a time warp.  During the holiday season, fireplaces light up in homes outlined with lights.  Close your eyes and imagine a painting of a Victorian house with lights.  Now, imagine an entire town of twinkling historic homes. 

No matter the time of year, bring along your bikes or be sure to rent them there. Visitors rarely use their cars once they arrive.  I am not much of a hiker or biker, but a bike ride or stroll around town quickly became my favorite pastime.  There is so much to see and do.  A bird sanctuary, fireworks, speedboating, arcades, a zoo, fireworks.  The list goes on and on. 

You can stay in a bed and breakfast, a guest house, victorian hotel or inn.  If you like to look at historic buildings but have no desire to stay in one, modern motels offer ocean views and pools.

At the end of the day, Cape May has so many great restaurants, you’ll wish your stay was longer just so you could try them all. The Lobster Pot is a favorite with fresh seafood taken right off the boats.  Great chefs spend their summers at Cape May’s restaurants, restaurants that offer standard burgers or gourmet samplings.  After dinner, catch a ghost tour.  With so many historic buildings, the ghostly apparations abound!  Even I had an experience while there!  (While cooking in our apartment at The Columbia House, a package of hamburger rolls flew off the top of the fridge and landed on the other side of the room!)

I love Cape May, but we did stray out of town from time to time. Wildwood is less than fifteen minutes away and offers a multitude of amusement parks along its piers.  Another nearby attraction is Atlantic City.  Or hop on the ferry and visit the outlet center in Delaware. 

I intend to revisit Cape May.

So, check out Cape May, NJ.  Grab a hunk and spend a weekend in another time.

I nearly started ranting and raving here…

Nearly.  Instead, I’m just going to post the link to a video and let the readers come to their own conclusion.  Now, I need glasses to read.  I’ve slowed this down.  I’ve called in others.  Even with a magnifying glass, we found no evidence supporting statements such as  “cavemen was shaking his best friend behind it (it being the American Flag)” or “came on stage in military regalia and proceeded to strip and grope themselves. “.  So, here’s the link.  Anyone else want to say “Snagged!”, go ahead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPx-txeYCAg

I don’t know.  Maybe I’m living in a fantasy world.  Maybe I spend too much time writing sexy romances and chatting with the women who love to read them.  In my world, if you say that there is a convention where male models who have buff bods and drool-worthy faces are stripping and simulating sex while dancing with female attendees, you better expect a stampede.  I see women of all ages, races, and marital states feeding their families pasta for a year and passing on those expensive shoes just so they can save enough to go to one of these risque conventions!  Now, as I’ve said before, I was not fortunate enough to attend this year’s Romantic Times Book Lover’s Convention, but I have been to two and plan on going to next year’s.  Is it a little wild?  Be real.  There are nearly 1000 women free of cares and responsibilities!  There are hunks with butts you can bounce a quarter off of roaming around.  IT’S A ROMANCE CONVENTION!  The older readers can remember when ultra sexy romance novels were called ‘bodice rippers’ instead of romantica.  The younger ones were told about the birds and the bees before they left elementary school.  Those who prefer traditional or conservative romances are still women.  Do they like taking in the eye candy?  I really doubt many would say no.  So, some get carried away.  Go to any convention.  You have no spouses (ok, some are fool enough to bring them), no kiddies.  I will repeat, some get carried away.  Some were born to be the convention slut.  Most of us just enjoy the antics and let loose a little.  We have fun.  We flirt with the knowledge that if some guy offered himself to us, we’d still say no.  This is the equivalent to a ladies night out.  You get silly and wild.  You let your hair down.  All I can say is that my face hurt on that last day.  I guess it was because I started smiling when I arrived and didn’t stop until I boarded the plane home!

Who wouldn’t love to go to a convention like RT?  All this talk about how immoral it is will only draw more women who are dying to get away for just a few days so they can let loose.   Women who read those romances and envisioned the cover model during every scene.  At RT, they get to meet the author and the hunk on the cover. 

Have you gone to RT?  Do you feel it fulfilled your every dream?  Did you do something you regret? 

And, BTW, at the RT Houston convention, I did see male models strip….at a local male strip club.  If I could have seen it at the hotel, I would not have left.  I had a hilarious time on that outing with my editor and the wonderful ladies who own and run Mojocastle.  I even got up on stage to show the young gals how to ham it up with the guys.  We had fun, good clean (they must shower between shows!) fun!