V18 N16

7/11: Around 8pm At 5 West Pub
Ramblings From The Editor
Ideas, idle gossip and occasionally important odds ’n’ ends... by Jack Wright
Crew from New York
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEKSEY MORYAKOV... TO ORDER PRINTS, PLEASE EMAIL PHOTO@EXITZERO.US
Life isn’t easy right now. Not for owners
of Cape May restaurants, who still can’t
seat indoors. Not for owners of retail,
who will never make up for COVIDincurred
losses. Not for restaurant wait
staff, who are shuffling around in heat and
humidity while wearing masks; nor for cooks,
who have never had it easy.
It can’t be easy for our visitors, either. They
come here regularly — for many it’s their favorite
place on earth — to spend hard-earned
dollars on fun and relaxation, a necessary break
from the hassles of everyday life. This summer,
the brakes have been pumped on a lot of the
activities that make this place so special.
But on Sunday (the culmination of what
was a very difficult and trying week in EZ land)
I was reminded of how easy it is to still enjoy a
perfect day in Cool Cape May, even in the grip
of COVID.
The wife and I spent a few blissful hours on
the beach in front of Congress Hall, munching
away on buffalo chicken cheesesteaks from
the Akroteria. Well, it was blissful until Diane
decided to sit upright and play a stressful game
of guess-where-the-next-beach-umbrella-isgoing-to-be-uprooted-and-sail-through-theair.
Ever since two beachgoers were impaled
by umbrellas, in the past four years, she’s been
a little obsessive on windy days. It has to be
said — in the course of 15 minutes we saw
three umbrellas come undone. It’s possible you
might see an angry editorial in the op-ed pages
of a regional newspaper sometime soon.
It was time to head off the beach and bike
to Central Park Farm Market in West Cape May,
where David and Peggy Cicchitti offer fresh
veggies AND fish. We bagged a pound of jumbo
shrimp, a slab of halibut, Jersey corn and yellow
cherry tomatoes. Highly recommend this place,
which is still flying under the radar a little bit.
I then biked to Sunset Liquors to load up
on a box of Crushin’ It, another ace beer from
the geniuses at Cape May Brewing Co. I have
never been a fan of IPA (those bitter hops don’t
do it for me), BUT... Crushin’ It is absolutely my
new favorite beer. It’s bursting with fresh, zesty
orange flavor. If there’s a better summer beer
out there, I haven’t tried it yet.
I drained a couple cans while grilling the
buttery halibut and shrimp (my marinade of
chilli, garlic, red pepper, lemon juice and chocolate-hazelnut
coffee granules was amazing)
over charcoal bricquettes.
I hope you, too, can enjoy the simple pleasures
this summer, whether you’re visiting or
lucky enough to live here.
Until next time... wear a mask.
FiNS IS BACK!
WASHINGTON INN
STREET DINING & TAKEOUT
11:00AM - 9:00PM
ORDER ONLINE @finscapemay.com
or CALL 609-884-3449 FOR TAKEOUT
WALKIN ORDERS WELCOME AT
SIDEWALK HOST STATION
CARPENTER LANE CURBSIDE PICKUP
WE RECENTLY ADDED A SELECTION OF
CAPE MAY BREWERY CAN BEER
142 DECATUR ST ON THE WASHINGTON MALL 609-884-3449 finscapemay.com
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AL FRESCO DINING AREA
TUESDAY-SUNDAY
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Page 14 EXIT ZERO July 16, 2020 July 16, 2020 EXIT ZERO Page 15