the rix mix

I barely recall my first two trips to Wildwood. The first was at the end of October, to a B&B, it poured rain all the way down on Friday night & the owners had sent a proxy to let us in. Next morning was bright blue, only four guests, the innkeepers were hungover from a high school reunion but the breakfast was fine. I decided I didn't like doing B&B at the shore. having to get up early & eat with strangers. The next summer we stayed at an old guest hotel in downtown Wildwood with a shared bath. It was inexpensive. I was with Christine & I remember almost nothing else about both those stays, they're like something I imagined or dreamt. I went back in 1990 with another woman, stayed two nights at Grey Manor motel, & had a terrible time, for which she apologized the last time I saw her, about ten years ago. In 1993, I went down with Megan & the motel had overbooked, so we got a better room off the third floor deck. That was my first really good time in Wildwood, too short, only two nights. I'm glad I persisted. We went back the next year for five nights, had a lot of fun, but I'd had it with staying near the boardwalk, & Megan didn't care, so we moved a mile up-island to the small, quiet Kismet in '95, which was being renovated by new owners. I don't know what they thought of us. I went back in '98 by myself & didn't want to come home. In '99 I spent a spring weekend there with a "friend," that was good, but haven't been there since. & every year both the Grey Manor & Kismet still send me their brochures.

Labels: boardwalks, jersey shore, Wildwoods NJ