Finding Peace in Ventnor City
It’s been a while since I posted here. My wandering slowed considerably in the later part of last year and into this year. Now that we are days away from the Spring Equinox I can feel myself coming back to life, just like the plant life outside.
We kicked off our pre-official Spring travel with a trip to Atlantic City for a basketball tournament last week and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t all that excited to go to Atlantic City. We’ve been before for other basketball tournaments and I was saddened to see all the TV screens on the boardwalk and smell the stale cigarette smoke in the casinos. It’s a place that feels like an aging movie star well past her prime not quite ready to give up the limelight.
Knowing from experience to avoid the casino hotels we booked an Airbnb in Ventnor City, the next town over from Atlantic City. Our place had recently been redone and I think we were the first ones to stay there. See photos here. It was super comfortable and our host was amazing. We were especially happy because we were able to bring our dog who we walked multiple times a day on the beach, which was only a block and a half away. This time of year is pretty quiet in Ventnor City so we had the beach to ourselves most days. Between our regular walks on the serene beach and the quiet spaciousness of the house where I was able to work on a new workbook I’m writing I felt like I was living my dream life.
For dinner we found two delicious restaurants in Margate, the next town over. Steve & Cookie’s has a huge menu and I indulged in the Mixed Seafood Grill which had the best lobster tail I think I’ve ever eaten. The next night we chose Tomatoes. Their menu has everything from a wide array of sushi to pastas, steaks, and poke bowls. I thoroughly enjoyed my Buddah Bowl with shrimp. Both nights we chose peanut butter pie for dessert and although they were both delicious in their own right, the salted nuts on top of the Steve & Cookie’s version tipped the scale in their favor for me although I think my husband preferred the fudge on the Tomatoes version.
Our last adventure was a short drive over to Northfield to the Beach Buns Bakery. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll know that we can’t pass up a good bakery and Beach Buns did not disappoint. The salted toffee cookie was chewy and just the right mix of salty and sweet. The Blueberry Lemon scone was also delightful. They also carry a selection of silly stickers that will tickle your funny bone.
I was so pleasantly delighted by our visit to Ventnor City this year that I can’t wait to go back next year for another basketball tournament. If you happen to be in the area be sure to make the trip out to Ventnor and Margate. You’ll be glad you did.