一场说走就走的亲子旅行Cape May | A trip to Cape May

结婚前，我们属于比较喜欢出去玩的人。一有节假日就会想着出门走走看看。有了孩子以后，几乎没有出门旅游过。就带孩子回国了一次。想着带孩子去看看大海。让他感受一下海风，沙滩，阳光。这次有3天小假，于是有了这一次说走就走的旅行。

Before we got married, we are the kind of people travel often. When we have free time, we just want to go out. After we had a child, we almost never traveled. We only took my child back to China once. I want to take David to see the ocean and let him feel the ocean breeze, the beach, the sun, so we had this trip.

这次的旅行无论从阵容和心态上都有变化。因为带着孩子所以必须以休闲为主，活动范围不能离开酒店太远，停车必须便利。开车时间不能太长，中途最好有休息站能够让孩子透透气。

The main theme of this trip is to be relaxed. So it has to be closed to the hotel, easy to park, and not too far from home.

CAPE MAY就非常符合我们的要求，首先它是个新泽西最南端靠海的小镇，有着非常美丽的海景，距离我们住的地方约2小时的车程。小镇的环境也非常优美，镇上有一条商业步行街。在我们谈恋爱的时候曾经去过一次CAPE MAY，也比较熟悉。于是乎，我们在走前两三天内定好了大致的路线和酒店。我就负责收拾打包行李。我们不是严格按照计划旅行的人，因为再详细的计划也赶不上变化，不如放松心态，享受过程中的惊喜。

CAPE MAY is very much in line with our requirements. First of all, it is the southernmost town in New Jersey, with a very beautiful sea view. It is about 2 hours drive from where we live. The environment in the town is also very beautiful, and there is a commercial pedestrian street in the town. We have been to CAPE MAY when we were still dating. Ever since, we have set the approximate route and hotel within two or three days before I left. I'm responsible for packing. We are not strictly following the plan, because the detailed plan can not keep up with the changes, it is better to relax and enjoy the unexpected during the trip.

出发的日期定在周五的午饭后，因为考虑到孩子那段时间是正好午睡，在车上午睡就顺便度过了车程。这样的安排的确非常好，儿子在开车后不久就睡着了。到了酒店正好醒来。非常的外媒。开车的路线也很简单，Garden State Parkway往南开到头就到Cape May了。这次订的酒店就在海边，打开阳台是一个露天的BAR，因为是淡季，所以BAR还没有开始营业，这样也不会太吵，但是BAR的景色非常好，面对大海，春暖花开，哈哈哈哈。到达酒店差不多一点多。我们放下行李。就迫不及待的出发去海滩玩沙子啦。

We were leaving after lunch on Friday, because it is just a nap time for David. This arrangement worked out really great, David fell asleep shortly after driving and woke up when we arrived at the hotel. It's an easy route to get to Cap May, just follow Garden State Parkway heading south to Cape May. The hotel is by the ocean, from the balcony, we can directly access the open bar.Because it is off-season, the BAR has not yet opened, so it will not be too noisy, but the scenery of BAR is very good, facing the ocean, and you can get the best oceanview. It’s almost a little over 1Pm when we arriving at the hotel. We can't wait to go to the beach to play with the sand.

可以看到海景的吧台

From the open bar, you can get the oceanview

走之前查了下天气，天气晴朗，温度大概在60华氏度左右，但是考虑到海边海风有点凉，我们还是都带了外套。从酒店正门出去，过马路就是沙滩啦。这里的沙滩沙子很细，暖暖的，天空蓝蓝的，好舒服。
COSTCO买的玩具

Toys from Costco

海景 Oceanview

因为是周五，沙滩上没有很多人。偶尔经过散步的人们友好的和我们打招呼。我们三个就像小朋友，玩的不亦乐乎。带了一套COSTCO的沙滩玩具，性价比很高，9.99刀，满足一家人的需求。海边的风还是有点点凉，但是太阳照在身上很暖和。堆完了城堡，我们都把鞋子脱了，开始踩踩水花，沙子好软，浪也不是很急，一阵一阵的飘过来。玩够了沙子，我们决定去镇上走走。这里要提一下，去海边，请一定要多备几双袜子和裤子，因为会都是沙子。哈哈，我还是非常明智哒。
穿过马路回到酒店，换了袜子和衣服，收拾干净身上的沙子，放好玩具，拿上轻便推车，我们就出发啦。因为小镇的步行街离酒店很近，小镇又非常漂亮。我们就没有开车。打算慢慢步行走过去。大概因为是周五的关系，小镇很安静。路上也没多少行人。沿途很多的维多利亚风格的建筑，非常漂亮。逛了大概15分钟就来到了商业步行街。

Because it was Friday, there were not many people on the beach. The three of us are like children, and we were having fun with a set of COSTCO beach toys. The wind on the beach is still a bit chilly, but the sunshine is warm. After the castle was piled up, we all took off our shoes and began to step on the water. The sand was soft and the waves were not very urgent. It floated for a while. After playing enough sand, we decided to go to the town. Here to mention, go to the beach, please be sure to prepare a few pairs of socks and pants, because it will be sand. Haha, I am still very wise. Cross the road back to the hotel, change socks and clothes, clean up the sand on the body, put the toys, take the light cart, and we set off. Because the town's pedestrian street is very close to the hotel, the town is very beautiful. We didn't drive. I plan to walk slowly. Probably because of Friday's relationship, the town is very quiet. There are not many pedestrians on the road. A lot of Victorian buildings along the way are very beautiful. After about 15 minutes, I came to the commercial pedestrian street.

这里一下子就热闹了很多。街两边各种小店。

It's getting busy here. All different shops on both sides of the street.

在街边的长椅上坐下，吃个冰激凌，晒晒太阳，发了一会小呆。真是人生最幸福的时光啊。

Sitting down on the bench on the street, eating an ice cream, basking in the sun, and relax a little bit. It is the happiest time of life!

逛了一下礼品店，买了一个冰箱贴。三个人的影子来个合影，哈哈哈。

We visited the gift shop and bought a refrigerator sticker. We took the photo of our shadows, hahaha.

慢悠悠的从另一个方向绕回酒店。正好走了一个闭合的圆圈。路上经过一下网红龙虾三明治卷店，但是为了晚上的大餐，决定第二天去吃。回酒店休整一下。开车出发去吃大餐罗。
CAPE MAY有一家很有名气的吃海鲜的饭店，叫lobster house，靠着海而建，景色非常好，以前我们来的时候曾经吃过一次，龙虾相当的新鲜。这次当然也是不能错过。这家客流非常大，所以吃晚餐要早点去。我们大概5点不到到的，大概等了20分钟左右。

Slowly walking back to the hotel from the other direction. On the way, we bypassed the famous lobster roll restaurant, but for the big dinner tonight, we decided to visit it the next day. Went back to the hotel to take a small break and drove to the famous Lobster House. CAPE MAY has a well-known seafood restaurant called Lobster House. We tried it once when we were still dating. The lobster is quite fresh. This restaurant has a lot of customers, so if you are heading for dinner, be prepared to be there early. We got there around 5PM and just waited about 20 minutes before waitress got us a table.

坐定点菜，非常巧，和上次来坐的座位一样。非常好运的坐到了靠窗的位置。五点的时候刚好可以看夕阳。

Sitting down and placing an order. It was the same table we got last time we were here. From the window, we were just in time to see the sunset.

点菜点菜。龙虾肯定是要来一只的，又点了一份套餐。菜品如下，哈哈。无法用文字描述的美味，就用图片感受吧。

We ordered one lobster and one combo meal. Check the picture below, I can't tell you how delicious the food is.

蔬菜色拉是两份，就不重复上传啦。量很大，我们三个人没有吃完。

We had 2 salads and three of us can't even finish it.

小朋友吃的很满意。

David seemed to be happy.

吃完晚饭，大家也很累了。回酒店给孩子洗澡，哄睡啦。
第二天。八点不到小家伙就醒了。大家洗漱完毕，在酒店吃完早餐，就出发啦。今天的主题是动物园。经过龙虾三明治店的时候，店还没有开门，所以留下一个小小的遗憾。没关系，我们肯定会再来的。动物园距离酒店开车大概半小时。处于回程的路上，这样从动物园开回家就只要1.5个小时。而且回程也放在孩子午睡的时候减少小家伙的吵闹。大约10点，我们就达到了CAPE MAY的目的地。动物园是不需要门票的，自愿的捐款。我们来的比较早，人也不多。停车位很多。

After dinner, everyone is very tired. We went back to the hotel and took a shower then sleep. the next day. David woke up before 8AM. After the breakfast at the hotel, we were going to zoo. When we passed the lobster roll restaurant, the store had not opened yet, so a small regret was left. It doesn't matter, we will definitely come again(We went back after 3 months XD). The zoo is about half an hour drive from the hotel. On the way back, it takes only 1.5 hours to drive home from the zoo. At about 10 o'clock, we reached the zoo. The zoo does not require tickets but donation will be appreciated. We came early and there were not many people and lots of parking spaces.

停车场对面就是儿童游乐园，分为低龄和大龄两个场所，设计的很细心啊。
动物园不是很大，大概1-2个小时就可以全部逛完。但是动物很全，天上飞的，地上走的，水里游的都有。而且路线标示的很清楚。各种标牌上介绍也很清楚。在固定的时候，还会有工作人员进行介绍，感兴趣的话，还可以提问。时刻表在入口处有明显标示。而且对于一些大型的动物，观景台也做的很好。可以看的非常清楚，但是又保持很安全的距离。动物太多了，我随手贴几张。

Opposite the parking lot is a children's amusement park, divided into two places, under and over 3 years old. The zoo is not very big, you can finish the zoo in about 1-2 hours. But there are many different kind of animals, flying in the sky, walking on the ground, swimming in the water. And the route is clearly marked. At the certain time frame, there will be some staff members to guide, if you are interested, you can also ask questions. The schedule is posted at the main entrance. And for some large animals, the observation deck also does a good job. It can be seen very clearly, but it is kept at a safe distance. There are too many animals, and I only took few photos.

动物园有时候会组织活动，比如这天正好有寻宝活动，填写一份问卷就有免费的午餐。
我们逛完后，差不多中午了。在停车场对面的游乐园玩了一会，吃了午餐。就打算打道回府啦。

The zoo sometimes organizes activities, such as a treasure hunt on this day, and a free lunch with a questionnaire. It was almost noon after the tour. David played for a while in the amusement park opposite the parking lot. We drove back home when we finished our lunch.

小贴士：

• Cape May这边的酒店都比较贵，订酒店前可以先看看Groupon有没有酒店的活动。我们订了一个酒店200多刀，后来在Groupon上面看到那天是他们第一天营业，Groupon上面订只要100刀

• Cape May 的地标是Cape May Lighthouse, 之前我们去过一次了，这次就没有去了。可以登上塔顶看风景。旁边还有公园可以散散步，骑骑车。具体可以去官网查查。https://www.capemaymac.org/cape-may-lighthouse

• 5月份底，Cape May这边就可以出海看鲸鱼和海豚。我们去的比较早，没有看成。具体可以看官网。 http://capemaywhalewatcher.com/

• 小镇上保留了很多完整的维多利亚风格的建筑，如果有空余时间，可以在小镇上走走，渡过个懒洋洋的一天。

• 镇上比较有名的龙虾卷这次没吃到，留了小小的遗憾。如果有人下次去，记得吃Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls家的龙虾卷。

• 有一些酒店会提供免费的自行车，记得问问。骑车逛Cape May也挺不错的。

  Tips:

  • The hotels in Cape May is pricey, so try to find deals on Groupon. It will save you around 30-50%.
  • The landmark of the Cape May is the "Cape May Lighthouse". We went there once, so we didn't go this time. You can find more detail here: https://www.capemaymac.org/cape-may-lighthouse
  • From the end of May, you can take a cruise for a real whale and dolphine watch. More detail visit: http://capemaywhalewatcher.com/
  • This town has a lot of Victoria Style buildings.
  • Don't miss the famous Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls when you are here next time.
  • Some hotels provides free bicycles rental. Don't forget to ask the front desk if you need one.

---