Fabulous Fifties

If you've ever been to Maggie's (2619 Dune Drive, Avalon, 609-368-7422), you know that it's a casual eatery with good food and good prices. You also know that the servers' t-shirts say "No Whining," which is what Maggie told her grandkids if they dared to complain. I'm going to get one of those t-shirts and tack it to my office wall. I took most of today off and feel recharged and ready to go -- no sulking or whining necessary.

So yesterday I mentioned that I had lunch at Pink Cadillac Diner (609-522-8288, 3801 Atlantic Avenue, Wildwood) and that they serve up the best BLT I've tasted while working on the book. I'm not lying -- just look at the picture. Everything in the sandwich was in proportion -- just enough tomato, not so much lettuce that the bread tears apart, and the bacon's nice and crispy. My only complaint is that I had to pay extra for fries. I hate it when restaurants do that -- the fries should be included. It's like offering PB&J but charging extra for the J.

That's a small quibble. The Pink Cadillac Diner dishes up good food, and you can't beat the retro diner look, which includes a lot of chrome, diner booths and checked patterns. Plus, you'll get a show. If you ask, they'll put on Bruce Springsteen's Pink Cadillac, and the servers will do the Pink Cadillac shuffle. You can join in, too. It's not a difficult dance routine.

If you want that '50s, '60s or even '70s vibe to stretch longer than just a meal, you absolutely must check out Summer Nites (2210 Atlantic Avenue, North Wildwood, 866-ROC-1950), which I wrote about in the August issue of SJ Magazine. Unlike the Pink Cadillac Diner, you can't tell the wonderland inside from looking at the building. That's because Summer Nites isn't one of the many Doo Wop buildings that still stand in the Wildwoods, but an old home converted into a bed and breakfast. Every room is themed, from the furniture to the light switches. You've never lived until you've seen a gold lame couch like the one inside the Elvis Suite, or Marlyn Monroe coming out of a jacuzzi (as a mural painted on the wall -- get your head out of the gutter). My favorite room is the '70s room, which is the newest at the B&B. I might have ask inn keeper Sheila Brown where she got that bedspread. It, like the room, is groovy.

A few housekeeping notes: My brother Mike, who is apparently calling himself a "Red Headed Mastermind," has started a blog. I always did have the best ideas first.

If you've been reading through to the end of every post, you know that I include what I'm listening to and sometimes what I'm reading. I'll only post what I'm reading when I start a new book. If you want to know what I thought, well, hire me to write a review! With no further ado...

What I'm listening to: 20 Years of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys.
What I'm reading: My Movie Business by John Irving.