Roadtrippin' beauty: Ventnor, NJ, part 2

This is my second blog about the sleepy beach town known as Ventnor, NJ. To me it is the true definition of neglected beauty-- it has a forgotten feel to it with some surprising finds of deco style architecture and beautiful English inspired gardens. What I like about this relatively unknown resort is its loyal, local community that takes impeccable care of beach front and side-street properties. But I also like the "other" parts that many residents try and hide from visitors like me.


Ventnor is an appendage of Atlantic City in many ways with pockets of vacant properties popping up in between sand dunes and cattails. It has a slightly abandoned feel, reminiscent of Atlantic City of the seventies and early eighties. Sometimes it makes me sad walking the boardwalk but it always gives me something to focus on. Neglected beauty is all over this place.


Most people know very little about Ventnor other than its role as a sale property from the board game, Monopoly. I was one of the misinformed until I met some friends that found a charming four story bungalow off Atlantic Ave. (another property of Monopoly) and decided to make it their summer/work home. This weekend marked my fourth visit.


While I normally focus on my destination, this trip I decided to document the journey home. Leaving Ventnor brought me and a friend much joy with some pretty, though intense scenery. Loud attractions like Pistol Pete's Steakhouse and Story Book Land screamed "Look at me!", but we were quickly relieved when we spied out a few cool, vintage deco buildings. Nice to get some order to the drive-by chaos. It can be hard to concentrate on the wheel in this place.


The trip back is a straight shot on Rt. 40 West, and where the retail madness ends, small town Americana begins. Mark and I stopped at least six times for picture taking. The nicest part was that we left at sunset. Even the sprinklers we saw in Egg Harbor Township glowed in gold.


After passing by the second abandoned flower farm, I was forced to stop and take some close up's. Even past their prime, these allium blooms held up, but the vision of vibrant purples and whites from two months ago remained only in my mind. It kills me that no one cut them for local florists use. Forgotten, un-used flower farms are a complete tragedy to a flower spy.


Despite their neglect, they were still so beautiful.


Next township, or Twp, (which I kept calling "twerp", it seemed reasonable...) was a small one and in the center it had an incredible abandoned looking mill and silo. Despite the rusty metal and overgrown mossed roof, the structure seemed so alive in the dimming light.


A quick peek across the street yielded this lovely church steeple and bell. By then we were in the gloaming which cast a creepy but alluring tint on the church. All I kept thinking was I was glad I didn't live here, but weirdly I could have stayed here longer to find other examples of neglected beauty...I just knew there was more.


On the last stretch towards the Delaware Memorial bridge, we rode past acres of corn fields. We stopped just in time for a perfect sunset. It happened literally within seconds, just in time for me to adjust my gaze onto the boring stretch of the drive home-- 95 South toward Baltimore.

What would we do without neglected beauty?


Thanks to Mark for accompanying our finds with his 80's new-wave ipod tracks. All of our senses were engaged... that is until the "Glee" soundtrack started...(deep sigh).

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND ARE PROPERTY OF C. LANGRALL