USA Today, on Oyster Trail, Discovers (Hotel) Cape Charles
USA Today story is all about oysters — until it comes to (Hotel) Cape Charles.
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
September 20, 2012
USA Today is the third major publication in almost as many months to highlight little Cape Charles.
First came Southern Living magazine, which rated Cape Charles among the five “Best Little Beach Towns” in the southeast. (Read the Wave’s report here.)
Then the Washington Post chimed in with a travelogue about the Eastern Shore. (Read the Wave’s report here.)
And now it’s USA Today’s turn. Although the story is mostly about oysters and their comeback on the Chesapeake, the writer also recommends a stay in Cape Charles.
Reading all three publications, it would appear that the USA Today writer read the Washington Post story about Cape Charles, but missed the Southern Living story.
The Southern Living story appeared in the June issue, which hit the stands in May and was probably written much earlier. Under “Where to Stay,” Southern Living wrote: “Rent a house or villa at Bay Creek Resort (from $250). Or, opt for Cape Charles House Bed and Breakfast or Fig Street Inn (both from $140). These updated, turn-of-the-century homes have easy access to downtown.”
But when the Washington Post’s Becky Krystal wrote her story in late July, the tony Hotel Cape Charles had recently opened. And Krystal’s story turned out not to be so much about Cape Charles as about Hotel Cape Charles. She loved it — especially the air conditioning and the hotel mascot, Roxie — Ned Brinkley’s beagle-cockapoo.
Now it’s USA Today’s turn to make the Eastern Shore rounds. Writer Jayne Clark gives Cape Charles only a mention in passing — but guess where she passes: Hotel Cape Charles.
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Farther south in Cape Charles, the newly restored Hotel Cape Charles sports a striking glass, steel and brick facade whose modernity defies, but comfortably coexists with, the surrounding Victorian and Colonial Revival aesthetic.
The USA Today story is all about oysters, and on the Eastern Shore, Chincoteague gets all the attention. Except when it comes to “Where to Stay.” Only one place is mentioned on the entire Eastern Shore — Hotel Cape Charles.
Read the story in USA Today.
Read the story in the Washington Post.
Read the story in Southern Living.
Wow. Southern Living, Washington Post and USA Today all heralding our little town in the course of just 3 months. That is nothing short of amazing!
That 2 of the 3 were so incredibly impressed with the new Hotel Cape Charles to call it out specifically is overwhelmingly positive. I am sure that Southern LIving would have done the same, but their story was put to bed and to press long before the Hotel actually opened.
That the town wants to continue to push the issue of the glass railings is mind boggling to me. The USA Today story actually calls out the attractiveness of the facade of the building.
Do we really want to ruin all of this great publicity — that the town couldn’t afford to pay for in 10 years if they had to run paid ads — just to force the issue? The Hotel has done nothing but bring great economic benefit to the town. Give them a variance for the railings and let’s focus our energy on how to keep bringing these new visitors back year after year to help our little town thrive.
Let’s concentrate on how to move this great town forward to help it thrive again. Otherwise, our children may have just the remains, the “what used to be” of an old bayside town to look forward to in another 20 years.