Grandparent's Vacation Home, Wildwood

In the early to mid 1970s, my Grandparents (who lived in South Philly) rented a tiny bungalo near Hunt's Pier. By tiny I mean it was literally two rooms, a bath and a kitchenette. The whole thing couldn't have been more than a twenty-foot square.

I remember it sat far back off the street. It was painted brown with white trim, and looking back I'm pretty sure it was built on someone's side lot, as a guest house. It definitely had that 1920s look to it; it had shutters on the windows with little metal anchors attached to the middle of each, and flower boxes on each side of the door. Inside, the kitchenette had a small, 1950s style refrigerator, a sink, and a little propane stove. The furniture was very homey, and I remember it looked a lot like my Grandparents' furniture in the City.

They'd stay all summer long there. My Grandfather did a lot of fishing, went out almost every day. My Grandmother usually spent the days "watching her stories" on the little portable black and white TV, then went to work each evening on Hunt's Pier selling tickets at the front ticket booth. We'd visit them a couple of times each summer, and when times were good we'd go on the rides on the piers. But my Grandmother never...and I mean not once, even to my old man's protests...gave (stole) us free tickets for the rides!

-Christopher Pinto, author of Murder Behind the Closet Door, the Wildwood Paranormal Murder Mystery.