In the mid-90s I had a 1956 Buick Century station wagon that I drove as my everyday car. I was lucky enough to get it down to Wildwood for the Boardwalk Classic Car Show & Cruise, driving the Dragon Wagon. We stayed at the Bel Air Motel (still in operation!) and ate at Neil's, hit the boards for the car show during the day and the rides at night. Castle Dracula was still alive, and we did both the boat ride and the walk-through. As always, we had waffles and ice cream at Pierre's and played Fascination at Olympic Casino.

My 1956 Buick Century Wagon. Original V8 Hotrod Engine.

What a great weekend that was. There were 30s, 40s and 50s cars everywhere, so many you didn't even notice the modern cars. All that chrome really shined under all that neon. I remember a bunch of guys in a 50s-style 1931 Model-A Ford hot rod burning rubber in front of The Satellite. Guys were dressed as greasers and chicks were wearing poodle skirts and old-style bikinis. Doo Wop music blasted everywhere. The next morning we had breakfast at the Surfside Diner. It was like going back in time.

I haven't been to the Cruise in years, but I'll bet even though a lot of the koolest motels are gone, it's still a hell of a weekend.

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