ATLANTIC CITY & WETLANDS

My son Edward lives in Washington, D.C. He invited me to join him in Philadelphia where we once lived. My other son Andrew who lives in St. Louis encouraged me to take up the invitation.

I flew into Philadelphia International Airport on Mothers Day. As the plane approached PIA, I looked for the statue of William Penn which had once been the City's tallest building. It is now hidden by taller buildings and the Comcast Tower. It seemed ironic that Penn, the patient, quiet Quaker who planned this City could no longer be seen from the air.

Ed met me and we drove to the Shore. In Atlantic city, the Casino/gambling glitz has faded. Revel, the newest Casino was sleek, modern and cavern-like amidst a neighborhood trying hard to resurrect itself. Even the shabbiness of the City could not lessen my sense of excitement about seeing, and smelling the Atlantic Ocean.

Some of the old hotels like the Shellbourne, the Claridge and the Haddon Hall are still standing though "cassinofied." We ate in new ethnic restaurants and in others that we remembered from years ago. As we walked the Boardwalk, we hunted out the few amusement arcades the children loved.

In Ventnor, my parents year-round home which was also home to my children and me, still remains. The Morris Hardware Company, owned by my parents, where children received free balls and mailed letters to Santa, has been replaced by a 7-11 store. My children's public school has been replaced by single family homes. The Custard Stand we walked to on summer evenings over the Bridge to Ventnor Heights still stands with a big sign on the door, "See You on Memorial Day!"

Magnificent dunes, running along Absecon Island beaches now serve as protection for property, wetlands, and the Inter coastal waterway against coastal storms. In Longport we stopped at the rocks where Bay and Ocean waters meet. As ocean spray wet our faces, we were able to see at the same time, Atlantic City on our left and Ocean City on our right.

At the other end of the Island, the Atlantic City Light House, once standing in the Ocean, now stands several blocks inland serving as testament to the power of tides, storms and the unpredictability of nature, even as existing beaches shrink and the water comes up higher toward the Street.

Before we left Atlantic City, we drove out to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. It is there we were able to see the beauty and ecological activity of the vast expanse of wetlands. We were able to see this part of New Jersey's coastline against the horizon as it was before being over run by development.