The "Memories of the Sting Ray Motor Inn" Story
It was an ordinary day. Riding bikes on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. Always brings back memories. I went to Ocean City as a child, Carol and I took our three kids to Ocean City when they were children, and now we are visiting with our kids and grandkids. Wow, that's quite a few memories. We passed the "Beach Club Hotel" at 1280 Boardwalk, on the south side of the boardwalk, pulled the bikes to the side, and starting reminising about the place. "What was the name of this place when we stayed here years ago," Carol said. "I'm sure I'll remember it, but I can't think of it right n
ow," I replied. That seems to happen quite a bit as I get older. The "Beach Club Hotel" sits right on the boardwalk and has 82 rooms, a restaurant, and a pool that you can see as you walk past on the boardwalk. It opened in 1970 as "The Sting Ray Motor Inn" (I finally broke down and called them to get the name) and was renovated in
2007 when the name was changed to it's present name. Carol and I stayed there in October of 1973. My mom and day babysat our two-year-old child Derek so that we could get away for a long weekend. We had an end room on the northern end of the 
top floor. Beautiful fall weekend!! The monarch butterflies were migrating south and we sat on the balcony and watched as they filled the air. The sun was shining brightly so we spent time on the beach and around the pool. And ..... we rode bikes on the boardwalk, as we were doing today. The memories! Oh yeah, we did a few other things, also. On July 4, 1974 our daughter Brynn was born. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: Sting Ray Motor Inn postcard from when it first opened in the early 70s, "Beach Club" restaurant on the left, hotel rooms in front of the pool - we stayed in the top right room in 1973, view of the pool from our room.
It was an ordinary day. Riding bikes on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. Always brings back memories. I went to Ocean City as a child, Carol and I took our three kids to Ocean City when they were children, and now we are visiting with our kids and grandkids. Wow, that's quite a few memories. We passed the "Beach Club Hotel" at 1280 Boardwalk, on the south side of the boardwalk, pulled the bikes to the side, and starting reminising about the place. "What was the name of this place when we stayed here years ago," Carol said. "I'm sure I'll remember it, but I can't think of it right n
This is a wonderful piece! i also grew up going to the Sting Ray Motel for vacations. With a family of 6, we could only afford to stay 3 nights, but I loved it. The memories have always stuck with me. The first time I saw that the name had changed, I stood there devastated with my mouth agape! We will always have our memories, right?! :-)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that we often ate at Dean's next door. Do you remember the 5 &10/souvenier shop on the other side? I still have a little cedar jewelry box with "Ocean City" on it and a ceramic owl bank that my mom purchased for me back in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteJuly 4 week of 1976, my mother and I left Parkersburg, WV for our first trip ever to see our nation’s capital. After a full tilt DC day, we talked and looked at paper maps and decided to go to the ocean. I was 21, she was 53. She had never seen the ocean.
ReplyDeleteWe had white bread, peanut butter, and some jelly rolls. We ended up at the Sting Ray Motor Inn. We had little money. I met the manager. We could only afford one night. The kind young man let us use the pool and showers for 3 days. We stayed up late, parked the car in a residential area for sleep, in the morning we were allowed to use those amenities. We stayed in the hotel one night. That experience brought me, my mother and father, sister, aunties, cousins, and nieces back every summer for at least 15 years. The very best trip of her life. That matters! Thank you Elaine
Remember the sting ray from the 60s when my parents rented a home near there. The cars in the postcard support the idea that it opened well before 1970
ReplyDeleteAgree with you…we stayed there in 1963
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