Bubba Dogs

My family began coming to Sea Isle City in 1963 because they couldn’t afford to rent in Dad’s hometown of Atlantic City. It was in A.C. while working as a lifeguard on States Avenue where Dad met my Mom who was a waitress at the Marlborough-Blenheim hotel. 1963 was a good time to rent down the shore as property values had suffered big time losses following the Ash Wednesday nor’easter of 1962. Sea Isle alone lost 10% of its tax revenue because of losses incurred by the storm.

Mom and Dad purchased the family’s first house on 75th Street in 1974. Mom would have the seven kids all week, while Dad worked his tail off back home so that we could build sandcastles and learn how to surf. I remember well spending my summer nights at Funtown when (now Mayor) Len Desiderio and his brother Gerard (God rest his soul) would slip my friends and I quarters to play “Merry Widow.” In 1982, I made the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol. I think the coolest thing about it was having an account at Vince’s where I could sign for a cheeseteak and get three songs for a dime in one of the jukeboxes at each booth. Vince Mollo, the namesake of the restaurant and the Grandfather of Jim Henry who now is it’s owner/chef, and Dad were pals. Five of my brothers and sisters worked at the original Vince’s. I remember, at 10 years old, holding the front door for my father and Vince as they drug a 65 pound tuna that Dad caught that day right down the aisle of the restaurant while patrons were eating.

Back then, there was no Welshie’s, Angelo’s, Uncle Oogies, WaWa, 7-11, Casino Pizza, Shoobies, McGowan’s, Nickelby’s, Marita’s, DiNunzio’s, Steak-Out, Rita’s Water Ice, Domino’s Pizza (coming soon) or countless other businesses about town. If one was to say they lived in a side-by-side, no one would know what you were talking about (full disclosure - I now live in a side-by-side).

There was Fun City, Mazella’s Bakery (remember that smell!!!), Bufalos seafood, Garrity’s, Busch’s, John’s Pier, Captain Chum, Phil’s Pizza, The Donut Bar, Ida’s Pizza, Braca’s Movie Theatre (last movie I saw there was Poseidon Adventure), Custard Corner, Sweetman’s, Ten Sisters Country Store (still miss those sticky buns), the Dolphin (now Shenanigans), Bracas (when it was a wild bar), and Mary Anne’s Bakery (thankfully still with us). There was the Charcoal House, owned by the Nagy’s and purchased by the Bello’s. I remember well Maria Bello waiting tables and dating my brother Joe long before she was nominated for Golden Globes by starring in such movies as The Cooler and A History of Violence. There was the original Funtown with go-karts and trampolines right next door. I think my buddy Max’s house now sits on the trampoline where I nearly broke my leg.

My first job at age 10 was selling The Evening Bulletin in front of the Acme. I soon quit that job and stepped it up to riding the Captain Chum as a “Dock Rat” where I was paid nothing for shucking and chopping clams for the shoobie fishermen, hoping they would throw me a few bucks.

The Sea Isle City Beach Patrol was a major part of my upbringing and it is where I formed my closest friendships. While there were many perks to life-guarding on the beaches of Sea Isle, financial reward wasn’t one of them. So, in 2002, after twelve years of on-again/off-again life-guarding, I decided to pursue hot dogging. In order to vend hot dogs in Sea Isle City, one needs to have been a military veteran. Fortunately, I fit the bill. Upon graduation from George Washington University, I received my commission as a Naval Officer and performed my 3 year active duty stint onboard USS Stump (DD 978), a destroyer. I resigned from active duty in 1992, and returned to my happy spot of Sea Isle City. Shortly thereafter, I attended grad school at La Salle University and soon met my best friend at the Irish Pub in Philly. Kristen and I married and, 13 years later, are now happily awaiting the birth of our third child. We are both school teachers, me 8th grade World History, and Kristen 2nd.

In 2002, I opened Bubba Dogs at 66th & the beach where I worked for 2 years. In 2004, the opportunity to move to 59th Street arose, and it is there where the business truly started to thrive. I’d like to thank all of those wonderful people on 59th Street who have made it such a pleasure to come to work every day.

While I realize that I am waxing poetic, I’ve come to realize that, with change comes progress and, with progress comes the hope of an improvement in one’s quality of life. While we all can look fondly back on the “good old days,” change is inevitable, and sometimes progress is good. Who out there doesn’t look back fondly on their childhood summer memories and speak fondly of how much they miss the “good old days?”

I wish the incoming city council well. I hope that all have that which is best for the city and its residents, both full time and summer, at the top of their agenda. Many of us that were raised on Sea Isle summers are fortunate to now own houses and raise our own children in the same manner in which we were raised. Many of us also tend to air our grievances about what is or isn’t going on in the city, yet few offer assistance or are hesitant to get involved in order to prompt change.

I believe that Sea Isle is at a turning point and that the future looks bright. The new council truly would like input from the taxpayers in order to restore some of the charm of the town that may have been lost in recent years.

If anyone would like to get involved in affecting change, making suggestions or volunteering time, shoot me an email (contact info above right) and I’ll ensure that your voices are heard. Also, if you have any old Sea Isle memories you’d like to post, please feel free.

Oh, I forgot to mention, 30 years ago there was also no Bubba Dogs.

Happy summer everybody.

Bub