By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Need a memorable image for a selfie in Sea Isle City?
Yes, the ocean, the beaches and the arched “Welcome to Historic Fish Alley” sign that towers over Park Road are all great backdrops for photos.
But what about something whimsical or silly for a photo op? Or how about something that says “Sea Isle City” on it?
City officials are creating quintessentially Sea Isle photo spots around town that will give visitors plenty of places to snap pictures or shoot video for those “I was there” moments during their treasured summer vacations at the shore.
“People on vacation always want to take a photo for many reasons,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
Sea Isle-themed signs and artwork will feature a number of quirky designs that Desiderio believes some people will love, while others may scratch their heads in bewilderment.
“We decided on a number of designs. Like anything else, there will be people who like them and a few people who will say, ‘What are they doing?’” Desiderio said, laughing.
The decorations will include blue Sea Isle City signs attached to the railings on the oceanfront Promenade between 29th and 57th streets.
“The design looks very nice,” Sea Isle resident Frank Capasso said after seeing one of the signs on the Promenade for the first time.
“It blends in nicely with the blue roof on the pavilion on the Promenade,” added Capasso’s wife, Jane.
Sea Isle’s new pickleball courts on 42nd Place will be another spot for photos. New signs at the courts feature a cartoonish pickleball-themed design for selfies. People are urged to post their pickleball photos using the hashtag #playsic.
Love ’em or hate ’em, the signs will help to showcase the city while also generating some free publicity for Sea Isle when tourists begin posting their photos and video on social media.
The $17,000 project is being overseen by the city’s chief financial officer Paula Doll and Desiderio’s assistant, Pattiann Ponichtera.
Doll is the city employee who came up with the idea in 2016 for Sea Isle to begin selling beach tags from a vending machine, the first shore community in New Jersey to do so.
Doll was quick to give credit to creative City Hall employees for helping her with the designs for the signs.
“I wasn’t the only one. There were others in City Hall,” she said.
The inspiration for Sea Isle’s tourist-friendly photo spots was the iconic “Welcome to Historic Fish Alley” sign overlooking Park Road. It pays tribute to the Fish Alley neighborhood, an enclave of family-owned restaurants and fishing boats rooted in Sea Isle’s early history as a small commercial seaport.
Desiderio explained that officials from the Cape May County Open Space Board love the Fish Alley sign and think it is a good example of decorative artwork that promotes Sea Isle as a vacation destination.
“That Fish Alley sign is in so many photos,” Desiderio said, noting that it once served as the backdrop for pictures of the Stanley Cup when the National Hockey League’s championship trophy was brought to Sea Isle in 2014.
