Meet... The markowitz/schwinger FAMILY
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eventy-two-year-old Arthur Markowitz is retired now, but he used to hold the stressful position as senior vice president of a New York commodities exchange. For a bit of respite, he started vacationing in Cape May in the early 1970s with his then-wife, Laurie, and their two young children. They stayed at hotels all over town, but they were always fascinated by the “dilapidated” building that was Congress Hall, and they made a point of walking by it on each trip. “We enjoyed seeing the hotel progress,” Arthur told us. Eventually, he and Leslie divorced and both remarried; Arthur proposed to a woman named Jane, who accepted the offer, she says, because a trip to the renovated Congress Hall “sealed the deal.” As for the changing family dynamic… “It was rough at first,” Arthur said, “but we all love each other now.” So much so, in fact, that the entire group — the exes, their new spouses, and their children and four grandchildren — continue vacationing together every year at Congress Hall. “My ex’s birthday is in July, so that’s when we go,” Arthur said. “My new wife thinks she’s fabulous, and I get along terrific with her husband. It’s one big happy family. We start looking forward to the next year’s vacation the day after we leave.” Now, between splashing in the pool with the kids
while the staff make them “feel at home,” hopping across the street to sunbathe on the beach, and tastetesting dishes at the Blue Pig Tavern (it’s an exotic ceviche appetizer Arthur remembers most), the family enjoys reconnecting. It’s here that they’ve celebrated big moments, like the engagement of Arthur’s son, and the little moments, too. “I get choked up every time I see my kids and grandkids together,” Arthur said. “It’s so rare that the entire group is all in one place. We care so much for one another, and our time at Congress Hall has helped solidify this family dynamic, unusual or not.”