CHALLENGE #7 – Answered and more…

Lucy the Elephant…and understanding the Jersey Shore – Part 1

First to finally answer CHALLENGE #7…the feature picture is Lucy the Elephant, the iconic roadside attraction in Margate City on the New Jersey shore. Lucy was completed in 1882. Lucy is considered one of the oldest roadside attractions in the USA. She is designed after the famous elephant of the time, named Jumbo, from Ringling Bros & Barnum Bailey Circus. At 65 feet tall, Lucy is much bigger than Jumbo. In fact, Lucy is considered the 12th largest statue in the USA. Apparently back in the 1880s, it was in vogue to build big elephants. Following Lucy, they built another elephant in Coney Island, NY, and then another one in Cape May, NJ. But, Lucy is that last surviving elephant of her kind.

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Beyond Lucy’s amazing history, she is functional too! You can actually live inside Lucy… it’s a small apartment. For about $10, you can tour the insides of Lucy. And if that’s not enough, Lucy the Elephant is now on Airbnb. When the world opens up again, you can stay the night in Lucy for only $138 a night. I speak the truth. If you doubt, you can check out this link… Airbnb – Lucy The Elephant …to see more of the Lucy’s insides and book a romantic getaway with your spouse. Lucy the Elephant is that little slice of Americana that defines this blog.

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But, what’s an animal story without some discussion of their habitat. Lucy is indigenous to the Jersey Shore. Not too long ago, in the true spirit of Marlin Perkins…I journeyed to the Jersey Shore in search of Lucy. To remain safe on my expedition, I enlisted the help of one of the local natives, hence forth known as the Philly Kid. The Philly Kid and his wife were the most gracious of hosts. They gave me quite the education on the Jersey Shore habitat. For more information on the Jersey Shore habitat of Lucy, read the next post coming very soon…“Lucy the Elephant…and understanding the Jersey Shore – Part 2” by contributing author, the Philly Kid.

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