Quick Start Guide

Locking the front door: 

• First, pull BOTH handles UP. 
• Then, still holding the left handle up, make one-quarter turn of the key to the right. 
• To open, turn the key one-quarter to the left.

Doors in general: 

• Pertains to all doors except sliding doors to screened in porch
• To close a door and ensure it stays closed:
• Gently pull door shut.
• When shut gently raise door handle to top, "pull up"
• Let go.

Lighting the Living Room gas fire: 

• Turn the knob in the bottom LEFT of the actual fireplace (yes, you have to duck down and go in there) to ON. 
• To turn it off, you guessed it... To reduce the heat, turn the knob halfway between. 
• You don’t need matches, and please do NOT turn the pilot light off.  
• What happens if pilot light goes out? (YouTube Video Coming Soon for that)

Lighting the Kitchen gas fire: 

• Turn the knob in the bottom RIGHT of the fireplace to ON. 
• This is a very tight space so it is a little trickier than the living room fire.  
• To turn it off, you guessed it...but I'll say it, to OFF
• To reduce the heat, turn the knob halfway between. 
• What happens if pilot light goes out? (YouTube Video Coming Soon for that) 

WiFi Password: 

• SSID: Rudy 
• (there’s a 2.4 and a 5 — they’re the same, passwords so don't sweat it) 
• Password: 109Sunset. 
• In the event that you lose service, go downstairs to the lobby (aka ping-pong area), where you’ll see the Comcast modem on the ground against the wood-panelled wall; Unplug it, wait 15 seconds, and plug it back in.  
• Fancy, Magical Option - See below

Fancy, Magical Way To Check your WiFi name and password information:

• If you have Xfinity Internet service and an xFi Gateway, which you do and you can! and you turn the tv ON - then do this...
• Depress microphone button on Xfinity Remote and while holding down you may say any of the following.
• “What’s my WiFi password?”
• “What’s my WiFi information?”
• “Show WiFi password.”
• “My WiFi password.”
• “I forgot my WiFi login.”
• Tip: After asking then releasing button give it a minute - Miracles take time...Your command is actually going to space, well the "cloud" and back...

Comcast TV & channel guide:

• Two Easy Short Cuts: 
• 1.)  Press "Guide" button (easiest way to channel line up) 
• 2.) Press the "microphone button" and while holding it down speak what you want to see or watch.  if you just want to see what is available to watch say "Show Guide"  If you want to watch "Monday Night Football" just say so. 
• See the Comcast TV Guide page on this site for more detailed info.

Stove: 

• Our Italian cooktop is very particular. 
• To light a burner
• Turn the switch to the big flame while holding it down. 
• When it ignites, keep holding it down and turn it to the small flame. 
• Then you can release and adjust the heat. 

Fridges: 

• To go with the low-profile look of the kitchen, the fridges are under the counter. 
• We also keep a regular fridge-freezer in the closet across from the powder room. 
• You’ll find a separate ice machine next to the dishwasher.

Sofa bed: 

• The sheets and covers etc are in bags hanging on the hooks in the fridge closet. 

Books: 

• We want our guests to make use of our bookcases, but kindly ask that you don’t take the books with you when you leave.

Hot water: 

• In the third floor bathroom, allow a little time for the water to get hot — it has to travel up from the heater in the basement/crawl space. 
• Speaking of the third-floor bathroom, there’s a tinted screen on the window which WILL give you privacy in the shower!

Dogs: 

• If you brought them, they will have plenty of space to romp in the yard. Please pick up after them — you’ll see a green metal poop can in the yard for that purpose. 
• Also note that there is a doggie basket in the laundry room which includes towels to dry them off, a water bowl and a brush. 
• As for as walks go, there’s no sidewalks around us, which is a pain. 
• The best place to walk your dog is Higbee Beach, the only beach on the island where you can do that year-round. It’s a five-minute drive. 
• Go right out of the driveway, right at the T-junction at the end of Stimpson, which is Bayshore, 
• Turn left when you hit New England Road. 
• At the end of New England, you’ll see a parking lot straight ahead. Don’t go in that one.
• Instead, veer to the right, on the windy, sandy road. 
• Follow it to the end, where you’ll come to another lot. 
• Walk the dogs on the path to the beach. You can let your pups off the leash here (assuming they’re not savage, murderous pups), but please clean up after them. 
• Trip Adviser Reviews: https://tinyurl.com/Higbee-Beach---Trip-Advisor
• Google Map Directions: https://tinyurl.com/Directions-to-Higbee-Beach
• Alternatively, hop in the car and drive a couple minutes just past the fire station to Sixth or Fifth Avenue and walk the dogs in the quiet, peaceful streets of West Cape May.

Patio cushions: 

• We’ve stored the cushions for the patio furniture in the third-floor walk-in closet. 
• For your convenience (and ours, too!), bring them in if it’s going to rain. 
• That way you can still enjoy them when the sun comes back out. 
• That third-floor patio, with the vibe of a tree house, is a great place to have your morning coffee or an afternoon drink, by the way. We would identify this as a "Best Practice" too.

Trash WWHW:  Where, When, How, Why...

• Unfortunately, trash takes no holidays
• Note even if you are not staying the entire week; please take your trash to the curb when you do leave, so not to begin a trash surplus for the next guests.

Where:

• There are three trash cans under the kitchen island. 
• We use two for recycling and one for trash, but you can do what you want, obviously! 
• Please note that we are single stream recycling. 
• Full trash bags go in the big cans on the back deck. Trash in the yellow cans, and recycling in the blue can. 

When:

• TRASH PICKUP IS EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. 
• Best to put it out Tuesday night. - This could be considered a "best practice" 
• 6am comes very early Wednesday AM while on "Respite"

How:

• We’ve always put the recycling can on the left side of the driveway as you look at the road, and the trash cans on the right side. It’s what our guys are used to.

Why:

• If you forget the Tuesday night "best practice" above and are not up with the roosters Wednesday morning
• Yes they are roosters - The neighbors roosters, but roosters never the less & you happen to miss the garbage service, then a minimal trash fee will regrettably be charged.
• We will charge only to compensate our cleaning team who contracts with a private refuse & recycling company for removal.
• Reason for doing so is to help minimize risk of  the next guests having to start their Respite in a "trash surplus state," which is not a best practice :-)

Fire station siren: 

• We’ve included this because the first guests who ever stayed in this house thought there was a tsunami warning going on. We don’t know why they jumped to this conclusion since Cape May isn’t known for its tsunamis... BUT, the West Cape May volunteer fire department (just around the corner) insists on staying old school, letting off a siren that sounds exactly like the air raid warnings during World War Two. 
• In this age of cellular technology, it seems unnecessary, but that’s how they choose to do it. 
• We’re fairly sure it WILL happen during your stay.  
• Our advice is to "lean into it" as they say.

Mosquitoes: 

• They’re bad here. West Cape May is very rural compared to Cape May, and there are lots of breeding grounds for these bloodsuckers. 
• Hence the screened-in porch. 
• We will be spraying with organic repellents but can not assure you a completely skeeter-less environment. 

Restaurants: 

• If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that, for a very small island, there are a LOT of places to eat and drink. Lucky for you, we at Exit Zero produce a fabulous book called Cool Cape May. There’s a copy right here, for your reference.  
• There’s also a quick, handy food and drink guide in the weekly magazine that Exit Zero produces, which you can pick up at Exit Zero Filling Station, a great place to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner! - Truly, it is legit good food!
• We believe in the wisdom of crowds philosophy - that said if you find a place you love to eat, drink, etc... please click the comments button to the below right of this page. Share it with us and we will group them together on a separate page.

Early morning breakfast spots: 

• If you’re an early riser and early eater, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House on the beachfront is open at 7am midweek, 6:30am weekends.
• If you like draft latte, they have it at West End Garage’s café (opposite CVS pharmacy), which is also a great place to shop.

Wildwood: 

• You probably already know that there’s a world-class amusement park (Morey’s Piers) just up the road. 
• If you’ve got kids with you, don’t miss it. 
• Morey’s also have a few restaurants which are notches above typical Boardwalk fare — our favorite is Joe’s Fish Co. Visit www.moreyspiers.com to see what they’ve got going on. They do things right.

Pharmacy: 

• CVS is a mile up the road, near Exit Zero Filling Station.

The Posts in the backyard:

• 783 Stimpson has dreams and visions for itself and all its 1.1 acres
• FAQ: What are the 4x4 posts in the back yard?  The question is legit.
• The answer is; what is an above ground irrigation system for when we go totally off the grid and grow all of our food?  
• Right after we find the time, ambition and skill to do so. 
• In the meantime, we may try our hand at some jersey tomatoes. 

Finally: 

• Why is it called the Exit Zero House? 
• Because this was the first office of Exit Zero Magazine when it launched in 2003. 
• The store, restaurant (and gas station) came later. 
• And the name Exit Zero? It marks the fact that Cape May lies at the terminus of the 172-exit Garden State Parkway