Osborne's Inn

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I believe it would be the year 1980 that was one of my favorite vacations at Ocean City.  We had rented the rooms just off the street next to the little cottage at Osborne's Fairview Inn.

Our friends (Gary & Rhonda McCracken & Family) had rented the cottage.  Our families enjoyed the Ocean - Boardwalk, and hurried back to ride the two seated bike and play with the Osborne children at the 'Fairview' Inn.

We even rode the bus to Atlantic City anxious to spend the day and enjoy the lights and Boardwalk.  In the middle of the afternoon, we looked at each other and agreed 'What a disappointment.'  So we got an early bus back to Ocean City to enjoy another evening at the Osborne's porch - bike - and later boardwalk.

It, also, was our first year to enjoy the Night in Venice.  We really enjoyed the beautiful lights and decorated boats at the Bay.  I have never been one to leave my home, but could say 'It Was Our Home Away From Home.'

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Memories from Mrs. Jackie Robinson

My memories of Ocean City go back many years.  My parents brought my sister and me to Ocean City every summer as young children - I loved the ocean then and I still do!  While at nursing school at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital I came here to Ocean City with my two roommates (1946-1949).

After marriage and four children, our family traveled here from western PA.  My father returned here to live after mother died in 1958.  He had an apartment at 18th and Asbury.

We can't remember the exact year we came to the Fairview Inn, but it was early in the 1980's.  We do remember the circumstances though!

Robbie and I were alone and hadn't been able to find a suitable place to stay the week after Labor Day.  When we arrived on your porch, Frank greeted us with a smile and said we could have our choice of rooms.  He showed us Apartment T and gave us a good price.  Peggy Ann had gone back to teaching school so we didn't meet her until the next year.

We've been back almost every year since and have many fond memories of the Osborne Family.  We even enticed them to visit us in Cape Elizabeth, Maine a few years ago.

Robbie and I treasure our time here as well as our warm friendship with Peggy Ann and Frank.  We have learned that memories truly are the fabric of life and we have so many good ones.

Memories from Dr. Edward Robinson:

My introduction to Ocean City occurred when Jackie and I brought our kids to stay with her father who lived at the Coral Arms apartments at 18th and Asbury.  When Pop Tingle was no longer with us we tried a couple of places in the north end of OC and the Port-O-Call.  

Twenty two years ago we stopped at the tourist info center to ask where to stay.  Unknown to us an agent of the Ocean City Vacation Fairy entered our car.  She remained in our car while we walked into a basement apartment off a dark alley and immediately walked back out.  She also waited for us to check out a place on Ocean Street.  I now realize that, as we turned from Ocean to 15th street, she applied the brakes, opened the car door, led us up the steps at the Fairview Inn and introduced us to Frank.  Apparently she and Frank created an ambience that was immediately irresistible, even if Frank had not given us such a sweet deal on the apartment.

Ever since, with a few exceptions, it has been a vital need to spend part of September in Ocean City, headquartered at Fairview Inn, now known as Osborne's Inn.

Four years ago our son Mike and his wife Winter picked up on what the OC fairy had done to and for us and since then we have come together.

The beach, the surf, and biking on the boardwalk are all very important.  Being able to see the beach and waves from so many places at Osborne's is priceless.

All that said, we have learned that what really provides the constant attraction is the energy created by Amstel and the rest of the Osborne Family.

I add my thanks, appreciation and congratulations, Robbie (as in Edward H. Robinson him not 'Edward G' but him married to Jackie)

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If there is a 'Hidden Order' to our life universe, I think it unfolds in ways and meanings our conscious mind will never understand.  And like a musical quartet, each person, each place, each experience in our life is needed for us to fully wake up - they are the notes of the song.  The pause between the notes is the Osborne Inn - not simply the space, but the deep conversations Peggy Ann and I have shared.  I remember our talks, and I remember September 11, 2001, because we were here.  I don't know where the future will take us, but I do know that I am another step forward on my path because of the time spent with you and the Spirit at the Osborne Inn.

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Congratulations Peg and Frank! Meeting you fifteen years ago was great.  You are always so accommodating when John and I and Jackie would pop down with little notice.  For years, coming to Ocean City meant coming to Osborne's.  Aside from accommodations, we've enjoyed seeing your family grow up.  We were lucky enough to see a wedding.  Thanks for your hospitality!

Peg and Frank, thanks fo some of the best memories I have ever had - staying here at Osborne Inn in Ocean City, NJ.  Here's to your upcoming 30 and 30 more ahead of that.  You are the best!!

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We like everything about Ocean City.  I'll start by saying that the people at 'Osborne Inn' make our stay very nice, so nice we just keep coming back year after year.  We very much like Apartment A as it has plenty of room for the four of us.  You get your very own porch too!  We enjoy riding bikes to the end of the boardwalk.  We enjoy all of those fabulous donuts and a great cup of coffee.  After we eat our donuts we then stop at all the gift shops and the Dollar Store as we make our way back to The Osbornes.   Our family really likes the sunshine; you can always count on the sun shining when you are in NJ. 

Cape May is always a fun place to visit when you want to go somewhere for the day.  It's great to visit the lighthouse and quaint town.  We enjoy bringing our kites and flying them on the Ocean City beach.  It is so fun trying different restaurants.  We like going to Sea Isle and eating a seafood dinner right by the harbor.  You can eat and watch the boats come in.  Ocean City is the best place you can just relax and find seashells or seek out new places that you have not seen before and visit them.  Our family enjoys the boardwalk.  Osbornes is so close that you can walk to it each night.   Another thing that I love is if you forget something at the beach you don't have far to go back and get it! But hold on tight to those doughnuts the seagulls enjoy them alot! You have to eat your doughnuts quick because you never know when a seagull will want one.  Memories - such great ones!

Time goes by quickly when we're on vacation so make sure you come and have a good time at the Osbornes Inn they'll welcome you and tell you to ENJOY!

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For any of you who have grown up in the Delaware Valley, encompassing far-flung towns from Philadelphia to Reading to Pottsville, chances are you have many fond memories of your own 'special place' at the Jersey shore.

From early childhood Ocean City was like a second home to me.  My parents, my brother and I journeyed every summer to a venerable white Victorian guest house on the 600 block of Wesley.  Mrs. Strauss was always there to welcome us to our 'permanent' rooms up under the eaves.  Our room was blue; I can remember the sunlight streaming in through the windows each morning as we scurried through the hall to the bathroom.  Who can forget after beach showers around back in a damp wooden lean-to, deep awninged porches with comfy green wicker rockers, endless boardwalks and beaches, and the meals and boat rides at Chris' Restaurant and Hogates?

The endless delight, this sparkling beach town that never changes is part of the legacy my parents bequeathed to me.  In turn, this legacy is passed on to my own daughter Shelley.  Since her days as a toddler, I have brought her here every summer.  She shares with me that feeling of exhilaration as we ride over the bay into town.  We have our own special place, Osborne's Fairview Inn, on Wesley, of course, and our own special rooms, tucked under the eaves, of course.

Osborne's Fairview Inn is a big pile of building.  Typical late Victorian summer guest house, it rambles all over the place.  The Osborne's are a huge easy-going clan, and the Inn reverberates with the laughter and excitement of kids, adults, guests, dogs, and whomever or whatever else wanders in.  The ambiance is warm, carefree, and fun!

This is the kind of place where you can kick up your feet on the porch rail, enjoy a glass of wine, and chat endlessly with Peggy Ann Osborne or anyone else who is there.  The passing scene on the street is always interesting, and the boardwalk shops and sea beckon.

As the years go by, we all seem to grow up and older together, but the charm, the boardwalk, the venerable houses, and the WELCOME always remain the same.

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About 25 years ago, the Millers came to Osborne's Fairview Inn in search of a room for the night.  Peggy Ann was 'full' and kindly recommended another guest house.  But that one short visit put us on the Christmas card list for the following year.  As a result, sight unseen, we decided to rent 'T' for a week that summer and did so for the next 13 years.  Our two children, Jody and Doug, loved to play with the five Osborne children during the day and go to the boardwalk with them each evening.

Two weeks at the Osborne's !!! One summer we stayed for an extra week.  As we saw others packing to go home on Saturday, how lucky we felt to be able to have seven more nights with the Osborne's!  As we rode off on our bikes, we saw 'them' heading towards the 9th Street Bridge.  Talk about luxury - two weeks at the shore in Apt. T.

'T' was not always the apartment you see today.  The improvements in our 'home away from home' continue.  How much pleasure we see as we come to visit each year as friends, as we now own our own home in Avalon Heights.  The growth that we have experienced in more ways than one is a source of continued joy to us.  We've shopped for Peggy Ann and Frank, going to the Wicker Store to buy the amenities that make it one unique establishment.

Teaching the A B C's of cleaning.  One morning after the guests had checked out, I showed one of the young cleaning girls how to clean.  We cleaned the five rental rooms together -  under the beds, behind the furniture, all parts of the floor and the windown sills.  I was proud of my teaching and what we had accomplished.  I thought we were having fun!!  She quit the very next day!!!  I guess she didn't think my teaching was tooo much fun!

Washing the kitchen floor! Cooking the dinner!  That's what we were doing one night in your kitchen.  You came to the kitchen door to introduce us to some people and remarked to them, 'And to think they pay to do this!'

What wonderful friends we have become! We love Peggy Ann, Frank, all their children and their grandchildren.  This was all made possible because we headed up to their porch one Summer day!  'Thanks for the memories' and your friendship!!

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My family and I have been staying at Osborne's Fairview Inn for as long as I can remember - ever since I was a little kid building sand castles on the beach and begging for cotton candy on the boardwalk!  I certainly have a lot of fond memories of this place, and what I find remarkable is how each year there are new things to discover and enjoy.  I love how welcome we feel at the Inn and how the Osborne family has almost seemed to be part of our family over the years.  There is always a friendly face to greet us when we arrive, and always plenty of lively conversation during the week.  It's very evident that they enjoy having us here, and we in turn eagerly anticipate our stay each year.

One thing that always comes to mind when I think of the Inn is all of the signs hanging on the walls.  They have become so  familiar to me that I can just glance around and know which ones say what.  Ones that I especially like and that bring a smile to my face, whether I'm here or just remembering them at home are 'There are no strangers here, only friends we have not met' and 'If you're lucky enough to be at the beach, you're lucky enough.'  The friendly messages covering the walls add a lovely touch to the Inn's warm atmosphere.

On a more humorous note, there are some things about the Inn in the 'olden' days that I know I'll never forget.  I remember when there was one of the bathrooms on the top floor which had very interesting wallpaper with a bathroom theme.  I always enjoyed reading that wallpaper while I was in there!  I also remember taking showers with my Mom in the wooden outdoor shower stalls. That was always an adventure!

I will always cherish the memories I have of our stays in Ocean City.  It's a wonderful family place, and the Fairview Inn puts the final, essential touch on the family atmosphere.  I look forward to continuing to come here in the future, and find it amazing that there will be a new generation of our family coming here not too far into that future!   As I start to form a family of my own, I know there is no other place I'd like to come each year!

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My earliest memory of O.C. is in the late 50's.  Sitting on a blanket on the beach at 20th street listening to a transistor radio play over and over again 'Itsy bitsy teensy weensy yellow polka dot bikini', painting clam shells with water color sets from the hobby shops, reading Hardy Boy books, and playing miniature golf.  I think I remember parallel boardwalks for a number of years as the sand on the part of the beach shifted.  As we got a little older, the coolest thing was to get a hamburger and a milkshake at the College Grill, which was decorated with school pennants and oars signed by the beach patrol.  Never got to work there, but did spend a summer (1969) when everybody else headed for Woodstock, working at the Corinthian Apartments at Corinthian and Park Place. On Saturdays I helped people move in and out of the apartments.  And every day I worked in the kitchen, which served meals to the different apartments by dumb waiter, one of the last such establishments in O.C., or anywhere for that matter.  The cook was Mrs. Audrie Crawford from Florence, South Carolina, a devout Methodist who came up to O.C. every year to work the season.  I spent the mornings serving breakfast and prepping for dinner, and washing all the dishes by hand.  After a couple of hours at the beach I would come back to help Mrs. 'C' cook, serve and when everyone else had been fed, she and I would sit at a small white metal table, say our grace and eat our dinner together.  I would then wash up as quickly as I could so I could walk down the island, often getting back after dark.  Those long walks on the beach were a great time for dreaming about the future and giving great thanks that I had the chance to spend a whole summer in O.C.  Since then I have rarely missed a yearly visit to Ocean City, although I've never again spent an entire season here, but I'm working on it.  The great frame houses, like here at Osborne's Inn for instance, the ample porches and colorful awnings, the boardwalk and beach, the fishing pier and the Music Pier, all still draw me to this part of the shore.  And I can still hear the paperboys cycling slowly through the streets or trudging over the sand incanting the names of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News in a range reaching the highs and the lows of the scale.  Whatever the highs and lows of life have been, a visit to the Trinitarian harmony of sand, sea and sky has been a tonic for body, mind and soul.  Ocean City is one of those blessed places where the space between Heaven and Earth is very thin indeed.  May God continue to make His face shine upon this place and grant His peace.

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We've been coming to Ocean City for 25+ years (25 for Frank and me starting out-then adding Michele and Jeanine).  Our memories of the Osborne's go back about 12 years when we began looking for a new place to stay.  While walking to go visit friends we passed by 15th and Wesley -  and noticed this beautifully kept house on the corner.  On the way back from our friends' home - we decided to stop by and ask for information about this Inn. Not only did we get information - but Peggy Ann gave us a grand tour!  Her warmth and hospitality drew us in -  the following year we had reservations at the Osborne's Fairview Inn!  In our 11 years of coming here, we've gathered many wonderful memories.  Seeing 'the dungeon' (Apt. A) transformed into a gorgeous apartment was one - swapping stories of your kids and ours..., sharing prayers for the kids as they've matured.  Watching the Osborne kids marry and begin their own families, seeing your beautiful grandchildren are all beautiful memories.  The sights and smell of Ocean City bring a sense of comfort..., the ocean and beach are wonderful - but it's the friendship we've made with this very special family that keeps us coming back.  It wouldn't be summer without a trip to Ocean City.  And it wouldn't be a trip to Ocean City without stopping to see how you all are doing.  We appreciate your kindness, your generous spirit and just you being you. Thanks for all your years of service -  we hope you have many, many more!!