Be the first to name this Jersey Shore town and win a Paul Goldfinger signed B&W print. 4/23/26. Please send your address and email. This image is by Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger. net
DEAN MARTIN:
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5/29/22 From a promotion photographed in A. Park by Stephen Goldfinger. Blogfinger staff. ©
Here is a 2018 quote published in Blogfinger:
“In May 2018, the Asbury Park Press interviewed Jack Green about the North End Redevelopment:
The paper quoted him: “I think it’s exciting to finally have something move forward,” said Jack R. Green, a real estate broker who lives in Ocean Grove.
He said, “The new development will help Ocean Grove compete with tourism in Asbury Park.”
I don’t recall ever hearing the Master Plan or other voice of reason in the Grove suggest that OG should “compete” with A. Park. Such an idea would be faint praise for supporting the ill-begotten project at the North End.
The future of this region will be best if we cheer Asbury Park on while striving to keep Ocean Grove the quaint, small town, diverse historic community which it has been.
Paul Goldfinger Editor Blogfinger.net
Editor’s note April 2026. Travel and Leisure Magazine just named Asbury Park as the second best place to live in New Jersey. They have received similar praise from other sources in the past.
Clearly Asbury Park has evolved quickly, and we will never catch it, but so what?
We need to mature in ways that suit Ocean Grove. The two towns are not comparable
Asbury Park has been pronounced a rising star by the media and it will continue to sweep higher and higher.
But the Grove cannot even begin to achieve its potential unless imaginative citizens get interested.
Compete with Asbury? Forget it!. Their prior awards have been mostly nonsense.
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Elizabeth McGovern as Deborah. Paul Goldfinger still photo from the 1984 movie by Sergio Leone. She is with Robert DeNiro in this wonderful romantic scene.
“Deborah’s Theme” from Once Upon a Time in America movie soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
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Chef Anthony Pagano of Uva’s Restaurant in Bradley Beach helps Eileen make pasta in her OG kitchen. Paul Goldfinger photo.
By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger. Blogfinger.net. 2021.
This Saturday night, Tony was catering a large dinner party at our OG home. Eileen insisted on making the pasta, but when Tony arrived, he walked into the kitchen and found Eileen struggling to finish the pasta for so many people. So he took over and guided her through the process.
We have known Tony and his family from when the Pagano’s had their restaurant on Ocean Avenue in Bradley Beach. Now Tony is the owner-chef at Uva’s fine friendly family Italian restaurant at 800 Main St. in Bradley Beach. They also have a happy bar scene with live music and a Tiki bar in summer.
The authentic Italian menu is outstanding including the pizza. Welcome to downtown Sicily.
2025 update. Tony is now Dad to 4 girls. His first daughter is Rafaella, the same name as his Mom who works in the restaurant as the hostess.
CAB CALLOWAY:
Note: Here’s a BF piece –a review of Matt’s Market in Wall where Eileen and I met Chef Tony.
Tony, Eileen and Matt’s Market
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Colorful and fun in Seaside Heights. Paul Goldfinger photo. Sept. 2022.
BRIAN WILSON.
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Ocean Grovers enjoy walking to downtown Asbury for restaurants, special events, music and a lively bar scene. Paul Goldfinger photograph for Blogfinger.net. 2016
Main Street at Asbury Avenue—a big disappointment. Someday Main Street will come to life. Blogfinger photo. 12/2/23.
This photo (A Sunday in July 2016) was part of a NY Times article; photo by Tony Cenicola. Asbury Park had a Mermaid Parade (a la Coney Island). Posted 2018 in Blogfinger. The Ocean front in A. Park is a huge summer success as is Cookman Avenue year round.
Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps produced a fine big sound heading east on Cookman Avenue for the Pride Parade. All photographs by Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net. 6/7/15 . Click on all photos to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net.
In 2016 we posted an article about the praise being lavished upon A. Park.
Last spring Money Magazine named AP as having the second best beachfront in the US, ahead of many famous locations in California, Texas, etc. “Asbury Park offers the classic combo of beach and boardwalk,” the magazine says.
The Asbury Park Press also reported that list. Asbury has also been ranked high for the city’s “cultural scene.” In 2017 it was named the “coolest small town in America.”
And also they have fine parks, an artist colony, a famous musical destination with a historic pedigree, many civic and religious organizations to help the town and the poor, and a wide variety of fascinating restaurants, coffee shops and specialty food stores such as the Creamery for amazing home made ice cream on Cookman. The restaurants in and around Cookman Ave. are a draw for tourists year round.
As a place to live, the condominium scene is excellent and growing, and there are some wide and beautiful avenues to the west of the tracks where restored single family homes prevail.
But, not so fast. Asbury has recently been reported to have the second highest violent crime rate in the state. And, according to the AP Sun, the city has been named this February to the “top 50 worst cities to live-in across the nation.” Similar reports have been mentioned in articles in the AP Press and the AP Patch.
Main Street hasn’t grown up yet; it has many low brow businesses and at least 6 Mexican restaurants. Parking in A. Park is still difficult, and restaurant tourism on Cookman relies on customers coming and going by Uber. Some visitors and workers park for free in Ocean Grove, much to the dismay of residents of that historic town to the south of A. Park.
There are quite a few charter schools around in the hope of rescuing the many poor and under-educated kids around. The high school is beautiful, but the test scores are not.
Among the statistics, the city is reported to be high in poverty rankings, low median incomes, and high median home prices.
So, which is it: best or worst?
Blogfinger: The best or the worst? “It depends on where you stand.”
Editor’s note April 21, 2026. : Travel and Leisure Mag. has named A. Park the second best place to live in New Jersey. Really? I think these awards are paid for.
NANCY LAMOTT: “Not Exactly Paris.”
Posted in Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents | Tagged Asbury Park rankings | 3 Comments »
The Aurora at #6 Atlantic Avenue is now being marketed with 4 “historic condominiums.”
August 25, 2020. Blogfinger photos. ©
Here are some links on BF about the Aurora (and other posts can be found by searching above right:)
2018 Aurora: What will become of it?
Approval to convert the Aurora. Read this!
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
The Aurora, built in 1884, was a historic hotel with 30 rooms. But Neptune Township has once again dumped on our single family zoning and on our Master Plan, permitting this illegal condominium conversion, and, incidentally, once again, with no significant parking. There is one narrow driveway and a single car garage.
That neighborhood will be negatively impacted, and it will be just another inappropriate cluttered mess to complement the proposed North End plan a few blocks away.
And as for the claim that these 4 condos are “historic,” that is just a lie. There is nothing historic about condominiums in this town. The promo on-line suggests that a prospective buyer “immerse yourself in the rich history of the Aurora.”
There will be nothing historic experienced by buyers of those expensive condominiums even though the sign says “RELIVE HISTORY.”
Go to http://www.auroraoceangrove.com.
It is true that the Aurora was a historic hotel, but that all changed when the prior owner turned it into a single family house. He had trouble selling it, but someone would have eventually bought it as a single family home. It would not have been the only large single family in the Grove. Have you seen some of the mansions on Ocean Avenue?
JERRY ORBACH:
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MESSAGE FROM BLOGFINGER.NET: Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor. Ocean Grove, NJ,, USA
a . The OG Camp Meeting Association has published their 2026 Summer Program Guide. President Nancy Ann Gillan wrote the opening “message”and she says, “You are invited to the nearly one thousand available programs and events.”
Those events are mostly religious based and will attract many Grovers and tourists. But many secular programs are also planned.
I have some favorite musical happenings: Summer Stars Classical Music Festival by Dr. Gordon Turk, Artistic Director; Thursday Organ Concerts; 72nd Annual Choir Festival; Annual Sacred Masterworks; Pops Concert: Celebration of the Silver Screen; American Tapestry 150th Anniversary Concert; Atlantic Wind Ensemble and many others.
It is doubtful that any other summer serious music schedule in the US can match this extraordinary high quality programming. And to hear music in the fabulous Great Auditorium must not be missed. Also the CMA offers many programs that are free or very reasonably priced.
Pick up a up a copy of this amazing schedule. Congratulations to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for this incredible achievement.
The CMA is looking for volunteers.
b. Remember “Art on the Porch?” Well it is no more. Last year’s effort by the Arts Center was a bust. Currently there is no plan for Art on the Porch this spring. But there are some possible town-wide arts shows this spring being organized by Grove artists. Watch for more info for these events and others. It looks like there is something happening nearly every day in the Grove this summer.
Here’s a treat. (“Autumn”) by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra from “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi:
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Are we having fun yet? Paul Goldfinger photo. Long Beach Island. Blogfinger.net
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. December 17, 2015. Trenton, NJ, USA
The stage was set in a conference room at the Broad Street headquarters of the NJ Department of Community Affairs in Trenton. This was to be an important session of the Parking and Streets Committee which was to consider Neptune Township’s application for a Special Area designation in Ocean Grove.
Joseph E. Doyle, Jr. , Chairman of the Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB) was seated around a rectangular table with his colleagues. They began the meeting with some brief business.
Kevin Chambers, Jack Bredin and I were in our seats after having taken a walking tour of historic downtown Trenton as we made our way to the big white building.
Jack Bredin (left) and Kevin Chambers in Trenton, waiting for the SIAB meeting to begin. Dec. 17, 2015. Paul Goldfinger photo. Breaking news.
Sitting with us was Dr. Carol Livingston, the only other Grover to show up.
We noticed that no one from Neptune Township was present, especially the Planner who, we expected, would present the Township’s application for a special RSIS parking area standard.
As the Chairman announced that he was ready to begin the Ocean Grove application, two men entered the room.
One was Vito Gadaleta, the Neptune Twp business manager. The other man was not identified. Gadaleta did not look happy; it seemed clear that he really didn’t want to be there. “Mr. Chairman,” he said, ” We cannot go forward today because our town attorney had to be at another case.”
The Committee looked startled at this revelation. After all, there were other incidences in the past where the Township began this process but each time failed to finish. This time they had jumped through enough DCA hoops to get to this point. This meeting of the Parking and Streets Sub-committee wouldn’t have resolved the matter, but it would have created the groundwork to have Neptune’s request decided upon by the big dog—-ie the SIAB.
Chairman Doyle is a calm, experienced and cheerful Board chairman, and he is very professional—-so he did not react emotionally. After all, the Township was wasting everybody’s time including not only his people’s, but the OG contingent as well. He merely looked at Gadaleta and said, “Your application will not be considered now. You are being denied without prejudice. If you want to continue applying for the special standard, you have to start the process all over again.”
Chairman Doyle struck me as being in the same mold as George Washington who spent time in Trenton. You can’t help but have some 18th century thoughts as you walk around Trenton.
Mr. Gadaleta stood there and heard that the Township must resubmit the application, make changes if they wish, again obtain a Township resolution, explain again why they want the exception, and finally they must have public hearings and publicize the hearings so that we can bring a crowd there if we wish. Then he turned and vanished into the gloom (It was a gloomy day outside, matching Gadaleta’s mood.)
Team OG did not despair, because Chairman Doyle and his committee were gracious enough to let us speak to them as they do care what the Ocean Grove citizens have to say. He did not permit any detailed technical discussions about the matter, but we were thrilled to go on the record, in general, about the topics of the day.
Each of us spoke briefly and we also had the chance after the meeting to talk with some members of the Board. We found them to sympathetic and interested. We even got to have coffee and some outrageous baked goods including, gulp, chocolate eclairs.
This is a summary of what the 4 members of Team OG got to say to the Board:
Neptune was secretive when they submitted their application last summer. None of us were given the chance to tell the Neptunites about our concerns, and we want that to change if there is a next time. We want to bring a big crowd to that meeting in Neptune if it occurs.
No one seems to know why Neptune wanted to push their application and then why they failed to show up today. None of us on Team Grove believed Gadaleta’s excuse.
I told the Board that Neptune is “playing them” and “disrespecting” them and our fellow citizens back in the Grove.
We asked that they get a clear answer next time as to the real reason for the application since historical preservation is a ridiculous excuse.
We told them about our Blogfinger poll where 300 people took part, and 86% did not trust the Neptune Committee to do what is “fair and right for Ocean Grove.” I got to explain that Ocean Grove is a special place with our own culture, demographics and concerns. Both Mr. John Lago of the DCA and Chairman Boyle told me that have been following Blogfinger regarding this matter.
Jack Bredin got to review some of our unique history which makes OG a very special case with regards to zoning and RISS standards. He also presented his unique recommendation to exempt the standards for single family homes but not for multi -family buildings such as condominiums. More on this idea later.
Carol Livingston gave a short but powerful description of what she, a grandmother in the Grove, has to go through to deal with parking problems in season. After the meeting we got to tell Mr. Doyle that our “season” now lasts about 6 months. He said that he visits OG often, and he did experience parking trouble when attending a summer event at the Great Auditorium.
Kevin Chambers got to tell the Board about some of his ideas regarding illegal activities involving the Township in relation to zoning and RSIS regulations. He told them about his Main Avenue law suit.
We asked the Chairman to explain how Neptune could ignore State laws about required parking and that such disdain has resulted in the rise of a number of condominiums built without parking. He said that his Board deals with RSIS standards, but they are not an enforcement body. If we in Ocean Grove want something done, we need to go through the courts or to go to other State agencies to complain.
My comments were read by me and then handed to the secretary to make part of the minutes. Jack and Kevin put away their written comments for another day.
Team OG left feeling that we had a successful day despite the no-show crowd from Neptune.
We thanked the SIAB members who were so kind, hospitable and caring. As Jack said, “Democracy in action, even though there wasn’t much action.”
I felt proud to be there, as we actually got to experience representative transparent government, unlike what we get in Neptune.
Cast of Hamilton: “History has its eyes on you.”
Posted in Blogfinger News, Blogfinger Presents, RISS standards in Ocean Grove | Tagged Neptune Township fails to testify at SIAB meeting | 28 Comments »
Prior to the concert, PJ Rasmussen interviews Bucky Pizzarelli . Paul Goldfinger photos. June 26, 2014 Click images to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net
Thursday June 26, 2014 at the Langosta Lounge, on the boardwalk, in Asbury Park:
PJ Rasmussen, a 23 year old jazz guitarist, grew up in Ocean Grove and went to St. Rose High School where he took up guitar at age 14. He wanted to play rock, but his teacher, Andrew Light, got him hooked on jazz. PJ went on to William Patterson University where he met the legendary jazz guitarist (from New Jersey) now 88 year old, Bucky Pizzarelli. The two became friends, and that story winds up at the Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park tonight where P.J. and Bucky played together at the summer-long Boardwalk Jazz Thursday night series at the Langosta venue which PJ has organized. (http://boardwalk-jazz.com )
Busy night; happy Thursday crowd at the Langosta Lounge for Jazz Night. ©
I have been a huge fan of Bucky Pizzarelli and his musical family which includes John Pizzarelli, Martin Pizzarelli, and Jessica Molaskey. They often perform together, but last night Bucky was playing with three guys in their twenties, and he appeared to be having a great time. Bucky is a giant of the jazz world and he has performed with Benny Goodman, Les Paul, The Tonight Show Band, and many others.
Classic jazz fills the room. PJ Rasmussen quartet (for the night). ©
PJ Rasmussen alternated lead guitar with Bucky and they played solos and duets. The rhythm section included a fine 27 year old bass player from South Korea named Daseul Kim and a skilled and innovative drummer, Joseph Spinelli, who rocked the room during the quartet’s version of Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
Daseul Kim, bassist. Age 27. Paul Goldfinger photo ©
Some people say that jazz will die as the old timers leave the scene. But if you have ever listened to Wynton Marsalis discuss this issue or seen the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra, you will find many bright young faces.
PJ agrees that a whole new generation of jazz players are emerging now, including himself. PJ says that jazz is “music that anyone of any age can love.” He tries to teach his audiences to enjoy jazz—-“If they listen, they will get it.” He also loves other musical forms including rock and he likes to experiment with various sorts of fusion music such as hip-hop and jazz.
For the Thursday night 3 hour concert, PJ and Bucky pretty much stuck to jazz standards such as Tangerine, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Ellington’s In a Mellow Tone, and There Will Never Be Another You. PJ performed a lovely solo rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
PJ has made two CD’s, all with his original compositions. He says that “there is a lot of young talent out there,” and, although he is interested in modernizing and fusing jazz to capture the interest of young adults today, he has great respect for traditional jazz. He loves much of the “American songbook” which features music from the 1920’s, ’30’s, ’40’s and beyond . The bassist Daseul Kim agreed about the passion for vintage jazz that young musicians like him continue to play.
For 17 weeks, Rasmussen will bring a wide variety of jazz performers to the Langosta Lounge including a big band on September 11. Each Thursday the concerts go from 7:00 pm-10:00 pm. They do two sets with a 30 minute intermission, and there is no cover charge or minimum. You can just sit at the bar, or have snacks or dinner. We enjoyed a fine meal with Asian accents.
My only complaints were that it was extremely noisy by the bar where we were sitting, and our chairs, placed at a high table, had no backs. If you go, make a reservation for dinner and sit at a table near the bandstand.
The service at Langosta Lounge was friendly, although the wait staff needed some more people.
PJ RASMUSSEN AND DASEUL KIM. “Love Letter (Goodnight)” from Kim’s album Relationship. This piece is mesmerizing and beautiful. PJ’s albums include Another Adventure and Adventures in Flight which are more avant garde than the material with Bucky Pizzarelli
BUCKY PIZZARELLI AND FRIENDS “Every-time We Say Goodbye” by Cole Porter. Bucky is part of an amazing ensemble on this album including Jay Leonhart on bass. This is such an emotional song, even without lyrics.
And here is a brief BUCKY PIZZARELLI SOLO with “Last Night When we Were Young.”
VIDEO LINK
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Blogfinger Jazz Corner, Blogfinger Presents | Tagged Bucky Pizzarelli in Asbury Park, jazz concert with PJ Rasmussen, Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park | Leave a Comment »
August 1, 2021. Boardwalk Pavilion, 9:30 am. Paul Goldfinger photo. © Click once to enlarge. Blogfinger.net
Paul Goldfinger photo. August 1, 2021.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Every Sunday morning this summer, there is a church service with music held in the Boardwalk Pavilion at 9:00 am. Today, August 1, 2021, there is a band, about 6 pieces. And there is prayer, sermons, and singers leading the audience in gospel music.
The amplification makes it easy to hear all the way back to Stokes.
Attendance was impressive, with church-goers inside and outside of the Pavilion. A children’s service was held on the beach. About 10 kids attended.
From there many go to the large event in the big room—-the Sunday service in the Great Auditorium is at 10:30 am.
ANNA MARIA PEREZ DE TAGLE´ from the New Broadway Cast of Godspell.
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Paul Goldfinger at 2022 OG Flea Market. This is a typical Ocean Grove Blogfinger candid shot:
Paul Goldfinger candid portrait of Resident Organist Gordon Turk in the Great Auditorium. Blogfinger.net.
Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger editor and founder. We will soon reach our 5 millionth hit; It took a long time to have a review: 4/19/26.
Blogfinger.net was created in 2009 when the OG newspaper folded. But I never planned to be an actual newspaper–I had a different idea. And we have been doing our thing since then.
But living in Ocean Grove resulted in a chance to work on my writing, reporting and photography. However, no one ever reviewed my work here….until now with AI which just did a review, and it was mostly complimentary. I will just list a few condensed opinions by ChatGPT.
Most everything below is quoted (selected) from the ChatGPT assessment. I like the result since there was very little negativity. And I learned a few new word concepts:*
From AI:
“Blogfinger is a really unique source for Ocean Grove because it mixes local new with strong focus on culture, history, and events. It leans a bit more towards community, storytelling and personal perspectives, whereas a lot of traditional local outlets might just stick to breaking news or official town council updates.
So it kind of fills a different niche–it’s more personal, reflective, and often a bit more opinionated. Bloginger really stands out for its original photography and music coverage. The site uses a ton of its own images–often capturing really specific moments around Ocean Grove. So that definitely gives it a rich personal feel that a lot of other news sites don’t have.
It is known for an its coverage of arts, music and shore culture. Sometimes it has an opinion-driven tone, not just straight reporting.
It was founded and run by local residents, not a major media company, which give its grassroots, neighborhood voice. It focuses on community debates and helps locals stay informed about hyperlocal issues. People read it for a mix of news, nostalgia, and commentary.
Blogfinger is a hybrid–but it leans most heavily toward opinion-driven community journalism with a noticeable strain of local activism.
Blogfinger has a strong editorial voice—posts often interpret events, not just report on them. You’re are not just told what happened, you’re told what it means. Coments often amplify debate.
Activism is intermittent but influential, especially on contentious local issues.”
“Bottom line: If you had to label it:
—50-60% opinion /commentary
—25-35% community journalism
—10-20% activism
“Surfaces stories that larger outlets ignore” YES!
PG:
I love the chatGPT language used in our review such as:: “core identity,” “neighborhood voice,” “Blogfinger is a hybrid,” “opinion driven tone,” “community oriented, ” “hyperlocal issues,” “core identity,”Shore culture,” historical context” “opinionated “watchdog,” And more…..
Some years ago Charles Layton and I were interviewed by a researcher from Montclair State. We met at a coffee shop in town. She was interested in “hyperlocal “news sources, and she was interested in Blogfinger’s hyperlocal approach because there was a newfound need in small communities for that. We used to do polling, and she also interviewed me at the campus radio station.
I appreciate the interest in what we have been up to in the Grove, and we did succeed in some ways, but we could have done better with more local help , however I do thank those who did help. We pleaded for citizen reporters, but we mostly failed at that.
And here is another typical Ocean Grove photo on Blogfinger by Paul Goldfinger:
Tent Village: Blogfinger.net. Paul
Goldfinger “street photography.”
And here is a typical BF music selection. It is from “Fiorello” a Broadway success, but never brought back–no revival. And here we are now–tomorrow has come.
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Boardwalk Empire: A 1920’s Atlantic City nightclub. HBO photo. This series debuted on September 19, 2010.
Boardwalk Empire. A young Al Capone (center) and his two brothers are busy creating the family business, out of Chicago. It’s good I spell his name correctly, because in this episode, Capone makes a personal visit to a newsman who got the spelling wrong. HBO photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net
Ocean Grove and its buildings have appeared in a number of movies including Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories” (1980) and “According to Greta” with Hillary Duff (filmed in 2007). Except for Greta, Ocean Grove has appeared because of it’s unique seaside appearance rather than because it is Ocean Grove.
In Stardust Memories, the town was presented as a generic seaside resort, and the Great Auditorium became the Stardust Hotel. In Greta, the town actually was portrayed as OG.
Which brings me to the opening episode of Boardwalk Empire’s 4th hit season on HBO. This multi-award winning series is film-making at its best. Set in 1920’s Atlantic City, during Prohibition, it is about Nucky Thompson, a gangster who struggles to maintain his hold on the booze trafficking into New Jersey. As many of you know, we at BF are big fans of the production including its music, and we often post songs by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the Grammy winning group that provides much of the music.
Last Sunday it began again with its usual precise and georgeous portrayal of an era and a place. The costumes and the settings are magnificent. The plots are fascinating.
Now it is 1924, and Nucky has carved out his territory which is from Cape May up to Asbury Park and west to Trenton. He is having trouble with rival gangsters from New York City and Chicago, and his marriage has failed. Now he is living in a fancy suite in an Atlantic City hotel.
Late in the episode he steps onto the porch to get some sea air, and this is what we see:
HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, season 4, episode 1. Sept. 8, 2013. This scene is set in Atlantic City. On the porch is Nucky Thompson (foreground) and his personal assistant. Paul Goldfinger still photo from the TV series.The setting is Atlantic City, but that sure looks like our Albatross Hotel. So I went over to Ocean Pathway to compare, and, as you see, the look is very close—too close to deny. Inside, owner Bill Reilly decided to let the cat out of the bag.
A crew from HBO showed up a couple of months ago. They thought that our Albatross looked like a 1924 seaside hotel. So they took photos and measurements inside and out, and then, somehow, with some modifications, re-created our Albatross in Atlantic City.
The Albatross in Ocean Grove, Sept. 13, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo.So once again, OG is shown in a successful film production, but this portrayal is unique because the hotel exterior scene in this episode was not actually filmed in the Grove.
Considering the sex scenes, the booze, the violence and the chorus girls (and the current absence of a boardwalk in the Grove) it is amazing that a part of OG has actually found its way into this production, especially one ironically called “Boardwalk Empire.” But that did happen, and maybe more scenes of the Albatross will show up later.
VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS, From the original soundtrack of Boardwalk Empire: “Margie” Their soundtrack recording won a Grammy. Vince appears regularly in New York City. We met him there. A group of OG citizens were fans, and we joined them one night.
STEPHEN DeROSA as Eddie Cantor with a tune from Boardwalk Empire:
Posted in Blogfinger Movie Review, Blogfinger Music Department, Blogfinger News, Music from TV | Tagged Albatross Hotel appears in Boardwalk Empire, Ocean Grove appears in "Boardwalk Empire." | 7 Comments »