Blogfinger

St. Paul’s Place in Ocean Grove’s Tent Village. Photo by Paul, Goldfinger, but it is not his place. Strolling towards the Great Auditorium for a  concert. Blogfinger.net

“Midnight, the Stars and You”.  Andy Farber and Orchestra:

Paul Goldfinger photo. 3/10/26. Blofinger.net

I have noticed that many commercial vehicles come into town with no identifying markings.  This is usually by contractors, but other types of trucks or vans come here and park.  Sometimes they park overnight which,  I believe, is illegal.   But enforcement of small ordinances is often not implemented.  Why are these vehicles  not marked?

I spoke to one local contractor who rides a plain white truck.  He says that he is well known around town, so why bother?

Shouldn’t it be required for security reasons?   Or maybe the vehicle is parked illegally such as sticking far out in head-on spots.  The police  and the public should be able to know the license number, the name, and the phone number.

PAUL SIMON:

At the Tuscan Villa Antinori. Paul Goldfinger photo

We were visiting the Villa Antinori in Tuscany.  There was a magnificent villa overlooking fields of Chianti Classico Reserva Tuscan red wine.

“Malafemmena”

Celeste from Union.  Paul Goldfinger photo. OG pier. July 26, 2023. Click to enlarge.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net. 7/26/23. Ocean Grove, NJ.

Celeste was listening to music and dancing as the surf rolled in beneath her. She is visiting today and she hopes to move to the Shore.

Woody Allen once said that his greatest fear is to be locked in a room with an insurance agent, but if Celeste were the one, he might have changed his mind.

Her lively color scheme, her eye-catching dress, enticing sunglasses, and the straw hat make her exhibit A in our quest for fascinating girls in their summer clothes. And let’s not forget her sparkling personality. “Ooo-wee!”

“American Girls.”    by Harry Styles.

Paul Goldfinger photo. Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge. 11/12/24

By Paul Goldfinger, MD.  Re-post  3/10/26

We  were taking out the trash when she appeared.    She asked for some water.  She said that she went to high school in Manasquan and college in Arizona .  We didn’t pry–she volunteered.

And then she said that she had no money. We gave her a bottle of water and money.  I had been on the porch trying out some night-time imagery. She didn’t object to the photo.

She thanked us and turned to walk away. Sometimes there are panhandlers in town, but not often.

I’m told that there are homeless in the Grove who will look for places to sleep outdoors in town  to avoid the cold winds.  It was windy this evening.

We know that there are shelters in the area, but sometimes they are full or dangerous or both.

Yesterday I drove past a church on Asbury Avenue in a deprived neighborhood . There was a banner out front that offered free breakfasts on Saturday mornings.  But what about the rest of  the week?

There is some charity in the Grove, but is anyone offering a hot meal?  How about the  Chamber of Commercials doing something other than hustling tourists to spend their money on stuff  or  food trucks for themselves.

Does the Camp Meting or St. Paul’s, religious organizations,  offer any charities  for the homeless?

How about the OG secular and residential community  forming  a selfless charity in town devoted to the homeless: food, shelter, clothing, love, attention?   The Home Owners Assoc. is collecting some items.   It’s a modest beginning. More is needed.

And the small art movement is offering free art, but if you have nothing, then free art is not helpful.

BEN E. KING:

Paul Goldfinger photo on the OG boards.  9/22. Click to enlarge.   Paul Goldfinger photo

OSCAR D’LEON.     “Frenesi.”

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor of Ocean Grove’s Blogfinger.net.  3/9/2026.

Jean Bredin 2019. The Casino

Casino. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net

Paul Goldfinger on the OG side. 2012. Notice “Casino”. Not “The Casino”or “Grand Concourse.”      Blogfinger.net  See the red shirt? That’s about the A. Park line.

A few years ago we reported on the loss of two historic hotels in A. Park.  They should have been preserved, but the property was turned into condos.  Here is a portion of that Blogfinger post:

“Evidently the idea of remodeling them into residences was not considered because AP has turned over that entire oceanfront area to trash-and -build-new developers without any worry about history.  They  don’t seem to care about AP’s history and they don’t mind turning much of their reclaimed property into condominiums.

“I recall when the beautiful old Metropolitan Hotel, a nostalgic place, which I visited before it’s death spiral, with much history, was allowed to rot and then be demolished.

“However there is a huge difference between the two towns:  Ocean Grove is on the National and State Historic Registers, so we have an obligation to try and save historic buildings and not mow them down like dead ducks. But turning old hotels into condos here is contrary to our Master Plan which has a vision that is totally different than Asbury’s, and we really shouldn’t allow more space-clogging condo conversions of old hotels to occur, especially in defiance of RSIS parking standards.

“Our old hotels need to be dealt with in ways that meet the special needs of our town, with the interests of the people and the history placed ahead of the developers and the politicians who want more money from the Cash-Cow-By-The-Sea.  (Think of this comment when considering the 2024 discussion of the Albatross. and the North End)”

So in the latest Coaster. (3/5/26)  is a piece entitled. “Asbury Park Group Seeks to Save Historic Structures.”  As you know, the ire of some Parkers has been raised, and a group has appeared:   “Save Our Structures–Asbury Park”.

The Casino is part of that effort, and many local folks including Grovers are anxious to see that structure be saved.   We at Blogfinger often went to that venue to see art, hear music, and photograph the lively people who enjoyed that link between the two towns.

The leaders of the save the Casino crowd say, “Asbury Park’s history  must be preserved alongside its progress”–a wise sentiment.

As far as I know, the building has been called “The Casino” by most people who enjoyed that open air venue during warm weather in recent years..

But what’s in a name?  The Coaster wants to refer to it by its historic name–“The Grand Concourse” so that the space can once again be  a “vibrant public space. ”      They don’t like recent attempts to call it a “breezeway.”

Personally, if that walk-through can be saved, how about leaving it as “The Casino”.  That is a historic name for most of our current population of  the two-towns who have enjoyed the space in recent years.

COMMENT:    3/9/26

Hi Paul,

Most people refer to the Casino as “The Casino” because that was the name on the building, see attached.   The 2^nd attachment shows what the original plan for restoration was back in 2006.

Stay well, Sl?inte,

Northender

THE CADILLACS:

Ocean Grove 03/06/2026.  Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net

The first one to name the brand, country of origin, model, year, engine, type of gas  and closest mileage  will win a signed black and white photo print by Paul Goldfinger.

The owner found this vehicle on the Internet.  It was his dream car.

We will announce the winner and mail/or deliver his/her prize.

Submit your facts to Blogfinger@verizon.net. or use comment button below.

WE HAVE A WINNER:  Peter Tallman-–see below

“Hey Doc! This email ended up in my spam folder for some reason (don’t worry, I would never personally mark you as processed meat). A long time ago I had a 1982 Mercedes 300 SD Turbo Diesel that looked just like that one (mine was a deep blue). That being said, car people can be strange folk, so perhaps this fellow longed for elegance with (slightly) better gas mileage? The diesel had a 5 cylinder engine but the s class was available with a 6 cylinder and an 8 cylinder gas engine as well. I’m going with the diesel and with an age of 1981-85. Is that cheating? Also, if it is indeed a diesel, I would not be surprised if it had as many as 300,000 miles on the odometer although I would guess closer to 150,000 judging by how clean it looks. As you know Doc, those Germans certainly design well made cars!”

Our owner identified this car as a 1981 300  SD Mercedes diesel with 133,000 miles.  It has 5 cylinders

Peter.   Excellent win:        Send me an address and I will send you one of my black and white prints.  I once had a 300D Mercedes.  It was wonderful, but it had no pickup-    When we sold it, a gentleman came to our house and offered us cash.   He didn’t want to drive it.    Why? He said he would ship it to Paraguay where, for $400.00 he could refurbish it; and then it would be a taxi.  I bet it still is working.   Paul

Here is a link to Peter Tallman’s family story   which was posted on Blogfinger about 7 years ago.

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington: