Cookman Avenue summer of 2015. We also photographed this trio heading back to OG across the New Jersey Avenue bridge. ©
The night life over in A.-Park-By-The-Sea and don’t forget your credit cards. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2016 © Click to enlarge.
Scene: The coffee bar at Ocean Wegman’s. Two employees are discussing what they did the day before
He: “Yesterday I went to Asbury Park to take a walk on the boardwalk. I parked in Ocean Grove because they have free parking. Most other shore towns, except maybe Spring Lake, have meters.”
She: “I know. I do the same thing. The Asbury meters can get expensive at $2.00 or more per hour.”
Editor’s note: About 6 months ago we reported that Asbury employees such as restaurant workers are intentionally going straight to Ocean Grove for parking, especially at the north end near Wesley Lake and behind the Windmill. From there they walk a few blocks to work by crossing the access bridge nearby.
This has proven to make parking an even bigger issue for those of us who live in that part of the Grove. We live near that access bridge and we often see visitors, mostly 20 and 30 somethings, pile out of a car, often trailing suitcases, as they head for the New Jersey Avenue bridge to A.Park. And there are large numbers who, heading for dinner out or bar hopping, do the same thing except without the suitcases. And then they come back late and loud.
This is a new and growing situation which we first reported on in 2015.
The conversation above indicates that the knowledge about free parking in OG has spread to a wider circle of parking manipulators.
Here is a link to the night life in A. Park post written last year on Blogfinger, and it is a must re-read:
NICKI MINAJ “The Night is Still Young.” But Nicki, can’t you keep it in A. Park? We’re sleeping in Ocean Grove.
“The night is still young
The night is still young
The night is still young
And so are we.”
—-PG
Hey Wisher,
Maybe the Neptune Committee is confused about the road closest to Wesley Lake and don’t realize it is in Ocean Grove. After all, it is named Asbury Avenue.
Most of my neighbors and I try to be considerate by parking close to a yellow line or close to a parked car. This way we can squeeze more cars in. But many visitors will park four or five feet away, wasting space. They are VIPs – Very Inconsiderate People.
I also live in the North End. The last two summers have been much worse. This summer is shaping up to be a total nightmare. The Asbury people have been clogging the street since this past March, and that’s the first time that has happened.
It is strange that the Neptune Committee is just fine with Asbury Park businesses using our natural resources, fine with enriching Asbury businesses with happy customers and taking spaces that would otherwise be taken by OG patrons, fine with cutting revenues to Great Auditorium events because there are no spaces so the Stone Pony can party on, fine with losing beach revenues, fine with all the Asbury Park residents using the parking that should be for Ocean Grove residents, fine with Asbury Park using Neptune’s transportation resources and traffic policing resources free of charge.
Neptune is so generous. I have a new slogan: “Neptune, a key player to make sure Asbury Park thrives.”
We see them all the time crossing the bridge to go to the biergarten or other bars. It gets worse every year as more people discover the free parking in Ocean Grove. Can’t blame them. But we can blame our elected representatives for not designating one side of each street reserved for residents with permits.
Another problem is that our streets are narrow and when these young intoxicated out-of-towners return to their cars to drive home, they may clip off a side mirror or otherwise scratch our parked cars. Many of us have been victims; of course, the perpetrators did not leave insurance information.
Another issue is AP beach goers. Quite a few times I’ve seen people park, unload the beach gear and head straight to the AP beach through the Casino. Even on my little street behind the Auditorium the same thing happens sometimes as you see them dragging beach gear over the footbridges.
This has been an issue since the Asbury restaurants and stores opened, especially the North End at the Ocean which should be designated “resident only.”
Then we could use the stickers we should also be issued if anyone gave a rat’s behind about the Grovers.