Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Blogfinger Presents, Classical Music on Blogfinger, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photography Asbury Park lifestyles, Photography the other side of Asbury Park, tagged Joshua Bell on Blogfinger, Library Park, Teh other side of Asbury on July 2, 2025| 3 Comments »
Grand Avenue at First Avenue in Asbury Park across from the library which was built in 1881. Paul Goldfinger photo© Click once to enlarge. 2015. Blogfinger.net
Got nine minutes for Joshua Bell and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, opus 64. II, Andante? It is with Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (London)
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Photographic Gallery: New Jersey, Photography Asbury Park lifestyles, Photography at The Jersey Shore, tagged Casino wedding party on May 11, 2025|
Asbury Park Casino. A photo shoot. By Paul Goldfinger Undated
LANG LANG “Romance in E Minor” by Franz Liszt
Posted in Art, Asbury Connection, Asbury Park, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Photography by Moe Demby, tagged Easter Parade on Blogfinger on April 1, 2025| 4 Comments »
This published award winning image is by APP/Blogfinger photojournalist Michael Goldfinger. Click once to enlarge. We show it every Easter. Read comments
Original Broadway cast recording for Irving Berlin’s show Holiday Inn.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Ocean Grove photographs, tagged Gay friendly Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove more LGBT friendly than Asbury Park on March 19, 2025| 5 Comments »
Photo from the Asbury Park Sun: “A crowd dances on the beach during a “Sandblast” weekend event, a collection of parties and events held in Asbury Park geared toward the LGBT community.” 2013
Ocean Grove, Main Avenue. Blogfinger/Paul Goldfinger photo. Click to enlarge.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
In an article from the Asbury Park Sun, Jill Bartlett reports the result of rankings by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) which surveys cities across the country. OG came in second along with New Brunswick. Jersey City was first out of the eight cities that were ranked in New Jersey.
Asbury Park ranked low.
To see the details, click on this link: APS link
Ocean Grove has a substantial gay population, and many of them live full time in the Grove. Some of them own businesses here. Except for a few notable clashes with the Camp Meeting Association, most gays in town like living here. Some of them are active and have leadership positions in local organizations. Ocean Grove United has participated in town meetings with the OGCMA and other groups to form a united front in seeking aid for our demolished boardwalk.
I recently asked a gay Grover what the difference is between the gays in the Grove and those who live in Asbury Park. His reply was, “In Asbury they’re younger and have better parties.” But he didn’t say that he wanted to live there.
The OG gay community and Ocean Grove received some national publicity in relation to the Pavilion controversy in 2007. Last week the subject came up in a national magazine regarding FEMA’s denial of OG for disaster funds.
It’s good now to get some positive publicity about a relationship that is positive in a town that takes pride in its diversity.
AL JOLSON:
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, tagged Photo shoot in the casino on March 5, 2025| 2 Comments »
Photo shoot in the Casino under the watchful eye of a giant octopus. By Paul Goldfinger © Sept. 2014 Click to make the tentacles bigger.
HURRICANE SMITH:
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Blogfinger Presents, tagged Chordates on February 28, 2025| 1 Comment »
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park news on Blogfinger.net, South Asbury Park in Ocean Grove, tagged Asbury Park Hotel, Ocean Grove hotel, South Asbury Park in Ocean Grove on January 4, 2025|
The Asbury Hotel Blogfinger photo. ©2015.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. Original post 2015.
The Asbury Hotel will open in May at 2010 Fifth Ave, one block from the ocean near the Paramount Theatre. The Asbury Park developers iStar Financial is remodeling the old Salvation Army rest home, and the new boutique hotel will have 110 rooms and will feature all sorts of innovative ideas. The rooms will start at $125.00 per day. The hotel will be connected to the Asbury Lanes which is behind it on 4th Avenue (see above.)
In the back is a large area being constructed for parking. I can’t tell if they will have any underground parking. That would be of interest being so close to the ocean, but it worked out in Long Branch.
AP is capable of providing ample parking for a hotel. This is the rear of the Asbury Hotel. 11/26/15. Blogfinger photo. ©
As you all know, the North End Redevelopment plan in Ocean Grove calls for underground parking in OG for a hotel and condos which will form a large part of the future Asbury Park south.
But now that a new A. Park hotel is to open less than a mile from OG, do you suppose WAVE will be looking to scuttle the OG hotel idea and replace it with even more condos? Will there be some more zoning legerdemain? Will this turn out to be a scam, exchanging a hotel that we don’t need for yet more condos?
ADDENDUM: PG. January 3 2025: Since this 2015 post, it seems that the North End developers are on the verge of starting construction. But, there are still some obstacles. As for the planned hotel, that is still part of the plan. I’m told that the developers could change that to more condos which would be an unfortunate turn of events in terms of crowding and parking.
Asbury Park has since then closed the Casino with no definite plans for its future. On the other hand, Asbury Park would like to build a huge music venue on their side and they do own the Casino. The Stone Pony may be involved. If you live over there, a good set of ear plugs or noise cancelling earphones may be needed, but that is just speculative now. But if it happens you can imagine how the north end of the Grove will be affected.
JOHN DENVER “Looking for Space.” In Ocean Grove we are trying to find out who we are.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Blogfinger Presents, Nocturnal Ocean Grove, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photography: The Other Side of Asbury, tagged Ain't no sunshine when she's gone, Asbury Park restaurants, Fine dining in Asbury Park on December 27, 2024| 5 Comments »
New Jersey Avenue bridge across Wesley Lake to Asbury Park restaurant scene on Cookman Avenue. . June, 2015. By Paul Goldfinger Blogfinger.net.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net. 2015.
Asbury Park once experienced “Glory Days,” but in the 1980’s it went into a downhill spiral and it turned into “Nowhere.”
Then in recent years, perhaps ten, a slow and difficult rebirth has been occurring, and now it’s clear that Asbury Park has turned a definite corner in its renaissance and is becoming “Somewhere.”
Of course there are still problems in governance, crime, poverty and schools. In some ways it is a tale of two cities—roughly east and west.
In December 2013, we posted a piece on Blogfinger that wondered if the acclaimed Asbury Park restaurant scene downtown had become a true “destination” for visitors from around here and elsewhere. We were interested in this subject because of the relationship that Ocean Grove has to AP. That includes the fact that many Grovers go there for dinner on a regular basis, and oftentimes we walk over there at night.
In 2013, half of our Blogfinger readers who took our poll said that AP had not yet become the “go to” place for fine dining.
But now, in 2015, we have reason to believe that the tide has turned regarding the dining situation. We wrote a recent glowing review about Taka’s new location, and today we will be reporting on a new name in town: “Cross & Orange.”
Now that A. Park is a true destination, girls named Marie might show up. It’s Kermit Ruffins from New Orleans:
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Photography: The Other Side of Asbury, tagged Anat Cohen Luminosa, The other side of Asbury Park on December 2, 2024|
Fish & Chicken. The other side of Asbury Park. By Paul Goldfinger 2015
EMMA STONE AND RYAN GOSLING. “City of Stars.” From La La Land.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Photography Asbury Park lifestyles, Photography by Paul Goldfinger, Photography in Asbury Park, tagged Asbury park beach on November 27, 2024|
A. Park beach fun. August, 2016. Click to enlarge. Paul Goldfinger photo.
MOUND CITY BLUE BLOWERS: “Thanks a Million.”
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, tagged Asbury Park boardwalk, Girls in their summer clothes in Asbury Park on November 4, 2024|
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, tagged A bright future in Asbury Park, James Taylor on Blogfinger on July 27, 2024|
A. Park near the RR tracks. By Paul Goldfinger © Feb. 18, 2016. Click to enlarge.
JAMES TAYLOR “Another Day”
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Asbury Park portraits, Blogfinger Presents, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photography at The Jersey Shore, Photography in Asbury Park, tagged Bonney Read restaurant on July 2, 2024| 1 Comment »
Paul Goldfinger color at Bonney Read 2016. (Now defunct)
FROM THE DISNEY FILM “RATATOUILLE,”
