Sunset Avenue, Asbury, Farmers Market. Saturday 8/24/19. Paul Goldfinger photo ©
DORIS TROY: “Just One Look.”
Archive for the ‘Asbury Connection’ Category
Gorgeous Saturday morning plus Sunset Farmers Market= a big crowd buying tomatoes, Italian breads, melons, pickles, Piri Piri spicy sauce and much more.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park lifestyles, tagged Asbury Park farmers market at Sunset Avenue on August 24, 2019|
Destinations in the Grove. 2013.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Destinations in the Grove, tagged Lake avenue vista, Rocky Mountain High by John Denver on August 24, 2019| 2 Comments »
Lake Avenue, Ocean Grove. September 1, 2013. By Paul Goldfinger © Click to enlarge image.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Many of us have already noticed that Lake Avenue has become a destination for walking and biking. It used to be quite a glorious pathway about one hundred years ago.
OG side of Wesley Lake, around 1900. The postcard is from Eileen’s collection.
Now you can go there and enjoy watching the swan boats as they glide around the lake and you can admire those bridges that look like something from Europe. There are ducks paddling around, and you can people watch. On a nice day, quite a few people are moving in one direction or the other. You can go to Asbury Park or head for the boardwalk and the ocean.
In fact, while I was photographing on the New Jersey Avenue bridge the other day, I got into two interesting conversations. One was with a Grover named Jack who was biking to meet someone on the AP side. We got to discuss photography, and we learned some things from each other. One mystery left unresolved was the true story of what famous photographer Robert Frank was thinking about when he shot his celebrated image of a segregated bus down south. Stay tuned for that story.
Captain Midnight; and that’s the guy!
By Paul Goldfinger. September , 2013 ©
Another guy came from the direction of Captain Midnight’s evocative cottage on the Grove side. We’ve been talking on the blog about how diversity of the human kind makes a place more interesting, and certainly that is true of architecture. Captain Midnight has been a fascinating mystery that we should solve one of these days. Is he really a captain? Is he really mysterious? Maybe he’s a super hero.
Meanwhile this guy told me that he was from Colorado and that his brother owned a house along the lake—OG side, near where we were standing. He wanted to know if I was “allowed” to take pictures of those houses. I said, “I don’t need permission.” He said, “Oh, I was just curious.” Really? I asked him if he ever had a Rocky Mountain high. He just walked away.
It reminds me of when I was doing some candid shots of a wedding down by the pier in OG–I was not the wedding photographer, just a photog looking for some interesting OG subject matter. The father of the bride approached me, in his tux, and asked me to stop taking pictures. What to do? Should I say, “Make me,” like we did when we were kids? Instead, I said that he can’t stop me, but then I walked away.
It was a boring wedding anyhow. No hora or chopped liver. In fact, no food at all. Yikes–it’s a photo shoot , and they wanted me to leave. It reminded me of the wedding scene in the Godfather, and I didn’t want $10,000 worth of photo gear tossed into the Atlantic
JOHN DENVER:
Sustainable energy 2016
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, tagged Asbury Park boardwalk on August 1, 2019|
Asbury Park. Fast forward 10 years and picture these two in a convertible with the top down. Paul Goldfinger © ? Thelma and Louise
“Pack your bags and hug your mom
Been dreaming about leaving for so long
You start to cry as you crank the truck
Yeah, that’s the downside of growing up.”
MADDIE AND TAE “Downside of Growing Up”
Maddie and Tae
The other side of A. Park: TAKA
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged 3 Little Maids From School, Taka Restaurant on July 29, 2019|
Taka, Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park. Paul Goldfinger photo. July, 2019.© click to enlarge.
If you would visit Cookman Avenue on a Saturday night, you would see many college age girls dressed up for bar hopping and fine dining. They might travel with guys, or they might walk about in groups of three or four.
4 little maids from school. Paul Goldfinger photo on the boards in Asbury Park. ©. Say. “Hi Mom.”
So here is a song from the Mikado which addresses such a group:
D’OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY: From the Mikado.
Chico goes to Asbury Park dog beach.
Posted in Asbury Connection, tagged Dog beach in Asbury Park on July 18, 2019| 6 Comments »
Chico, OG dog, visits the Asbury dog beach and has a great time stealing a blue toy from one of his pals. Chico belongs to Moe Demby, BF staff. Paul Goldfinger photograph. © Re-post from 2014.
Owners socialize also. It’s a good way to meet people who share a love of dogs. ©
Sundown. Chico hates to leave. Paul Goldfinger photo. Asbury Park dog beach. July 12, 2014.
The dog beach at the north end of Asbury Park is a gathering place for the dog community there. They are allowed to bring their canine friends once the lifeguards are gone. It was obvious that it was a social event for the dogs and their owners. The dogs ran around off leash and they had a great time. Some frolicked in the ocean. The owners made sure that everything was clean and safe. It also is one of the most beautiful times of day to visit any beach on the east coast.
The dog park group in Ocean Grove asked the CMA to approve a similar dog beach for OG north end. CMA said that it is “not part of our mission.”
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger–re-post from 2014. Keeping hope alive.
JOHN LITHGOW album Sunny Side of the Street
“Some brightness on a dreary spring day..” Bob Bowné finds the light.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park lifestyles, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography at The Jersey Shore, Photography by Bob Bowne, tagged Bob Bowné on April 26, 2019|
A sign of the times in Asbury Park. April 4, 2017. By Bob Bowné. Special to Blogfinger.net.
SMALL POTATOES finding the direction to spring in Bob’s image:
Best beach? Where’s Asbury?
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged Asbury Park best shore town on March 22, 2019|
Asbury Park July 2016
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net
I’ve come to the conclusion that all those “best” lists are created by payoffs. After all, how can Asbury Park be one of the world’s best beach towns, better than famous beaches in California, Australia and Florida?
As a result, we have ignored those lists lately, because the A. Park that we know is usually awarded top billing on those lists. The only list I ever saw with Ocean Grove was some years ago, when we were rated higher than AP as the best place for gay folks.
However, to those of you who are cynical, as I am, about this subject, I did find a list that excluded A. Park. Maybe the payoff was too high for the Cookman crowd and iStar’s publicity department
U.S. News & World Report 3/19/19: Best Places to live near the beach:
1. Melbourne
2. San Diego
3. Sarasota
4. Honolulu
5. Charleston, South Carolina
6. Fort Myers
7. Jacksonville
8. Pensacola
9. Santa Barbara, California
10. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
11. Tampa
12. Port St. Lucie
13. Daytona Beach
14. Virginia Beach, Virginia
15. Los Angeles
16.Corpus Christi, Texas
17. Miami
18. Salinas, California
19. Brownsville, Texas
20. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Here’s a link to a recent post on Blogfinger about this topic:
PINK MARTINI “Sway” Do people still dance on vacation?
More Stories
Santacon. It’s never too early to remember Christmas .
Posted in Asbury Connection, Blogfinger Presents, tagged SantaCon in Asbury Park on October 24, 2018|
Grovers: Don’t miss visiting The Asbury Hotel.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Asbury Park news on Blogfinger.net, Blogfinger Presents, tagged The Hotel Asbury in Asbury Park on October 15, 2018|
The lobby bar at The Asbury is the Soundbooth where you can hear live music every night. All photos by Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net. Re-post from July 21, 2016. © Click on the music below and then return here.
Check in here or visit the juice/coffee bar. Get a snack and sit down and relax. No pressure. © Paul Goldfinger photo ©.
The nocturnal Asbury. July 2016. Paul Goldfinger ©
One time, in Paris, we wanted to walk through the lobby of the Hotel George V, a very ritzy famous place. But we were not allowed to even walk in the front doors. Some hotels are fussy about non-guests coming in. But the new Asbury Hotel at Kingsley and 5th Avenue, near the ocean by the Paramount Theater, is just the opposite.
Architect Anda Andrei (looking at us) was guiding a photo-shoot in the lobby. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
The designer/architect Anda Andrei wants her new hotel to be full of life and to be welcoming. Steve Valk and I took a tour of her new Asbury Park establishment and we found out that they want the public to come in and visit: have a coffee, listen to live music, sit at the bar, do your homework, or chat with the staff.
Be sure to check out the roof top space called “Salvation” where the views are spectacular in all directions. It is particularly impressive at night.
The eastward view from Salvation (not the mystical place; it is a wonderful rooftop lounge and bar.) Paul Goldfinger photo ©
Roof top lounge and bar. Photo from the NY Times July 5, 2016 by Tony Cenicola © See link below.
You can also watch classic or cult movies at the roof top garden called The Baronet, a tribute to the old Asbury Park theater which was torn down a few years ago.
Rooftop garden “The Baronet” where you can watch movies every night. © Paul Goldfinger photo.
In the lobby you can have casual food like a sandwich or something from the juice bar or the coffee bar. Steve and I ordered cappuccinos, and they were very good.The lobby bar area is called the “Soundbar” and it is beautiful and functions as a music venue.
More relaxation space on the ground floor. Paul Goldfinger photo
In fact you will marvel at the functional and gorgeous design features. Every night there is live music in the lobby, and you can just walk in and sit down. The staff is welcoming and very proud of their hotel.
If you are from Ocean Grove, do not fail to walk or bike or even drive (there are parking meters) to the Asbury. You will be impressed and you will enjoy yourself even if you don’t rent a room…but then again….
Paul Goldfinger, Travel Editor @Blogfinger.net
THE HOT CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO: “J’Attendrai”
LINK: Click on this NY Times article below.
Here is a link to a Blogfinger article in response to the Times piece above:
A new skyline at Asbury Park: The 16 story Ocean Club Surfside Resort and Residences at 1101 Ocean Avenue.
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury connection with Ocean Grove, Blogfinger Presents, tagged Asbury Park skyline, New condos in Asbury Park, Tall building in Asbury on September 21, 2018| 5 Comments »
Long view from Ocean Grove of the new A. Park skyline. September 21, 2018 © Blogfinger.net. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net.
The development of this site began in 1989 and was a failure. Then the Esperanza project began and was lost in the Great Recession (2009) leaving a steel skeleton.
Here is a Blogfinger post reflecting on the Esperanza:
But now a 16 story mixed-use building will soon be finished. It will have 130 condominiums starting at $1 million each, a parking garage for 411 cars, and a 54 room boutique hotel. There will be thousands of feet of retail space—the prospective occupants have not been revealed.
Some skeptics are doubting that this project will attract buyers for all those multi-million dollar condominiums. We have also wondered if Asbury has enough juice to be special all year round. Last winter, the city seemed pretty dreary in the off season, although the restaurant and bar scene should be able to hold on for a few months.
iStar is the developer, and some of us at Blogfinger speculate that iStar has its eyes on our North End and may have met the Grovarian movers and shakers.
From Ocean Grove, the altered skyline is readily apparent. The low slung A. Park silhouette now looks like it is on the way to become Long Branch, a once great resort trashed in the interest of money. As you drive by on Ocean Avenue in LB, you rarely get to see the Ocean. Tall buildings block the views.
But, in contrast, at Ocean Grove, if we can retain our unique look, there will be no trouble seeing the differences, and the Grove will be even more of a welcoming place; unless the view south from Asbury Park begins to look like the view inside Asbury Park.
iStar has built the Monroe Condos—another skyline altering building seen from the Grove—this one viewed from Wesley Lake. We wrote about the Monroe two years ago:
It will be interesting to see the impact of this new building on the entire area.
KATHY BRIER with The NIghthawks: from Boardwalk Empire
Here Comes the Sun
Posted in Asbury Connection, Music from the movies, tagged Asbury Park Casino on June 8, 2018|
Asbury Connection. June 5, 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo ©
YUNA. From the soundtrack of the movie Savages
From the pot hole and jay walking capital of the Jersey Shore come multi-million dollar condominiums. What’s wrong with this picture?
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park news on Blogfinger.net, Blogfinger Presents on June 7, 2018| 1 Comment »
Main Street near the post office. Asbury Park, NJ. Blogfinger photo. June 7, 2018 ©
The new Asbury Park skyline as seen from Ocean Grove. June, 2018. Blogfinger photo ©.
Would you buy a multi- million dollar condominium in a town that allows its main street to look like this? The new high-rise construction at the ocean has been likened to the Hamptons, at least in terms of the real estate prices over there, but A. Park has a long way to go before it can be anointed as a first-world American city.
I drive on Main Street almost every day, and the pot holes are threatening the health of my car and my own peace of mind. In fact, I wouldn’t suggest even riding a horse over there.
Do you think that investing a fortune in a home in A. Park is a good idea? i Star is wagering that it will be successful selling those expensive condominiums in their new sky-scraper on the beach.
KAREN ELSON (with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks) from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire:
The other side of A. Park…
Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery on April 9, 2018| 1 Comment »
Asbury Park, near Kingsley Street, by the Ocean. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click to admire the populist wall art, an AP trademark— beautiful and fun; and the old apartment building dressing up and wearing make-up on its eastern side. ©
JACQUI NAYLOR: (No, it’s not Granada or San Francisco you see, only Asbury Park:)