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Archive for the ‘Asbury Park lifestyles’ Category

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 on October 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »

The lobby bar is the Soundbooth where you can hear live music every night. All photos by Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net July 21, 2016. ©

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 ©.

Check in here or visit the juice/coffee bar. Get a snack and sit down and relax. No pressure. © Paul Goldfinger photo ©.

 

asbury-3 (1)

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.

Anda Andrei (foreground) was guiding a photo-shoot in the lobby. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

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 ©

The eastward view from Salvation (not the mystical place; it is a wonderful rooftop lounge and bar.) Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Photo from the NY Times July 5, 2016 by Tony Cenicola (see link below) ©

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.

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

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:

https://blogfinger.net/2016/07/16/how-are-the-neighbors-doing-to-the-north-the-ny-times-has-pronounced-asbury-park-as-officially-reborn-the-new-nickname-is-brooklyn-on-the-beach/

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Art and about in A. Park

Posted in Art, Asbury Park, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, tagged on October 1, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Residences on Deal Lake Road near the bridge to Norwood Avenue. Paul Goldfinger © 10/1/18  Click to enlarge.

We have posted other examples of wall art in A. Park going back a few years.  It is a wonderful idea, bringing color and imagination into public spaces for all to enjoy.

Here is a link to an example from 2015:

Yellow submarine

RAY WATERS AND HIS ORCHESTRA:

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All roads from OG lead to Asbury Park.

Posted in Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged on August 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Blogfinger walking the dog by the New Jersey Avenue bridge in OG on Sunday afternoon 8/12/18. ©  All photos by Paul Goldfinger.  Click to enlarge.

 

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger.net

I was playing “sit” with my son’s dog Pooja when I found out a few things.  First, cute girls will stop and pet a dog with lots of oohs and ahs and “what’s his name?”   “It’s a girl,” said I, but no one wanted to know my name.  (“Is it Mary or Sue?”   as in the song.)   I would have allowed them to pat my head, but no such luck.

DON AND JUAN:

Secondly I became distracted by the steady stream of people heading north to “sin city,”    But, to be fair, there were all ages, genders and sizes.  And they all seemed happy  to be heading in that direction, so the “Asbury Connection”  (with OG) seems to be working out.  On a summer Sunday, a walk to A. Park seems to hold great promise for laughter, fun, food, friends and ogling.

Grovers understand this, and so do the Grovarian realtors who are pushing this concept.

And where did they all park?  You know where.

A bridge not too far. Blogfinger photo. 8/12/18 ©

 

Heading north to the bridge from Asbury Avenue in the Grove.

 

Bring the kids. It’s not all babes, booze and bon-appetite. 8/12/18 Blogfinger photo

 

BOB GAUDIO  from Jersey Boys:

 

 

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Is Asbury Park as marvelous as they say? The AP chamber of Commerce says, “More than a million visitors came to Asbury Park last year (2016).”

Posted in Asbury Park lifestyles, Asbury Park news on Blogfinger.net, Blogfinger Presents, tagged on August 12, 2018| 4 Comments »

New York Times, July, 2016. Fake news. Photograph by Tony Cenicola NYT.

This is Asbury Park in December 2016. They want to be a year-round attraction, but that goal seems to be a stretch—or is it?  Paul Goldfinger photo of the Asbury Beach near Ocean Grove. ©

 

A. Park. Sunday 3 pm 8/6/17. Beach and boards very busy. A long line waits for Korean food (MOGO). Cuban music wafts from Cubacan. Blogfinger photo. © Click to see more.

 

Heading to Asbury on the OG boards. 2018. Paul Goldfinger ©

 

A. Park near the ocean. Paul Goldfinger ©. 2018

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net.  Re-posted from summer 2017.  This is a topic worth reviewing.

It’s good to keep tabs on the neighbors. The “small city” just north of us is being treated to a media blitz that is designed to promote tourism to our  “sister city” on the other side of the Casino. There is no doubt that the deluge of visitors to Asbury Park is increasing, and we are positioned awfully close to this rapidly expanding and increasingly “in-our-face”  place. The Asburian invasion is real and is causing rising density and parking problems in the  Grove.

What do you Grovers think about the way that Asbury Park is progressing?  What is it adding up to, and how will it affect Ocean Grove? We have spoken about  the AP connection to the Grove and about how these two much different towns could compliment each other.

The photograph top  above was part of a NY Times article extolling the beach community of Asbury Park. The caption says:

“View of the amusement park area of Asbury Park from a rooftop bar at the new Asbury hotel.”   It gives the impression that there are permanent amusements like the ones above, but that was just a temporary carnival.

Over the course of the last year or so, Asbury Park has been named to a variety of “best” lists including being named  #1 as “the coolest small town in America” by Budget Travel Magazine. 

Source: http://us.pressfrom.com/lifestyle/travel/-56239-asbury-park-named-coolest-small-town-in-america/

Travel site Thrillist named AP as among the “25 best beaches in America.”

USA Today said that the Asbury Hotel  was the “best new hotel in America for 2016.”

Thrillist named AP to its list of “the top 13 beach destinations for tourists.”

Travel and Leisure magazine named AP as the “tenth best travel destination in the world.”  It ranked higher than Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Daily Meal named the beach bar by Convention Hall as one of the “top 25 beach bars in America.”  What in the world can you do with bloody Marys and clams on the half shell?

The New York Post said that Asbury Park “had finally made it” as a top tourist attraction in America.  Here is a link to our recent article about what was said at the Post:

NY Post article on Asbury Park

Car rentals.com named AP #14 to its “20 most unique cities to visit in your 20’s.”

NJ.com chose AP as “the top beach in Monmouth County.”

Oh, does Ocean Grove get any respect?  NJ.com made a list of “the best things to do in each of the Jersey Shore’s 47 towns.”  Even Deal is there, a town with nothing to do, but OG? You guessed it; we were AWOL.  But that’s probably a good thing if we want to lower density in the Grove.

 

VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS   “Darktown Strutters Ball” from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.  (A show about prohibition bootleggers in Atlantic City.)

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How sweet it is…..

Posted in Asbury Park, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged on June 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Asbury Park Boardwalk. c. 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Asbury Park Boardwalk. c. 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo ©  Click to see that three’s not a crowd.   Re-posted from 2016.

 

BILLIE HOLIDAY AND HER ORCHESTRA.  From the Woody movie Celebrity

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The Asbury Effect in O. Grove….

Posted in Asbury connection with Ocean Grove, Asbury Park lifestyles, tagged on June 4, 2018| 1 Comment »

A tale of two cities. By Jean Bredin at the Giant OG Flea Market, photographing between two extremes.  6/2/18 Blogfinger staff ©

 

By Paul Goldfinger, MD   Editor@Blogfinger.net

A recent ad at Zillow said that the average sale price of an Ocean Grove house is $800,000- $900,000.   And there are more now that are over $1,000,000.  Do you think that the Asbury Effect is contributing to the rising prices in the Grove?

A few days ago a piece in the NY Times discussed the new 17 story tower going up on the oceanfront where the price levels will be among the highest anywhere. Here is a quote from that article:

“Today, a 17-story tower with contoured glass is nearing completion on the parcel where two previous developers had failed. But in a town that is now one of the Jersey Shore’s most popular destinations, with a refurbished boardwalk and a bounty of new restaurants and breweries, the development is still a high-stakes gamble that people will be willing to pay Hamptons-like prices of nearly $1 million to nearly $6 million for oceanfront condominiums.

“The project, called the Asbury Ocean Club, is the pinnacle of a $300 million investment by iStar, a developer that about eight years ago made a significant bet that this once-forlorn city could attract wealthy residents while still retaining the quirky, artistic character that has made it appealing to visitors.”

Asbury girls in their summer clothes. NY Times photo caption says, “Asbury Park boardwalk has been refurbished.”   Really?  Nothing refurbished about those legs.  (PG )

The Asbury story is complicated, and we have posted about that subject with special interest in how the AP story will affect Ocean Grove, particularly in terms of real estate pricing and marketing, cultural runoff, and  resident demographics.  Other issues which may be affected include the water quality in Wesley Lake, the noise levels, congestion in town, and  the parking wars.

We see Asburian nomads park near our North End home causing parking gridlock, but even more so, we see the kinds of people as they walk towards the New Jersey Avenue bridge. They are frequently young and boisterous, often with New York plates, dressed trendy—often looking sophisticated/affluent, with jackets/ties/evening dresses, animated loud talk, tattoos, all white people, prestige cars, and, as they walk through the Grove they show no apparent interest in our historic architecture.  The young women love the F word, but in the Grove it stands for “flea”—as in flea market.

I suspect that some of the new home buyers in the Grove will be like that—being here but with their sights on A.Park.    What does that mean?—a different Grove, for better or worse.

The Times article  linked below was brought to our attention by a Grover who says,  “I’ve been watching this on my bike rides, with curiosity.”  But maybe she also has been watching with concern.

Times link:   Click on the photo below.

AMY WINEHOUSE:  (From her album Back to Black)   “What kind of pluckery  is this?”  Hip town requires hip lyrics.

 

 

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Girls in their summer clothes–Asbury boardwalk edition courtesy of the NY Times (July, 2016)

Posted in Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Girls in summer clothes Jersey shore on February 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

This photo was part of a NY Tines article on July 5 (linked in our Asbury Hotel piece). Photo by Tony Cenicola. They had a Mermaid Parade (a la Coney Island) ©

This photo was part of a NY Times article on July 5 (linked in our Asbury Hotel piece). Photo by Tony Cenicola. They had a Mermaid Parade (a la Coney Island)

 

Could her name be Denise?  Here are  Randy and the Rainbows :

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A. Park——a quiet time near the beach.

Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged on December 6, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Paul Goldfinger ©   Asbury Park, 2015.  Click to enlarge. Blogfinger.net

 

BROADWAY CAST OF HELLO DOLLY, 2017 edition.

 

 

 

 

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Sunset Lake in A. Park

Posted in Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery: New Jersey, Photography in Asbury Park, tagged on November 14, 2017| Leave a Comment »

St. John’s Island. Sunset Lake.  Asbury Park.  There is a white shore bird on the island which is hard to see. It is an immature great blue heron. Paul Goldfinger ©

 

BOB DYLAN    “Once Upon a Time.”  From his album Triplicate.

 

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The other side of A. Park: Café Volan on Bangs

Posted in Asbury Connection, Asbury Park Connection Photo Gallery, Asbury Park lifestyles, Blogfinger Presents, tagged on September 14, 2017| 1 Comment »

A blond in a black dress ordering coffee. That’s who you see around a corner in A. Park at Café Volan.   Paul Goldfinger photo © 9/14/17  Click to enlarge.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net

It seems like Greenwich Village by the sea. Café Volan can be a bit hard to find.  It’s tucked into a side street, at an angle off of Cookman, unobtrusive on the left side of Bangs Avenue.

When you walk in, it feels like a beat up Beatnik hangout from the sixties. You expect to find Alan Ginsburg sipping an espresso. The crowd is not boisterous; in fact it is downright in whisper mode with no laughing.  The customers seem serious, but maybe that’s because they are seriously enjoying a superb cup of real coffee. The cappuccino’s are excellent, although they serve them warm–the baristas say that’s the correct temperature.

I like the vibe  at Café Volan.  Steve Valk, who is spending a month in the Grove (from Germany where he lives) loves to go there;  it’s about the mood and the coffee. We met there to discuss a variety of subjects. The place  feels comfortable.

Steve is  is enjoying his family in the Grove while developing some serious academic ideas as he plans for his PhD studies.  Next week he will go to Duke for discussions with faculty there.

But now, in the Grove–where he spent his childhood summers—he tries to figure out how we could obtain some coherence among the Groverian factions.  Steve has a lot of experience working with diverse populations and he is an optimist.

He wants to meet with anybody in authority:  CMA/Neptuners/HOA or whoever would agree to talk to him  (besides Blogfinger—we like to talk to Steve)  because he has ideas as to how to pull this town together.

Personally, I don’t see much chance of that without a sea change in attitudes among Grovers of various stripes.

BOB DYLAN.   He would like Volan. He played a lot of coffee houses in the day.  This song is from his latest album Triplicate.

“I Could Have Told You” is a Sinatra song and a standard.  It’s a far cry from the folk music scene of the fifties and sixties, but Volan is a far cry from Bleeker Street and the Bitter End.

 

 

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