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Archive for the ‘Asbury Park news on Blogfinger.net’ Category

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.   This is a re-post from August, 2018, but it is a topic which interests us, and some may have missed it. —Paul

 

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

 

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

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net.

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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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 ©.

 

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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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Main Street near the post office. Asbury Park, NJ. Blogfinger photo. June 7, 2018 ©

 

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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:

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Asbury Lanes. Derelict building in 2015 before the restoration. Blogfinger.net photo. ©  Click image to enlarge.

 

The new Asbury Lanes. Reopened on May 18, 2018. APP photo. This historic building was not turned into condos as would happen in Ocean Grove.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor at Blogfinger.net

Asbury Lanes is a historic iconic venue on 4th Avenue in A. Park; It will have live entertainment as it did in its hey-day.  The night club opens with an impressive music guest list.

Asbury Lanes was once known as a center for the 1970’s punk rock movement.  But this new version is not a throwback to that era; it is a sleek modern concert venue.  Some punk fans hoped for a resurrection of the old days, but that’s not happening.

And, for you fressers out there, there also will be a 24 hour diner  (all night in the summer.)

Here is a link to the APP article on this topic:

Asbury Lanes restoration APP article

In 2015 Blogfinger wrote about this famous derelict building.  Here is that link:

Asbury Lanes restoration

 

WILD CHILD:  This group will appear on June 7.  Here they are with “Crazy Bird”  It isn’t punk rock, but it sure sounds great.

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Bonney Read. By Paul Goldfinger ©. November, 2016.

Bonney Read. By Paul Goldfinger ©. November, 2016.

Lovely surroundings at BR. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

Lovely surroundings at BR. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©

By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors at Blogfinger.

At The Bonney Read, 525 Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, they say that the restaurant’s theme is about pirates. But you could have fooled us. This place feels like and looks like a Parisienne bistro complete with tiles on the walls and floors.  It is a lovely spacious place with high ceilings, a curvy bar, and gracious friendly service. They have about 40 rums to choose from at the bar, so I guess that’s the pirate gesture. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Bonney Read. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Bonney Read bar and rum scene. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

The real point of it all is that The Bonney Read is a fine seafood restaurant. The menu is basic, but imaginative and appealing.   We went on a Tuesday night when you can get two lobster rolls for the price of one. The dish was served with excellent French fries and some cole slaw. The cole slaw missed the boat , but the lobster rolls were terrific with only a gentle nod to mayonnaise.

Lobster roll platter. Blogfinger photo. ©

Lobster roll platter. Blogfinger photo. ©

There is a raw bar out in the open facing Cookman Avenue, with a raw bartender there who looks the part:   tattoos, an outgoing personality, and a baseball hat turned backwards. I ordered a half dozen oysters, trying three different kinds. They superbly passed my test: fresh, cold and tasting of the ocean. On Wednesday nights you can get oysters for $1.00 each.

Oysters at Bonney Read. I ate 3 of my oysters before Eileen took the photo.They go down fast.  This presentation reminded us of Balthazar's French bistro in Lower Manhattan.

Oysters at Bonney Read. I ate 3 of my oysters before Eileen took the photo. They go down fast.  This presentation reminded us of Balthazar’s French bistro in Lower Manhattan.

Eileen opened with a Caesar salad which was excellent–we split it; she said that it was the best she ever had, and I must agree.

We each had a glass of fine wine—a good selection.

The menu is tempting with many creative  choices such as “Jersey Green” clam chowder, lobster bisque, mussels served three different ways, Spanish octopus, Alaskan snow crabs, and, of course, Maine lobsters.

You can get Cajun style shrimp by the pound and combo dishes such as 1 lb. shrimp and 1 lb. snow crab ($50.00) or 1.25 lb. lobster, dozen clams, dozen mussels ($80.00.)

Happy hour sounds great with a wide variety of “small dishes” such as mushrooms escabeche ($6.00) New England clam chowder ($7.5) and clams casino ($12.00). Other choices include Fisherman’s fry ($13), oyster po boy sliders ($17) and Ipswich steamers ($19.) You don’t have to sit at the bar for happy hour, and the happy time goes on all day on Wednesdays.

They also have sandwiches which include the Bonney Burger (Angus) which looked outstanding being devoured at the next table and buttermilk fried chicken among the selections.

And of course there is the fresh catch, linguine with clams, and fish & chips.

Since FISH closed, Bonney Read has become the go-to place in AP for sea food  (not withstanding TAKA which is a Japanese sea food restaurant that is in a class of its own.)  We give Bonney Read 4 of 5 Blogfingers.

SARAH VAUGHAN:  Live  at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (1963).  The music, of course, is from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

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Skateboard venue in the Carousel Building. A. Park. 11/1216 By Stephen Goldfinger, Blogfinger staff. ©

Skateboard venue in the Carousel Building. A. Park. 11/1216 By Stephen Goldfinger, Blogfinger staff. ©

 

Ocean Grove artist Bob Bowné sent us this image of the Carousel Building in 2014. Special to Blogfinger ©

Ocean Grove artist Bob Bowné sent us this image of the Carousel Building in 2014. Special to Blogfinger © **

 

Ocean Grove artist Jack Green IV painted his impression of the Carousel Building posted on Blogfinger in 2014

Ocean Grove artist Jack Green IV painted his impression of the Carousel Building posted on Blogfinger in 2014. At the bottom of this article you will find a link about Jack’s painting. *

Blogfinger reporter Stephen Goldfinger wandered over to the recently renovated Carousel Building where he found skateboarders airborn as a new purpose has been found for that historic beaux arts building.

Stephen says, ” Last night (Saturday  11/12/16)) – kids skateboarding at the carousel – it has a big speaker system that was blasting rock music while they skated.”

The Carousel Building was built with the Casino in 1932, designed by Warren and Wetmore, the beaux art architects who also were responsible for Grand Central Station in NYC.  The carousel, #87 built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company functioned for 50 years before being taken down.

We have been to farmers markets there in recent times, and some theatrical events have been presented  as well.  But the Asbury developers probably have some long-term plans for the building.  Meanwhile, go and watch those daring young men on their flying machines.

BILL SCHUSTIK with a 19th century sad song for this occasion   (we’ll skip the “blasting rock music”:)

*Here is a link to the article about Jack Green IV’s Carousel painting:

Ocean Grove artist brings the Carousel House to life.

**And here is a link to the Bob Bowné piece which has a song from the show Carousel and a quote from The Fantasticks;

“Life is a colorful carousel…” *

 

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Sunset Avenue Bridge on April 22, 2016. Much work remains. Blogfinger photo.

Sunset Avenue Bridge on April 22, 2016. Taken from the west side of the structure.   Much work remains. Blogfinger photo. It crosses the Deal Lake extension.

 

A peak at the bridge as seen from the water's edge. Blogfinger photo 4/22/16

A peek at the bridge as seen from the water’s edge. Blogfinger photo 4/22/16

ADELE  “Water Under the Bridge”  from her album “25.”

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Photo by Mike Kalish of OG who was passing by. There was a fund raiser for AP schools. Blogfinger photo ©

Photo by Mike Kalish of OG who was passing by. There was a fund raiser for AP schools. Blogfinger photo ©   4/21/16

GENE AUTRY

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The Asbury Hotel Blogfinger photo. ©

The Asbury Hotel Blogfinger photo. ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor  @Blogfinger.net

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. ©

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?

JOHN DENVER   “Looking for Space.”   In Ocean Grove we are trying to find out who we are.

 

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The Drug Enforcement Agency presented a program for the children at the Boys and Girls Club. Monroe Street in Asbury Park. Paul Goldfinger photos ©

The Drug Enforcement Agency presented a program to honor Red Ribbon Week, a national effort to fight drug use across the country.  The event was held for the children at the Boys and Girls Club,  Monroe Avenue  in Asbury Park. Click to enlarge all photos.  Paul Goldfinger photos ©  Blogfinger.net

DEA agents impress the kids with some of their SWAT team tools. ©

DEA agents impress the kids with some of their SWAT team tools. ©

Agents spoke to the students and handed out some souvenirs. ©

Agents spoke to the students and handed out some ribbons and stickers. ©

Students line up single file to receive gifts. ©

Students line up single file to receive shirt stickers and red ribbons. ©

The meeting was interrupted when a fire alarm emptied the building. The fire department came in full gear while the kids vacated to a nearby lot. ©

The meeting was interrupted when a fire alarm emptied the building. The fire department came in full gear while the kids vacated to a nearby lot.  That was exciting.  ©

Link to the Boys and Girls Club in Monmouth. They do accept donations.

www.bgcmonmouth.org/

Link to Red Ribbon organization”

Red Ribbon link

MARLO THOMAS   Having  friends who care is one necessary component that communities must provide as they fight the scourge of drugs.

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