“Hi Paul…
Funny, I left the house at 5 a.m. to drive up to Sandy Hook to shoot the lighthouse today before the sun came up. I wanted the the lighthouse to be lit, so it had to be an early visit.
“Then later today I looked at the Blogfinger header photo, and if I am not mistaken, that would be the houses on the bay at Fort Hancock at the tip of Sandy Hook.
“Hopefully, that is the last vestiges of snow for us this year in the foreground! Enjoy.”
—Bob
AMY WINEHOUSE: (“Our Day Will Come” was a hit in 1963 with Ruby and the Romantics. It is now part of the first Amy Winehouse posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures.)
This song is a theme for Bob Bowné´s lovely interpretation of the Sandy Hook lighthouse. Congratulations Bob and thanks for sending us this gorgeous image.—-PG
Most of you are aware of the old-fashioned hardware stores in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. Visiting such places is nostalgic–they often have items that you may have not seen in many years. They each have their own special personalities, but they share a down-home atmosphere, personal attention, and a huge inventory.
We have visited Stewart’s in the past and always enjoyed conversing with the helpful staff. The store is at 703 Brinley Avenue, adjacent to the train station. Next door is a shop that claims to have the best prices for nutritional supplements, and across the very special Riley Park at the train station on Main Street, in the old ticket office, is the ultra-cute “Back in Time Café ” breakfast and lunch restaurant owned by Ocean Grover Reenie Van Buren who serves wonderful home-made organic food—-worth going to Bradley Beach for. (See BF review linked below.)
MARLENE DIETRICH from the Woody movie “Scenes From a Mall.” This song is also by Cole Porter. Great lyrics for “You Do Something to Me” (“Do do that voodoo that you do so well”)
Marlene Dietrich from the movie “Shanghai Express.” 1932. Internet photo; I did not take it.
There is an alarming article in today’s Coaster, unsigned by a reporter, and on page 19. It states that a portion of the public Seaside Heights beach, 1.37 valuable acres, is going to be sold to a private developer. According to the article, this was permitted by the State of New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection and by State House Commission.
The property is worth millions, but the price tag, the items that the town of Seaside Heights will get for the land include: a carousel which is being phased out, a parking lot along the boardwalk—half the size of the beach being sold, and 67 acres of undeveloped wetlands worth $4,100 per acre. This sounds outrageous.
It is amazing that this story hasn’t prompted a major investigation by the State and the County.
It is reminiscent of 1986 in Ocean Grove when the CMA wanted to sell land by Fletcher Lake, along the beach, to build a condo high rise. That proposal was beaten back by the people. We wrote about that story earlier this year.
In Ocean Grove we also have been sensitized by the shenanigans related to the possible re-development of our North End.
The Seaside Heights proposal is being challenged by a lawsuit brought by the American Littoral Society, Inc. and by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Where are the citizens of Seaside Heights and where is the Governor who saw to it that they received funding after Sandy to rebuild the beachfront?
What sort of backroom deal allowed this to happen?
The people of Ocean Grove should keep an eye on this story, and if you hear anything, please share with us. See the comment below which contains a link to more details.—-Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Dave Philo of Ocean Grove sent us this NJ.com article by reporter Rob Spahr.
The Long Branch mayor was in no hurry to rebuild after Sandy. He wanted to be careful with the design for their one mile boardwalk.
Long Branch widened their boards from 10 feet to 16-20 feet. The piles elevated it to 25-30 feet above sea level for protection from future super storms. Mayor Adam Schneider said that most Jersey Shore boardwalks were at sea level.
The mayor said, “Building codes work,” noting that structures which were up on pilings survived Sandy. The final cost was less than initially thought, winding up at $19 million, and FEMA paid for 90%.
Dave wondered why OG wasn’t considered to be the last boardwalk to be completed, but he wasn’t too eager for the title, because “it would be a dubious distinction.”
