By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net Re-post from 2019.
The current issue of NJ Monthly features their “great destinations” choices including Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Manasquan, Seaside Heights and Sea Isle City.
The glossy issue is full of hype and clearly the destinations are edited to present these 5 Shore communities in a light which would attract tourists.
For Ocean Grove, a wide cross-section of information was presented, but the truth, which may be beside the point for such a piece, is not exactly told, because the piece is supposed to entice and entertain.
Here are some highlights:
a. About 25% of the OG piece features the “Tent City” as if that is the most important element that the reader should know about our town.
b. Emphasis on religion: The subtitle of the article is “SUMMER CONGREGANTS MAINTAIN A CENTURY OLD TRADITION”. There is a photo of the Great Auditorium with the cross lit and a photo of a gospel service on the boardwalk. The piece refers to “the town’s religious character” and then there is a history of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.
c. Restaurants and B&B’s are mentioned, but the list is not inclusive. For example Days is not on the list.
d. A theme which wanders through this piece is that Asbury Park is a vibrant place for fun as opposed to the Grove where you can sit on your porch and smell the roses.
Asbury is given credit for boosting businesses and lodgings in the Grove, saying that guests sleep in the Grove but go to AP for more lively pursuits.
e. The writer takes a stab at presenting the demographics in town by saying, “The inclusive community’s 19th century charm is a magnet for a diverse colony of artists and other creative types, who in recent decades have been gobbling up Ocean Grove’s cozy gingerbread-trimmed homes. Their decidedly 21st century influence has not changed the town’s religious character.”
There is no mention of the large number of ordinary (secular) people who inhabit the Grove including retirees, gays, renters, singles, children, young families, and second-homers.
f. Activities in the Grove get short shrift. Specifically mentioned are Christian concerts, church services, Bible studies, sunbathing, Ladies Auxiliary events, and the July 4 parade, but missing are the phenomenal summer classical music programs, Jersey Shore Arts Center, strolling through our town enjoying its porch culture, summer band, mega-events like flea markets, bike riding, surfing, and other activities. Our boardwalk is cited in passing and there is no mention of the pier. Also missing are the activities for children, the parks, and the lakes.
g. And finally we have quotes by Grovers such as Arnold of the “Starving Artist” restaurant who says he closes in January because “there’s no one here in the winter time; no one.”
A Re-Max realtor in OG refers to the two towns as “innocence and decadence.”
An Inn keeper in town says, “You feel like you’re in Mayberry…everybody is so friendly. It just cracks me up.”
We might disagree about whether such a piece is good for the town or not, lies and omissions not withstanding, but it is nice to see Ocean Grove on the cover, listed as a “great destination.”
However, do we want to be happy about media hype designed to encourage more tourism in our historic, residential and often congested small town?
And, at last, we see a list without Asbury Park on it.
GLENN MILLER “In the Mood.”