I grew up going to Wildwood beach in South Jersey and eventually living all over different parts of the Jersey Shore, but it wasn’t until recently that I took my first trip to Asbury Park.
So with my big crazy Jersey hair, accent, attitude and reckless driving, we headed up the parkway to see what this town is all about.
Bill: Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll and The Stone Pony.
ME: You had me at sex,drugs and Rock n Roll.
Bill: So many New Jersey musicians graced the Stone Pony’s stage. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds and many more. The club has evolved its taste in musical performers to stay current but it’s not unheard of for some of these earlier acts to make an appearance at an unannounced show. The music and bar scene gave the city a heartbeat albeit a faint one. Attendees would come into the town for a show and promptly leave afterwards, if your car was not stolen, breathing a sigh of relief once the town line was reached.
ME: Asbury was a rough town at one point, wasn’t it?
BILL: Yes, but after many false starts and half measures, the outlook for the city has improved. The Gay community, has embraced the area and has lead the resurgence.
ME: Congrats to the LGBTQ community!
BILL: The vacated houses are being renovated and new classier bars such as the Wonder Bar, The Brick Wall and several breweries have opened. The art scene has also improved, with many murals present in the boardwalk area.
Bill: Live music lives on with shows at The Stone Pony and it’s outdoor stage, the Convention Center located on the boardwalk and extending over the ocean, and many other venues. The city has emerged from those bleak days of old and while it still has some work to do in reducing its crime statistics and rehabilitating it’s image, positive steps have been made.
If you aren’t familiar with what Krampus, it’s a horned figure in Alpine Folklore, who during the Christmas season scares children who have misbehaved.
(Obviously Covid limited all events and cancelled a lot of festivities. Hoping in 2021 that these will return.)
The shop is definitely a unique cute place to visit and I definitely recommend checking them out on Facebook.
The New Jersey Zombie Walk set the Guinness World Record for the “Largest gathering of zombies” two separate times. In 2010 the record was claimed with 4,093 undead counted on the Asbury Park Boardwalk and then was later reclaimed in 2013 with 9,592 zombies.
Here’s my take on it…
Love is loving yourself
Love is loving your partner no matter what that love looks like straight or
( LGBTQ)
Love is your family
Love is your friends
And LOVE is the unconditional love from a fur baby that is the greatest gift anyone could ever experience in this short time we have on earth. Of all the things I have seen on my road trips seeing those dog collars locked to that fence will forever be one of my favorite most heartfelt genuine things to ever become a beautiful memory in my mind.
I set out to Asbury to explore different Halloween Spooky attractions but wound up with a life lesson about love.
“Then the lights go out and it’s just the three of us
You, me and all that stuff we’re so scared of
Gotta ride down, baby, into this tunnel of love”
Love is just a crazy ride and I can’t wait to experience that again.
Thank you Asbury!
Until next time
Hugs n Hisses
Jenny