Mention the word “summertime” to any resident of New Jersey and one of the first things that will almost certainly come to mind are the state’s 130 miles of beaches on its eastern shore. If we were to create a word art of the Jersey Shore, we would include words such as cotton candy, arcades, salt water taffy, t-shirt shops, swimming, fudge, pizza, surf, pretzels, fishing, tanning, sand, lighthouses, souvenir stands, concerts, and most importantly… the boardwalk. New Jersey has the most boardwalks of any state in the nation. One of the oldest boardwalks in the state is located in Asbury Park, a seaside community established in 1871.
Built from the beginning as a resort town, Asbury Park was connected via railroad in the late 19th century to both New York and Philadelphia. At a time when cars were not commonly owned and mass transit was limited to major cities, by 1912 Asbury Park was hosting up to 200,000 visitors a year! As tastes changed and car ownership spread, other seaside resort towns became more popular, causing Asbury Park to languish through much of the middle of the twentieth century. However, the past several decades have seen a renaissance of the town, as it now has a vibrant restaurant, art, and music scene (via Wikipedia). On a beautiful summer day in July with temperatures in the mid 80’s, I set off for Asbury Park to explore this historic beach town.
Located 56 miles from New York City and 75 miles from Philadelphia, Asbury Park is still one of the most recognized seaside towns in New Jersey.A full tank of gas, beautiful summer weather, and very little traffic… a perfect day to be a beach bumWhen I arrived at 10:15 am, I had my choice of parking spaces. When I returned to my car three hours later, every single space was in this lot was taken.My first stop was The Stone Pony. A music hall that first opened in 1973, it has seen many famous performances on its stage, but none more so than June 8, 1984, when New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen debuted his album Born in the USA with a rehearsal show before he began his world tour. You can read more about Springsteen’s connections to The Stone Pony in this article.Not far away is Wonder Bar, a popular bar and restaurant. Besides concerts and good food, it’s known for “Yappy Hour” – a dog friendly Happy Hour in the outdoor tiki bar behind the building. The mural of the smiling face on the building’s chimney (left) is Tillie, a mural that adorned the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park from 1955-2004. This painting is a replica, painted after Palace Amusements was torn down.The Asbury Park Boardwalk! Arriving early meant no crowds……but it also meant that many of the shops and restaurants were closed. I enjoyed the colorful decor of many of the shops on the boardwalk, however.At the southern end of the boardwalk is the Asbury Park Casino. Built in 1929, it was originally one of the premiere destinations in the city. Once was home to a casino, an arcade, stores, restaurants, and a carousel, declining usage saw it left abandoned by the early 1990s.Many public spaces in Asbury Park are covered in murals. This one of Amy Winehouse is on the outside of the Casino……as well as the mural which I’m pretty sure is a tribute to The Beatles. I’ll have more to say about the mural installations a little later in this post.In the front of the casino is this carousel house. Built in 1932, this once held a carousel from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The carousel was sold and moved to North Carolina. The space is now used by local theater companies for performances.The interior of the casino is open to the public. Scaffolding has been erected to support the walls, and large photographs show ads for coming redevelopment.It was time for lunch! My wife, who had been to Asbury Park several times before, recommended that I try Cubacan, located on the boardwalk.Arriving early, I was the very first customer of the day. I had the entire restaurant to myself for most of my meal. I enjoyed a great view of the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean.I went with the salad and a Cubano. My cuban sandwich was prepared traditionally: roast pork, glazed ham, swiss cheese, dill pickles, and yellow mustard are placed on egg bread, and then the sandwich is grilled on a plancha (similar to a panini press, but without the grooves).After a satisfying lunch, I headed north on the boardwalk.My next step was Convention Hall. Built in the late 1920s, the Convention Hall was intended to compete with Atlantic City’s Convention Hall and the newly opened Madison Square Garden in New York. Convention Hall is to the right, the Paramount Theater is to the left, and the Grand Arcade is between the two structures. Side note: Fans of the HBO series The Sopranos will recognize this view from Season 2 of the show, when Tony Soprano has a dream that is set here.The Grand Arcade, which sits between Convention Hall and the Paramount Theater.Convention Hall is still in use to this day. Acts that have performed here over the years include: The Beach Boys, The Doors, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, The Dave Clark Five, Led Zeppelin (who chose to play here rather than attend Woodstock), Van Halen, Peter Gabriel, Ray Charles, Judas Priest, The Clash, No Doubt, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Eat World, Tiesto, and of course, Bruce Springsteen.In 1934, the ocean liner Morro Castle, bound for Cuba, caught fire off the coast of Asbury Park. Over 130 passengers and crew members died in the blaze. The burning wreck of the ship drifted and beached itself beside the convention center (as is pictured on the sign). Many of the regulations regarding shipboard safety, such as automatic fire doors and ship-wide fire alarms, were created after this disaster (via Wikipedia).As I proceeded further north, an abandoned building caught my eye.The Wooden Walls Project is an art installation of 28 murals across the Asbury Park boardwalk. It has been featured in major news outlets such as The New York Times, the Guardian, and Conde Nast Traveler.The project started in 2015 to place art on abandoned buildings in Asbury Park. These murals are on the Sunset Pavilion.1800 Degrees Fahrenheit by Tony Sjöman.As I moved closer to it, I was fascinated by the lines and shapes within each circle of the mural.This mural, by artist James Vance, is filled with numbers that have personal meaning to him.Untitled by the Brazilian artist L7Matrix (his signature is to the right of the mural).The Wooden Walls Project was the most unexpected, and coolest, part of my trip.
While I have spent my life visiting the southern beach towns of New Jersey, I was very pleased with my time in Asbury Park. After decades of decline, it is certainly a city on the rebound. The Wooden Walls Project is free and open to the public year round. I was not able to find a map of all the murals, so you will need to simply spend time wandering through the boardwalk until you find all 28! The beaches of Asbury are clean and not over-crowded, and the shops and restaurants provide you with friendly service and affordable fare. If you are driving along the Garden State Parkway, Asbury Park is definitely worth a stop.
Thanks for coming along on another journey down the open road ahead!
So much color and art in that town! I never knew coastal New Jersey had so much culture. Early bird gets the worm, too. You had primo parking and top notch service for being such an early arriver. The only trip I’ve taken to coastal NJ was to Atlantic City years ago for a music festival. Great post!
Glad you enjoyed the post! Yeah, I was very surprised by the murals and art installations… very different, and unique to Asbury Park. During the summertime, the rule at the Jersey Shore is arrive early and leave early. Otherwise, you’re fighting crowds.
The Open Road Ahead 
So much color and art in that town! I never knew coastal New Jersey had so much culture. Early bird gets the worm, too. You had primo parking and top notch service for being such an early arriver. The only trip I’ve taken to coastal NJ was to Atlantic City years ago for a music festival. Great post!
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Glad you enjoyed the post! Yeah, I was very surprised by the murals and art installations… very different, and unique to Asbury Park. During the summertime, the rule at the Jersey Shore is arrive early and leave early. Otherwise, you’re fighting crowds.
I hope NALM is going well!
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