Greetings from Asbury Park, love Mom and the kids
By Emily Wax-Thibodeaux | Feb. 22, 2019
In January, boardwalk visitors stroll through the old casino building in Asbury Park, N.J., where new attractions have turned the town into an all-ages getaway. (Mel Evans/Associated Press)
…”When I went to Rutgers in the early ’90s, Asbury was the place to go to hear live music. My college photo albums are filled with friends hanging around the legendary dive bar and rock club the Stone Pony and posing in front of Madam Marie’s fortunetelling booth, the Temple of Knowledge — immortalized in song by Bruce Springsteen, who famously got his start here. In other pictures, we’re outside the majestic circa-1928 Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre, seagulls perched atop its sculptures of mermaids and sailors.
Fast-forward a decade or two, and the seaside city with the storied music scene has undergone a major renaissance, marked by a surge in development and an influx of millennial creatives and entrepreneurs. There is now a slew of year-round boardwalk restaurants, such as Pop’s Garage, a taco joint that serves standout dishes like sweet corn rolled in cotija, alongside older favorites such as Wonder Bar, which doubles as a pulsing live music venue. Retail has followed suit, with arrivals like the midcentury modern furniture store Flux Modern, whose clients reportedly include the set designers for “The Deuce” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” In the same vein, the city now has an eclectic calendar of year-round public events that include Catsbury, which bills itself as the biggest cat convention on the East Coast, and an Irish Viking parade through downtown.”…