Asbury Park Walkabout 2002
Being here to cover The Skeptix performance meant that this was really my first opportunity to get a good look at Asbury Park. We had had a transient view of the city on the drive in, but now we could look at our leisure and take in what we saw.
To be honest, it is difficult to know what to make of it. On the one hand you have some awesome examples of art deco / art moderne buildings, some beautifully preserved, some which could do with a little TLC. On the other hand you have husks of buildings that are either half-built, or half falling down (it is difficult to tell which) and others still, which look as though they were half demolished before being abandoned completely.
To be honest, it is difficult to know what to make of it. On the one hand you have some awesome examples of art deco / art moderne buildings, some beautifully preserved, some which could do with a little TLC. On the other hand you have husks of buildings that are either half-built, or half falling down (it is difficult to tell which) and others still, which look as though they were half demolished before being abandoned completely.
Omega Park
In some ways Asbury Park is still beautiful. It was once, obviously, a stunning town, full of life and activity, but it looks as though it was deserted quickly and as you walk around, it has a post-apocalyptic feel to it. I felt like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, half-expecting some pallid, vampire-C.H.U.D. types to be keeping an eye on me from within the boarded up shops and derelict buildings. Yeah, that’s it, they’re just waiting for darkness to descend so that they can pounce on me, suck my blood, eat my flesh, and feast on my tender sweetmeats whilst I’m still alive. It’s gangs of Jolsoned-up Morlocks roaming the streets looking for innocent victims to slake their bloodlust. That’s why the dead punk had a knife in his throat. It was to open up a vein so they could drink his blood straight from the carotid artery!
So, maybe I have a vivid imagination…but you don’t see people on the streets during the day, not locals, just out-of-towners. Go on, prove me wrong! Prove to me that Asbury Park is not full of cannibalistic, blood-sucking, creatures of the night. See, you can’t, can you? I rest my case.
So, maybe I have a vivid imagination…but you don’t see people on the streets during the day, not locals, just out-of-towners. Go on, prove me wrong! Prove to me that Asbury Park is not full of cannibalistic, blood-sucking, creatures of the night. See, you can’t, can you? I rest my case.
Back To The Boardwalk
Back to the Asbury Park Boardwalk. This is a marvellous promenade, there’s no doubt about it. At one end stands the stunningly beautiful Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall, at the other, the derelict Casino. In between are mostly empty, shuttered or boarded-up shop units, daubed in graffiti. The only apparent life on the Boardwalk is to be found at the Howard Johnson’s Ice Cream Parlor, at the North end, just by the Paramount. The wonderfully quirky rocket-ship architecture dates, I was told by one of staff, from 1959 and it shows all the hallmarks of 50’s design, for sure, looking like something out of The Jetsons.
We ventured into Howard Johnson’s Ice Cream Parlor. Basically, we didn’t have a great deal of choice. It was the only building on the Boardwalk showing any signs of life. We were hungry, goddamnit! We hadn’t eaten since our visit to The Lunch Box the previous morning.
Unfortunately, for us, it was too early for food. The Skeptix drank beer. I thought it was probably best to not drink beer before the sun was over the yardarm and I had coffee. Eventually, after several beers, we ventured forth in search of comestibles and came upon a small shop, which had food for sale, although I use the term looesly.
Maybe it was just because it was a Sunday...
We ventured into Howard Johnson’s Ice Cream Parlor. Basically, we didn’t have a great deal of choice. It was the only building on the Boardwalk showing any signs of life. We were hungry, goddamnit! We hadn’t eaten since our visit to The Lunch Box the previous morning.
Unfortunately, for us, it was too early for food. The Skeptix drank beer. I thought it was probably best to not drink beer before the sun was over the yardarm and I had coffee. Eventually, after several beers, we ventured forth in search of comestibles and came upon a small shop, which had food for sale, although I use the term looesly.
Maybe it was just because it was a Sunday...
