Every time I go to Asbury Park, I feel better. I don't know why. Is it because I usually go in the off-season, when it's quieter and feels more like the shore did when I was a kid, before every TV station in Philly insisted that everyone MUST spend their weekends at the shore or else waste their summers? Is it because it hasn't bulldozed its history for shore homes & instead honors what is there as well as what was lost? Is it because getting there is a once-a-year-at-best experience? Is it cuz the protective energy of Bam Bam Bigelow watches over us all upon entering the city limits? I can't say. I just know that I really truly feel at peace there.
View of the Carousel House & Casino from the boardwalk. It's now a showcase for various local mural artists, along with catnip for urbex types.
