walk through time

There are two reasons that this path of boards caught my attention.

First of all, it’s one of several private boardwalks in Sea Girt [+photos] (not to be confused with Sea Bright [+ photos], which is north), leading from seaside mansions across some dunes directly to the public boardwalk. A low gate discourages the public from trespassing.

I hadn’t seen this phenomenon before.

The second thing is that it reminds me of the original boardwalks.

The boardwalk pictured above was in Asbury Park, c. 1877. (Photograph is from Images of America: Asbury Park, by Helen-Chantal Pike, Arcadia Publishing, 1997, p. 100) The caption reads:

In 1877 the first boardwalk was laid out on the beachfront. It… was just wide enough for two side-by-side strollers, and was rolled up at the end of each season. Seven years earlier New Jersey’s first boardwalk had been laid in Atlantic City.

Shockingly, most boardwalks don’t look like that anymore.

 

medusae

Detail of the copper Medusa heads* that surround the carousel house in Asbury Park.

Asbury Park notes:

First off, Madame Marie died last Friday, June 27, just nine days after I featured her. She was 93.

Secondly, someone threw… a raw hamburger? a large chunk of watermelon? at my car–about an inch below the driver’s side window–while I was driving through Asbury Park last Wednesday. Having heard the ear-shattering THUNK with which it hit, I’m relieved that there doesn’t seem to be any permanent body damage. Remember–Asbury Park is looking up, but it ain’t there yet.

*Actually, as far as I can tell, nobody’s entirely sure what these faces really represent. We all kind of assume they’re Medusae, but we’re not certain what Warren Whitney was thinking when he decided to add these faces to his design.

 

NO!

Boardwalks and beaches have a zillion silly rules.

Asbury Park, shown above:
“Welcome to Asbury Park boardwalk and beaches
For your safety and pleasure please follow these rules and regulations:

NO

Rollerblades
Skateboards
Dogs or other animals
Bicycle riding 12 noon-6 AM
Alcohol permitted east of Ocean Ave.

Please swim only in designated areas when lifeguards are on duty“

I love how alcohol is permitted WEST of Ocean Ave. In all fairness, east of Ocean Avenue pretty much is the beach.

Here are MORE Jersey Shore boardwalk “no” signs!

Ocean Grove, sign one:

“NO bicycles on boardwalk

except 3AM-10AM

Neptune Twp Ord. 1120
Strictly enforced by Neptune Twp. Police”

Because, y’know, I love to go out riding my bike at THREE IN THE MORNING.

Ocean Grove, sign two:

“No dogs permitted on beach or boardwalk
May 1-Oct. 1
Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association“

Sea Girt:
“[handwritten] No ball playing, frisbee, or kite flying
No dogs on boardwalk or beach
No bicycles surfboards, skateboards, or rollerskates on boardwalk
No consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages in public
No sleeping on beach from 5PM to 9AM
Bicycles permitted on boardwalk from 5AM to 10AM only
No one admitted to beach without a beach badge
No beach fires or picnic parties
No food allowed on beach
Bathing permitted in protected areas only“

…No food allowed on beach?! A day at the beach with no food? Are they serious?

Now, all these signs are shown in the spirit of DAILY CITY PHOTO THEME DAY, which, for July, is “NO” signs! Click here to view thumbnails for all participants, or visit their pages:

American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by freefalling, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Bandung, Indonesia by Harry Makertia, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Birmingham (AL), USA by VJ, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Brantford (ON), Canada by Nancy, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cavite, Philippines by Steven Que, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Château-Gontier, France by Laurent, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chennai, India by Ram N, Chennai, India by Shantaram, Chesapeake (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Cincinnati, USA by Erik Laursen, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Delta (CO), USA by Bill, Duluth (MN), USA by Sun Dog Press, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Edinburgh, UK by Dido, Folkestone, UK by Piskie, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA by Gigi, Gaia, Portugal by m+p, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Hanoi, Vietnam by Jérôme, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jerusalem, Israel by Esther, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Knoxville (TN), USA by Knoxville Girl, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Lakewood (OH), USA by mouse, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Lynchburg (VA), USA by Timothy, Mainz, Germany by JB, Melbourne, Australia by John, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monroe (GA), USA by Tanya, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Munich, Germany by Troy, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Delhi, India by Delhi Photo Diary, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Newcastle, Australia by Julia, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Oklahoma City (OK), USA by ananda.tashie, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Palos Verdes (CA), USA by tash, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Petoskey (MI), USA by Christie, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Cheryl, Poplar Bluff (MO), USA by Tricia, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Portland (ME), USA by Corey, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Posadas, Argentina by Lega, Pretoria, South Africa by Sam Ruth, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Reykjavik, Iceland by Vírgíll, Riga, Latvia by , Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Rouen, France by Bbsato, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sequim (WA), USA by Norma, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, Springfield (IL), USA by Aubrey, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Stratford, Canada by Barb, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Sydney, Australia by Ann, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tamarindo, Costa Rica by David, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Tempe (AZ), USA by angie, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Toulouse, France by Julia, Trujillo, Peru by Giulianna, Turin, Italy by Livio, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by D.C. Confidential, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine

 

the empress

The Empress Hotel began as a luxury resort for vacationing families in the 1950s. By the 1980s, it was pretty much out of business, and by 1991, it was boarded up. But in 1998, famous radio DJ Shep Pettibone bought the property and opened a nightclub inside. The Paradise Nightclub “lured crowds of gay travelers away from Fire Island and instead to the beaches of Asbury Park;” the hotel portion reopened 6 years later in 2004 and continues to attract a LGBT clientele. According to Wikipedia, “It is one of the Jersey Shore’s most chic resorts, as well as its only Hotel which caters to the gay community.”

And: CHECK OUT MY MAP OF ASBURY PARK! <–clicky clicky
It allows you to put all I’ve said in some sort of spacial context.

This concludes Asbury Park Feature Week (what’s that? You didn’t know I was doing one? Go back and read my last 5 posts! ). I am actually in North Carolina for a few days, so I will be relying on “automatic posting” and I’ll be unavailable for comments.

 

cookman avenue

Some of you non-Jersey-Shore-ites might be wondering why I’m featuring Asbury Park this week.

Asbury Park, aside from being one of two official “cities” in Monmouth County (the other being Long Branch), has one of the most interesting histories in the area (and, according to the official website, has been deemed the sixth-best place in the state for music).

In 1871, James A. Bradley (who developed several of the shore towns; Bradley Beach [a town slightly south] is named after him) established Asbury Park, and by 1894, the resort was officially a bustling city. Development grew; Art Deco and Beaux Arts architecture proliferated; over 600,000 people each year came by train from New York City and Philadelphia to enjoy the pleasures of Asbury. [1]

But progress wasn’t kind to the city. After World War II, the surrounding farms were developed into suburbia, so those who could afford it moved into newer houses with spacious yards. The Garden State Parkway, built from 1946-1957, allowed vacationers to plan trips that didn’t involve taking trains to the shore. Ten miles away in Eatontown, Monmouth Mall–established in 1958 and continually expanded through 1975, 1986, and 1993–was more convenient and attractive to shoppers than the boutiques of downtown Asbury Park. Thirty miles away in Jackson Township, Six Flags Great Adventure opened in 1972, making vacationers think twice about spending their summers on “a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements.”[2]

Asbury Park was already on the down-and-down when the July 4 weekend race riots in 1970 destroyed several aging buildings and killed 46 people. (My mother actually worked in Asbury Park at this time; she came back from her pleasant little July 4th weekend, heard about what had happened in Asbury while she was off skiing, and got a call from one of her clients warning everyone in the storefront operation to get out, there’s a mob coming your way!) It was official: there was no longer any reason for tourists to spend their summers in this seaside town.

Except, of course, the music scene, but I won’t get into that here.

The carousel house and Palace Amusements managed to stay afloat until 1988 (in fact, the carousel horses were refurbished at great cost in 1986, but according to Palace Amusements Online:

During the summer of 1987, a 50-mile slick of discarded medical and hospital trash and household garbage ruined parts of the Jersey shore, and scared visitors away from nearly all the rest. Bill Foster, the Palace manager, was quoted as blaming the disaster for a 55 percent drop in Palace business; others, including Sam Vaccaro [owner of the Palace from 1985 onward], dispute that figure but say the impact was very bad. A year later, mistakes made during the cleaning of Asbury Park’s sewage line flushed high levels of fecal bacteria into the ocean, closing beaches for 19 days. The State of New Jersey fined Asbury Park more than $1 million for the mistake. The number of day visitors to Asbury Park dropped like a rock.[3]

(There was a lot of drama surrounding the auctioning-off of the carousel horses–read this for details.)

As far as I’m aware, everyone who could leave did. Growing up, we heard about the shootings, the dangers, the “don’t go to Asbury if you don’t have to.” Last summer (2007), when I went to take some nighttime photos of the Asbury Park Casino, an Ocean Grove cop-on-a-Segway stopped for a few moments to warn me to BE CAREFUL! And there was an article on the front page of the Asbury Park Press today (June 18, 2008 ) describing “96 arrested in Asbury Park.”

In 2002, the redevelopment began. The dilapidated buildings are either being preserved or demolished; either way, the city is cleaning up and attracting new people, including a substantial LBGT community. [2] Cookman Avenue, pictured above, is one of the hippest areas of Asbury. According to a friend, “There’s a rainbow flag in like every window. It’s not as bad as we were told growing up.”

Asbury Park’s got a rich history: some bright, some dark, all more interesting than, say, Farmingdale. And it’s kind of exciting to share a zip code with the best-known municipality in Monmouth County.

Sources:
[1] Asbury Park, New Jersey- Official Website, History, accessed June 17 2008.
[2] Wikipedia, Asbury Park, New Jersey, accessed June 17 2008.
[3] Palace Amusements Online, 1986-1988, accessed June 17 2008.

 

casino 3

Interior of Asbury Park Casino–what’s left of it, anyway. And, just to orient you, if you click that “Asbury Park Casino” link and pretend you’re standing there, this is what you’d see if you looked through a hole in the wall to your left.

(Click the photo for a larger size! This is two photos hand-stitched together with no fancy software.)

 

tillie!

What is this?

Painted on Asbury Park’s Wonder Bar, this is a reproduction of the original ‘Tillie’ faces found on the walls of Palace Amusements.

“Tillie?” You go around naming murals on walls?

George C. Tilyou, better known as the owner of Coney Island’s Steeplechase Park (and the father of the contemporary amusement park), had a marketing strategy for his Coney Island parks: “his trademark image of a grinning face (replete with twice the usual number of teeth) appeared on the entrance, tickets, and all printed material.”[1]

Here’s a photo of the George C. Tilyou’s Coney Island face, photographed in March 2008:

In an “homage” to Tilyou’s original funny-face icon, Worth Thomas designed a similar (though not identical, under threat of copyright infringement) fifteen-foot tall face in the mid-1950s, painted twice–for two walls of Palace Amusements.[2] Why a giant grinning face, of all things to pay homage to? According to the Palace Museum Online, the face “stylistically continued a tradition begun in 1897 when Coney Island amusements impresario George Cornelius Tilyou introduced a fun face as the logo of Steeplechase Park in Coney Island. Tilyou so successfully integrated the image throughout his park that most other amusement entrepreneurs followed with designs of their own.”[3] (I’ve never heard of other parks using the face, though.)

So, to answer the original question: Tilyou–> Tillie. That’s all.

Okay, so why reproduce a random mural? It’s just a face.

Tillie is/was one of the most recognizable icons of the Jersey Shore. Don’t ask me why.

When there were plans to demolish the Palace Amusements building, a whole SWARM of people stood up and fought it for years. They called themselves ‘Save Tillie’ and managed to have the building listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. But, well, they didn’t own the property; eventually economics won out, and the building was demolished in 2004… but NOT before Save Tillie managed to salvage the murals. (Here’s a picture.)[4]

So… where’s Tillie now?

In storage somewhere, waiting for an appropriate opportunity for display to arise.[5]

Sources:

[1] Ford, Robert C., and Ady Milman, George C. Tilyou–Developer of the Contemporary Amusement Park, August 1 2000; accessed June 15 2008.

[2] Mister Snitch, A Tale of Two Tillies, August 2 2005; accessed June 15 2008.

[3] Palace Online Museum, 1955-1956, 2005; accessed June 15 2008.

[4] Palace Online Museum, Save Tillie, 2005; accessed June 15 2008.

[5] Crane, Bob, Asbury Park redevelopers disregarding historic artifacts, May 11 2008; accessed June 15 2008.
(If that link doesn’t work, try Backstreets.com)

(This bibliography is absolutely improper, but hey, at least I’m citing my sources.)

 

carousel 2

I have several points to make today. Enter the numbered list:

1. On the left (below) is an exterior shot taken at the same time as the photo featured above. Compare to the photo I took of this building back in January:

This is super-exciting, because–you’ll note–this closed-to-the-public-for-20-years carousel IS OPEN. No fences, no doors, no broken glass, no debris, and lights that work! Plus you can see the grooves in the floor where the carousel used to be, which is just awesome.

When I originally posted this in January, I was encouraged to break and enter to obtain photographs. But look–if you’re patient, you can do these sorts of things LEGALLY. Yippee.

2. For a full history of the carousel building, visit my original post on the matter. For the abbreviated version– the Asbury Park carousel building (along with the Casino) was designed by Warren Whitney (one of the guys who designed Grand Central Station); the carousel was installed in 1923; it closed sometime in the late ’80s (I think) for economic reasons, and the carousel itself can currently be found in Family Kingdom in North Carolina.

3. There was supposed to be a farmer’s market in this building today. There wasn’t. There were four vendors (1-flowers, 2-veggies, 3-coffee, 4-pasta) in the Casino next door, NOT in the carousel building. I got up early this morning to enjoy the pleasures of this well-publicized “farmer’s market in the carousel building,” and I was most disappointed. And from the snippets of about 7 other conversations that I caught, I was NOT ALONE. Of course, this means that the next time Asbury Park actually wants to have a farmer’s market in the carousel building, we shoppers will all be damned if we bother to show up again.

4. I may make this into an Asbury Park feature week–I have lots of photos and I’m slightly obsessed with it at the moment. Be prepared!