Asbury Park, part 2

The main building on the Asbury Park boardwalk is the Paramount Theater/Convention Hall, which serves as a venue for rock concerts and is the home of the Jersey Shore Roller Girls.

Here's the line-up for June:



Inside, you can still find plenty of Springsteen swag.



Speaking of Springsteen, I couldn't visit Asbury park without going to the Stone Pony, one of the best-known rock and roll venues around.  It looks like I just missed Collective Soul by a day - doh!



Inside, the walls are plastered with autographed guitars.  This is just a sampling from one corner of the room.



It was late afternoon when I stopped in, so the crowd was still pretty small.  This band - Beef - was pretty good and everyone seemed really excited to be playing and hearing music in such a legendary venue.



Anyone into music should really make the trip to Asbury Park to take in a few shows.  Another nearby bar/venue, The Wonder Bar, is a great place to hang out and take in some music.  I see they've got a Bon Jovi tribute night lined up for June 23 if anyone is interested!

More to come...

Previously: Asbury Park, part 1.

Asbury Park, part 1

I took a trip down the Jersey Shore this last weekend to visit Asbury Park.  A popular beach community in the Victorian era, it's suffered through a century of neglect and decay, but is making a comeback.

It looks like some old landmarks are being preserved, such as the Old Heating Plant and Casino buildings.



Here is the Casino from the front.



Inside, there are some beautiful murals and evidence of some grand old architectural elements.



Here's a shot of the boardwalk, looking north towards the Convention Hall from the Casino. There are shops and concessions along the way...



...as well as about a mile of lovely beach.



This photo really doesn't do justice for the Paramount Theater building, which is spectacular in person.



The theater is attached to the Convention Hall and, look what I happened to find inside - the Asbury Park outpost of Max Fish!  They've done a great job with the place, so I spent the better part of the afternoon under their happy clouds...



Something I did not see, but would have liked to (if I'd been alive at the time), was the wreck of the SS Morro Castle, a cruise ship that beached itself just a few feet away from the boardwalk and the Convention Hall in 1934.  Do spend a few minutes reading the account of what has to be one of the worst maritime disasters ever.  The level of ineptitude would be comical if it weren't so horrific.  Apparently, the wreck became quite the tourist attraction.

More to come...

Why I love Coney Island

They can take away the amusements, boardwalk businesses, corn dogs and Freaks, but the spirit of Coney will always shine in its people.









More.

Previously.

More dancing!

I just couldn't get enough of the dancing, so here are some more vids...



The guy in the red shirt surprised everyone with some crazy flips.



As you can see in this last one, the crowd has grown.  Thanks to all the fantastic dancers who made this a fantastic afternoon!

Dance, dance, dance!

Check out some great break-dancing from Tompkins Square Park this last Saturday.  There are some talented people out there!



Even the photographers get into it...



This is probably my favorite because everyone joins in...



The guys at the end are just plain awesome.

Ruby's update

This last Sunday, I paid a visit to Ruby's at Coney Island to see how they're doing before being 'reborn' this summer on the boardwalk.

There's still construction going on, but they were open for business.



The bar was busy despite having no stools or hard liquor.  You know a place is good when people come out to support it no matter the conditions.



The back area is still being re-worked, but the jukebox is still there on the far right.  I really hope all the photos return to the walls.



And, speaking of photos, these two preside over the bar.  Long live Ruby's!



Previously.

Nobody lives forever

I just stumbled across this photo of the fence surrounding Downtown Auto at Bowery and Great Jones in my archives.  It was taken in February 2011.  The garage was recently forced from the Bowery, taking a chunk of history and culture with it.

Don't fence me in

Spectator sport

One thing I really enjoyed about the May Day march down Broadway last week was seeing all the spectators hanging out of windows along the route.  As the crowd paraded by, people leaned out their windows or gathered on fire escapes to watch and take pictures.  I've never seen anything like it and their support really boosted the mood of the crowd.









And, of course...



More spectator photos here.

Cannabis Peace March - Union Square

Here are some photos from the Cannabis Peace March in Union Square this last Saturday.  It wasn't until I looked at my pictures later that I realized hardly anyone is smiling.  I think this is due to the extremely bright sky and glare, which made everyone squint.  In actuality, the rally had a very positive and upbeat vibe.







Meet former NYPD Lieutenant Joanne Naughton.  She spoke on behalf of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) and had some very interesting things to say about the cost of keeping up the "war on drugs" and our overcrowded prison system.  For more information on the LEAP organization, check out their website.







See more photos here.

May Day march on Wall Street

Here are some photos of the May Day march from Union Square to Wall Street.  I don't know the final tally, but thousands turned out to support workers' rights and OWS.









 



Bringing up the rear...



And, a surprise appearance by Captain America!



See more photos of the march here.

Previously.

May Day - Union Square

Here are some photos from the OWS May Day event at Union Square yesterday.















See more Union Square photos here.

Previously.

May Day - Soho and Washington Square

This was the scene on Bowery at Hester after the OWS Wildcat protest left Sara D Roosevelt Park.  Police kept up with the group and managed to control traffic along a random and unplanned route.



A short time later, police tackled and arrested two cyclists at Lafayette and Spring.  I don't know why this happened - cyclists were in the street, pedestrians were on the sidewalk and traffic was stopped.  I didn't see any reason to arrest these two men.





The group finally arrived at Washington Square Park.



Never alone...



While I was in the park, I didn't see any police.  Students and protesters were holding banners and being generally quiet.  So, I was surprised to walk up 5th Avenue and see groups of police in riot gear hiding out on 8th Street.  Just after I took this photo, they headed for the park.  I heard later there were several arrests.



And, on 18th Street, New York's boldest...



More to come...

See more photos here.

Previously.