Last weekend I was at the New Jersey shore attending my husband’s family reunion, a gathering of the Italian (Cefola) side of the family. Cefolas came from the west coast and from up and down the east coast. There were about 25 of us altogether. We did a lot of talking and a lot of eating.
On Friday we had some free time and wanted to walk a boardwalk. The nearest one was Asbury Park.
I felt I was transported to a different time! The 1930s or a little earlier.
This casino was an abandoned building, but you could almost imagine it in its heyday.
The casino was at one end of the boardwalk. Shops and Food concessions lined the boardwalk, but most were closed.
We walked to the other end, stopping along the way. Here is a perfectly horrible photo of me with The Stone Pony in the background. The Stone Pony was where Bruce Springsteen launched his career.
The other end of the boardwalk had been revitalized and was filled with shops, a bar, and a theater. It was almost deserted on this Friday morning in October, but I could imagine it filled with summer beach goers.
There was even a bit of history attached to the place. This plaque commemorated the wreck of the ship the S.S. Morro Castle, which caught fire on its way back to New York from Havana. The ship was quickly engulfed in flames and over one hundred lives were lost.
Everything I saw at Asbury Park was unexpected, which made it much more interesting. I love it when I stumble upon history where I least expect it!
When was the last time you unexpectantly stumbled upon something historic?
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What a neat trip and such cool history in a place I wouldn’t have imagined much history to be found.
I discovered a lot of little historical oddities and hidden treasures when I lived in Germany. Any downtime I had was spent traveling to visit castles and museums. I spent a few weeks in Amsterdam and stumbled on a museum of opera. The best part was the costume museum. And, of course, being Amsterdam I stumbled on the Museum of the History of Sex. It was … enlightening.
Stumbling upon the Museum of the History of Sex? I suppose seeing The Stone Pony doesn’t compare…..
Sounds like a fun trip. I always like exploring new places more when they aren’t overrun with tourists.
We lived in Luxembourg for a year and constantly stumbled upon places of historic interest. Lots of places that don’t always merit a mention in the guide books. We actually lived close to the remains of some Roman baths.
Oh, how exciting, Kate. I love the really ancient history spots, not that we have any in the US.
Here in Virginia, I suppose we take for granted all the Civil War landmarks that are just in our neighborhoods.
You look happy, which is all that matters, and it sounds like it was a fun trip.
A couple of weeks ago we went to Branson, MO for an Air Force unit reunion. I will say we had no desire to go to Branson. It is just not they type of place we visit. The big surprise was we really enjoyed ourselves. It is a friendly place. Of course most people go for the entertainment, and there is an abundance of it. The atmosphere and area is family friendly. Our second day there we went to Eureka Springs, AR. I had heard there was a jazz festival. It is a lovely little victorian town nestled in the hills. We listened to the Missouri State Jazz Band (they were great) in the town park. The bandshell was built in the late 1800′s as was the park. Most of the buildings in the downtown area are victorian and have been restored. Great shops with a wide variety of items. In the small park where the festival was held, was a statue of a doughboy soldier dedicated to those who fought the Great World War. A bit like stepping back in time when that war wasn’t World War I, just the war.
librarypat, I really get the sense of you being transported to that earlier time in history. That’s the feeling I got at Asbury Park!
Interesting. Would have been better if you had a lot more photos to share.
I wonder how many stories that old casinos would tell if it can talk.