Would you believe these tents go for $6,000 a summer according to the Wall Street Journal? AND there's a ten-year waiting list!
I've been a regular visitor to Ocean Grove for more than 30 summers but this time was a lot gayer for obvious reasons. On Friday night we walked to the Asbury Hotel which opened in May. Not quite as busy as Low Tea in the Pines, but there was more to do.
I loves me a VW bus. Who knew they could double as keggers?
Purple Glaze offered a hipper alternative to the Fritzsche's Bakery in Sayville, where Thom usually picks up our Saturday morning doughnuts. Key lime pie anyone?
The son of the owner greeted us as if we were long-time customers. With great service and a fun twist on a traditional product, Purple Haze is extraordinarily positioned to capture the edibles market if New Jersey ever legalizes weed. Fingers crossed.
We spent most of Saturday under umbrellas and cloudless skies on the beach. "Does every woman in New Jersey have a tattoo?" Thom queried. Just about, it seemed. Avoir du poids and accents, too, but definitely not restricted to the second sex.
Steven took this shot of the three sisters on the boardwalk. I'm going to use it on our Airbnb profile for the Pines house next summer. We're definitely happy guys of a certain age.
Everyone agreed the Asbury Park carousel should be restored. Wouldn't it be great to have Medusa's super power?
Varick and I can't get through a weekend without a game of Scrabble. He scored 192 points on a SINGLE turn ("required" with a double triple) when we played at the beach. My defeat Sunday morning on the front porch wasn't quite so lopsided. Why do I bother?
Cocktails are as integral to Ocean Grove as the Pines. Thom began whipping up a batch of watermelon margaritas even before the beach the opened at noon. Naturally, he knocked off the recipe Joe used in the Pines the week before.
I've gotta hand it to him, though. He makes everything prettier!
Nothing like a little tipsy insect appreciation and window shopping just across the bridge on Cookman Street to top off your weekend. A used record shop was selling a couple of early Prince albums in my collection ("Dirty Mind" and "Controversy" with the original poster) for more than $60. Do I smell a business opportunity? Every little bit helps for a pensioner!
We celebrated Oktoberfest a couple of months early at the Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarten. Stick with the beer.
Thom and I hit traffic on the way back to New York. It took us almost another hour to get back to my apartment after we first spotted the World Trade Center.
