Asbury Park
From World travel guide
Asbury Park is a popular resort town among gay people at the Jersey Shore, in the state of New Jersey in the United States. It was made famous in the 1970s by musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny.
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Understand
Asbury Park was founded as a Christian retreat in the 1800s by a man named James A. Bradley. It remained one of the most popular family resorts in the United States until 1970, when race riots burned down much of the downtown area. Soon radicals, beatniks, hippies, and musicians moved in, making Asbury Park a very diverse place. In 1988, the city had about enough of its new cultres, and a plan to redevelop the entire waterfront went into affect. Most businesses were ordered to be closed, so the boardwalk, casino, hotels and amusements all closed for the redevelopment. High rise hotels and condos began construction, but were then abandoned before they could be finished, leaving the waterfront an odd mix of abandoned buildings and rotting construction. The city declined in the 1990s, after almost all businesses failed. Crime rose, and Asbury Park had higher crime than any other town in Monmouth County. However, in 1998, Shep Pettibone converted an abandoned Hotel into a gay nightclub, drawing thousands of gay travelers to Asbury Park. Every Friday night the city became the only place on the East Coast that could rival Fire Island! Gay couples began buying cheap homes, abandoned bars and nightclubs, closed storefronts downtown, and abandoned pavilions on the boardwalk, and restoring them to they way they once were. Today, Asbury Park is experiencing a vibrant rebirth!
Get in
Get around
See
Do
Buy
Eat
Drink
- Paradise Nightclub, 101 Asbury Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 [1]. - Dance club with outdoor pool, sundeck, piano bar, and lobby lounge. Big gay community, but "straight" people can come too.
- Cruisin' the Circuit, 911 Kingsley Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712[2]. - Gay oriented dance club.
- Anybody's, 230 Cookman Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712[3]. - Gay bar.
- The Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 [4]. - The World Famous bar's website.
Sleep
- The Empress Hotel, 101 Asbury Avenue, [5]. A primarily gay resort hotel set above a gay disco club.
Get out
External links
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