Asbury Park

Joe and I went to Asbury Park yesterday to hang up some posters for the Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweep that I am captaining next weekend. It was a little chilly, but we walked around Cookman Ave. for a while. I love it there because there are so many great shops and everyone is so nice. We bought a stuffed toy for Hendrix at this really cute little pet store and stopped to eat at The Twisted Tree Cafe, where we had the best iced green tea, three bean chili and soy chicken salad sandwich with avocado ever. (I think every sandwich is made better by the addition of avocado.) What I like best about Asbury Park is shopping there means we are supporting local businesses. Asbury Park is in the midst of a massive redevelopment project aimed to returning it to some of it's previous glory as a resort town. The people are terrific, the food is good, it's one of the top 10 places to hear great music in the country, one of the 10 best beaches in NJ and it's a very socially conscious town. During the summer they have a farmer's market weekly in the old casino and they have a HUGE pride celebration for gay pride day. And of course it is home to my roller derby league, the Jersey Shore Roller Girls. We play our bouts at Convention Hall. Asbury Park is one of the gems of this state. If you have never visited NJ, and have the common misconception that it is dirty and overcrowded (parts of it are) you will be pleasantly surprised if you take the time to explore this shore town.