Kewl!

So after all this time of photographing the remnants of Asbury Park past, I've been afforded the opportunity of sharing my stuff with the public. My fellow blogger at Under The Sun Furnishings is displaying a couple of my Casino photos along with one from Convention Hall and another of the departed "This too shall pass" wall. Check 'em out if you're in the neighborhood. (Support your local artist, and all that.) Pretty cool stuff, if I do say so myself.

Was down there Saturday, in the wind and rain. What a trip. Stopped by the boardwalk first, to find it was both spooky and active. Workers were busily continuing the demolition work on the concession buildings, yet the fog and rain made the entire scene eerie. You literally couldn't see more than about 20 feet beyond. About equidistant from the Casino and Convention Hall, I jumped out of the car to see if I could get some photos from the boardwalk. Couldn't see either building, and the beach beyond the railing was a blanket of fog. I could just barely hear the ocean roar above the wind and rain. Scary stuff. Would have been really cool to get some pics of the Casino in that weather, but I was a little afraid for my camera and even more freaked about the fog inside the building. Spoooooky!

On a trip up Asbury Ave, I found the Metropolitan torn down in earnest. All that stood at that point was the newer, Howard Johnson-looking addition and a fireplace from the original part. Through the chain link fence, and especially in the driving rain, the scene looked like Dresden after the bombing. I mean, that day, the world outside looked like one of those black and white war documentaries. I half expected to see some bombed-out refugees picking through the rubble. If my car weren't red, I'd have been convinced I'd stepped into 1942.

I stopped the car next to the fence and put on the hazard blinkers so I could jump out for a few snaps, and as I did, I saw an older gentleman across the street in his car. He made some random comment about these crazy girls taking pictures of wrecks, or something like that. Hey, but the photos look like Dresden after the bombing! Well, with a '60's era high rise in the background. In any case, you've gotta get it while you can. Tomorrow it won't be there. Literally.