a day in noo jerzeeeee

 (tt) I have had the best day in New Jersey with Johnny P and Nancy de G. They picked me up at their local train station and were desperate to show me their adopted child

Then we drove to a local institiution for a fantastic health food lunch.

Nancy asked me to marry her

The diner is so colourful and our hostess was a doll

And the onion rings were world class!!

On to the famous Asbury Park board walk. This was once obviously a brilliant period resort

 which is now verging on major revival. The powers that be are really saving what must be saved and it is very exciting and encouraging that beauty and grandeur need not be swept away.  Rather like me.

Madam Marie was otherwise engaged.  But I know she knew we were there.

 This fantastic edifice is an expo hall on the right and a theatre where Johnny saw Liza M strut her stuff is on the left.

Memorial to a ship's tragedy which happened very close by. It was the burning of the S.S. Morro Castle that caused the script of ANYTHING GOES to be totally rewritten during its 1934 rehearsals as it was originally to be about a shipwreck.

and the site now.

This lotus was a Howard Johnson's

This brilliant building was an amusement complex which is going to be restored.

This is the former home of a vanished carousel

I don't know what this part of the centre was but there's more of it from the other side

Some kids were skateboarding in the walk through cavern which was once a theatre.

The resurgence of this area was spearheaded by the gay community. Here is a central meeting hub. The Empress Hotel

And here is an iconic venue where Bruce Springstein began his journey

This face is as famous here as the one at Coney Island

 I would like to thank Johnny and Nancy for the most wonderful day. They drove me through lots of areas, including the wealthy Deal, but nothing was as fascinating to me as Asbury.

I have saved the best til last.  I was fascinated by the WONDER of this shot