Asbury Park, New Jersey

I first visited Asbury Park in March of 1999 when I went to Metal Meltdown at Convention Hall with some friends.  At the time, we knew nothing about the town or its history, so it was a shock to see empty streets and crumbling, abandoned buildings when we arrived.  Asbury Park looked like a war zone.  I had never seen anything like it, and we had all assumed that it was a dangerous place based on its appearance. Over time, I learned how Asbury Park became the way it is today.  A friend of mine who grew up in New Jersey explained that there had been riots there in 1970.  He also told me that Asbury Park used to be a big tourist attraction because of the amusement park.  After the riots and the closing of the amusement park, the town went downhill.  Most of its residents moved away, and many of the hotels were abandoned.  He also explained the origin of the large, partially constructed skeleton of a building sitting in the middle of Ocean Ave.  It has been there, unchanged, since the 1980s.  Apparently, the builders ran out of money and decided to leave it there unfinished.  I don't even think they have the money to tear it down. Another friend of mine had a relative who lived in Asbury Park (but eventually moved away).  She was unaware of Asbury Park's current state and expressed fond memories of visiting the amusement park there as a child.  Many of the web sites that I've found devoted to Asbury Park were made by people who had visited the town years ago, spontaneously decided to go back there, and were shocked to see its deteriorated condition.

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The drive there, hotels, Ocean Grove, etc.

Metal Meltdown 2001

Asbury Park

I went back to Asbury Park for Metal Meltdown in 2001 and took many pictures of the town as I considered it to be quite an interesting place.  Since these pictures were taken, the town is undergoing a renewal.  Some of these buildings may be either torn down or restored.

Asbury Park Links: http://members.tripod.com/gowen2 http://www.side-o-lamb.com/AsburyMain.html http://www.asburypark.net

These pictures are mine.  If you steal them, I will hunt you down.  In other words:  COPYRIGHT