46. New Jersey

Month: July 2018

Location: Eatontown, Asbury Park, Sandy Hook and Princeton

I knew that I would eventually have to visit the “Garden State” but the question was, where?  Jersey City and Newark, well, there wasn’t much there that interested me.  People said that I should go to Princeton and while that was a good idea, I wanted something more out of this state.  That’s when I thought about visiting the famous “Jersey Shore”.  The first thought, of course, was Atlantic City.  But I had been there before, and it was too far south.  I was visiting on July 4^th, which was mid-week, and wanted to combine this trip with a visit to New York later that weekend.  Some place more upstate would be ideal.  That’s when I came across Asbury Park and it seemed perfect.  So, I booked a flight to Newark and rented a car that would take me to Asbury Park for a night.  I would then go to Princeton the following day and leave for New York a day later.  It was a solid plan.

My flight to Newark was in the late morning on July 4^th, so it wasn’t a big rush to get to the airport.  I landed just after 2:30 pm Eastern and had to figure out a way to get to the “Rental Cars”, for which I had to take the “AirTrain”.  It was an elevated train that stopped at all terminals and eventually I arrived at my destination.  With my car at hand and directions on my phone, I set off for the “Jersey Shore”.  I couldn’t find affordable housing in Asbury Park, and hence had booked a room in Eatontown, which was about 5-6 miles from the beach.  The drive took me on the infamous “New Jersey Turnpike” for a bit and yeah, it was still as ugly as I remembered it.  After about 45 minutes of driving I arrived at my hotel which looked quite plain.  But with the demand in this area they were charging me a hefty rate, though they did win me over a bit by having chocolate pudding as a check-in treat.

I dropped my stuff off and called a ride, which took a long time to get to me.  In the meanwhile, people around me were either going to or coming back from the beach.  There are a few things in life which are just not for me and lazing on the beach the entire day is top of the list.  When my “Uber” finally got to me, the most disconcerting thing was seeing that the driver had a companion with them for the ride.  This is a strict violation of their policy and clearly the driver was choosing to ignore that.  Later during the ride, the driver abandoned the car in the middle of a busy road and went to help some ducks cross the street.  I wish I was making this up and as sweet as this sounds, it is still an unprofessional thing to do – not to mention unsafe for themselves as well as people in the car.

From the roof of 'The Asbury Hotel'

I finally arrived at my destination, which wasn’t the beach, but a place called ‘The Asbury Hotel’.  I was headed to ‘Salvation Rooftop Bar’ and this shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who know me.  I do have my priorities very clear when I visit any place!  The bar was your typical rooftop with great views and had quite a crowd for this time of the afternoon.  I could see the boardwalk, where I was headed after this, as well as the long beach of Asbury Park.  I started with something called “Asbury Pain Killer” and with that out of the way, set off for the beach.

The boardwalk 

Barring a brief visit to Atlantic City many years ago, I have not been on any boardwalk.  While researching towns along the “Jersey Shore” I had noticed that most of those had a boardwalk, and I was keen to explore why that was such an attraction.  There was a huge structure that looked like an aircraft hanger and which housed many vendors selling everything from food to souvenirs.  A wooden path extended out on either side and beyond the path and the building was the beach.  Both, the beach as well as the boardwalk, was bustling with people.  I started making my way through the crowd and very soon the beach would be emptied to prepare for the fireworks, meaning the boardwalk would have even more people.

The famous 'Stone Pony'

There were some attractions, including something called ‘Silverball Museum’, which housed several “Pinball Machines” – a lot of them.  I would have gone in, if not for the entry fee, since I wasn’t interested in playing anyways.  Next to it was a place called ‘Langosta Lounge’, which was a typical bar by the beach.  It was also very full, and I got a solitary spot at the end of the bar and ordered a drink called “Jalepeno and Pineapple Rita”.  They had now started clearing the beach and people were coming inside all the restaurants and bars.  I stayed here for a bit and started walking further down the boardwalk.  One of my colleagues had mentioned that I should stop by to see a place called ‘Stone Pony’, which was a music place where Bruce Springsteen got his start.  Apparently he still stops by occasionally, but not today, since it was a small building which hardly looked like a famous music spot.  I suppose that’s the point of it all.

The beach was being emptied for the fireworks

Towards the end of the boardwalk was a place called ‘Watermark’, that came highly recommended and which I wanted to visit.  The tricky part was locating the entrance, which wasn’t on the boardwalk, but rather a street behind it.  After walking around for a bit, I finally found it and went upstairs to see a place which had a large deck overlooking the beach, as well as a nice lounge with comfortable couches and chairs – including a fireplace.  You had to order a drink at the bar – which had no seats – and then proceed to wherever you wanted to settle.  I picked a nice couch near the fireplace and enjoyed my drink called, “The Mermaid and the Walrus”.

Heading into "downtown"

It was a beautiful evening as I left the boardwalk and headed inland towards what passed off as the main town area.  There were a few blocks of streets with restaurants and bars and this was more of my kind of spot than the beach.  I was headed to a place called ‘Barrio Costero’, which was a very trendy place serving Mexican cuisine.  I got “Guadalajara Old Fashioned” and it was as good a drink as I had this evening.  On another street around the corner was a building resembling an old house, both from the outside and the inside.  This was in fact a bar and restaurant called ‘Moonstruck’ and unlike other places, this one was quite isolated.  Part of the reason was the ambiance, which resembled an old lounge complete with a piano, and I expected someone to come and sing Sinatra songs at any time.  As could be expected, their main specialty was Martini and even though I liked the place, I didn’t stay long.

Headed for dinner

I came back to the main, busy part of town – what a difference just one corner makes – and into a place that was opposite of one I had just left.  It was called ‘The Bonney Read’ and man was it full!  I squeezed into one spot at the bar and ordered “Nelson’s Folly Olde Fashioned”, with a lot of hustle and bustle around me.  There was another place that I wanted to visit prior to my dinner and it was a bar called ‘Little Buddy’.  What I did not know was that it was also a “speakeasy” and for the life of me, I couldn’t find the place.  For someone who has traveled the country successfully seeking these places, this was an amateurish effort.  In my defense though, if I had known this was one of those hidden places, I would have done my research.

The bar at 'Pascal and Sabine'

I arrived at my dinner place ‘Pascal and Sabine’ ahead of my reservations and went to the bar area to wait.  There I met a gentleman named Danny, who was of Colombian decent, but lived in Australia.  We got talking and for the next 20 minutes chatted about multiple things including travel, soccer and everything that guys at a bar discuss.  When my table was ready, I went over and while not the best, it was a decent meal.  I asked my server about this bar I was trying to locate, and he told me how to get there.  Apparently, it was inside a bar named ‘The Annex’, which itself was inside a pub called ‘Brickwall Tavern & Dining Room’.  Yeah, talk about making it difficult.

The hidden 'Little Buddy'

After dinner I walked across the street to have another go at finding this place, just as the fireworks show was on at the beach.  I saw a guy at the door and he let me through into a “Tiki Bar” and secret or not, there were lot of people in there.  With all the colorful décor and lights, it was a festive ambiance and I liked it.  I got a drink called “Shipwrecked” and soaked it all in.  I had been in Asbury Park for less than half a day, though it seemed longer.  It had been a fun evening and though I could have stayed out longer, I called a ride – a very expensive ride as it turned out to be – back to the hotel.

Starting with a New Jersey institution

I checked-out of my hotel just as people were leaving for the beach.  I was planning to be in Princeton in the afternoon, meaning I had this morning to explore more of this area.  I debated going down south, to the next township of ‘Belmar’, which had a beach and probably another boardwalk.  But I decided to go north instead, to Sandy Hook, which called itself a “barrier split”, a coastal landform that is usually formed due to sand and tides.  This one was almost 6 miles long and shaped like a hook – hence the name.  It also housed a “Coast Guard Base”, which was off-limits.  But most of the area was managed by “National Park Services”, including beaches and a Lighthouse.  It was a short car ride away, though before that I had to visit the great New Jersey institution that is a “Deli”.

Inside 'Frank's Deli'

Whenever you watch “Travel” or “Food” related shows, they emphasize that one must have a “deli sandwich” in New Jersey.  Now, that could also be since New Jersey has no other contribution to the culinary world!  ‘Frank’s Deli’ in Asbury Park was considered to be one of the top ones in the State and so I headed there before leaving town.  I parked the car in their tiny lot and went inside to see a long line.  After a while I realized that it was for pickup and so I moved past the folks and sat at the counter.  I had been to ‘Katz Delicatessen’ in New York and while this was much smaller than that, the general interior was similar.  There were tables arranged close to each other and occupied by families.  There was a place for people to order their “deli meat” to go and the portions, well let’s just say that no one left hungry.  I ordered a “Chicken Salad” sandwich and the thing which impressed me the most was its construction.  Yes, the sandwich was enormous, but it held its shape when you took a bite, as all good sandwiches should.

The lighthouse at Sandy Hook

With a hearty lunch behind me, I set off for Sandy Hook and at stages the road got really narrow with water on both sides.  There was a small fee to enter and that gave the visitors access to the various beaches and a 250-year-old lighthouse, which was where I wanted to go.  I arrived at what looked like “town square” but with abandoned buildings, that looked like they had been military barracks.  I went inside the visitor’s center at the base of the lighthouse and signed up for a tour, which wouldn’t start for another 45 minutes.  That gave me an opportunity to explore the museum as well as the grounds.  The exhibits presented a nice little history of the lighthouse and its role in the early trade route into New York Harbor. It was built in mid-1700’s and is the oldest operating lighthouse in the nation.

The creepy ruins of "artillery battery"

Besides the lighthouse, the premises were also a part of a now de-active Fort.  There were ruins of “artillery battery”, which were accessible through some creepy looking passages through overgrown shrubbery.  As far as ruins go, this one was a bit spooky and would make for a fantastic “Halloween” attraction.  I got out of there fast and since there was enough time to spare prior to my lighthouse tour, I walked over to another abandoned site – which was further away than I had anticipated – and even got into my car to drive around a bit.  There were rows upon rows of abandoned houses, which once housed the military folks stationed here, but now looked like a “ghost town”.  I returned for my tour and there were a few other folks besides me who would be making the climb.  And a climb it was.

Manhattan skyline from the top of the lighthouse

Going up a spiral staircase does not allow for much resting and so by the time the group reached the top, I was quite winded.  But wait, now we had to go up a straight ladder and squeeze through a narrow trapdoor in order to reach the actual light.  Getting up through that was interesting and getting down would take some doing.  But once I was up there I was glad to have done so, because the view around me was spectacular.  Our guide pointed out the ‘Statue of Liberty’ in the distance, with Manhattan as the backdrop.  We could also see Staten Island as well as parts of New Jersey.  It also provided us with a “birds-eye view” of this area and besides the ruins, we could see the “Coast Guard” base at the edge of land.  The guide told us more about the history of this place and the shipping corridor that it served. Then it was time to make the treacherous decent down the ladder, followed by the spiral staircase.  It was a hot day outside and it was felt inside the building.

The abandoned barracks

Before departing I stopped at one of the houses, which had been converted into a replica of what it was like to live here back in the 70s.  There was no air-conditioning inside, meaning that I got out of there fast and with directions to Princeton programmed in, started my hour-long drive.  It took me through the interior roads and towns, and even through some rain for a bit, before I arrived at my hotel in Princeton.  As I walked through the lobby, I was surprised that was more elegant than I had anticipated.  But this was one of the premier “college towns” and thus had higher standards than the place I had stayed at last night, which had been double the rate here.

Finally, the 'Princeton University Art Museum'

There weren’t many sights outside of the campus and that’s where I was headed.  I took a ride to ‘Princeton University Art Museum’, but there was a problem getting there due to construction.  So my driver dropped me just outside the campus, which was fine with me since I would be able to navigate using my trusted phone.  Well, that’s what I thought.  For whatever reason my “GPS” was not functioning well and I was struggling to get oriented.  I walked about in circles for some time, with no clue where the said building was located.  Now, there are worst places to get lost than this amazing campus, but I was getting annoyed by the lack of maps to help people find their way.  Plus, none of the students that I asked for directions knew anything about their campus!  I entered a building and asked some other students – who looked like they belonged to a “drama club” –  and fortunately they were able to point me to the right building.

It was a very respectable museum

I have been to my share of museums during my travels and some good ones too.  I did not have much expectations from this one, especially since it was inside a University.  This one was not only respectable, but could have put some of the other museums to shame.  I enjoyed my time here and with no other sights on the agenda for this afternoon, I was ready to hit the bars.  Well, that would be a challenge since once again, my navigation was acting up.  I was going to a place on campus, called ‘Dinky Bar and Kitchen’, but had no idea how to find it.  I asked a student and he gave me complex, but detailed directions, which I hoped to follow.  Funny that none of the students knew where the museum was but could find a bar easily!

The charming building of 'Dinky Bar and Kitchen'

After a couple of wrong turns I finally arrived at the place, which was inside a charming building that looked like a cottage.  The interior was modern, with a nice bar area, which was preparing for dinner crowd.  I ordered a drink called “Black Diamond” and contemplated my next destination.  I could either go into the downtown, where I would be spending bulk of my time this evening, or take a ride to go a bit away to a place called, ‘Flight Martini and Wine Lounge’.  With a classy name like that, I decided to proceed there, which in hindsight wasn’t the best use of my time.

The disappointing 'Flight Martini and Wine Lounge'

We navigated through the evening rush hour – this was a Thursday after all – to arrive at the ‘Crowne Plaza Hotel’, which was in an area resembling an “Industrial Park”.  The bar was in the Mezzanine level of this hotel and I arrived to see that I was the only person in there, much to the annoyance of the bartender.  It was also very hot in there and I was told that the air-conditioning was broken.  Now, being in the energy industry, I have certain insights on tricks businesses play in order to save money.  A quick look at the grid told me that this particular zone was probably in energy conservation mode and cutting power to air-conditioners is the best and fastest way to do that.  Also, since the lobby of the hotel had been comfortably cool, they probably figured that since no one was in the bar area, it would be best to switch off air to that section.  Well, I could respect that, even thought it was quite unpleasant and even a ‘Cuban Mojito’ couldn’t stop me from getting out fast.  Coming here had been a mistake.

A beautiful evening in downtown Princeton

I took a ride back into town and was dropped off on a charming street which constituted the main part of downtown Princeton.  There were restaurants, bars and boutique shops, and people had come out to enjoy the evening.  I went to a bar called ‘Mistral’ and as far as cocktails go, these folks knew what they were doing.  The menu was full of original creations and I ordered a drink called ‘Lion’s Tail’.  The bar area was nice and on the other side I could see the dining room, with an open kitchen.  A quick look at the menu indicated that this might have been a good dinner option, but I had made other plans.  But that was for much later in the evening.

The entrance to 'Alchemist & Barrister'

Just across the street was my next stop, ‘Witherspoon Grill’.  Now, this place was full as any during dinnertime.  Both, the dining, as well as the bar area were busy, though I managed to squeeze into a solitary spot at the bar.  I enjoyed the buzz around me over my ‘Kentucky Old Fashioned’ and the place was filling up even more when I left.  Nearby in an alley was a supposedly popular spot called ‘Alchemist & Barrister’  and I arrived to see that there was some party going on in one of the sections.  I got a place at the bar and ordered “A&B Rum Punch”, which was bright and colorful.  This looked like a college bar and I wondered if it was old enough for someone like Albert Einstein to have visited.

'The Peacock Inn'

It was twilight now as I walked to the busy cross-street bordering the campus and to a place called ‘Triumph Brewing Company’. Although this was a brewery, as evident from the huge vats behind the bar, I got a cocktail called ‘What’s Up Doc’.  There were some students over here, as well as on the street outside, as I walked to my dining destination, ‘The Peacock Inn’.  It was a few blocks away on a very quiet and isolated street and from the outside looked like a house.  It described itself as a “Luxury Boutique Hotel”, and the dining room had white table cloth, but was quite empty.  The service was good though, with them trying their best to be a fine dining restaurant.  The food was okay and besides a very interesting group – with an obviously drunk man – that showed up later, I was alone for the duration of my meal.  I took a ride back to my hotel and since it was still early – by my standards I guess – I visited the bar, ‘Artisan Kitchen and Lounge’, for a nightcap before retiring.

The quaint architecture of 'Princeton University'

The next day was overcast as I checked-out and drove my car to the campus.  I parked in a garage near the street where I had been the previous evening and then walked over.  As I had found out yesterday, this is a beautiful campus with its architecture and ivy-covered walls.  I walked around admiring the buildings and even stepped inside a chapel to take a look.  I spotted other tour groups and a guided tour would probably have been a good idea.  A few blocks from the campus was a place called ‘Morven Museum & Garden’, which was a historic house from the 18^th century and now on the “National Register of Historic Places”. 

The gardens and house of the 'Moven Museum'

I walked down the path towards the house, noticing a charming box for people to pick-up and drop-off books – almost like a community library.  The house itself was simple and once served as “Governor’s Mansion”.  It was nice to walk through the place and the gardens, learning more about the families that lived there.  After a while I started my journey back to the garage to pick-up my car.  While I could have spent more time in Princeton, I had to drop off the car before my 48 hours of rental were up.  However, I had enough time for some brunch.  One of the places that had come up during my research was in a mall lot and was called ‘The Turning Point of Princeton’.  There appeared to be several visitors to the mall as I parked and went over to the restaurant, which was full as well.  After a short wait I got a spot at the bar and the food was worth the hype.

Final stop for brunch

By the time I was ready to leave it was pouring outside and I got soaked, even with my short walk to the car.  The thunderstorms continued on my way to the airport, but by the time I arrived it had cleared up.  I was headed to New York City and after dropping off my car I got on the “AirTrain” to the Airport station to take me downtown.  That seemed to take forever, but eventually I found my way to my destination for a 35-minute ride that would drop me off in the middle of Manhattan.  It seems like Newark is the best airport to fly into if headed to New York.  But this was about my 46^th visit during these travels.  I had been doubtful that New Jersey would have much to offer, but had been surprised by how much fun I had in Asbury Park.  Plus, Princeton had been charming, thus making this one of the better trips of the lot.