The last stop on my October travels was Asbury Park, New Jersey, where I was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
I was born and raised in Bayonne, as most of my readers probably know by now, but I left New Jersey in 1966 for Evanston, Illinois, to start my college education at Northwestern University.\u00a0\u00a0 I never really returned, except for visits… but I do visit often, since almost all of my family is still in Jersey, along with a few old friends, a lot of memories (mostly good, some less so), and a big piece of my heart.\u00a0\u00a0 Also, New Jersey still has the best pizza in the world (New York and Connecticut are very close, though).\u00a0\u00a0 You can take the boy out of Jersey, I guess, but you can’t take Jersey out of the boy.<\/p>\n
Asbury Park is one of the iconic Jersey shore towns.\u00a0 When I was growing up, a lot of my friends and schoolmates spent their summers down on the Jersey Shore.\u00a0\u00a0 If not at Asbury Park, then at Atlantic City, Seaside, Tom’s River, Keansburg, or one of the other shore towns.\u00a0\u00a0 Splashing on the beaches, eating salt water taffy, strolling the boardwalks, riding roller coasters and other rides in the old amusement parks.\u00a0\u00a0 Not me.\u00a0\u00a0 We were projects kids, we did not even own a car, so we spent our summers in Bayonne, mostly.\u00a0\u00a0 Water all around, but no beaches (though once or twice each summer we’d get to take an excursion boat from Brady’s Dock across the street from the projects to Rye Beach or Far Rockaway).\u00a0\u00a0 The only amusement park I got to visit was Uncle Milty’s, right down First Street, where I could blow my allowance playing Skee-Ball… and would eventually land my first job, running the Tubs O’ Fun for the kiddies one summer.\u00a0\u00a0 I think I got paid twelve dollars a week (in a pay envelope, with a ten and, yes, a two-dollar bill).<\/p>\n
I had never been to Asbury Park before this visit, but I have to say, I was charmed by the place.\u00a0\u00a0 The sand, the surf, the boardwalk… iconic old bars like the Stone Poney and the Wonderbar… lovely grand houses and old hotels, a downtown that felt like stepping back in time… all in all, a cool town to visit.\u00a0 And of course the awards ceremony was great fun.\u00a0 As a Mets fan, it was a great honor for me to be inducted by Ed Kranepool of the Amazin’ Mets of 1969, and Todd Frazier of the current squad… and to share the night with Jason Alexander, Harry Carson, Bart Oates, Martha Stewart, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and many more incredible Jerseyites.<\/p>\n