Friends, after the cold, nasty, brutal, never ending winter that was, I am absolutely thrilled to be back with this year’s installments of Boroughs to Burbs… to the Beach!

I am a beach bum at heart, so it is my pleasure to bring to you this continuing series of my picks on the many amazing Jersey shore destinations that are within an hour or two drive from our location in the Cranford and Westfield area! You can read previous installments on Point Pleasant, Beach Haven, and Cape May here here and here (end shameless self promotion)

Soo without further ado……. Asbury Park!

A few weeks ago, hubs and I had the chance for a kid free getaway weekend to celebrate our 10^th Anniversary!  (cue the singing angels) We wanted somewhere close and easy and somewhere we had not been before.  Shockingly, that was Asbury Park.  Despite all the hype in recent years, somehow we never made the 45 minute drive down to check it out.  Full disclosure, I actually had visited back in 2004, but to say it was a ghost town was an understatement. It was showing a few signs of life, but in the words of one of the early pioneers of AP’s revitalization, you could “lay down in the middle of Cookman Ave and not get run over”

So imagine my surprise when we rolled into town and found a thriving, bustling downtown with every amenity of city life, stunningly renovated and restored homes, and yes the beach!

We immediately hit the town in our efforts to take it all in!

FRIDAY – Greetings from Asbury Park!

We agonized over where to stay, and ended picking the ultra hip Asbury Hotel.  We arrived prior to check in and were famished, so walked over to Porta for lunch and libations.

The space was ultra industrial and modern (as are many of the city’s new restaurants and bars!), and really the food was delish! We ordered homemade mozz and olives for apps and split a personal size Meatball Pizza.

We washed it down with a delightful Sea Dragon IPA from Asbury Park Brewery

After lunch, we strolled along the Boardwalk and though it was windy and not quite beach weather (even for me, and I will sit on the beach in 50 degrees with no qualms) we took in the incomparable beach views, and I may have starting humming some early Springsteen….

Then it was Happy Hour time! The hotel is beyond hip, and frankly I was concerned about the crowd.  But everyone was super friendly and chill.  And, the lounge had all sorts of games and pinball …how cool is that!

Darren was also very pleased to find a Huey Lewis album in their extensive album collection.

We then checked into our room (super modern Scandinavian furnishings abound) and rested before our fancy dinner out.

Then it was time for our fancy dinner out! Our friend had recommended Dinner @ Taka so off we went! And Oh my, what a feast! We dined on Pork and shrimp Shumai, Ju-san roll, Yamaguchi roll, Yuza lobster roll, and the perfect complement to our meal scrumptious Blackberry margaritas!

SATURDAY – I Ain’t Here on Business baby, I’m Only Here for Fun

We awoke on Saturday and headed off for another action packed (and food/drink related) day! We started with brunch @Toast, ordering the smoked salmon omelette , and Crab hash. Heavenly! The vibe was casual and coffee strong.  Next, a lot of window shopping on Cookman Ave, taking in all the amazing home décor and antiques stores. I wanted ALL.THE.THINGS. Then we headed over to the Silverball Pinball Museum – as a kid I was quite the Pinball Wizard and was really looking forward to our visit. Sadly, those skills no longer remain but we did get a kick out of playing just about every machine in the place. And it was really interesting to see the difference in the machines built in the 50’s and 60’s versus 80’s and 90’s, in particular the evolution of flippers, lights, and bonus features.

Next it was off to dinner! Did I mention it was also Cinco de Mayo? Where better to celebrate than with dinner @ La Tapatia again on the recommendation of a friend.  Located off the beaten path of downtown and inauspiciously next door to a Dollar Tree, I initially wondered if we had the right place.  But then we opened the door to a FIESTA! Featuring the loudest live music imaginable (also, I’m old) but after a glass of sangria I was feeling it! We feasted on guacamole, mini taquitos and some more sangria! Muy Bueno, amigos!

Then we continued the party over at the least Mexican place imaginable, Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten – the party vibe was strong, and we enjoyed a beer and live band before heading back to the hotel.

We again hit our hotel lounge which was mobbed with “Spring Nuts”. We soon learned this is an extremely um fervent and dedicated fan club of Springsteen, who had a Saturday nite fanclub event planned at the lounge, and many were abuzz with the excitement of seeing Little Steven get inducted into the New Jersey Rock n Roll Hall of Fame the next evening, with many speculating that Bruce himself would make an appearance (we found out later that is what happened and I was really happy for those Spring Nuts!)

SUNDAY – the Long Goodbye

We hit brunch @ Cardinal Provisions, where we dined on Weird Hash and Cannoli French Toast – divine!

Then, trying to prolong our stay juuust a bit longer, toured thru adorable neighboring Ocean Grove, which is charm personified in a town.

Then, back to reality! Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, we stepped our Highlander over the line and sprung onto Highway 9 to head back home.  It was a fantastic weekend and we can’t wait to return!

Have you been to Asbury Park recently? What were your faves?