Thursday, March 22, 2007

Good-bye Golddigger

The Golddigger, one of the last original hot spots in Asbury Park is gone. Bulldozers took are of the last couple days.

One of my first beers. Pool shooting dates and long nights moping around a cold one.

After a long night working on the boardwalk or running across for a cold six-pack of michelobs.

Dust.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Garden State Film Festival March 23-25

Asbury Park's Paramount Theatre comes alive this weekend with the Garden State Film Festival.
This year, according to their release, The Garden State Film Festival proudly introduce's a new Music Category. Even before film had spoken words, there was music. Our first year brought us an outstanding list of submissions, in many different genres, and we eagerly await what we know will be an even broader list of submissions next year.

This is interesting to me, because my grandmother used to play the organ and piano in NYC theatres for the silent movies. And see spent her last days playing her little organ - in Asbury Towers, over looking the ocean.

This year, the festival includes The Baronet Theatre on 4th Ave and a couple other great AP stops.

It's Asbury, and it's changing by the day.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Madison Marquette joins Asbury Partners

Madison Marquette has signed on as the redevelopers retail and entertainment partner . In the report, they said they expect to invest between $150 and $200 million into the Asbury Park Boardwalk retail and entertainment areas. Total sq footage is estimated at 450,000 sq ft.

It may be very possible that some small rides and other attractions for the younger crowd will be part of the plans.

One of the biggest discussions over the past 30 or more years is what should the boardwalk area become- a residential community or a tourist attraction. As the debate continues on, the development under way in the boardwalk zone provides for plenty of housing. We are awaiting more details on the entertainment zone and retail components.

Will there be a Kohr's once again? Will there be national chains vs. the mom and pops we grew up loving?

Madison Marquette is leading a joint venture with Asbury Partners to develop the entertainment and retail portion of the waterfront the next three to five years. One of the first projects Madison Marquette would like to complete is the renovation of the Casino and rebuilding of the Casino's eastern portion which was torn down this winter after many years of non-use and disrepair.
Madison Marquette has proposed transforming the Casino into a specialty food market and restaurant center, possibly similar to San Francisco's Ferry Building.

The Esperanza Sales Office - 2007


METRO HOMES TO OPEN SALES OFFICE:

From $350,000 to $3m.

the most progressive looking architecture on Jersey Shore will be The Esperanza. Take alook at asburyboardwalk.com

Metro Homes, the third developer building condominiums on the beachfront, received approval from city planners this week to turn the Fourth Avenue Pavilion into a temporary, eye-catching sales office for the Esperanza high-rise as it is built during the next 18 months.

This is the same place the failed redevelopr of the skeleton known as C-8 stood for years until finally coming down with explosives.



Planners approved Metro's plans to use the pavilion and temporarily change the exterior to resemble the design of the Esperanza. The Esperanza is planned for the Ocean Avenue site of the former building shell known as C-8 on planning maps.

Geibel said Metro Homes wants to have the sales center open in 60 days. He said the pilings are finished on the Esperanza site bound by Ocean, Third and Fourth avenues and Kingsley Street. Concrete will be poured, and the building with two towers that reach 10 and 16 stories will start to come out of the ground, he said.