Day 34: Asbury Park
Welcome
Yesterday we visited the Jersey Shore and played a show in the city of Asbury Park.
I started my day with a run, leaving from our downtown hotel and heading to Baltimore Harbour where I stopped to take a quick look at the USS Constellation, the last sail-only warship built by the US Navy.
USS Constellation, a sloop of war completed in 1855.
Baltimore Inner Harbour.
It was a still morning, overcast and beginning to get quite warm. The water had a silver sheen and looked very inviting as I jogged along the wharf heading towards Locust Point. My destination was Fort McHenry, a pentagonal bastion fort that is famous for defending against the British naval attack during the Battle of Baltimore of 1814. The story goes that after a night filled with a lengthy British bombardment a Washington lawyer named Francis Scott Key witnessed the stars and stripes of an oversized American flag emerge from the fort intact and was so moved that he began to compose the poem ‘The Defence of Fort McHenry’ which eventually became the words to the United State national anthem.
Fort McHenry.
We left the hotel late in the morning and headed out of Baltimore on i95 following the edge of the Chesapeake Bay as it stretches up towards Philadelphia. After passing through a thin sliver of Delaware we crossed into New Jersey on the Delaware Memorial Bridge. This huge structure is a dual-span suspension bridge 3.3 km in length with a longest span of 655m. Currently the toll for crossing stands at $5 and around $400,000 is collected daily.
Approaching the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
There were many more tolls to come as we were about to enter the New Jersey Turnpike, famous for its tolls, roadways, and beautifully italicised and serifed road signs. The turnpike took us northeast across the western part of New Jersey, passing underneath Philadelphia. Along the way I ate a breakfast of blackberries and blueberries leftover from the rider. Finally, we pivoted east onto 195 for the last stretch to the coast.
We arrived at Asbury Lanes at 3.30pm. The venue is set in a historic bowling alley. The lanes are still working but sadly they weren’t open when we were there. Upon arrival we were met by a friendly woman named Gerry who immediately introduced herself and proclaimed that my name was easy to remember as we were ‘Ben and Gerry’. She then deputised us to birthday-squad members, handing out a set of badges, so we could help Tristan celebrate the second day of his birthday.
The star spangled bowling balls at Asbury Lanes.
Genny, the leader of the birthday squad.
Preshow activities were completed rapidly and we decided to make the most of our proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, a body of water that we had never entered on foot. Usually, it costs $6 to use the beach in Asbury Park but after 6pm no one was checking so we decided to risk it. It turned out that after 6pm you aren’t allowed to swim and we saw someone getting screamed at by lifeguards when he hopped in the water. We settled for getting knees deep and splashing ourselves before receiving a lifeguard visit that sent us packing.
📷 Gabe Nardin
Back at the venue we played some pre show cricket and then listened to a bit of Simple Plan who were playing their own outdoor show several blocks away. They sounded as good as ever.
Asbury Park turned out a great crowd and the front row was packed with young fans who sang along with every single lyric. The lights looked impressive, and Gabe couldn’t resist pulling out the iphone 8 to snap a few shots.
📷 Gabe Nardin
📷 Gabe Nardin