PSYCHO ZOMBIE BEACH

If you happened to be taking a stroll down the boardwalk in Asbury Park Saturday afternoon, you might have thought you stepped onto the set of a horror movie.Thousands of people came out from across the tri-state NJ and PA, to participate in the ghoulish gathering, Asbury Park's eleventh annual Zombie Walk, was this past weekend With their limbs limp and calling out their desires for brains, the "undead" showed off their affinity for all things horror as they shuffled and lumbered their way down the boardwalk to the center of downtown Asbury. While I have never attended, I'm not sure this is the Mistress's cup of tea.... although I have been asked by a friend to do a zombie Mistress Borghese!  My friend and ex co-worker  Manny and his husband,  and friend my Shana went , and sent me these pictures they took. Manny and his man did zombie mermen. Manny is very creative as he is a costume maker and does many a play...his latest being on off Broadway...and Shana is wicked with make up. When we worked together her make up was flawless everyday. She is probably the only one I'd trust to do my make up for drag if I didn't do it myself. But as a zombie she is scary as hell..

My friend Manny and his husband, and Shana above. YIKES!

Zombie Walks or Zombie parades have been around since 2003 when Thea Munster gathered a few friends together in Sacramento, California in the hopes of bringing back some of the more ghoulish elements of Halloween. It quickly became an annual event and soon spread to the rest of the country. Asbury Park has had its own special history with their Zombie Walk, breaking the Guinness World Record for the “Largest gathering of zombies”  on two separate occasions.

In 2010, Asbury claimed the title with 4,093 undead counted on the boardwalk, and again in 2013 with 9,592 participants.  No way would I go near this place.They scare the shit out of me. Weellllll….. I may let this one take a bite out of me....

or at least suck me some.

Time in Asbury Park

What a great time to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weekend we had on the East Coast. This weekend Ms.Moorecock and I headed to the beach community of Asbury Park so I could pick up art work from one of my co-workers art showings. The hospitable staff at the Hotel Tides had  a beautiful room set aside for the night, my favorite massause and later met up with the Jersey friends for pre-dinner cock-a-tails and dinner at the Tides, followed by a drag show at Paradise.

Now it is usually early for me to go to the beach, but the weather was so beautiful, who could not resist a walk on the beach since we were there....... we decided to walk the long jetty out in the ocean......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there was even fishing going on......

 

 

Ms Moorecock's pup, Posey, even liked the beach. Figures she would have a wiener dog!

 

 

Now Asbury Park is much different from the beach I usually vacation in, of Rehoboth Beach. While both are gay destinations, Rehoboth draws a crowd almost year round and is more modern with new amenties. But off season, Asbury Park in very quiet, and it is also mush more beach vintage,  more old world bijou,  with extremely beautiful architecture and art deco reigning supreme. Riots that broke out in the city on July 4, 1970, resulted in the destruction of  much of the beach and aging buildings along Springwood Avenue, one of three main east-west corridors into Asbury Park and the central shopping and entertainment district for those living in the city's southwest quadrant. Many of those city blocks and the boardwalk,  have still yet to be redeveloped into the 21st century. The vacant streets of Asbury Park were a common sight in the 1980s and 1990s and lots of the restorations came to a stand still with economic funding running out,  and then Hurricane Sandy didn't help either. But thanks to the gays, Asbury is finally getting a make over. It only takes a few queens bending over with gas, and glitter begins to fly! After the property values plummeted, gay people from New York City purchased and restored Victorian homes, leading to a rejuvenation of parts of the city. In 2000, Shep Pettibone opened Paradise Nightclub, a gay discotheque on the ocean. He has since also opened the Empress Hotel, the state's only gay-oriented hotel. What has already re-opened is extremely chic! Every summer the Sand Blast Weekend draw tens of thousands of gay people to the city. I am slated to attend this year. But the building are just so glorious, I hope they are able to rehabilitate them......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how stunning is this window on this old building where the carousel once was. Hurricane Sandy took a few of these with her.

 

 

 

But I will say, everyone in the community is extremely friendly, maybe the Mistress should look for a place there before the big boom hits again? I have always wanted to live by the sea.  But I will say, it was a great weekend to enjoy the ocean! And the boys, Tootles!

 

 

A Night in Asbury Park

The other night after work, suitor number 2, The Prince Charming asked if I wanted to ride over to Asbury Park for some dinner. Not spending to much time in New Jersey except to work, and I'll keep it that way, I decided to go see what it was all about being a Springsteen song and all. And I figured I'd continue my beach tour, since that seems to be my choice of locale this summer. There was a place the Prince Charming though I might like to dine and have some cock-a-tails. Depending on who you talk to, Asbury Park has been through several bad spells for so many reasons. Fire gutted many of the Boardwalk Attractions early in the last century; hurricanes and nor'easter damage eroded lots of the classic Art Deco buildings; and, of course, there was that ugly period in American History about 40 years ago, when Asbury Park, along with dozens of American cities, faced riots. In the last three years the little beach town is trying to come back and there is much rebuilding going on. I don't know if I'd go back, but it was nice to see. Although the Lad said I might want to check out a place called Swell, a go-go boy joint. Not that I would mind ya! This is the old Casino Building, which spans the Asbury Park Boardwalk on one end. There's nothing in here for now except for a Farmer's Market on Saturdays, but workmen are busy renovating both this 1920s-era structure, which used to house Boardwalk amusements & was never used for gambling, and the adjacent Carousel.



The one-mile Boardwalk is bracketed at both ends--by the old Casino Building at one end, and the equally geriatric Convention Hall, below, at the other. I'd never seen a beach boardwalk running through a building before, and in Asbury Park it happens twice!



The Beach Bar. I understand you could see about 2,000 half naked men dancing on the sands here last weekend during the circuit event, Sand Blast. Of course, the Convention Hall is populated with the requisite restaurants, and shops, and a kiosk or 2. The really neat thing about this ongoing renovation is the Beach Bar, which runs along the outside of the building as it meanders across the beach to the water's edge.



After the walking and a quick look-see, it was off to dinner at Italian food house, Stella Marina.


Can I tell ya how in love with the chandeliers I am? How cool are these? And they are made of real drinking glasses!


We started with the fried Calamari appetizer which also included caper berries, fennel, and zucchini shreds. Outstanding. Crispy, perfectly salty and a huge portion.


As a middle course we shared the Funghi (portobello, fontina and thyme truffle oil) pizza. One of the best of this style pizza that I have had. Perfectly cooked, crispy yet tender.


I should have stopped there but continued on with a dinner entree.I had the Salmon with white wine, lemon, tomato, pine nuts, spinach, and roasted potato. A generous portion and very tasty. The crunchy little potatoes tasted like something from my childhood.


After such a lovely dinner I ended up staying at the Prince's abode as it was waaaayyyyy to late to drive home. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Tootles!