<p>We will be attending a wedding next weekend (June 1-3) on the Jersey Shore, in the general vicinity of Neptune City. For cost reasons, we are not staying on the shore but out by the Garden State Parkway, so we will have a car.</p>
<p>The wedding is Saturday afternoon, so we will have some time on Saturday morning until about 1:00 p.m. We will also have time on Sunday before our flight home.</p>
<p>Any ***can’t miss ***attractions in that general vicinity? Good place for lunch on Saturday or brunch on Sunday? Thanks!</p>
<p>Asbury Park is making an incredible comeback with lots of great restaurants and shops along the ocean heading towards convention hall. Have heard good things about Langosta Lounge and Brando’s Cucina. Stop by the Stone Pony (home of the E Street Band) or the old but charming Wonder Bar…have fun!</p>
<p>Neptune is on the edge of what is known as the Jersey Shore, lol…not much in the area, Asbury Park is not bad as noted above, but still not a shadow of its former self…if you have time to kill, head south to Spring Lake, a beautiful shore town…</p>
<p>Our beach house is in Ocean Grove (which is part of Neptune Township), so we are partial. For lunch, I would recommend Nagles in Ocean Grove (corner Main & Central)- it’s an old apothocary turned into a cafe. For brunch, I like The Starving Artist’s at Days on Olin. </p>
<p>I ride by this place all the time on my bike & they get good brunch reviews, but I can’t comment personally. The views will be great, as it’s right on the beach. (parking might be tough).</p>
<p>I’m not a huge fan of the Asbury Park restaurants, so I can’t recommend anything there…sorry. </p>
<p>However, Next Saturday (June 2) is the Ocean Grove flea market, so traffic & parking will be beyond horrific by 9am. (great place to pick up antiques & stuff, although since you are flying, this may not be a great idea…)</p>
<p>I second Spring Lake. There is a nice downtown area, and if the weather permits, a really nice boardwalk. No “attractions”, just literally a boardwalk along the beach. Nice for a stroll or a bike ride*, and plenty of benches (some covered) so you can sit and watch the people and the waves. </p>
<p>Spring Lake reminds me more of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog than “Joisey Shore”. </p>
<p>By the time you’re there, I believe you’ll need a ($) beach tag to go onto the beach itself (this is true of any beach in the area) but the boardwalk is free. </p>
<ul>
<li>you can rent bikes. Maybe someone else will be able to make recommendations about that.</li>
</ul>
<p>My vote for lunch is my favorite Monmouth co. place to eat (when the weather is good): Moby’s. It’s a deck looking out over the Shrewsbury River as it meets SAndy Hook bay; the Atlantic is just on the other side of the spit of land in between, and the boats going by are fun to watch. Standard casual seaside food. [url=<a href="http://bahrslanding.com/mobys.html]Moby’s[/url">http://bahrslanding.com/mobys.html]Moby’s[/url</a>] It’s associated with Bahrs Restaurant next door, so if you want more formal or the weather is iffy, that’s a great alternative. </p>
<p>Also, Sandy Hook is a neat place to hang out; besides the beaches, it has a nature center, Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook LIghthouse, biking, hiking, etc.</p>
<p>(That being said, I still echo that Asbury Park is your neatest and nearest choice; I’m just throwing out an alternative.)</p>
<p>Since you will be past Memorial Day, Sandy Hook will have a $15/car parking fee that is collected before you come to the lighthouse or Fort Hancock, so that might influence what you do.</p>
<p>If you are considering heading to the Twin Lights, we always enjoyed the Clam Hut in the Highlands. It’s on the water and casual. </p>
<p>I would consider renting bikes, it’s the best way to get around and see the different towns and their flavors. A good bike shop that rents is Brielle Cyclery in Asbury Park. You can ride on the boardwalk in all towns until 9am - Ocean Grove & Bradley Beach is 10am, and Asbury is noon. </p>
<p>Just remembered this place in Belmar - my friends rave about it and we plan to try it this summer. (given it’s not on the beach, the parking should be managable):</p>
<p>(Good point about the parking fee; maybe skip SH.)</p>
<p>I love Clam Hut but haven’t been there in many years.</p>
<p>Also, Red Bank has tons of great restaurants and a beautiful waterside park, plus great stores to browse. (though it’s gotten a bit too upscale-ish in recent years.)</p>
<p>PS - since you’re not familiar w the area, Neptune & Asbury Park are not safe places west of Rt 71. I’m assuming you are staying near exit 100 or 102, which should be OK. Send me a PM if you want specifics on areas to avoid.</p>
<p>Try a thin crust pizza at Pete and Elda’s and a ruben sandwich at Kelly’s (both in Neptune City).
Go to Sea Girt (Beach & The Parker House for lunch), Spring Lake (Beach/Shopping) or Manasquan (Beach/Shopping).
We’re quickly approaching the “Benny Season” where NYorkers/North Jersey folks pour down and drive around with a cigarette hanging out the left window and a fully extended middle finger flying through the sunroof - pure joy.
2nd Red Bank - tough parking but great restaurants and shops. Try Oyster Point and/or The Molly Pitcher for great food and beautiful views of the Navesink River (pricey).</p>
<p>Long Branch has a nice boardwalk with shops, restaurants, and beach.</p>
<p>I don’t know how far it is from where you are, but I passed a racetrack that looked nice from the outside, but I have never been there. I am guessing that it might be Monmouth Racetrack.</p>
<p>If it is a warm beach weekend, the traffic will be awful. Don’t count on having much time on Saturday morning prior to the wedding. If you are early risers, I would recommend a walk along the boardwalk in Spring Lake or Ocean Grove. IMO, the “turnaround” of Long Branch and Asbury Park is interesting only to those of us who grew up on the Jersey Shore. Visitors will think that Asbury Park is still quite rough and that Long Branch (Pier Village) is a NY Real Estate developer’s idea of what the Jersey Shore would look like if they took all the modest homes near the ocean by eminent domain, bulldozed them, and built a fake boardwalk and surrounded it by chain stores. </p>
<p>If you have time after the wedding and want a old-style boardwalk experience, I would recommend Point Pleasant Beach. Pete & Elda’s does have the most amazing pizza.</p>
<p>unsoccer-mom:
“(Pier Village) is a NY Real Estate developer’s idea of what the Jersey Shore would look like if they took all the modest homes near the ocean by eminent domain, bulldozed them, and built a fake boardwalk and surrounded it by chain stores.”
Classic, I’m still laughing while writing this. Well done!</p>
<p>When I first moved to NJ, I would daytrip to Long Branch, as it was the closest decent beach with free street parking, convenient bathrooms, & places to buy food. I can’t figure out where I used to go, as it’s no longer there. </p>
<p>D1s favorite place to go is the Jersey Shore Outlet Mall and don’t forget we have no sales tax on clothes in NJ! (sign up on the website for the free coupon book for extra savings).</p>
<p>Shameless plug for a walk on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch if the weather is good.
Gorgeous main building and library, lawns are lovely.
Still remember English classes in Wilson Hall 30+ years ago…the walls were talking to me and helping me write.</p>
<p>Oh gawd, do I ever agree on that assessment of Long Branch. Spent too many nights playing pinball at Wizard World to be able to even look at what they’ve done to it. AP is definitely not what it used to be (lots of pinball, boardwalk, concerts at Convention Hall etc, in my memories) but I’m glad it’s come back from the hell hole it got turned into with those horrible failed construction projects of the 80s and 90s.</p>
<p>Not to hijack this thread to memories of the Jersey Shore, but the first concert I ever attended was a Beach Boys concert in Asbury Park. Summers as a teen were spent driving the “circuit”. For those not in the know, the several blocks around the beach and boardwalk were one-way making for a perfect circuit of driving just like in American Graffiti.</p>
<p>Last weekend AP returned to its glory days hosting the 3-day Bamboozle Music Fest. Bon Jovi closed it Sunday night. Foo Fighters were the Saturday headline act (the took a helicopter to NYC to play w Mick Jagger on SNL). </p>
<p>Attendance was over 90,000 and all quite well behaved. Weather was perfect. They took over boardwalk north of Convention Hall with the main stage straddling the boardwalk & the beach.</p>