Jason M.
Yelp
Up until a couple of years ago, the only thing I knew about Asbury Park was its association with Bruce Springsteen. Recently, however, I've been hearing that Asbury Park has become a hot spot summer destination - especially after being rebuilt due to the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. All of my travel plans were cancelled this year because of the pandemic, so as things have been reopening I've been making the most of it by doing local things and day trips. That being said, I took this opportunity to take a little drive to Jersey and check out Asbury Park.
I wasn't looking to sit on the beach, just to walk the boardwalk and see whatever else I could in the area. I arrived around 11am, and while it didn't seem crowded most parking close to the boardwalk was filled. I eventually found a spot though, and made my way up 4th Ave to one of the entrances.
I noticed a lot of new construction on the boardwalk, especially in the surrounding buildings and in the actual promenade. Still though, there's a lot of original architecture and they still seem to be working on a lot - if it's residual from Sandy I'm not sure, but I did notice construction going on. In terms of attractions, typical boardwalk fare - a combination of sit-down restaurants and walk-up food stands, some gift shops, a fortune teller, etc. From what I could see, the beach looks clean. They're controlling crowds on the beach by only selling a certain number of passes a day - and they have staff at each entry point to make sure you're not on the beach without one.
Something that disturbed me about the boardwalk was that mask compliance was terrible. Yes, there are signs that state masks must be worn while on the boardwalk, but there is no enforcement of it. Because of that, the majority of people I encountered were not wearing masks. Perhaps it's because I'm from NY and am used to strict enforcement of masks, but I was disappointed to see this. It wasn't too crowded so I was able to social distance, but as soon as the attendance grew I split.
Overall, the beach looked nice but I didn't find anything too special about the Asbury Park Boardwalk. Yes, the history - and yes, the music venues - and yes, the Boss. However, I wouldn't drive 90 minutes from NYC just to go to the beach here. Don't get me wrong, Asbury Park itself is a lovely city - but for a day trip, you're better off taking a quick stroll on the boardwalk (with your mask on) and then spending the rest of your time downtown.