I've spent many, many a day in Asbury Park. Mom & Dad used to take my younger brother and I to the boardwalk and the Fun House and Merry Go Round regularly in the early '50's when we lived in nearby Highlands and Leonardo in Monmouth County.

When I was in high school, I worked as an usher during the summers in the Mayfair Theater, Baronet Theater and St. James Theater and used to travel from Leonardo to Asbury Park by motorcycle. After graduating and landing a job with NJ Bell in 1956 ... I worked Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach, Belmar and the Neptune areas as an Installer/Repairman for several years, jogging and spending lunch hours on the Boardwalk. The major riots on Springwood Ave. was the beginning of the downfall and decay for Asbury Park.

Last year, Brenda and I and our daughter, Nancy, were delighted to see/hear our grandson play the Stone Pony in Asbury Park; home of Bruce Springsteen.

Asbury Park IS coming back. Lots of new construction going on. I read in the paper just a week or so ago that a local businessman is planning to bring back the pedal boats on Wesley Lake.