My wife and I have two kids - age 6 and 4, and we all love it here.
We spend virtually every weekend playing on the beach. We ride
bikes on the boardwalk. We visit the arcade and occassionally play
mini golf. We go to the restaurants, and we take great pride in our
home and making it look very nice. AP is our favorite place.
Does the town have problems? Sure. Big ones. But is it turning
around? Absolutely, and remember it took over 30 years for it to
get this way.
So much has changed in just the four years we've owned here. For
instance:
Cookman was a ghost town. Like something out of the twightlight
zone. Today it is vibrant and becoming more so every week.
The boardwalk was deteriorating, with nothing on it including
people. Today, while certainly not perfect it is clean, rebuilt and
again vibrant with restaurants, shops and activities. Perfect - of
course not. But it sure is a fun place to be again.
My block was loud. There was a drug dealer with a nasty pitbull
across the street, and drug dealers in the house next door. At
night cabs would pull up at all ours and beep their horns. We tried
to avoid even goinng out to the car after dark and even sitting on
our porch at night made us nervous. Today the drug dealers in both
locations are gone, replaced by families. The drug deals have been
replaced by the ice cream man and the sounds of boom boxes have been
replaced by the sounds of kids playing outside. The street is quiet
at night. We don't think twice about sitting on our porch or being
outside even at 11 at night. Our street is an amazing eclectic
melting pot - straight and gay; white, black, hispanic; rich and
poor.
How much as AP changed - enough that my wife and I are starting to
discuss whether we should sell our other home and move here full
time. Just four years ago the thought of moving here was not even
something we'd remotely consider. Now if we didn't also love our
other home so much we'd already be doing it - and as the city
continues it's progress it will get harder and harder for us not to
move here permanently.
I know many will read this and focus on all that hasn't been done or
has been done poorly - there are many examples and I agree with much
of the critism. But in focusing on the negative all the time it's
easy to forget how much has happened so quickly. And for the person
who started this entire chain with his negative diatribe - if you
feel that strongly feel free to leave for if you really feel that
way only a fool would stay. I happen to think you are wrong.
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "icaruscriesfire"
>
> > Curious, TD, how old are the
> > little ones,
>
> 13, 11, 10 and 7
>
> > and do you take them to the waterpark on the west side,
>
> I don't think that's a destination attraction. Could be wrong
> because I haven't seen it, but it sounds like a neighborhood
squirt
> park.
>
> If its water, my kids will be interested. Did Dorney Park
> Wednesday. 59 degrees and drizzling. My kids had the wave pool
> and water slides to themselves. I sat on a lounge in a coat and
> fell asleep. Great day.
>
> > or
> > can they just describe the inside of all the poular restaurants
in
> town?
>
> Yes, but we also hit the beach, some shows, shop Cookman, and
visit
> their Nana while here.
>
> All the stuff I can't give them in Howell.
>
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