JUST as I’m trudging away from the locked-up bar, the door swings open and a voice yells: “Wanna come inside?”
You bet I do — for the Stone Pony is no run-of-the-mill drinking den.
This is the famed watering hole where Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band entertained punters long before their Glory Days.
22
22
I’d made the 3,000-mile pilgrimage to the legendary venue where he honed his stagecraft in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
So, after initially finding it closed, I was super-excited to be ushered inside by friendly Stone Pony manager Caroline.
A wall of guitars hangs over a horseshoe bar opposite the small stage.
And a frieze depicting the postcard-style cover art of Bruce’s debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, takes pride of place.
The Thunder Road star still regularly turns up to rock out with musician pals, while The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White recently took to its stage to film scenes for the singer’s biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere.
Sadly there weren’t any gigs in the Stone Pony’s diary during my few days in the Garden State. So I instead headed to acclaimed music photographer Danny Clinch’s exhibition space.
The lensman has framed everyone from BB King to the Beastie Boys. And these evocative images adorn the walls of the Transparent Clinch Gallery.
I get to rub shoulders with songwriting royalty — well, nearly — by posing beside a lifesized portrait of Bruce, leaning back on the bonnet of a 1948 Pontiac.
22
22
And I live out another of my rocker fantasies by slipping behind E Street Band mainstay Max Weinberg’s drum kit for a personal photo shoot, on a small stage surrounded by more of Clinch’s iconic pictures.
This really is a town built from rock ’n’ roll rafters, as a stroll along the boardwalk attests.
The 1920s Convention Hall is where the E Street Band rehearse for tours, while The Clash, the Bee Gees and Blondie all played sell-out shows at the Paramount Theater next door.
Nearby is Madame Marie’s shack, where a fortune teller told the teenage Bruce he’d one day find fame — and was namechecked in his song 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).
Waves crash behind big ‘Marry Me’ letters as a couple celebrate their engagement on the beach, as I enjoy lunch at AP Rooftop.
22
First up, a cheeseboard before a delicious chicken Milanese with arugula salad, heirloom cherry tomato bruschetta and shaved parmesan. Strolling around further, it becomes clear why Asbury Park is touted as one of the coolest towns in the USA.
Cookman Avenue, where Bruce jammed the nights away in the long-gone Upstage club, boasts an array of Insta-friendly galleries and shops.
Best of all is music-themed bakery Confections of A Rock Star. Their Halloween brownie — a chunk of dark chocolate topped with an Oreo biscuit — is filthily sumptuous.
And I chill out over a few scoops in Kim Marie’s, then the Bond Street Bar, which are both everything desirable in US ‘dives’ — dimly lit and down-to-earth, with loud music, and quick service from affable bartenders.
Scots are sure to feel at home at Lola’s café, a fab spot for an al fresco sarnie, due to a portrait of late 007 actor Sean Connery on an exposed stone wall.
22
22
22
22
22
22
Just as cosy are my digs at the St Laurent Social Club, in a leafy residential street. After a retro-chic refit, a surfboard hangs in my plush en suite room overlooking the swimming pool.
The St Laurent’s glamorous cocktail lounge is the perfect spot for a late-night tipple and at the Heirloom Restaurant I devour chef David Viana’s panzanella salad, with tomato, cucamelon, ground cherry, stracciatella and rye, followed by flat iron steak, with chicken fried maitakes, cheddar grits and red-eye gravy.
Keen to explore further I head to Atlantic City, the casino town immortalised in Bruce’s 1982 song of the same name. The Tropicana, Caesar’s Palace and the Showboat — which has a massive indoor waterpark to keep kids happy — are buzzing.
22
22
22
22
The sea of plasma screens showing sports in the Hard Rock Hotel is alluring but I head straight for the A-list memorabilia it is famous for.
A stage-worn Elvis jumpsuit? Check. A Harley-Davidson ridden by Guns N’ Roses axeman Slash? Check. Prince’s ‘cloud’ guitar? Check. The pale-grey suits worn by The Beatles on their first US tour? Check!
For more even glamour, I am staying at the Resorts Casino Hotel, which oozes twenties swagger.
The 27-storey complex has dozens of eating and drinking spots, including a bar called Wet Willie’s that boasts ‘the world’s best daiquiris’.
I take a quick look at Lucy the Elephant — a 65ft-tall, tin-clad replica big ears which has survived wild storms since opening in 1882.
Fans of Boardwalk Empire must visit the Knife and Fork Inn, the ex-private club where racketeer Nucky Johnson — who inspired Steve Buscemi’s character in the mob series — held court.
22
22
22
The seating booths have lids which can be lifted to expose where booze was reputedly hidden during Prohibition. And the menu sizzles. I plump for lobster spring rolls then a fabulous bone-in pork chop with aged cheddar polenta.
For a nightcap I visit the town’s Irish Pub where Cheers star Kelsey Grammer is known to turn up to serve customers his own range of tipples. Sadly the sitcom funnyman is nowhere to be seen.
Next day I take a trek upstate to Jersey City. A leisurely walk around sprawling Liberty State Park is a must for jaw-dropping views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
22
22
22
And the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial — two 30ft, stainless steel walls bearing the names of hundreds of victims — stands in poignant tribute to those who died in the 2001 atrocity.
Yards from the Hudson River, offering gleaming Manhattan skyline views, I check into my Sonesta Simply Suites apartment before devouring slices of vodka pizza — yep, that’s what I’m told is spooned between the mozzarella slices — from a pizzeria and take a sunset stroll.
It’s when I reach the Colgate Clock — an odd, neon-lit landmark — that I realise New Jersey is unbeatable for quirkiness and character.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Here’s hoping future holidays will Deliver Me Back Here.
NEW JERSEY
GO: NEW JERSEY
GETTING THERE: Flights from Glasgow to Philadelphia, via Dublin where you clear US immigration, from £316. See aerlingus.com.
STAYING THERE: The St Laurent Social Club, Asbury Park has rooms from £210 a night. See thestlaurent.com. Rates from £89 per night at Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, see resortsac.com, and rooms from £306 at Sonesta Simply Suites. See sonesta.com.
MORE INFO: For all you need to organise a trip to New Jersey, see visitnj.org
