Asbury Park, New Jersey 2011

As you know, I had been counting down until the last week of December to when I go to Asbury Park, New Jersey for all the Bouncing Souls Home for the Holiday festivities. Well, this year was no different. I had a great time and came home with a lot of photos to share!

So first.. I will give you a little sneak peek by posting some of the photos I snapped with my phone (via Instagram) throughout my days there. Unfortunately, I was not permitted to take my Nikon into The Stony Pony so these are the only actual pictures I've got as far as the shows go. Also, I didn't have my camera on me when we stopped in at the Pinball Museum. Total bummer! I think I will have to be even more prepared next year!

 Every year The Souls like to do something a little different with their set lists. In the past years, they have had contests for their fans to write set lists and last year, they we going to play through full albums start to finish. Well, this year.. a bingo machine chose their set list. Yep, each song was wrote on a bingo ball. Awesome concept and made for some very interesting combinations of songs!

Down below some of the shops on Cookman Ave., there is an old black and white photo booth that had been rescued from Palace Amusements. It takes them 3 minutes or so to print. The quality is amazing! I'm so glad I've got this fun little strip to hang on to forever. Great memories.

 That would be Stza. I honestly couldn't tell you if I was more excited to see Leftover Crack or The Bouncing Souls this evening. Such a tough decision! It was a great final show and went by way too fast!

 This is Cookman Ave. We ventured down there a couple days when we were in town. They have an antique emporium that I could have spent a life time tinkering through! There is also a sweet record shop in this building pictured. Downstairs is where the photobooth is located.

 There were also a couple Skee Ball machines at the Pinball Museum. Laura was really so much better at it then me. She beat me like 3 times!

 An Elvira Pinball machine called Scared Stiff. This one was pretty fun.

 This was the view from our hotel. I'm not sure how we lucked out and got a ocean view but it was definitely a treat to look out the window and see this every morning and every night!

 The Bouncing Souls, of course.

 This little shop on Cookman Ave. had a music store downstairs where the meet and greet for The Bouncing Souls happened earlier before the final show. I was the only one that had a pass for this, so I went by myself, or else maybe I would have took a camera for some pictures. They are a bunch of very nice guys and it actually wasn't too nervous to meet them. After seeing them play probably more than a dozen times live, they just kind of feel like old friends.

More pinball goodness. We were no pinball wizards, though. That's for sure.

 Thee boardwalk.

 Stza of Leftover Crack.

 Greg of The Bouncing Souls.

 Michael hanging out in the lobby of Berkley hotel.

 Bryan of The Bouncing Souls.

 Obey in Asbury Park.

 The Bouncing Souls.

 Pinball.

 We set the alarm so we could wake up and watch the sun rise over the ocean. Waking up early sounds miserable but it was completely worth it. Such a beautiful thing to see.

 The Bouncing souls with the Bingo machine.

This was my favorite pinball machine. It was exactly like the one in Detroit Rock City, one of my favorite movies. Right down to the sounds and everything. Perfect!

Hanging out in the lobby.  Berkley hotel is quite beautiful.

Lots more photos to share later!

xo, Linds